Fishing Monthly Magazine | December 2024 FINAL ISSUE by Fishing Monthly

• CELEBRATING FOUR DECADES OF FISHING MONTHLY • TESTED

Stabicraft 1550 Frontier with F70 Yamaha 4-stroke

QLD

NSW

VIC

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Features

Catch the Drift: Improving catch efficiencies • Bream on bait – a sure thing! • Starlo: join the 10-percenters • Yakking Currumbin Creek • Top gear for 2025 • Boat test: Stabicraft 1550 Frontier with F70 Yamaha 4-stroke •

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT

Matt Young shows us the art of drift fishing

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Our Cover

Contents From the Editor’s Desk... It feels strange to be writing this - my final Editor’s Desk. The real news happened last month when we decided that this December issue would be the final Fishing Monthly magazine, and now the time has come to sign off on the last issue. To the credit of all of the Fishing Monthly staff, they have worked hard until the end of the final page. Thank you to all the readers and subscribers who contacted us to let us know their disappointment that the magazine was winding up. We are with you, 100%. Rising costs in the changing media landscape finally caught up with us. Thank you also to our fantastic writers, for sharing your valuable knowledge and experiences with anglers

around Australia. We have been proud to showcase your work. Lots of my friends have asked me if there is much emotion tied up with the final issue. To be honest, while it is sad that we’ve reached the end of an era, I’m feeling positive about the future. It will be good to have more time and resources to devote to my other projects, as we are still involved in lots of fishing and boating industry-related activities. For instance, right now we are on the Zerek BARRA Tour and hosting international anglers. After that, it’s filming boating content for a week before heading off to run the Daiwa BREAM Grand Final and giving away a $60,000 boat package. Our involvement in the industry won’t stop - it’s just taking a

different form. If you want to stay in touch with what I am doing, the Fishing Monthly and Steve Morgan YouTube channels are full of fishing and boating content. Search the same on social media and you can keep up weekly with what we are up to. You can also find boat tests, weekly reports and other content on www. fishingmonthly.com.au, and past issues of the magazine will be available for free at issuu.com/fishingmonthly. For now, it’s time to put this last issue to bed, clean the room and switch out the lights. Don’t be sad that it’s over; be glad that it happened. Tight lines.

A Matt Young image.

QLD NSW

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FISHING MONTHLY MAGAZINE Published by:

INSIDE This Issue

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Tathra

New England Rivers

Jumpinpin

Brisbane

Northern Bay

Hunter Valley

Sunshine Coast

Batlow

Bundaberg

Albury/Wodonga

Mackay

Canberra

Townsville

Hinchinbrook

VICTORIA

Cairns

Portland

Port Douglas

Cooktown

Warrnambool

Cape York

Geelong

Freshwater

NEW SOUTH WALES

TASMANIA Hobart

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance

108

Bunbury

108

Metro

110

Mandurah

111

Lancelin

112

Freshwater

114

REGULAR FEATURES

Phillip Island

Port Phillip

Catch the Drift

Port Albert

Bream on bait

Gippsland Lakes

Starlo: 10-percenters

Lakes Entrance

Yakking Currumbin Creek 48

Marlo

Sheik of the Creek

Mallacoota

Review: Top gear for 2025 78

Bemm River

What’s New Fishing

Robinvale

Fun page

Wangaratta

Phases of the moon

Yarrawonga

Aus Fish Stock reports

102

Sydney Rock

Sydney South

Ballina

Coffs Coast

South West Rocks

Hastings

Forster

Port Macquarie

Port Stephens

Shepparton

Test: Stabicraft 1550

116

Swansea

Bendigo

Trades and Services

118

Central Coast

Ballarat

Illawarra

Gippsland Freshwater

100

COMPS AND OFFERS

Batemans Bay

Eildon

100

Find the logo

109

All material is © copyright, and cannot be reproduced in part or in full, by any means, without written permission of the Managing Editor. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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FISHING MONTHLY MAGAZINE PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024

Bermagui

ISSUE: VOLUME 5 NO.9

QUEENSLAND

6 DECEMBER 2024

This giant trevally exploded onto a popper during a drift along the rocky foreshore of an island.

GEN III

The Ultimate 115HP & 140HP Outboard Motor Range now ﬁtted with the Suzuki Micro-Plastic Collecting Device. Suzuki’s third generation 115hp & 140hp outboard motors boast more torque, quicker acceleration, and improved top speed thanks to revising the cylinder head and piston design and increasing the compression ratio to 10.6:1. The new cowling and semi-direct air intake greatly reduce intake noise resulting in quieter operation. Suzuki’s Micro-Plastic Collecting Device (MPC) is part of Suzuki’s Clean Ocean Project initiative, which collects micro-plastic without any eﬀect on performance when boating. The third generation 115hp & 140hp are available in both Suzuki Precision Control (Drive-by-wire) and mechanical-drive variants and backed by Suzuki’s 3+3-year recreational warranty.

FEATURE

Technique

FMM

Catch the Drift: Improving catch efficiencies FMM

Matt Young

Life as an avid angler isn’t always easy. Long working weeks, neverending domestic duties, running kids around and social commitments flood the calendar and limit fishing opportunities. Of course, when that day to fish finally arrives, the long-envisaged reward of idyllic, glassy conditions rarely materialises. Instead, in a cruel and ironic twist, we’re confronted with cyclonic winds, torrential downpours, unfriendly tides, or difficult conditions. Despite the adverse weather, the opportunities to fish are too few to be fussy. We soldier on and scramble for any technique to deliver our offerings to fish. One approach to combat relentless wind and current is to anchor. Anchoring holds position and may be productive when fish actively

move through an area. The downside of anchoring is that the fish must come to you, but we all know that doesn’t always happen. In mild to moderate weather conditions, a bow-mount electric motor provides some boat control and manoeuvrability. However, in severe wind-afflicted situations, the constant demand for electric motor directional corrections leads to a frustrating and interrupted fishing experience. The high motor speed settings required to combat the wind and current also rapidly drain batteries. Yet not all is doom and gloom. There are a few ways to flip the narrative and turn challenging weather from foe to friend. One highly effective and user-friendly technique for wind and current-impacted waters is the simple art of drift fishing. EXPLORATORY FISHING Drift fishing is an exploratory

Barra often hold on midwater thermoclines in freshwater impoundments. Drifting and slow rolling paddle tail soft plastics through the water column provides a good chance of waking one into action. 8 DECEMBER 2024

also a powerful tool for researching waterways and planning drifts over suitable fishing grounds. Detailed satellite images provide insight into the position of sandbars, weed beds, reefs and other substrate features. Once on the water, it’s sensible to monitor tracks with a GPS-enabled sounder and mark promising or productive areas. If you

This cracker 44cm yellowfin bream was pinned while drifting across the flats in about 1m of water. After an incredible battle, we jumped onto the sandbar for a quick photo. fishing technique that utilises prevailing weather conditions (wind, current, tide) to move a watercraft, typically in a linear direction. It is usually undertaken with the outboard motor turned off, but some anglers like to have an electric motor on standby for slight adjustments to the drift. In mild winds/currents, an electric motor may also help to sustain a drift. One key benefit of drift fishing is that it covers vast expanses of water. Covering ground increases the likelihood of locating suitable habitats and actively feeding fish. It’s a great way to scour previously productive grounds or to explore and discover new fishing territory. Google Earth is

A drift over shallow weed beds presented an opportunity to sight cast this golden perch. Watching the fish follow and pick up the soft plastic off the substrate was a thrilling visual experience. experience an action-packed drift, it’s worth resetting and repeating a similar line to maximise return. Drift fishing generally works best in open-water locations. These open areas facilitate long and sustained runs that cover ground and increase the likelihood of encountering fish. It is very effective in estuarine coastal lakes,

Technique FEATURE

FMM

Drift fishing in open water can produce a mixed bag of fish species. A rampaging school of Australian salmon quickly hijacked this bream fishing session while drifting in open water. inshore coastal waters, and freshwater lakes or dams. In contrast to visual structure fishing at the surface, drift fishing focuses more on monitoring depth and substrate. Areas with weed patches, rocky or coral reefs, cockle beds, or soft sediments tend to be particularly productive. Monitor features, habitats, depth and patterns during a productive drift because similar areas in the waterway are also likely to produce fish. ACTIVE DRIFT TACTICS The first step in drift fishing is to monitor the wind prediction and tides. Once you’ve gauged the prevailing conditions, manoeuvre your

boat up-wind or up-current of your intended drift line. At the start of the run, place the outboard into idle for a minute or two to confirm the direction of the drift and adjust if needed. Once drifting, you’ll have limited control of the boat. Keep the outboard motor in the water to act as a keel, minimise rotation and steady the ship. The wind will usually catch the boat on the side or at an angle, but as long as the direction is consistent, embrace it. You can also make periodic adjustments to keep the bow pointed forward if you have an electric motor mounted. I like to cover as many bases as possible on a drift to maximise the odds of catching fish. To achieve this,

I use both active and passive fishing techniques. On the lead side of the drift, I’ll actively cast lures forward with the wind, let them sink to the bottom and then work them back to meet the drifting boat. Long casts are critical in this situation, as the approaching drift will decrease time in the strike zone. Low-diameter braided

Bream are among the most common fish captures during active and passive fishing techniques. They equally love to pick up lures and snatch baits.

A sea anchor is invaluable in windy conditions. The underwater parachute helps maintain a slow and steady drift and improves fishing efficiency.

lines with ultrasmooth finishes, wellspooled reels, generous mass lures, and wind behind you will help maximise casting distance. It’s also critical to continually mend your line during a drift and maintain contact with the lure. A huge belly in the line or loss of contact will result in missed strikes. Watch the braided line closely as any sudden shoot forward may indicate a bream take.

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FEATURE

Technique

A prompt reaction time increases the chances of a solid hookset. Although an advantage of drift fishing is covering large expanses of water, an overly fast drift in wild and windy conditions makes it impossible to keep the lure or bait in the strike zone. A great way to slow the drift is to deploy a sea anchor. Sea anchors work like miniature underwater parachutes to create drag and slow the drift. These handy PVC contraptions generally deploy at a 45o angle behind the boat. The sea anchor tow-point connects to

FMM the boat. It’s also handy to mount passive rods in holders and set drag back a notch to prevent snapped lines following a sudden strike or impact. That way you can monitor passive rods while actively fishing from the bow. Active and passive drift fishing techniques are productive ways to target and catch fish. Some days the lures up front will produce more fish, while on others the trailing outfit continually loads up. Utilising both techniques over long drifts substantially increases the odds of encountering and catching fish.

Although drift fishing is common in open water, more adventurous drifts may pass through moored boats, over reefs or along rocky foreshores. An electric motor is handy in these situations for quick drift corrections.

The dusky flathead is a sucker for soft plastics. The paddle tail varieties are particularly effective due to their exaggerated action when bouncing along the sediment. the side of the watercraft via a primary tensioned rope. A secondary rope ties to the trailing tip of the sea anchor and is stowed on the boat with ample slack. This secondary rope helps to collapse the sea anchor upon retrieval. Sea anchors are available in different sizes to suit a variety of boats and conditions. They are relatively cheap, easy to store, and are incredibly effective at slowing and steadying boats during drifts. PASSIVE DRIFT TACTICS Another way to dramatically improve the odds of catching fish while drifting is to incorporate a passive fishing technique at the trailing end of the boat. One great passive option, especially if kids or family are on board, is to bounce baits along the bottom behind the boat. A simple running sinker rig baited with prawns, worms, or pilchards will usually attract bites. The baits help to cover all bases and can save the day if lures aren’t producing. The alternative passive option is to drag weighted soft plastics behind the boat. The best lures are large 4-6” paddle tail plastics rigged on 1oz jigheads or heavy pre-rigged varieties. As the vessel drifts these plastics kick and bounce along the bottom, disturbing the sediment. The resulting silt trail entices fish to investigate and then pounce on the baitfish imitation. The technique is particularly effective on large flathead but will also wake up the odd mulloway. Ensure that trailing lures or baits have ample line deployed to bounce along the bottom behind 10 DECEMBER 2024

TACKLE AND TARGETS Drift fishing works well on species that hold over open water substrates, in midwater thermoclines, among sporadic weed patches, or on species that roam in schools. The technique also works on structure-oriented fish, but areas riddled with snags and complex underwater obstacles present a hazardous, frustrating and potentially expensive experience. Common target species in estuaries include bream, flathead, whiting, Australian salmon, and mulloway. Drift fishing also works well on trout, golden perch, Australian bass and barramundi in freshwater dams. The technique is also productive on many coastal and pelagic fish species

ranging from golden trevally and snapper to tuna and mackerel. The primary habitat where I use drift fishing tactics is in coastal estuarine lakes. The many coastal lakes, particularly along the East Coast of Australia, are characterised by wideopen waters with relatively uniform depths. They are rich in soft sediment substrates, sand bars, weed beds and rubble bottoms—ideal drift fishing

habitats. Ambush predators such as flathead and flounder nestle in and hold in soft substrates. Covering territory with baits or lures increases the chances of catching them. Drift fishing is also highly productive on flats-feeding bream in spring and summer over sand and seagrass beds in 1-3m of water. It’s also effective on bream schools roaming the estuary depths in winter. Target patchy rubble, sand or seagrass

Big yellowfin bream fight incredibly well. Remember to fish slowly and wait for the bites. This fish picked up a soft plastic grub sitting stationary on the substrate.

Elusive mulloway typically lurk in deeper waters of estuaries. This fish grabbed a small soft plastic grub intended for bream and provided an incredible fight on ultralight tackle.

substrate in 5-6m of water and prowling bream will strike. The active lure-spinning outfit I use is typically rigged to target bream. It comprises a 1-4kg, 7ft spin rod matched to a 2000-size reel. Spool the reel with a 4-6lb braid, attach a rod length of 4-6lb fluorocarbon leader with an improved Albright knot, and tie on a 1/8oz, size 2 hook jig head with a 2-3” grub-style plastic. This outfit is the perfect set-up for bream, whiting, trevally and tailor, but the smaller lures will still attract larger species such as flathead, Australian salmon, and even mulloway. My passive bottom-bouncing outfit combines a 3-6kg, 7ft spin rod, a 3000-size reel spooled with 10lb braid and 10-15lb fluorocarbon leader. My primary lure for this technique is a

Technique FEATURE

FMM 4–6” paddle tail soft plastic rigged on a 3/4-1oz jighead. This outfit primarily targets large flathead and mulloway but will also attract species such as Australian salmon. Drift fishing also works well in dams. Yellowbelly and Australian bass occasionally loiter on weed patches in open water. Blind casts with soft plastics or beetle spin lures on TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE DRIFT • Fish smarter, not harder - use wind and current to your advantage • Monitor depth, substrate and fish activity patterns • Use both active and passive fishing techniques to cover all bases • Track and re-run productive drifts • Use a sea anchor in excessive wind beefed-up bream tackle will produce fish. In freshwater barra dams, large barramundi often hover nose down in open water thermoclines. Slow-rolling paddle tail soft plastics through this habitat will produce strikes. In barra dams, I use a 5-8kg baitcast or spin outfit with 6-7ft rods, 20-30lb braid, and 40-50lb mono leader tied with an FG knot. Large 5-7” pre-rigged or paddle tail plastics rigged on size 3/0-4/0, 1oz jigheads are great options. In coastal waters, drift fishing is effective on many species, so tackle will largely depend on the location.

USER FRIENDLY EXPERIENCES Drift fishing is a user-friendly technique. In open waters, it allows anglers to cast fearlessly in any direction without the risk of hooking snags or structures. This freedom reduces the need for casting accuracy and shifts emphasis to distance casting. These open-water environments (except over reefs and wrecks) are also typically void of underwater obstacles, so hooking and fighting fish is a relatively panicfree experience. The ability to cast in any direction, bounce baits along the bottom, and fight fish without fear of structure makes drift fishing the perfect technique for young or beginner anglers.

A stunning Australian salmon is released to fight another day.

Drift fishing isn’t restricted to southern estuary fishing. It’s also extremely effective on tropical coastal and pelagic species such as trevally, mackerel and tuna.

It helps to develop their casting and fishfighting skills in a relatively tackle-safe environment and increases the chance of hooking and landing fish. Drift fishing is a popular and trusted technique that seasoned anglers regularly implement to maximise their fishing return, especially in adverse conditions. As a cast-friendly and relatively snag-free method, drift fishing reduces tackle loss and increases the odds of successfully landing fish. Next time you hit the water, take a break from fighting weather or anchoring in the same old holes and start running drifts. You’ll discover remarkably fishy habitats and hopefully hook plenty of piscatorial delights! If you catch my drift!

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FEATURE

Species

FMM

Catching bream on bait – you can’t go wrong! CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

Try typing two simple words – ‘bream fishing’ – into any internet search. A pile of results will come up with endless words, images and videos relating to lure casting for bream. There might be a bit about fly or bait fishing, but over 70% of bream fishing content revolves around lures. Since the year 2000, the popularity of targeting bream with lures has soared. However, fishing for bream in the old days was a very different story. As a young kid in the 70s, my earliest fishing experiences revolved around

bream fishing in Tuggerah Lakes and Lake Macquarie with bait. There wasn’t really a thing called bream fishing with lures or fly; it was all about bait, and there were plenty of articles about it in fishing magazines and books. Some bait fishing tackle and techniques have been adjusted and refined over the years, but many old ideas are still highly effective today. It’s a straightforward way of fishing, often getting more consistent results than lure or fly fishing. So, let’s take a closer look at how to target bream on bait. ESTUARY ANGLING OPTIONS I first started fishing for bream in calm lakes and creeks. In some of those

This big bream fell to a small bait of white bread at a coastal rock ledge. Main photo: Ideal conditions for bream. They love a bit of white water close in around the rocks. 12 DECEMBER 2024

One of the good things about chasing bream with bait is the variety of by-catch you’ll run into. places, there was little or no current flow, and they weren’t deep either, averaging around 2-3m. Because these spots were so shallow and calm, the bream were often wary and challenging to catch. To fool these fish, the most important factors were lighter line, better baits and fishing at the optimal times. Line Regardless of whether you use mono or fluoro, it’s proven that lighter, finer, less visible lines will score more bites. However, bream are tough fighters that live in places with rocks, sharp oysters and various other obstacles. You need to strike a balance between line that’s light enough to get the bites while still being strong enough to land a decent bream. As a starting point, a good quality 6lb nylon mono line is a good choice for estuary or lake bream. This can be used

as a mainline and leader, which makes things pretty simple when rigging up. Alternatively, you can use a braid mainline, with a 6lb mono or fluorocarbon leader. If the water is particularly clear and you know the fish are there, but they’re proving difficult to hook, the next step is to go down to a 4lb leader, preferably fluorocarbon (increasing the leader length can also be beneficial). It’s all about making the rig more difficult for the bream to detect. On the other hand, there’s no point in hooking more fish with 4lb leader if they’re going to bust you off and swim away with a hook stuck in their mouth or throat. This is when you’ve got to consider alternative options. It may be better to stick with 6lb line or even move to another spot, where the

Species FEATURE

FMM fish could be less cautious. It may take trial and error to find out what works best on the day. In some places, such as the mouth of a big tidal river or deep estuary such as the Hawkesbury, it could be better to start with 9lb or 10lb due to the higher chance of hooking a bigger bream, flathead or mulloway. Bait Better baits also help, and ‘better’ generally means fresher. Bream will

In other waterways, pink nippers, blood worms, soldier crabs, yellowtail or herring can be top-notch local baits for bream. Timing Many people get too focused on where to catch bream, rather than when. It’s easy to get fixated on certain ‘hot spots’, but in reality, these fish can be very widespread and not overly hard to locate. My advice is to think more

2500-3000 size spinning reels are ideal for chasing bream from the rocks and beaches.

A basic bream tackle box. The hooks are Mustad Octopus in sizes 2, 1/0 and 5/0 to cover a range of baits and situations, from shallow lakes through to the rocks and deeper tidal rivers. eat just about anything at times, but bigger bream are more likely to zoom in on a fresh meal rather than secondrate scraps. Good bait and tackle shops often sell live worms, pink nippers or fresh, locally-sourced mullet, yakkas or calamari. If you have the time, though, it can be fun and rewarding to round up your own bait. I grew up fishing around coastal lakes, so prawns, tailor, garfish and mullet were easy to get and worked well on the bream. Tuggerah Lakes is a known prawn area, and prawns are a primary food source for the bream there, so it makes sense to use the local prawns. They are far more abundant during the warmer months, from October to April. Fresh tailor is one of my favourite bream baits, and some of my biggest bream have fallen to freshly caught tailor. Another good thing about tailor is they’re often available from April to September, when prawns aren’t around.

of environments. I’ve been monitoring barometric pressure for about 50 years, checking my father’s old barometer almost every day. Barometric pressure can easily be seen on weather apps or websites like Weatherzone or BOM. In basic terms, bream bite better with rising or high barometric pressure, and become harder to catch when the pressure falls. The faster it falls, the more difficult

The author with a solid estuary bream. Catching a fish like this is very rewarding when using traditional bait fishing techniques. about when to fish. Each waterway is unique, and its bream can behave differently. My local lakes, for example, are very different from a big, tidal river. However, there are some common factors that can switch bream on or off in a wide range

Fresh cubes or strips of tailor are dynamite on bream. Tailor is also an excellent bait when salted, especially when rock or beach fishing. It’s not so good when frozen though, as the flesh goes mushy.

bream become. The sunrise and sunset periods are peak feeding times for many species, including bream. They are also far more willing to take a bait at night than in bright sunshine. If you want more consistent catches, get out of bed early and be on the water before sunrise, or fish around sunset or into the night. Another important factor is moonlight. The brighter the moonlight, the warier the bream are. If it’s very bright, around the full moon period, and the weather is very calm with clear skies, I wouldn’t even bother going fishing. If, however, there is just a bit of moonlight, with some clouds and perhaps a breeze or even rain, the bream will be easier to catch. So, just remember: bright moonlight plus clear skies are bad for bream. Some clouds, rain or wind, with some moonlight, are quite alright and worth fishing.

ROCK AND BEACH I love fishing for bream with bait along the coastal rocks and beaches. In my part of the country, the NSW Central Coast, bream can be caught from the rocks and beaches at any time of the year. I’ve run into good numbers and sizes at all times of the year. However, the better months are from February/ March to about the end of June. During their main spawning season here, it’s common to run into big numbers of smaller or just legalsize bream, with the odd better fish. That’s typically the case in May and June. August and September tend to be the worst months, but each year is different. And, of course, the timing may be different along your part of the coast. I know that in Southern Queensland, August fishing can be like June fishing here on the NSW Central Coast, and your local waters may be different again. The aforementioned estuary baits all work very well from the rocks or beaches. I rate fresh tailor very highly, especially at the beach, along with good quality pilchards and fresh white bread. Some of my biggest bream caught from the rocks fell to quite small baits of white bread. You’ll run into bream at any time of the day or night, but mostly they’ll be more active during a rising tide around sunrise or sunset. I’ve often experienced them biting well right up to the high tide time, and then the action suddenly drops off after high tide. From the rocks and the beaches, bream favour areas with a bit of whitewash over their heads. They’re usually easier to catch when there is a bit of wave action, and the weather is dull or overcast. Some wind or rain is also a good thing. Obviously though, it’s important to take care when rock fishing and avoid periods of larger swell or bad weather. Although there may be some glamour and excitement surrounding the bream tournament scene – and I’m the first to admit that chasing bream on lures or fly is a lot of fun – it’s also very rewarding and productive to use tried and proven bait fishing techniques for them. DECEMBER 2024 13

FMM

BACK TO BASICS

Join the ten percenters! Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Starlo bids a fond farewell to one muchloved era in fishing communication and heralds the arrival of another! The ‘Pareto Principle’ — also known as the 80-20 Rule — is a concept frequently quoted by economists and statisticians. This “rule” asserts that, on

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very close to that mark, especially over time. The ratio may be more like 70-30, or it could skew the other way and be closer to 90-10. But the bottom line is that

Being well versed in a range of different fishing styles and forms of tackle is certainly useful, but not essential, for admission to the 10-percenters. average, 80 percent of all outcomes result from 20 percent of inputs. In other words, in a business, 80 percent of sales are likely to be generated by just 20 percent of customers. In an orchard, 20 percent of the fruit trees will tend to produce around 80 percent of the annual crop. On a sporting team, 20 percent of the players will account for roughly 80 percent of the points scored across a season and so on. Obviously, results in many reallife instances don’t precisely fit this mathematical 80-20 model, but it’s amazing how often they end up being

a relatively small proportion of inputs or participants involved in any endeavour almost always tend to produce an outsized result at the other end. So, what’s this got to do with fishing? Well, quite a bit, as it turns out! I’m sure you’ve heard the claim that 10 percent of the recreational angling fraternity catch 90 percent of the fish? This is very much an example of the Pareto Principle in action, and I believe it’s also an accurate assessment of the true situation out on the water. Catches are not evenly spread amongst participants.

The 10-percenters know what gear to choose, how best to use it, and where and when it will work. It ain’t rocket science, but it does require a small investment of extra effort. 14 DECEMBER 2024

Starlo has been sharing his fishing knowledge and helping other anglers climb the learning curve for half a century and he doesn’t plan to stop any time soon! A relatively small number of individual anglers consistently land more and bigger fish than their counterparts. Non-fishers and casual danglers tend to talk a lot about “luck” when it comes to explaining this sort of disproportionate fishing success, and there’s absolutely no doubt that “chance” (another term for luck) can play a significant role in one-off captures, and even in streaks or runs of good fortune. But, as with any form of gambling, these statistical variations inevitably flatten out over time. That’s why, in casino parlance, the house always wins. In the end, luck runs out. The genuine “ten percenters” of fishing aren’t lucky. They’re simply good at what they do, and they also tend to put in 20 percent more effort than the rest

of the field (there’s that Pareto Principle at work again!). As South African-born golfing legend, Gary Player, was fond of saying: “The harder I work, the luckier I get!” (American founding father, Thomas Jefferson, wrote something very similar a couple of centuries earlier, so it’s not a new concept.) You probably know some of these fishing “ten percenters”. You may even be one yourself. If you’re not, I’m sure you aspire to join their ranks — otherwise I doubt you’d be reading this! The good news is that anyone can become a fishing ten percenter. It’s not a genetic trait inherited at birth, nor some sort of magical power gifted to a few fortunate recipients by a fairy’s secret touch. Instead, it’s mostly

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FMM

BACK TO BASICS the product of trying a bit harder! Tying better, stronger knots; checking hook points and changing or re-sharpening them as necessary; catching your own bait instead of buying it from the servo; re-spooling or top-shotting reels more frequently; test-swimming lures and tweaking their actions and buoyancy to suit specific situations; examining the stomach contents of kept fish these are all examples of the sorts of increased inputs that produce disproportionately large

people I’ve dedicated my life as a fishing communicator to helping. Teaching people like you to fish smarter, catch more and have fun doing it is what motivates me, gets me out of bed in the morning, and keeps me excited and engaged about the passionate pastime that has shaped my life. In the early days, I achieved this aim of helping others to become ten percenters through magazine articles, how-to books, and on-stage presentations at shows and expos. Later came TV programs, videos

The 10-percenters catch enough fish to be able to put a few back for next time!

Consistent success on mulloway requires the input of a little extra work, but it’s definitely worth it! outcomes. Remember: 20 percent in, 80 percent out! Lots of casual fishos — I often call them “danglers” — are perfectly happy to prop their rod up on a forked stick, lie back in a comfy chair and crack a can of their favourite beverage while waiting for a foolhardy fish to find the slowly-thawing prawn skewered awkwardly onto their rusty, blunt hook and anchored to the bottom with a massive sinker. More power to them! They’re outdoors, and they’re having fun. But they won’t become ten percenters. On the other hand, if you’ve stayed with me this far, you’re either already a ten percenter, or you’re keen to become one. If so, you’re also one of those

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and DVDs. But nothing stands still. The world of communication is constantly evolving. Today, magazines have all-but vanished (sadly, you’re reading the last issue of this one), and few people bother reading books any more. YouTube has largely replaced videos and DVDs, while streaming services are fast taking over from free-to-air TV. For many, social media is the new fishing club. The internet is everywhere and all-pervasive. It’s a brave new world, and those who fail to evolve get left behind and are quickly forgotten. I made the decision a long time ago not to be a dinosaur stuck in the tar pit, or an angry old man yelling at the clouds. I may be well into my 60s now, but I don’t

waste my time bemoaning the loss of the “good ol’ days” (even if there are things I miss!). Instead, I embrace the new and appreciate the flexibility and reach offered by modern technologies. Truth is, it has never been easier to speak directly to the people who most need your help than it is in today’s hyper-connected world. We are each but a mouse-click or a screen tap apart. With this in mind, I clearly see the next phase of my life-long role as a fishing communicator, educator and entertainer lying squarely in the digital world. I’ve already embraced YouTube, and viewers seem to be loving my content (the channel is called “Starlo Gets Reel”, if you haven’t yet discovered it). Now, I’m moving into the field of on-line courses and webinars, and these also look like being popular. Some are free, while others carry a modest fee. If you’d like to find out more about READER’S

these resources and receive early bird notifications when new ones drop, scan the QR code hereabouts, or go to: learnwith.fishotopia.com.au/register We live in an era of churning disruption and ceaseless change. This can be daunting at times, especially for older people like me. But it’s also incredibly exciting. These days, if you want to learn something new, or sharpen a skill you already have, it’s ridiculously easy to find help. Sure, some bits of advice will be more valuable than others, but as Fox Mulder famously claimed on the “X-Files” TV show: “the truth is out there” I’d love to help you find it. Finally, thanks for following my Back To Basics column across the past decade-and-a-bit. I’ll miss it, along with this wonderful publication and the terrific people who produced it. I wish them, and you, Tight Lines! PICTURE

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Oliver Wright, 10yo, caught this 68cm flathead on very light gear while it was trying to eat a whiting.

DECEMBER 2024 17

QLD Southern

FMM

Beware – the taxman is taking his share JUMPINPIN

Bo Sawyer

Welcome back for the last time everyone. As always, I hope you’ve been catching some great fish and enjoying your time out on the water.

with the northerlies dirtying up the system, especially when coinciding with bigger tides. The lead ups to the new and full moon have seen the best fishing before the tides start running too hard, and getting out early before the wind picks up has produced the best results.

A nice mulloway caught on a 5” plastic.

Nathan hooked a big mulloway on a recent charter while targeting flathead – not a bad by-catch!

around the high tide. Big plastics or live bait have been the pick and we’ve been getting monstered by some massive models lately. While we’ve been catching some big flathead out in the deeper water, numbers have definitely started

Tailor have been running rampant at the time of writing. They have been everywhere in the Pin bar and are very easy to catch as they’ll take almost any lure you throw at them. We’ve been catching them on plastics of all sizes, vibes and hardbodies while chasing other species. The last of the incoming and start of the runout have been producing big numbers. Just a quick warning, tailor bites bloody hurt, as I’ve recently found out! With the bait and tailor running around, the mulloway have been chewing with some solid fish biting

around any areas holding bait. Cut baits, yabbies, worms and white bait will fish well in these areas. With the wind constantly changing direction it’ll make it harder for baitfish to collect up in frequent spots. Millionaires and the start of the Pin bar would be my first choice as that’s where I’ve seen the most bait coming through. Before I sign off, I’d like to give Brett from the Jacobs Well Bait and Tackle shop a big thank you for helping me out with photos over my time with

Ryan with a nice Jumpinpin flatty.

There are some cracker grunter bream being caught on soft vibes. Before I get into it, I’d like to say a massive thank you for reading my reports over the last couple of years. You can continue to see what’s biting in the area by giving the Capn’s Charters Facebook page a follow. At the time of writing we’ve seen a couple of big swings in water temps but overall the pattern is certainly heading towards the warmer side. Sharks are getting a lot more active and you are better off changing spots if your fish are getting taxed. Water quality is dependent on the winds at the time 18 DECEMBER 2024

A decent 78cm flatty for this young man.

dropping off. Your best bet now is to find clean water on the flats that are holding bait and fishing them with plastics that match the bait size. The water temp increases really knock the flathead around so don’t be surprised if you find the flatty action patchy over the next couple of months. Finding cooler water will definitely help with the bite. I’m hearing of more and more whiting coming on the chew with worms and yabbies the obvious standout. Big whiting have been getting caught along Gold Bank and outside of the lagoons. Fishing lightly weighted baits around any yabby flats will be an excellent option as well. Bream will be chewing hard

Flathead have been getting caught in the deeper water recently. Fishing Monthly. It’s a little sad seeing the digital world take over isn’t it? From a young goofy kid rereading and dreaming of catching the fish in this magazine (every single afternoon after school) to getting the chance to write for it, it’s been a great ride. Take care of yourselves everyone, I look forward to seeing you all out on our beautiful waterway.

