BNB Fishing Mag | December 2022 by bnbfishing

Estuary • Offshore • Freshwater • 4WD • Camping • Touring

495

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December 2022

Summer mud crabbing tips

Print Post Approved PP100001534 Volume 33, Number 12

Pelagic guide for Christmas

Mad keen for mono

Best lures for barramundi

FNQ reef fishing

Cape York adventure

Oily bait gets bites

Fingermark fever on Capricorn Coast ISSN 1832-4517

Moreton Bay options

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From the Bush ‘n Beach Fishing editor

S the door starts to close on 2022, it’s a good idea to take a few moments to reflect on the past 12 months, before looking forward to next year. For the past few years, we’ve been thrown several curve balls to face, as a nation and a society. Aside from having to deal with COVID earlier in the year – though it looks as though another round is going to hit – there was also the horrific weather. Devastating floods left people homeless and those who were able to save and fix their homes can now not afford the insurance to protect against future events. I know this is not fishing related, however,

why have people been allowed to build where there is recurring flooding? I’m sure this and many similar questions have been asked by those who were directly impacted – and our thoughts go out to them. In the teaching realm, there is a key phrase currently being used – ‘building resilient kids’ – which I think is now applicable to most Australians and will be important over the next 12 months. Both the fishing and boating industries have had a busy year in terms of managing stock, transport logistics, foreign impacts, labour shortages and more – I feel this will begin to balance itself out in the new year.

Vale Rodney Griggs

O D N E Y Griggs made the front page of this publication in January 2003 and was a fishing author for the Courier Mail for many years. Rod passed away at home recently, with his family by his side. Rod suffered from kidney disease for most of his life but was on dialysis for the past 10 years, unable to receive a donor kidney. He also suffered debilitating chronic pancreatitis, which started after having his gall bladder removed, and had been in pain for many years – being unable to be referred to a public specialist gastroenterologist pan-

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creas surgeon by the public health professionals he was seeing in central Queensland. Rod is survived by his wife Angela, children John, Alana and Katherine, brothers David and Mark, and father Orel.

In memory of Rodney Griggs who passed away at home on October 27, 2022 surrounded by his family. Rest in peace, Rod.

Who would have thought you’d need to wait up to six or even 12 months for a new boat or engine? But that was the case for several manufacturers. Though we don’t want to see the industry come to a roaring halt, as that won’t be good for anyone, a nice balance of supply and demand will ensure the longevity of the industry. On the fishing front, this would have to be one of the toughest years I can remember. I feel a little selfish saying this as people have lost their homes, while I’m worried about how many days I’ve spent on the water. Without diminishing the scale of loss, it was extremely challenging to get out on the water. Which had impacted on the industry as less tackle and bait were bought, effecting the retail side of the sector. Hopefully, after the La Niña cycle ends, we can get back to some ‘normal’ weather patterns – fingers crossed we don’t go from one extreme to the other. In terms of fish management, significant changes were made this year, with spanish mackerel the most recent species to come under the microscope. From reports, the first northern closure had a very good uptake of people doing the right thing. This was awesome to hear because we do need to look ahead and support the management of the fishery. Speaking of which, I’m hopefully going to be more involved in that

side of the things over the coming months – stay tuned. Finally, it would be remiss of me to not wish everyone a merry Christmas. Thanks to all the writers who continue to produce informative articles and thank you to our advertisers. We wish you all a prosperous festive sea-

son and new year. Please support those who support us, as they allow us to continue producing the magazine each month. And finally, to you the readers, thank you for your ongoing support – hopefully you manage to score a new rod, reel or even a boat under the tree this year. Ben Collins

OUR COVER Estuary • Offshore • Freshwater • 4WD • Camping • Touring

495

Includes GST

December 2022

Summer mud crabbing tips

Print Post Approved PP100001534 Volume 33, Number 12

Pelagic guide for Christmas

Mad keen for mono

Best lures for barramundi

FNQ reef fishing

Cape York adventure

Oily bait gets bites

Fingermark fever on Capricorn Coast ISSN 1832-4517

Moreton Bay options

12 Proudly produced and printed in Australia

9 771832 451001

4X4 ON FRASER

THE ULTIMATE EAST COAST ESCAPE!

www.bnbfishing.com.au

K'GARI, FRASER ISLAND

Scan me S T A Y 5 P A Y 4 FOR DETAILS

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WARRIC JOHNSTON landed this 89cm flathead on a white 3.5” Palms Slow Blatt soft plastic lure, with 20lb leader and main line. Check out Sean Conlon’s article on page 8 for more information on classic catches.

NEXT EDITION: January edition will be on sale in newsagents from December 23. DECEMBER SUBSCRIPTION OFFER: See the subscription form on Page 84 and subscribe this month to go in the draw to win one of five Zerek packs from Wilson Fishing valued at over $105 RRP each. OCTOBER PRIZE WINNERS: Congratulations to E. Gosper, Cudal; T. Gibbs, Victoria Point; C. Ho, Carindale and Z. Hardman, Moree – you are our subscriber prize winners for October. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 5

December 2022 contents Monster threadfin salmon taken on very light gear. . . . . . by Sean Conlon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P8 Tide Times - Brisbane Bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P11 Summer mud crab... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Sean Thompson . . . . . . . . . . . . P14 Mad keen for mono. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Ben Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P20 Small lures catching big numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Clint Ansell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P23 It’s beginning to look a lot like Fishmas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Gavin Dobson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P26 Oily bait gets bites in Northern Rivers murky water . . . . . by Brett Hyde . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P28 Grant’s Christmas guide to pelagics in Noosa . . . . . . . . . . by Grant Budd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P30

Jacks and jews in the Noosa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Keith Stratford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P34 Top Christmas gift ideas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P38 Insights into boat insurance ��P40 Stacer line up heats up for hottest summer yet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P41 Tips from Move Boat Trailers ��P42 Product News ��P46 Fresh kick-starts fishing frenzy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Chris Rippon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P48 Marlin and mack mayhem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Tri Ton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P52

Bundy offshore reefies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Matt Potter ��P54 Competition Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P56 Fingermark fever on Cap Coast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by John Boon ��P57 Tide Times - Waddy Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P58 Safe summer surface fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Neil Schultz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P59 Easy reef fishing in far north Queensland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Ben Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P62 A beautiful blue bottle story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Paul ‘Chief’ Graveson . . . . . . . P64 Charter Directory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P66 Cape York trip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Craig Tomkinson . . . . . . . . . . . . P68 Oztent launches new easy durable air tents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P69 Dometic introduces new compact camping tents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P71 Recipe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Melissa Frohloff . . . . . . . . . . . . P72

Women’s Fishing Classic 2023. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P74 World first one million tagged fish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P74 2022 Fitzroy River Barra Bash recap ��P76 Dam Levels ��P76 Best lures for barra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Sam Rowley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P78 Take care at Christmas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Brian Dare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P80 Trading Post ��P82 Readers’ Forum ��P83 Subscription Form ��P84 Page 6 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

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Our website bnbfishing.com.au is updated several times a day with the latest news and handy fishing articles.

The Team

EDITOR: Ben Collins ADVERTISING: Rachel Fordyce PRODUCTION: Tiffany Brown Lisa Jones

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: Ovato Max. recommended retail price $4.95 (includes GST). CORRESPONDENTS: Editorial contributions are welcome, as is news from clubs,associations or individuals; and new product news from manufacturers. Entire contents copyright. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. It is the responsibility of advertisers and contributors to ensure the correctness of their claims and statements. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 7

After many years of fishing with the author, eventually a solid southern bay threadfin salmon was added to Simon’s list.

Monster threadfin salmon taken on very light gear

OW, I can’t b e l i e v e Christmas is just around the corner – it has snuck up fairly fast and another year is nearly over. As we know, the weather this year has been a major factor, with plenty of rain and a lot of wind, getting out on the water

Southern Moreton Bay by SEAN CONLON

was made a little more difficult than normal. Though I have to say, when we were able to get out, the fishing on average this year was quite good.

Unfortunately, this article won’t be very big this month, with a few back issues and the weather, I’ve been able to get only one charter out since my previous article.

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0432 386 307 seanconlonsfishing@hotmail.com Page 8 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

WITH SEAN CONLON

Though this particular trip was a bit special. I picked Simon – one of my regular clients – up from the boat ramp at a leisurely 7.30am and we headed out to try getting ourselves a few squire on soft plastics. This was our first plan, then we were going to chase flathead at about 11am on the low tide and finish the charter at about 2pm and head home. So, we headed to Potts Point where I found a few fish on the sounder. We made a few drifts through that area with soft plastics, unfortunately only picking up a few under-sized grass sweetlip and nothing else. We anchored up on a few good shows of fish and cast soft plastics at them for a while, but we caught absolutely nothing. So, we decided to go and chase a few flathead, as it was getting towards the low tide. We arrived at our first area, where we tied on a couple of Zerek Bull-

dog Cranks and made a few passes along the bank trolling our little hard-bodies. Plenty of bait was around but still not much was happening after a couple of passes along the bank. I eventually got a hit from a nice fish, but I mustn’t have pinned it too well with the hooks and it got away. We made a few more passes along the same area where we’d had a few hits, but we just couldn’t hook up, so we made the call to pull up to a little spot and cast a few soft plastics. However, the same thing happened there for about an hour – we were getting bumps and taps on our lures, but we still couldn’t get the hooks to set on any fish, so we decided to move. We moved around about 500m or so to a nice drain and started putting a few casts in. On about my fourth cast, whack – I hooked onto a nice fish and, before we knew it, a decent * continued P10

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 9

Over the years, Simon has captured a few speedsters on the author’s charters, including a southern bay spotted mackerel.

Simon was lucky enough to catch an elusive jewfish on one of the author’s charters.

Monster thready on light gear * from P8

Simon scored a decent 75cm flathead.

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50cm flathead was in the boat. Thank the fishing gods for that! It was quite a tough morning – we were right on the bottom of the tide by that stage, with the first fish landed for the day. We kept on casting and then the same thing happened – we got a couple of bumps and a few taps but still not much was happening. So, we changed the lures and put a couple of paddle tails on to see if the extra vibration might stir these fish up. This worked instantly, with us catching a couple of smaller flathead. We let these fish go and in the process of doing this, Simon spotted a good 80cm plus fish free-swimming in the shallows in front of us. We tried to get it to take a lure, but it wasn’t interested. We made plenty more casts there for at least an hour, by which stage the tide was turning to come in.

There was a lot of bait and everything was correct but the fish were just not committing to the lures, so the decision was made to change locations. We didn’t go far – probably another 200m to another drain – with the same result… plenty of bait, we made a fair few casts but absolutely nothing. So then the tide was pushing in – we probably missed the best time to chase a few fish, particularly the flatties – it was turning out to be a very tough day. We decided to stop to have a bite of lunch – we both chowed down

on a couple of sausages, had a drink and started to think about heading home because the tide was not going to get any better for us. It had been a tough day – the fish were relatively shut down, but we still had a good morning on the water. So, I said to Simon, “Well, before we go, let’s try to make something happen.” The best way to do that was to get some hard-bodies out and work an area to see if we could encourage a bite. About 50m in front of us was a nice bank that I’d caught fish off before * continued P11

Simon’s 105cm threadfin salmon on the lie detector. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Monster thready on light gear

* from P10 We chased it again on call was made to chase and we could see there it on the electric, as Si- the electric. was plenty of bait along mon only had 6lb line Simon patiently played the edge, so we decided and a 2-4kg rod with the fish for at least anto pop the Zerek Bull- a 2000 spin reel – we other 15-20 minutes, dog Cranks back in the were really only chasing while I worked the elecwater and have a bit of flathead. tric, keeping the boat a troll to see what would Now, we could tell away from the fish. transpire. from the start that this Eventually the fish We started along the was quite a substantial went heavy and Simon edge and I followed a fish for the gear that thought it was coming contour line on the Lowwe were using, I said up. AUSTRALIA, EASTsoCOAST – BRISBANE BAR rance – we went about to Simon, “You’ll So he took it nice and LAT 27° 22ʼ S just LONG 153° 10ʼ E Times and Heights of High Low Waters 20m along the bank in have to play the fish, no and easy, slowly getting SEPTEMBER OCTOBER about 1m of water when, yanking on the rod, no the fish toNOVEMBER the surface, m Time m Time m Time m Time m whack – Simon’s rodTime tightening up the drag, where we could seeTime the m 0038 1.76 0041 1.49 0216 1.42 0000 2.14 0018 1.79 0238 1.49 was nearly1 ripped leader.1 0817 0.67 16 0757 0.84 16of0656 just 16see 1the 0.52 play 0643 0.65 0629 0.44out 0630fish 0.45and 2.03 FR 1329 2.04 SA 1312 2.17just SU 1335 TU 1518 2.22 WE 1450 2.00 his handsTH– 1240 the drag happens, be 2.03 it was2156 go- 0.83 0.88 2020 0.91We thought 1849 0.67 was1948 what 1945 0.76 2229 0.64 absolutely screaming. patient.” ing to take off for0342 an- 1.46 0037 1.98 0116 1.57 0111 1.62 0135 1.38 0408 1.56 2 0703 0.48 17 2 0717 2big0945run0.69but17no, 0732 0.63 0.55 17 0730 0.77 0915it 0.88 Simon stood up and Luckily, he did all of other FR 1329 2.03 SA 1421 1.96 SU 1415 2.13 MO 1434 1.95 WE 1631 2.23 TH 1555 2.00 1943 0.78 0.97 – he’s 2107 0.81 some 2146 0.92 0.55 surface, 2256 0.74 said, “I think I got a2056 this caught popped 2334 to the 0123 1.80 1.41 fish0228 1.48me be0305 1.33 0523 1.71 0457 1.59 snag, you better stop the0213 good with and I slid a 105cm 3 0.53 18 0823 fore 3 0825 0.64tackle 18 0842 3 1108salmon 0.74 0.65 18 1033 0.85 boat.” SA 0746 – 0.86 threadfin safely 1430 2.02 SU 1530 1.92 on 1533 2.13 TU 1549 1.92 2.25 FR 1655 2.03 MO light TH 1738 0.97 2242 0.76 2307 0.86 2347 0.64 I replied, 2057 “It’s0.86not a2240 and eventually, after into the net. 0228 1.63 0351 1.33 0409 1.47 0450 1.40 0030 0.44 0554 1.76 snag, we4 aren’t going 10 minutes, grabbed its1142 tail 0.78 4 0955 4 0624 0847 0.58 19 0938 about 0.81 0.67 19 we 1014 0.87Simon 1.89 19 2.06 MO 1651 saw 1.93 theTU 1656 2.19 WE 1701 1.97 0.57lifted FR 1219 SA 1748 that fast.”SU 1549 leader. and both of us the 2.07 2232 0.85 1834 2.27 I quickly 0400 got my line The water was quite fish safely on board the 1.53 0.87 0.63 0003 0.75 0117 0.35 0033 0.52 5 1007 20 0002 5 0000 20see in and put the 0.60 electric 0533 dirty 1.40 and 0536 0552 1.55 0715 a2.06 0643 1.95 we 1.59 could boat 5 with big20cheer 1713 2.16 TU 1104 0.79 WE 1122 0.60 TH 1130 0.78 SA 1319 0.52 SU 1243 0.70 motor onMOspot lock be-1758 the of the – Simon was2.24absolutely 2.02shape 1807 2.30fish but 1759 2.06 1923 1837 2.10 cause Simon’s was. stoked. 0159 0.30 0007 line 0.73 was0054 not 0.75what it 0101 0.48 0047 0.64 0115 0.41 6 0530 1.56 6 0642 that 6is0800why 1.77 21 0638 1.71 2.20 21 0728 2.13 ripping through the 21 wa-0631 1.53 We realised it was ThisSU do1338 my 0.62 1412 0.49 I MO TU 1129 0.55 WE 1213 0.70 TH 1236 0.49 FR 1229 0.67 1825 2.31 1849 2.12 1905 2.39 1845 2.14 2006 2.18 1923 2.10 ter – this fish had some at least 1m plus. job, it was an absolutely 0.57 0135 0.64 0127 0.52 0.27 thread0156 0.33 serious speed. Suddenly, it 0.36 took anawesome 105cm 7 0119 7 0151 7 0234 0645 1.68 22 0715 1.66 0735 1.94 22 0719 1.87 0841 2.30 22 0812 2.29 The first thing I called 1243 0.45 1305 0.59 1337 0.39 1319 0.57 1500 0.49 other huge run – the fin salmon taken on WE TH FR SA MO TU 1431a 0.55 2.22 1955 2.43 1927 2.21 2045 2.09 2008 2.07 it for was a 1926 giant2.46 treval-1932 2000 spin reel was 2-4kg rod, 2000 spin 0215 0.42 0212 0.55 0235 0.29 0203 0.42 0307 0.27 0.26 ly, simply8because was0752 screaming reel 6lb braid and Ze- 2.42 8 0821and2.07the236lb 8 0919 23a0235 0746 1.81it 23 1.79 0759 2.02 2.37 0855 1351 0.49 1430 0.34 SU 1406 0.50 1543 0.51 WE 1523 0.50 TH 1347 0.34 FR SA TU moving quickly and I’d braid was 2038 ripping off the rek Bulldog Crank. 2053 2.01 2018 2.56 2011 2.29 2.41 2005 2.23 2121 2.00 caught that species there0245 spool like0313 you0.25 wouldn’t get much 0303 0.33 0.48 0238 0.34It doesn’t 0336 0.28 0314 0.23 9– 0903 24ac9than 1.94 24 0828 believe 1.90 2.18 0838 2.16 0956 that! 2.40 24 0940 2.53 before. 9 0838 you could better FR 1442 0.26 SA 1433 0.42 SU 1515 0.34 MO 1452 0.46 WE 1624 0.55 TH 1615 0.48 This fish 2104 started 2.59 tak-2045 tually 2.33 2.35 on the 2043 2.22After 2156 2140 1.94 see 2116 the line we 1.89 composed ing a reasonably with 0345 0.27 large0318 reel 0.41 disappearing 0346 0.24 0313 0.28 0404 Simon 0.31 0352 0.23 ourselves, real10 line 0924 2.03 25 0904 2.00 10 0943 2.25 25 0917 2.27 10 1031 2.40 25 1025 2.58 amount of and just the fish swimming so ised there was way too 0.48 SA 1530 0.24 SU 1514 0.39 MO 1559 0.37 TU 1538 0.44 TH 1702 0.60 FR 1706 2145 2.57 2.34 2152 2.24 2120 2.17 2230 1.79 kept on running, so the2119 fast. much fish for him2228to 1.86 0.26 0351 0.36 0417 0.26 0346 0.25 0432 0.36 0432 0.26 take11 home the 2.59 11 0424 1006 2.11 26 0942 2.09 11 1020 2.30 26 0958 2.36 1107 because 2.36 26 1113 1740 0.67 1800 0.51 SU 1615 0.27 MO 1554 0.38 TU 1639 0.44 WE 1623 0.45 FR SA thready was in super 2224 2.48 2152 2.31 2226 2.10 2200 2.08 2303 1.69 2320 1.76 good nick and so fat it 0459 0.27 0423 0.32 0445 0.29 0419 0.25 0501 0.44 0515 0.33 12 1047 2.15 27 1019 2.16 12 1058 2.31 27 1040 2.41 12funny. 1142 2.30 27 1202 2.56 wasn’t MO 1657 0.34 TU 1634 0.41 WE 1718 0.54 TH 1709 0.48 SA 1817 0.73 SU 1858 0.54 were 2300 2.34 2226 2.24 2258 1.95 2240 1.96As we2338 1.59 going to release 0533 the fish, de- 1.68 0.53 we0016 0530 0.31 0453 0.31 0511 0.34 0453 0.29 13 1127 2.17 28 1058 2.21 13 1133 2.28 28 1123 2.42 13to1219 28quick 0604 0.43 cided take2.22 some SU 1859 0.79 MO 1256 2.48 TU 1737 0.46 WE 1715 0.47 TH 1757 0.64 FR 1758 0.55 2333 2.16 2300 2.12 2330 1.79 2323 1.82 photos and get the 1959 fish 0.57 0017 1.51 0558 0.36 0523 0.33 0538 0.42 0529 0.35 0119 back14 in0610 the 0.64 water a 1.63 14 1205 2.15 29 1138 2.22 14 1210 2.22 29 1210 2.39 29for 0700 0.54 1301 2.13 1817 0.60 1758 0.56 1836 0.75 1852 0.63 1353 2.40 safe release. MO WE TH FR SA TU 1947 0.84 2336 1.97 2059 0.58 With this fish been 1.96 0554 0.38 0002 1.63 0014 1.67 0108 1.45 0230 1.63 fairly 15 0005 15weighty, 30want0626 0.43 30 1221 2.21 15 0607 0.52 30 0611 0.45 0656 0.75we 0810 0.64 1351 2.05 WE 1454 2.31 TH 1245 2.11 FR 1845 0.66 SA 1249 2.13 SU 1303 2.33 TU ed to get back in2158 the 0.56 1859 0.75 1920 0.84 1959 0.69 2048it 0.86 water fairly quickly. 0116 1.55 31 0704 0.57Unfortunately, while MO 1406 2.26 2115 0.70 the pics aren’t bad, they’re not great – I’m © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2021, Bureau of Meteorology sorry about that. Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Anyway, after a few Moon Phasesome Symbols Full Moon Moon Quarter quick pics and a little Simon has caught nice fishNew with the author First

over the years, including this southern bay squire. www.bnbfishing.com.au

* continued P12

Tide Times

AUSTRALIA EAST COAST EA BRISBANE BAR AUSTRALIA, 2022 LAT 27°

Time Zone –1000 DECEMBER

Time

0242 0826 FR 1454 2147

1.59 0.85 2.07 0.71

Time

JANUARY m

0345 0927 TH 1557 2254

1.70 0.71 2.23 0.52

0455 1044 FR 1658 2346

1.83 0.73 2.15 0.46

17 0354 0938

0621 2.15 1240 0.86 MO 1812 1.79

0556 1.98 1155 0.72 SA 1755 2.08

18 0503 1053

0035 0713 TU 1342 1908

0034 0649 SU 1259 1846

0.41 2.14 0.69 2.01

19 0603 1205

0121 0759 WE 1435 1959

0.37 2.27 1355 0.67 MO 1933 1.94

5 0203 0840

0156 0819 TU 1445 2016

Time

1.89 0.95 1.88 0.61

0648 1331 WE 1856

17 0523 1135

2.03 0.92 TU 1710 1.81 2342 0.55

0055 0738 TH 1422 1950

0.49 2.26 0.81 1.74

18 0629 1256

0145 0821 FR 1504 2033

0.47 2.35 0.74 1.72

19 0043 0728

0228 0900 SA 1541 2110

20 0027 0657

0.45 2.40 1520 0.70 TH 2044 1.73

20 0141 0823

5 0306 0936

0.34 2.36 0.64 1.87

21 0115 0747

0242 0919 FR 1601 2123

0.44 2.43 0.67 1.74

21 0235 0915

0341 1009 MO 1645 2215

0.33 2.42 1530 0.63 WE 2057 1.81

22 0202 0837

7 0317 0955

0.43 2.44 1637 0.67 SA 2158 1.75

22 0328 1003

7 0415 1040

0303 0935 TH 1613 2135

0.34 2.44 0.63 1.76

23 0249 0926

0351 1030 SU 1710 2231

0.44 2.43 0.67 1.76

23 0417 1050

0449 1110 WE 1743 2322

0335 1012 FR 1651 2211

0.36 2.44 0.65 1.72

24 0335 1015

0425 1103 MO 1741 2305

0.45 2.41 0.68 1.78

24 0506 1135

0524 1140 TH 1812 2359

10 0406 1046

0.40 2.41 SA 1727 0.68 2245 1.68

25 0422 1104

10 0500 1135

0.48 2.39 TU 1813 0.69 2342 1.78

25 0553 1219

10 0600 1211

11 0438 1121

26 0511 1153

11 0536 1209

26 0043 0641

11 0037 0639

12 0513 1157

27 0011 0600

12 0021 0615

27 0132 0731

12 0120 0725

13 0000 0550

28 0106 0655

13 0104 0659

28 0227 0828

13 0213 0824

14 0044 0632

29 0205 0753

14 0156 0749

29 0330 0936

14 0323 0944

15 0137 0724

30 0309 0858

15 0258 0853

30 0441 1100

15 0446 1118

2 3 4

5 0117 0736 6

7 0230 0859 8 9

0.45 2.36 SU 1801 0.71 2321 1.65

0.51 2.31 1837 0.75 MO 1.62 0.59 TU 1235 2.25 1916 0.77

1.59 0.68 1315 2.18 WE 2001 0.78 1.58 0.77 TH 1401 2.12 2053 0.76

1.67 0.89 SA 1551 2.02 2242 0.64

1.81 0.88 SU 1650 1.99 2335 0.55

1.99 0.82 MO 1749 1.96 0.46 2.19 1313 0.74 TU 1845 1.94

0.37 2.37 WE 1415 0.64 1940 1.91 0.31 2.52 1514 0.56 TH 2035 1.89 0.26 2.63 FR 1609 0.49 2130 1.87

0.24 2.70 SA 1703 0.45 2223 1.85

0.24 2.72 SU 1757 0.44 2317 1.84

0.29 2.69 MO 1848 0.45 1.82 0.37 1242 2.60 TU 1938 0.48

1.81 0.48 WE 1330 2.48 2027 0.51 1.81 0.62 1421 2.32 TH 2115 0.53 1.85 0.75 FR 1514 2.16 2204 0.54

31 0415 1010

1.92 0.84 SA 1611 2.00 2255 0.53

0521 1127 SU 1711 2345

2.02 0.88 1.87 0.52

2 3 4

8 9

0.54 2.34 WE 1845 0.69 1.78 0.62 1243 2.28 TH 1921 0.69 1.77 0.72 FR 1319 2.20 2000 0.68

1.77 0.82 1401 2.09 SA 2045 0.67

1.80 0.91 SU 1454 1.98 2137 0.65

0411 1011 MO 1559 2238

Times and H F

2.21 0.82 WE 1820 1.79 0.47 2.40 TH 1406 0.69 1926 1.80 0.39 2.56 1507 0.57 FR 2027 1.85

0.31 2.69 SA 1602 0.47 2124 1.90

0.25 2.77 1653 0.41 SU 2216 1.96

0.22 2.79 MO 1740 0.38 2307 2.00 0.25 2.74 TU 1823 0.39 2355 2.02

0.33 2.62 WE 1904 0.43 2.03 0.47 TH 1301 2.45 1944 0.48 2.01 0.63 1343 2.24 FR 2024 0.54

2.00 0.81 SA 1429 2.02 2106 0.59

1.99 0.94 1522 1.81 SU 2156 0.64

2.03 1.00 MO 1630 1.67 2254 0.67

2 3 4

SU 1615 2143

TU 1714 2247

8 9

FR 1842

SA 1243 1914

SU 1320 1950

MO 1410 2038

TU 1520 2145

WE 1648 2305

31 0549 1226

2.10 0.96 TU 1747 1.60 2357 0.66

New Moon

Full LastMoon Quarter

Last Quarter Moon Phase Symbols

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 11

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www.baitmate.com.au Page 12 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

Simon hooked up to a threadfin and watched plenty of his 6lb braid disappear off the spool.

Monster thready on light gear * from P11

video, we put this gorgeous fish back in the water, gave it a good swim and released it to fight another day. I have to say, the Zerek Bulldog Crank stood up well. It’s only a small thing with little hooks, but it wasn’t going last much longer because – as you can see in the pic – the back trebles were ripped off and a couple of the others weren’t far from straightening. We were on light line with not too much drag pressure and Simon took his time, which allowed us to land a rather large fish on a small lure and light gear. Anyway, that was a day that started off extremely slowly and turned out to be rather special. I’ve been doing this for a fair few years now and have caught a lot of fish for many customers, and I’ve hooked threadfin on my boat with friends, but this was the first time I’d had one of my clients hook and land a threadfin on my boat. In all these years, to have someone who has stuck with me and fish on my boat as a client

and friend for 10 years, it couldn’t have happened to a better person. I suppose that’s why I keep coming back every year. Anyway, have a great and safe Christmas and hopefully you’ll read my articles next year. Stay safe on the water over the festive season and have fun. As we all know with our jobs and lives, we are time poor, so if you

can learn more to optimise your time on the water, remember knowledge is key. If you’re interested in any of our tuition classes or you want to do a fishing charter, call me on 0432 386 307 or send email to seancon lonsfishing@hotmail. com, or check out the Facebook page – Seano’s Inshore Fishing Charters and Tuition.

Simon’s threadfin salmon in the water prior to release.

The lure that did the damage to the 105cm threadfin salmon, the Zerek Bulldog Crank – looking a bit worse for wear but it hung in there and did the job. Get some of these in your tacklebox. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 13

A nice haul by the author and friend after some heavy rainfall. The author with a catch in front of some mangrove drains.

Summer mud crabs

Page 14 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

N many areas along the Queensland and northern NSW coastline, December is an excellent time to start chasing mud crabs. If you’ve experienced some poor results, even after the rain in October and November, don’t despair too much. During this time, mud crabs in southeast Queensland moult and so are much harder to catch. Crabbers should also be aware of clean shiny green crabs during these months because these crabs are growing into their new shell and are definitely worth returning to the water. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the when, where and how to catch muddies to maximise your chances of success. Best times There are a few key factors to consider with regard to the best time to mud crab. First, bigger tides normally associated with a new or full moon period are best. This is because these tides push further up into creek and river systems – and their asso-

Fishing Tips by SEAN THOMPSON

ciated drains and mangrove line mud flats – giving the crabs access to new food and indeed holes. If crabbing throughout the day or evening, it can pay to move your pots up and down the estuary with the bigger tides. However, I find crabbing overnight the most productive, and it pays to leave your pots in these less-accessed areas, provided you time your tide to return to them in the morning. Second, rain will also get the crabs moving, but where you set your pots depends on how much rain there has been. If there have been a few showers or a storm, it is worth setting the pots at the entrances of drains and small creeks, as the rain will flush them out of their holes to feed. However, if there’s been a lot of rain over a day or more, the crabs will move with the current towards the entrance of the estuary

if the water becomes too fresh. In this situation, move the pots to deeper water because the moredense saline water will sit below the muddier fresh water on top and move the crabs closer to the entrance. During warmer months, especially after moulting in early spring, mud crabs will be more active with a warm water temperature. However, it is a myth that you cannot catch crabs in months with an ‘r’ in them. While there may be fewer, winter crabs are usually very full. More of an issue is that in winter, their activity slows, moulting ceases and size doesn’t change, so stocks of legal-size crabs will not increase and will in fact decline with catches. This cycle changes again in warmer months. Where to set your pots In general, the best

* continued P15

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Summer mud crabbing * from P14

crabbing is up estuaries or creeks, in areas lined with muddy mangrove-lined banks. However, mud crabs can also be found in some open bays such as Moreton, around the edges of mangroves, muddy bottoms where it drops off into channels and also in rocky holes on mud flats that are interspersed with rocks. Entrances to creek drains that are lined with mangroves and wide enough for you to get a small boat into are perfect locations for mud crab. Try to get your pots as far up the drain as you can, but if you can’t, place the pots at the entrance. Keep a lookout in some of those ‘narrow

but wide enough to get your boat into’ drains or small creeks for any signs of broken branches at the entrance and look to see if the leaves on the broken branches are still green. If they are, it suggests someone has crabbed there recently, so it is worth trying elsewhere. If the broken branches are brown and dead however, this should mean there has been sufficient time for new bucks to take up prime position in these spots. Steep muddy banks – particularly those under overhanging trees or mangroves are also top areas. Submerged trees around muddy banks are great locations too. Also worth crabbing are the sharp bends in creeks where the tide

flow is strongest, and it therefore channels out a deeper hole. The current will also carry the crabs through here after rain. Crabbing without a boat Apart from the types of spots mentioned – if you can get to them by foot – there are a few other choice locations crabbers without a boat can try. In Moreton Bay, there are several shorelines that are a mixture of mud, sand and plates of rock. These have places under the rocks for crabs to hide in during the day and on the high tide, venture out at night. The other worthy land-based locations are expansive shallow

Crabs make homes under rock plates, so they are a top spot to crab next to.

Undercut banks under mangroves are a top crabbing spot.

Marine Electronics * continued P16

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 15

All the ingredients for the author’s favourite Thai red chilli mud crab dish. At market prices of $80-90/kg, catching big crabs is well worth your efforts.

Summer mud crabbing * from P15

The delicious Thai red chilli mud crab cook up.

Drains are another top spot to place your pots.

Collapsible crab pots with aluminium struts make for quick set up and packing away. Page 16 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

mud flats, particularly those close to mangroves. Few boat crabbers will crab here as it’s too shallow to venture into, especially on a low tide. You can stick the pots in the mangroves themselves or out on the flats, but as the Queensland Fisheries website notes, “It is best practice to make sure your pots/dillies are in water deep enough at all stages of the tide, so marine animals caught in the gear are not exposed to the sun and unwanted crabs can be released alive.” Crabbing gear and bait Types of Pots There are a number of considerations when choosing the right crab pots, including price, quality, size and weight. If you intend to crab in areas with a reasonable current flow and want to have your pots for a long time, go for heavy duty higher quality pots. When I go crabbing with a friend, we often set and collect our legal maximum of four pots each. And setting and collecting eight pots can take a bit of time. For this reason, my

favourite crab pots by far are the heavy duty models that are quick to set up and collapse. Wilson Fishing’s Pro Crabbing Series of crab pots fits this bill perfectly. The 309CTRO2 pot is a heavy duty four-entry crab trap that has a 900mm diameter and extra heavy duty mesh. But my favourite feature is their collapsible aluminium struts that make set up and collapsing a breeze. Further, the huge built-in bait bag allows you to put heaps of bait in the pot but not have it exposed and easily eaten by crabs and fish, as wire bait holders do. Floats and rope Floats are a personal preference, provided they meet with the state regulations. That is, they must be light coloured for visibility to boaties and must be no less than 15cm in any dimension. There are some good crabbing kits on the market that are very handy and include floats, ropes, tags, marker pens and more. But if crab theft is a problem and if setting your pots overnight, choose darker-coloured ropes and use tags to tie to nearby structure.

I purchased some 6mm camouflage rope from Bunnings for this purpose, which along with using lead weights on them help hide your rope from thieves. Best bait Fresh bait is best for crabbing – meaning you should always replace your bait once or twice a day, if you leave your pots in the water. Top crabbing bait includes chicken carcasses, chicken pieces, pilchard, mullet or other oily fish. I go to my local butcher for cheap chicken carcasses at $0.50 each or fresh seafood shops for cheap oily fish carcasses, rather than less oily reef fish. If you do use whole fish, if it’s frozen, make sure you defrost it first and make some cuts in it also – to help with the release of smells and oils. Hopefully, these mud-crabbing tips and tricks will help you to catch a few extra crabs this summer and beyond. For more tips, reports and giveaways, check out my social media pages – Ontour Fishing Australia. Until next time, bag your friends – not your limit!

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 17

Volunteering can be a fishy business

Region

Number released 2021–22 (estimate

rounded to nearest 1000)

Central Queensland

362 000*

Murray Darling Basin

828 000

Each year millions of juvenile fish (or fingerlings) are released into Queensland waters by volunteers.

North Queensland

174 000*

Fisheries Queensland has a proud history of working with communitybased stocking groups to deliver world class, sustainable freshwater fishing opportunities in more than 100 waterways, dams and weirs across the state. Places as diverse as Wyaralong Dam in the south east, Peter Faust Dam in the north and Gil and Miles Weir in the Western Downs.

Wide Bay Burnett

South East Queensland

Species

1 093 000 861 000 Number released 2021–22 (estimate

rounded to nearest 1000)

Australian bass

1 216 000

This dedicated volunteer workforce improves regional liveability and economic activity — while at the same time achieving positive environmental outcomes.

Barramundi

249 000*

Golden perch

1 533 000

Mary River cod

52 000

Last year, community stocking efforts supported by the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme (including contributions from community groups) released more than 3.1 million fingerlings including Murray cod, Mary River cod, barramundi and golden perch.

Murray cod

50 000

In light of International Volunteer Day on the 5th of December — Fisheries Queensland would like to thank all volunteers who make the Queensland stocking program a success.

Sooty grunter

110 000

Silver perch

107 000

*Note barramundi are often released at larger sizes than other fingerlings and would be roughly equivalent to the Bass or Golden Perch number in an equivalent size class.

To find your local group, contact Freshwater Fishing & Stocking Association Queensland via ffsaq.com.au

Meet Richard – the

DAF1827 11/2022

spanner man

Richard has been spanner crabbing for more than 30 years and runs a successful business based at the Gold Coast Fisherman’s Co-op. He was drawn to fishing as a kid after watching the trawlers setting out to sea through the Broadwater.

Richard started as a deckhand on prawn trawlers in the 1970s. By 2005 he was operating a spanner crab boat and began a small direct retail business with his wife – selling boxes of crabs out of the back of their car.

When COVID-19 hit, this community role became even more important. Buying fresh seafood from the wharf was a good reason to get the family out for a walk, and kept people connected to local produce straight off the boat.

Back then spanner crabs were mostly exported and weren’t well known domestically. Richard had to work hard to create interest in his product — through talking directly to customers who came to buy fresh prawns. As more people began to appreciate the quality product, he soon diversified into cooked crabs as well as live.

A highlight of Richard’s career was winning the National award in the ‘From the Sea’ category at the Delicious magazine Produce Awards where he competed against all seafood types nationwide.

He describes the Fisherman’s Co-op as a great place for the local community, where customers engage with the producers and each other — about all things seafood.

He hopes when he eventually retires, the iconic place he has made for spanner crabs in the local community will continue on. For more info on the Co-op freshestcatch.com.au.

Download the free ‘Qld Fishing 2.0’ app from the App Store or Google Play Page 18 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 1828 Bush n Beach December 2022_V4.indd 2

LEFT

www.bnbfishing.com. au 7/11/2022 3:08 pm

The ears have it … Scientists from around the world recently joined Fisheries Queensland staff to learn about fish ears – and their importance in research.

While maybe not the kind of ear you might see on other animals, bony fish have otoliths — ear bones. These bones allow the fish to hear and sense vibrations in water. They also help with balance. Fish lay down annual growth rings in their otoliths and scientists count these rings to estimate the age of a fish. This information is important in determining the health of a fishery. The otolith workshop, part of this year’s Australian Society of Fish Biology conference, gave visiting scientists practical hands-on training in dissecting fish skeletons, removing their otoliths and collecting important biological data like length and sex.

The attendees were also shown how to cut and mount otolith sections, view them under a microscope, photograph them and interpret their age. Fisheries Queensland staff were thrilled to teach new skills, share knowledge and build professional relationships with such a diverse group of scientists passionate about fisheries. How old is your fish? Find out the age of your latest catch — download the free Qld Fishing 2.0 app via the App Store or Google Play.

What you

need to know Spanner crab

CLOSED 1 November to

15 December 2022

Barramundi CLOSED

East coast Qld

1 November 2022 to 31 January 2023

Gulf of Carpentaria 7 October 2022 to 31 January 2023

Tropical rock lobster CLOSED

Queensland east coast north of latitude 14˚S and Gulf of Carpentaria waters 1 October to 31 December 2022

Spanish mackerel CLOSED

East coast north of latitude 22˚S Otolith of a 23 year old barramundi caught in the Southern Gulf of Carpentaria

21 November to 12 December 2022 For more info go to the Qld Fishing 2.0 app

Faces of fisheries Dallas has been working in fisheries management, stakeholder engagement, science and policy for more than 25 years. In November 2021, he was excited to re-join Fisheries Queensland as Executive Director to help deliver sustainable fishing outcomes for the community and shape the future of fisheries in Queensland. The passion for fishing started young for Dallas. When he was 13, he caught a Murray cod on the Murray River. At the time it was considered such a rare catch in that part of the river that it made the front page of the local paper. He now shares his love of fishing with his family — seeing his son catch his own Murray cod is something neither of them will ever forget. Dallas is proud of the work his team does to ensure fish for the future — including creating new, high quality fishing experiences all over Queensland. He encourages all fishers to get involved, provide feedback, and check out the Qld Fishing 2.0 app to help make fishing even more enjoyable. 50,000 fishers have the app already!

fisheries.qld.gov.au 13 25 23 FisheriesQueensland FisheriesQld DAFQld www.bnbfishing.com.au 1828 Bush n Beach December 2022_V4.indd

RIGHT

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 7/11/2022 2022 – Page 19 3:08 pm

Ryder Hearn with his new personal best 62cm snapper.

This 120cm yellowtail kingfish put up a great fight on the 15lb monofilament line.

Mad keen for mono

Brad and the author took a good catch of snapper, placing third in the Gold Coast Sport Fishing Snapper Classic competition.