QLD Southern

FMM

Playtime for summer pelagics BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

With so many of you on annual holidays along with the juniors on school vacation, plenty will venture out onto the water. The hot conditions of December often create very aggressive feeding activity from a broad array of species, especially the pelagics. Large conglomerations of baitfish congregate throughout Moreton Bay attracting mackerels, tuna, bonitio, cobia and others into these waters. Heightened baitfish and crustacean numbers throughout the creeks, rivers, estuaries, harbours and canals promotes predatory activity. Warm weather accelerates the metabolism of most species increasing opportunity for December anglers. Let’s explore some of your options for the festive season. MACKEREL One of the more heavily targeted Moreton Bay species, due to their aggressiveness, year round prevalence and eating quality- mackerel numbers will be healthy throughout December. Both school and spotted mackerel can be expected although it is usually the schoolies, which are most commonly located. Wherever you are fishing on the bay from the islands margins and artificial reefs to the sand flat expanses, having a gang-hook rigged pilchard drifting aft is recommended. Anglers also deploy such offerings around the shipping channel beacons from the measured mile to the northern extremities of the bay. Anchoring around these beacons and deploying pilchards or small live baits such as yakkas, herring, pike and slimy mackerel is a great way to score. As the mackerel patrol in schools, several

rods will often bend and reels scream in protest, generally creating a degree of chaos and pandemonium amongst all on board. Trolling deep diving minnow lures to around 120mm in length is another great way to score. Generally, the more natural colours work best, especially when trolled 30-40m behind the boat using thin braided line between PE 0.8-1.5. In some areas this may even hook you a snapper, cod or mulloway. More commonly, anglers troll spoons behind a paravane or trolling board. This is commonly done in the main channels (Rous, Rainbow, Pearl, Small Ships etc.) and around the bay islands. It is not uncommon to score a full bag limit of ten school mackerel over 50cm with this technique within a short period. Commonly the edges of the channels fish best during the first couple of hours of the rising tide and the first couple of the falling tide, yet this can vary depending on location and tidal variance. During December, spotted mackerel are often found in smaller numbers with the best action to come during the first few months of the new year. However, the telltale slashing spray of water is often sighted from a considerable distance on a calm day. Getting to the immediate area, then high-speed spinning with 20gm to 40gm chromed slugs and slices will often reward. Schools of spotted mackerel can be sighted cruising just below the surface, the telltale V-shaped wake signalling their presence and travel direction. Getting within range and casting chromed slugs and slices or small stickbaits ahead of the melee will generally see one or two peel away from the main school to engulf your offering. Large schools of spotted mackerel have not been common in the bay in recent seasons but hopefully we will again see these speedsters slashing their way to

Warm conditions can provide some rather aggressive action from all Moreton Bay pelagics. Longtail tuna and most others are suckers for a fast retrieved chrome slug or slice that imitates a fleeing baitfish. 20 DECEMBER 2024

gluttony. Spotted mackerel have a bag limit of five fish over 60cm. TUNA AND BONITO Often surface feeding schools can contain numerous species of tunas, bonito and mackerel. Longtail tuna are the more highly regarded capture, especially by those who love their sashimi and tough angling targets. Longtails can be found to well over 25kg in Moreton Bay at times yet most encountered are in the 8-13kg range. Even these give a great account of themselves on the average PE2 to PE3 tackle that anglers use for Moreton Bay pelagics. The stubborn deep circling pattern during a fight regularly makes them hard to coerce to the surface. Prolonged fights often end in frustration due to sharks engulfing your prize. Usually once you lose one fish to sharks you are best to move on as every hooked fish will be eaten resulting in lost lures and fish. Longtails can be very profile orientated, eating only exact replicas of the baitfish on which they are currently feeding. Usually, the more casually they are feeding the harder it is to get a hookup. However, when they are in a ravenous state their aggressive feeding makes them a lot easier to tempt. In addition to chromed slugs and slices, anglers commonly use small stickbaits (I love the Oceans Legacy Keeling 105h), pencil poppers, baitfish profiled flies, jighead rigged jerkshad plastics and several other offerings. Mack tuna are less prized by anglers and regularly get left alone by the sharks also, although not always the case. Some anglers do eat mac tuna but they are definitely well down the list for eating quality compared to longtails. Most target them purely for sport although the salted fillets make great bait for a host of species and the rest of the frame and head are ideal for crab bait. Bullet tuna are in the same category although many confuse these for juvenile mack tuna anyway. Both Australian and Watson’s bonito can be caught in the bay and they fight exceptionally well for their size, despite generally being less than 35cm in length. These can later be used whole as troll baits for Spanish mackerel and wahoo or the fillets can be salted as baits for tailor, snapper, bream and many other species. The flesh of the Watson’s bonito is a little lighter coloured than the Australian and they are actually decent to eat when grilled fresh on the barbeque or smoked. Generally, all these tuna and bonito species are caught by spinning with 20gm to 40gm chromed slugs and slices or jigheadrigged jerkshad plastics. COBIA Another prized Moreton Bay target is the cobia. These vary greatly in number and size within the bay every season however their average

Brisbane River threadfin don’t get much better than this stud that James caught recently on live bait. size, tenacious fighting ability and palatable qualities make them a great target. Specimens exceeding 50kg have been caught in our waters however the average fish is in the 15kg to 25kg range. Personally, I think the larger specimens eat better than the smaller ones, possibly due to the fact that a large proportion of their diet is crustaceans. Cobia can be caught in a wide array of locations at times but are most commonly targeted in the northern bay around the shipping channel beacons, Curtin Artificial, Comboyuro Ledge and coffee rock areas in the Kianga Channel such as Western Rocks. Whole sand crabs (legal sized of course), various other crab species, live squid and other large live baits such as yakkas, slimey mackerel, fusiliers, cowanyoung and even grinners can produce well. Line classes between 15kg and 37kg are commonly used although even the strongest of these is often not enough to curb the run of a large fish over a short distance to a snag or obstacle. I generally fish all my baits on snelled circle hook rigs with 120lb monofilament leader. Baits are best deployed into the lower quarter of the water column in most areas, however, having an additional bait closer to the surface can hedge your bets of securing a longtail also. If gaffing a larger longtail, ensure you have a quality gaff as they tend to roll and will quickly destroy the average gaff. MULLOWAY In some of the areas where you catch cobia, you may also encounter a mulloway, however they are more commonly taken as by-catch by

Southern QLD

FMM snapper fishers. This season has been exceptional for mulloway with plenty of quality specimens around. In the areas I chase them in the bay I am yet to get one under the metre this season with most being around the 105cm to 110cm mark. These have been caught on both baits and lures with the choice of offering depending on location and current. Generally I fish live baits when the current is slower and lures when there is a fair degree of run. Live baits are generally yakkas, slimey mackerel or pike which are pinned on snelled suicide hook rig (commonly 6/0 or 7/0) and then fished close to the bottom, generally on the drift. I target wrecks, foul grounds, artificial reefs and areas along the shipping channel which hold bait on any given day. In the Brisbane River, baits are usually deployed along the edges of the decline into the main river basin, Clara’s Rocks, out from the International Cruise Ship Terminal, adjacent major wharves and jetties (adhere to distance restrictions) under the Gateway Bridge and around the dredge holes at the mouth. Lures for mulloway can be varied and many work when fished well. Out in the bay I opt for larger (often 7”) jerkshad, paddle tail and crustacean style plastics or heavier soft vibes (such as Samaki Thumpertail, Samaki Vibelicious or Squidtrex) of 120mm or more. Weights will vary depending on water depth and current. Cast these upcurrent, allow to sink close to the bottom and then retrieve back with a series of hops, pauses and slow rolls. Similar retrieves will work well within the rivers, however I often use slightly smaller offerings of 5” plastics with 3/8oz or 1/2oz jigheads and 100mm soft vibes. Schools of mulloway can often firstly be located using your marine electronics however many of the larger specimens are loners. Within the bay I simply target areas with bait as any mulloway in the area will be attracted to this zone before too long. Common bycatch can include cod, snapper, XOS catfish, sharks and occasionally a cobia.

THREADFIN SALMON Brisbane and Logan River anglers just froth for the summer months as this is when the threadfin salmon are most prevalent and active. As the prawn schools move further down the river towards the mouth, threadfin follow them and then school up in these zones. Often schools of over 50 specimens can be found although this does not always mean it is easy pickings. When the threadfin are feeding on prawns they can become very hard to tempt with most offerings. Occasionally they may have a bite period (often around the change of the tide) where they go a bit crazy and will eat artificials however sometimes anglers will need to resort to live baits to hook up. Good lures to try include soft vibes, prawn profiled plastics, and smaller soft plastics of 75-100mm. If trying a live bait, try small mullet, herring, biddies, pike, gar and of course larger prawns. If you can only secure smaller prawns, put several on the hook, pinned through the tail and facing in opposite direction so they kick and flick against each other. These baits are best fished close to the bottom with minimal sinker weight. Baitrunner style reels are ideal for this pursuit as they allow the fish to run with minimal resistance before you engage the reel to set the hook. Obviously, you are also likely to encounter mulloway, cod, snapper, catfish, sharks, rays, big bream, flathead and several other species whilst live baiting in the rivers. The occasional barramundi is also caught, especially in the Logan. TUSKFISH Many anglers are specifically targeting tuskfish in the bay and why wouldn’t you as they are probably one of the best eating species in Southern Queensland. Without specific targeting, larger tuskfish are rarely caught, due mainly to the fact that the majority of their diet consists of numerous crab species. Serious anglers will use crabs (often whole legal sized sand and blueswimmers), heavy line in excess of 80lb (even handlines), 150lb to 250lb

leaders and extra strong hooks. These baits can be fished around the artificial reefs, wrecks, coffee rock and along ledges where crustaceans are prevalent. Once hooked, tuskfish will head straight for the closest holes or structure therefore some serious pressure and luck is required to prevent their escape. If they hole up, give them

family into the outdoors to enjoy some exceptional fishing and fun. Remember to slip, slop, slap and slurp and stay safe over the holiday period, especially whilst there are so many extra anglers of varied skill levels around. Before I sign off for the last edition of QFM I would like to thank

A double hookup on quality mulloway whilst fishing solo really gets the heart racing, and luckily two quality fish hit the deck. some slack and pray they decide to come back out so you can try again to coerce them to the surface. The flesh quality of tuskfish is exceptional and the effort to target them is justified by the palate. CONCLUSION Along with the warm weather of December comes a broad array of fishing opportunity in Moreton Bay and its filtering systems. Healthy numbers of pelagics will be present throughout the bay and a broad array of demersals and general bread and butter species will be on offer. The warmer weather increases metabolism making many species aggressive and less vary of offerings. Prawns, crabs and even squid can still be found to complete a seafood smorgasbord. December is a great time to get the

all the readers who have supported us over the years, especially those who have read my varied dribble. I wrote my first column for QFM In February 1998 and don’t believe I have missed an edition since. In addition to my Moreton Bay column I have contributed many feature articles on various forms of fishing and locations, a series on tackle, tricks and techniques, tournament reports and a twenty odd part series called ‘In The Game’ concentrated on the various facets of game fishing technique and tackle. I have enjoyed my time with the magazine immensely and hope I may have helped some of you along your fishing journey. All the best for your future fishing endeavours and experiences. Cheers for the New Year.

DECEMBER 2024 21

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Great catches in the heat and wet BRISBANE

Bob Thornton tackleworldlawnton@gmail.com

Summer and the silly season is here, but this isn’t just any old December report – it’s the last thing I’ll write for the first publication I ever wrote for! It saddens me to see the journey of such an essential fishing magazine come to an end. As a lifelong reader and former employee, I’m very grateful to have spent the first years of my working life in such supportive and like-minded company. I started as a casual sub-editor for Queensland Fishing Monthly back in 2013, fitting my shifts between university classes and training sessions.

better when you can enjoy the fruits of summer with loved ones. So, for the very last time, let’s see what’s been biting across the region! OFFSHORE Strong sea breezes, large swells and the threat of storms have kept a lot of trailer boats from heading offshore. While this is fairly standard in SEQ during summer, it feels like there have been a lot less windows than usual. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, many bluewater favourites have been chewing their heads off! Migratory Spanish mackerel and wahoo have just started to trickle in, with schooled fish frequenting Hutchison Shoal, Sunshine Reef and Sevens Reef. While not always there and willing to

Mangrove jack have been on the chew in a big way in recent months, and December will be a top time to get out and chase them! Photo courtesy of Ethan Flowers.

Over the next seven years I got to see the magazine grow as I became more involved. I’m proud to have helped increase the company’s digital presence, assisting in building Western Australia Fishing Monthly along the way and even taking the editorial reigns on a few issues. I also had the opportunity to put together a feature for the 30th anniversary issue of QFM in 2017, where I interviewed early contributors like Wayne Kampe and David Green. Even after I left my office role at the mag, I have continued writing features and reports. The highlight for me, however, was the connections I made during this time, and I look forward to future catch ups and fishing sessions with my friends from Fishing Monthly. Tears and commiserations aside, the fishing in our region has been outstanding leading up to summer! Frequent rains and plenty of hot days have kept things ticking along and the action shows no signs of slowing down. December might get a little hot, wet and busy at times, but these are minor inconveniences when the fish are biting as well as they have been, and it’s even 22 DECEMBER 2024

bite on any given day, it’s worth having a troll around any prominent offshore reef receiving plenty of current, and not just the three listed above. Trolling dead baits of saury, gar, wolf herring or bonito has been the most successful approach, however hardbodies in the 150-200mm range have worked at times too. Those casting stickbaits and poppers around Hutchies have reported

a few decent Spanish, along with GTs and even the odd kingfish. Summer tends to see better numbers of Spanish taken with this technique; however the average size is usually a bit smaller. Big GTs patrol these offshore reef systems all year round, and the kingies that visit during summer tend to be bigger than their inshore siblings. Needless to say, December is a great time to throw big topwaters around the Cape Moreton area, that is if you can get at least half a day of good weather! Mahimahi numbers are increasing each day as the FADs and wave reorder buoys attract more and more of these golden acrobats. At this time of year there are a lot of juvenile fish hanging around floating offshore structures. With this said, each structure usually has one or two large ‘bull’ mahimahi in residence, and they will often be the first to jump on a live bait or lure. If you can get to the location early in the day before the other boats, you’ve an even better shot at a bigger fish. If you’re just looking to catch a few for a feed, a lightly-weighted pilchard will do the trick if there are mahimahi in the area. Remember that you don’t necessarily need to get your baits hard up against the buoy, as fish will mill around the general area, so don’t be afraid to drift a few hundred metres past the buoy with your baits. The reef species have been playing the game as well. Snapper are still a highlight over many shallow reefs and wrecks, with Currimundi, Murphys and Halls reefs, as well as the Inner Gneerings, all great places to fish with soft plastics, floatline rigs and Paternosters. It’s crucial to be fishing early or late in the day during summer for snapper, especially in shallower areas like these. Pearlies have been available for anyone willing to head to the 80m mark and beyond, with the outside edge of The Hards a good option. Paternosters and slow-pitch jigs have been getting the job done on the pearlies, with some recent captures measuring over 60cm.

Fly fishing in overgrown creeks is challenging, but skilled fluffers like Tom often find a way to make it work.

Plenty of big snapper have been caught offshore when conditions have allowed. Corey with a trophy fish in anyone’s books. Photo courtesy of Corey Warrell.

Finding them can take some effort, however the time and money spent to locate a school of big pearlies is often worth it. MORETON BAY The bay has been a decent option when conditions outside are too lumpy, with many of the same species venturing inside at times. Spanish mackerel, kingfish, cobia and big snapper have moved into the channels, ledges, reefs and wrecks, accompanying the rich and ever-present array of resident bay species. December is usually when we start to see the return of migratory bay pelagics like longtail tuna and spotted mackerel, however with the amount of Spanish caught in the bay recently we can expect a few of these to be travelling with them. Paravaning with spoons has been productive on the school and spotted mackerel, just be prepared for a stray Spaniard to jump on. Spinning with metals has been worth a shot too, and the shipping beacons have held good numbers of schoolies on some days; you may need to run and gun a few poles before you find them, however. The longtails aren’t getting around in big numbers just yet, but it pays to have something suitable rigged just in case they pop up. Metal slugs, 4-5” soft plastics and 80-120mm topwater lures work well at this time of year, as most of the longtails encountered will be in the 4-8kg bracket, which is relatively small for this species. As we move into late summer and early autumn, getting a bite from these wily longtails will get easier as more of them flood into the bay. Curtain, Harry Atkinson and West Peel artificial reefs are worth visiting in summer, though shark numbers are often at their peak at this time. There are plenty of big mulloway, snapper, cobia, kingfish and golden trevally patrolling the reefs and wrecks, but getting them past the sharks can be a bigger challenge than getting a bite. As I always say, if you start losing fish to sharks, there’s no point hanging

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It would be remiss of me not to write a few words as the chapter closes on the printed version of Fishing Monthly. Thank you, Steve and your team, both current and past staff, and all the writers that have contributed and enjoyed sharing their knowledge, each month culminating in a wonderful read.

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Running a small business is no easy feat; I can attest to that! However, what we often don’t get the chance to say publicly is thank you! I’m sure I write on behalf of the readers, supporters, and fellow advertisers that Fishing Monthly has been a trusted go-to for anglers and boaters, whereby your team penned and shared valued information and provided tips and pointers that both beginners and the experienced valued. Steve and team, although this door closes due to a number of factors beyond your control, please don’t turn the next new page and look back with regret. On behalf of myself and my team, know that your efforts, your place within our diverse marine industry was and is respected and valued. Yours in boating, Matthew Hodson Managing Director

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around – all you will do is feed the sharks and attract more to the area. Your best bet is to move somewhere else. Mulloway and snapper have bene responding best to 5” soft plastics and soft vibes, with floatlined pillies accounting for a few fish early in the morning as well. Kingies and cobia prefer a live bait, with squid, yakka, slimy mackerel, pike and gar a couple of choice baits. While these fish are present over many of the deeper reefs and wrecks in the bay, it’s always worth prospecting the shipping beacons in the middle part of the bay as well, especially those receiving lots of current. The ledges along the edges of the

Suspending jerkbaits are always worth having on hand, and the Samaki Redic DS80 is a great presentation for mangrove jack everywhere. Photo courtesy of Jacob Roberts.

Pearl, Rainbow and Rous channels are the places to go if looking for big blackspot tuskfish, otherwise known as bluebone. These colourful and tasty fish love eating crabs, and crab pieces are a favourite bait for bluey devotees. Traces between 50-100lb are standard for extracting these blue and green freight trains and many battles are lost when

they bury themselves in the reef. Fish to 10kg have been reported in recent months, so make sure to select your tackle accordingly! The shallows are always a great option in summer, and it’s at this time of year that many of the biggest snapper are taken inside the bay. Murky water, lots of food and the added turbulence brought by wind, rain and big tides make the shallows a great hunting ground for big snapper. With them in summer we see a lot of grass emperor, tuskfish, estuary cod, and in recent years, massive grunter (barred javelin). Scarborough and Mud Island have been churning out quality captures for the last few months, and more recently Woody Point, Redcliffe and Wellington Point have started producing memorable sessions in the early mornings too. If you’re yet to try this style of fishing, you only need to fish in 3-5m of water once you’ve located the sort of rubbly ground they like. Lightly-weighted flesh baits are best if you’re bait soaking, with light traces no heavier than 15lb the key to success in the shallows. For lure chuckers, soft plastics are by far the most effective approach. Literally any soft plastic between 2-4” rigged on a jighhead no heavier than 1/8oz stands a good chance of getting eaten. I like plastics with lots of tendrils and legs, but other anglers I know prefer more generic shapes. I like to fish with light braid and leader to allow long casts, which helps to avoid spooking fish with the boat or kayak. A spin rod in the 2-5kg range with a 2000-3000 size reel is the perfect outfit for this. Sand crabs are a fantastic addition to a Christmas platter, and the good news is that they’ve been easy to find and catch lately! Any seagrass beds in 3-6m of water are likely to hold sandies, with Woody Point, Redcliffe, Moreton Sandhills and Beachmere a couple of zones worth exploring. Theft is an everpresent problem when crabbing in the

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The author still loves bush bashing for creek bass just as much as he did when he first wrote an article on the subject 10 years ago. Fish of this size, while considered modest in dams and rivers, are true prizes from small streams. bay, but particularly in summer. Fishing nearby as your pots soak is one way to reduce the possibility of having them damaged or stolen, plus it’s a great way to spend a day with the kids or visiting friends. RIVERS AND ESTUARIES The estuaries have been the gravy of all the great fishing action lately. Short but frequent storms and plenty of hot, humid days in between has created ideal conditions for predators like mangrove jacks, barramundi, big flathead, bream, whiting and others. The past few months have seen some of the best local jack fishing I can remember, with anglers regularly chalking up several red dogs in a session. While most fish have been in the 30-40cm range, there are enough 50cm+ models lurking around to keep you on your toes. With that said, no one is complaining about several jacks per session, regardless of their size! The Caboolture, Noosa and Mooloolah rivers have been the most consistent producers this season, however at the right times (usually before or after storms) the smaller systems like Bells, Coochin and Elimbah creeks have fired right up as well. Soft plastics and suspending hardbodies have done most of the damage, with topwaters working well around dawn and dusk. Some anglers have started using glidebaits and swimbaits for jacks as well, with presentations in the 80-120mm size range working best. These incredibly life-like lures have been most effective when the water is clear, and when realistic offerings tend to outshine others. Fishing these lures slowly and with lots of pauses has been the secret to success, so don’t be afraid to give them plenty of time in ‘the zone’. There have been lots of barramundi reports this year, and though we’re in closed season now, things are looking excellent for when it opens again in February. If you happen to catch a barra while jack fishing in December, make sure you handle them carefully.

We’re currently in the middle of their spawning season, and the more we can minimise stress on the breeding stock in closed season, the better their chances are of retaining a decent population down here. Bread-and-butter species have been very active across the region as well. Bream, whiting and flathead are the backbone of many family fishing holidays, and it shouldn’t be too hard to gather a feed this December. Whiting numbers have been down a little on previous years, however their average size has made up for it. Fish between 30-40cm have been caught regularly at Red Beach, the mouth of Coochin Creek, the Maroochy River near Chambers Island and in the lower Caboolture River. With that said, most estuarine sandflats should hold good numbers of whiting over December. Beachworms, bloodworms and yabbies are all top-tier baits, and whichever of these is easiest for you to gather is what I would recommend using. Evening sessions on an incoming tide are when the biggest fish are caught on bait, however fish can be caught at any time of day so long as you have a line in the water. Following rain spells when the rivers are awash with jelly prawns, big whiting like to feed near the surface. When this happens, throwing small topwater lures across sandy flats can be an effective and exciting way to gather some tasty whiting. Stickbaits, poppers, bent minnows and other small and slender surface lures work well, just be sure to make long casts and to keep the lures moving. When you see whiting following your lure, don’t stop. In fact, I have found that speeding up my retrieve can turn lookers into eaters, whereas pausing or even just slowing down tends to see them turning away and losing interest. Bream have been on the job too, mooching around all sorts of intertidal structures to scratch a living. In summer, bream will eat anything from small crabs, worms, baitfish and

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jelly prawns to terrestrial prey items like cicadas, beetles and other insects. High tide is when bream tend to move into the shallows to feed, with pontoons, walkways, mangrove forests, bridges, moored boats, fallen trees and rock walls all worth a look. Baits of raw chicken, packet prawn, bloodworm, mullet gut and other tough, smelly baits are effective on bream. Even bread can get them going at times, though a liberal berley trail is necessary if using bread. Lures work well in summer too, especially at the top of the tide in really shallow water. Crankbaits, surface lures, soft plastics and even flies between 30-50mm are all fair game. I like using crankbaits around rocks, soft plastics around pontoons and bridges, and topwaters in any shady spots. Recently I’ve been scratching my fishing itch by casting small crankbaits along the rock walls in the city reaches of the Brisbane River near my home. I enjoy this style of urban fishing, as it’s easy to squeeze into my busy schedule. It’s amazing how effective this technique is on the local bream, and this approach (which was shown to me by Steve Morgan himself) can be applied in most estuaries. Crabbers have been loving the spring rains, and already we’ve seen some great hauls of muddies in our local rivers and creeks. The Pine and Caboolture rivers along with a handful of nearby creeks have been producing great numbers of muddies, however increased traffic on the water means you’ll have to be extra vigilant of thieves. Dropping your pots in channels between 3-6m deep will give you the best chance of success, and if you can find a deep hole close to (but not in) the mangroves, even better. Mullet heads and chicken frames have been the go-to baits for most, but anything

Tackle World Lawnton’s own Guy Struthers doesn’t mind taking his kayak off Redcliffe on a calm day. With snapper like this available only a stone’s throw from the shore, who can blame him? smelly should coax the muddies into your pot if it’s secured properly. If it’s not secured, crabs will be able to chew on it from outside the pot. FRESHWATER The rain has been good news in the freshwater, with local dams and streams thriving at the moment. The bass fishing has been nothing short of exceptional, with everything from tiny creeks to big lakes all dishing out the goods. Samsonvale and Kurwongbah have been productive bass fisheries. Samsonvale has been on fire, at times producing cricket score sessions for locals targeting points with spoons, soft plastics and tailspinners. Most fish have been in the low to mid-40s, with the odd larger fish turning up here and there. Trolling has also been claiming plenty of fish and is a great technique for the kids or people new to fishing. See my report in last month’s issue for

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had plenty of that! My first ever article published in Queensland Fishing Monthly was a how-to on fishing land-based in small creeks for bass. I still love this style of fishing, and I stand by the tips I gave back then and in subsequent scribblings. Finding a small freshwater system with a wild bass population is incredibly exciting, and there’s more of them around than people realise! I always look for a few things when determining whether a creek is worth fishing. If a stream has at least a few pools that don’t completely dry up during droughts (even when the stream stops flowing), there’s a good chance of finding bass in it. The presence of mullet is another great indicator, and even better is eel-tail catfish, which need permeant freshwater to survive. After that, it’s just a matter of heading off into the bush with a light outfit and a handful of lures! WRAP-UP With this Christmas issue of Fishing Monthly being that last ever, it’s a bittersweet occasion. Writing this report has brought back so many memories. I really hope readers have enjoyed my contributions to this

Late afternoons are prime times to be on the water chasing jacks, and Jacob plucked this beauty from a shady pocket in a local estuary. Photo courtesy of Jacob Roberts.

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some bass trolling tips! Kurwongbah has been holding lots of bass around its edges, with saratoga a common by-catch. Anglers working a mixture of spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, soft plastics and topwater lures along the weed edges have been doing well early and late in the day. Some have even been throwing weedless frog imitations over the lilypads to target the bass and toga tucked right up under the salad. This latter technique is absolutely deadly immediately after rain, as this is when frogs and insects will be on the move in these heavily vegetated zones. Those who like chasing bass in the wild haven’t been disappointed either. The main systems like the North and South Pine, Brisbane, Caboolture, Mooloolah and Maroochy rivers have been consistently churning out solid bass in their upper tidal and freshwater stretches. The Brisbane River around Mt Crosby and the South Pine River around Eatons Hill are great options if you don’t have a boat or kayak, with the North Pine River around Youngs Crossing and Caboolture River above the weir better for those who own a vessel. Spinnerbaits have been the go-to lures when the water is running a little

dirty, while weedless soft plastics, small crankbaits and jerkbaits have been better as it clears up between flushes. Early and late in the day surface lures have claimed their share of fish too. Things like buzzbaits and weedless frog imitations are good choices in murky, fast flowing water, while poppers, fizzers and other lures that can be worked slowly tend to fair better as the flows settle. In the small streams, this same principle can be applied, though I often scale down my lure size in these confined environments. By now, our small coastal creeks and main river tributaries with enough flow will have bass spread through their systems. Early season rains are crucial to upstream migration, and so far we’ve

publication as much as I have enjoyed putting them together, and I wish everyone at Fishing Monthly Magazine all the best for the future. If you miss reading the mag, why not drop into Tackle World Lawnton over summer? We’re open every day except Christmas Day, plus two former Fishing Monthly employees work there! Merry Christmas, happy holidays and farewell! • Thanks to all our wonderful customers who send us photos and give us intel over the counter. If you’re in the Brisbane North/Moreton Bay region, make sure you swing by Tackle World Lawnton on 640 Gympie Road and check out our range. We stock everything you need to chase local species, plus a great selection of fresh bait as well.

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Good weather spots NOOSA

Robert Smith

In between afternoon storms, there was a bit of good weather to fish a few days here and there in late spring. The water has definitely warmed up and gone blue, and I suspect the EAC is in as well. This will kick everything into gear for the summer season. Just like during the snapper and pearl perch closure (mid-July to

Jigging is a fun way to catch snapper.

mid-August), bombing live bait down for amberjack, cobia and mulloway has been my most successful technique. The odd fish has responded to jigs as well. Gold-spot estuary cod are a welcome surprise on the live bait, and the very rare mangrove jack has come aboard too. One day I did catch a couple of snapper doing this, which was also a surprise. Unfortunately, all the red emperor have been under the legal size of 55cm. Slide octo jigs have still been working the best for me out on the Hards and the Barwon Banks. Now that the water has warmed up, sharks have been a pain some days, snipping the jigs off at $8 apiece. I also had a day when the razor gang were out in force on the metal knife jigs, snipping them off on the fall. That made for an expensive outing. There is a chance, however, that sharks weren’t the ones taking the knife jigs. We have caught two big greenback tailor in recent weeks doing this, so maybe they were the culprits. It could also have been barracuda or baby Spanish mackerel - two other chop-off merchants we have caught in the same areas over the years. At present, snapper, pearl perch, tuskfish, gold-band snapper and hussar etc are the main catch in the offshore areas. The Spanish mackerel sound like they are thick in North Queensland, and that bodes well for us down here. The whales have stayed late this year, and I saw some on Halloween. They are usually finished by early October. The second black marlin of the season has been tagged by the SCGFC but we have had no sailfish reports.

David with a nice gold-spot cod. A few boats are doing a Hervey Bay campaign on the gamefish, with more action for the boats fishing heavy tackle at this stage. There were sailfish at the 13-Mile gutter but no good bait yet for the little black marlin. We also need a bit more bait off the Sunshine Coast to hold the marlin. It could be on the way. I wrote my first article for Fishing Monthly back in 2006, and it is sad that this will be the last issue of the magazine. I wish Steve and his staff all the best. I have certainly been enjoying the content Steve has been putting out

James is turning into a bit of a mulloway expert.

Andy with the first mahimahi of the summer season. 30 DECEMBER 2024

on his Youtube channels, and I am sure that his ABT tournaments keep him very busy. • Smithy’s Fishing Charters is dedicated to exclusive trips for small groups. We specialise in offshore deep sea, reef, game, sport, jigging and soft plastics for up to 5 customers. All fishing equipment and bait are supplied or bring your own. Centrally located at Minyama on the Sunshine Coast, we can tailor a trip to suit everyone. For more information visit smithysfishing.com.au or call skipper Robert Smith on 0407 574 868.

QLD Central

FMM

There’s plenty to look forward to over Christmas BUNDABERG

Luke Truant

Spanish mackerel fishing has been very good lately; I recently had four charters in a row where we bagged out in the first 20 minutes. And on the day before the last coral reef finfish closure, we caught five Spanish with a

roe that there’ll be no room for their stomachs. When that happens, you can switch to targeting mackerel, which have already spawned. If you don’t want to target mackerel, it is technically possible to catch the spawning reefies you just won’t catch as many. Big baits aren’t appealing to a roe-filled fish with a squashed stomach, so downsize to

Trout have been taking both live and dead baits.

A great mixed bag taken off Bundaberg. collective total of 1 minute trolling. As soon as the bail arms were put down with lures, the were double hook-ups three times in a row. The lures we’ve been using have been the Halco Laser Pro and Max, trolled at around 6 knots, with a length of 69lb mono stainless wire. We’ve caught the mackerel just about everywhere off Bundy, out wide and in close to shore. The average size has been around 8kg, and the biggest landed was around 15.5kg. When you have a couple of lures out and one hooks up, you have a couple of options. One option is to keep driving for another 20 seconds to get the other lure to hook up. My preferred option, however, is to bring it back to idle in gear and have the other person do a super-fast retrieve and hook it while winding in; it feels more rewarding when you hook the fish from winding. Even better, it means the first fish isn’t getting further away from the boat as it pulls drag against the boat’s forward momentum, giving sharks more opportunity to eat it. Red emperor, as expected, have been consistent, and this should continue until around the end of January. We’ve been having multiple large red emperor hook-ups per day (unfortunately, the sharks have been taking their share). There have been plenty of school reds in the 7.5-8kg range, which are always great, and they’ve been caught on either mullet strips or hussar filets with the tail on. The hussar fillets have been the most effective. At the time of writing this report, the fish haven’t spawned yet; they’re still gaining roe/milt. We can expect them to go off the bite a few weeks before Christmas, because they’ll be so full of 32 DECEMBER 2024

smaller morsels like strip baits or whole pilchards. After spawning, these fish will be hungry and keen to put on condition, so the Christmas fishing can be red-hot. That’s when it’s time to get the big baits out again, such as fish heads or large fillets. If you want to use livies, there are still some yellowtail scad here and there on the mackerel grounds, but they’ve been full of roe so it’s been hard to get them to bite. They do work on the trout but aren’t particularly effective in the deep water at this time of year. Apart from red emperor, the standout species right now is the venus tuskfish. They’re in huge numbers, with an average size of around 2-3kg. All of our tuskies have been caught in 30-50m of water, especially in the red fern areas. After you drop a bait down in those red fern areas, the bite often won’t start for up to five minutes; it seems you need to get a bit of interest going before the fish get fired up. Once that happens,

you can get several good fish in one spot. Anybody who’s fished with me will know I don’t like waiting a long time in one location, but in this case, give it five minutes before you give up and move on. Hussar have been thicker than ever and really large sizes. There have been plenty in water as shallow as 15m, and they’ve been equally as thick out in depths of 45m. Remember to count how many hussar you have so you don’t go over your limit of 10 per person. ESTUARY The prawning has been really good over the past month. Some of the locals have been getting some really large

prawns lately, especially in the Burnett. I’ve heard of some people getting their 10L bucket in four casts, which is a dream come true for most prawn fishers. The prawn numbers should taper off just before Christmas. In the meantime, however, you can get good results from the deep holes in the river on the neap tides, usually an hour before a low, or an hour before a high down to the change. December is a great time to target mangrove jacks. During the day, they will take livies, dead baits and soft plastics around structure such as rock bars. However, I prefer to fish for them at night, with baits like whole sprat. Fishing around

Anglers have been bagging out on Spanish in record time.