Page 20 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

VER the past couple of months, I’ve gone back to using monofilament line. For many of us, braided line has been the preferred way, but I’ve recently noticed that I’ve been catching a lot more fish on monofilament line. In this article, I want to run through a few of the different things I’ve been trying when using monofilament. As a kid, my very first fishing rod was an Alvey with 15lb monofilament line. That was over 40 years ago, when braid wasn’t around. I had no trouble catching fish on it and it seemed to be very effective. For a recent snapper fishing competition we’d entered, I decided to take my 7’6 Wilson Live Fibre snapper rod and Shimano Tekota reel loaded with 300m of 15lb mono – to see how it compared with my other rigs loaded

Gold Coast by BEN SMITH

with braided line. The results were outstanding, with the first four fish to come onto the boat having taken the rod with mono line first – my fishing partner Brad was amazed. One of them was an awesome 7kg knobby snapper and the 15oz line held up just fine with no leader. I had a running lu-

minescent 1/2oz egg sinker straight down to a set of two ganged Gamakatsu SL12S 6/0 hooks with a swivel in the eye of the top hook. We continued to catch quality fish on this rig and managed to take out third place in the competition. This enticed me * continued P22

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Mad keen for monofilament * from P20

The rig with monofilament in the background accounted for a snapper and kingfish.

Lisa took a decent mahi mahi from the 36-fathom fish aggregating device off the Gold Coast.

enough to continue fishing with this rig and once again it proved it’s point. On the next fishing trip to the 36-fathom reef off the Gold Coast, the snapper had no hesitation in hitting the mono line before any of the rigs using braid. I had considered 15lb line to be too light for deep-water fishing in the past, but it seemed to be extremely resilient. This was tested on the last bait dropped during that trip. I gently floated out a whole squid, when the line started absolutely screaming off from under my thumb, while it was in free spool. I popped the little Tekota into gear and it seemed to make no difference as to how fast the line was being peeled out. I could feel the stretch in the line was about come to an end

– the rod was bent to lock-out – though after losing about 70-80m, it eventually slowed. I knew I had something very big hooked up but instantly became worried, knowing it was only 15lb line with no heavy leader. Playing the fish in and out for over 35 minutes, we eventually and nervously saw a large silver glow in the water below. It was a very large yellowtail kingfish and, after gently leading it boatside, my son Bailey was able to gaff it and bring it on board. It was 120cm long. I then had confidence knowing that, given the right circumstances, this line was able to take on very large fish. A QR code in the picture of the kingy will take you to a video of the final moments of the fight. It pays to give something different a try – you may be very surprised at the outcome.

As well as good snapper and kingfish showing up on the offshore grounds from the Gold Coast, mahi mahi have been in good numbers around the fish aggregating devices, with most people being able to once again catch enough for a decent feed. Floating unweighted pilchard down a berley trail seemed to be very effective on dolphinfish, as well as using live yellowtail scad or yakka. Early mornings usually work best, before the sun starts to cast a shadow from your line, which seems to spook the fish. Like anything, time on the water is the best way of doing your own research and finding out what works best for you. Generally, December tends to be a busy time out there, with lots of people on holiday and out on their boats, so keep it safe this summer and enjoy your fishing.

Bailey added to the snapper count after float-lining pilchard down slowly.

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A beautiful knobby snapper taken in a recent snapper competition on 15lb monofilament line. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Noel was elated to catch his first ever jewfish when on charter with Brad Smith.

Wal caught a mulloway on a Samaki Vibelicious on charter with Brad Smith on the Tweed River.

Small lures catching big numbers

I everyone, here we are at the end of 2022 already! The months have flown by so fast and we’re now into the summer fishing season. We are still in a La Niña phase of weather – in fact, this will be the third summer in a row of this type of pattern – which means h igher-t ha n-average rainfall, and this has certainly been the case. The forecast is for La Niña to weaken in early 2023 and many people, including us fishing guides, will be happy about it. So far this season, there have been some minor floods, though we’re still getting out fishing most days. The fishing can be tough when the water is dirty from mud runoff. Of course, this can vary greatly between a run-in and run-out tide and depends on where you’re fishing. During these times more than any other, www.bnbfishing.com.au

Broadwater Guide by CLINT ANSELL

it pays to switch up lure colours, sizes and types to crack the code for the day. Over recent months, I’ve noticed an abundance of baitfish and shrimp – presumably the rains have had an influence on this, flushing out food and causing them to breed quickly. This also means that the fish are well fed and not overly hungry. If we want to attract regular bites, we need to downsize lures. While it’s true that big lures catch big fish, on the other hand small lures catch all fish – big and small. Live yabbies also work extremely well in discoloured water at this time of year. With clear water and a clear sky, use dull and transparent colours, and with murkier water and a cloudy sky, use darker, solid and brighter colours.

In between conditions, it’s anyone’s guess! Apply Sax Scent or Pro-Cure to these lures every ten minutes for added effect. Here are some of our favourite small lures for catching large numbers of fish. Z-Man 2.5” ST GrubZ Z-Man 2.5” ST GrubZ have only recently arrived on the market but are already making a big impact. They have a great tail action in the water, a range of colours to suit all conditions and wide ribbed bodies that hold scent and hide jig heads well. Either drift and teabag them or cast and slowly hop. Fish really slam them hard. The new Z-man 2.5” PrawnZ are also well worth using and are a very natural-looking * continued P24

Manny did battle with a giant trevally for 20 minutes on a Tweed River charter.

Wayne landed a healthy grunter using a Pontoon 21 lure.

Eight-year-old Aldo caught a big luderick on a lightly weighted yabby. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 23

Small lures catching big numbers * from P23

Z-Man 2.5” ST GrubZ rigged on TT Fishing DemonZ jig heads.

Z-Man ST GrubZ in Houdini colour attracted the attention of many dusky flathead.

prawn imitation. Pontoon 21 Crackjack 48SP DR The Pontoon 21 Crackjack has long been a favourite of ours. They are a very good casting lure, but we troll them slowly – mostly over shallow water up to 2m deep. They simply swim true and catch fish – as per most Japanese lures that are backed by scientific research. Samaki Vibelicious 70mm Fork Tail Samaki Vibelicious sink and vibrate cleanly, have a huge range of impressive colours to choose from and are made from quality components that last. They match baitfish very well and catch many species. Either cast and hop slowly or teabag while drifting. The much-hyped Samaki Hardlicious vibes are due to arrive on our shores soon and

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will also be a deadly small lure. Keep an eye out for them at your local tackle store. Ecogear ZX40 and Breamer vibes Ecogear ZX40 and Breamer vibe blades are up there with any lure in the world in terms of strike rate. The perfect shrimp or small prawn imitation – they may look unusual but catch everything that swims. Once again, another genius Japanese fishing invention. As for other vibe lures, twitch them on the bottom while drift-

ing anywhere from 2-12m deep, or cast and hop them over shallows. They come with assist hooks, which are very sticky. Merry Christmas and happy new year to all readers, catch you in 2023. To book on a charter with myself or Brad – or if you have any fishing related questions – visit goldcoastrivercharters. com, SMS 0432 990 302 or email f ish i ngwit hcl i nt@ gmail.com, or find us on Facebook – Brad Smith Fishing Charters.

The author with a 60cm flathead caught on a small ‘lure’… a live yabby.

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Pontoon 21 Crackjack in Spanish Red colour tempted a nice whiting for Raul. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 25

It’s beginning to look a lot like Fishmas

WILD, wet and windy year is drawing to an

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end. The Bureau of Meteorology tells us to expect more of it though – which doesn’t bode well for the upcoming holidays. However, if the weather allows, the fishing will be good. I did a little fishing over the past month but nothing offshore. And while there were some days that allowed boats to get out, I didn’t get to take advantage of them. This month, anglers will be starting to think about mackerel. As the warm licks of current start to flicker into the coastline, there will always be a few mackerel taking advantage of them, especially

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towards the end of the month. The bigger numbers of mackerel don’t usually arrive until summer at least, though if the water is warm and there’s bait around, mackerel are a definite possibility. Out wider, there’s a good possibility of wahoo and mahi mahi cruising the current lines and deeper ledges from the 32s to the shelf. Nearing the end of the month, a few juvenile black marlin could even begin to show up. Now that would be a fun Christmas present. Traditionally, I’ve been lucky enough to find a few snapper on the closer reefs leading up to Christmas. Baked snapper for Christmas lunch is always high on my agenda. Speaking of Christmas foods, mud crabs are a bit slow but will continue to improve each week.

For the most part, they seem to be fairly empty at the moment, but they can fill out quickly, which would also be a nice Christmas present. For most, the beginning of the warm water season is exciting. We all hope for a great mackerel season, red hot mangrove jack sessions, feeds of crustaceans and lures getting smashed by anything hard and fast. Mangos, mud crabs, mangrove jack and mackerel. You’ve got to admit it paints a rather nice picture. Back in the river, mangrove jack are definitely on the move and taking bait and lures. I scored one on a recent trip to the Tweed River. It was a bit of an accident because I was chasing trevally well away from any snags. The trevally were thick * continued P27

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Flathead are delicious but, if you’re visiting from interstate these holidays, don’t forget to look up the new rules regarding them. www.bnbfishing.com. au

It’s looking like Fishmas * from P26

– both bigeye and giant, with the latter a good size and great fun. As I’ve said before, I reckon our river trevally are greatly underrated by most people. On tackle appropriate for the size of the fish to be encountered, they can be as hard to land as a big reef giant trevally. Flathead will be caught over the holiday season too and where to fish for them depends a lot on salinity. Continual rain this year has kept fishing to the lower half of the river but even so, flathead love moving upstream when they can, constantly pushing the boundaries of the fresh. As I’ve said in the past, this goes for a lot of

species, especially mud crabs. With the school holidays coming up and parents still working for a week or two before Christmas, there are going to be a lot of kids out fishing their local waters. You can learn a lot from watching kids fishing. For one, they often fish the same spot day in and day out because it’s close to home. They get their local drain, creek, canal or spot of the river wired because of all the time spent there through different tides, weather conditions and times of the day. I had the same learning experience myself when I was a kid and it’s an invaluable lesson, and you

realise you can’t write a spot off as fishless only because you tried it once or twice. The other lesson that goes along with this is persistence – I know that often as a kid, you could see the fish, but it took a long time to work out how to catch it. The right bait, tide and technique eventually fall into place through trial and error. Learning the seasonal variations of a particular spot is also part of the experience. So, these holidays, let your kids fish their local waterway but also watch them, join in with them if you can or talk to them about it, as you will probably also learn a lot yourself. Merry Christmas everyone.

The author scored a mangrove jack while targeting trevally.

Trevally are heaps of fun and quite tasty too. These were converted to sashimi and highly rated by those who tried it.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 27

Oily bait gets bites in Northern Rivers murky water

AIN, rain go away, come again another day! It seems as though the people of the Northern Rivers have been chanting this for months now. Maybe, just maybe, we are finally seeing an end to what has been an incredibly wet year, and one that most of us will not forget in a big hurry. With this latest flood still clearing itself from the river, the close reefs are receiving plenty of discoloured water. Possibly a little surprising is that we have still had good catches of snapper and mulloway

Ballina Bait & Tackle by BRETT HYDE

from these inshore reefs. Given the reduced visibility in these areas, soft plastic vibes and oily bait such as pilchard, mullet and bonito have all been quite successful. The water temperature has started to climb in close and I expect the remaining snapper will start to move out to the wider grounds over the coming month. Out wider, the warm current has kicked into gear, running to the south at 2-3km at the moment.

The fish aggregating device has been in place for a short time and already we’ve seen a few captures of mahi mahi, but these were certainly very inconsistent. This should improve over the next month, with the warm current bringing plenty more of these colourful acrobats to our part of the coast. Live bait were the best way to tempt mahi mahi, however there were a few days when they turned their noses up at

BALLINA BAIT & TACKLE Mark with a solid early season mahi mahi.

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02 6686 2527 Page 28 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

them, so I suggest taking a few pilchard and some vibes or skirted lures to try as well. The 48s have been holding good quality pearl perch, kingfish and amberjack, but as is usually the case at this time of year, the current is beginning to make fishing these wider grounds increasingly more difficult. Reports are coming in most days with anglers needing 200-400g jigs to get to the bottom. Unfortunately, this situation is only going to get worse throughout summer. Back on the beaches, we still did not see any significant numbers of tailor during winter. I continued to be optimistic that they would show up for us, but that was wishful thinking on my part. Even though we didn’t see the usual numbers of fish during winter, we did see some exceptional quality fish, with quite a few over the 80cm mark being landed throughout the cold season. I am confident we will still see a few fish over summer, as long as the water quality remains reasonably clear. With the increase in water temperature, recently we have seen a few flathead, dart and whiting on the beaches. The usual bait such as white pilchard, worms and mullet have all been successful at different times – particularly on Seven Mile, Skennars and Patchs beaches. The river was fishing quite well until the recent 7m flood in Lismore and, by the time this edition is out, should be once again. Some of our summer

species have already shown up, with mangrove jack holding on the rock walls from Pimlico Island to the mouth of the river. Suspending hard-body lures had the most success because jacks still aren’t super active and jerk baits are a great way to keep the lure in front of the fish for longer in an attempt to get a response from them. A few early season whiting have taken yabbies and surface lures. Their numbers should improve over the next month or so and, given the past two very wet summers, I’m expecting a really good year on them. Flathead seem to have spent most of this year in the lower parts of the river, due to continued floodwater pushing them down, and have only recently moved into deeper water over the past couple of weeks. I’m not sure if this is in response to the warmer weather or the freshwater in the river at present, either way it will be worth targeting them in 2-4m of water over the next month. Vibes, blades and paddle tail soft plastics have all worked fairly well, though given the reduced visibility in the river, it will certainly pay to slow down the retrieve of your lures and keep them in front of the fish for as long as possible. Bass were somewhat similar to flathead, in that every time they started to make their way back up the river system, there was another downpour and the bass got shuffled back down the river. * continued P30

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Saturday - 8am to 12pm Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 29

Greg Allan and an amberjack taken from the banks.

Grant’s Christmas guide to pelagics in Noosa

ERE we are again, with the end of yet another year and Christmas holidays around the corner. In reflection, it certainly has been a different year to previous. At the time of writing, it is cold and raining, instead of being 30C and 80 percent humidity. This has certainly seen a change in defined angling seasons, most likely due to water and air temperatures. The sheer volume of fresh water entering the estuaries, creeks, rivers

Sunshine Coast by GRANT BUDD

and dams is also playing a part. December is regarded by many as the start of our pelagic run. This is when the water temperature, currents and wind push a wide range of summer species into our region. For the local traveling angler, K’gari tends to see these species first because they travel south on their summer migration.

To start with, I’m talking about mackerel, tuna, mahi mahi and wahoo. Of course, there are many other species, but these four are the fun fish that give you big line-screaming runs, aerial displays and put a smile on your face for days. Depending on the swell and wind direction, you can start in close around Halls Reef

Oily bait gets bites in murky water * from P28

Reaction style lures have worked on them, such as hard-body cranks, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. With the weather starting to heat up and a few afternoon storms, a number of fish have been hitting surface lures both early morning and late afternoon. Z-Man Finesse FrogZ, HideUp Py-

lon, Bassman Buzzbait and Profishent MC Fizz have all accounted for fish so far this summer and I’m sure there will be plenty more to come. Most of the fish seem to be spread from Woodburn to Coraki, but remember, bass will be on the move if we have reasonably dry and stable weather over the next month.

Page 30 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

Before signing off, I want to take the opportunity of thanking all the readers of this publication for your continued support during the year. Without you, none of this happens, so thank you, Merry Christmas and happy new year. Well, that’s all from me this month. Until next time – tight lines!

and head north towards Double Island, taking in Teewah as you go. If fishing in close is quiet, try heading out wider to North Reef and the 50m line, then work your way south to the bar crossing. Be mindful to keep an eye on any bird activity and bust ups on the surface, as this indicates the presence of baitfish often driven upward by feeding fish. Mackerel in the form of spanish, broad-bar and spotted provide great medium-weight angling opportunities and they all taste great. For the time being, until February 1, we need not worry about the new regulations, so enjoy taking a few for a feed. For the novice lure angler, mackerel and tuna are two easy offshore targets. On the troll is the easiest way to find fish, as well as discover new ground. It can be a tiresome exercise if not catching fish, so have a good spread of lures and even a troll bait such as garfish. Look at the new No-

mad DTX 110mm and 145mm diving lures, which come with BKK terminals and don’t need upgrading. All too often anglers will grab the biggest lures and wonder why they aren’t working. Try going small at the start of the season, especially if the bait you are seeing is smaller. For those trolling, you need a rod with enough backbone to set hooks into a hard-hitting fish. I find that jigging rods are the perfect crossover rods for this because they usually have the stopping power and aren’t too long. If on a budget, for hard-hitting reef species, the Shimano Raider Reef is one such rod, it allows for dropping jigs and live bait. A suitable spin reel capable of holding 300m of your chosen braid or mono should be used. For those running braid, you should consider running a longer than usual – 6m plus – mono leader for shock absorption. Platypus have been making lines and leaders * continued P31

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Grant’s Noosa pelagics guide ing out of the way, you can also fish hard on the bottom or set yourself up with a drift. Sunshine Reef is a big reef area with a mixture of bommies, pinnacles and drop-offs. Coral trout, cobia, grass sweetlip, cod and a huge array of other species call this area home, so get out there, especially if the wind is due to come from the southeast. North Reef is a great spot for those with larger boats or when conditions allow. This is also an area many will pass over on the way to Double Island, and it features a few wrecks that hold a great range of reef and pelagic species. This can be a great

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Lester Spotswood with a nice 43cm mangrove jack caught at night.

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Always approach slowly and maintain constant engine speed and revs, particularly if you have confirmed tuna is the species. Both longtail and mack tuna hate nothing more than a bow wave headed their way or a loud 2-stroke outboard with changes to engine pitch. These fish will dive deep, and it then becomes a game of chase the tuna, which can be a frustrating and futile exercise. Grab a handful of TT Lures Hard Core metal slugs, a 7’ Samaki Zing Xtreme G3 15-30lb coupled with a 5000-size spin reel and 20lb braid for a super versatile casting and soft plastic combo. With trolling and cast-

for many years and the current Hard Armour Supple leader would be a great starting point. Don’t think you need to go heavy when trolling for mackerel and tuna. Heavy lines will stand out, so try under 60lb, with 40lb a great start point. If trolling isn’t your thing, try spending some time around the bar, Halls Reef, Jew Shoal, Sunshine Reef and south toward Coolum Reef. This is a popular stretch on an incoming tide because pelagic fish tend to follow baitfish and push them to the surface. Remember, keep a watchful eye on birds as they are your eyes in the sky.

* from P30

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 31

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

Grant’s Noosa pelagics guide * from P31

Aaron Blanch scored a chunky estuary giant trevally.

place to troll and pick up spanish, wahoo, mahi and tuna, particularly around the 50-55m line. If we have had a significant rain event – which is highly likely – you will find cleaner water out here. Beyond these two popular areas, Double Island, Barwon Banks and the Hards are on offer. These areas all require bigger boats or great conditions because they are a fair distance from the bar. Many people will find red emperor, extra-large amberjack and kingfish, snapper, jewfish and of course wahoo, spanish and tuna out here. Often these fish are huge, which requires heavier gear in the 5060lb plus region. Sharks can also become a pest and heavy gear allows for faster retrieval and possibly a whole fish. Take a look at Ocean’s Legacy rods if jigging

find us on facebook • Win prizes • Post your brag • Chat to readers shots and writers • Join in on the fun • See who’s catching banter what • Have a laugh

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is your thing, or if you want shorter powerful rods that won’t let you down. For bottom bashing on a budget, the Shimano Raider jig rod is a great all-rounder – even something from Ugly Stik, which are next to impossible to break. Surf fishing can be a lot of fun on lighter gear and smaller fish are often plentiful around the river mouth. If looking for a lighter rod, the Shimano Catana rods have several options available. Pair this with any smaller spin reel and light mono line for some exciting daytime fishing. Typical species include dart, bream and whiting, which all provide a lot of fun when you use the correct gear. Fishing from the headlands can yield pelagic species, so a sturdier rod and a reel with 300500m of line on it is important. For a great medium heavy surf rod, check out Shimano Speedmaster or Penn Prevail II rods, which have power to turn the biggest of fish. For those fishing the river on foot, kayak and with a boat, you have a multitude of options. The lower part of the river is the most accessible by car and foot, and you can catch anything from jewfish to trevally and many other species. Flathead, whiting, bream and trevally can be found along the Gympie Terrace stretch, from the main boat ramp to the river mouth. If in a boat or kayak, the Frying Pan is a great place to try lure fishing for flathead,

bream and whiting. These fish will take a multitude of different lure options, with surface a great start. The new Abu Garcia Rayrex rods are one of my favourite entry level rods for light lure applications. The Frying Pan is ever changing, which makes exploring this area well worth doing. If you are a nighttime angler, mangrove jack will be out and about, depending on the amount of freshwater in the system. These fish are the hardest fighting fish in the system and too good to catch only once, so limit your catch. They will smash lures, fresh mullet and live bait, giving everyone a shot at one. Be sure to run 20lb plus lines and leaders because they will always head for home once hooked. Lure options include the new Pro Lure Fishtail plastics in a wide range of colours. The tail is set to an angle, which produces the correct thudding action and body roll that jacks love. If you want to catch live bait, we carry a wide range of cast nets for all applications and locations. We can even show you how to throw one, if you need help. If we continue to see heavy rainfall, having a string of crab pots out is always worth a try – some big mud crabs have been caught throughout the system. Lastly, it appears the weather gods are making fishing the local dams difficult.

* continued P34

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 33

Ben Monro trolled up a little mangrove jack in the Noosa River on a 75mm Atomic Hardz Shiner Double Deep.

Doug Jarvis ripped a solid mangrove jack out of a fallen tree on a weedless rigged soft plastic.

Jacks and jews in the Noosa

Ash Levy scored a decent flathead when chasing jewfish at the mouth of the Caboolture River.

ECEMBER is upon us, which normally means lots of hot weather. So far this spring, the temperature has stayed relatively low. This has kept the water temperature down, which can keep certain species quiet. Mangrove jack are one fish that thrive in a higher water temperature. Thankfully the low-

Grant’s Noosa pelagics guide * from P32

This is also proving problematic on the barramundi dams because the volume of fresh entering these catchments continues to cause overflowing and dirty water. Fish in dams love consistency, so if we get a good run of northerly wind, try Lake Awoonga or Fred Haigh Dam at Lake Monduran for a huge barra. With wild barra now off limits until February, the dams are a great option.

We carry a wide range of barra tackle – including plastics, hard-bodies and surface lures – to make your trip successful. If fishing the dams, make sure you have an up-to-date Stocked Impoundment Permit and use your sounders on side scan. Try to find the clean water, some schooling fish and carry an assortment of lures. If you need help picking a few lures, we fish these areas and can certainly

Page 34 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

help you get started this summer. Now, for all the latest information, log onto fishingnoosa. com.au for up-todate bar and fishing reports, don’t forget to drop into Tackle World Noosa, Noosa Boating and Outdoors and 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!

Local Luring by KEITH STRATFORD

er-than-normal water temperature hasn’t stopped them from causing havoc among anglers. All the rivers around southeast Queensland have been producing plenty of jacks. One of my favourite rivers to chase them is the Noosa. The Noosa River has a huge variety of structure to target mangrove jack from – jetties, pontoons, bridge pylons, mangrove edges, deep holes, rock bars and fallen trees. These areas will all hold jacks at certain times. My favourite spots to target this species are fallen trees and rock bars. I find these to be the most consistent locations to hold jacks through all stages of the tide. That doesn’t mean they will bite all the time though. Persistence and trial and error are best to work out when jacks

feed in the spots you’re targeting. There have also been a lot of big barramundi in the Noosa River lately. It’s currently closed season for barra in Queensland, which means these fish are not to be targeted. With the quality of sounders around these days, it’s very easy to distinguish between a barra and other species. The last time I was at Noosa, there were massive schools of small jewfish, especially through the stretch between the lakes. Though we didn’t land any legal fish, with the biggest coming in at 73cm. There have been good numbers of jewies in all the rivers I’ve fished over the past few months. The Brisbane River has been very active with them, as well as the Caboolture River and Pumicestone Passage. * continued P35

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Jacks and jews in the Noosa * from P34

They are a lot of fun to catch, especially on the right gear. Don’t target them on very light gear, as the fight drags out too long and the fish can struggle to be released. Sharks are also a problem when fighting fish for a long period. They’re known to enjoy half a jewie for breakfast, lunch or dinner, so get the fish in as quickly as possible to avoid them being eaten. Soft plastics and vibes have worked very well on these smaller jew. Prawn imitations such as the 92mm Pro Lure Clone Prawn have been catching plenty of fish. Small paddle tails in the 3-4” range have also worked well.

Soft vibes have caught plenty of jewies too, particularly in deeper water. A few nice grunter are still showing up in some of the rivers. Grunter are a very good fish to target, but it’s often difficult to find them in good numbers. The best schools I’ve come across have been in the Brisbane River. These fish are always feeding on bait schools and can disappear as quickly as you find them. They are one of the best eating fish you’ll catch in the rivers, so make sure you know the size and bag limits for them in your area. Sharks are another excellent target over the next few months.

The rivers and creeks around Brisbane can be a bit quiet for fish such as bream and flathead at this time of year, so targeting sharks is a good back up plan when things are a bit slow. They’re quite easy to target and are a lot of fun to catch. They’re also good to eat when looked after correctly. Finally, I would like to wish all the readers and staff of this publication a merry Christmas. Hopefully the big man in the red suit finds your house and delivers plenty of fishing gear. Remember to stay well hydrated over the Christmas break and I’ll catch you all in 2023.

Chris Stratford landed a nice mangrove jack recently.

Phil Benfer caught a jewfish in the Brisbane River casting a soft plastic around a bait school.

Hydraulic boat steering for a hard day’s fishing Go wherever and whenever the fish are biting with confidence! Made in Australia for our tough marine environments.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 35

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Available now from:

AIRLIE BEACH Whitsunday Outboard Centre 17 William Murray Dr, Cannonvale Q 4802 P: 07 4946 7286 E: woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au www.whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au

GOLD COAST TR Marine 167 Currumburra Rd, Ashmore Q 4214 P: 07 5532 5812 E: shaun@trmarinegc.com.au www.trmarinegoldcoast.com.au

BRISBANE Brisbane Boating & Leisure 1743 Ipswich Rd, Rocklea Q 4106 P: 07 3875 1600 E: sales@brisbaneboatingleisure.com.au www.brisbaneboatingleisure.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 NORTH Holt Marine 25 Queens Rd, Everton Hills Q 4053 P: 07 3353 1928 E: info@holtmarine.com.au www.holtmarine.com.au

MACKAY Sugar City Marine 11 Victoria St, Mackay Q 4740 P: 07 4951 4711 E: goboating@sugarcitymarine.com.au www.sugarcitymarine.com.au

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SUNSHINE COAST Sunshine Coast Marine 122 Eumundi Rd, Noosaville Q 4566 P: 07 5449 7633 E: admin@sunshinecoastmarine.com.au www.sunshinecoastmarine.com.au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 37

Top Christmas gift ideas! TOADFISH CRAB CLAW CUTTER Designed to cut evenly around crab claws in one step, keeping meat intact and shell fragments out. Allows you to create stunning presentations. The precision spring-loaded jaws allow for fast and clean shell opening with no mess. Features include: • Precision serrated cutter • Spring action design • Easy open lock • Ergonomically designed handle • Non-slip rubber grips Visit toadfish.com.au

COOLIE ACETATE POLARISED SUNGLASSES

Coolie sunglasses are great protection from the elements. Black or grey frame, dual moulded with non-slip nose piece and temples with grey or amber polarised lenses. Can be fitted with RX prescription lenses. Supplied with neoprene case and leash. From barzoptics.com

TOADFISH FROGMORE PRAWN CLEANER This first-of-its-kind prawn tool allows you to peel, de-vein and butterfly prawns in one single smooth motion. Elegantly designed and easy to use, it gives you a perfect prawn every time. Designed for use with green prawns. Features include: • Point blade butterflies and cleans • Top quality stainless steel • Full tang construction provides maximum strength • Ergonomic handle Visit toadfish.com.au

Page 38 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

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Top Christmas gift ideas! TOP DOG SOFT VIBES

OM It’s a soft vibe! From impoundments to outer reefs, $ these little vibes will dominate fish in any location! Jig them vertically or cast and retrieve, the Top Dog Vibe Glow will tempt even the fussiest fish to bite. The heavy vibration will get the attention of any predatory fish! Made from heavy duty PVC, they will last many fish before retiring. Pre-rigged with super sticky VMC hooks, you won’t be disappointed. Visit topdogtackle.com

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BUSH ‘n BEACH FISHING CAP Complete your look with a top quality Bush ‘N Beach fishing cap. One size fits all. Adjustable strap. Top off your next session... Go on, you know you want to!

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 39

BOATING & marine Insights into boat insurance

Loading up to the gills may mean trouble

N a world where some people think that if anything goes wrong, it must automatically be someone else’s fault, there’s at least one very obvious exception – that’s boating. The moment you turn the key, dip the paddle, hold on to an oar or push away from the riverbank or beach, you are not only in charge of delivering fun times, but delivering them safely. Fortunately, there are almost limitless resources at your disposal to help you deliver on that obligation – boat clubs, rescue organisations, government and pri-

vate publications and professional training companies to name a few. All can help you understand what your responsibilities are. And Australian boat manufacturers and distributors do their bit as well through industry organisations, informative boat shows and product familiarisations. And they also have what could be regarded as their signature device – the Australian Builders Plate. It is a plaque affixed to the boat, certifying the vessel’s manufacturer maximum horsepower, the maximum weight of that powerplant, the max-

imum weight that it can carry expressed as the maximum number of people and their gear, and also the vessel’s level of buoyancy and flotation. Some boats may carry an international CE certification standard endorsement, which in general terms means they comply with the various design and construction requirements enabling them to be sold in the European Union. Let’s go back to that “number of people” on the certification plate. It’s mandatory that you comply with its limits, also noting

If you overload your boat with people or gear, you are going to be in the firing line should something go amiss. This image is one in a series and collectively they paint a frightening picture.

that when weather and water conditions are unpleasant or if you have a number of crew that are built like front row forwards, then you will need to adjust the number of people on your boat and load accordingly. Just like a car, when driving conditions are terrible, you can’t expect to be driving at the maximum limits permitted. And here’s the bottom line – if you overload your boat with people or gear, you are going to be in the firing line should something go amiss. Have a look at the photo on this page – it’s one in a series and collectively they paint a frightening picture. Young people out having a great day but there are more than 30 of them on this vessel. Anyone want to take a guess at the number of lifejackets likely to be aboard this vessel? How about how many people it was designed to carry? And how secure are they are? One person slips or a few start skylarking and how many

are likely to go overboard? Overloading or using a vessel in a manner not compliant with its original design parameters, also could jeopardise your insurance policy. Boating should be about great times with friends, family and acquaintances. In the same way they all have a requirement to adhere to your directions as the skipper, you are required to adhere to the prevailing operational restrictions upon your vessel. And when you do that, everyone has a good time. As always, what is and what may not be covered will be decided in accord with the terms of insurance as defined in your insurance policy’s Product Disclosure Statement. Similarly, any special conditions and excesses should always be explained clearly in your insurance policy’s PDS. If you need further information, you can contact Nautilus Marine Insurance on 1300 780 533 for any boat insurance requirements.

Advice in this article is general and might not apply or be right for you. Before acting on it, consider its appropriateness having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs. Nautilus Marine Insurance is a business name of NM Insurance Pty Ltd ABN 34 100 633 038 AFSL 227 186 (NM Insurance), the issuer of Nautilus Marine Boat Insurance. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement at nautilusinsurance.com.au before deciding whether to purchase a policy.

Page 40 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

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BOATING & marine Recognised for its versatility in being built to handle diverse waterways and catering to longer-term boating ventures, the Sea Runner is a crowd favourite. It’s set to take the marine industry by storm again.

Stacer line up heats up for hottest summer yet

AKING the marine industry by storm this year is Stacer’s all-new line up, featuring a range of the brands most popular models, including the versatile Sea Runner. Fine-tuned following decades of production, the Australian brand’s cabin boat range is a crowd favourite among countless locals. Not only an ideal product for families, the Sea Runner also serves as an impressive fishing vessel, with the Revolution Hull expertly handling all conditions – from open bays to coastal waterways. While the spacious cabin provides ample storage and a comfortable hideaway from the elements or refuge for overnighters. Available in a number of sizes and with a vast person capacity, the Sea Runner has been meticulously created by an expert team of product developers to cater to every boating lifestyle and customer. Stacer district sales manager Eric Steele said, “It’s easy to see why the Sea Runner is so popular – together with the revolutionary www.bnbfishing.com.au

design, it also has extensive customisation capabilities with an array of available options.” “Now, buying a boat has never been so simple. “Following extensive market research, we identified the biggest hurdle in entering the market was the complexity of configuring a boat, so this year we are introducing a number of clean-cut boat packages to provide customers a straightforward readyto-go option.” Sea Runner boats will be offered in a base or entry-level configuration – which includes only the essentials for the utmost cost-friendly boat – and a SE version, which features the most sought-after extras. Alternatively, the Sea Runner can be catered to an individual’s lifestyle with a boat package – carefully developed by Stacer experts to include the most common options within that customer demographic. Boat packages include the Travel, Angler’s and Entertainer’s packs. In addition to the freshly introduced boat packages, the new model will also incorporate

the following key design changes. Underfloor storage Identified as one of the most important aspects of all leisure activities, underfloor storage has been introduced to all Sea Runner models to meet customer demand for increased safe and secure stowage area. Tilt steering To further enhance the ride experience for a range of persons with differing heights, mechanical tilt steering will be a standard addition to the new Sea Runner models, with hydraulic tilt steering standard on all Sea Runner SE boats. Manoeuvring the wheel is easy, with the simple push of a button and adjustment as required. The function also allows optimal wheel position when driving while standing. “Thanks to Stacer’s investment in customer feedback, we are able to continue meeting current and potential boaters needs,” Eric said. “As the industry has seen a flurry of new entrants come into the market in recent years, it is as important as ever to make that process as un-

intimidating and streamlined as possible – to continue seeing boating grow from strength to strength.” Since being founded in 1971, Stacer has been established as one of the most sought-after boat brands in the country due to their reliability, durability, affordability and straight-forward operation. All Stacer boats are proudly Australian made, with a network of some of the best Australian boat dealers scattered across the country for ease of access.

Through select dealers, Stacer boats are also available as fully configured boat, motor and trailer packages, built directly within the Gold Coast factory. Owned by Bombardier Recreational Products, global leader in powersports, the future is only up from here. Become part of the Stacer community or find out more about the 2022 Stacer Sea Runner range today by contacting your local dealer via stacer.com.au/buying-aboat/make-an-enquiry

The Sea Runner can be catered to an individual’s lifestyle with a boat package.

Not only an ideal product for families, the Sea Runner also serves as an impressive fishing vessel. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 41

BOATING & marine Knowing the rules of the ramp will prevent damage to the ramp, your vessel and your vehicle.

Tips from Move Boat Trailers n Part 5.1: Launching your trailer and boat ramp etiquette

ove Boat Trailers debunks boat launching as part of its newly released Trailer Tips series, driven towards simplifying common trailering practices and assist more people into boating. One of the greatest tips by Move Boat Trailer expert Adam Crossley is to not be dissuaded from owning a boat for the simple reason of boat trailering. As one of the most important parts of boat trailering, launch and retrieval is often considered to be the most daunting however, with

some guidance and lots of practice, it can become second nature. To shine a light on the most information possible, Move Boat Trailers has broken boat launch and retrieval into two segments, so keep an eye out for the second article coming soon. Before jumping into the crux of the series, it is important to note that while perhaps one of the most neglected aspects of boat trailering, owning a steadfast and reliable trailer is one of the most critical – we all know someone with a rust-bucket trailer that’s ready to give out.

Ensuring everything is performed effectively, while also efficiently, will mean less time at the ramp, and more time on the water for every ramp user. Page 42 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

As the force beneath your vessel, it is important to have peace of mind that your boat will be as safe at the ramp as it is on the water. Now, thanks to Move Boat Trailers, all Aussie’s have access to a strong and dependable trailer that has been mastered following decades of marine excellence. Offering an expansive line up of options, MBT serves high quality trailers for a wide range of aluminium, plate and fibreglass vessels. Built from aluminium and designed using I-beam frames, Move trailers are not only lightweight and manoeuvrable, they also do not rust or retain water, plus are long-lasting and easy to clean. If you’re still struggling with boat launching after reading these tips, the best next step is to seek advice and walk through the process with a marine expert at your local MBT dealership. Before diving into launching, it is impor-

tant to first cover how to handle things at the boat ramp. Boat ramp etiquette The boat ramp tends to be a high-traffic area, bustling with likeminded boaters keen to get in or out of the water. If the boat-ramp process is performed effectively, it can make for an extremely seamless flow – which is what everyone wants. Ensuring everything is performed effectively, while also efficiently, will mean less time at the ramp, and more time on the water for every ramp user. There are some important boat ramp etiquettes that all marine craft users should be aware of. Know the rules of the ramp Knowing the rules of the ramp will prevent damage to the ramp, your vessel and vehicle. Rules include restricted hours of use and maximum size of vessel due to water depths. Never load or unload your boat on the ramp

Never prepare the boat for launch when on the ramp, regardless of the number of boats waiting to use it. It is good practice to prepare off the ramp even when no one is waiting. Preparing the boat and trailer involves a wide range of tasks including removing covers, removing trailer straps, turning on the battery switch – having checked the battery is fully charged before leaving home – trimming the engine up, fitting the bungs, priming your motor for a quick start, rigging bow lines, fitting fenders, putting the aerials up, putting your personal belongings in the boat and more. Most ramps have a preparation area set aside exclusively for this purpose and some are even sign-posted accordingly. Keep your boat to the side During the process of launching and retrieving * continued P43

www.bnbfishing.com. au

BOATING & marine

Tips on launching your trailer and boat ramp etiquette * from P42

your boat, be mindful of where your boat is positioned or parked. Whether you are alone or with others, while launching and retrieving, make sure your boat is pulled to the side and out of the way of others. When approaching or departing the ramp from either a vehicle or vessel, keep an eye on others to reduce damage to any boats or people. Don’t jump the queue During busy periods such as weekends, you may arrive at the boat ramp to find a line-up of boats waiting to launch. Be respectful of others by not pushing in or jumping the cue – simply wait your turn and everyone should walk away happy. Launching your boat It may seem that launching your boat is an easy task. In theory, it is, but there are also many factors you must consider when putting your boat in the water. These include things such as the ramp you’re launching from – if there’s a ramp at all – whether you have help with launching and the type of boat you are launching. Below are some tips and information to help you with the boat-launching process. Be prepared Before approaching the boat ramp, make sure your boat is ready to go. This includes checking the bungs are in and all necessary gear is in your boat such as ice boxes, fishing and personal equipment, safety gear and anywww.bnbfishing.com.au

thing else you might need. Often there are loading bays alongside the boat ramp, which can be used to finalise your preparation. Once your boat is loaded and ready, you can then head to the ramp to launch. Back down the boat ramp When the ramp is clear and it’s your turn in line, you can then back your boat and trailer down the ramp. Use your mirrors to ensure that you are in line with the ramp and the water. Where ramps have multiple lanes, ensure utmost boat ramp etiquette by sticking to one unless unsafe to do so – allowing others to launch consecutively. Ultimately, try to occupy as little of the boat ramp as possible by sticking closely to the outside edge. If unversed with reversing a trailer, practice as much as possible before heading to the ramp, opt for a quieter location to launch or seek help from an experienced boater where possible. Correct water depth To ensure safe launching, there must be adequate water depth between your boat and the ramp before release. Ensure your trailer wheels are submerged and the stern of your boat is in the water. Then, set your vehicle into park or neutral and apply your handbrake. Pushing the boat off – unpowered launch Tie a painter or rope to the bow of the vessel so

you can control it when its coming off the trailer. You may have to give the boat a shove to break the seal between roller or skid and the hull of the boat. Tie your boat to the dock Once your boat is in the water, you will need to tie it to a dock if there’s one present or secure it in another way close to shore, such as anchoring onshore. Once you have moved the boat away from the trailer and secured it, you can then park your vehicle and enjoy your day boating. If you are unsure, seek local knowledge. Alternative launch and retrieval method – powered launch Many experienced boaters and fishos will drive or power their boats on and off the trailer. Regardless, do not feel pressured to do the same. While ensuring all practices are actioned effectively and correctly, you should also be as efficient as possible,

taking into consideration other boat ramp users. Follow the same launch procedures as above: • Make sure all boat preparation is done in the designated area • Reverse back down the boat ramp • Have the boat and trailer at the correct depth – this can vary when driving the boat off, depending on the angle of the ramp. When ready, start your boat up. Whether someone is with you or you’re self-launching, once the boat and trailer is at the correct depth, trim the motor and then start the engine. If solo launching, use the catch and release launching method to launch the boat, then tie up to the pontoon before parking your vehicle. If accompanied, the boat driver should move into forward gear gently when prompted by the car driver, taking pressure of the winch strap. The vehicle driver will disconnect the winch hook and safety chain.