Red emperor should continue to bite well this month.

the rock bars, catching good-size jacks, is a great way to spend an evening. • Truansea Charters specialise in 10-hour day trips chasing prized reef targets such as coral trout and red emperor and arm-stretching pelagics like Spanish mackerel. The maximum number of anglers is 6, so you’ll never feel crowded. The price is $370pp (or $350pp if you book the whole boat), which includes all gear, fuel, bait, ice, chilled water/soft drinks and laughs! You’re welcome to bring your own reef fishing gear if you prefer. Other charter options include half-day reef trips, half-day river trips and private guiding. To find out more, visit www.truansea. com.au, find them on Facebook or call Luke on 0423 015 490.

QLD Central

FMM

Catching a summer smorgasbord for Christmas MACKAY

Tackle World Mackay

How the year flies by! The festive season is nearly here, and it’s time for everyone to get the tinny out of the shed and the crab pots ready for the holiday break, to provide a seafood smorgasbord for family and friends. CREEKS By all reports, there has been plenty

of these tasty fish. Vibes and Gulp soft plastics are also worth a go for those using lures; just change the retrieve if one method is not working. King threadfin salmon are still showing up when the water clears in the creeks. INSHORE/OFFSHORE When the winds have allowed people to get offshore, there have been good reports of red emperor, nannygai and

There have been plenty of reports of red emperor over the past month. Image courtesy of @coastal.creatures.fishing.

There are some good quality mud crabs getting around. of variety over the past month. Those anglers who have been doing the hard yards have been finding some good earlyseason prawns, and with some more rain, we should see the numbers and size starting to increase. Mud crabs have been around as well. They haven’t been in huge numbers but the ones getting caught have been good quality. Working the building tides up the tops of the creeks and gullies should see you in with a good chance. Make sure you have pots and floats clearly labeled with

caught a couple of fish. One of the shark deterrents on the market could be worth trying, too. These devices make great Christmas presents as the results speak for themselves, with most people having good results. Mackerel have still been widespread along the coast. Floating pilchards on a set of gangs has been working the best. Grunter are still in good numbers on the building tides inshore. Glendower Point, Victor Island and Seaforth are all worth a go. A fresh slab of ribbon fish, squid or a big prawn are the go-to baits.

DAMS What a year we have had in the dams! It’s been good to see the great results in the recent Mackay Tournament Anglers and ABT Barra series held on some of the local dams. It’s great advertising for how lucky we are in Mackay and the calibre of barra fishing we have in the dams. Kinchant Dam has seen the water levels dropping so a lot of fish have been on the outside edge of the weed beds. At this time of year, Eungella Dam is worth a go as the water warms and the barra start to fire up for a month or two.

Flathead are a great target on lures. Image courtesy of @finlayjai58.

grassy lipper in the shipping channel. Unfortunately, the sharks have been a problem with the water warming, so you may need to move spots after you’ve

Macka with a nice king salmon. Image courtesy of @mackafishing.

Nannygai are a popular catch when conditions allow. correct information as there will be plenty of pots in the water. Creeks worth trying at this time of year would be Constant Creek, Mathers Creek and Reliance Creek to the south. Fingermark and grunter have been around in good numbers with all the herring in the creeks. Using live herring or mullet along the deeper bends of the creeks is a great way to tangle with one 34 DECEMBER 2024

Dylan Bainbridge with a healthy sooty. Image courtesy of @dylanbainbridge.

It’s a great spot as you have paid camping facilities on the water’s edge, provided by SunWater, for the family. Later afternoon surface fishing can see some great results on the barra cruising the lily pad edges. • Tackle World Mackay has one of the largest ranges of fishing and boating accessories in North Qld. They cater for all fishing needs, from fly fishing to game fishing. The friendly staff are all keen anglers and will throw in some great local fishing spots, techniques to try, and the genuine friendly assistance of real fishos who love to share their knowledge. Drop in and see them at 318 Shakespeare St, or give them a call on 07 4957 2145, or visit tackleworldmackay.com.au.

Fishing Monthly, thanks for the memories!

QLD Tropical North

FMM

From Tamworth all the way to Townsville TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

One of the first magazines I ever wrote for was NSW Fishing Monthly, and my writing was based around Murray cod, golden perch, bass, trout and so on. It was nearly all freshwater, with the odd bit of coastal stuff for chasing mulloway, flathead and other species that were an exciting change from the inland waters.

pull a fish from a dripping tap, but whose photos are ‘just good enough’ to encourage viewers to read their content (which often contains important technical information). Regardless of where their skills lie, budding fishing journos often start by documenting their own adventures. With encouragement and advice from editors, it’s possible to develop your skills to deliver something that anglers enjoy reading. With hard work and excellent photos, you may even end up in the glossy pages of elite publications with high-profile anglers. A stepping stone to this goal is to be published in a regional magazine like Fishing Monthly, and that’s how it was with me. At first, I had no idea how to write an article, let alone how to compose a picture worth publishing. Eventually, however, after honing my writing skills a bit, I was asked to write for several other publications. I also got a half-decent camera (which, thank God, could be set

Vanessa Bennet with a nice jack. Helping friends promote and enjoy fishing has been part of the author’s focus. For consumers, the Fishing Monthly magazines were an inexpensive way of staying in contact with the latest and greatest lure, fly and bait techniques. The emphasis was on the everyday Joe Blow, who just wanted to catch a fish.

Being able to show young anglers what is achievable with some good advice and encouragement has been a buzz for the young fella. Thank you, Fishing Monthly. The magazines have also encouraged anglers to let their collective voice be heard on the political stage. Issues such as species closures, green zones, scientific breakthroughs, advancements in fisheries management and more have all been on these pages. The angling public has become a force to be reckoned with and a massive source of government revenue, and we deserve to be consulted in every government decision affecting the sport. FISHING JOURNALISM Many fishing journalists are primarily photographers; they’re not brilliant anglers but catch enough fish to take exceptional photos. Then there are the fanatical and successful fishos who could 36 DECEMBER 2024

Barra were always an out-of-reach species for me living in Tamworth, apart from the odd trip with mates to far-off destinations. We had reasonable success on those trips, but it wasn’t until I got hired as a public speaker at fishing and outdoor events around Australia that I could seriously target barra. As time

Fishing is all about mateship, exploring special locations and making amazing captures. Thank you for the opportunity to share our journeys.

Tannhym Hodge has grown into a young man in the pages of this publication. Hopefully, his experiences have inspired other young anglers to go for it. passed and I worked my way up the fishing industry ranks, I got to experience regular barramundi trips and become competent enough to write and speak about them to the public. (I have to admit, though, Murray cod will always be my sweetheart. I just love them.)

Sharing the mateship, shared experiences and passion that means so much to us all has been a great experience for Fishing Monthly contributors. on ‘auto’ and still take a reasonable pic). My understanding of camera settings is still limited, but I’ve learned how to frame and compose a shot nowadays. I still refuse to hold the fish out to make it look bigger, though! Starting out, I was a redneck country boy who had limited access to people who could teach me the trade. It was by reading well-known, creditable anglers such as Rod Harrison, John Bethune, Vic McCrystal, Jim Harnwell, John Mondora and more that I got an idea of how it all worked. That said, they were and always will be, many levels above where I’ll ever be.

The author feels privileged to have shared some special captures in these pages over the years.

Teaching Tannhym to understand and respect the environment, respect the hunt, and learn each species’ characteristics has been a big part of the author’s journey. THE FUTURE Being able to document my son’s growth and fishing achievements in these pages, and emphasise the importance of outdoor activities for young ones, has been important to me. It has been a journey that both he and I have enjoyed immensely. The regular comments we get are proof that many other kids are seeing what he has achieved and have been encouraged to do the same. It’s affordable publications like Fishing Monthly that have assisted the young fishos of Australia to spend more

time enjoying the great outdoors. No other sport, pastime or passion is better for young people than fishing is. It helps the young mind to experience the food chain, respect our environment, understand seasonal variations, weather effects, and industrial influences from cotton, mining and so on that affect waterways. Without strict management, these industries would devastate fisheries nationwide. Hopefully, A new generation will emerge to fight to protect our sport and everything it stands for. I don’t mean some crazy-haired drongo throwing soup on a famous painting, or ganging up with inconsiderate idiots to block thoroughfares and disrupt people’s lives and businesses. I mean taking an educated stance on issues affecting recreational fishing, and ensuring that our fragile fisheries have what they need to flourish – or at least remain sustainable for future generations. This is particularly important in the age of social media. Platforms like Two-Faced Book, Instagram, Twatter or whatever it’s called are where people get their ‘not always accurate’ information. Magazine editors and contributors have always been held accountable for the information they publish, which is how it should be. You also used to have to earn your brownie points in the industry to communicate with a wide audience. Now, however, anybody can film and edit something that pushes a personal agenda, no matter how extreme or fictional it may be. The internet is filled with all sorts of outlandish claims, accusations and straight-out lies. There is so much of this content that nobody has the time to refute it. I’m not sure where journalism will go in the near future, but the day that editors publish an AI-written fishing article is the day I’ll hang up the keyboard! Many thanks to the team at Fishing Monthly for their support of the fishing fraternity, and I hope this isn’t the last we’ll see of you all. Stay safe, everyone. Signing off for the last time in these pages, Hodgie.

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QLD Tropical North

FMM

The last cast HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

Unfortunately, here is the last report for Hinchinbrook for Fishing Monthly. I guess it’s the last cast, isn’t it funny how often when you’re on the water and someone calls for the last cast and, whammo, a hookup results from it. Happens to me a lot while I’m on charter with

be chasing fingermark and mangrove jack inshore. Hopefully a few threadfin salmon will keep popping up here and there as they are one of my favourites to catch. They haven’t been in the numbers they should be, like in recent years, there’s not a lot

A great capture caught before the closure from Neil Simpson, a 96cm specimen.

The author’s new charter boat - Outkast 7.6m.

known about their movements or what keeps them in any certain area. They usually take most methods of capture, but on lures the initial bite can feel very weird considering their eyesight isn’t the greatest, but once hooked up, hang on! Jacks will be on fire with the

Peter Tyrell loves catching fingermark. Leonie with a feisty mangrove jack. clients. Just when I’m ready to move to option ‘B’, someone will hookup on the last cast causing me to stay just a little longer! Either that or someone brings out their lunch and a hookup will happen. December is in the guts of the barra closure and most anglers will

Brian Ellis with a fantastic 106cm barra caught in October before the closure.

hotter water temps, casting weedless frogs or paddle tails way up into the timber is where it mostly happens. Sometimes the best results are when you go deep, as far into the timber as you can, then crank like your life depends on it. When you hear the explosion on the surface, it can be 50/50 whether you can get the fish

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Tropical North QLD

FMM up the Reef charter side of things. Hopefully old Mother Nature gives us some nice weather windows to head out and catch a few. It will be hot during then, so cover up with

long clothing, good hat and plenty of sunscreen. Keep those fluids up. Been a pleasure to be a part of this magazine over the last few years, who knows maybe one day I will write

Mick with a threadfin salmon. out of there or not! Expect to go digging into the timber a lot with this type of fishing – and go well armed with a lot of lures! However, at times on larger tides they have been caught up against the edge of drop offs on mudflats waiting to push back up into the mangroves on the incoming tide. Fingermark are best on the neap tides, while December’s neap tides only last for about 3 days each cycle you will have a short window of opportunity to chase them while stacked up in numbers. Once the tides build again, they head off to the shallows or to areas where there is a lesser amount of current and then forage during the change of tides. Xmas should be a good time to put those new toys (tackle) on your wish list for the upcoming barra season

next year in 2025. If October this year was anything to go by, there should be quite a few big ones still willing to play well and it should be a cracking one if we get a good wet season. December I should be cranking

Neil Simpson with a pretty fingermark.

Renae was happy with her 79cm barra in October.

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www.milliondollarfish.com.au DECEMBER 2024 39

QLD Tropical North

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Hot and still, or windy and wet CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

December is always a tricky month to fish in the Trinity Net Free Zone in Cairns. It’s either going to hot and still or windy and wet. If it’s hot and still then fishing will be perfect for snag bashing the creeks and rivers. With barramundi off the target list, mangrove jack and golden snapper will be the top targets. The good news is these fish love hot, still conditions. To top it off, if things

Prawn style plastics will be best for fishing in the deeper holes and submerged snags.

stay relatively dry with little rain, the water in the creeks and rivers will be clear and calm which is perfect for throwing lures. Some of the standout lures of late have been the Molix RT Shads and the new ZMan Mulletron has also been smacking them. Prawn style plastics will also be useful, especially if you are fishing the deeper holes for golden snapper. The Trinity Inlet will be producing the best numbers and quality of fish so this is a great place to start. If the weather is wet and windy then the fishing strategy flips on its head. If the rivers and creeks start running then its best to fish the drains and mud banks where you can see bait congregating. Usually, the prawns get moving if the early rains appear so finding where they are hiding will usually show you where the fish are at as well. Barra will also be feeding in these spots so if you hook one get it in quick and release it as soon as possible. Releasing fish boat side is always the best option if it is possible. I’m hoping the weather plays the game as the hot still conditions will allow both land based and boat fishermen the opportunity to hit the open beaches for threadfin salmon. From all reports these fish have been

in good numbers through winter. They will be found from the mouth of the Cairns Inlet right through to Taylors Point, which is the northern boundary of the Trinity Net Free Zone. These fish are best targeted using vibes and the new ZMan Slim Vibes are perfect for nailing these fish. It always pays to change up your action when chasing

continental shelf in early October and has extended right to the end of the month moving down to the middle Ribbon systems. The biggest I’ve heard of is a Jurrasic 1300lb model, which is right up there in history along with many others reaching the magical 1000lb mark. There’s been everything in between ranging from 200lb stallions right up to the big girls. The bite, as it typically does, moves down the line to our local grounds – Opal Ridge and the famous Linden Bank. The strike rate has been impressive thus far and will continue until around mid-December. A typical day has seen hook up rates ranging between 3-6 per vessel. What sized fish jumps on the end of the line is all in the mystery of these grand masters of the ocean. There’s been

a good schooling of bait on the shelf, and yellowfin tuna and wahoo are a great side line on the lighter gear to add to the excitement. It is the pinnacle of angling and a must-do in your life time. My favourite photos writing for this magazine are pictured depicting this Formula 1 style of fishing. On the Great Barrier Reef itself the water temperatures have spiked up to around 29oC degrees so fishing deeper water is now integral. Following the fish spawn when they congregate up into the shallows, most targeted species have retreated to the depths and feeding patterns. Rubble ground and deep pinnacles in the 35m plus range is where you need to concentrate. South East and easterly winds will fish better with the northerlies shutting down the fishery. The turn of the tides are creating a better bite so be on your best marks over this period. For a little while to come with stable conditions, fishing at night definitely has its place but always keep an eye out for land or coastal storms which can be nothing short of scary. The likes of red emperor and large mouth nannygai are more active at night with coral trout species a day time prospect. The rivers and creeks are getting tougher during the day as the sun’s temperature is now peaking. Low light periods either at dawn or dusk are peak times and if it coincides

Jacks will be on the chew and paddle-tail plastics are your best bet when snag bashing. Crabs will be on the move, so it will be worth putting in a few pots. threadies along the beaches. Sometimes they love large rips other times this can spook them so small hops of the bottom are a very good idea. Big barramundi will be hanging with these fish so like above if you hook one its best to release them boat side, especially if it’s over 70cm. Lifting big barramundi in the boat is not a good idea as it can injure

Au Revoir from Port Douglas PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

It’s been a privilege for over 22 years to write for Australia’s biggest angling magazine, Fishing Monthly, representing our wonderful piece of paradise in Port Douglas. It’s been a big part of what we do in our industry. Let’s see if we can whet the appetite one more time to entice you to come and fish the best overall fishery in the world. It’s that time of year when the big black marlin fishery has kicked well and truly into gear. The run started at the top of the Ribbon Reefs with solid numbers of fish making their annual congregation to breed on the

Game fishing of this calibre is equivalent to Formula 1 racing. 40 DECEMBER 2024

the fish, which can impact the chances of a healthy release. Crabs will also be moving around in December especially on the bigger tides. Your best bet this time of year is to get up the creeks and soaks as far as you can. In closing, I would like to thank everyone at Fishing Monthly for the opportunity to be part of the writing team and it’s been a privilege to contribute every month.

There have been some Jurassic sized marlin around! with a tide change, even better. We’ve still been cracking accidental barra catches (released during their closure), fingermark, mangrove jack, golden treavlly, javelin fish, tarpon and cod. So there’s a lot of variety there, with live baiting and soft plastics lure casting producing the results. Not too much is going to change in the near future until the wet season decides to kick in. We’re all hoping there’s not a repeat of last year, which did cause a lot of grief in the region. Thanks to all that have followed this magazine report over the years and always remember you have a friend at www.fishingportdouglas.com.au if you are visiting the area.

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Golden rule: where there is bait, there are fish COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

The weather is hot and the winds have disappeared, and everyone is hitting the reefs and local islands. What a great time of year, and having plenty of fresh seafood for Christmas is such a bonus. Who would want to be anywhere else? Crystal clear waters and amazing life around the reef and bommies towering out from the depths. The coral trout are always a little hard to fish on the dead calm, but fishing a little deeper usually produces the goods. The

The large painted crays are usually found around the lagoons and edges of the closer reefs. There’s nothing like the sight of those big legs and feelers as you look under a large ledge or plate coral—it gets the heart pumping. Taking the time to line up the shot is key, and hitting it solidly in the body will make sure of the capture. Crayfish tails turned into a nice red curry make a great Christmas meal—yum. The wharf has seen the bait schooling up in large numbers, and fish have been busting up the schools. Anglers have been catching lots of trevally and mackerel off them. The mackerel have also been biting out at the

The author with a huge coral trout. They are always a little hard to fish on the dead calm, but going a little deeper usually produces the goods. Barramundi are also abundant at the moment around the headlands and river mouths, and with water conditions so calm and clear, you often see some large fish milling around the wharf. The closed season will finish on 1 February, and then a few locals will be hitting the wharf to try to catch their first barra for 2025. The rains may come and make the opening problematic with the runoff, but the conditions will improve,

to rest and wait for the bait to come to them. The runoff fishing is always awesome. The only downside is that most fish are trapped in the fresh, and the quality of the fish can be lacking. I don’t keep them at this time of year but definitely enjoy catching and releasing them. There’s lots of fun to be had over the next few months. I have been busy with my new lure-making business, Cape York

Tash was very pleased with her bar cheek trout capture. spearfishing has been great, with many coral trout and crayfish around. The mid reefs, I find, are the best, as the crays don’t seem to be in the same numbers on the outer reefs and tend to be of smaller size and varieties.

reefs, with some nice large specimens being caught. It’s worth trolling a lure around the pressure points of the reefs and isolated structures in the channels. Lots of bait attracts the fish. Golden rule: where there is bait, there are fish.

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Anglers have been catching lots of mackerel off the wharf recently. and the runoff fishing sessions can be ballistic if you fish the right areas. The key is finding those funnel areas where they can get an easy feed. Barramundi move through the flooded areas and are hungry as they travel, so finding places where bait is washed down to them is like finding a takeaway on an isolated highway. The fish will be there and looking for an easy meal. The river drains and creek openings will produce, and ambush structures provide a place for the fish

Lures, and will go commercial in January 2025. I have been fortunate to spend some time with a legend in North Queensland, Terry Leadbeater (Leads Lures), and there will be some exciting lures coming out shortly that are targeted for the Cape, especially for barramundi. I look forward to the opportunity to have a spot in Cooktown where these lures will be available, along with advice to go with them. I hope to meet some of you on your travels up the Cape.

SOLUS. FIND YOUR SOLUS.

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FMM

16th Christmas around the sun CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

It’s time to say goodbye dear readers! If you have enjoyed any of the articles or images over the years, that’s all a writer can ask. If you need to get in touch about trips or locations, email me at wildrivercompany@gmail.com.

writing a Cape York area report. That’s 190 articles and 114,000 words, every single one of them failing to give away a single fishing location (as a few disgruntled readers are fond of reminding me). I have always treated the report in a generalist manner, sharing my experiences on what’s likely to happen in the Cape that month or season, plus random information and insights. I feel lucky for the opportunity to

A hungry lure-crunching trout. I’d like to say a huge thanks to all the Fishing Monthly staff over the years for giving me a kick up the butt every time an article was due. No easy task, and a testament to Steve Morgan and the staff for their ability to keep it all together. As Australia Post quickly makes itself redundant, it’s sad to see the human touch falling over in so many industries post-COVID.

A beautifully-marked Maori wrasse caught off the surface. But let’s not dwell on the negative. I’ll just take my writer’s redundancy check (@ $0) and travel the world in perpetuity. Sixteen Christmases in a row I’ve been

share thoughts, feelings and predictions for fishing and travel up in Cape York. Writing and photography have always been sideline interests. In a way, typing a monthly report is a grounding of experience, and a catalogue of thoughts and imagery. It’s been made possible by being lucky enough to guide and teach people within my own fishing experience. Fishing enthusiasm has taken me out into the wilds and given me an appreciation for life for which I could never repay. In my final copy for the mag, I would simply like to convey the grandeur of the Great Barrier Reef and the nutrient-rich rivers and wetlands feeding the Gulf of Carpentaria. In Cape York, we have access to two extraordinary fisheries in a confined location, and you won’t find a better angling destination anywhere in the world. For most readers, Cape York might just be a place you’ve visited or plan to visit. As fishers we are always dreaming of far away places. And whilst fishing is a very selfindulgent pastime, it combines perfectly to build strong friendships. It pushes people to explore their boundaries and to appreciate the natural world. And hopefully to protect and maintain recreational fishing as a pastime for generations to come. We leave Cape York’s fishing in a very

Catching trout in paradise - it doesn’t get any better than that. 44 DECEMBER 2024

good state. December will see storms start to crackle across the Cape, and moisture will soak the parched earth once more. A couple of moderate-to-good wet seasons have certainly seen the fishing upbeat. Some of the lagoon and upper river fishing will be at its best as hungry fish begin to switch on with the oncoming rains. All those trapped barramundi, saratoga, sooty grunter and catfish start to beat up on tiny versions of each other to sustain themselves before the rains break. Many old-school barramundi fishos will remember the days before the barra closed seasons commenced. Cricket score catches in December. These closures coincide with spawning aggregations commencing on the west coast in October and the east coast in November. December is perhaps the height of this aggregation, with thousands of smaller male barra jockeying with each other around shallow sand gutters, rocky outcrops and safety zones where big female fish are likely to join them. Then it’s ON! The more recent creation of net free zones in many Gulf rivers is set to further increase naturally recurring stocks. Safe spawning and big wet seasons will give barra stocks a massive

The barra fishing will improve as the fish switch on with the coming rains. on earth, these fish will slowly migrate south towards Cairns into December and towards Christmas. Cape York has been busily turning itself into one of the premier destinations for chasing flats species on fly, such as permit, blue bastards and tusk fish. The northwest coast of the Cape has consistent fishing for these species from May through to December when conditions are generally clear and winds favourable for throwing fur and feathers along the coast. The Torres Strait region greatly increases this fishable area for flats species, although access to this vast and pristine region is challenging. The triangle representing The Barrier Reef, Torres Strait islands and reefs, plus the Gulf

A ripper coral trout caught in the shallows. boost into the future. A couple of coral reef fin fish closures in October and November, along with Spanish mackerel closures, provide further protection to valuable fish stocks targeted by both rec and commercial fishers. December is free from these closures, and the fishing can be red hot. Keep in mind fish post-spawn are not always so easily caught and may have transitioned into deeper waters or, in the case of Spanish mackerel, pushed further north of their usual haunts. The splurge of oceanic nutrients hitting the east coast around the Ribbon Reef area in October-November and into December spurs on an enormous food chain. With tuna and mackerel species in a frenzy around the southern Cape York region surrounding the Lizard Island area, giant marlin will be close behind. The Lizard Island Black Marlin Classic is held in late October to coincide with this, and some monster fish were landed this year, well over 1000lb. Reinforcing the region’s status as the greatest big marlin fishery

Nannygai are always a welcomed catch. rivers, should be the envy of the fishing world. I pray smart management and use of resources in these areas goes on to benefit traditional owners throughout the region. And so this is me signing off. I hope to pop up somewhere in the future, spouting the virtues of fishing for future generations, and the delights of fresh seafood in an adventurous diet. In the meantime, keep travelling, keep fishing and keep an eye out that everyone is doing their best to keep our far northern fisheries as pristine as they can be. Peace out, Tim.

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Time to adjust your fishing hours QLD FRESHWATER

Peter Jung

This is the final freshwater report I will write for the magazine. It feels a little surreal that the magazine is coming to an end and that I will no longer be passing on any more snippets of information about the freshwater fishing here in the South East corner of Queensland. I have really enjoyed piecing it together and it has really allowed me the opportunity to chat with fellow anglers with a similar passion to mine for our freshwater species.

A quick thank you to the stores and people that help me with information each month. Tye at Somerset Tackle and Boat Hire, John at Warwick Outdoors, the team at Fish N Bits in Toowoomba, Ryan and his staff at Tackleworld Lawnton and Cory Gooch from Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing have been extremely helpful with information, images and their time while I have been writing this report. Thank you. Make sure you support businesses like these, they really know their stuff. As far as the December fishing goes, it is time to look at the hours that

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND LAKE KURWONGBAH Months like December at Lake Kurwongbah can be a little hit and miss. A run of hot weather can push the fish out of the abundant weed in the lake and send them looking for areas where the water temperature is more comfortable for them. This can mean that fishing early in the morning and later in the day when air temperatures are lower can be better. For many anglers this offers a fantastic opportunity to throw surface lures. Cicada imitations, soft plastic frogs or lures like bent minnows can all be deadly when fished in the clear areas around the weed/lily pad lined edges. I have never found the surface bite to be consistent at Kurwongbah, but that is most probably because I don’t have the patience to persist with it. The reward if you do have the patience can be some lovely bass or even better a

Redclaw crayfish are a big drawcard for anglers. They are beautiful to eat and are in many of the SE Queensland lakes. lure options that have been working recently are 1/4 and 3/8oz spinnerbaits, jig spinners with similar weighted rigged paddle tail soft plastics, Noike Kaishin blades, the recently released TT Flashpoint Plus tail spinner and the 5cm or 6cm Rapala V Blade. Once the sun is higher in the sky I either get off the water or I push to the edges of the weed beds (where they drop into deeper water) and use similar lures along those edges. Another option is to focus on the drop offs from any main points, the fish love moving to these areas as well. Please also be aware or other users and ski boat traffic. This holiday period sees an interesting mix of vessels on the water and all vessels need to be mindful of each other when on the water. • Lake Kurwongbah is a paddle craft only fishery. There are launching and

A beautiful saratoga about to hit the net at Lake Kurwongbah. Lake Kurwongbah saratoga. For me, even though I may dabble with the surface lures, my focus tends to be in the areas where there is enough water over the weed beds to be able to run a lure. The bass and saratoga love sitting in the weed, using it as place to hide and ambush any food that may swim past. I find that there can be large concentrations of fish in these areas if you happen to find the right one and the best time to focus your efforts in these areas are the times mentioned. Some good 46 DECEMBER 2024

A 52cm golden perch caught by the author casting to a shady bank at Somerset Dam in the late afternoon. It was caught on a 1/2oz Obsession spinnerbait in the sunset colour.

you are on the water. As the outside temperatures increase you will need to focus your fishing hours around first and last light and avoid the main heat of the day. The other thing to be mindful of will be once the holiday season kicks in, there will be many more users of our waterways. A little patience goes a long way at this time of the year. I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. If you want to stay connected with my fishing exploits, check out PTP Fishing on YouTube. All that is left to say now is, see you later from PTP Fishing. zoning rules in place. To find out more about these rules go to the SEQ Water website and look up Lake Kurwongbah. LAKE WYARALONG Some particularly good reports have been filtering through from Wyaralong. There are some very big bass in this waterway and for whatever reason they seem to be angrier than the bass in many other places. The timbered zones have been the

A Lake Kurwongbah bass ate this Atomic VIB 60 as the author rolled it over the top of a deep weed bed. hotspot for most anglers and lipless crankbaits have been the hot lure option. Jackall TN60’s, Rapala V Blades and Atomics Vibes all worth their weight in gold. My only other tip for Wyaralong would be to upgrade your leader size. Most are running a minimum of 20lb leader to avoid being busted off on the structure at Wyaralong. • Lake Wyaralong is an electric motor and paddle craft only fishery. No fuel powered motors may be used on the waterway. To find out more about these rules go to the SEQ Water website and look up Lake Wyaralong. SOMERSET DAM December can be a fickle month to fish Somerset Dam. Increased boat traffic and warmer water temps tends to make the fish a little jumpy. That doesn’t mean there aren’t fish to be caught, it just means you may need to be a little single minded in your approach. Areas like Pelican Point and the Kirkleigh Flats will always hold fish.

The bass in the timbered zones at Somerset tend to be a little smaller than the ones caught in the main lake, but they are still lots of fun. Warmer water temps will tend to have the active fish holding and feeding close to the bottom. As an angler you will need to adjust to this and ensure that your lure is running in that bottom 3-5 feet of water. Heavier spoons or paddle tail plastics on 5/8oz jigheads are great options to use as they can be kept in that zone far more easily. It is also a great time for anglers that like trolling. Having your lure well back from the boat and focusing on the deep contours of the lake to troll them over will definitely produce fish. Your lure still needs to be in the bottom 3-5 feet of water, so your lure choice is vital to have any success. The timbered or 6 knot zones of the lake are also an option, but they become more of a morning or afternoon proposition. Hardbody lures or spinnerbaits fished around structure will always give you a chance of success. Pockets of shade or shady banks (particularly in the afternoon) are also worth exploring with the same lures. They tend to concentrate the baitfish and the predators won’t be too far away. Trolling the riverbed can also be very effective. Some great golden perch and saratoga captures have been the highlights of fishing up in these areas. • For up to date information on what’s biting and where to go, see Somerset Tackle and Boat Hire at Kirkleagh (right near the boat ramp). You can hire a boat or just pick up some tackle. Open 8:30am – 5:00pm Friday to Sunday ENOGGERA RESERVOIR This is my local and December is most probably the last month it really fishes well, before water temperatures push the fish into zones that I have not been able to find. The better fishing at Enoggera is focused along the lily pad lined edges. With water temps rising, lures fished deeper along the edges will be the key. The other key and I say this to every person I have ever discussed fishing at Enoggera with is a 4-5cm profile lure. My preference is a lipless crankbait; however, I have been playing with

Freshwater QLD

FMM other lures recently and have had some success using TT Flashpoint Plus tail spinners in the 14g and 9g sizes as well as the Noike Kaishin Blade in the 1/4oz size. Like all the other waterways fishing in the morning or late afternoon will offer the better fishing and if you do find an area holding fish, fish it thoroughly, as the Enoggera bass tend to zone up. At times it feels like there are no fish in the waterway and then you find a patch of fish and then you wonder just how many fish you can catch in one area.