Then, the boat driver can reverse the boat slowly off the trailer and idle away from the ramp or tie up to the pontoon while the vehicle is being parked. Solo launch and retrieval should only be practiced if your boat and trailer are fitted with the correct catch and release system – such as the available option on Move trailers. If you have someone with you, then launch and retrieval can be done without the catch and release. Designed to meet the needs of all Aussie boaties living in a wide range of terrains, Move trailers are derived to go the distance – plus, they are Australian made. With a wide range of dealers located across the country, Move trailers are at every Aussie’s fingertips. For further information about trailer launching or to discuss the MBT range, contact your local dealer at moveboattrail ers.com.au/Dealers.aspx

Once your boat is in the water, you will need to tie it to a dock if there’s one present or secure it in another way close to shore, such as anchoring onshore. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 43

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CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEALER BRISBANE | Northside Marine P: 3265 8000, 2294 Sandgate Rd, Boondall, QLD www.northsidemarine.com.au BRISBANE (BAYSIDE) | Wynnum Marine P: 3396 9777, 31 Fox St, Wynnum, QLD www.wynnummarine.com.au BRISBANE (REDLANDS) | Marine Care Qld P: 3186 5270, 30 Gordon Road, Redland Bay, QLD www.marinecareqld.com BRISBANE (NORTH) | Brisbane Yamaha P: 3888 1727, Bruce Highway, Burpengary, QLD www.brisbaneyamaha.com.au BRISBANE (SOUTH) | Stones Corner Marine P: 3397 9766, 117 Old Cleveland Rd, Stones Corner, QLD www.stonescornermarine.com.au BUNDABERG | Bundaberg Marineland P: 4130 0500, 95 Targo St, Bundaberg, QLD www.bundabergmarineland.com.au GOLD COAST | Whitewater Marine P: 5532 4402, 10 Hinde St, Ashmore, QLD www.whitewatermarine.com.au GYMPIE | Watson’s Marine Centre P: 5482 2135, 52 Wickham St, Gympie, QLD www.watsonsmarine.com.au MACKAY | Reef Marine P: 4957 3521, 26 Prospect St, Mackay, QLD www.reefmarine.net SUNSHINE COAST | Sunshine Coast Marine P: 5449 7633, 122 Eumundi Rd, Noosaville, QLD www.sunshinecoastmarine.com.au SUNSHINE COAST | Sunshine Coast Yamaha P: 5346 9981, 14 Machinery Ave, Warana, QLD www.sunshinecoastyamaha.com.au

TWEED COAST | North Coast Yamaha P: 02 6680 3322, 4 Lucky Lane, Billinudgel, NSW www.bnbfishing.com.au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 45

Air Rotor, ATD Drag and Tough Digigear and combines with the brand’s extensive development and design approach to make the 22 Free Swimmer BR its best performing Bite ‘N’ Run reel ever. Visit daiwafishing.com.au

22 Free Swimmer BR Ugly Stik Carbon DAIWA returns to the Bite ‘N’ Run reel scene with the release of the 22 Free Series Swimmer BR.

Designed in collaboration between Daiwa US, Daiwa Australia, Daiwa New Zealand and alongside Japanese engineers, Free Swimmer BR is a reel five years in the making and a testament to Daiwa’s commitment to providing the best products to suit local conditions and meet the needs of local anglers. Bite ‘N’ Run is a key technology for keen live or dead bait anglers that allows the fish to take the bait under minimal line tension to ensure a solid hookset is achieved. A sought after and much-loved feature, Bite ‘N’ Run tension is set by adjusting the dial on the bottom of the reel. With a wide range setting available, tension can be lightly set to suit unweighted bait for finicky feeders such as whiting, to a strong setting suited to live large bait for hard-fighting predators such as kingfish and mackerel. The Free Swimmer BR features a strong and sturdy carbon composite frame, while the internals have been sealed through careful design and the implementation of rubber seals. This makes the Free Swimmer BR a true saltwater Bite ‘N’ Run reel. Meticulous attention to detail was paid throughout the design phase with the Free Swimmer BR built and constructed to handle the toughest fish going, including extra-large kingfish and snapper. Free Swimmer BR is loaded with a host of Daiwa’s best technologies including

MEET the lightest Ugly Stik ever! The Ugly Stik carbon series features 100 percent graphite for a lightweight rod, crisp actions and increased sensitivity, while maintaining the legendary toughness you’ve come to expect from Ugly Stik. One-piece stainless steel Ugly Tuff guides provide maximised durability for use with all types of line including braid and eliminate insert pop-outs. Features also include the Fuji soft touch reel seat and Winn Split Grips, providing added comfort and control. The Ugly Stik carbon series – 37 percent stronger than traditional graphite rods. Recommended retail price $139.99. Visit uglystik.com.au

Atomic RealBaitz

ATOMIC RealBaitz are an incredible innovation from the Atomic stable. The key to this range is the life-like appearance, feel and colour ways that resemble our most iconic bait species. We used 3D scanners and printers to

Page 46 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

perfectly replicate some of the most popular bait species, right down to their fins. We also carefully crafted the tail designs to ensure the lures swim like the real thing. Real Baitz feature precise anatomical qualities of the species, right down to colours and the lure swimming action. They are weighted to ensure the lure sinks with a downward swimming angle on the drop. They can be fished as a soft plastic and will respond well to rod lifts or even a slow burn back to the angler. Extensively tested on inshore and offshore species, these are as close to a real live bait as you will find. Visit frogleysoffshore.com.au

Z-Man 2.5” Slim SwimZ

ANGLERS were looking for a paddle tail that had a shorter slimmer profile, with the benefits of ElaZtech 10X tough, super-soft and flexible realistic feel and built-in buoyancy for maximum action at slow speeds and a buoyant lifelike tail-up action when at rest on the bottom. The Slim SwimZ ticks all of these boxes and packs a lively lifelike action in its little paddle tail – an action that has seen it punching above its weight on species that are not commonly associated with a 2.5” soft plastic. Both bass and bream tournament anglers have embraced this paddle tail, but it has proven effective on yellowbelly, trout, redfin, saratoga, sooty grunter and jungle perch in the fresh, and flathead, grunter, tarpon, giant herring, tuna and other species in the salt that often frustrate anglers with their preference for tiny baitfish. With plenty of built-in action the 2.5” Slim SwimZ is perfect for anglers who want to give soft plastics fishing a try and a deadly addition to the experienced soft plastic fisho’s arsenal. Visit z-man.com.au

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TT Black Adder Baitcast Rods

HEAVY baitcast weapons, with a focus on extreme performance, the Black Adder range will appeal to anglers chasing larger predatory species, including barramundi and Murray cod. TT aim to produce rods designed to suit our target species and techniques, utilising quality components at an affordable price. High-grade Toray carbon blanks have been chosen for their responsive actions, extremely light feel, and the power to weight ratio they offer anglers, especially over extended fishing sessions. The premium finish continues with Fuji K-Series tangle-free casting guides with Alconite inserts and a lightweight Fuji TVS reel seat, creating a series of rods that look great, feel great in the hand and have the actions and build to cast big bait and handle big fish. The range includes 6’0”, 6’6” and 7’0” lengths across heavy and extra heavy actions, with a suggested retail price starting from $199.00. Visit ttfishing.com

Z-Man 6” HerculeZ

THE much-anticipated Z-Man 6” HerculeZ 10X Tough ElaZtech pre-rigged swimbait has arrived, joining the AFTA Trade Show released 4” and 5” models. This larger model was developed based on requests from anglers chasing larger www.bnbfishing.com.au

predatory species, including barramundi, Murray cod and mulloway. The detailed body shape is 10X Tough to stand up to brutal strikes and aggressive fights, featuring fins, scale pattern and 3D eyes for added realism, while a unique under-hooked aggressive tail creates the signature swimming action and body roll that has proven effective in the smaller models. Built on a brutally strong Mustad black nickel chemically sharpened hook to handle big fish, the HerculeZ also features a belly mounted stainless-steel attachment point for attaching a stinger hook or blade for flash and vibration, all moulded into a zinc internal weight for strength and integrity, maintaining balance and action. Available in eight popular Z-Man colours, including light natural colours, darker silhouette and fluoro colours, the HerculeZ is built to get the bite, whether it’s impoundment barramundi and Murray cod, breakwall mulloway or bluewater beasts on your target list Visit z-man.com.au

material model and the Pico size tent that can be carried as a backpack. With the new product range, Dometic’s tent inflation technology comes to play a key role. With Dometic AIR frame technology the company creates a collection that is easy to set up and pack down with minimal fuss. The new collection is downsized from regular inflatable tents, and they are light in weight, small in size and compact enough to be packed up to fit into a back of a small passenger car, and the smallest model is even compact enough to be carried as a backpack. The new collection is now available in Australia. Visit dometic.com/en-au/outdoor

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Dometic Compact Camping Tents

DOMETIC introduces its new compact camping tent range in the APAC market, targeting 2022-23 outdoor season in the region. The new range features global design and compact sizes to fit into a back of passenger car. The range includes a Redux recycled

LOOK the part this spring and summer with the new Daiwa headwear range. Featuring new and classic inspired models, Daiwa’s new ripple jersey design features in the Daiwa hat range, with curved and flat bill models in navy, moss and grey colour schemes. The classic DVEC curve bill range welcomes two new colours – with black peak black bill and grey peak navy bill designs – added to the Daiwa hat line-up. Anglers looking for more all-round protection are catered for, with the new navy coloured ‘Boonie’ style bucket hat delivering you the 360-degree sun protection that’s so important in the harsh Australian outdoors. Look good and stay protected on the water this summer with the new Daiwa headwear range. Visit daiwafishing.com.au

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 47

Lindsay Campbell scored a solid Tin Can Bay giant trevally.

Fresh kick-starts fishing frenzy

G The author’s son Howard Rippon braved the rain, insistent on going for a fish with dad to catch a flathead.

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Page 48 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

’DAY crew, just as the waterways were starting to look good and the water was cleaning up… boom! Down came the rain and did we cop it! Falls of 300mm, 350mm, 380mm, 450mm and some local rain gauges having even 480mm and 500mm in them – that’s a lot of water for 24 hours. Four hours from high tide, it was 1m away from the front door of our shop, and with high tide at 6.30pm, I was a little worried it was going to come through the front door. Marquis and I moved as much stock off the floor as possible and then prayed the water wasn’t going to get much higher, and that the rain would let up. With the whole of Emperor St looking like a river, we left the shop at about 4.30pm. I went back right on high tide and the water had receded to the gutter, thank goodness! Let’s hope the chocolate brown water pushes

Tin Can Bay by CHRIS RIPPON

out of the system quickly this time and that we don’t have too much rain in coming weeks. So, what was getting caught before, during and after the rain? Crabs were on the move after the rain, but reports were mixed.

A few days after the big rain we had at the end of the month, the flats and lower reaches seemed to be where the action was. Prior to that, the crabs had been a little hard to come by but, as always, * continued P50

Brook Carnellor took a nice-sized blackspotted cod from a night fish for mangrove jack. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 49

Fresh fishing frenzy * from P48

Ian Apps got a few snapper on a Great Sandy Straits Sport Fishing charter.

Lindsay Campbell with his first queenfish.

Ian Apps captured a decent nannygai on a charter with Great Sandy Straits Sport Fishing. Page 50 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

those who persisted managed to scratch up a feed, with fresh bait and a long soak always proving to be a winner. Reports of good catches of whiting were filtering in at the start of the month and it appeared the rain didn’t turn them off. The lead up to the bigger tide on the new moon saw some quality fish caught in good numbers. Fresh yabbies and our locally caught and cured beachworms both got the runs on the board. Flathead have been around in good quantities and fishing the last of a run-out with a 4-5’’ soft plastic has worked well, along with live yabbies and the humble pillie tail. Mangrove jack are still warming up, as is the water, and there’ve been some nice catches of this species. Strips of mullet and small live bait fished hard against the snags or in the deeper holes on the making tide have been working well. As usual, the old ‘estuary trout – cod – have been out in force too. On my last two trips, both resulted in cod beating jacks to the lures on offer. But on a slow day, catching a few cod in between jack bites keeps you entertained, especially when they are over 50cm. Speaking of water temperature, midmonth the Garmin was reading 22.6C up the creek and five days

later, it read 25.5C at the top of the tide and 26.3C on the bottom of the run-out. Bring on the jacks! Don’t forget crew, anyone chasing a saltwater barramundi on the east coast of Queensland, they are now on lockdown until February 1, 2023. If you do happen to catch one, you are required to release them as quickly as possible, and unharmed. You can still get up to one of the dams and target them, but don’t forget your Stocked Impoundment Permit. From all reports, if the dams don’t go over for the rest of this year and into 2023, Monduran and Awoonga dams are going to be crackers. I can feel a few trips coming up in the near future. Up around Inskip and the Wide Bay Bar, catches of pelagics have still been strong. Giant trevally, queenfish, tuna and mackerel are all out there and all willing to take a trolled lure or live bait. If you want to chase a few school mackerel, try using a planning board and a 2-3’’ barra spoon. If you want to learn how to rig them up, pop into the shop – we’ll be happy to show you how. Well, that’s a wrap from me. Until next time, tight lines, take care and get out and enjoy our beautiful water ways! The Chandlery Bait and Tackle, for all your fishing and boating needs.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 51

Lilly was stoked with her first trevally.

Bryce with a typical baby black marlin.

Arthur captured a long skinny longtail tuna.

Craig and one of the plentiful mack tuna.

> Hervey Bay > Fraser Island > Sandy Strait

Marlin and mack mayhem

T’S marlin mayhem again. I keep the socials fairly marlin free, as I don’t want an armada of boats getting in the way. Even if others are posting, I find that the fire doesn’t need any more fuel. My job is to boat fish for my boat, not encourage more competition. And by the time this is published, it might well

Get into the best fishing action! Full and half day tours All levels of experience Experienced guide

www.fraserguidedfishing.com.au > 0427 230 261 Page 52 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

Fraser Guided Fishing by TRI TON

be all over for another year. I am also going to again plead for the health of the fish. I am not going to go and jack someone’s social media post. But I will comment here, as I have been given the privilege to scribe without any boundaries. And hopefully some will take note. If you read my articles often, this may ring some bells, and yes, I am surprised some actually do read the articles! While this is marlin specific, many concepts will be common for all fish that we might release. Protocols such as fight the fish on the appropriate tackle, support their weight, keep them wet and off hot surfaces, and be 100 percent prepared with cameras and other

miscellaneous tools. I won’t go into too much depth as there is plenty of information out there. But I hope to get others conscious of the correct practises and working towards being more proficient. With marlin, I think the most important thing when recording the event is you must support their weight. Fish spend their life in water and, the larger they are, the less resilient they are to being handled roughly. If you want to take the fish out, lift it by supporting its whole body. Do not drag a fish by its head or tail over the side of a vessel. If you are not able to do so safely with the labour on hand, do not lift it out. I guarantee you the fish will suffer a spinal injury – they are not

* continued P53

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Marlin and mack mayhem * from P52

built to handle that type of load. My pictures this month include one of the spine from a marlin I kept to eat. It was bleeding from gill damage, so we decided to sashimi it. I didn’t handle it as carefully as I would have done with one I wanted to release. But I still took care to not ruin the flesh. You will see the separated vertebrae and the bleeding. This fish would have died, gill damage or not, had it been released with this injury. And it is an injury you wouldn’t see. In order to elimate fatal injuries such as this, have everything

ready – the camera and the light angle should be on-point before lifting the fish out and up into position. Then snap snap snap and gently lower the fish into the water before the swim release. If you release the fish without taking a photo, it’s probably good to go once the hook is out. And for those who insist on taking beach photos, I ask, “Did you really hook that fish in waist-deep water?” I have sight cast a fair number of marlin in shallow water – but never that shallow – and most times it’s still quite a drive into wadable water. So much poetic licence is taken with that ‘flats marlin’ dream –

it’s a sad reality of the culture we live in. You might see me release a fish in shallow water – if I think it might not make it, I can retrieve it and process it for the table later. There you have it. We have no laws to govern us here, however overseas there are often strict rules on how to manage a fishery. Freedom is a beautiful thing, enjoy it, but it does not mean we should neglect the well-being of our fishery. I do what I do and I try to be objective and, if the intention is to release a fish after a photo, then I make my best effort to ensure it’s there to spawn the next generation.

A black marlin’s broken back.

Phu went home with a tasty feed.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 53

The author’s father Gary took a beautiful venus tuskfish on squid. Andy Watson caught a decent red emperor in 52m off Bundaberg.

Bundy offshore reefies

Hemmo Stevens and a solid mack tuna, which are in huge numbers off Bundaberg and are great fun on lighter gear.

Depending on where you live, this fish can be known as a cattle dog cod, a blue maori cod or a purple rock cod. Whatever you call them, they are a prized catch and Kale Faull was stoked with this specimen. Page 54 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

ECENTLY we have had a couple of small weather windows to head offshore from Bundaberg to chase a few reef species. By putting in the research, time and effort you can be rewarded with some great fish off Bundaberg. Generally, red emperor and a mix of other tasty reefies are the target species, so I’ll usually head out 35NM from the ramp to the deeper water of 40m plus and start searching, if the weather permits. A lot of good ground

Bundaberg by MATT POTTER

is inside the shelf, but it can be a bit hit and miss, so it pays to move around. Fresh flesh bait and squid on a paternoster rig works a treat. We’ve caught some nice red emperor, blue maori cod, brown maori cod, green jobfish, quality tuskfish and the usual hussar, which often become red bait – though they are firstclass eating too.

Cobia have been in good numbers and sure put up a great fight. They can be quite dangerous when you bring them aboard though. I’ve heard a few stories of hooks and lures being thrown into legs as they thrash around on deck, so take care and subdue them quickly if you plan to take one home for dinner. Cobia can be found on * continued P56

The author and Andy Watson scored a quality double of red emperor and blue maori cod. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 55

Bundy reefies * from P54

FISHING EVENTS COMPETITION

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2022 Exmouth Heavy Dec 1-4 Tackle Tournament

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Ribbons Ladies Game Fishing Tournament

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Dec 2-4

2023 Gold Coast Light Tackle Masters

Jan 20-22

Gold Coast, Qld gcgfc.com.au

Shimano King of Kings

Feb 2-5

Yeppoon, Qld kingofkings.live

2023 Billfish Babes

Feb 17-19

Mooloolaba, Qld mgfc.com.au

World Recreational Feb 19-22 Fishing Conference

Melbourne, Vic wrfc10.com

Boyne Tannum HookUp

Apr 28-30

Gladstone, Qld boynetannumhookup.com.au

Rainbow Beach Family Fishing Classic & Expo

Jun 11-17

Rainbow Beach, Qld rainbowsportsclub.com.au

AFTA Tackle Show

Aug 3-5

Gold Coast, Qld afta.net.au

Woodgate Beach Sept 15-17 Hotel Fishing Classic

Woodgate Beach Hotel, Qld woodgatebeachhotelfishingclassic. com.au

Flathead Classic

Sept 26-28

Gold Coast, Qld gcsfc.profishingtournaments.com

Gold Coast Shoot Out 2023

Oct 13-15

Gold Coast, Qld gcgfc.com.au

To have your competition listed in the calendar, please phone (07) 3286 1833 or email ads@collins.media Page 56 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

wrecks and shoal country as well as around large marine animals such as sharks, rays and turtles. They aren’t afraid to check out a boat and if you have a curious cobia hanging around, flick out an unweighted pillie or squid and let the cobia swallow it and swim away before flicking over the bail arm. A bait that isn’t wafting naturally more than likely won’t get touched. Freshly cooked cobia on fresh wraps with mayonnaise is a real winner. Mack tuna are in good numbers off Bundaberg too – simply look for the feeding birds. If you can locate the larger fish, they are a sucker for a 55g Halco Twisty in gold retrieved at speed. While they are a fantastic sportfish and make great strip bait, they certainly aren’t considered much of a table fish by most fishos. Unlike, the longtail tuna you may also come across, which make great sashimi and awesome steaks that can be thrown on the barbecue. The longtails seem to be in better numbers towards Hervey Bay.