Most of the captures at Enoggera are smaller fish, but there are some mid to high 30cm fish in there, that are great fun to catch. • Enoggera Reservoir is a paddle craft only fishery. There is a launching area a small walk down from the Walkabout Creek carpark. There are rules relating to launching about on water activities. To learn more about these rules go to the SEQ Water website and look up Enoggera Reservoir. MOOGERAH DAM It seems the word is out and there are many more anglers enjoying the good

DARLING DOWNS AND GRANITE BELT

down standing timber to be a good chance of picking up a fish. For bait anglers, either saltwater yabbies or worms will be your best options. • Cooby is open to paddle and electric motor-powered craft. The gates are open from 6am-8pm. Fish’n’Bits tackle store in Toowoomba can help you out with all your bait and lure fishing needs LESLIE DAM Many would say that Leslie has been the most consistent of our Southern waterways. It feels like there are almost daily reports of Murray cod and golden perch captures from the lake. Reports are if you find structure, you will find fish. What do I mean by this? The cod in particular are holding on any timber structure situated on the edges of the old creek bed. Anglers are keeping an eye on their sounder and when they spot these pieces of structure on the bottom, they are focusing their efforts there and being rewarded with some lovely fish. Larger

COOBY DAM Toowoomba locals are enjoying their fishing at Cooby and I can only expect this to continue in December. The only real change may be in the water depths the fish are concentrated in, and the best was to figure that out is trolling. Deep diving hard bodies like the Halco Poltergeist, the Hide Up range of lures (they have a great range of depth options) or some of the Barambah divers have all been working well. The edge of the old creek bed and the Western deeper banks are good places to try. Small metal and soft plastic vibes are always popular options at Cooby. Lures like the TT Switchprawn Plus, the new TT Switchminnow or the ever consistent Ecogear ZX lures will all produce fish. Curl tail and paddle tail plastics in a 3-4inch size can also be effective. All of these just need to be fished near structure, down depth changes or even just rolled up and CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA DAM As mentioned in last month’s report, it is an exciting time to chase barramundi in our Queensland impoundments and the two southern barramundi fisheries are fishing very well. Lake Monduran is the closest of the fisheries to Brisbane and it is great to see anglers making the 5-6 hour trip there and getting onto a few fish. Awoonga is not much further up the road and it seems the big fish are on the chew. A lot of the action is in the hours just before and just after first and last light. Anglers either taking advantage of the surface bite at these times or working large soft plastics around the many weeded points around the lake. Fish can be caught outside of these hours (during the day). Generally, people will do a bit a searching by trolling the deeper water off the weed points mentioned. The other option is to again focus on the deeper water in bays where the prevailing wind is blowing into. Any

Most of the fish in Enoggera Reservoir are on the smaller side. However, there are some bigger models that are well worth catching.

fishing that Moogerah has been putting up. Having said that it doesn’t seem to have affected the fishing in any way, with plenty of quality fish still hitting the deck. The deeper flats and drops offs from them have been producing early and late in the day, with the fish then pushing into deep water off points or in the old creek beds. The timber has also been producing but the fish have tended to be on the smaller side. December should see the fishing remain the same, but it will pay to focus your efforts around the start and the finish of the day.

lipless crankbaits and deep diving lures have been the go to options, while small metal blades worked down any decent depth change, has worked a treat on the Leslie golden perch. Trolling will also work well in the same areas. The key is to use a diving lure that runs at the depth of the structure you have found.

Bait anglers are also having plenty of success. Worms and frozen saltwater yabbies are always the most popular baits at this time of the year. • The local blokes at Warwick Outdoor and Sport in Palmerin Street can point in you in the right direction and hook you up with the good gear and bait to catch the fish at Leslie.

Gary’s Marine Centre

extended period of consistent wind direction will concentrate the food in that area and the predators are never far behind. • Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing (0407 273 221) run guided trips on the lake.

Another happy customer of Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing. These Awoonga barramundi will put a smile on your face. Both cater to the needs of the angler and can do fly or conventional tackle trips to target the lake’s barramundi. It is hard to beat time on the water and a guided trip is a fantastic way to learn more about this lake and its fish.

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DECEMBER 2024 47

FMM

KAYAK FISHING

Yakking Currumbin Creek was hard yakka! BRISBANE

Troy Brown

I’m sure most anglers have experienced a tough period when the fish haven’t come easily. It could be poor technique, weather, seasonal changes in fish behaviour or adverse luck. Regardless of the cause, these lulls can bruise our ego, destroy our

jacks. I also had some exciting near misses with some monsters. The lack of photos was a problem, but some last-minute catches and a few archived photos saved the day! The waterway is frequented by boats, launched mostly from the popular boat ramp on Thrower Drive. I launched my kayak from the same location, but you can launch a kayak deeper into the system. As it’s a

Grunter have been a frequent catch during the author’s trips to Currumbin Creek. They don’t fight dirty, but they fight hard!

Trolling is an effective way to increase your catch rate. confidence and dramatically increase stress. It hurts even more when you’re preparing to write a triumphant final article for the most respected fishing magazine in Australia, expecting to go out with the proverbial “bang” but instead finish with a fizzle! Currumbin Creek has become my nemesis. I’ve fished the creek a handful of times, mostly on the wrong tide, just after rain or other adverse conditions. My hunt has been singleminded: I wanted to bag a Currumbin mangrove jack. Each trip has gone the same way. I’d start with a firm desire to cast only for jacks, shunning all other species. After hours of casting, I’d catch zero jacks, admit failure and switch to bream gear. At that point, I’d often get smashed by my original target species. When you see the massive red flanks of a jack as it causes your fragile 6lb leader to snap, the pain is monumental. Adding further insult was the discovery that most of the useful photos and videos for my article were gone after I accidentally deleted some data. With only one day left to get some useful content, I trusted my ability to catch enough to fill a page or two. Sadly, that last-minute dream of a big Currumbin jack didn’t become reality. I took a deep breath, considered my experiences at Currumbin Creek, and realised my failures had been a form of success. For, despite my inability to extract a large jack from the system, I had caught a lot of fish in the creek, including some smaller mangrove 48 DECEMBER 2024

relatively small stretch of water, I chose to pedal upstream rather than dragging my kayak over rough ground near the better fishing grounds. In hindsight, I should have ignored the potential for a few scratches on the hull, as I wasted valuable fishing time by choosing the longer route. The area near the ramp is worth a look, with reports of large flathead caught at the nearby creek mouth, plenty of bream around the bridge walkway, and some interesting rock walls. On an earlier trip, a handful of casts near the bridge produced nearly a bream-a-cast for me. This time, however, I had a laser-like focus on some snaggy territory upstream. On a couple of my previous trips into “jack country”, I decided to spend some time trolling. I caught a few flathead, some chunky trevally and had

an exciting but fruitless battle with a suspected red dog. I’m not a big fan of trolling, but if you’re having no luck casting the snags, trolling a lure will nearly guarantee a catch. When you reach areas with sharper drop-offs on the edges, timber laying in the water, rock walls and pontoons, it’s time to stow the trolling lure. Yes, you

can find, and take your chances. You may come away empty-handed, but when you do land that big jack from gnarly structure, you’ll remember it forever. As frustrating as they are, even the bust-offs will get your pulse racing and make you want the victory more passionately. On recent trips, I’ve had some

Small jacks loved the author’s larger lures and heavy gear, while the big jacks preferred tiny lures and light leader. Some days just don’t go your way! could troll these areas and likely catch more fish, but for true enjoyment, you need to up the ante, throw your lure into the most dangerous structure you

Several flathead took the author’s lure as it passed likely-looking jack snags.

incredible strikes, many on impossibly light gear, but also with some heavier gear on surface strikes. Sometimes, your luck fails and the fish wins the day, but these losses only make me more determined to return for another battle. My hunt for a big jack in Currumbin Creek is ongoing, but I’ve received some valuable lessons. Firstly, like most waterways, the fishing can be particularly tough just after heavy rain. Secondly, regardless of whether there has been a lot of freshwater flowing into the system, this creek absolutely fishes best on an incoming tide. The start of the run-out can fish well, but activity on a run-in tide is one of the most contrasting I’ve ever witnessed. I commented to another kayaker that your sounder lights up like an arcade once a big tide starts

FMM

KAYAK FISHING

to push in. After spending hours of fruitless fishing while waiting for the tide change, he didn’t believe me. As we neared the ramp to head home, the incoming tide started to flow into the creek, causing my sounder to be inundated with large sonar returns. I decided to make “one last cast” at the ramp and scored a small jack for my trouble. It was only my third mangrove jack for the few trips, so it was a welcome catch. It proved a point, as I’ve found the creek is one of the most predictably fickle I’ve fished in respect

to the tide, with the narrowest window of opportunity I’ve experienced. My theory is the incoming tide brings cleaner, more oxygenated and baitrich water, which rapidly deteriorates on outgoing tides or when the tide turnover is minimal. Unless there’s a big incoming tide, I’ll most likely find another location, as poor timing has hampered my results to date. Also, my big “bust-offs” have occurred on some of the rock walls and deeper edges, but also on incredibly shallow banks. Fish identification is

This is NOT the jack you seek! Caught at the ramp on the incoming tide, it proves there’s always time for one more cast.

The humble bream is abundant on an incoming tide, and it’s possible to get good catches only metres from the ramp.

easy when they’re engulfing your bream lures in such shallow water. Any obstruction protruding into the water is a likely ambush point, particularly if it’s in the shade. If you want to mix up your catch, instead of burning the lure back after it clears the “jack zone”, slow your retrieve further, and you may be rewarded with different species. Most importantly, persist, persist and then persist some more! Sooner or

later, your patience will be rewarded. Sadly, I’ll be unable to share my adventures with readers of this magazine in the future, but time marches on, and I hope it is kind to everyone at Fishing Monthly. You’ve given us a valuable resource that will be missed not just by your readers, but also by those who’ve had the privilege to share their stories. To everyone at Fishing Monthly, thank you for your incredible contribution to fishing in Australia.

DECEMBER 2024 49

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DECEMBER 2024 51

NSW

Sydney

FMM

There’s a lot to get excited about in December SYDNEY ROCK & BEACH

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com.au

Hi to all! This is the last time we’ll be writing for this wonderful magazine, and it’s a sad time for all the writers, the huge fanbase of readers and especially sad for Jacqui, Nicole and all the staff at Fishing Monthly. I wish them all the best. WHAT’S BITING When it comes to the local fishing, I am really excited about this month. On the beaches, the whiting are in good numbers, along with beach mulloway, tailor, whaler sharks, bream and more. Off the rocks, there will be a

good run of snapper, kings, bonito, bream, luderick and more. Estuaries like Sydney Harbour should also be pumping with most of these species. You have to love that summer feeling! OCEAN ROCKS If you’re a rock fisher and have connections to keen rock anglers, you may have heard the reports filtering in about snapper and kings being caught off the rocks. These fish are migrating inshore and should be in larger numbers this month. Of course, this does depend on the currents, which can vary with fluctuating water temps in December. Normally, the water temp is around 21°C, but it can go as low as 19°C. It may not sound like much, but

it can make a big difference. THE WASHES Fishing the sudsy white water (the washes) is a great option at this time of year. If you haven’t done it before, it’s well worth doing. As the waves wash onto the rocks, they dislodge weeds, invertebrates and crustaceans and deposit them back into the ocean, along with plenty of oxygen. Baitfish hide in the whitewater, trying to avoid predators like kingfish, bonito, salmon and tailor. If the water is deep enough, you can have a lot of fun fishing for these species, along with snapper, bream and late-season trevally. This month, I recommend fishing in depths of 5m+ for trevally, bream, snapper and other assorted species. Half pilchard baits, king prawns, banana prawns, bottle squid and squid strips are the go-to baits. Berley up with chopped-up prawn heads and/or pilchard cubes, plus bread. Bread is a good, cheap ‘filler’ for berley, making it go further so you have enough to last several hours. Soaked chicken pellets work well as filler, too. Rig your baits on 2/0 to 3/0 octopus or bait holder hooks with light ball sinkers from 00 to 2. A 7-15kg rod with a reel to suit will do the job. You will

The last cast of the day produced this cracker 43cm+ tarwhine for Tom Radcliffe. His dad and younger brother also did well that day, catching a few nice rock blackfish.

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52 DECEMBER 2024

Julian Edwards with one of two beach worms he caught on a recent trip with the author, who showed him how to catch them. Beach worming is great – you have to give it a go! also need a life jacket, steel spike shoes and spray jacket, and quick-dry type clothes (especially quick-dry pants). If you haven’t done much rock fishing before, please fish with an experienced friend. This sport can be dangerous!

Rob Marich with a mixed bag of whiting, bream and tailor caught on beach worms. If you don’t know any veteran rock fishers, you can come on a trip with me. I am a full-time fishing guide, and I’ll give you the best tips and safety strategies, and teach you to catch your favourite species. Kingfish are one of the favourite species for Australian anglers and also one of the toughest species on the planet. Unlike tuna, which generally swim around in clearer water when hooked, a kingfish will go deep, close to abrasive structure like rocks or wharf pylons as it tries to escape. For that reason, large kings are very hard to land, but this challenge is all part of the thrill! Your rod should be at least 9ft, preferably 10ft. I use the Daiwa Saltist Hyper PE-4-6 with 24-37kg Expedition braid and a Saltist MQ 10000 with Saltiga leader 80-100lb. A set-up like this is ideal for sizeable kings. However, even with this kind of gear, don’t get too cocky because you may still get completely hammered by these brutal fish. You have a better chance of success if you’re more experienced and the location is more forgiving, but there’s also an element of luck, especially if the king is huge. You need to be prepared for anything because you can hook an undersized king on one cast, and a metre-plus beast the next. Check out my YouTube channel to see a video of that exact scenario happening! One of the go-to dead baits for kings is an extra-large eastern sea gar, rigged on a 2-hook snell or 4x gangs with 6/0-8/0 size hooks. Another sensational bait is a whole, really fresh squid on a 2-hook rig. Use a torpedo-type float and float stopper, and slide the stopper at the depth you want to fish. The squid can be fished unweighted or with a small ball sinker sliding to the bait so you can get the bait down, especially in wilder conditions.

Sydney NSW

FMM A live yellowtail works a treat on the kings as well, and soft plastics also catch their share (e.g. 7” jerkshads on 1/2-1oz 7/0 to 8/0 jigheads). There are other baits, lures and techniques that will work, but there’s not enough room on the page to discuss them all! Low tides work well in the deeper water, allowing you to fish in a swell of up to a metre or so. High tides are great but take into account there are big morning tides in summer. Although they’re awesome to fish, the swell needs to be at a fishable size to fish the stones. The evergreen Bluefish Point at Manly, ‘The Hat’ also at Manly harbour entrance, North and South Curl Curl are some of the go-to spots. OCEAN BEACH Even though I love rock fishing – the excitement hooking that big fish, the danger aspect where all of your senses are fully heightened – beach fish is more relaxing. It’s also safer… except when you encounter the occasional ‘Karen’ surfer, swimmer, or kite surfer. Sydney beaches are different from country beaches, where you could be several km away from the closest angler. Still, Sydney beaches are easy to fish if you keep your eyes open and are aware of your surroundings. And there are times when you are literally the only angler on the beach. Whiting Sizeable whiting should be on the chew this month. At this time of year, they’re normally in good numbers, with fish averaging around 35cm+. It’s also not uncommon to catch several bigger 40-43cm+ models on an outing. To give yourself the best chance of success, make the effort to get yourself the best baits. Live beach worms are the go-to for most beach whiting anglers, and you can buy beach worms, tube worms and live nippers from good bait

shops. However, supplies are limited; don’t just turn up and expect the bait to be there on tap. Give the tackle shop a call, and even pay for the bait over the phone so they’ll hold on to it for. Of course, you can catch your own worms at low tide, but it can take a long time if you’re not that crash-hot at catching worms. And besides that, if it’s a dawn start with an early morning high tide, you may not have that option anyway. That said, if you want to learn worming, I can take you out and teach you. Ultimately, you want to be prepared well in advance with all of your gear, rigs, the best baits, and know roughly where you’re going to fish. Mulloway Beach mulloway are a great evening choice this month. You can’t beat those balmy nights on the beach soaking A photo from the popular Gone Fishing Day event at Narrabeen Lake in October. This young lad caught the largest fish of the day: a nice bream. It was kept in a keeper net and released at the end of the day.

Anthony Pitinac with a 63cm snapper – his first snapper from the rocks. We put it in the keeper net and he said he’d like to release the fish if it would survive. It was looking good so Anthony released it, and it swam off strongly.

big baits like a live yellowtail, live mullet, squid or tailor fillet. This kind of fishing can be really rewarding, not just for a mulloway but for other species like tailor, salmon and dusky or bronze whaler sharks. It’s best to get to your chosen spot an hour or so before dark so you can see if there is kelp in the gutter, and also to get there before other anglers arrive. It’s good to have a plan B or C gutter in case of unforeseen circumstances, or even another beach if there are no other options, or if the weather turns on you. Beaches to try include Palm Beach, Newport Beach, North Narrabeen to Collaroy, Dee Why and even Manly. Manly is a crowded beach so it’s best to fish after dark.

So this is it! The last column! It has been a privilege writing for this magazine, working with the wonderful staff at Fishing Monthly, and meeting people I would have never have met. It has been a great journey, and Fishing Monthly will be sorely missed. • Alex Bellissimo is an experienced rock fishing guide with proven teaching formulas. If you’re an experienced angler, he will bring your abilities to new heights. And if you’re new to rock fishing, Alex will teach you all the fundamentals so you can consistently catch fish -- and stay safe at the same time. All tackle and bait is supplied. To find out more, visit www. bellissimocharters.com.au, email alex@ bellissimocharters.com.au, or call Alex on 0408 283 616.

FISHING NEWS

Court conviction for illegal NSW fishers In early 2023, NSW DPIRD Fisheries Officers from the Sydney South district and the Greater Metropolitan Mobile Squad, acting on a tip-off from a member of the public via the Fishers Watch Hotline, uncovered a significant illegal operation at a residential property in Cabramatta. The officers discovered 8,716 cockles, weighing 492kg in the backyard of the residence. After investigations, these cockles were seized as part of a black market operation. On 15 October 2024, the individual appeared in Liverpool court for sentencing. After pleading guilty to all charges related to the unauthorised sale and possession of cockles, she was convicted on all four counts and fined $12,700. The magistrate noted the scale of the operation, reflecting that it was a

commercial enterprise causing harm to legitimate businesses. Fishing resources are not infinite. Regulations, including strict daily bag and possession limits, are in place to ensure that all fishers

can share the resources now and into the future. Harvesting of cockles and seafood in NSW is strictly regulated to ensure a responsible and viable fishing industry.

Cockles are an integral part of marine ecosystems as filter feeders, having the capacity to filter large amounts of water. Key reminders: • It is illegal to sell recreational catch. • Purchasing fish, especially shellfish, from unlawful sellers can pose serious health risks. • Commercial seafood sold in shops and restaurants is safe to eat as the NSW Food Authority monitors the safety of commercially harvested shellfish. The rules and regulations for collecting invertebrates and Marine Parks, Aquatic Reserves and Intertidal Protected Areas throughout NSW are available on the NSW FishSmart app. Anyone with information on suspected illegal fishing activity is urged to call the Fishers Watch phone line on 1800 043 536. - NSW Fisheries DECEMBER 2024 53

NSW

Sydney

FMM

Get out there and get amongst them this month SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Emotions are running high as I put together this last report for Fishing Monthly because this is the final issue of the magazine. 29 years ago, I visited the Australian Fishing Tackle Show out at Penrith Panthers to meet representatives from a variety of tackle companies. I wanted to discuss an idea I had about writing a short course on fishing as part of my university degree in teaching. It was there that I met the theneditor of NSW Fishing Monthly, Peter Horribin, who asked me to write a feature article on drummer fishing. I explained to Peter that I had never written an article before, but he said to

magazine called Fish and Boat. I would like to thank Peter Horribin for his help, along with Tony Zann, who took over from Peter and Steve Morgan (the current and retiring editor of FM), Jacqui Thomas, Nicole Penfold and Rupe Gaden (ex-marketing manager for FM) for the massive amount of help over the years. Now down to what could be

The author’s favourite species off the rocks is drummer. That’s why he penned his first article for NSW Fishing Monthly.

Andrew Humphries caught this 74cm mulloway while using a 50cm crankbait meant for a bream.

Lachlan, Riley, Oliver and Alanna Brown love chasing flathead in the Shoalhaven River. just give it a go and post it to him, with pictures, and he would read it and get back to me with some advice. After hours of writing (on paper) and rewriting, correcting spelling mistakes with whiteout, taking photos, checking and rechecking, I posted it to Peter. A few weeks later, I received a reply in the mail. Peter said that even though all the information was there, my writing style was inside out and back to front – but my pictures were great. He suggested that I write my article the same way that I talk. My wife thought Peter’s letter was a bit harsh, but I took it on the chin as constructive criticism and put pen to paper again. That rewritten article made the next issue, and that was 28 years and two months ago. Since then, I have supplied a monthly report for every issue (that’s 338) and never missed a month. I have also written numerous feature articles, boating reviews and had six front cover shots. For me, this has been a highlight of my fishing career! From this humble beginning, I have now written for several other magazines and websites, tackle companies, produced two videos, written six books for the Australian Fishing Network, and have just picked up writing for another 54 DECEMBER 2024

happening in the southern Sydney area during December. WHAT’S BITING The local beaches in Bate Bay, the Royal National Park and down to Stanwell Park should be firing on all fronts. There will be whiting, dart, tailor, salmon, bream, mulloway and flathead on the chew. So, whether you are a boat angler or love chucking a few lures about, I suggest you get your gear out, dust it off, change those hooks and get out there on one of your favourite beaches and get amongst a few. As for the rocks, there will still be plenty of drummer and luderick about, along with bream, trevally, tailor, salmon, kingfish and bonito.

Island, up at the entrance to the Cooks River, The Drums in the middle of the bay, the oil wharf and off the sand spit at Dolls Point. The dusky flathead will start to increase in numbers and can be readily caught on both baits and lures. The best baits are half pilchards, whitebait, live worms and pink nippers, strips of fresh mullet and squid and fillets of salted slimy mackerel. Four of my favourite soft plastics for flathead are the ZMan 4” DieZel MinnowZ, the 3.5” Drop KickerZ, the Mulletron un-rigged and the PrawnZ Elite. I will leave the colour choice up to you, but I can’t go past the Houdini. If you prefer to drift, you could try around the Sticks, Yarra Bay, the ends of the runways, in 3-4m off the beaches that stretch from Brighton to Dolls Point, wide off Towra, between the Captain Cook and Tom Uglys bridges. Further upstream you could try the channel at Lugarno, the Moons, Picnic Point and upstream of the Milperra Bridge. Live poddy mullet is my preferred bait. The water seems to have cleared up heaps as there have been trevally and Australian salmon caught up as far as the Cattle Duffers on peeled prawns and live pink nippers. Talking about prawns, the Hawkesbury River ones have been very hard to get over the past few months. Hopefully, with the warmer conditions, the prawns will start to run and we can get them at our

The author with his family, who all fish – although he had to ‘brainwash’ some of them into trying it! The author says he will continue to share his fishing passion with anybody who wants to try something new. Places worth a shot will be the Kurnell Peninsula, Boat Harbour, windy point at Cronulla and Wattamolla. By now, the kingfish will have shown up in both Botany Bay and the Port Hacking River. Yarra Bay, Bare

The author’s daughter Alissa with a quality flathead caught on a TT Switchblade.

BCF store. The Port Hacking will have an increase of whiting, bream, flathead, bonito and kingfish during this month. There have been a scattering of big whiting over the flats, and the kingfish can be found in the deeper bays. You just

Chris Brown with his first-ever fingermark, caught on a trip to Weipa with the author. have to work a bit harder for them. Live baits have been getting the best results. By now, the offshore FADs should have been deployed and it will be worth a try for kingfish and mahimahi. Live baits and lures are the go. SIGNING OFF Well, that is the end of an era for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed putting together all the monthly reports and articles for Fishing Monthly, and sharing my knowledge and experiences with readers. I hope that, in some small way, sharing my knowledge has helped you to increase yours. To me, family is everything, and that’s how I see the team at Fishing Monthly. They have brought so much to my extended family over the years and I hope that, now and then, other writers have done the same for you. I cannot thank Steve and his welloiled crew enough. As every other reader of this great magazine will attest, Fishing Monthly has been the best magazine on the market. It’s a shame the world is going to lose all that great local knowledge and what’s happening in the world of fishing and boating.

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NSW

Byron Coast

FMM

Bring on warm weather and holiday fishing BALLINA

Anthony Melchior

We’ve had a hot lead-up to summer, which can only mean good things for the fishing in the Richmond River. Our afternoon storms are starting to become more frequent after those hot and humid days, sending the barometer through the roof. The fiery mangrove jack has been out in some great numbers and good size at the moment and they’ve been coming on live bait and lures. I’ve personally been running

these fellas coming up and feeding on the flats. I can’t recommend this style of fishing enough. Just use a 1-3kg rod and 4-6lb line and light drag, get a good action going with your lures, and have fun. The best thing about summer is the surface fishing for most estuarine species, which have their eyes looking up for bugs and prawns, and baitfish skipping along the surface. As the water heats up, you can have a lot of fun chasing bass. Cicada and frog imitation lures are the best options at this time of year,

The author with a great bass caught out of a drain. A few reports are getting around that Spanish and spotted mackerel are making their way through the bait grounds, wreaking havoc on

the slimies and yakkas. If you can pick a good evening or morning, it’s definitely worth giving these guys a crack.

Josh H got this cracking bycatch while chasing snapper. the Samaki Redic DS80. These guys are getting down nice and deep and plucking these mangrove jacks off the rock walls and snags they’ve been sitting on. Using a high ratio baitcaster and running 40lb leader with 30lb mainline. On a 3-5kg baitcaster but on the heavier side bit of a stiffer rod for those big strikes these guys hit you for on the initial bite. In saying that, I’ve been finding good numbers of flathead up shallow on the same rock walls. It’s definitely welcome as a bit of bycatch and a take-home feed for the family. The flatties are going to start to move upriver (if we don’t get a heap of rain), chasing that brackish water. They’ll be sitting down a bit deeper on mudflats and sand flats because it’s getting quite warm now on the flats. That said, you’ll still find a lot of eating-size ones up shallow as they are looking for food and trying to get bigger. Who doesn’t love summer whiting fishing? Getting out on those sand flats and throwing small walk-the-dog surface lures and shallow-diving hardbodies is a lot of fun. There are plenty of reports of 56 DECEMBER 2024

and let’s be honest – it’s the most fun style of fishing for these fellas. You’ll find the bass spread out from all the small creeks, such as Emigrant Creek, up as far as Casino and past Lismore. After their spawning run in winter, the bass are looking to bulk up and return to their territorial grounds further upriver. Go and get amongst these guys this month because there are plenty to be caught at the moment.

Josh M with a late-night jack caught on a live bait.

This jack couldn’t resist a Samaki Redic.

Snapper are on the chew around the 32-48 fathom marks. You can catch these guys suspended on light plastics or bottom bashing with fresh squid or live baits. You may get some good bycatch in the way of big mulloway. Reports are coming in of some very big fish caught whilst fishing for snapper, with some models getting up around the 25-30kg mark. Massive fish! This is the last issue of Fishing Monthly magazine, and I’m honoured to be able to write this final article in the paper format. All the best to the staff, writers and readers, and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all. Wishing everyone tight lines and screaming drags.

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NSW

Coffs Coast

FMM

A complete fishing calendar for the Coffs Coast COFFS COAST

Rob Taylor

Some milestones are sadder than others. And the recent announcement this fine magazine, which has been a highly anticipated arrival into the hands of Australian fishos each month, will no longer be publishing is certainly a sad one. Fishing social media feeds off our collective need for instant gratification, but it will never match the anticipation of getting this mag every month, kicking back on the deck with a beer, and actually reading about this pursuit of ours. It takes us back to another time when

Not having a boat isn’t the end of the world for fishing around Coffs. There’s a great run of tailor off our beaches during the cooler months. attention spans were longer, there was a story to every picture, and with every edition you learned something new. I first wrote for this magazine many moons ago as a young bloke covering the Coffs region, and was welcomed back by the team relatively recently to pick up the column again. I’m grateful to have been a part of these pages and genuinely feel for everyone affected by the closure. The hard-working staff, the committed and knowledgeable team of writers, and the mad dog punters who read the magazine every month will all feel its loss. I thought that with this being the final edition, I’d tweak this column so that fishos can keep it handy for posterity. Coffs has always been a popular fishing destination and this popularity has only grown in the past few years. A new wizz bang boat ramp is finally operational, and there’s always something worth chasing in this neck of the woods throughout the year. So, let’s take a month-by-month look at what you can expect to target and where on the Coffs coast during the year. JANUARY January is a bit of weirdo. Offshore fishing depends on the East Coast current and how early it kicks into gear. The pelagics all arrive in January; it’s just a question of when. Good current before Christmas will see screaming reels in early January. If that current can’t make its mind up before Santa gets here, then it’s generally the tail end of January when things start to fire. 58 DECEMBER 2024

By pelagics, I’m talking spotted and Spanish mackerel, longtail tuna, black marlin, wahoo, mahi mahi and light tackle brigade made up of mack tuna, frigates and bonito. It can be a blast of a time to fish Coffs offshore, but bear in mind timing is everything, so make sure you’re up to date with your SST charts when planning a trip in January. On the dirt, there are jacks, GTs, whiting and flatties in the saltwater creeks, and the bass will be hitting everything that hits the water under deafening cicadas up in the fresh. My favourite for January is a small black marlin on the bait grounds. FEBRUARY Now you’re talkin’. The offshore scene is white hot once February rolls into town (so long as a big East Coast low or cyclone doesn’t spoil the show. The pelagics are everywhere, and mackerel fever has everyone out, slow trolling live slimies in search of a silver rocket. The spotties arrive this month, and you can have a ball chasing them on livies, too. Longtail will start falling to the LBG crew around the local ledges. The islands are also on the list, particularly if you like trolling fast hardbodies for even faster wahoo. Jellybean yellowfin will be in big schools around The Light and The Big Island. Flatties, whiting and dart can be caught off the beaches and also in the creeks and rivers. Jacks will be peaking in numbers and February remains one of the prime months to chase a bass. My favourite for February: yellowfin tuna at The Light. MARCH Much like February but better. Probably the best time to be alive on the Coffs Coast. Throw in some big blue marlin out wide, and we’ve got a proper party. My favourite for March: live baiting the inshore reefs for mackerel and pulling lures at the islands for wahoo. APRIL When the cooler mornings arrive, locals in the know pull on their jumpers and fish that first hour of light because big, solitary Spanish mackerel are on the cards. Slow trolling big, big dead baits right up against the headlands always turn up some truly trophy fish in April. The pelagics continue to fire throughout April, and some years this is the best month of all. Land-based options abound, with longtail tuna off the rocks, whiting on the beach, flatties and jacks in the creeks and bass and cod up in the hills. Bass are stirring this month and will start heading downstream on their spawning run. Finding them on the move means you need to be on the move, too. My favourite for April: longtail tuna off the rocks. MAY Those mornings really are starting to get chilly now but this is the month to keep targeting those big Spanish mackerel. The deeper reefs start to work, so look for bait schools, but never discount a cheeky firstlight troll right in against the headlands for

that horse Spanno. This is a great month to chase tuna off the rocks but the first of the tailor start to hunt the washes this month, and they can take a toll on live baits. Keep up to date with closures, as the bass season usually ends in May and lasts until late August. Certain freshwater systems are subject to differing restrictions, so make sure you know the rules. Fisheries actively hunt out offenders, and the fines are meant to hurt. My favourite for May: I’m still out chasing big Spanish. The bottom fishing off Coffs isn’t half bad. The place can be dynamite at certain times of the year for fish like this delicious pearl perch.

A fish synonymous with Coffs Harbour: big inshore snapper. From June onward fish of this size are right up in the shallows. JUNE It’s very cold now, but there are big snapper on the onshore grounds hammering plastics so tough it up and get out there. There will still be some big Spanish mackerel about, and targeting the islands and deeper reefs is more productive this late in the run. Trout season usually closes this month, and with bass and cod also off the table, it’s best to stick to the salt for June. My favourite for June: flicking plastics for snapper. Big snapper. JULY See June. My favourite for July: It’s all about those big snapper. AUGUST Similar to June and July, but the very first inklings of a new season are in the wind. My favourite for August: believe it or not longtail tuna off the rocks. SEPTEMBER On the first day of spring, I have two fish in mind: striped marlin and bass. Bass season opens this month, and having been locked out of the fresh for a few months, I’m usually desperate to chase a bass. The bigger systems, such as the Clarence, are the spots to try for those early-season big bass as they move back upriver. My favourite for September: Close call. Striped marlin on the 100m line and bass in the Clarence. Bugger it, do both. The big reds can be red hot this month, too (no pun intended). OCTOBER Striped marlin are thick this month, and pulling lures out over the shelf is the place to find them. Solid schools of kings move into the island this month and there are big numbers in with them. Stickbaiting the island washes first thing

in the morning is a great way to hurt yourself. There are loads of bream and tailor off the beaches and mulloway are a pretty good chance as well. My favourite for October: big kings at The Light. What’s not to love? NOVEMBER I use November to service and clean gear and get ready for the new season ahead. Don’t get me wrong, there’s great fishing for tailor, snapper, bream, drummer, flathead and bass in November, but if I had to pick a month to earn brownie points, it would be November. My favourite for November: I pretend my favourite this month is shopping with the

Big mulloway can be found just about anywhere off Coffs. This one broke all the rules and was caught on a busy bait ground in the middle of the day. missus so I can chase my real favourites for the next eleven DECEMBER Bedlam this month with school holiday makers and mad keen fishos trying their luck. It can be a fickle month but there will hopefully be mahimahi on the FAD and traps, small black marlin on the bait grounds, striped and blue marlin out wider and loads of anticipation as the new season is just around the corner. My favourite for December: mahimahi on the traps. You can set your watch by them, and this is when the big bulls are positively suicidal.

NSW

Coffs Coast

FMM

A great month for locals and holidaymakers SOUTH WEST ROCKS

Vic Levett

Summertime is upon us and with it comes all those awesome warm water species we wait all year for. We have had plenty of swell and wind over the last few months, so hopefully we will see an extended period of stable conditions this summer, allowing us to capitalise on those warm currents that push down the coast at this time of year. OFFSHORE Anglers have been catching some early season pelagics, with the odd wahoo, mackerel, cobia, and even blue

into the washes at dawn and dusk. Small snapper and bream are also patrolling the edges. The offshore reefs are fishing well. Ian Black scored some great snapper, pearl perch and some tasty bar cod out on the 100m reefs. Big butterflied slimy mackerel were the bait of choice. Drifting the 70m reefs has been producing snapper, pearlies and trag. There have been a few marlin starting to show on the shelf, mostly striped, and the odd yellowfin tuna. This month should see some blacks starting to be encountered in close to the Gaol and the Rock. The FADs have had some good numbers of mahi to 10kg at times. We can

There should be some cobia in Trial Bay this month. and striped marlin. Fish Rock has seen the bulk of the pelagic action. We have had a steady southbound current, which is what the Rock loves. Kingfish have been the main target species, with a few cobia in the mix. Lots of rats have been feeding off the top, so topwater has been productive, along with jigging. Large soft plastics fished deep have seen the larger fish getting in on the action. Kai Axisa has been scoring plenty on big Slug-Gos lately. The first of the mackerel are starting to show. Spotted and the odd Spanish have been caught mainly by the spearos. Generally, the bulk of the mackerel will move in over the coming months. The headlands have also been productive with kings, tailor, GTs and stacks of bonito. Try casting metal lures

have been some good tuskies and snapper on the shallow reefs of around 30m. Try a light berley trail on anchor and float lightly weighted baits back. The bite window is fairly short, so make sure you get there nice and early. There has been the odd mulloway in these areas also, so try a live bait on the bottom while you’re targeting reef fish. ESTUARY The river is loaded with flathead and bream, so it’s worth fishing the incoming tides along the break walls. For land-based options, try the Old Wharf, The Tavern and the Jew Bite. Soft plastics have been working well, with Darcy Gordan scoring some good-

Mahimahi season is in full swing. Kelvin landed this fish onboard Oceanhunter. expect their numbers to increase as the season progresses, while the average size should mostly decrease. Up off Grassy and Scotts Head there

Todd with a thumper kingfish ready for release. 60 DECEMBER 2024

Mulloway should move in on some of the inshore reefs over the summer months.

sized flathead and mulloway on lures. Big sand whiting up on the mudflats towards Jerseyville Bridge have really picked up. Try casting Sugapens for some surface action or the trusty live nippers that abound on the flats. Cobia and the odd king should also start moving in around the river. On the top of the tide, bonito and small mac tuna have been tearing around at the mouth. There are plenty of herring around, so grab a bait jig and head down to the boat ramp for some live bait. Those big, tasty mud crabs and the odd blue swimmer should be on the improve and ready to crawl into a freshlybaited trap. Make sure you check out DPI’s rules and regulations for crabbing. ROCK AND BEACH There’s been a ton of swell throughout spring, which has made fishing the ledges

difficult. Drummer, however, have been outstanding. Finding washy protected areas have been the key, with plenty of berley and cunje. I’ve seen large bream and small snapper while diving the washes recently so mix it up with some small cubes of pilchards in the trail. Tailor have been a bit scarce off the rocks, but there have been some large Aussie salmon schooling on the beaches, feeding on the large bait balls along the gutters. I’m sure there would be the odd mulloway mooching around amongst them. If you love bass, December is your month. Surface lures on those hot summer arvos and into the night. Casting along the edges of the Macleay River and its many tributaries is not a bad way to enjoy the end of a hot summer’s day. West of Kempsey around Bellbrook are some of the best places to target bass. To fish it properly, a canoe is a must. There are some shore-based options as well, and with a quick look at Google Maps you should be able to figure it out. Boat and people traffic dramatically increases in summer. The ramps are busy, as are the beaches. Still, there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy, and a smile goes a long way. If we all show some respect and consideration to others we can all enjoy our time on the water doing what we love. It’s been a privilege to have been involved with Fishing Monthly, and I wish the best for all the staff and writers. When in town, make sure you drop into the local tackle shops to find out what’s biting and what gear you need. Merry Christmas to all, and make sure you stay bent. • Vic Levett and his son Zane run Oceanhunter Sportfishing charters out of the beautiful South West Rocks. They target all manner of sports fish from kingfish, mackerel, cobia and all way through to the famous black marlin of Trial Bay. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced angler, the boys will put you onto the best fish available. To find out more visit www.Oceansportsfishing. com.au, Insta Ohsportfishing, Facebook Oceanhunter Sportsfishing. Email vic@ oceansportsfishing.com.au, or call 0414 906 569.

Macquarie Coast NSW

FMM

The Macquarie Coast: an angler’s paradise PORT MACQUARIE

Kate Shelton

The school holidays are fast approaching, with Christmas just around the corner. Let’s hope for ideal summer fishing weather for everyone to enjoy. Summer brings some of the best local fishing competitions to the Macquarie Coast. The Port Macquarie

Check out this massive 26kg bar cod landed by Mick! Thanks to the guys at Outdoor Adventure South West Rocks for sharing this incredible catch. Mick caught the cod on a Bay Explorer Deep Drop fishing rig. Game Fishing Club’s 41st Garmin Golden Lure, a fantastic game fishing tournament, will be held from 10-18 January, 2025. Additionally, the Laurieton United Services Club Fishing Bonanza, a family-friendly competition open to all types of fishing, will also take place in January. For more

information, check out the Facebook pages of the Port Macquarie Game Fishing Club and LUSC Fishing Club. For the latest fishing update from the Macquarie Coast, offshore pelagic fishing is heating up. Anglers who’ve managed to get out to sea during breaks in the weather have reported excellent catches of marlin, kingfish, and mahimahi. Snapper have also been relatively abundant for this time of year, with some nice fish caught off Laurieton and Crowdy Head. A few fantastic catches of mahimahi have been reported from the Port Macquarie and Hat Head FADs, with live yakkas and slimy mackerel being the preferred baits. Game fishing enthusiasts can expect black marlin to start migrating inshore off Trial Bay Gaol, while blue marlin are likely to be found further offshore between Hat Head and Port Macquarie. RIVERS In the rivers, the lower sections of the Hastings River in Port Macquarie continue to fish exceptionally well for bream and flathead. Additionally, some impressive mulloway have been caught off the break walls. The Macleay River has seen plenty of solid whiting activity throughout November, particularly in the Clybucca Creek area. The mud crab scene is also off to a great start, with reports of tasty crabs being caught further up the Macleay River, Lake Cathie, and the Hastings River, perfect for a summer feast. BEACH FISHING On the beaches, whiting numbers are improving in sheltered areas, with some great fish being caught. Alongside whiting, there have been a few nice bream, dart, and flathead, especially further north around Hat Head and Crescent Head, where worms and pipis

are the preferred baits. Mulloway have been reported throughout November on the beaches further south around Diamond Head and North Haven. ROCK FISHING For rock fishing enthusiasts, the best reports have been coming from headlands around Point Plomer, Perpendicular Point and Crowdy. There have been a few luderick, drummer, and the occasional large kingfish caught. As summer sets in and the water warms, we can expect

Jakson West landed this beauty of a longtail (93cm) off Port Macquarie! Image courtesy of @thereeljonwest.

Grayson Adams (7yo) caught this 52cm snapper while fishing with his grandparents in Watson Taylors Lake.

to see some pelagic catches off the rocks in early 2025. Remember to prepare heavy fishing gear for these powerful fish. • Kate Shelton is the proud owner of Bay Explorer Marine Services, and she specialises in making deep-drop fishing rigs for blue-eye trevalla, bar cod, king fish, and bass groper. For more info look up ‘Bay Explorer Marine Services’ on Facebook and Instagram, or find her store on eBay.

FISHING NEWS

Re-snagging the Darling-Baaka River Teams from DPIRD Fisheries and Western Local Lands Services have been out on the Darling-Baaka River working on a re-snagging project between Louth and Tilpa.

Snags are a vital part of a healthy river system and provide important habitat for our native fish. They are our freshwater equivalents of coral reefs. Native fish use snags to shelter

from currents, for refuge from predators, to feed and spawn and as a nursery for juvenile fish. Snags help to provide local flow variation and mix water that is beneficial to aquatic animals and overall river health. They also provide an opportunity for long-

term carbon storage in the aquatic environment. The logs used in the re-snagging project were sourced from nearby properties as a result of approved vegetation clearing as part of routine farming activity and repurposed as snags, providing long-lasting environmental benefit. DPIRD Fisheries recorded the location and statistics of each snag as it went in, including weight. A big thank you to Western Local Land Services for partnering with us to deliver this important project and to the nearby properties for providing the timber and access. This work is funded by the Australian Government through the Fencing Northern Basin Riverbanks Program. - DPIRD Fisheries DECEMBER 2024 61

NSW

Macquarie Coast

FMM

Flathead and summer are match made in heaven! FORSTER

Luke Austin

I can’t believe how fast the last 12 months have gone! We are well and truly into the insanely fun summer fishing season. This time of year can be a real struggle from a weather perspective but oh so rewarding from an angling perspective!

upriver as Darawank, Coomba Park and the Coolongolook River. We have also seen some huge fish landed right down close to the mouth of the system, with a couple of fish up over the magic metre mark! Lure choice hasn’t seemed to matter too much. You could ask 20 anglers what their ‘go-to’ flathead lure is, and you’d get at least 15 different answers. However, if you run with an imitation prawn profile or 3-4” flick bait/paddletail, you’re in with a very good chance. Unfortunately, bait fishos have been struggling a little to find numbers of fish, which is normal when it comes to flathead. These fish love to ambush their prey, so you might need to downsize your sinker and really focus on your presentation to make your offering look as natural as possible. On a positive note, for those anglers sticking to the good old bait, there are plenty of big, fat bream getting about that will be happy to gobble down your flathead offering! We have seen

Jack with a cracking whiting. This time of year is perfect for taking the kids fishing. Wallis Lake is an amazing fishery over the summer months, and there’s nearly always somewhere to fish, regardless of the weather conditions. The number one option for most anglers is the mighty flathead. These fish can be targeted easily using lures or bait and can be caught all over the place. Walking the bank on a run-out tide tossing a few soft plastics about is great fun, clears the mind and will almost always see you score a nice bag of flatties! We have received some cracking reports lately from as far

Alan, the local flatty king, with a real cracker.

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You just never know when a big king might make an appearance. some stonking big fish coming from the rock walls recently, along with the odd snapper mixed in (one reportedly going close to 8kg). Fish numbers are increasing further up on the flats and in the rivers, and there are some bigger fish in the schools now, which is good news. Cicadas and prawns on the go. Now is a perfect time to get out and try to fool a few fish on surface lures. You just can’t beat surface fishing! Trumpeter and sand whiting are both fishing well once you track down the schools. Sand whiting reports have been interesting; the clear water close to the mouth has been producing only small numbers of legal fish, with loads of undersized models about. However, if you move away from the clean sand and clear water, there are loads of big fish in certain areas. Look for yabby beds on broken ground, and you will find plenty of big, solid bronze fish. They are insanely fun to catch and great on the plate! The local beaches have been producing a few fish but are yet to really kick into gear. Finding a decent, weedfree gutter is the biggest challenge. Once you find a good-looking gutter, you have a good chance at landing a nice mixed bag of whiting, bream, dart and flathead. With a bit of luck, we will score some southerly winds to clean things up a little and increase the inshore ocean temperatures, which should see our coastline fire up a bit more. Reports from offshore anglers have been all over the place. One minute, the offshore fishing is a massive waste of time, and the next, it’s amazing with an endless amount of fish! It’s hard to figure out why some days are so much better than others. Part of it comes down to good old lady luck, but one factor that does stand out is getting on the water nice and early. It doesn’t seem to matter if you are fishing in 10m or 60m of water at the moment – the best bite time by a mile is right before/on dawn or into the evening. Trag numbers have been crazy out

there lately, with boats easily bagging out on most reefs out past 40m. Some boats have added some great table-sized snapper to the mix, but others have only managed to find smaller fish. Pelagic species remain relatively quiet. The FAD has been holding some nice mahimahi (depending on the day) and you just never know when a marlin may show itself. It could be anytime from now on! On a final note, I want to say thank you to all you legendary fishos out there who have taken the time to read my ramblings. It’s surreal to think that this publication will be no more after so many years of having it there. Thanks to the crew at Fishing Monthly. You guys have been so good to work with over the years and I wish you all the best for the future! • Luke is the owner of Great Lakes Tackle - your ‘local’ bait and tackle store. We only sell the best brands and offer sound, friendly advice on where you can go to land your next trophy fish

Summertime snapper can turn up in all sorts of funny spots. This one was taken over the sand, sitting under a school of baitfish. while visiting the wonderful Great Lakes region! We’re open seven days in the main street of Tuncurry (ph: 02 6554 9541) or you can find us on Facebook to see what we have been up to!

Hunter Coast NSW

FMM

A great time of year to catch a feed PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

The estuary is alive with flathead, with some absolute giants amongst them up to that magical 1m in length. At this time of year, the back half of the system fishes particularly well for flatties, with Tahlee to Taylors Beach providing endless prime habitat of flats and feeder creeks for them to lurk in.

Bream have been smashing surface lures around Soldiers Point near the islands and rock walls, and whiting have also been active on topwater. If you’re land-based, the ever-reliable Nelson Bay break wall has been red-hot for bream, with unweighted peeled prawns fished on the tide change proving lethal. There have also been a few good-sized kingies along the rock wall, and if you can get your hands on some live squid, you will greatly increase your chances

is targeting them on high tides with light 5-6lb leader, using live worms or nippers for bait. If you want to catch a few squid in the bay, the best areas are Jimmys Beach and Shoal Bay. 2.5-sized jigs fished over the weed beds are a surefire way to catch them. BEACHES I love fishing the summer months from the ocean beaches as it’s such a great way to get a feed when done right. There are loads of whiting around, and by far the best method to catch them is with a double paternoster rig with a #4 long-shank hook and live worm or pipi. When fishing in this manner, you’ll also catch quality bream, dart and the odd salmon and tailor. If, however, you want to focus on the tailor and salmon, fish the afternoons and early mornings with whole pilchards and garfish rigged on gang hooks, or a metal spinner. Mulloway are another great option at this time of year, and to give yourself the best chance of catching one, you want to have the best bait possible.

Night-time around the marinas and jetties will produce some great bream in the coming weeks.

There are some great land-based flathead around at this time of year. of hooking up. It’s one of the best times of the year to get a feed of crabs, with good blue swimmers being taken in Pindimar North, Arm Cove and Tilligerry Creek, and some monster muddies up the creeks of Karuah. The shallow, clear oceanic waters of Shoal Bay and Jimmys Beach are full of whiting. The key to success

Mud crabs are turning up in good numbers.

The author had a ripper session with Mark, catching this stud flathead as well as a bunch of smaller models and some solid bream. The high tide fishes best on the flats, especially on the start of the run-out when baitfish start to drain, and then hit the mouths of the feeder creeks towards the end of the runout tide. You can catch fish on a range of lures, with plastics and hardbodies working best in waters under 2m. Then you can switch over to a surface lure or swimbait for the real shallow stuff.

The results of a good session luring bream and flathead.

While squid and mullet heads or fillets are good backup options, you simply cannot beat a live bait from the beach. Spending time before a session catching bait can pay big dividends. Live whiting or tailor can often be caught at the same spot you intend to fish for mulloway. However, many anglers don’t like the risk of not catching any whiting or tailor, and prefer to bring their own live bait such as mullet or yellowtail. OFFSHORE Offshore, the charter boats are still catching plenty of trag and nice-size snapper from the Gibber, 21 and Vee reefs, and should also start to pick up a few jewies now. Marlin fishing is starting to heat up, with some nice stripes and blues coming from the shelf. It won’t be too long before we start seeing some inshore black marlin action, too. DECEMBER 2024 63

Rod Builders Workshop

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Spinning with lures for trout has come a long way in the past few decades, it is now more common to cast light lures such as hard bodies and soft plastics sometimes as light as just a few grams. This is a world of difference compared to casting metal spoons and wobblers. Therefore, it’s important to have an outfit that will maximize casting distance with such light weights. A 1000-2000 size reel is ideal, usually spooled with braid of around PE0.6 however the most important part of this type of outfit is the rod.

I mentioned the reel and line to be used on this style of rod and this will impact our choice of guide train. I have chosen Fuji’s latest concept, the KR frame which is an evolution of the first tangle free K guide which was released around 2012. Known as ‘micro guides’, the smaller sizes help us keep weight down and at the same time improves casting performance. I could write a whole article on the theory behind the KR concept, but essentially fuji designed it to choke the line down quickly for a more efficient cast and reducing overall weight.

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NSW

Hunter Coast

FMM

Weather pattern is dynamic and fast-moving CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

Although the fishing generally remained pretty good through spring, it has been a bit patchy, or up and down. That’s largely because the weather patterns tend to be more dynamic and fast-

moving in spring. One day, you’re enjoying a hot bite, and the next it’s far too windy to even contemplate fishing. The good news is that the weather normally settles in December, with more predictable conditions. Similar to last year, we have a big finger of warm ocean current gradually moving down from the north. In fact,

Flathead fishing has been very reliable in recent weeks. This 60cm fish was kept for dinner, but remember to release all those bigger flatties this summer. this year bonito have turned up close to shore much earlier than normal. The unseasonal longtail tuna will have probably moved on by the time this is published, but then again, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re still around by the time you read this. Despite the early, warm currents, it’s common for fishing to pick up in

Tailor are one of our more reliable beach fishing species through the summer months. Fish around sunrise or sunset for best results.

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early December, tricking us into thinking the new season’s pelagic fishing is all underway. Then, towards the end of the month, it slows up again. Traditionally, kingfish are about in good numbers in December, and it’s likely you’ll run into a few bonito, tailor and salmon amongst them. Early-season marlin are another

Hunter Coast NSW

FMM

More fishing opportunities in Lake Macquarie SWANSEA

Jason Nunn

When it came to the last prawn run, the reports varied depending on who you talked to. Many anglers who went early didn’t catch a lot, but those guys who went after midnight, and stayed for hours, got a good amount of quality prawns. If you just want to run around for 1.5 hours and think you’ll get 5kg, it’s not going to happen! I also recommend prawning a couple of nights in a row, because some nights there are fewer prawns. If there’s a bit of a southerly and a bit of rain, so much the better. The November/December run should start on November 25 and last until around December 3, so it might be finished by the time you read this. The December prawn run will start around Christmas Eve and finish around New Year’s Eve. The prawn runs trigger an increase in bream and whiting numbers on the sand flats and throughout Swansea channel. We have seen some very good bream around on the back of that last run, with the evenings tending to fish better than the mornings. There have been a lot of very nice whiting, too. On the last run there were quite a few smaller flathead in Swansea Channel, and in the coming weeks there will be more of them and they’ll be bigger. In December, many flatties move into shallower water to spawn, and we’re already seeing a lot of bigger flathead around. Thanks to the slot limit, anglers now have more opportunities to catch a trophy flatty of 80cm+. There are also more opportunities to catch kingfish. Kingies have always been caught at Swansea Bridge and down near the dropover, but the lake itself one to look out for, firstly via social media and secondly, out on the water. It’s largely up to the ocean currents and prevailing winds, but kings, bonito, and marlin are possible this month if things are favourable. Rock fishing can be good at this time of year, but I highly recommend getting out early, well before sunrise, and enjoy your fishing before the onshore winds pick up. We do have a few rock spots that offer shelter from the north-easterly winds, but mostly our better rock fishing ledges are very exposed, with no shelter, unless it’s a light southerly or westerly. A few bream, luderick and drummer are very possible this month. Although they’re considered a winter species, luderick and drummer still reside around the rock ledges and they need to eat. Mulloway, tailor, salmon, kings and bonito are also worth considering, but results could be a bit patchy. Beach fishing starts picking up

has never really been a kingfish fishery. Around three years ago, DPI released a lot of juvenile kingies in Lake Macquarie, around 200mm long. This, combined with wild recruitment and escaped aquaculture fish, has boosted kingfish numbers in the lake. We’ve been seeing schools of kingfish busting up like tailor in the lake some days, and getting good catches. Instead of the kings being a bycatch, they’re now a target. Over the past month, the smaller kingies have been eating just about anything, including pilchards and pieces of prawn. However, live squid is the best bait, deployed on a downrigger around the markers in the deeper water. For lure fishers, good options include poppers and big 7-9” plastics worked around markers and rocky outcrops where baitfish are holding. There has been a small increase in squid numbers on the back of the prawn run, with some reasonable catches in Swansea Channel. The best squid time is January-February, but many species have started early this year so the squid might ramp up early, too. Either way, squid numbers should increase this month so get out and have a look. We can expect good mulloway catches in the lake as well. OFFSHORE Mahimahi normally turn up in good numbers from late December, but this year they appeared in late October in very good numbers coastally. The FADs and the trap line out on the Farm in 100-120m of water have been producing plenty of good-size dollies of 5-6kg+. Only time will tell whether this will continue until autumn. Quite a few striped marlin have been turning up off the coast. It’s a very good sign as we move into Christmas because a lot more people will be able to get out

there and chase them (and the mahimahi) not only at the shelf, but 30-50 fathoms out. The water is nice and clean, with lots of bait in it. Already we’re seeing quite a few trag along the coastline on the inshore reefs, along with the odd mulloway and pan-size snapper. A good way to catch trag and snapper is to anchor and berley rather than drift. Mark the fish, drop the anchor, and set out a consistent, unbroken berley trail. For the trag, use a paternoster rig baited with a whole pilchard on a 5/0 hook. For the snapper, use a pea sinker and float the bait down the berley trail. Good snapper baits include half pillies, strips of squid and bonito fillet. You’ll catch far more fish if you berley correctly. Don’t dump in a large amount and stop because the fish will soon leave to seek food elsewhere. Instead, deploy small amounts continually to keep the fish nearby, where they can find your baits. When berleying, I typically use a combination of laying pellets and bread. Some of the larger pieces of bread will float to show you where the trail is drifting, while everything else will drift to the bottom, with a nice, even fall. I don’t use a lot of tuna oil because sharks can be a problem in summer, but I will cube pillies if I’m using pilly baits. At the time of writing this report, there aren’t many bonito, but their numbers should increase throughout December. We will really start to see offshore fishing start to fire up in the coming weeks, as will the beaches. By the time this magazine hits the shelves, the whiting should be in good numbers along the beaches. The gun bait for our local whiting is tube worms, followed by beach worms. You can buy worms from Tube Worms To You or from New Age Fishing, located near Swansea Bridge.

When chasing whiting off the beach, all you need is a few star sinkers, fluoro leader, worm hooks, and a 10’6”-12’ spin outfit. A paternoster rig is ideal for whiting and bream off the beach because you don’t get the trace wrapping back on the main line. You can just fish over the back of the shorebreak, the two baits sit above the bottom on the paternoster, and the fish will rise up to them. If you’re using a Baitrunner-style reel for whiting off the beach, make sure you fish in gear. A beach whiting bite is aggressive, unlike estuary whiting, which can timidly peck the bait and drop it. Christmas isn’t a great time of year for rock fishing because of the howling nor’easters; autumn is a better time. If you’re determined, however, there’s the odd king, the occasional red, and maybe a few bream, trevally, and mulloway. Finally, when fishing over Christmas, my advice is to fish very early in the morning and late in the evening to avoid the crowds. The lake gets a lot of boat traffic, including large numbers of PWCs, making fishing awkward in shallow water. It’s better to avoid the holidaymakers instead of getting frustrated by them. • Fisherman’s Warehouse Marine, run by Patrick Nunn, is your one-stop shop for outboard sales, repairs and servicing. They are the local Honda outboard dealer (sales and service), and also service Yamaha, Mercury, Suzuki, and Tohatsu outboards, and sell spare parts. For more information, call 02 4945 2152, email enquiries@fishermanswarehouse. com.au, or drop in and see the guys at 4/2 Suite Street, Warners Bay. Subscribe to the ‘Swansea Fishing Report’ YouTube channel or the Fisherman’s Warehouse Marine Facebook page for weekly Swansea fishing reports.

The author has been enjoying fly fishing in the creeks this spring. Although lure casting is more popular, it’s worth learning how to catch bream on fly on the Central Coast. more as the water continues to warm, but again, try fishing very early in the morning, before the wind picks up. About five out of seven days here, we have strong north-easterlies in December. Tailor, mulloway, bream and whiting are the main species to chase at the moment. Don’t forget to try gathering some pipis or beach worms around low tide through the summer months, as they appeal more to the bigger whiting and

bream in the surf zone. Beach worms are also one of the best baits for mulloway. Lure casting, or fishing with baits such as mullet and squid, are always in the spotlight when it comes to beach jewies. If you’re yet to try them, I highly recommend doing so. You don’t need a big pile of thick worms on the hook, either. Jewies will easily detect and take a surprisingly small worm bait in the surf at night. The lakes and Brisbane Waters have fished quite well in recent weeks. December (and all of summer, for that matter) is pretty good in our region for bream, whiting and flathead. All three species are very common from Lake Macquarie down to the Hawkesbury, and they all love getting right up into the extreme shallows in summer. Lure casting and good bait fishing techniques will score plenty of fish in the shallows, but of course, you’ll need to plonk your lure or bait in a sandy spot, rather than straight into the weed. Patches of weed and rocks around a sandy bottom are what you want to look for.

Once again, get out there nice and early for best results and to beat the strong wind, boat traffic or holiday crowds. Fishing at night around some of our bridges and illuminated spots is also the way to go, particularly for flathead. CLOSING THE BOOK This report not only brings us to the end of the year – it also closes the book on what has been a threedecade ride for me. My journey with Fishing Monthly started way back in 1994, when the first edition of NSW Fishing Monthly was published. We’ve had a number of editors over the years and all have been great to me. Thanks to Jacqui, Steve and everyone involved over the years. As they say, all good things come to an end. Although I’m not doing much writing these days, I continue to enjoy my fishing, particularly here on the Central Coast. If you’re on Instagram, you’ll find me @jranglingmedia. I’m always willing to help out with angling tips or info. DECEMBER 2024 67

NSW

Illawarra Coast

FMM

Summertime overview of our angling options ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke

Christmas and the holidays are just around the corner, so there is plenty to do. If you are a bit time-poor and need a quick fishing fix, I recommend grabbing the beach rod and a bit of smelly fish, catching a few beach worms and chasing some whiting. These fish really start to hit their straps in December, and are on most of the beaches. With a little effort, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a good school. As always, beach worms are by far the best bait for consistent results, and catching them can be as much fun as catching the whiting. I usually fish the last hour or so of the falling tide and the first hour of the rising tide as there is much less water on the beaches, and all the sand banks will be very shallow, forcing all the fish into the gutters. Fish the edges of the gutters where the water is tumbling in and turbulent rather than the calm middle area, as the whiting will still be looking for a feed in the water running off the shallow banks. You can even cast onto the edge of the banks with a light sinker and let the

Another blast from the past – the author with a cracking Spanish mackerel. water take your bait into the gutter to the waiting fish. The best beaches are always around the lake entrance at Warilla and Windang, but other locations like Port and MM are also worth a throw. When you get that first ‘tap-tap’ bite and catch your first fish, stick to that gutter for a while. The whiting hunt in schools along the beaches at this time of the year, and where there is one there will usually be more. The best thing about the beaches now is there’s a lot more variety. A few dart generally show up with the first of the warm water, and there are heaps more flathead moving onto the beaches as well. Some good bream have been about in 68 DECEMBER 2024

the deeper gutters during the evenings and mornings, along with salmon and tailor. There’s also a good scattering of school mulloway during the evenings. If you want to target them, look for the deepest gutters you can find. A high tide just on dark is the best time to fish. Towards the end of the month is traditionally when we see the bigger fish (20kg+) move onto the beaches. Nothing shuts down a tailor bite like a big mulloway moving into the gutter, so if you catch a few tailor and they suddenly stop biting, up your tackle size and put on a fresh slab of chopper. A big plastic or stickbait cast into the gutter could work, too. The lake and Minnamurra are also firing with more whiting on the move over the shallow flats on the falling tide. Squirt worms and blood worms are the best bait if you can get them, or you can spend a bit of time during the evening catching some prawns. Keep them alive and use them with a very light sinker. Whiting can’t resist them, and they will pick up any flathead or bream into the bargain. Boat traffic will be increasing every day until the school holidays when it becomes madness on the water, so early mornings would be the best time to flick poppers for whiting over the shallows when it is a bit quieter. Most anglers will be concentrating on the flathead in the channel and past the drop-off into the main part of the lake using plastics and live poddy mullet, and there will be plenty of flathead about with bag limits most days if you know your stuff. Minnamurra will have some nice fish in the deeper holes and right up in the mangroves on the high tides. Fish along the edges of the mangroves as the tide drops, forcing them out of the tangle of roots and branches and into positions in the shallows where you can cast to them. If you are in a boat on the lake, keep a good eye on the water as you travel about because it will be a minefield of crab trap markers and impossible to travel in a straight line without getting one tangled around the prop. They are not all 2L milk containers; some markers are very small. Plenty of blue swimmers are in the lake, with most anglers getting a few. A few school jewies will be about in the main channel if you know where to look. There will also be a few salmon down around the entrance on the bigger tides, and the terns feeding will give their presence away. OFFSHORE Offshore, things are starting to get interesting; that December mix of hot and cold water means it’s a bit of a lottery. However, using modern technology, you can generally keep away from the cooler stuff and chase those bigger predators we have been waiting for. A few striped marlin and the odd blue are on the cards out wide. They have been a bit slow, but the good water

The author with a world record 97kg yellowfin tuna on 10kg. can come through at any time, with even the chance of a few early black marlin around Christmas, which would be nice. However, late January is usually the time the blacks hit their straps. A few yellowfin have shown up out wide, and you never know – a few big fish may still visit the close reefs like Bandit, Wollongong and the Banks in early December. You should always have a live bait out, even when chasing snapper. Some early mahimahi have been captured but they have been a bit hit-andmiss. Still, it’s always worth a look at the FADs, as the mahi can come and go any day. They will become more consistent when the hot water flows hard from the north. A few striped tuna have been skipping around, making great snapper bait, but they are not in the numbers that used to show up at this time of year. Snapper seem to be moving in a bit closer and onto the shallow reefs under 40m of water, so if the current isn’t going too hard, it will be worth putting the pick down and a bit of berley in to bring them on the bite. Alternatively, you could drift over the reefs with plastics, jigs, squid or occy imitations. If the current is ripping through it is happy days for the kingfish as they love a bit of current. All the usual spots like Wollongong Reef, the islands, Bandit and Bass Point are worth a look with knife jigs and live baits slow-trolled at the depth you see them on the sounder. They seem to be there but only turn on when the current gets going. Some days, when the current is backed off, they may get right on the top so poppers are worth a shot when you find them like this. For the bottom bashers, things are on the up and up, with the flatties on the chew on all the sand patches along the coast. They are good fish, too. The patches up north around Stanwell Park will cop a hammering from the trawlers just before Christmas, as they always do, so get a few fish while you can and then

go somewhere else after Christmas. Throw in a few flounder, gurnard and trevally, and the sand is looking good. If you venture onto the gravel and reef, there are plenty of mowies still about, along with pigfish, snapper, samsonfish, a few barracouta and the ever-present leatherjackets. Anglers may also encounter a few early pearl perch, as there were quite a few taken last season. Most of the pearlies were caught in 60m+ of water, and when one was caught a few others usually followed on the same drift. The only downside to this month is the little hammerhead and whaler sharks, which start to show in numbers, grabbing baits meant for other species. These sharks usually bite off, but if you get them in the corner of the mouth, they use up a bit of fishing time getting them in. They’re good on the BBQ, though. ROCK FISHING The action is hotting up on the rocks with a few pelagics starting to show. Bonito and kings are the main targets, with frigate mackerel not too far away. Frigate mackerel make great bream and snapper baits cut up, and make extraordinary baits put straight back out live on heavy tackle from the deeper ledges for big kingfish. At the end of the month, your livie may even snag a marlin. If your bait isn’t eaten fairly quickly, the result is usually a hammerhead shark. The washes around the deeper ledges are producing some good salmon and a few tailor on ganged pilchards and even a few small snapper, while the shallower spots are producing bream, trevally and drummer and a few blackfish on weed in the quieter bays. Don’t forget, if you want prawns for bait, never use the ones from the seafood outlets meant for human consumption. Only use the packaged prawns from tackle shops to prevent the spread of white-spot disease. With that, have a happy and safe Christmas. I won’t see you this new year because this is the last issue of Fishing Monthly. I started my area reports back in 1996 and haven’t missed a month since. I have also written articles for the camping and 4WD sections, boat tests, species profiles and location guides, and met some wonderful people along the way. Hopefully, my reports have helped guide you to a few extra fish and given insights into ways to enrich your fishing experience. Of course, it’s not just about catching fish but being out there in the wild, anticipating what might happen next. When everything finally comes together on an exceptional day, it makes all the time and effort worthwhile. Always remember, luck has nothing to do with it. Stay safe, and I’ll see you on the water.