Most tuna schools are ‘flighty’ and require a stealthy approach. Getting ahead of the school, backing off the revs and being ready with a long cast is your best chance of getting a lure into the school before they go down. Sharks usually aren’t far behind these feeding schools. Closer ground If you are wanting a feed of fish on the closer grounds, it pays to fish a lighter setup. After we located a school of fish in 20m and couldn’t get a bite on the heavier gear, we stepped it back to bream sticks and 30lb leader. This had an immediate result with solid grunter and moses perch coming aboard one after the other. Well, Christmas is fast approaching and with reports of juvenile black marlin arriving off the Break Sea Spit, my goal these school holidays will be to put my nephews, aged 10 and 14, on to their first juvenile black. I’m also keen to chase some deep sea ooglies on the electric setup. Have a safe and festive Christmas with family and friends!

Kale Faull with a nice cobia caught off Burnett Heads. www.bnbfishing.com. au

The author scored a decent creek fingermark on a Molix RT Shad.

Fingermark fever on Cap Coast

HIS month I was going to do a report on the Frenchville Barra Bash held back in October, but I’m still waiting on a few photos, so will hopefully get it together for next month. Instead, I’ll concentrate on golden snapper, or as most of us know them, fingermark. Pleasantly, I’m pleased to report that lately there has been a huge explosion in fin-

Brendan Warren captured a ripper local mangrove jack.

Capricorn Coast by JOHN BOON

germark numbers. I had a feeling this was going to be the case because we were seeing good numbers and sizes in winter. I believe the past few years of minor flooding has had a lot to do with it. Going back through my diary, the last time

Brendan with a solid fingermark taken on a Chasebaits Flick Prawn. www.bnbfishing.com.au

this happened was after all the flooding we had in the 2008 to 2011 period. When doing barramundi competition pre-fishing, I was finding fingermark in good numbers and also accidentally catching them when targeting barra, which was a good sign. Recently, I did a specialised trip targeting creek fingermark and was surprised to see just how many were in each system and how easy they were to locate. The best starting locations are rock bars. For the average fisho, a rock bar is easy to find on Google Earth or by exploring estuary systems. The key is to locate specific places in a given area where these fish will congregate. With each rock bar, there are generally prominent rocks or * continued P58

This is exactly what you’re searching for – isolated structure with fingermark stacked up on it.

Molix RT Shads are a great paddle tail choice for fingermark. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 57

Tide Times AUSTRALIA EAST COAST AUSTRALIA, EAST COAST – WADDY POINT (FRASER ISLAND) WADDY POINT 2022 LAT 24° 58ʼ S LONG 153° 21ʼ E

AND

Time

Local Time DECEMBER

Time

1.24 0.91 1.65 0.68

0427 1013 SU 1548 2214

1.33 0.92 SA 1429 1.60 2121 0.59

2 0518 1126

JANUARY m

1.65 1.01 1.48 0.62

Time

0324 0859 MO 1426 2102

1.78 0.97 MO 1647 1.40 2255 0.60

17 0422 1028

0410 0912 1533 2225

1.29 0.85 1.63 0.57

0444 3 1020

1.59 0.83 1626 1.66 SA 2252 0.50

0413 18 0934

0600 1222 TU 1742 2332

18 0511 1138

0454 1015 1621 2257

1.43 0.77 1.65 0.44

0532 1121 SU 1716 2327

1.74 0.79 1.59 0.45

0457 19 1039

0530 1106 1702 2327

1.58 0.68 1.66 0.33

0613 1211 MO 1800 2359

1.86 0.75 1.52 0.43

0536 20 1136

0605 1153 1742 2358

1.74 0.60 1.65 0.24

0650 1.96 1257 0.73 TU 1840 1.46

0615 21 1230

0029 0725 WE 1340 1920

0.43 2.04 0.71 1.41

0655 22 1323

0639 1.90 1237 0.54 1822 1.63

1.62 0.84 MO 1616 1.52 2240 0.41 1.79 0.76 TU 1706 1.49 2317 0.33

1.97 0.67 WE 1755 1.48 2357 0.28 2.15 0.58 TH 1847 1.47

0028 0716 1323 906

0.18 2.06 0.50 1.60

0.45 2.09 TH 1422 0.70 1957 1.37

0040 23 0739

103 756 413 952

0.16 2.19 0.48 1.55

0129 0832 FR 1504 2033

0.48 2.10 0.71 1.33

0128 24 0827

142 839 508 043

0.20 2.28 0.49 1.48

0201 10 0905

0.53 2.09 1545 0.72 SA 2108 1.31

0218 25 0919

224 928 609 137

0.29 2.29 0.52 1.39

0236 11 0940

0311 26 1013

309 020 710 237

0.42 2.24 0.57 1.31

0313 12 1017

0404 27 1108

359 117 812 348

0.56 2.14 0.62 1.25

0354 13 1058

0458 28 1202

458 0.69 220 2.02 916 0.65

0442 14 1145

0043 29 0558

109 610 325 022

0022 15 0545

0200 30 0709

1.26 0.79 1.92 0.65

ull Moon

0059 8 0759

0.58 2.04 SU 1626 0.75 2144 1.29

0.64 1.97 MO 1710 0.77 2224 1.26 0.70 1.89 TU 1758 0.79 2314 1.24

0.78 1.80 WE 1849 0.79 1.22 0.86 TH 1237 1.72 1942 0.75

0.25 2.29 FR 1415 0.51 1940 1.46

0.26 2.38 SA 1509 0.46 2036 1.45

0.32 2.40 1604 0.46 SU 2134 1.43

0.41 2.34 MO 1657 0.50 2234 1.40 0.53 2.22 1751 0.56 TU 2336 1.38

0.67 2.06 WE 1844 0.62 1.38 0.81 TH 1255 1.90 1939 0.66

1.42 0.93 FR 1350 1.74 2035 0.67

0321 31 0840

1.52 1.00 SA 1448 1.60 2128 0.65

New Moon Full LastMoon Quarter

1.89 0.91 1.35 0.58

Time

1.84 0.87 WE 1642 1.36 2247 0.50

0413 1142 WE 1625 2150

1.80 1.02 1.23 0.92

0312 1023 TH 1532 2053

1.85 0.90 1.29 0.84

Time

0629 2.20 1312 0.58 SA P571843 1.45

0316 17 0821

1.90 0.85 1.30 0.66

Time

0658 2.00 1341 0.80 1.34 FR 1916 * from

1.45 0.86 FR 1531 1.74 2212 0.55

1.88 0.96 1.27 0.74

0447 1138 TH 1641 2232

The0540 author nice fingermark with tag, ready release. 1.84 2.05 and a 0421 1.96 1.86 for 0544 2.05 2 0507 17 2 0543 1216 0.94 17 1120 0.76 1228 0.71 1224 0.72 17 1213 0.51

0345 2 0900

1.46 0.90 1524 1.56 SU 2202 0.49

Time

1.94 0.88 TH 1833 1.29 2354 0.69

1.19 0.90 1.63 0.69

2 0621 1311

0309 0754 1437 2149

Time

1.67 0.97 TU 1536 1.40 2154 0.56

0230 0730 1429 TH 2122

0543 1238 WE 1740 2311

1.14 0.89 1.67 0.79

0154 0703 1332 FR 2034

2023

Time Zone –1000 APRIL

1.52 1.02 1.47 0.60

0126 0626 1330 2059

1.32 0.85 1.82 0.61

Times and Heights of High and Low Waters MARCH FEBRUARY

0503 1158 SA 1751 2309

1.82 0.81 1.41 0.84

0454 1136 SU 1740 2316

2.03 0.59 1.60 0.69

Fingermark fever on 3 18 18 3 Cap 18 Coast FR 1747 1.36 2336 0.55

TH 1739 1.27 2248 0.87

FR 1650 1.36 2228 0.75

SU 1825 1.51 2351 0.73

MO 1824 1.73

0550 1242 FR 1821 2336

0518 1206 SA 1751 2330

0618 1.89 1247 0.63 MO 1856 1.61

0005 0628 TU 1246 1904

1.89 0.86 1.34 0.78

2.07 0.63 1.47 0.62

0.60 2.03 0.46 1.86

behind the sounder Prawns and the evrock piles that stick up screen. er-faithful Berkley 1.98 0.64 1.94 0557 2.01 0030 0.44 0609 2.17 0.64 0050 0.57 4 0638 4 0034 19than 4 0627 4are0030 19Prawn 0716 the 2.31 rest. 1245anglers 0.53 0650 1.90 1308 0.85 19 1234 0.74 0732 1308 Not 0.77 19 0709 1.96 have all a bit2.04 more many Gulp 1311 0.55 WE 1318 0.45 WE 1832 1.33 TH 1743 1.36 SA 1411 0.74 SU 1353 0.48 SA 1856 1.41 SU 1838 1.59 These great this dedicated, but TUit’s 2340 0.44 1.56start1927 1.70 1951 1.38 are1932 1943 1.97 been munched. ing marks. how the honey 0008 0.57 0642 2.18 0111 0.60 0118 0.36 0017 0.69you find 0019 0.50 0106 0.60 If you love0.60your pad5 0713 2.04 20 1324 0.62 5 0806If I’m 5 0702holes. 5 0721 1.89 20 0135 2.05 20 0802 2.36 1.98 20 0654 2.21 0747 1.87 scanning these 0.70 MO 1322 0.46 0.47 the Modle tails, TH 1349 0.79 FR 1840 1.40 SU 1441 0.71 MO 1433 0.43 SU 1335 WE 1335 0.50 TH 1349then 1916 1.32 2022 1.41 of areas, 2020 1.65 then 1928 So, 1.48 you’ve 2023 2.06 1920found 1.71 1957 1.79 your types lix RT Shad is another 0.60 0.56 0033 0.37 0206 0.35 0.61 fingermark 0104 0.44 spots, 0220 0.67 new this 0.57 is what I’ll be 6 0043 6 0147 6 0055 6 0142 21option. great 0838 2.03 21 0848 2.33 0751 1.86 0748 2.08 21 0729 2.33 0734 1.99 21 0736 2.20 0826 1.74 0.69 at. 0.64 what 0.42 should MO 1509 TH 1401 0.47 FR 1420 0.52 FR 1427 0.75 SA 1412 0.51 TU 1514 0.43 MO 1401 TU 1356 now lures casting I’ve caught everything 2051 1.44 2030 1.88 1956 1.33 1937 1.46 2107 1.71 1958 1.55 2001 1.82 2103 2.10 be tying on? If you’ve 0252 got 0.42 a good 0130you that swims 0118 0.56 0125 0.32 0222 0.57 0.56 0149 0.44 0220 0.63 0309 0.77on these 7 0822 2.08 22 0818 2.41 7 0907 7 0803 Soft 7 0825 1.80 22 0905keep vibration 2.00 22 1.98 22 0817 2.13 lures 1.62 quality side0933 and2.22down and they SA 1502 0.73 SU 1458 0.44 TU 1538 0.69 WE 1554 0.48 TU 1426 0.61 WE 1432 0.44 FR 1427 0.47 SA 1448 0.60 producwould be number one, imaging sounder, it 2031 1.33 2032 1.52 2119 1.46 2027 1.60 2044 1.90 2105 1.95 2154 1.74 2.11 ing the 2143 goods. and will 0.60 make 0338 the process 0154 0.57 0216 0.33 0255 0.57 0204 0.56 Zerek 0233Fish 0.53 Traps 0300 0.69 0404 0.87 They must 8 0854 2.07 23 0909 2.42 8 0936 8 0832are1.95my23first 8 0902 1.72 23 0944 1.50have just 1.96 23 1016 2.05 0858choice. 2.00 a heck lot easier. 0.68 ofTHa 1635 0.56 0.70 SU 1536 0.73 MO 1545 0.43 WE 1606 WE 1451 0.59 TH 1506 0.49 SA 1456 0.50 SU 1517frequency the right or 2101 1.34 2126 1.55 2151 1.49 2242 1.75 2127 1.95 2144 1.99 2224 2.08 is super If you can identify 2057 If1.66the water something along those 0.59 0307 0.39 0.75 0.60 which 0319 is 0.67 0.78 0506 0.95 clean, generalfish 0.66 sitting around 9 0229 9 0328 24 0428 9 0238 9 0345 0927 2.03 24 0959 2.34 1007 1.90 1056 1.86 the 0901 1.90 24 0937 1.83 0942 1.61 1026 1.40fish conlines24because 0.68that’s 0.65 0.58 look 1527 0.57 MO 1551 0.80 ly 0.58 the case, then MO 1609 0.73 TU 1632 0.47 TH 1635 FR 1714 TH 1516 FR 1540 SU at rocks, gold. 2131 1.35 2219 1.55 2230 1.51 2333 1.74 2130 1.71 2211 1.96 2225 2.00 eat 2.02 them. maybe a few tinue to2307 Even if the0528 rock has a 0313selecting 0406 0.75 0439 0.87 0305 0.62 0356 0.52 0.93 0.67 0412 0.82 0612 1.00 If you’re more natural colours. 10 1000 1.98 25 1047 2.20 10 1041 25 1137 of 10 0933 1.83 25 1016 1.67 10 1024 1.50 25 1115 1.32going to 1.66 bait, good1.82showing 0.58 SA 1611 0.68 0.90 throwTU 1632 a paddle tail, FR 1705 0.67 SA 1755 0.74 MO 1601 0.66 TU 1643 0.74 WE 1718 0.55 FR 1542 Prawns and1.95 paddle it’s still 2314 1.53 worth a cast. 2311 1.97 2206 1.35 2312 1.54 2207 1.75 2256 2356 1.94 make sure it’s around tails still0517have their Rock 0450 0.85 bars 0547 0.94 0.67 0447 0.69 0031 are 1.73 the 0352 0.77 0.97 0723 1.02 11 0341 that26 4”1220 size1.26and don’t 1112 1.38 1035 1.92 26 1134 2.01 11 1117 1.73 26 0650 1.08 11 1008 1.74 26 1056any 1.51 of11 place and the best place to start but, SA 1739 0.68 SU 1222 1.49 TU 1641 0.76 WE 1729 0.99 WE 1720 0.74 TH 1805 0.63 SA 1610 0.61 SU 1644 0.78 be afraid to give them 2249 1.35 1841 0.82 2248 1.76 2345 1.91 imitapopular prawn if you’re super keen a bit of speed 0005 1.54 0008 1.93 0423 0.75 0010 1.54 0144 1.73 0437 0.87 are 0638 1.06 0056 1.85to get the tions worthy. and 0.96 addicted to the 12 1113 1.84 27 0543 0.87 12 0547 12 1045 Zerek 27 0834 1.14 1.63 27 1145 1.38 12 0715 0.96 27 0844 1.01 fingermark excited. Live Shrimp, 1.62 1221 1.29 1321 1.35 1642 0.66 1725 0.88 1401 1.24 SU 1156 WE TH 1759 0.73 FR 1219 1.81 MO SU MO TH hunt as I am, go and 2333 1.77 1818 0.69 1737 0.86 2343 1.34 1852 0.70 1937 0.89 1850 1.05 Chasebaits Flick * continued P59 find structure in plac- 0536 0.97 0.84 0120 1.55 0109 1.57 1.86 0304 1.76 0127 1.90 0208 1.78 13 0513 13 1125 1.51 28 0043 1155 1.76 28 0654 1.02 13 0702 1.04 28 0810 1.09 13 0850 0.92 28 0954 0.96 1033 1.10 es that other people FR 1840 0.71 SA 1306 1.62 MO 1241 1.50 TU 1445 1.25 MO 1720 0.72 TU 1250 1.28 TH 1411 1.27 FR 1537 1.28 1942 0.74 1906 0.71 1824 0.97 2043 0.92 time 1902 0.92 2015 1.05 wouldn’t spend 0048 1.36 0243 1.61 0231 1.63 at. 0029 1.76 0153 1.81 0247 1.92 1.75 looking 14 0617 0.93 29 0836 1.12 14 0846If you 14 0658 1.04 29 0951 1.05 14 0959 0.81 29 0317 1.07 1039 0.88 SA 1239 1.66 SU 1401 1.46 TU 1342 1.38 can find a rock TU 1215 1.39 WE 1428 1.23 FR 1538 1.34 SA 1636 1.36 1925 0.68 2037 0.77 2004 0.72 1942 1.03 2045 0.90 2134 0.99 or a wreck in the mid- 1810 0.79 0208 1.41 0359 1.70 0345 1.75 0149 1.78 0308 1.79 0355 1.98 1.75 dle of nowhere, this 15 0734 1.00 30 1025 1.11 15 1032 0.99 15 0858 1.02 30 1053 0.98 15 1053 0.70 30 0412 1110 0.78 1.30 1.29 TH 1616 1.25 SU 1328 1.57 MO 1512 1.34 WE 1521 SA 1647 1.46 SU 1718 1.46 is what I refer to WE as 1345 2013 0.64 2133 0.78 2115 0.71 1921 0.84 2105 1.02 2216 0.80 2235 0.89 golden gold. 0457 1.79 0412 1.80 31 1150 1.04 31 1129 0.90 It’s simple logic realTU 1628 1.27 FR 1713 1.33 2224 0.77 2216 0.95 ly – the less-pressured spots are going to give © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2021, Bureau of Meteorology you the best First Quarteris Lowest Astronomical Datum of Predictions Tide results. The only downside is A few quality grunter were still kicking around the Last Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Newthat Moonyou have to First Quarter estuaries Full Moon prawn imitations Last Quarter comeating meant for fin16 mit to spending hours germark.

Page 58 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Creeks draining into tropical bays almost invariably hold barramundi, such as this lean salty caught by Kevin Clark at Cardwell.

Safe summer surface fishing W E are only weeks away from the Christmas holiday period, when families dust off boats to hit the coast. When fishing with kids, safety is of course paramount, so less confident boaties tend to shy away from blue water, however the estuaries

Fishing for Sport

by NEIL SCHULTZ

aren’t your only options. Those of you who’d like to try bending a rod on some ‘fast fish’ but would rather not tackle a bar crossing, there are numerous options.

Much of Moreton Bay is classified as ‘partially smooth’ and can easily be accessed in most reasonable weather conditions. My sons and I spent

Fingermark fever on Cap Coast * from P58

If you’re a hardbody lure fan, then I’ve got good news… Fingermark have been crunching them too. I prefer to go for something a bit noisier, such as Classic Lures or Halco RMG Poltergeist Crazy Deeps even. These are a great option if you’re keen to troll instead of cast. www.bnbfishing.com.au

There’s nothing like flicking a lure out the back and searching your favourite rock bar. Just a few final words on another great estuary species that has come on with fingermark – mangrove jack. It’s no surprise that with the current water temperature and humidity they’re chewing because fingers and jacks are from

the same family. Though jacks have a bit more mongrel in them! At the time of writing this article, I hadn’t done a jack trip, but the time is nearing. In fact, I’m going to put the keyboard down and go get the jack gear sorted. Until next month, stay safe and make sure to get out on the water.

many days spanning a couple of decades on the bay during summer holidays. In the years prior to and after those holiday trips with the youngsters, my wife and I would regularly venture further afield to other smooth water venues, including Hervey Bay – a favourite – Gladstone Harbour, Hinchinbrook Channel, Victor Island and Edgecombe Bay. All of these locations offer a comfortable alternative to true blue water fishing, while still providing seasonal pelagic action. Tuna are among the favourite surface feeders to chase in the bays, with mackerel tuna being the most cooperative and frigates often being the toughest to tempt onto a lure. Being visual feeders helps keep kids – young and old – excited during the pursuit of tuna, even when results are

not up to expectations. Seeing the target fish leaping clear of the water keeps youngsters focused on the task at hand and they don’t miss their screens at all. Though various tuna species can be taken using a variety of methods, spinning for them with metal baitfish profile lures is the most active and hands-on tactic. This is the realm of fast-spinning reels, used to make long casts and then retrieve the lure as quickly as physically possible. Once the boat is within casting range – and positioned upwind of the breaking fish – the motor should be kicked into neutral but not turned off. The sudden cessation of background noise when the motor is shut down can be enough to make spooky schools of tuna stop feeding. Longtail tuna are a * continued P60

Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 59

We have more than two dozen species of trevally in Queensland, most of which will run down a surface lure. Rosemary scored a giant trevally north of Mackay.

A fine longtail tuna for Tony. Check out the water conditions in the background – very safe and comfortable.

Safe summer surface fishing * from P59

Areas throughout the state experience a seasonal run of spotted mackerel, such as this average specimen captured on a 50g Lazer Lure by Graham.