Batemans Coast NSW

FMM

Christmas in the estuaries, beaches and blue BATEMANS BAY

Anthony Stokman

What a month to go out on! As you may be aware, this will be my last report with this iconic Australian fishing magazine. However, it won’t be the last for all of us in the industry, so look out for any future developments. For now, let’s get into the final month of the year and the magazine. I’ll leave you with some timeless tips that you can take into this summer and for years to come. Summer has kicked off as we leave a fairly decent spring behind. No two

Joey Moran with the biggest John Dory ever! seasons are exactly the same, but they are very similar. We had some very early hot air temperatures, but this didn’t carry out into the water; the water temps remained quite cold going into spring. Now, however, we are experiencing some of that warmer bluewater pouring down current from the north and summer conditions really kicking in. Spring was a bit hit-and-miss. Bait started coming into the estuaries, mulloway was good in some areas and slower in others, same with flathead, whiting was non-existent, with enough berley, you would have plenty of bream and inshore reef fishing has snapper on in the depths as they are in full spawn mode. It was like if you worked hard enough there were fish. Now that summer is here, I’m expecting the whiting will finally show up, the FADs will be out, the pelagics will be swimming down, and the estuaries will be firing on all cylinders. There’s nothing more Australian than a family in a Quintrex full of Shimano combos and a packet of prawns heading up the estuary for a bream or flattie in the morning or an esky, beach rods and

umbrella with a packet of pilchards and worms for an afternoon beach fish. This is the time of the year for it. Fortunately, for all kinds of fishos, the estuary is warming up and fish have been biting from the front all the way upstream. Bass, in particular, have been reacting to the early air temperatures and have been on the bite since September. They have been taking all kinds of lures, from divers to surface lures. Frog imitations have been very effective over the last few years due to the extra rain. More recently, we’ve had less rain, but frogs have continued to get results, especially the Bait Junkie Frog. The bass are also taking surface cicadas. These insects are already out and coming on strong, probably due to a few years of rain. I expect the cicadas to continue and become the lure of choice as we move through the summer. Not far downstream, the estuary perch have been on the chew. We are seeing them throughout the estuary on any given snag, branch, wall or hole. Usually, you’ll catch a few or more at a time as they school in good numbers, and are happy to jump onto the right lure. Generally, a small, natural-looking hardbody or small soft plastic like a 2” grub will do the job. Bream and flathead have been spread throughout most of the estuary, with plenty of flatties on the sand flats and bream on structure. Typically, south coast bream are found around oyster racks. Bream will take small, lightly-weighted lures like the ones for estuary perch. Flathead will take almost everything, and the bigger the lure, the bigger the flattie. Don’t be shy; cast a 9” Berkley Nessie and catch your metery! Targeting extra-large flatties means more casts and fewer bites, but when you catch that trophy fish, it’s all worth it. Everything in the estuary is going to plan, and the last piece of the puzzle is the whiting. As you read this, I’m sure they will be available. Whiting are hard to catch if you don’t use the right lure or bait. The best way to catch them on lure is a constantly moving surface lure that mimics a fleeing prawn. If you prefer to fish with bait, you’ll need worms or nippers. This pretty much guarantees

Phil always finds the snapper.

Stu Wensing and his mates don’t work often, so they tend to find the tuna inshore! whiting, if they are there. Catching them any other way is luck. If you want to target whiting outside the estuary and rivers this summer, look to our beaches and lakes. These locations are more popular for whiting, and worms and nippers still apply. Use light rigs with small running ball sinkers, or small bomb sinkers on a paternoster rig with small, light worm hooks. I normally don’t expect too much activity from the rocks or ledges at this time of the year until it warms up, with more bait and the chance of more pelagics coming down throughout February and into March. So, drummer, bream, and maybe snapper would be the target species. However, as I type, we are seeing some schools of kings, some bonito already, and yellowfin tuna offshore and also close to shore, which creates excitement for our local ledges. So, sharpen your hooks on your stickbaits, catch some livies, send them out as the sun rises, and see what comes along. Remember, one of the best free baits you can collect from the rocks at low tide is cunjevoi. Cut the head off, scoop out the red flesh with your fingers, and you’re good to go. Inshore reef fishing from the boat requires some flexibility from December onwards. The bottom bashing with baits can be good to average as we come off the snapper spawning run, so it’s good to take a lure to troll on the way out, or past some headlands or islands, for a chance of a pelagic. Having some squid jigs to cast at squid locations can be productive at times. Setting some blue swimmer nets can also be a good idea some days. If the weather permits, a trip to the FAD 15km offshore is well worth it if the mahimahi are on. Fish Aggregation Devices can hold other species, too, like rat kings, tuna and marlin, but mostly mahimahi as they are usually in bigger numbers and the most consistent bluewater fish around. Further offshore, we have the main

event for the summer: the mighty marlin. They come down in the Eastern Australian Current (EAC) and spend their summer off our South Coast. And what a pleasure it is! We get mostly striped marlin that round up slimy mackerel just inside the Continental Shelf. As the season goes on, we get big blue marlin inside and over the Shelf, feeding on larger fish like schools of striped tuna, mahimahi, etc. Inshore to offshore we’ll have smaller black marlin, which grow to be the largest of them all off North Queensland, along the Great Barrier Reef (but down here we get the juveniles). When trolling lures, marlin are easily hooked but just as easily dropped because their beaks are very hard to stay connected to. The best way to stay connected is by using circle hooks with live bait or skip baits. You can bring marlin towards the boat using teasers (imitation bait balls, surface plastic lures or larger hookless lures) trolled behind the boat. This way, you cover ground and raise fish. If you find marlin around a bait ball, you can pitch a hooked livie amongst the action. Most people start with lures and progress from there. What does stay connected to a trolled lure, and could be a pleasant surprise in early summer, is a yellowfin tuna. These guys have not been too far away, and let’s hope they stay around. All in all, it’s shaping up to be a great summer. It’s been a pleasure sharing my area with you and my fishing experiences from season to season. If you are ever in Batemans Bay, call into the shop, Fish Batemans Bay and say hello. Farewell, Fishing Monthly. • Anthony Stokman is the owner of Fish Batemans Bay, your one-stop shop for tackle, bait and valuable advice on how to catch more fish. The crew are always happy to chat about what’s been biting and where, so drop in and say hi. You can find them at 65A Orient Street, Batemans Bay, or give them a call on (02) 4472 2559. DECEMBER 2024 69

NSW

Eden Coast

FMM

A review of all the options around Bermagui vast amounts of nutrients, which the baitfish need to feed upon – and the predators follow. Black, blue and striped marlin are all caught in these waters, along with short-billed spearfish, broadbill, mahimahi, and a host of shark species. There are also at least 10 tuna species caught in these waters, from striped to yellowfin. Then there is the famous

BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

Offshore or onshore? That’s a question many anglers are asking themselves this month, and there are plenty of options in the Bermagui area.

Montague Island, which is renowned for its kingfish grounds, and the many reefs within the area attract all sorts of bottom-dwelling fish, including snapper, morwong and more. You have some of the most productive flathead grounds for the common tiger flathead, eastern blue spot or sand flathead, too. Throw in the odd gummy shark or red gurnard,

With the Continental Shelf so close to shore, Bermagui is renowned for its game fish.

You don’t have to travel far offshore from Bermagui to find tasty table fish.

Bermagui has always been famous for its marvellous game fishing, with the Continental Shelf at its closest along the south coast. Upwelling currents pushing close to shore bring

With so many estuaries in the Bermagui area, there are plenty of opportunities to catch large dusky flathead.

The Tathra Wharf is revamped and ready to go TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

For some months now, Tathra’s historic wharf has been undergoing a facelift, which is now completed and looks fantastic. There are a lot of new features, including wheelchair access, renovated toilet block, railings, ladders down to the water, plus a whole lot of new planking and pylons.

The large main enclosed structure has also had its share of make-up applied, and a few artworks installed around it, so the whole complex is now a great tourist destination. And, of course, the views from the wharf up along the coast are spectacular, and during the whale migration it’s easy to see these amazing animals without having to board a boat. Fishos have also been catered for, with many additions like seating, rod holders, rubbish bins, and

Peter caught his age with this 83cm dusky flathead from the Bega River.

A new-look Tathra Wharf after the renovations. 70 DECEMBER 2024

information on fisheries rules and regulations. Anglers fishing at the wharf can catch all the regulars like slimy mackerel, yellowtail scad, trevally, salmon, bonito, kingfish, tuna or the occasional marlin or shark, depending on the time of year. It’s great that fishos can pursue so many species from a clean, safe, new platform. The other big attraction to the area is the mighty Bega River, which is continuing to produce its share

of magnificent fish species. You have the freshwater with its bass population, through into the salt sections with many species like estuary perch, bream, luderick, whiting, tailor, trevally, jewfish or the ever-present population of large trophy-size dusky flathead. All of these species are on offer at this time of year, with many of them very much on the chew. As you probably know, this will be the last paper edition

Eden Coast NSW

FMM

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…

INTUITIVE CONTROL

Beautiful Brogo Dam is full of bass and estuary perch. and it’s happy days offshore. bass and estuary perch. This dam is an ongoing stocked impoundment For the onshore fishing, where do where the scenery will blow you away we start? From the beaches, there ROCKLEA are as much as the&fishing. salmon, tailor, mulloway, whiting and BRISBANE BOATING LEISURE So, if you’re thinking about bream, to mention just a few. There 1713 Ipswich Road Rocklea are also some great rock platforms visiting the Bermagui area, I P: (07) 3875 1600 can assure you it’s hard to find a to fish from, where you can catch sales@brisbaneboatingleisure.com.au better fishery anywhere else in this sportfish like salmon, kingfish E:or W: www.magnificent brisbaneboatingleisure.com.au country. bonito. Alternatively, you can target This will be the last paper edition drummer or luderick while waiting for your float to disappear. of the magazine, so to anyone who ESTUARIES AND FRESHWATER has read my column over the years or When it comes to the estuaries, viewed one of the many photos, I hope there are too many to mention, with it has been informative and enjoyable all holding their own distinctive to browse. To the producers of the character. Here, the mighty dusky magazine, thank you for having us on flathead dominates, along with board. It has been smooth sailing and bream, luderick, trevally and plenty a pleasure to have worked with you. of other fun species you can target. To everyone who obtains a copy of Then, within a short 40-minute this issue of the magazine, tight lines, drive, you have the spectacular have a very Happy Christmas and a Brogo Dam, loaded with Australian safe New Year.

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McGRATHS HILL TR MARINE WORLD

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Sharks like this 7ft bronze whaler are often caught and released from the Wharf. of this magazine. To anyone who has read my column over the years or have viewed my photos, I hope it has been informative and enjoyable to browse. To the producers of the magazine, thank

you for having us onboard. It has been smooth sailing and a pleasure to have worked with you. To all our readers, tight lines, have a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year. DECEMBER 2024 71

NSW

Freshwater

FMM

Signs point to a cracking Murray cod season NEW ENGLAND RIVERS

Adam Townsend

2024 has been pretty eventful so far, and it seems December will be just as action-packed. We have the official start of summer, the new Murray cod season, the first New Moon of the month, and a special Black Moon on the 31st (the second New Moon in one month). If you’re a keen angler who likes fishing in the dark, both ends of the month will be the perfect time to be out on the water, especially as the water temperatures keep increasing.

Thanks to everything the Fishing Monthly crew have done over the years. This will see most of the bait-life being pushed up into the shallower waters. If everyone has done the right thing in the past few months, as the Murray cod spawned during their closure, we should be in for another cracking season targeting the big green natives. The Full Moon will rise around 8pm on the 15th of this month. One of my favourite things to do when arriving at any new fishing destination is to walk along the water’s edge looking for any bait life moving in the shallows, especially at night time under a torch; it is amazing what you can see darting around out of the spotlight, even the bigger predatory fish occasionally. Many insects, lizards, shrimp, crayfish, frogs and smaller baitfish such as fry are abundant, particularly along the edges during the wetter and warmer months. Replicating those baits and fishing in the cooler, low-light periods, when the bait becomes dormant, can increase your chances of finding a big cod or golden perch. It can be the same all year round; however, fishing topwater and sub-surface lures in darker periods can be fruitful in the warmer months. That’s when bigger predators take advantage of the extra 72 DECEMBER 2024

DAM LEVELS DAM

DEC

Pindari Dam

49%

Malpas Dam

99%

Guyra Dam

100%

Dumaresq Dam

99%

Lake Keepit

61%

Chaffey Dam

100%

Split Rock Dam

97%

*Glen Lyon Dam

60%

*Copeton Dam

74%

* Available to target Murray cod all year round

activity from bait-life milling around on the surface. There are many swimbaits on the market these days. As long as you have a couple you are confident in, it just comes down to putting the effort in and casting at as much prime structure as you can find. Chatterbaits and even a solid spinnerbait around 1-2oz are also perfect to have in the tacklebox, as you can cover ground pretty quickly with them when you are chasing a reaction bite in the rivers or larger impoundments. During the heat of the day, the perch species school up and are always a joy to target in the hotter months. With the trout and bass seasons also now being open, it makes for a lot of fun fishing opportunities. The carp are also in good numbers and are awesome fun on light gear. The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) are continuing to do some massive re-stocking efforts across NSW in 2024/25. Here are some of the planned fish releases across the New England area for 2024/25: • 25,000 golden perch, 20,000 Murray cod into Chaffey Dam. • 5000 bass, 1000 rainbow trout in Dumaresq Dam. (Previous

stocking 2021/22). • 15,000 bass, 3,500 rainbow trout in Malpas Dam. • 70,000 golden perch, 100,000 Murray cod, and 15,000 silver perch (previous silver perch re-stocking 2009/10) into Copeton Dam. • 30,000 golden perch, 46,000 Murray cod in Lake Keepit. • 2,500 golden perch, 4,500 Murray cod into Lake Inverell. (Previous re-stocking 2021/22). • 40,000 golden perch, 40,000 Murray cod, and 5,000 silver perch (2009/10 last silver perch re-stock) into Pindari Dam. • 20,000 golden perch, 40,000 Murray cod into Split-Rock Dam. With that many fish being released across the area, it should continue to see the New England Tablelands fish well for a long time, especially with the help of our local fishing clubs. Jump on the DPI website for more information. SEASONAL GUIDE Here is a month-by-month guide to fishing the New England Tablelands, focusing on which species to target. January Murray cod in both rivers and impoundments (surface lures). Trout, perch, bass, carp (small divers, Celtas, spinnerbaits, vibes/blades). February Murray cod and all other species trout, perch, bass, carp (all methods). March The weather is starting to cool, and the fish are feeding in shallow

This was one of the author’s first metre-plus cod out of Copeton Dam, caught with good mates Ty Edmonds and Jackson Haussler. RIP Ty.

It’s cool the places fishing can take you; you never know where you’ll end up and who you’ll meet. The author couldn’t resist getting a snap with ‘Bushy’ while on a work trip down south.

water (sub-surface). Murray Cod and all other species. Trout, perch, bass, carp. April Murray cod and all other species. Trout, perch, bass, carp. May The weather is really cooling off, Murray cod and all other species trout, perch, bass, carp. June (Trout spawn closure starts long weekend), big metre plus cod become a prime target. Early morning/

It’s not something you would catch in the New England area, but this saratoga is one of the author’s favourite impoundment catches to date. late afternoon on sub-surface and surface lures. July Heavy frosts (trout spawn closure), big metre plus cod are the prime target. Early morning/ late afternoons on sub-surface and surface lures. August Heavy frosts (trout spawn closure), big metre plus cod are the prime target. Surface/sub-surface, chatterbaits, swimbaits. September Transition month (trout and Murray cod spawn closure), golden perch in impoundments (60mm vibes/blades during Murray cod spawn closure). October (Trout season re-opens long weekend, Murray cod spawn closure). Trout, perch, carp (small divers, Celtas, spinnerbaits, vibes/blades). November (Murray Cod spawn closure). Trout, perch, bass, carp (small divers, Celtas, spinnerbaits, vibes/blades). December (Murray cod season re-opened), Murray cod/golden perch in both rivers and impoundments. Trout, perch, bass, carp. For the readers that have stuck through to the end, thanks for all your support. Thank you also to the Fishing Monthly crew for everything they have done for us over the last couple of decades, including inspiring us all to be better anglers. On that note, I’ll sign out here for the last time, although you’ll likely see me back on the socials one day soon. Good luck to everyone getting outdoors, be safe and enjoy the Christmas holiday season. Tight lines.

Freshwater NSW

FMM

The art of thinking like a bass HUNTER VALLEY

Nick Price

It is with great sadness that I write my last report for this magazine. If you are heading to Glenbawn, St Clair or the Barrington Tops in the future, drop into the shop at Aberdeen so I can let you know about current conditions and what the fish are doing.

January, the water temperature is usually high and the fish have moved deep and are schooled up. February The bass are in schools out deep. This can be over deep flats, next to timber and off points. Use your electronics to find the fish and then fish curly tails vertically, ice jigs or skirted jigs. Often, surface fishing has slowed down as the water above the thermocline is just too hot.

move through the school and see how the bass react. Slow roll through the school. Bass are also moving more and more to the edge. July Keep an eye on your sounder for school bass. July is when fishing the edge and shallow flats with paddle tail plastics and jerk baits really pays off. Bass can be colour-specific, so keep rotating through colours and techniques. My favourite time of year to fish. The bigger bass are generally found on the edge - sometimes extremely close to the edge in 1ft of water. Look for weed and fish amongst it. August Similar to July. Keep fishing jerkbaits on the weed edge and plastics through the weed and on the flats. September Still jerkbaits and plastics, but keep an eye on water temperature and look out for school fish. Paddle-tail plastics will catch the majority of the fish.

Carp are plentiful in the Upper Hunter and great fun on fly. The bass in Glenbawn and Lake St Clair follow a seasonal pattern, depending on water temperature. They can always be caught on something; it’s just about finding out what they want and how they want it, and this is why bass are the premium freshwater sportfish in the country. The good anglers are keyed into their natural environment, think like a bass and can always catch fish.

Bass are the premium freshwater sportfish, and the Upper Hunter is blessed to have lots of bass! You can catch bass on certain techniques at different times of the year, and this pattern is relatively consistent year after year, only changing with weather and water levels. This being the last report, I will summarise how the fish can be caught in the different months. As always, keep an eye on the weather, including cloud cover and wind direction, and always keep an eye on your sounder, looking for fish, thermoclines and surface water temperatures, and adjust your techniques accordingly. MONTH BY MONTH January Fish surface lures at night and early in the morning. At the start of the month the fish are on the edge, but by the end of

March The water is generally hot in March and the bass are still deep. Fish black grubs vertically to catch most fish. April A transition month. The bass can be hard to catch as they work out what they want. As the water starts to cool, the bass start to move to the edges. Spinnerbaits, lipless cranks and plastics in the timber can be productive. Keep an eye out for deep fish and watch the water temperature. May Another transition month, when the water temperature is unstable and plays a big part as to what the bass are doing. Start using paddle tail plastics and move away from more reaction-style lures. June The bass can be found in schools and be caught on ice jigs. When fishing the schools in winter, use paddle tail plastics and fish the plastics horizontally. Big long casts and count the jig head down. Use Panoptix to watch your plastic

A fat Glenbawn bass.

The author with a typical January deep bass. October This is another transition month, when the bass start to get more active. They are not full-throttle reaction but they will start to take skirted jigs, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits worked slowly. Try a chatterbait or jig worked slowly across the bottom, or a spinnerbait with a single Colorado pumping slowly and sending out lots of vibration worked through the tree tops for the deeper bass. Being a transition month, plastics fished horizontally will still produce bass. November Reaction time, the bass are on fire. When that water temperature hits that magic 23°C mark, the bass will hit lures hard and fast. This is lipless crankbait month, so fish the edge and hang on. Grassy banks, rocky banks, shallow banks, steep banks - they will all hold fish, so be prepared to lose lures to angry bass. Surface fishing has started. December Depending on the weather, this is the best month for surface fishing. This is the best style of bass fishing. Fish cicadas slow, or a more aggressive surface lure

The author with a nice Upper Hunter brown. fast. Lots of water can be covered, and bass can’t resist a surface lure. Fishing at night in the cool, using surface is great fun. The reaction bite continues throughout December, so keep throwing lipless cranks. If the edge bite slows with lipless cranks, revert to chatterbaits and spinnerbaits. It is important to keep an eye on water temperature and find that 23°C where the bass are most active. UPPER HUNTER TROUT Trout can be caught up in the Barrington in all the streams. They vary in size, with both browns and rainbows being caught. The lower streams are more seasonal. If we have a hot summer without enough rain, all the trout will disappear from the lower streams. We need a few good seasons in a row to have a good population of large, healthy trout. These can be caught with the usual methods of spinners and fly. Please be aware of the closed season. Trout in the Upper Hunter are marginal at best and need all the help they can get. CARP There are many places to hunt for carp in the Upper Hunter, from Glenbawn to the rivers and streams above and below the dam. Carp have a terrible reputation but they’re an amazing sportfish. Try chasing them with bait, small plastics or fly and have some fun while ridding the local ecosystem of an unwanted, introduced pest. HUNTER RIVER There’s miles of easy access to the Hunter River around Aberdeen and Muswellbrook. The Hunter River is full of wild bass, and the best lures for these are small cranks such as Chubbies, small plastics or beetle spins and surface cicada lures. Please pay attention to the closed season, which allows our local wild bass population to breed and replenish the wild stocks. In my opinion, all these fish should be released. There are bettertasting fish around. If you’re heading up to the Barrington, Glenbawn, Hunter River or St Clair, please drop into the shop at the turnoff to Glenbawn in Aberdeen and ask about the different techniques and what they are biting on. We stock all the quality tackle that you need. DECEMBER 2024 73

NSW

Freshwater

FMM

Anglers and fish try to beat the heat BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

What a ride it has been! It’s hard to believe this will be my last area report for the greater Batlow district. After 22 years of writing these reports (never missed an issue) and the odd feature article, it’s going to be a bit of a shock to the system next month when I won’t have to write one. What will I do with that time? Go fishing, of course!

mention that you are a Fishing Monthly reader and I will throw in an extra gift for you. As for the fishing report, if the longrange weather forecast is correct, then this month is going to be a hot one. The record heat predicted will inevitably affect the fishing. If the weather man gets it right, and it is crazy hot, then focus your efforts super early in the day, late in the afternoon or (better still) through the night. Fish are just like us at this time of the year and will literally sit in the shade throughout the day and

Right place, right time. This giant Macquarie perch is about as big as they get and was more than 20 years old at the time of capture. caught recently, or at this time last year, or fish that you can expect to catch in the coming weeks, or just happy reader pictures. This month will be different -- I am going to share some of my most memorable captures since writing for this magazine. Narrowing several thousand pictures down to just a handful was nearly impossible. Still, I managed to select a few of my favourites to help inspire you to get amongst them yourselves.

How’s that for a brook trout? This was one of those champagne days for the author, who landed the ‘big four’ (rainbow trout, brook trout, brown trout and Atlantic salmon) in one day from a small stream.

Jounama Pondage is home to some of the biggest trout in the country and is becoming a great mixed fishery now, not just a trophy trout fishery.

Just under 80cm of Tumut River rainbow trout caught whilst fly fishing. This is one of the author’s most memorable catches from the Tumut River. Firstly, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you readers for supporting the magazine and myself for the last couple of decades. Those wanting any up-to-date fishing reports in the future are more than welcome to get onto me through my socials (either my personal one, Mr Freshwater, or the Insanity Tackle one). Many anglers have done this over the years, and those who know will tell you that I am always more than happy to help out this way. As for the Insanity Tackle lure business, it will continue to offer our great products to the public for years to come. All your favourites, including Angel Baits, Yab Blades, Slap Walkers, SSB sinking swim baits and DDG glide baits, will be available at the usual budget prices. When placing an order, 74 DECEMBER 2024

only come out when the temperature drops to a comfortable temperature. If you have to fish through the middle of the day, I’d suggest targeting redfin in our lakes or trout in our rivers and streams. The tree-lined creeks and rivers are much more comfortable for anglers and fish, which can help increase your chances of catching fish throughout a super-hot day. Normally, with my area report, I would share pictures of fish that were

Nearly a metre’s worth of Blowering Dam carp. If you didn’t already know, everything grows huge in Blowering Dam.

Over the years, the author has been lucky enough to land some Australian ‘length-only’ record fish, including rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, redfin, tandanus catfish, carp and this golden perch, which broke the trout net.

Not the biggest Murray cod ever, but the largest the author has landed on 8lb gear.

Lastly, before I sign off for the final time, I’d like to wish you all a safe Christmas break filled with lots of great fish-catching memories. Good luck, good fishing and tight lines.

Freshwater NSW

FMM

Welcome to cod season 2024/25, and farewell ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

Before I start this report, I want to thank all the readers and supporters of Fishing Monthly. I started writing for the magazine when I was just 17 years old and in high school, and the time has flown by.

year: Murray cod season opening! This season is looking really good, shaping up to have nice flows for many of the creeks and rivers around the region. This month is typically a really good time to catch numbers of fish. Most of the creeks and rivers around the region fish super well for numbers, but the Ovens, King and Kiewa rivers are stand-outs, particularly for land-

That one time the author told his sister there was a metreplus cod on a snag, and there actually was!

What fishing is all about. Enough said! Some amazing and skilled anglers have written for Fishing Monthly over the years, and reading their content on these pages has helped me with my journey in the fishing industry. Behind every article in this magazine is an angler who puts in a lot of time and effort to get results, and I’d like to recognise everyone who has been a part of writing

This cod was caught during the Mulwala Cod Nationals a few years back after a 40mm downpour. The author was happy to catch this fish after battling the elements. for the magazine -- and, of course, the rest of the team at Fishing Monthly. There is so much work involved with it, and the support readers have given over the years is incredible. Many people have recognised me as one of the writers, and it has been an honour. Thank you, everybody, so much. Your support is more appreciated than you’ll ever know. Now, let’s look at the fishing for December! December marks our special time of

based fishing, walking along the banks casting. It’s a very underrated way to catch cod, and a lot of the time, fishing from the bank in some spots can actually give you an advantage. Shady spots shelter fish, and being on the bank a lot of the time you can flick right up into those spots that can be hard to get to. Many fish will also be holding tight to the banks, and you will be surprised how many visual takes you can have at your feet while walking the banks of rivers. Often, even if I am fishing from the boat or kayak, if a spot looks better to fish from the bank, I will pull up and fish it that way. Sometimes, a different angle and approach on a snag, especially in tight structured water, can be a really good way to get fish to eat. You often have to fish tight on the structure to entice them to eat. While bank fishing is good because anyone can give it a crack, sometimes fishing from a boat or kayak can give

you the upper hand. At this time of year, I love to float river sections on both the Murray below Hume, and the upper Murray. Day floats are super achievable with two people. Launching from one spot and using a pick-up car at the pick-up spot to collect the first vehicle is such a good way to fish. You can fish water very effectively, depending on how much water you fish. I’ve found that floats around the 10-15k mark are a good day float. Anything past that amount, and you’ll probably have to skip a lot of water and miss potentially catching a lot more fish. So, cutting it back is actually better if you plan on fishing a bit slower. As regular readers would know, I love fishing the small water in summertime. It’s so addictive, and I can’t recommend it highly enough, especially to young anglers or anyone who’s getting into cod fishing. You definitely don’t need a boat to catch fish. All in all, December will be a great time to be out on the water, regardless of how you prefer to fish for cod. Flows are shaping up to be good for opening and into the start of the season! As this is my last ever report, I thought I’d take this opportunity to include photos of some of the biggest

That time the author jagged a metrey on the magic ‘one last cast’.

fish I’ve caught over the years. Catching a metre-plus cod is every cod angler’s dream, and I was 21 when I finally caught my first metre cod. I am 24 now and have caught seven over a metre.

The author’s PB cod, measuring 130cm. Persistence is always the biggest factor in fishing. However, fishing for me is so much more than just catching big fish. We should all just enjoy being on the water. Big fish will come; it just takes time. I want to thank everyone for their support over the years, from firstly the readers and all the people who follow me on my fishing journey, and also the team at Fishing Monthly, Aaron from Kuttafurra Lures, Gage from Spinwright Lures and the crew at Wilson Fishing. I’ve always said that quality gear will help you catch fish, so check those guys out if you’re after some top-shelf gear. Last but not least, I’d like to thank my friends who fish with me on the regular. We have created so many memories together, and at the end of the day, that’s what fishing is all about. For my readers, if you’d like to continue following my fishing journey or have questions about fishing in general, feel free to hit me up on my Instagram, @nativefishing. I’m happy to help. For one final time, tight lines. All the best, Connor. DECEMBER 2024 75

ACT

Canberra

FMM

Things are looking up as we head into summer CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

I started writing for this wonderful magazine in 2005. Back then, the magazine was printed in black and white, and some of Australia’s greatest fishing pioneers wrote for this publication, with many now having sadly passed away.

working for FM. I don’t know what the future holds for fishing writing in this country, but whatever it becomes, there will always be a gaping hole where FM once stood. This magazine has documented some of the greatest advancements in new techniques and tackle as well as innovative technologies, all without bias. It has been an ever-present sight on bookshelves, dining tables

Thanks to Fishing Monthly for all the opportunities to tell Canberra’s story! The golden perch have started moving away from the shallow sections of the lake and are sitting in slightly deeper water of 3-5m or so because the water temperature has lifted to around 18 degrees. This

cast for Murray cod in the early morning or late evening. The redfin fishing is yet to truly explode to life but there have been some nice fish caught under both major bridges by anglers using small, paddle tail soft

Sam Hancox with a nice Googong golden.

The surface bite at Googong can be good. I was ably supported back then by a variety of fishing writers and editors from FM who provided me with excellent advice and feedback on my writing, which improved my game. However, it has been over the past decade or so that I have seen the most growth in my writing and my fishing -- and that is down to my editor Jacqui, her offsider Nicole, Peter and, of course, Steve Morgan. So, to the four of you, I say thank you for all the support, professionalism, attention to detail and dedication that you showed throughout my time 76 DECEMBER 2024

and passenger seats, because fishos wanted a magazine with reports that provided just the right mix of hints and tips, coupled with a few canny suggestions on the better spots to cast a line. It is sad that the next generation of anglers won’t have something like FM to inspire and guide them as they traverse Australia’s fishing landscape. For now, though, I’m not going to wallow. Instead, I will celebrate everything that FM was and still is by finishing, for the final time, with my local Canberra report. Enjoy! LOCAL LAKES Burley Griffin Lake Burley Griffin is fishing well. It has been producing good fish for the last few weeks, and things are looking up as we head into Summer.

Walking the banks on the ‘Bidgee can be productive. means that areas like the rock wall running along Lady Denman or the steeper rocker sections opposite the rock club represent the best areas to flick blades and vibes for yellas. These areas are also great spots to

The Murray cod are on at the moment.

plastics coupled with a 1/8oz jighead. Ginninderra Lake Ginninderra is a bit of a mixed bag. There have been some really nice goldens landed by anglers fishing from boats using live tech around 20m from the dam wall. These fish have been fooled by vibes and blades fish vertically with a jigginglike motion. There have also been a few cod caught by anglers fishing surface on the edge of the bay at Diddams Close. The bigger reddies are sitting in the weed beds in the area just behind the College at the base of the footbridge and are hitting baits and small lures. Tuggeranong Lake Tuggeranong is also hit-andmiss and, much like Lake Ginnderra, is proving to be a little tricky for anglers fishing from the bank. While there has been the odd yellowbelly landed by anglers fishing from

Hobart TAS

FMM

Catch rates improving for freshwater anglers HOBART

Andrew Large

Still nights have seen an army of flounder fishers venture forth and experience good results. Freshwater anglers, who had an otherwise slow start to the season, have also started to fare well. In the saltwater, we have greenback flounder running well, and anglers have had a prolonged stint of settled weather to chase them at night. At the time of writing this report,

Scott Grey with a galaxia feeding Great Lake brown trout caught recently. The action around the edges has been hot. the bank, the action has been out in the middle of the lake, where those fishing from kayaks and boats have caught good numbers of Murray cod and golden perch. The issue with Lake Tuggeranong at the present time is that there hasn’t been much rain which has meant that the oxygen level in the lake has dropped and the fish have shut down. We would need a significant rain event to kick start the fishing in the lake. MURRUMBIDGEE RIVER The Murrumbidgee River (at the time of writing) is about as perfect as it gets. There is plenty of flow through the bigger pools, and while the water is dropping, there are still plenty of places for the cod to sit and ambush in tighter, shallower channels. Surface lures at dawn or dusk fished in the fast stuff should trigger a bite but if this fails, try a spinnerbait and work some of the slack water right in close

southern bluefin tuna have slowed a little, although some fish well into the 25-30kg range have been landed recently. The water temperature has been holding a tad under 13°C and the available bait has been rather small. Sand flathead continue to surprise, with good-sized fish being taken at depths of 50m in Peninsula waters. Coastal and bay fishing has slowed, but persistent anglers are still catching fish. Tiger flathead are quiet for the moment. The ever-popular sand whiting are still available around South Arm and Storm Bay regions. Restrictions have lifted on calamari, with good numbers returning to inshore areas. You may have to search multiple locations and depths to find schools. There are big post-spawn individuals at the moment in most areas. Morwong perch are plentiful around our seaward coastlines and are having their usual run over reefy bottom and structure. The best bait is squid (because it’s tough) rigged on a 3/0 Limerickstyle hook. Good snapper are becoming available in roughly similar areas as the perch. Storm Bay and Lower Bruny Island have been producing fish this past month. Striped trumpeter are biting extremely well in both Peninsula waters and those of south Bruny and Pedra Blanca. Quick captures have been experienced, with some fish up to 6kg. Sharp Tooth Tackle rigs have been going toe-to-toe with natural baits. Estuary fishing over the past few months has been on fire. Seatrout are picking up momentum, with fish to 1.8kg being caught in recent weeks. The lower estuary seems to be where the action is, and most rocky points from to the bank.

GOOGONG Googong is my pick of the summer fisheries and is fishing particularly well. The golden perch have moved into the shallows and are hitting lures with abandon, while the big cod are on the move and actively hunting packs of redfin on the points at the entrance to Bradley’s Inlet. spinnerbaits, Jackall Gantias and big divers are all great choices if targeting cod, while Jackall TN50s and 60s are great choices if targeting the resident golden perch. That is it from me. Thank you to all the loyal readers who enjoyed my features and regular columns and those who contacted me with questions, compliments and constructive criticism of my work. Finally, a big thank you to my wife Samantha and my kids Ada and Viv for motivating me to pursue my passion of writing about fishing in Canberra.

This healthy Great Lake brown trout was caught recently on a Tasmanian Devil lure. the Tasman Bridge to Store Point, both sides of the river, will produce fish. Try a Derwent Bunny fly or a wakasagi Hawk Sniper bibbed minnow for best results. Trollers further upriver have done well with the Wigston’s No 103 and 63. Bream have faltered a little in recent times and are certainly not attacking lures, baits and fly as aggressively as they did in late autumn and early winter. However, quality fish are still being landed using all methods. Silver trevally have been seen in and around coastal jetties inside the Derwent in recent weeks. These fish are quite small but good fun... just remember to check the size limit if you want to keep a couple for the table. Temperatures in our lakes and rivers across the state have been a tad slow to rise this season. This has inhibited insect activity, which has affected the trout. Lake King William has been fishing well, with trolling seemingly the best method. The trout have been a tad fussy on recent trips, but seemed to come on the bite around 2pm. Shiny Tillins No. 63 and 104 have been taking fish. There have been some frosty mornings at Great Lake, but these have

been followed by settled days with cracking fish being taken from the shore and boat. Fly anglers will be pleased to know that fish have been seen midging early and late in the day. Shrek and Woolly Bugger styled flies flicked while patrolling the shore seems to be the best method for the moment. Craigebourne Dam is producing both rainbows and browns to 2.5kg. These fish were released at this time last year and have been putting on condition, owing to the higher water last season and abundant food supply. They are quality fish and a real handful if hooked. Recent stockings have resulted in a few smaller fish being taken as well, with sizes ranging from around 0.8kg to 1.1kg. Tillins Ashley 2” spinners in 14D, 14B and 11 have been taking fish at Craigebourne. Hawk Sniper lures in killer wasp and black & gold have been holding their own as well. Safe fishing, everyone. Thank you for allowing me to keep you updated with Tassie happenings over the past few years, and a big thanks to Jacqui and the Fishing Monthly team. All the best in the future.

A Lake Echo brown taken on a BK Custom 60mm bib by Ben Kjorsrvik. Ben took out 2nd place at the AFTA Trade Show competition with his rod building. DECEMBER 2024 77

TESTING BOOTH

Products to get excited about in 2025 FISHING MONTHLY

Peter Jung

For this final testing booth in Fishing Monthly magazine, I thought it would be a good opportunity to look at products that more than likely would have been gear that I would have tested in 2025 or items that when I was walking around the Australian Fishing Tackle Trade Show really caught my eye. Before I get into this testing booth, I really wanted to thank a few people that have given me the opportunity to go out and play with all these amazing products and then write about them in Fishing Monthly magazine. Firstly, Stephen Booth

(Managing Editor). He was the one that started it all. He gave me a few pre-rig tackle storage boxes and asked if I could write half a page about them, with a few images. I felt it was an amazing opportunity at the time to contribute to these amazing magazines (there were three at the time). We still joke about it now as I went to great lengths to highlight these handy little tackle storage systems. Needless to say, I am still doing these testing booths nearly 12 years later. There are three other people within Fishing Monthly that I would also like to thank. Matt Drinkall, Jacqui Thomas and Nicole Penfold. Without their skills, none of the testing booths would have looked or read as well as they have. Thank you

There are a number of new releases in the Rapala Crush City soft plastic range. The author enjoyed playing with some of the sample 3” Heavy Hitter plastics he was given.

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to the three of you. One final thank you goes to all my fishing buddies. Many a fishing session has been interrupted by me needing images for these testing booths. They have always been very obliging and that has ensured that I have been able to show you these products in the best light. Enough of the thank you’s, let’s get into what I am looking forward to trying over the next twelve months. Rapala Crush City plastics Rapala hit the soft plastics market in Australia with a bang last year when they released their range of Crush City soft plastics. They have quickly found a place in many angler’s hearts and tackle boxes. At the trade show they released their latest offerings. No new shapes, but some new sizes of some of the proven plastics in the range. The Jerk has two new sizes, 5” and 7”. Jerk shads are a very versatile soft plastic shape and these larger sizes will have many offshore and inshore anglers keen to try them. WA dhufish, snapper, tuna and many other species can be targeted using The Jerk in the two new sizes. The Crush City Imposter also got a new size. It is now available in a 4.5” size as well as the original 3” version. This prawn imitation plastic won a best at show award and will catch plenty of fish. Everything eats a prawn. The final two new sizes available are in the Heavy Hitter paddle tail model. It now also comes

in 3” and 5.5”. The team at Rapala gave a few samples of the Heavy Hitter to Steve Morgan and myself prior to them being released. Steve has had some great success on the local mulloway using the 5.5inch size, while I have really enjoyed the 3” size. I have caught plenty of flathead, grunter, trevally and tarpon on them. These plastics have an exquisite action. The body roll and tail kick they have is certainly a big part of how well they work. These plastics are in-store now, so go and check them at your local retail outlet. Rapala Floater Elite 85 There will be a bit of a theme throughout this testing booth as I am an avid trout angler and I cannot help but return to my fishing roots, which is trout fishing. The Rapala name is synonymous with trout fishing and the Floater Elite 85 is the next level floating minnow from Rapala. Built using better quality balsa wood, it has a stronger full wire construction for the tow points and the colour schemes are in the new gilded format. There are nine colours in the range and I cannot wait to play with these lures. At the time of writing, most of the colours are already available, with the rest hitting stores before Christmas. Shimano Vanford spinning reel Earlier in the year I had the opportunity to test out the latest version of the Shimano Stradic reels. I had always been a fan of the Stradic

TESTING BOOTH

Nicholas Willett is always generous with his time helping the author get images and testing the various products. Here he is with a quality bar tail flathead caught on a DUO Spearhead Ryuki 50 MDF. It is one of the lures in the Wilsons DUO small lure project. reels and the latest option certainly did not disappoint. All the talk from the Shimano stable prior to the AFTA Show was about the release of the latest iteration of the Vanford reels. A lightweight, yet strong finesse reel, that like the Stradic the previous year has had some tech upgrades that many anglers will appreciate. For mine, the addition of a 500 size reel will appeal to small lure anglers, while some serious drag in the bigger models will prove a winner for those anglers with a big fish focus. These reels are in store now. I may have had a sneaky play with a few at my local tackle store. One of these in a 2000 size may be on my Christmas list. Shimano Artiesta rods The secret may already be out as far as the latest finesse rods from Shimano. The Artiesta rod range should be on your radar if you are looking to buy an outfit with a focus on small lures and lightly weighted soft plastics. Certainly, there are many bream tournament anglers out there who won’t use anything else. Built using 45 ton Japanese Toray blanks matched with Fuji K-Frame guides, these rods are all about maximizing what you can feel at the end of your fishing line. There are seven models in the range. While I am talking Shimano finesse fishing rods. The Artiesta rods are at the upper end of the price range and may not fit into every anglers budget. Shimano has also released the Ascenza range. They sit at a more affordable price point and will certainly fill that same finesse fishing role based on the wiggle test I did at AFTA. Both rods are available now. DUO “Small lure project” DUO lures is a brand that almost

has a cult following amongst its users. It is not surprising to me at all that this is the case. The quality of build and the research and development associated with this Japanese brand is highly regarded around the world. Wilson Fishing the distributer of DUO in Australia is going about re-launching some of the small lures within the DUO range in 2025. There are many names you will already know, some will be brand new and others will be versions of your favourites you may never have seen. All I know is that as an angler who enjoys casting small lures for bream, flathead, trout, bass, redfin and golden perch, what I saw at AFTA on the Wilsons stand excited me. The small lure project includes the following DUO lures: Realis Minnow 80SP, Realis Rozante 77SP, Realis Rozante 63SP, Realis Shad 59MR, Realis Shad 62DR SP, Spearhead Ryuki 50 MDF, Spearhead Ryuki 50F, Spearhead Ryuki 50 MDSP, Spearhead Ryuki 50SP, Spearhead Ryuki 70SP, Spearhead Ryuki 70MDF, Spearhead Ryuki 70F, and the Spearhead Ryuki 70MDSP. Each will come in an expanded range of colours not seen in Australia before and I suspect the brands cult following will expand. I have played with a few of the colours and styles and have already racked up 5 species on the Spearhead Ryuki 70 MDF alone. Go and check them out. The small lure project lures should be in stores in the lead up to Christmas. DUO Egimasa squid jigs One thing that I know as we head into the Christmas holiday period is that many of our jetties, rock walls and inshore reef weedy areas will

The Noike Kaishin blade is a very versatile lure. It emits lots of flash and vibration on the retrieve. Here it has been matched with one of the Noike paddle tail soft plastics to increase its profile in the water.

have anglers looking to catch a squid or two for a feed on them. Most tackle stores will have a significant range of squid jigs for sale to meet this demand and this range of DUO Egimasa jigs caught my eye. Price pointed at under $20, I can see anglers taking to these DUO offerings. They come in two sizes, 3.0 and 3.5 with a broad array of colours and foil bases available. What I love about the packaging of these squid jigs is

they are likely to hang on a little longer. It also comes in a great range of colours. The Smokin Swimmer and Wobble Shad are paddle tail models that come in a range of sizes and are also in that small profile category. What impressed me when I had an opportunity to use them is the amount of kick in the tail and that for a small profile lure, big fish like to eat them. Plenty of bass anglers have discovered these two lures and

TT’s added to their fantastic range of small profile lures with the TT Switch Minnow Plus and the TT Flashpoint Plus lures. This Enoggera Reservoir bass ate this Flashpoint Plus Tail Spinner when the author slow rolled it back to his kayak. that all the information you need is on the packaging. Sink rates, lure weight, sizing and the base colour are all there, making it easy for you to select your favourite combination. I can see a few of the size 3.0 kurosuke colour (red base) making their way into my tackle box. The DUO Egimasa squid jigs are in store now. Noike soft plastics and Kaishin blades One of the stands I was really looking forward to visiting at the trade show was the Your Outdoor Experience stand. They are the distributer of a number of Japanese brands, one of being Noike (the others are Hide Up and Flash Union). The Noike range includes some interesting soft plastics and the Kaishin Blade. The Hide Up diving lures have a strong following amongst our native fish anglers, but it is the Noike products I would like to focus on here. As far as the soft plastics go, there are 12 models within the range. All have plenty of applications, but the three that really caught my eye are the Machobee, the Smokin Swimmer and the Wobble Shad. The Machobee is a small profile jerk shad that is perfect for finesse presentations (smaller jig head weights). Its long slender profile ensures plenty of movement in the water and as it is salt and scent impregnated, when the fish hit it,

use them to target the big bass in our SE Queensland impoundments. The combination of maximum wobble, salt and scent impregnation and some great colours in the range seems to be the key. For me, my focus has been the flathead and bream in my local estuaries. Both styles have worked a treat. In my mind the lure from the Your Outdoor Experience portfolio that anglers targeting native fish like, Australian bass, estuary perch, golden perch and silver perch will enjoy is the Noike Kaishin Blade. It is bladed chatterbait (small profile) that comes in three different weights. The hook set up is designed to incorporate a soft plastic trailer to bulk up the profile and the blade creates maximum flash and vibration. The colour range is excellent and it is not hard to match one of the Noike plastics to any given Kaishin Blade. I immediately took a liking to this lure and caught some lovely bass slow rolling it over some sunken weed beds in one of my local waterways. So much action for such a small lure. These plastics and lures are available through your local fishing retail outlet or at www. youroutdoorexperience.com.au. Tackle Tactics Switch Minnow Plus and Flashpoint Plus lures Tackle Tactics released a huge number of new products at this year’s trade show. So much in fact that

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TESTING BOOTH they produced a brochure to highlight them all. They now have a significant number of brands that they are responsible for in Australia, but it is the revamp of some of their freshwater lures and new editions to these ranges that I would like to focus on here. The TT Vortex spinnerbaits have been around for many years and they have had a revamp for 2024-25. Plenty

distributed by Frogleys Offshore. What a return it is. It is a massive 13 series of rods covering all aspects of fishing. I would suggest that 90% of the rod and reel fishing options out there, will be covered by one of the rods in the Samurai range. Why are the Samurai rods so well regarded? That is a great question. The best answer is that they are made with a focus on our Australian target

Maui Jim released their latest fishing sunglass option in the form of the Keha model. Lots of lens options and some new features targeted directly at the fishing market.

The Lowrance Eagle Eye 9” includes all your normal features plus focused and down live sonar in a single transducer (forward facing sonar) at an affordable price. of new colours and blade upgrades should see anglers continuing to use them for many years to come. Last year there was an upgrade of the TT Switchblade to the Plus model and the addition of the Switch Prawn Plus to their blade range. There have been some further additions to the blade range in the form of the Switch Minnow Plus and the Flashpoint Plus. Both continue the theme of a small profile lure that can be slow rolled, hopped or vertically jigged as a retrieval method. The Switch Minnow has two skirted assist hooks at the rear with a tail piece that creates enough resistance when the lure is dropping through the water to make it swim or glide as it falls giving it a different look to the other blades in the range. The TT Flashpoint Plus is a different animal all together. It is a compact tail spinner that I think will be very well received by Australian anglers. It comes in three different weights and ten different colours. It is great to see a COMPACT tail spinner available. Something that is bite sized with maximum flash and vibration will be the undoing of many different fish species. These products had just been released at the time of writing. Samurai rods One of the bigger re-releases at the trade show was the return of the immensely popular Samurai rods

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species in mind. They are built on light weight, strong and responsive blanks and the components used are the top of the line offerings from Fuji. At the trade show it was difficult to get a feel for what may suit my fishing needs, considering the ranges offered. It wasn’t until I caught up with a few members of the team at Frogleys that things became clearer and my interest was truly sparked. Just in the light spin estuary models, you had fast taper, medium taper, longer, shorter and even combination in between. I quickly had three fishing rods in my hands to cover light soft plastic fishing, medium/heavy plastics fishing and a rod to throw hardbody lures with that I was super keen to put through their paces. That may not happen via the magazine anymore, but the hardbody rod will more than likely make it into the collection of gear that I use. It was pretty special. The majority of the Samurai rods have been released at the time of

writing. Certainly, the couple of tackle stores I frequent had a few of the models. Keep an eye out for them in your local tackle outlet. Maui Jim Keha polarised sunglasses Sunglasses are an essential part of any anglers fishing tackle. I have been incredibly lucky over the last two to three years to try some of the models from the Maui Jim range and enjoy the quality sunglasses they produce. The latest option released for the fishing market is called the Keha. It seems this model has been designed even more with anglers in mind. New features like ventilated slots around the frame to reduce them fogging up while you wear them. Sweat channels to wick away water from the lens to again ensure maximum visibility and finally keeper slots to keep the glasses securely on your face. Each is designed to limit some of the pet peeves we all have as anglers. Add to that their multi award winning super thin glass lens and a range of lens colours that will suit all the various types of fishing we do, the Keha is well worth looking at if you are in need of a new pair of sunglasses. This model should be in stores for Christmas. What a great present these would make for the budding angler in the household. Lowrance Eagle Eye 9-inch sounder One of the biggest talking points in recent years has been forward facing sonar and the impact it has had on

The author is an avid trout angler and was instantly drawn to the Daiwa Silver Creek 60F minnows. A great looking trout lures with lots of colour options with UV highlights.

angler effort and success. It has been one of the biggest innovations in the fishing industry, but it has come with a significant price tag, meaning that not all anglers have access to it. Enter the Lowrance Eagle Eye sounder. Retailing for just under $1,500, this unit offers you forward facing sonar technology at a price point that is achievable to most users. This fish finder has all the features of a normal sounder (standard sonar, Chirp and DownScan imaging and detailed C-Map charting) but includes focused and down live sonar all using one transducer. The transducer can be mounted at the rear of the vessel or where most would mount it on the barrel of your electric motor. Anglers have been asking for this feature and Lowrance has answered the call. I am unsure of the release dates for the Eagle Eye sounder at the time of writing, you will just have to keep an eye out for them. Daiwa Silver Creek minnow lures Wandering through the Daiwa stand at the trade show is always a must for me. It is always intriguing to see what new products they have produced and have a chat to the team who are all passionate about the latest things they have been working on. The bigger task is choosing something within the new products that really caught my eye. There were many. However, the one that impressed me the most was the new Silver Creek Minnow 60F lures. As a diehard trout angler, I was instantly drawn to these lures. They are Japanese made 60mm bait fish profile that dives to approximately 1 metre. What really caught my eye were the colours. They are heavily trout themed and all of them have an underlying UV enhancement. I was shown this at the show. You can see it for yourself on the Daiwa website. If you are like me and love lures with a UV highlight, you will love the Silver Creek Minnows. Stock of the Silver Creek 60F Minnow should be in retail outlets now.

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

TONIC ECLIPSE

DAIWA FREE SWIMMER BR

Iconic Australian sunglasses brand, Tonic Eyewear, has released a new model onto the market: the Eclipse. This new model combines Tonic’s signature Slice polarised glass lens into a handmade acetate frame, delivering stylish looks, durability and superior performance. Like all Tonic sunglasses, the Eclipse’s polarised lenses feature Tonic’s custom light filtration system for unsurpassed clarity and colour enhancement. The 1.7mm thick Crystalite Glass lenses are lighter than any other lens on the market, so they can be comfortably worn all day. Each lens is decentered, allowing for pinpoint accurate depth perception. An anti-reflective coating on the back of the lens reduces reflective glare or ‘bounce back’ to the pupil, which is very important when sight fishing. The Eclipse will be available soon at selected boating, camping and fishing stores. toniceyewear.com

The Free Swimmer BR reel range welcomes two smaller models in 2024 with the addition of the 3000 and 5000 sizes to the line-up. A highly regarded reel with bait anglers since it was introduced in 2022 the Free Swimmer BR is Daiwa’s latest and most advanced take on the Bite ‘n’ Run reel concept, a concept well loved by keen live and dead anglers alike. The Bite ’n’ technology allows fish to take the bait under minimal line tension to ensure a solid hookset is achieved. 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. Free Swimmer BR is loaded with a host of Daiwa’s best technologies including Air Rotor, ATD Drag, and Tough Digigear and combine with Daiwa’s extensive development and design approach. Anglers looking for a small reel option have their wants now catered for with the new 3000 and 5000 sizes tailormade for Aussie light tackle bait anglers. www.daiwafishing.com.au

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NEW REELS FROM 13 FISHING

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13 Fishing is expanding its line-up by adding three new baitcasters to its arsenal: the 13 Fishing Modus TX2, Radioactive and Radioactive Pickle. The 13 Fishing Modus TX2 has been designed to handle the harsh saltwater environments Australia is famous for. The Modus TX2 features a 100% corrosionproof chassis construction to provide the perfect foundation for this reel. Fitted with saltwater-grade sealed bearings, a fishstopping 8kg of drag and Japanese Hamai Cut gearing to handle any predator you encounter. The 13 Fishing Radioactive Pickle is the real deal when it comes to feature packed bait casters at an affordable price. Featuring a lightweight chassis, seven corrosion resistant ball bearings and a 6-way centrifugal breaking system delivering effortless castability. If you want to stand out from the crowd the Radioactive Pickle will certainly turn heads. The 13 Fishing Radioactive is a featurerich and highly capable piece of gear that won’t punch a hole in your wallet. Designed to stand out from the crowd the Radioactive features a sexy black chassis with splashes of radioactive orange. www.rapala.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au

BONE VOYAGE SALT 5 FINESSE LITE SERIES

The arrival of the Bone Voyage Salt Finesse Lite series starts a new generation of Bone rods. Each of the six models feature a solid carbon tip section for added sensitivity and an upgraded 100% Toray feather-light carbon blank that was built specifically for extreme light saltwater game scenarios. The lighter specification models were made for use with polyester or straight through fluorocarbon and is perfect for micro soft plastics and jigs. The slightly heavier specification models can be used with smaller hardbody lures, drift lures and light jigs with light braid or straight through lines. The longer lengths enable use in shore-based application and the 4-piece construction means you can take these rods anywhere and be ready for action. Equipped with the Fuji SKSS/ASH reel seats and Fuji Titanium AT guides that keep the rod minimal and light in weight, as well as increasing its sensitivity to the touch. www.wilsonfishing.com

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DUO EGIMASA SQUID JIG

SAMAKI OCTANE COMBO

The Egimasa squid jig is an elite level squid jig, built to perform in all conditions. With a focus on sink speed, the Duo Egimasa squid jigs exhibit all the traits Duo lures are well known for - incredible design, unbelievable colour range and minutely controlled action that deliver more hook ups every time they are used. Moreover, Duo has designed a body shape that allows the lure to maintain an ideal body position after the darting action. This results in an increase in bites and eliminates the annoying problem of the hook catching the line. A sharp action that attracts squid from afar, the balanced sink and two sizes (3 and 3.5) deliver time and time again. Anglers can select from the vast choice of colours depending on the field conditions and activeness of the squid. With the Egimasa, you will easily be able to connect to more squid for bait or food. Price: SRP $19.99 www.wilsonfishing.com

Uncover the perfect synergy of quality and convenience with the Octane combo, crafted for anglers who appreciate reliable performance and attractive design with minimal hassle. The Octane rod features an X-weave carbon blank, ensuring you feel every subtle bite while maintaining the power needed for a successful catch. Premium Fuji guides complete this rod guaranteeing smooth, accurate casts. To complement the rod, Samaki has designed a feature-packed reel with a seamlessly coordinated aesthetic. With a double-anodised spool, CNC aluminium handle, and instant anti-reverse, this reel combines eye-catching design with enduring performance. The Octane reel features 4+1 ball bearings and a 5:2:1 gear ratio, delivering consistent and smooth operation. The Octane combo is an ideal upgrade for those seeking enhanced quality and performance in a pre-packaged outfit. www.samaki.com.au

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See you in Portland this summer PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

Here’s to a big holiday season for you all, and I hope you get out and about for some great fishing adventures this month.

to sit, and bins to dispose of any rubbish. Trawlers Wharf is another drive-on platform with some good legs to fish from. We also have a small canal, which boasts a family-friendly fishing platform, or you can just pull up alongside the canal on some nice green grass and have a fish. Of course, there are other options around town, and some great surf fishing areas not far from town. One thing to remember is that the Breakwater and Trawlers Wharf can be closed due to ships or trawlers needing access for a variety of reasons.

and fishing options, and when the weather permits, open water to the shelf brings on a whole new ball game of tablefish and gamefish. So, if you are thinking of coming to Portland this holiday period, we have a great range of tourist parks, bed and breakfasts, motels, hotels and more to accommodate you, your mates and your family. Plus, we have some great local charter operators, so get the family or a group of mates and have a ripper day out on a charter. When you’re in town, remember to call in and say g’day to the crew at Portland Compleat Angler. You will find us at 61 Bentinck Street

Chloe had a great day on the water with her Dad. We will be in full swing here in Portland by the time you read this, with many tourists exploring our area here in the Southwest. Whether it’s fishing or sightseeing, there is much to see and do. Of course, fishing is a huge part of our holiday trade here in Portland, and it’s great to see more and more people making Portland their home away from home for the next couple of months. Portland can still boast about our land-based options so close to town facilities. The Lee Breakwater, which is a 1km long wall that is accessible by car, can produce some real trophy fish. We also have a fantastic town jetty, which is easily accessible and family-friendly. There are plenty of parking spots, places

Darby with a ripper school shark.

Local charter operator Matthew Hunt with a great feed for his clients. Depending on wind and swells, boat fishing options are extensive here in Portland. The harbour is a safe, family-friendly area and is generally very protected. The bay opens you up to a great variety of fish

Charlie with a couple of nice calamari caught in the bay. 82 DECEMBER 2024

next to the Gordon Hotel, or you can call us on 03 5521 1844 for any fishing information. We are also on Facebook. Rear shop access and boat parking available. Have a great holiday season and happy fishing.

PRODUCTS NEWS

New ZMan releases ZMan has launched a host of new releases and colours onto the market this year. There are too many to include here, but here’s a sample. ZMAN 1.75” MICRO WORMZ Worms are a favourite on the menu for many fish species, and the

latest addition to the ZMan Micro Finesse BaitZ range is a bite-size worm profile, the 1.75” Micro WormZ. The head section of the Micro WormZ holds enough bulk to securely rig a jighead, before tapering to a thin tail that vibrates

and twitches with every movement to attract fish and trigger strikes. The versatility of this profile allows it to be flicked and twitched to represent a small baitfish or jelly prawn, or shaken, dragged and dead sticked to represent a worm, aquatic larvae or insect, making it an effective option for anglers fishing the fresh or salt. 10X Tough, ElaZtech construction allows this small profile to stand up to aggressive species and catch fish after fish. The natural buoyancy brings it to life in the water, increasing movement, and its natural tail-up presentation attracts fish and triggers strikes. Available in an 8-pack in 6 colours, including natural, bright and UV-reactive colours, to suit a wide range of target species and fishing environments. Pairs perfectly with a size 2 TT HeadlockZ Finesse or size 4 TT HeadlockZ HD

West Coast

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Sample December delights before crowds peak WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

December is a great month for fishing locally as the waters are warming, and holiday crowds haven’t quite reached peak numbers. If you can get away from the busy pre-Christmas craziness, there is plenty of good fishing to be had. Offshore has continued to produce some excellent fishing when conditions have allowed. Gummy and school sharks continue to be prevalent, and the number of snapper in the 2-4kg range has improved as spring has progressed.

The focus towards the end of the month will likely turn to the summer sportfishing options of kingfish and school tuna. Last summer was a bit disappointing on both these fronts, with plenty of green water and not many calm days. Hopefully, this summer will bring some warm, blue water and flat seas, which are far more conducive for tracking down these hard-fighting surface pelagics. Closer to shore, the Killarney area and the inshore areas just out from the Moyne at Port Fairy and in Lady Bay at Warrnambool can produce some good whiting in the 40-45cm range at this time of year. Silver trevally, squid and pinky snapper

Last year’s kingfish season was tough but some good fish were still taken, like this 126cm fish Luke Gercovich caught off Port Fairy.

Ashby Hoey and Alex Lewis with a quality gummy taken offshore recently.

are also common when fishing for whiting in these 4-8m waters. Rainfall continues to be minimal, and low flows are affecting estuary and freshwater options. The Hopkins continues to keep closing and hasn’t been fishing well. Some of the smaller systems, like Yambuk and the Fitzroy, have been attracting anglers recently and producing some good bream. Some decent estuary perch have been taken in the freshwater regions of the Hopkins River. The trout fishing has been quiet. It can turn around quickly if we get a sudden late dump of rain, but this is looking less and less likely. Many local anglers have been making the

journey inland to fish the natives at Rocklands Reservoir. Murray cod to 75cm and yellowbelly to 60cm are making the effort worthwhile for some. It has been a fantastic initiative by Fisheries Victoria to get a native fishery up and running in the west of the state. It has been an honour to write for Fishing Monthly, starting way back in 2006 in Victoria Fishing Monthy magazine. If you want to keep up to date with what’s happening in the Southwest, follow me on Instagram @markgercovich or check out my son’s YouTube channel, Luke Gercovich Fishing, for plenty of Southwest action.

Available in a range of natural colours, including favourites such as Pearl, Shiner, and Watermelon Red, the 4” Finesse ShadZ has accounted for a variety of species, including snapper, flathead, and bream. Adding to its versatility, the bulbous end on the tail creates a tight swimming action when retrieved at speed, making this plastic an effective option for targeting tailor, salmon, mackerel, tuna, and other pelagic species. A belly slot makes rigging simpler, especially when rigging weedless, while

also holding scent well, along with the micro ribbing on the back of the plastic. The 4” Finesse ShadZ rigs well on size 1/0 and 2/0 TT jigheads, making it ideal for a wide selection of species in the fresh and salt. It’s available now in 5 proven colours, with 8 per pack and an SRP of $13.95. ZMAN YABBIE COLOUR Saltwater yabbies are irresistible to many fish species, and now you can keep a few packets of 10X Tough yabbies in your kit ready to go, thanks to the newly released ZMan Yabbie colour. A pearlescent top section with subtle glitter and a pale orange belly creates a realistic colour imitation, which has proven deadly during the R&D process. Available in a selection of favourites, including the 2.5” PrawnZ, ST GrubZ, and Slim SwimZ, 3” Slim SwimZ, and a couple of dynamite new models in the 2.75” and 3.5” Drop KickerZ, there are plenty of presentation options available to suit a wide range of environments and retrieve techniques. For more information on these and other new releases from ZMan, visit www.z-man.com.au. - FMG

jighead. SRP: $13.95 ZMAN 4” FINESSE SHADZ A jerkbait profile with a difference, the ZMan 4” Finesse ShadZ is loaded with strike triggers, including a narrow minnow profile body, micro ribbed back, and long, worm-like tail. Being 10X Tough ElaZtech, which is naturally buoyant, super-soft and flexible, the tail dances with the slightest movement imparted by the angler or water movement, attracting fish and triggering strikes. In fact, it is virtually impossible to keep this tail still in the water!

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Pitching lures at pelagics around the Bellarine GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

Heck of a time to be a fisherman on the Bellarine with quality snapper and whiting providing great sport and we’re moving into kingfish and tuna season offshore – life’s good! With the water warming, yellowtail kingfish should make an appearance in the Rip and out off Barwon Heads. A school of about three kingfish cruising alongside Cunningham Pier was filmed by David Le (search “fishing with David” on YouTube) and put on social media recently, which is a great sign for Corio Bay. If you were keen on chasing kings in Corio Bay, try hooking up a live garfish or small squid under a float and I reckon you’ll be in with a good shot at them. If you’re land-based, try floating live gars or small (but legal length) salmon out off Portarlington pier and St Helens rocks as VFA have placed artificial reefs here only 60m and 40m out - well within a cast and a few 80cm kings were caught from these not so long ago. Boaties should try drifting around the structures in the bay (where legally allowed to) with live baits out or cast surface lures about. Sometimes, schools of fish (kings, tuna or salmon)

a few jigs down or drift through the Rip during slack water. Southern bluefin tuna also make an appearance out off Barwon Heads over summer. They love trolled skirted lures or poppers and stick baits cast into the school. They can be a seriously frustrating fish, not touching anything you throw at them, but stay with them. Often, something will click, and they’ll chew the paint off your prop. The deciding factor could be a tide or wind change, so keep on the school. Both kings and tuna can be caught in depths ranging from 10m to

Medew Building Supplies. Third went to Mark Stevenson with a 6.045kg snapper winning a $50 voucher supplied by APR Roofing. Entry prize went to Andrew McLaughlin, who won a $100 voucher from Ray’s Complete Maintenance. The winners of the junior section went to Luke Kerr Graham, with a 4.400kg 60cm snapper, and second went to Georgia Ricca with a 2.245kg, 50cm snapper. Both juniors won a $50 Trelly’s voucher supplied by Associated Rigging. The entry prize went to Archer Whitehead, who also won a $50 Trelly’s voucher.

Jake with his double of salmon from Swan Bay. Yvette Williams caught her first snapper on a brand-new rod recently, and it was a beauty. Yvette says she was stoked to have reeled in the beast as her very first snapper! The big snapper weighed in at a very respectable 7.3kg and was caught in the shipping channel out the front of the Clifton Springs boat ramp.

I’ve had my 16-year-old son Max and his mate Tex out chasing whiting a few times and although we haven’t set the world on fire, we’ve caught a feed each time. Pipis and squid are always on the menu and one always out-fishes the other so it’s a good idea to take a few different treats to tempt them. St Leonards has really been firing with good numbers of whiting here while the sandy patches from Clifton Springs to Point Henry have also produced plenty of fish. The baitfish inside Corio Bay have been thick and they’ve bought in a few predators. We never used to have many gannets in Corio Bay but now there is a massive colony of them on Alcoa Pier. I recently saw the gannets giving a big school of baitfish an absolute hiding in the shipping channel. I cast all my lures at them for a while, hoping for a salmon, but I had no luck. Speaking of salmon, they have been in good numbers inside Corio Bay inner harbour and Swan Bay near Queenscliff. They have been great fun for anglers casting poppers and flies at them. These fish have been up to 2kg in size so epic fun on light tackle. Jake Thomas has been ripping into them and having a ball using light BFS tackle. Jake says they got lucky while chasing shark baits recently. Jake and his friend weren’t having any luck looking for squid out off Queenscliff and were getting sick of the chop out wide. They shot into Swan Bay for some respite and found a school of salmon. The fish took some coaxing to bite but once the tide turned, they stopped sulking on the bottom and started coming up to hit surface lures. A few fish in, Jake hooked into what felt like a much

Gannets diving on bait in Corio Bay. can be spotted when cruising the surface on a dead calm day. They sort of look like a wind riffle, so keep an eye out for this on glass-out days. Pick the direction they are moving, get in front of them with your boat and cut the motor. Sometimes, you’ll have fish cruising under the boat, and you’ll get plenty of casts at them by repeating this without too much commotion, i.e. keep your boat noise to a minimum. If you troll lures straight through the middle of the school, they’ll disappear. Please don’t do this! Offshore anglers should try to locate schools using a sounder and send 84 DECEMBER 2024

60m, so it pays to move about or have a few mates out searching. Snapper fishing has been excellent with a few charter operators declaring it the best season start for some time. Leopold Angling and Aquatic Club held a members snapper comp recently. They had 50 members competing, and some ripper fish weighed in with a very tight finish. Murray McAuliffe took out the adult section with a 7.160kg snapper, winning a $200 voucher supplied by Sheds & Homes. Second place went to Ben Krauzowicz, with a 7.040kg snapper winning a $100 voucher supplied by Barry

Yvette with a nice snapper.