Neville Crawley with a typical Moreton Bay longtail tuna taken only a few hundred metres from shore. Page 60 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

shallow-water species, frequenting most bays around the Queensland coastline. These are the largest of our inshore tuna, with 20kg specimens not uncommon and, as an added bonus, are an excellent table fish. Large longtails can be a very frustrating target, especially in hard fish water such as Moreton Bay. The smaller year class fish tend to be much more cooperative, with those in the far north being quite easy to catch under normal conditions. Other commonly encountered surface feeders in sheltered waters are the small mackerels. Spotted mackerel are at their peak in southeast Queensland over the Christmas holiday period and are great sport and a first-class table fish. Spotties respond to the same high-speed spin-

ning techniques as tuna and will conveniently take the same lures too. Locally made Lazer Lures 50g has been a consistent producer of mackerel and tuna in my boat for more than 30 years and I’m still yet to find a better product. Further north, grey mackerel hunt very close to shore, being caught even from beaches at times when following baitfish migrations. Along with tuna and mackerel, a variety of other speedsters will show up – depending of course on the latitude you’re fishing. Many of the numerous trevally species live and feed in close, many preferring areas with a strong tidal flow. Species that are regularly encountered in the shelter of Queensland’s bays form a comprehensive list, including queenfish, tailor, cobia, ribbonfish, barracuda, bonito and of course barramundi.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 61

Spangled emperor are hard fighting and great to catch.

Coral trout were the target on our first day.

Easy reef fishing in far north Queensland

HE dream of going on a fishing holiday and catching coral trout and other reef species is something most fishos have on their bucket list. And it’s probably easier and cheaper than you think. For years now, we have been doing the trip up north to Port Douglas to chase these awesome fish.

Fishing FNQ by BEN SMITH

Though over the past couple of years we couldn’t go because of pandemic restrictions, but now it’s all back on again. In this article, I want to outline how easy it is to organise a trip up north. Usually, it’s a five-day

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Page 62 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

sortie, which leaves a couple of full days to fish and explore the place. We live on the Gold Coast, so leaving from Brisbane airport is easy. Virgin Australia has direct flights from Brisbane to Cairns, with the 6am flight being the cheapest and having you in Cairns at about 8am. We drive our car to the airport and book a spot in the Brisbane airport car park – this way we’re at the airport and it’s easy to get the luggage to the terminal. Flights are about $250 return and parking for five days is about $150. When we book the flights, we also click the option to pay the extra $50 or so – to take the rod tube on the plane too. Once we land in

Cairns, there are several options to get to Port Douglas, including minibus transfers. However, we always contact Angela of Travel Safe Transfers, who collects directly from the terminal door in a private vehicle and delivers you to the front door of your accommodation. She can take four people in her luxury vehicle, which costs about $160 and is well worth it for the convenience. Accommodation options are endless in Port Douglas – you can stay in anything from a backpackers hostel to a five-star hotel. We prefer to be central, so stay on Macrossan Street, which runs through the centre of town and is a short walk to restaurants, bars as well as shopping. A good fishing tackle shop is in town and is worth a look at too.

We usually stay at Le Cher Du Monde – it has a pool, apartments are air conditioned and are well priced for being in the centre of town. Give Rob and Lyn a call – (07) 4099 6400. At about 7am, we walk across the road to the bakery for some of the best breakfast food and coffee in town. We go out with Norseman Reef Fishing Charter, which offers full day trips to the reef, chasing everything – coral trout, nannygai, giant trevally, spanish mackerel and almost anything you can catch on the reef. Kevon picks you up from your accommodation in the courtesy bus and takes you down to the boat at the marina, which leaves port at 8am and travels for about an hour to the reef. It’s a beautiful sight

* continued P63

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Easy reef fishing in far north Queensland

* from P62

as you leave and a good time to take a few snaps. You can take your own gear, but all rods and fishing gear are provided. The charter includes lunch and afternoon tea, while snacks and drinks can be purchased, with the licensed onboard bar opening at 10am – they have a tab system, so you fix them up before the end of the day. The vessel is very spacious and, once out there, you pick a spot on the boat to fish from and the crew assist you with everything. Bait is prepared, rods and reels are ready to go and, as you catch your fish, they gut, gill and put them on ice. All fish are marked – to ensure you get what’s yours – and are bagged up at the end of the day. During the charter, the boat will stop at a few different spots to give you the best chance of getting a good bag of fish. After some fishing, they get you back to port at 4pm, then Kev drops you back to your accommodation, where you have the rest of the day to relax, cook some fish or head out for a cold beverage and a feed. The fishing can be red hot, so make sure you follow Norseman Fishing on Facebook to see what’s on the bite. We generally go fishing with them for a couple of days, which www.bnbfishing.com.au

gives us a better opportunity for a variety of species. Kevon also told me that a big sportfishing centre console is in the pipeline and will be targeting jigging and popping fishos. I’ll let you know when it’s up and running – a few of us may do a trip. Leave yourself a day at the end of the sortie to relax and look around Port Douglas. Also, snap freeze and bag your fish, so you can bring some home. If you take up one of the seafood-approved foam boxes, you’re allowed to carry it as hand luggage onto the plane and put it in the overhead lockers. No ice is allowed in case it melts, but snap frozen seafood is, so get it in the freezer the day before you leave. For the flight home, be sure to book in advance with Angela of Travel Safe Transfers to take you from your accommodation back

to Cairns airport. It’s all very easy. For any information, simply Google or look the charter or transfer business up on Facebook and mention me, so you’ll be looked after. Hope this encourages you to book that trip and go chase your dream fish.

Brown-coloured trout tastes as good as their orange cousins.

Mark with a beautiful orange trout.

Norseman Reef Fishing Charter anchored over a fish-laden patch of reef. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 63

The Blue Bottle crew after their epic fund and awareness-raising journey.

A beautiful blue bottle story n In memory of Alana de Kort

A huge undertaking – well done to all involved.

I all, Christmas is a special time for families and friends – a time of giving and a time of being thankful for the gifts in our lives. This story begins at the Seventeen Seventy boat ramp, where I noticed a crowd had gathered beside the Volunteer Marine Rescue building. Four jet skis approached the boat ramp to an overwhelming

Paul, Jake and Bob followed the tiny blue bottle’s journey from Long Reef in NSW to Seventeen Seventy in Queensland. Page 64 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

Agnes Water by PAUL ‘CHIEF’ GRAVESON

cheer, and I noticed many of the crowd wearing a brightly designed T-shirt. I walked onto the gangway leading to the pontoon for a better vantage point and, for some reason, stopped to ask one of the crowd the significance of this obviously emotional event. Ironically, out of all the people there, I found myself talking to Alana’s mum, who graciously told me of this beautiful story and how it began. It’s not often you feel instant empathy as well as bewilderment at occurrences that can mysteriously happen in life. In July 2018, a beautiful young women Alana – then only 14 years old – lost her battle to a rare form of childhood cancer. Family and friends gathered and placed messages of love and support into a pretty little blue bottle. They sealed the bottle and threw it into the ocean at Long Reef, lo-

cated on Sydney’s beautiful Northern Beaches. Twelve months had past when Bob and Mel Cooper found the same pretty little bottle washed up on one of our Agnes Water beaches, completely intact. As fate would have it, it was the first time in six months that the Coopers had gone for walk along the beach. One thing led to another and soon an organisation called Blue Bottle was formed. Blue Bottle then joined forces with The Kids’ Cancer Project to raise awareness about the importance of scientific research in finding treatments and cures. They also raise much-needed funds to help with assistance in future research. That blue bottle brought together Alana’s dad Paul, brother Jake and Bob Cooper, who then had an idea to undertake an epic journey on jet skis to follow the * continued P65

www.bnbfishing.com. au

A beautiful blue bottle story * from P64

path of the tiny bottle. The 1500km venture started at Long Reef on October 16 and concluded in Agnes Water on Friday 28. Each day the trio traveled about 150km at sea to the next port – every day raising funds and awareness. A team of 15 volunteers – consisting of family, friends and The Kids’ Cancer Project founder Col Reynolds – were the land-based support crew. Starting at Long Reef, Paul, Jake and Bob stopped at Swansea, Forster, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Ballina, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Noosa, Hervey Bay and concluded with an emotional finish beside the Seventeen Seventy marina. I felt I was meant to

see the beautiful memorial to young Alana – particularly after saying goodbye to my mother, Carmen Graveson, two weeks prior on October 11. My mum had battled two types of cancer over the past 10 years, before finally surrendering. The Kids’ Cancer Project is an independent national charity supporting research since 1983 into childhood cancer. The organisation has contributed tens of millions of dollars to scientific studies and their vision is to see a 100 percent survival rate for children with cancer. I know the past few years have been tough for many, however Christmas is a time of giving, and what better cause is there than helping the fight against childhood cancer?

You can help by going to the Blue Bottle website – bluebottle.org.au – and donating, or you can still sponsor Paul, Jake or Bob via this site, even though their epic journey is complete. I was blessed to witness the conclusion of the event and in a small way can help to create awareness through this publication. Recently, when walking to a local surf break, I was lucky enough to coincidentally run into Col Reynolds and Alana’s mum, who were preparing to head home. It’s not often you meet such strong special people and have the chance to share an important message. Let’s all have a fantastic holiday season – merry Christmas to you and your families – see you in 2023.

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Contact Bill Corten M: 0447 233 247 / 0447 ( a f f a i r ) E: reel_affair@yahoo.com Page 66 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

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0428 753 293 Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 67

C AMPING & outdoors

Cape York trip H

Eddy and his brother.

We cooked a big cake in the camp oven for Eddy’s eighty-second birthday.

ELLO, here’s part two of mine and Eddy Bloomfield’s fishing trip up at Cape York. With the camp set up, I started prepping the 5m tinnie to go fishing – unstrapping the two 1.5 tonne truck straps that hold it to the trailer. This is where I reckon many people go wrong – they don’t use straps that are good enough to hold their boat to the trailer – relying on their winch post instead to not move forward. Sure, that’s its job, but that is also how your winch post gets snapped off.

Eddy and a nice Cape York boar. Page 68 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

Part 2: Pennefather River by CRAIG TOMKINSON

Most people have only one or two small straps on the back of the boat and, in my opinion, that’s not good enough. My boat has been fully reinforced inside and around the seats – to handle being strapped down tight to the trailer. In fact, I reckon if my winch post wasn’t there, the boat wouldn’t move much at all because it’s strapped down so well. What helps is to have a combination of rollers and long skids, and a lot more than on a standard trailer, which helps get my boat anywhere in good shape. After a few hours, the boat was ready, so we slipped up the river and got ourselves some bait with the cast and scoop net. We had a nice mix of mullet, biddies and blue claw rock crabs then headed offshore for a fish. Onboard was Ian Fry, Eddy and me. Ian and his wife Jill had camped with our friend Bob for a week or two, so I asked if he wanted to come out with us. Together we headed up the coast towards Janie Creek and then along the coastline for a bit. Next minute, the 60hp four-stroke Yamaha coughed and went into limp mode.

I thought it had picked up some weed or a plastic bag, so checked the intake on the outboard leg and saw that it was fine. I started the motor, and it seemed fine, so away we went. Then it did it again. I thought I knew what was wrong and the spanners came out – I removed the thermostat, which was seized shut. It was only 12 months old and had worked fine when I gave the outboard a good run in a drum only a week previous. I knocked the middle out of it, put it back in and all was good. We went about 10km further north and anchored up on a bit of nice new ground we’d found. Ian caught some cracking blackspot tuskfish up to 62cm in size and Eddy and I scored some smaller models, so with a heap of fish, we headed back to camp. Ian fished with Eddy and I for a week or so, until he and his wife packed up and headed off to visit some friends at Atherton. Eddy and I fished most days, chipping away on reef fish. We started going up the rivers – because Eddy had a few spots he’d * continued P69

www.bnbfishing.com. au

C AMPING & outdoors The Oztent AT 6 is the ideal air tent for larger families, when set up, it delivers over 50cu m of usable internal space.

Oztent launches new easy durable air tents

AST, easy and durable. The Oztent Group again brings greater ease, speed, practicality and comfort to camping with the release of two Air Tents.

Known for innovation and design excellence in camping, the group’s new Oztent Air Tent 6 and Oztent Air Tent 4 embody these credentials and support Oztent’s desire to deliver

awesome experiences to campers of many kinds. Oztent Group chief executive officer Luke Eather said, “We concentrate on making smart high-quality products that are both com-

Cape York camping trip * from P68

caught some good fish from over many years of camping along the Pennefather River – and we caught lovely blue salmon, grunter and good-sized mangrove jack. After a week or so, I showed Eddy the swamp out the back and, on our first walk around, I shot two large boars and two big sows. Pigs do a lot of damage in the swamps up there – they dig them up and when the wet comes, the soil washes away. Over many weeks, we were either reef fishing, river fishing, www.bnbfishing.com.au

chasing mud crabs or hunting pigs around the swamps. We scooped about 20 cracking full bucks for the trip, and I ended up with seven good-sized pigs – the best boars were about 80kg. Not huge but a good size that my Ruger .223 stainless-steel did a lovely job with. The 55-grain leadtipped projectiles with head shots put the pigs to sleep nicely. But sadly, after five weeks, the time came to pack up and leave. It took me all day to pack the boat with gear, so all that was

left for the next morning was to pack up our tent and stretchers and head off. Eddy and I said our goodbyes to the other campers and were gone by 8.30am. Once off the dug-up dry sand, we pumped the tires back up to about 25psi all around and headed into Weipa, where we fuelled up and headed for home over the next four days. We stayed with Eddy’s brother at Atherton and his granddaughter at Rockhampton on the way back. Until next month, safe travels.

fortable and durable.” “They must also be fast and super easy to use – the less time you spend setting up and getting frustrated with your equipment, the better the experience will be.” While people may not immediately think ‘air’ when thinking of Oztent products, this is an exciting new direction for the group. “It provides families with a generous space that can be set up quickly and easily while still being small and easy to transport,” Mr Eather said.

“You simply peg them down, pump them up, kick back and create your own awesome experience.” Both tents use Oztent’s rapid air frame technology, which was designed and developed in Australia specifically to endure our harsh, diverse and erratic conditions. Combining robust high-quality air tubes with fast-flow valves, rapid air frame technology delivers high sturdy walls and a generous amount of space, with outstanding rigidity in

* continued P70

The AT 6 is great for longer-term stays at favourite camping grounds and holiday parks. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 69

C AMPING & outdoors The AT6 internal space is extremely flexible.

Incorporating three bedrooms that can be reduced to two, one or removed completely if desired, the AT6 is very versitile.

Oztent launches air tents * from P69

The Oztent Air Tent 4 is the ideal air tent for smaller families of up to four and is perfect for quick getaways.

Standing at 1.9m high on a 2.4m x 4.4m footprint, the AT4 packs down to about the size of a domestic pillow – 73cm long x 29cm wide x 26cm high and weighs only 9kg.

The AT4 bedroom, which can be removed completely if a single space is required, has two mesh double storage pockets, a light hook and an internal power cord inlet. Page 70 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

all kinds of weather. The Oztent Air Tent 6 is the ideal air tent for larger families. When set up, it delivers over 50cu m – four horse floats – of usable internal space yet weighs only 28kg and packs into a heavy-duty wheeled case 100cm long x 45cm wide x 39cm high in size – less than 0.2cu m. The internal space is extremely flexible, incorporating three bedrooms that can be reduced to two, one or removed completely if desired. Beyond the bedrooms is a massive enclosed living area and, to extend the front coverage even further, the AT 6 comes with an additional zip-in awning for the front entry, making it more a homestead than tent. Because of its size, the AT 6 has front and side entrances – both with overhanging awnings – and two massive screen windows. They deliver lots of light and exceptional ventilation and all can be closed internally if the weather turns. The AT 6 is great for longer-term stays at favourite camping grounds

and holiday parks. Other notable features include: • Three power cord inlets – one front and two rear – which zip tight to keep out unwanted wildlife, so internal lighting, appliances and tech can be located safely anywhere in the tent • Two internal power cord inlets for the bedrooms • Large light hooks in the living room and main bedroom • Internal privacy screens and doors between all rooms • Storage pockets in each side bedroom • Two sets of removable mesh hanging pockets, each with seven pockets for versatile storage and to keep the things you need close at hand. The Oztent Air Tent 4 is the ideal air tent for smaller families of up to four and is perfect for quick getaways. Also constructed with Oztent’s rapid air frame technology, this fast, easy and durable tent sleeps four people comfortably and boasts an all-weather living area with space for chairs and a table. Standing at 1.9m high on a 2.4m x 4.4m footprint, it packs down to

about the size of a domestic pillow – 73cm long x 29cm wide x 26cm high and weighs only 9kg. You can keep it stored in your car boot for use at any time. Like its larger sibling, the AT 4 has screen windows and an entrance for plenty of light and ventilation, all of which can be zipped shut internally. The bedroom, which can also be removed completely if a single space is required, has two mesh double storage pockets, a light hook and an internal power cord inlet. Externally, both tents come with reflective guy ropes for visibility at night, attached rope storage pockets and pegging loops that can be adjusted for firmness. Pumps are included with both tents. The Oztent AT 6 will retail for about $2399.99 and the Oztent AT 4 for $949.99. They are available through Anaconda stores nationally from Friday November 4. For more information, visit www.oztent.com. au/collections/air-tents www.bnbfishing.com. au

C AMPING & outdoors The Santorini FTK features an over-sized mesh ventilation panel at the back of the tent. The Dometic Santorini FTK is a technical cotton tent with fully mesh windows for plenty of ventilation.

Dometic introduces new compact camping tents

OMETIC introduces its new compact camping tent range in the APAC market, targeting 2022-23 outdoor season in the region. The new range features global design and compact sizes to fit into the back of a passenger car. The range includes a Redux recycled material model and the Pico size tent that can be carried as a backpack. With the new product range, Dometic’s tent inflation technology comes to play a key role. With Dometic airframe technology, the company creates a collection that is easy to set up and pack down with minimal fuss. The new collection is downsized from regular inflatable tents, and they

are light in weight, small in size and compact enough to be packed up to fit into a back of a small passenger car, and the smallest model is even compact enough to be carried as a backpack. The new collection is now available in Australia. Dometic Santorini FTK The Santorini FTK is a technical cotton tent with fully mesh windows for plenty of ventilation, and completely sewn-in groundsheet with bug-proof doors and windows for peace of mind. The inner tent is optional because it is possible to sleep anywhere in the tent with zip-close blinds on every window. The tent features an over-sized mesh ventilation panel at the back of

Pack size and weight for the Dometic Reunion FTG Redux are extremely small for a tent of this size and ease of putting up. www.bnbfishing.com.au

the tent with a gusseted cover, so that there is always air flow. Tent folding line indicators make packing away easier, lighting hanging points across central tubes and the integrated front canopy, providing plenty of protection from the elements on the outside of the tent and to keep clean and dry inside the living area. Considering the space provided in the tent, the pack size and weight is compact and ideal for car campers. Available in sizes for two with the inner tent and for eight without the inner tent. Dometic Reunion FTG Redux Made almost entirely from recycled PET bottles for less environmental impact and sustainability, the Renunion FTG Redux has a completely sewn-in groundsheet and bugproof doors both front and back for easy access. This tent is so versatile that it can be used as the

* continued P72

Considering the space provided in the Santorini FTK, the pack size and weight is compact and ideal for car campers.

The Reunion FTG Redux is so versatile that it can be used as the inner on its own for a hotter climate or attach the flysheet to give a waterproof skin.

The Reunion FTG Redux has a completely sewn-in groundsheet and bug-proof doors both front and back for easy access. Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 71

C AMPING & outdoors

Dometic compact tents * from P71

by MELISSA FROHLOFF

Making your Christmas ham Ingredients • 3-4kg piece of pickled pork • 1 cup sweet chilli and plum sauce • 2 tbsp fine salt Method 1. Ask your butcher for a small leg of pickled pork between 3-4kg. With a sharp knife, cut the skin into a diamond pattern. Lightly rub with some salt. Put in a smoker and smoke at the lowest possible temperature for 4-5 hours. Any Australian hardwood sawdust will do but I prefer the flavour of hickory. This sawdust gives off a lighter smoke and the flavours are not as intense as that of a hardwood sawdust. 2. After 4-5 hours, turn

the temperature up in the smoker to 180C. When close to the desired internal temperature, baste the skin with sweet chilli and plum sauce (Kakadu), repeat several times until the glaze is to your liking. The more times you baste, the sweeter the skin and meat will become. 3. Continue to cook until internal temperature of the ham reaches 77C.

inner on its own for a hotter climate or attach the flysheet to give a waterproof skin. The tent features allround mesh panels when using only the inner and then roll-up side panels and doorways to allow plenty of ventilation. Tent folding line indicators make packing away easier, lighting hanging points across central tubes and, of course, the integrated front canopy, which provides plenty of protection from the elements. Pack size and weight are extremely small for a tent of this size and ease of putting up, with a single inflation point. Available in sizes for four and five people, the Reunion is exclusively available from Dometic. Dometic Pico FTC Our smallest offering, the Pico FTC also provides fully mesh windows for plenty of ventilation, completely sewn-in groundsheet with bug-proof doors and ventilation panels. The Pico features an innovative built-in inflatable mattress to provide great levels of com-

fort in a very compact tent. Available as a single or double-person tent and featuring a backpackstyle carry bag. This tent could easily be carried a short distance away from the car. The door can be used as a small canopy using the adjustable poles provided and has an integrated mesh panel built into the doorway also, maintaining the bugproof story across the range. There are simple weather protection canopies at both ends of the tent and integrated zipped blinds on the ventilation panels to control the level of ventilation. The pack size and weight are key features, made for a car camper who wants a little more comfort and quality while still being able to go off grid a little from the beaten track. Recommended retail prices: • Dometic Santorini FTK from $1799 • Dometic Reunion FTG Redux from $899 • Dometic Pico FTC from $799. Visit dometic.com/enau/outdoor

4. To seal in the juices, wrap your ham in foil and let it rest for an hour before serving. This will make your ham lovely and moist. Tips There are no limits as to what you use to baste the ham with. If you have a favourite sauce or jam you love, use it.

Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 4-7 hours | Serves: many Page 72 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

The Dometic Pico FTC provides great levels of comfort in a very compact tent. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 73

Women’s Fishing Classic 2023 registrations now open

OMEN from around the Sunshine Coast and greater Moreton Bay region, including the Gold Coast, are invited to take part in the 2023 Women’s Fishing Classic. Participants are encouraged to register early. Women with all skill sets are encouraged to apply – from novice beginners to fierce competitors. The founder of the Women’s Fishing Classic Nicole Robinson said the competition was a way to connect with fun kind like-minded women. Families and individuals who register will receive special packs,

while stocks last, including brag mats, sponsor products and special draw prize entries. Upon registration, participants are included in the WFC group, with access to workshops, training videos, special invites, discounts and, most importantly, support and encouragement from other participants. “There has never been a better time to connect with others,” Nicole said. “I am elated so many women and children have appreciated a women-only fishing tournament, however I never anticipated the incredible amount of other benefits the competition has had on local busi-

nesses, tourism and the health and wellbeing of everyone included.” The month-long event has attracted women from Inskip Point, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and the Tweed regions, who then support and connect with each other throughout the year. Participants make new fishing friends, take part in invited offshore fishing charters or simply enjoy the feeling of overwhelming support by sharing their fishing adventures online. The competition has assisted local businesses and, with women’s recreational fishing on the rise, it also provides an opportunity for family fun and community spirit.

The 2023 Women’s Fishing Classic has generated interest for local businesses, with sponsors welcomed to apply. The major prizes are set to be the biggest yet, with a $13,000 boat and outboard motor package, donated by Wynnum Marine. Winners of individual fish categories have the chance to win products and cash prizes. There are opportunities to win in both offshore and land-based categories, plus allround categories such as ‘most-caught’ and ‘size’ provide other chances to win. The competition provides an excellent opportunity for research too, with tag-and-re-

lease training available for members – all catches are recorded to aid in sustainable fishing practises and provide a greater understanding of our local waters. The Women’s Fishing Classic starts May 6 and finishes June 3, 2023. Nicole encourages participants to register now to benefit from the support and education awareness around the sport, tides, community and adventures to be had over the upcoming months leading up to and during the event. For more information, contact Nicole directly on 0429 011 050 or search Women’s Fishing Classic on Facebook.

World first one million tagged fish O N November 3, 2022, the Infofish volunteer fish tagging database became the first citizen science tagging program in the world to achieve 1 million tagged fish. The database, managed by Infofish Australia, includes data from the Suntag program in Queensland, AFANT tag in the Northern Territory, Westag in Western Australia and Saftag in South Australia. Secretary of Suntag Australia and Infofish Australia program

co-ordinator since the start Bill Sawynok said, “It all started back in 1986 when Fisheries Queensland handed over responsibility for the Sportfish Tagging program to the Australian National Sportfishing Association Queensland branch, then the program separated from ANSA and morphed into Suntag Australia in 2016.” “Since then, data from the other state programs were added, so that data can be consistently maintained and analysed across those states,” Mr Sawynok said.

This tagged barramundi was only one of 76,000 recaptured fish with a story to tell. Page 74 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

To provide some sense of the magnitude of that achievement, over the past 36 years it involved over 17,000 taggers contributing over 198,600 days or 544 years of effort. Add to that 76,000 recaptures of tagged fish reported by 23,000 fishers and another 460,000 fish from catch records and competitions and it results in a long timeline of valuable fisheries data. A conservative estimate is that this amounts to a $30 million contribution to the knowledge base of our fisheries. “Not bad for a volunteer citizen science program,” Mr Sawynok said. “But what the program has contributed to knowledge gain in the fisheries space is its greatest value.” Over the years the

data have been used to inform such issues as range shift of species due to climate change, planning for marine parks, basic biological information on species, performance of regional and impoundment fisheries, survival of released fish, the impact of management changes and much more. It has managed tagging data for and provided tagging data to many research projects. Currently data are available through over 50 dashboards that have over 1200 maps and graphs that are regularly updated and provide near real time information. Traditionally, tagging programs have focused on collecting data on fish. When COVID-19 hit, the focus was extended to determine if the im-

pact on fisher activity could be measured by looking at those tagging and recapturing fish. This showed that changes in fisher activity could be measured in terms of effort, travel and change of fishing locations. This work was extended to look at the impact of flooding and can be used to measure change due to other things that impact on fishing, such as changes in technology. “The great work of those 17,000 fishers voluntarily contributing their time, fishing equipment and money to tag fish needs to be acknowledged, as without that, what has been achieved would not have been possible,” Mr Sawynok said. For further information, contact Bill Sawynok on 0417 075 277. www.bnbfishing.com. au

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 75

Coming in first for Biggest Barramundi (Individual), John Boon from Team Humminbird Minn Kota with a 128cm monster.

Shaun Carrick, one half of team Barra Mafia, winners of Most Metres of Barramundi (Team Total).

2022 Fitzroy River Barra Bash recap

ELD on October 16-19, 2022, the Fitzroy River Barra Bash was a great success. Day 1 recap On the board were 67 barramundi – six of those coming in at the magic 1m mark – a huge effort by our anglers!

King threadfin were also out in abundance, with 28 on the tally board. The biggest barramundi recorded for Day 1 was 107cm, caught by Arron McDonald from Barra Havoc. The biggest threadfin for Day 1 was captured

by Boden Spice from Spice Brothers and came in at 136cm. With the challenging weather conditions and the abundance of water coming through the system, these numbers were an excellent start to the competition. Day 2 recap

DAM LEVELS CURRENT AS OF 16/11/2022

DAMS

PERCENTAGE

NOV AUG SEPT OCT JUL 100 100 100 100 Atkinson * 100 65 65 65 65 Awoonga 61 101 101 102 101 Bjelke-Petersen * 101 100 100 102 101 Boondooma * 100 100 100 100 100 Borumba * 100 91 100 96 90 Burdekin Falls * 105 62 68 67 65 Callide * 60 37 37 37 37 Cania * 32 101 101 101 100 Coolmunda * 101 99 100 100 100 Dyer/Bill Gunn * 100 86 89 89 88 Eungella * 89 40 21 21 21 Fairbairn * 21 100 101 101 101 Glenlyon * 100 100 100 99 101 Hinze* 100 87 87 86 85 Julius * 89 81 85 84 82 Kinchant * 86 100 100 100 101 Leslie * 100 100 101 101 101 Macdonald* 101 100 100 100 100 Maroon * 100 102 102 101 100 Monduran/Fred Haigh * 101 100 100 100 101 Moogerah * 100 67 68 68 66 North Pine/Samsonvale * 68 52 54 53 52 Peter Faust/Proserpine * 55 80 80 83 80 Somerset * 83 96 98 98 97 Teemburra * 98 78 95 92 83 Tinaroo* 99 100 101 101 101 Toonumbar 101 80 89 91 86 Wivenhoe * 90 88 82 82 82 Wuruma * 69 100 100 100 100 Wyaralong* 100 For updates on dams, visit sunwater.com.au or seqwater.com.au *This symbol indicates that a Stocked Impoundment Permit is required to fish these dams.

Page 76 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

Another huge day on the water and some cracking catches! Bringing the total to 123, another 56 barramundi were caught and taking the total to 59, another 31 threadfin salmon were hooked. Two barra made their way into the magic 1m category in Day 2. The biggest barramundi for Day 2 came in at 101cm, caught by Adam Finlay from Team Big Gimp. The biggest threadfin salmon for Day 2 measured 137cm, caught by Boden Spice from Spice Brothers. Day 3 recap Despite the shorter fishing day, our anglers managed to reel in some outstanding catches. Another 41 barramun-

di were recorded, bringing the total to 164, along with an additional 10 threadfin salmon also recorded, bringing the total to 69. A total of 12 barra across the three days were over 1m and the biggest barra of the comp was caught on Day 3, coming in at 128cm – an absolutely epic catch by John Boon from Team Humminbird Minn Kota. Day 3 was the day for big fish, as the biggest threadfin salmon was also recorded, measuring 147cm – a monster of a fish, landed by Louis Moore from Keen as Mustard. Presentation dinner After a long and wet few days on the water, * continued P77

Mitchell Anderson - half of team Barra Mafia – won the team total with 997cm. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Fitzroy River Barra Bash recap * from P76

our anglers were itching to kick back and relax at the presentation dinner, hosted at the Frenchville Sports Club. Joined by local dignitaries and sponsors, the room was packed with our biggest attendance yet. Event MC Steve Lill invited anglers to share their stories of their days on the water. There were many laughs and the atmosphere was filled with excitement over who had managed to pick up the top awards or raffle prizes. The night was a fitting end to a great competition. Results Biggest Barramundi (Individual) 1st – John Boon (Team Humminbird Minn Kota) at 128cm

2nd – Arron McDonald (Team Barra Havoc) at 107cm Most Metres of Threadfin Salmon (Team Total) 1st – Spice Brothers (Boden and Fabian Spice) at 1711cm 2nd – Jiggerly Jiggers (Brock and Wade Santacaterina) at 1069cm Biggest Threadfin Salmon (Individual) 1st – Louis Moore (Team Keen as Mustard) at 147cm 2nd – Boden Spice (Team Spice Brothers) at 139cm Most Metres of Barramundi (Team Total) 1st – Barra Mafia (Mitchell Anderson and Shaun Carrick) at 997cm 2nd – Bent Poles (Troy Newman and Ben Gilbertson) at 947cm 3rd – Gone Nuts

(Mark Boss and Steve Nutall) at 708cm 4th – Castaic/Edge Rods (Dustin Sippel and Skye Gibson) at 533cm 5th – Idnumarrab Brothers (Steve Lill and Luke Bragg) at 472cm 6th – Bluefin Sports (Paul Thompson and Bryan Pisani) at 454cm 7th – Edge Rods/ Lucky Craft (Colin Brett and Michael Slide) at 446cm 8th – Humminbird Minn Kota (John Boon and Luke Piesker) at 405cm 9th – Team Venom (Nathan and Cale Archer) at 380cm 10th – Team Zerek (Clint Fannin and Nick White) at 376cm For further information contact fitzroyriverbarra bash@fsports.com.au or call (07) 4932 6800.

Mitchell Anderson of team Barra Mafia.

Second place for Biggest Barramundi (Individual), Arron McDonald of team Barra Havoc with a 107cm cracker.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 77

Jack Williams with an 86cm barramundi on a 120 Molix Shad on Lake Monduran.

Best lures for barra

Glen Makin’s 93cm barramundi was caught using a 20g Jackall Transam Vibe on Lake Monduran.

Lake Monduran

Charter Guidelines Fishing

Lake Monduran by SAM ROWLEY

Monduran barra? I’ll break these up into a few categories that I generally use on my charters. All of these lures have their place but there are many factors

that will affect when and how you use them. Suspending jerk baits Suspending jerk baits are hard-bodied lures designed to be * continued P79

e latest update

cebook for th

Find us on Fa

HERE are hundreds of barramundi lures on the market these days, most of which are advertised to be ‘must haves’ on the impoundment scene. What makes a good lure though and what should you be throwing to land that trophy

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Phil Adams scored a 1m barramundi on a 93mm Daiwa Steez Current Master on Lake Monduran. www.bnbfishing.com. au

Best lures for barra * from P78

twitched and paused, imitating a wounded baitfish. Suspending jerk baits have become a real favourite at Lake Monduran because they can be twitched almost on the spot for long periods – often triggering a bite from lazy fish. It is important to get these lures suspending perfectly. This can be achieved through changing hooks, split rings or adding weights. They can work very well all year round on the lake and are particularly effective when the fish are held up on structure. Sizes I generally use are 70-115mm. Don’t be afraid to allow your lure to sit still for 30 seconds or more. This technique has caught many Monduran barra during a tough bite. Soft plastics and swim baits Soft plastics are a very versatile lure but are particularly effective on the lake when the water is warm. Paddle tails are my go-to and it’s a good idea to have a mix of sizes between 4-7”. The smaller sizes will generally be what I throw in the afternoon, during winter and early spring. These smaller plastics will be very lightly weighted and worked slowly to tempt lethargic fish. As the water heats up in October through to late autumn, I start having great results on the bigger plastics. www.bnbfishing.com.au

These can also be lightly weighted but are often quite heavy lures moving faster to trigger a response. When I’m using plastics, I like to visualise how the fish are positioned on the spot I’m fishing. Generally, the best way to trigger a bite from a barra is to move the lure as close to it as possible – you can do this by letting the soft plastic sink, slowing or speeding up your retrieve. Lure colour To me, colour comes down to presentations that look natural in the water you’re fishing. As much as I prefer to avoid clear water, when I do fish it, I will look for dull natural colours that don’t give off much shine. Barramundi have particularly good eyesight and, in my experience, bright lures often spook them in clear water. In dirty water though, bright colours can work very effectively. My advice To me, the best lure is one you are confident using. If you are new to Monduran, use one that you know people have been catching fish on and stick with it until the conditions tell you otherwise. Being confident in what you are using is the most important thing because it allows you to focus on other aspects of technique that are more important for triggering a bite than the type of lure tied on to the end of your line.

David Martin captured a 93cm barramundi on a Jackall Squirrel 79 Hank Tune on Lake Monduran.

The author took a solid 104cm barramundi on a Jackall Squirrel 79 Hank Tune on Lake Monduran.

Lake Monduran Fishing Charters What’s the mission? Catch more fish!

0432 420 034 themondyman.com Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 79

Take care at Christmas

I Plenty of healthy silver perch being caught. This fish was unlucky – Murray McPhillips was showing his partner how the lure works in the water, with only a few feet of line, when this silver snatched it.

HAVE many times written about the local rivers and streams in the upper border river ranges of the Murray Darling Basin. Over the past 12 months, Debbie and I have been talking to canoeists and kayak anglers, hoping to put their craft on the water in our region.

Ruth and Allan Challinor of Coffs Harbour with an 85cm Murray cod caught on bait.

Glenlyon Dam by BRIAN DARE

What is of importance is the knowledge of this area’s river systems and flows – it’s not good at the moment, given the rainfall received every two to three weeks. When any flow of water downstream is over 400ML a day and is moving down to Goondiwindi, it’s dangerous if fishing in small craft. You will need some form of anchor to hold your position while casting the logs and riverbanks and, if thinking of going back upstream to where you started, this means no fishing while doing so – just a hard slog on the paddles. It comes down to your knowledge of the upper water systems, hence the mud map enclosed. Starting from Deepwater River, Bluff River,

A mud map of the local rivers and streams in the upper border river ranges of the Murray Darling Basin. Page 80 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

Pyes Creek, Tenterfield Creek and the Severn River, you are looking at about 50-150km of waterflow to reach Mingoola Bridge on the Bruxner Hwy. As per the notice put out by one of our more informed local farmers, Bob South, you will see that about 12,000ML is going past Mingoola Bridge. From Bob South dated 1 November Here we go again. As usual, these are only my opinion and should not be relied upon. There has been around 50mm of rain across most of the upper catchment. At 11am, the rivers were still rising at all gauges. The Beardy River was flowing at 34,700ML per day and the road is closed. The Deepwater River was flowing at 5550ML per day and rising. The Mole River was at 3690ML per day and rising. The Bluff River was at about the same level as last flood and still rising. Tenterfield Creek was at 1370ML per day and rising. At this stage, there does not seem to be much water coming out of Stanthorpe. I would expect all the bridges to be under water and the roads to close later today. If you are driving on Bruxner Way, take care as all the patches have washed out again and * continued P81

www.bnbfishing.com. au

Update area knowledge and take care at Christmas * from P80

the road is quite dangerous. Stay alert and check on your neighbours. From Bob South dated 2 November The water is still over the Bruxner at the Mole, but trucks have been crossing this morning. Water is still over the Mingoola Station Rd. Hynes Bridge is well under water and, as the water is going down slowly, I don’t expect it to open today, and with Glenlyon Dam spilling at 2800ML per day, it could remain closed for a few days. Thankfully, we appear to be in for a few dry days. Thanks for this information, Bob. To add to his report, the flow out of Glenlyon

Dam is about 2300ML and is downright dangerous at Riverton Bridge downstream. Given the above 14,000ML about and, wait for it, 34,700ML that has been flowing out of the Beardy River – that’s at least 50,000ML heading to the township of Bonshaw, then there’s the water running off the hills before it hits the township of Texas. I don’t intend on putting you off fishing our regional rivers and creek systems, it’s just not safe to fish at the moment. It has been 14 months since I fished a large stretch of water of about 6km. We have been advised that still more rain is to come, so the way it’s

going, we will have had two Glenlyon Dams worth of water flow over the spillway at the storage. By Christmas, that’s 12 months of water moving downstream from Glenlyon – apart from flows moving down streams and small rivers. I can tell you that, come the end of this wet period, the fishing is going to be good both on the storages and on the rivers and streams. The number of small fish caught in shrimp traps is great – hardyheads, glassfish, rainbowfish and… purple spotted gudgeons have returned in good numbers along with other small fish species. We are seeing yellowbelly in sizes from 10cm plus being caught

and, given 14 months, those stocked in Glenlyon during January 2022 will be about 30cm long by March 2023. Silver perch will be the same size as the yellowbelly over that time span, and cod… well, anglers have been letting small cod from 1214cm go, which were caught on blades and small lures, along with bait. Given the flush out over the past 12-14 months on dams and rivers, it’s going to be good fishing all round over the next three years. Unlike bass and barramundi, cod remain in the storage with silver perch and yellowbelly, moving upstream to breed in the upper reaches of the dams, where you will find eggs drifting back

downstream in grass, leaves and twigs, which will return to the storage. As for the rivers, the silvers and yellowbelly will swim up to either man-made barriers or waterfalls, while most male cod will remain at its nesting site. Meanwhile the female cod will travel up to 200km in some cases during breeding season, which is August through to the end of October in our region on the rivers and dams. In closing, both Debbie and I would like to wish you all a happy Christmas and a good new year for 2023. A little saying that I find amusing… “The only time an angler tells the truth is when he calls his friend a liar.”

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glenlyondamtouristpark.com.au Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 81

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Page 82 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022

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A decent 76cm snapper I captured Mustad Demons. Luke Tinson

I hooked a beautiful 61cm flathead on a whole pillie. Serena Sullivan

A cracker bass I took from Wivenhoe Dam recently. Brendan Custance.

Weighing in at 31kg, I scored a chinaman fish off Gladstone at 6am on hussar fillet. Darren Selke

A solid 12.7kg red emperor caught off Gladstone using whole squid. Darren Selke

To have a photo of your catch featured in Readers’ Forum, simply email ads@collins.media with a good quality picture, your name and details or hop onto our Facebook page and send us a message.

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 83

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Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 – Page 85

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Page 88 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, December 2022 www.bnbfishing.com. au 1743 Ipswich Road, Rocklea | Call 07 3875 1600 | Formerly Karee Marine

BNB Fishing Mag | December 2022

Articles inside

Fresh kick-starts fishing frenzy.

It's beginning to look a lot like Fishmas

Safe summer surface fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Neil Schultz

Small lures catching big numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . by Clint Ansell