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FMM better fish, only to find out that two salmon were hooked on the one lure! Logan Hunt and his dad, Taylor, have been doing ok out of Queenscliff lately. Taylor sent in a pic of a recent mixed bag of flatties, calamari and

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whiting, which made a fair seafood platter for the family! Keith Miller from Lorne Aquatic and Angling Club reports that there has been a few big snapper caught along with good sized school

Jake was using light BFS tackle when two salmon grabbed the same lure!

Logan with a haul from Queenscliff.

sharks out off Lorne recently. Keith notes that school sharks used to be commonly called schnapper sharks spelt the same way as snapper was spelt many years ago. This came about because they were often caught together which has been happening out off Lorne recently. The Lorne pier is fishing well with good catches of mullet, salmon, trevally, whiting, calamari, snapper

and the odd flathead. Well, this is the last report for Fishing Monthly. I joined as the reporter for Geelong and the Surf Coast when the Vic edition of mag first came out in September 2004, and I’d like to thank everyone who has sent in fishing reports and the many editors who have had to correct my spelling and remove my swear words. Fish hard - die happy! The end.

Snapper have been firing from all directions PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

We’re having a strange end to the year, proving that you can’t predict the behaviour of the Westernport Bay fish with any more accuracy than the weather. When it comes to fishing reports, no two have been the same. One angler will report having their best day ever, while the next person couldn’t even feed a bait to a toadfish. Calamari have been absent in the bay for some time. We did get periods when catches improved for almost a week in late October, with decent sizes. We have noticed that more fish than usual have been refusing squid baits, no matter the species or size. Obviously, squid is still a favourable bait for fishing Westernport Bay, but the baits that often work well are the prey that the predators are currently feeding on, so the lack of squid in the bay is having an effect. Plenty of schools of Aussie salmon have stuck around for the summer. The fish aren’t exceptionally big, but they’re the perfect size for whole or large strip bait for the sharks. The bottom of the bay, Cleeland Bight, has become almost devoid of fish. Reports of successful trips have stopped, and reports of no catches have increased. Bait, lures, boat, land, kayak, blow-up mattress - the

method may change but it hasn’t made much difference. Of the many people fishing in that area over the past month, only about 10% have reported catching anything, with most catches being small or very small calamari. These little squid might not look like much, but they’re the perfect size to stuff and cook in a fresh tomato sauce, and they also make great bait for gummy sharks. There are still plenty of large schools of salmon in the bay. Anglers haven’t been catching huge numbers, but they are there. Gummy sharks have also been a targeted species this last month towards Tortoise Head, with most of them just over the 1m mark. Our old friends, the 3m+ bronzies, are back patrolling the bay and causing a bit of havoc. Many people have been losing gear to the bronzies, getting snapped off around the prop or bitten through the lighter snapper gear. If you’re finding this, either run a heavier leader, or use a light gauge wire leader. This can also help with the snapper’s beak teeth. We are in the middle of the snapper season, and it has been firing from all directions. We’ve been getting plenty of reports from all across the top of the bay and in the channels. Rhyll has been better for our customers, who have fished there early in the morning or late in the afternoon until evening. Many customers have remarked on how lazy the snapper have been.

Plenty of people are reporting hooking up, fighting the snapper for a bit, then once it gets boatside it spits out the hook and swims away. Is our bay so healthy with food that even the fish don’t need our bait anymore? In Dickies Bay, located on the eastern side of the bridge behind the police station, there are plenty of weed and sand patches in about 1-2m of water. This is one of the most productive areas for whiting and garfish in the bay. If you are fishing in this area, don’t forget the squid jig because plenty are also caught during the season. For the whiting, use a size 6 longshank hook or a size 1/0 circle on a running sinker or paternoster rig with pipis and or squid bait. Use a small amount of berley and enough lead to hold bottom. Whiting Snatcher rigs are very productive as well. For garfish, all you need is a size 12 long-shank hook with silverfish or dough under a float, with bread dough for berley. Move about 1km east-northeast, and you will come to Maggie Shoal and the Anderson peg. It’s another popular spot for whiting, and the same rig and baits apply. However, you won’t find as many garfish as the water is slightly deeper. With a slightly different bottom, you have a good chance of finding a few flathead in this area, as well as the odd grass whiting. Move another 3-4km north,

and you will come to Reef Island - another spot for whiting. The whiting in this area are generally smaller than Dickies Bay, but there can be plenty of them. Just be careful of the island because the rocks can be just under the surface at high tide. As you head to Reef Island, there are several spots along the way that can be very productive, especially over Christmas when the pinkie snapper move in. You can also catch calamari and flathead. From Reef Island, head south-southwest back towards the bridge to the main channel, and you’ll find plenty of options to fish. The top end of the channel can produce some very good whiting along the edge, but more weight will be needed as the current is quite strong there. The channel can also be very good for pinkie snapper and flathead, but you will come across a bit more rubbish in the form of stingrays and Port Jackson sharks. The channel is also a good place to troll a lure or two for salmon and pike, but remember it is a main channel and sometimes gets very busy with boating traffic. Thank you to all the readers who have supported Fishing Monthly over the years. I have enjoyed being part of this Australian publication, and it’s been a pleasure to meet readers on their fishing journey who have sought us out to share their stories with us. DECEMBER 2024 85

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Great catches from the yak on calmer days PORT PHILLIP BAY WEST

Jordan Mathews

It might have been a short ride here with Fishing Monthly, but I sure have enjoyed bringing all of you the reports for the Melbourne region. Before we get into the final report, I want to thank you all for your support. If you would like to follow me further, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel (Fishin’ With Jordy!) and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about fishing the Northern Port Phillip Bay area, or some of the freshwater systems in the west. The fishing has been a little more challenging for this time of the year than in previous years; the high winds we usually experience through August arrived late, and all of September and the start of October saw constant days of strong breezes topping 30km/h. This has made it extremely difficult for the kayakers and boaties to get out and target the annual run of snapper. Still, we may not have missed too much because the cooler climate has kept water temperatures surprisingly low for this time of year. I am tipping that it will be a later season than normal, and the fish will not move out to the deeper areas like the P2 beacon until around the start of December. Having said that, the land-based fishos have been well and truly finding their fair share of the catch lately. Everywhere from Mornington to Webb Dock, around the north end of the bay, and all the way to Geelong Waterfront, we’ve been seeing quality fish getting caught. The fishing has not been consistent, but those willing to brave the high winds and put in the hours have been rewarded. Black Rock has been fishing especially well, with many land-based and boat anglers getting better quality fish

than other locations around the bay. On days with mild weather, the spots close to shore that are easily accessible have seen swarms of kayaks chasing our iconic snapper, including yours truly. The trick is to find patches of reef in 4-6m of water and use your sounder to try to locate fish. If you see a cluster of arches, stop and throw a soft plastic in the exact place you sounded up the fish. If you manage to throw into the school, you should hook up almost immediately. My personal choices of soft plastic for snapper are the Berkley Gulp 5” Nemesis in nuclear chicken and the 4” and 7” Turtleback Worms in camo and pumpkinseed. I believe the juice that they are packaged in provides an added attractant that makes snapper bite when they are tentative and

David Fisher was happy with this big Melton Murray cod.

The author with a snapper from Campbells Cove. reluctant to eat other soft plastics. My usual spot this year has been Campbells Cove, and mixed in amongst the snapper (averaging 50-75cm) have been some great catches of flathead up to 55cm.

Check my latest videos on YouTube for some of the action on these species, including a video giving tips on sounding up fish, as well as some

awesome underwater footage! Catches of calamari have continued, with many anglers getting their bags of 10 cephalopods with relative ease. Local angler Peter Bakaj has been finding his fair share of inkers around Clifton Springs lately in 3m of water on the drift, using mostly red foil jigs around the 3.0 size. The trick is to make sure you are fishing in an area with good broken sand and weed patches with high water clarity. Melton Reservoir has been fishing very consistently lately. To my surprise, we have been seeing some more catches of the large redfin that Melton used to be renowned for! Last summer, and the summer before that, the redfin were all but absent from Melton. The stocked yellowbelly were far more prevalent. There have been discussions in local groups about whether the returning large redfin are good for the system, but either way, these fish provide a tasty option

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Steve Sultana with a Melton Murray cod.

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FMM for anglers wanting to catch a feed. The resident yellowbelly have remained consistent, and the moreelusive Murray cod have also been on the chew lately. Steve Sultana (Eggcellent Fishing on YouTube) is one of the anglers who’s been finding good numbers of the green fish. However, the real highlight for Melton in the last month was a catch made by David Fisher on his kayak. David was trolling his trusty size 2 Aftershock StumpJumper in blue/ pink, and it got absolutely slammed by a very big fish. After a torrid battle, he managed to bring his quarry to the surface – a big, fat and healthy Murray cod that almost broke his net as he landed it. Unfortunately, David was unable to measure the fish. However, estimates by myself and others put the fish at around READER’S

the 80cm mark with as much girth. It’s a phenomenal fish for Melton and one of the biggest fish we’ve seen come from this impoundment. It’s so exciting to think there could be metre-long Murray cod at a metropolitan impoundment in the future! Well, that’s it, everyone. I may have only written four reports for Fishing Monthly but I have enjoyed every moment, and I hope I’ve given

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you some ideas on where to plan your next trip and how to target your chosen species. If you ever see me on the water, come and say g’day, and if you haven’t checked out my Fishin’ With Jordy channel on YouTube, please head on over and subscribe. And remember, I’m always happy to answer any questions you may have. Until we meet again, this is Jordan Mathews signing off and wishing you all the best in your fishing journey!

FISHING NEWS

Daiwa Solus Luggage Peter Bakaj with a squid from Clifton Springs. PICTURE

The latest luggage release from Daiwa is the Solus luggage range, designed to be the perfect choice for anglers looking for quality luggage at an affordable price. The range features three models, a backpack, hip bag, and boat bag. Made with quality ripstop material, the Solus Backpack features

four D-Box LR trays, has a removable internal divider and an adjustable shoulder strap. Featuring robust straps, clips, handles and zippers, and made for the rigors of both fresh and saltwater angling there’s a Solus bag to suit every occasion, on or off the water. For more information on this and other new releases from Daiwa Australia, visit www.daiwafishing. com.au. - FMG

Michelle Birchall with her PB 68cm snapper on board San Remo Charters.

an internal laptop sleeve, a front compartment that fits a D-Box SR tray and meshed drink bottle side holders, while the Solus Hip Bag features a single large compartment, tool holders and an adjustable waist strap. The Solus Boat Bag is similarly feature packed and will accommodate

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What do you get the angler that seemingly has it all? Here are a few tips from Michael and his team that may help you.

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FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS CHRISTMAS FAVOURITES E

THERE ARE 15 LOGOS HIDDEN THROUGHOUT THE PAGES OF FISHING MONTHLY. FILL IN THE ENTRY FORM BELOW WITH THE PAGE NUMBER OF EACH LOGO LOCATION AND GO INTO THE DRAW TO WIN!

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The Find-a-Word winner for October’s issue is P Johnson of Beresfield who won a Fishing Monthly prize pack. Prizes delivery can take up to eight weeks. – FMM

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December 2024 The best moon phase for fishing typically revolves around the new and full moon phases. During the new moon (when the moon is not visible in the sky), and the full moon (when it’s fully illuminated), the gravitational pull of the moon is at its strongest, resulting in higher tides. This increase in tidal movement often triggers feeding behaviour in fish, making them more active and easier to catch. Additionally, during the new moon phase there is less moonlight, which can make it harder for fish to detect anglers, providing a stealthy advantage. Use this calendar as a guide to help choose the best days of the month to

LOGO COMPETITION The answers to October’s Find the Logo were: 11, 16, 18, 26, 29, 36, 44, 47, 54, 61, 68, 76, 80, 91, 97. – FMM

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Record breaking squid PORT ALBERT

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

This may be my last report, but I can leave you with some good news: the flatties are back, as good as ever, estuary perch are in their usual haunts, and the whiting are still in big numbers. Although the squid have finally slowed right down, it has been a remarkable three months of recordbreaking captures.

numbers have since grown steadily. As usual, the stand-out lure was the mighty Hurricane Sting 37 blade. I’m sure the fish attack this lure thinking it’s a small crab and there is hardly a flathead in this area that doesn’t have a tummy full of crabs when you clean them at the end of the day. And how appropriate that as I type up my last report, I can let you know about catching my new PB yank flathead just two days ago. I caught and released a thumping 73cm yank flattie

You know it’s a hot bite when you bag out on whiting, hook a heap of big flathead and even a few leatherjackets.

The squid finally slowed down as summer arrived but it was astonishing to see their incredible numbers while it lasted. FLATHEAD My first serious look for the flatties this spring was back in late October, and I was quite surprised with the sizes and numbers. My very first fish measured 64cm, and in the first three hours, I caught about 20 flatties, with nearly all of them around 40cm. On that day, I only caught one rock flathead, but their

The new Hurricane Skimp 70 has been deadly on estuary perch. 90 DECEMBER 2024

on a red devil Sting Blade. A pity it was too windy to get any decent pics. SUPER SQUID SEASON It seemed like the run of squid was never going to end. On one trip with buddy Rhys Smith, we caught more squid than I ever thought possible! We searched new areas and discovered channels and weed beds we thought would never hold calamari, but they did. After bagging out (10 squid per person) in the first 90 minutes, we kept finding and releasing them unharmed for hours. The beauty of using jigs is that they do negligible damage to the squid, so you can return them without causing them any grief. Rhys was keeping tally that day, and by 3pm I told him to stop counting at 90 squid! Yes, I know - ridiculous, right? We were just having so much fun that we couldn’t leave. At one point, we counted 15 squid lined up at the back of the boat, looking like they were waiting for their turn to grab a jig. It was amazing to see. We put the squid jigs away, went looking for rock flathead, and fished on until about 4pm. But can you believe it - all we found was more squid! They were attacking our blades and we even caught and netted a few on the small metal lures. We eventually put the squid

jigs back on and hooked more beautiful southern calamari for the last hour of that long session. I’m sure we caught over 100 squid that day but nobody will believe that, so I just say we caught around 90! ESTUARY PERCH I’ll leave you with one last positive from Port Albert and it’s all about estuary perch. The same day I caught my PB yank flattie, I also released some beautiful big perch. I only scored a modest tally of 11 EP that day but my best four fish went 49cm, 48cm and two at 46cm. In the 25-odd years I’ve fished this area, it’s nice to see that perch are still

around in significant numbers. The only sad thing is that they are still commercially harvested at Corner Inlet (the last place they are commercially harvested anywhere in Victoria). Surely perch are too precious to be displayed dead in fish markets or end up in restaurants? SIGNING OFF Farewell to all of you who have kept up with my Port Albert reports. Feel free to still contact me for advice or even keep sending me more pics and stories. The closure of Fishing Monthly magazine will leave a BIG hole - not just for me but a whole community of keen anglers across the country.

Enjoy calm, warm days LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

Summer is finally here, and the strong spring winds have begun to back off. Anglers are beginning to make the most of the warm, windless days.

This month, if you hit enough snags you should run into some hungry EPs.

Anglers have been catching good numbers of bream over the past month. LAKES ENTR ANCE Lakes Entrance is a truly diverse fishery, providing anglers with a

wide selection of species to target within the lake and offshore. King George whiting are a staple of our fishery, and many anglers come to our coastal town just to target them these days. From Lakes Entrance to Paynesville, the many weed beds produce great whiting fishing. Fresh baits such as pipi and mussel are always the best for success.

East Coast

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20 years of joy but a sad goodbye GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

I’m struggling to accept the fact that this magazine will no longer be part of my life. It’s going to leave a BIG hole, not just for me but its huge readership. Fishing Monthly’s closure is a result of increasing postal costs, and if this is the price of ‘progress’ or the digital age taking over, it sucks. Every fish photo I’ve captured for over 20 years has been taken with Fishing Monthly in mind, to potentially be used in my reports or a feature article. Fishing Monthly has been publishing Victoria-based content for over 240 issues, and I’m proud to have contributed to every one of those issues. I always looked forward to writing my articles each month; it never felt like work to me. I also thoroughly enjoyed reading the other fishing stories from around the country and seeing the new products and techniques. I have also developed close friendships with other anglers who have contacted me after reading my write-ups. Overall, being part of FM has been a great joy for me, and I’m indebted to Steve Morgan for pouring his heart, soul and money into this long-running mag. A huge thanks also goes to the whole FM crew, especially Jacqui and Nicole for putting up with and supporting me. And a grateful shout-out to Ben Sandman, who first signed me up with Victoria Fishing Monthly way back. Areas such as Rigby Island are very popular with anglers. Australian salmon are a common catch throughout the lakes and the beaches. These are great fighting fish and make excellent bait for anglers heading offshore or chasing bigger critters off the beach. With the warm currents hitting our part of the world, local shark anglers have begun lining the beach. They have been chasing mostly bronze

It’s going to be tough to compile my last report, but here goes. BREAM ARE BITING With the spawning season beginning to wind down, the bream are hungry and actively looking for food. This can be a great time for bait or lure fishing, and you can start to count on some good tallies as well. I’m finding the bream a lot more aggressive with lures after a few months of being fairly shut down while breeding. I’ve even been getting bream hitting lures two or three times rather than a single timid pluck or tap. The river snags in the Mitchell and Nicho are holding big bream again, and the open lake water is

The lakes are now full of big flathead, and this summer they could be pushing a metre. whalers, with the odd other species getting in on the action. Offshore anglers are having success targeting pinkie snapper out on the reef areas, and the 6 and 8 Mile reefs are great places to start. Baited paternoster rigs are ideal presentations, especially matched up with quality baits such as squid, pilchard and salmon strips. LAKE TYERS With a huge amount of rain, the

A healthy lure-crunching bream.

also starting to fill up with large bream. The usual shallow flats will also become your go-to areas, like the rocky reef area out from the Silt Jetties and the Nicho flats. I can bet the snags out from the Tambo entrance will also be holding big bream, especially first thing in the morning. I expect Lake Victoria to start producing big bream again as we roll into the middle of summer, and the shallow lake edges will be high on the agenda, like last summer. DINO DUSKIES It’s with much anticipation that we enter this year’s flathead season. We could see records tumble. With so many flathead from 70-90cm caught between January and March this year, everyone is expecting those same fish to be pushing 95cm or possibly even more. This summer, the stand-out method will remain the same: throwing big lures over 20cm in very shallow water. The hotspots this coming month will be the Kalimna and North Arm areas and then the Metung area as we roll into February. CHANGES FOR THE GOOD I’d like to finish up my final report with some positive observations. So much has changed since my very first Fishing Monthly report back in 2004. The Gippy Lakes have steadily come back to life with major and ground-breaking changes. We are now entering the fourth year of the entire system being net-free. We have also seen changes to the lake has nearly opened. There’s up to 2.1m of extra water in the system, and this has created massive changes. Anglers fishing in the lower lake can expect good numbers of bream and flathead, which have been pushed down the system with the rains. Once the system has settled and cleared up, the many weed flats will be ideal areas to target bream with hardbody lures. Small, prawn-patterned jerkbaits are highly effective in this scenario. Good numbers of estuary perch have been present on the snags slightly higher in the system. Locating good snags has been a bit of a challenge, with most of them hidden underwater, but using a quality sounder has made this a lot easier. After that, it’s a matter of hitting enough snags and running into a patch of hungry EPs. It’s crazy to think this will be the last time I’ll be writing to you all. I’d like to say a huge thanks to the team at Fishing Monthly for the publication that set the benchmark for fishing magazines in Australia. This magazine has been a part of so many Australian anglers’ lives.

One of the greatest success stories for the Gippy Lakes has been the massive stocking program of bass. Fish of 40-48cm are now common. bag limit of bream now being seven fish, with a slot range of 28-38cm. Since 2012, the bag limit for dusky flathead has remained at five fish, and there’s now a slot range of 30-55cm. There have been a lot of environmental improvements and substantial work in creating artificial reefs and structures made of timber, old tree snags and even recycled oyster shells.

The author’s homemade lures have changed over the years, but one thing’s for sure: they’re still unique, if not ugly! However, I believe the biggest benefit has been the huge amount of restocking that has taken place, including estuar y perch, bass and flathead. Before I sign off, thank you to all the readers who have contacted me over the years and sent me wonderful photos, reports and kind words. I’m pretty sure I responded to each and every one of you. DECEMBER 2024 91

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Plenty of good-size bream are being caught MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

As we head towards summer and the busy time of year, the town once again comes to life. The past month has seen some typical spring weather: hot one day and freezing the next. You get those beautiful, windless, sunny days and then, out of

nowhere, a day with howling winds. You’re forced to rug up because it’s freezing cold. The offshore water temperature is still cold but it will get warmer over the coming months. At the time of writing this report, with few people heading offshore, I have little to report. Still, if you were to head offshore this month, you wouldn’t come home without a feed. You just need to keep on the move and

Greg McEachran has been catching plenty of bream lately.

persistence will pay off. Once the water warms, the fishing will definitely fire up. The fishing along the beaches is still all about salmon. In the coming weeks, rising water temperatures will add more variety to the species available, with increasing numbers of yellowfin bream and sand whiting. There have been good reports coming out of the estuary system, with fish being caught from the entrance area right through to upstream above Gypsy Point. Dusky flathead and black bream are biting well in the upper regions. When fishing upstream, it pays to get familiar with the area because there are plenty of shallow areas, making navigation tricky. The Bottom Lake has been fishing well, with lots of good-sized yellowfin bream, dusky flathead and a few black bream. Bladed lures and soft plastics have been working well and, as usual, the key to success is using your sounder to find the schools of baitfish. Find the bait, and the bigger fish won’t be far behind. No doubt there are still plenty of mulloway in the system, and they will start regularly featuring in catches over the coming months. Before I sign off, I have to say it has been a great era for sportfishing with the

Lachy McEachran with a healthy bream. Fishing Monthly magazine leading the way, and estuary fishing moving ahead in leaps and bounds. Just think - in Vic McCrystal’s book ‘Practical Fishing With Lures’, bream were just starting to be caught on lure, and there was definitely no mention of whiting being caught on artificials. Now, both species are regular catches on lures. The past few decades have been a special time for all involved, and hats off to the crew at Fishing Monthly for bringing it all together. It has been great to be a part of it, including the promotion of catch and release. Once again, great job.

Come relax and unwind MARLO/ORBOST

Marlo Ocean Views

December is a wonderful time to be in Marlo. Early in the month tends to be quieter as people prepare for the arrival of Christmas holidaymakers and for the town’s population to increase. Once people begin to arrive and the caravan parks and holiday homes begin to fill, there is a great energy in the town and for many the life of the party is the Snowy River and the waterways that surround it. From a fishing perspective, it seems like the fish come to play as well. The lower estuary and the mouth of the river tends to hold good numbers of tailor and salmon. Any lure or bait cast into deep water coming off a flat is likely to

be taken by one of these species or even a flathead that may be lurking around looking for an easy feed picking up the scraps as the tailor attack the bait schools. The better fishing is generally early and late in the day for these species. The ever present bream are always an option. Bait fishing the current lines

A typical bag of bream from the Snowy River system.

MARLO

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www.marlocamping.com.au 92 DECEMBER 2024

around First and Second Island, the mouth of Lake Corringle or any deep bank with structure in the Brodribb River are time proven options, with fresh sand worms your best option as bait. These same areas can also produce luderick. They also like the man-made walls in the system, so these are worth stopping at while you explore the waterway. There are plenty of land based fishing options around the area as well. Places like Frenches Narrows, the Marlo jetty and boat ramp and the Brodribb River boat ramp are great family friendly locations to wet a line and catch a few fish. For those venturing offshore your main options will be gummy shark and sand flathead. With the warmer water and currents around Marlo reef at this time of the year there should be plenty of both species about, making picking up a feed of

Any section of slightly deeper water will likely hold a bream or three. Fresh sand worm is your best bait option.

A blast from the past. Fishing Monthly’s Peter Jung first visited Marlo in July 2012. He and Neil Grose instantly fell in love with the town and the fishing there. them well worth a try. Beach anglers have also been enjoying a nice run of tailor and salmon from our beaches. We see no reason why this wouldn’t continue into December. Bream, whiting and for the sportfishing angler large shark are also target species from our beaches. Sadly, that is the last Marlo fishing report for Fishing Monthly magazine done and dusted. Our association with the magazine dates back to a visit from Neil Grose and Peter Jung in July 2012. We have been part of it ever since and are very sorry to see it go. To Peter, Jacqui and the rest of the team, we wish you all the best and to all the readers we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope to see you in Marlo some time soon.

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Land-based anglers reporting good catches BEMM RIVER

Brian Ibister

There have been some good catches reported over the past month. Here are a just a few. Christian Nettleton from Williamstown bagged three nice bream on prawn and crab in the morning (unfortunately no pics). Glen Herring and Mal Boyer, down from the Gold Coast, landed nice bags of good-sized bream on lures in the early morning in Swan Lake. It’s a secluded and beautiful neck of the woods that is worth

by Tony Vukovic from the Bemm River Angling Club: The Annual Purvis Cup was held over 18-19 October. This event marks the 88th year since Jack Purvis (and others) put a stop to commercial fishing at Bemm River that would have destroyed the sustainability of the system. 14 keen anglers from the Bemm River Angling Club braved the wet and wild weather to win back the Purvis Cup from the Marlo Angling Club. Most fish were caught on the Saturday, after the rain had eased, with anglers seeking refuge out of the wind.

Tony Vukovic (635g) and Lindsay Williams (560g), giving the Bemm River Angling Club a total weight of 3.41kg. Marlo Angling Club unfortunately did not have any anglers competing, due to the weather. Darcy won an Orbost Angler voucher, fishing rigs, two packs of soft plastics, a Bemm River Angling Club brag mat and a bush hat. Bronwen also won an Orbost Angler voucher, a light up stubbie holder and two packs of soft plastics. This competition is based on the five heaviest fish from five different anglers. There were plenty of small fish being caught and it took some moving around to where the bigger ones were hiding. We held a raffle after dinner with some great items up for grabs, including a Wild Country all terrain sleeping bag

Bevan and John with their spoils at the pub. a visit even if you don’t catch any fish! Guests Arthur Albanis and Chris Papadimas bagged out two days in a row (well, Arthur did, anyway) on bream in the lake, also in the morning. The pair had

Land-based fishing along the banks around Siberia turned out to be a good option, out of the wind, and produced the biggest bream over the weekend, caught on local prawn. The bream have moved up the river for spawning with a few being caught by boat and from Dolly’s Garden fishing platform. John Roberts managed to hook and lose an estimated 80cm dusky on a hardbody lure right at the boat. There’s always next time! Those brave enough did manage to get a few nice bream up the river and channel, on local prawn and soft plastics. An angler from another club even caught a spawning brown trout! The heaviest five bream were caught by Darcy Vukovic (819g), Bronwen Loizou (725g), John Roberts (675g),

Darcy Vukovic with the winning 819g bream. (valued at $200), Blizzard Jackets (valued at $100), a Real McCoy Fishing Tours pack (valued at over $100), a bottle of Bordeaux (valued at $60), Bemm River Angling Club bar mat, fishing shirts and stubbie holders. A big thank you to Andy Loizou for running the raffle, which raised money for the club to put towards the next fishing trip. It was a great night at the presentation

The victorious Pervis Cup winners, celebrating at the Bemm River Hotel. another good session later on in the river, with quite a few nice fish up to 40cm. Regulars Ged Sanderson and crew also had a great time on bream, very early in the morning, around 5am (not for me I’m still pushing out Z’s at that time!) They had just as much fun on soft plastics in the river in the afternoon (more my style). The bream are spawning in the river and it’s worth your while cruising up there early to mid afternoon and trying your luck with soft plastics and peeled prawn. PURVIS CUP COMPETITION The following report was provided

A bronze whaler caught off the beach.

Bronwen Loizou with her 725g runner-up bream. held at Bemm River Hotel and we would like to thank all of our sponsors and members who came along and helped out and donated items to the club which helps to make it what it is today. We would also like to thank: the Bemm River Hotel, Bemm River Bait and Tackle, Aussie Disposals, Purvis Cellars, Real Mccoy Fishing Tours, Bemm River Holiday Accommodation, Cosy Nook Accommodation, Hooked on the Bemm, On The Edge Lures and Orbost angler. We are looking forward to the next trip to Lake Tyers on 22-23 November and we hope to see more anglers come along and have a great weekend. I also caught up with members of Paynesville Angling Club, who are keen to have a competition with Bemm River angling club. Stay tuned. MORE RECENT CATCHES A large bronze whaler shark was recently caught and released off one of the local beaches. The angler didn’t say whether it was caught at Py-Yoot, Bin Beach, Ocean Beach or Pearl Point, but regardless, it certainly was a big bronzie. The entrance is still open, although narrowing. Water levels are a touch higher, making navigation just that much easier. We are hoping the entrance will close in the near future, allowing the prawns to mature, and a bumper season can be had by all. Tight lines. • East of Orbost and about half an hour from the Cape Conran, Bemm River has some of the best beaches in Australia. Located on the edge of town, surrounded by unique bird life and landscape gardens. Cosy Nook Accommodation has seven fully self-contained units and two cottages. All are very well appointed, and one of the cottages is even pet friendly. For up-to-date fishing reports and reservations, contact Peter or Brian Isbister on 0487 307 446 or 0488 672 260, or email cosynookbemmriver@ gmail.com. You can also get up-to-date fishing info and tips from Mark and Jane at Bemm River Bait & Tackle, who stock all the gear you need. DECEMBER 2024 93

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Australian angling is poorer for the loss ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

Well, here we are at the end of an incredible journey where much has been shared and learned over the years. I have enjoyed my time

Most of the perch caught lately have been taken on bait, but a few have been landed on lures. The Bassman spinnerbait is a proven fish catcher. with the mag, sharing reports and yarns with like-minded anglers, many of whom gleaned the info and turned it into great adventures and memorable catches. Sadly, the loss of this magazine, like others before it, will take from angling a wealth of knowledge that

spans decades. In its place, social media has taken the reins. While some online content is noteworthy, much is drivel. Editors, bless their souls, are the backbones of any good magazine yarn or report, as they cast an eye over the work and cut to the floor any stupidity before it reaches the reader. Social media, on the other hand, is a free-for-all. And if I may slip this one past the editor, we are all about to be subjected to an angling world of over-confident idiots who have a lot to say and very little depth to draw from. We will all be poorer for the loss of this magazine and other paperback reads. As I write this report, the expected run of golden perch below

Casey Parkinson with a solid golden perch caught in the Murray River.

Good luck to all those fishing for cod this season, and may you be blessed with a giant like this one landed last season by Clinton Hann. the Euston Weir has been a no-show this spring, which seems odd as we are running a good-sized river. Last season was full-on, with cast after cast slammed hard by an endless run of large golden perch - most up around the 50cm mark. Perhaps they are a little slow this year, and the action is yet to come. Perhaps it’s not too late, as a few weeks of consistently warm weather might bring them on in number.

Anglers fishing bait in the Robinvale weir pool are catching some good-sized golden perch close to the timber. Bags are not big with just two or three fish a session most common. However, they are of quality size, with some perch measuring up to 58cm. Carp are ever present and a few smaller Murray cod are popping up in the mix. It’s a similar story downstream of Euston through to Wemen

DOMINATE THE FLATS LEN GT H 95 M M W EIG H T 30 G T YPE S INK IN G

C OLOU R S AVAIL A BLE

BLACK CRAPPIE

WHITE CRAPPIE

BABY GILL ND

NOIKE BASS

A JOINTED SWIMBAIT DESIGNED TO DOMINATE THE FLATS, THE SNAPPY CRAPPIE IS A SLOW SINKING WEAPON FISH CAN’T REFUSE.

GHOST CHARTREUSE

DISTRIBUTED BY MATT BLACK ORANGE

94 DECEMBER 2024

MATT TIGER

PRISM GILL

wilsonfishing.com

Freshwater

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VIC

Fish feeding more aggressively in warm water BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

I was disappointed when we received the news that the Fishing Monthly Magazine was finishing. I would like to thank all the readers for their support and all the positive feedback they’ve given us over the years. I have enjoyed sharing information and helping anglers improve their catch rates and enjoyment of the sport of fishing. I will continue to help anglers through my business (retailing fishing tackle) in Bendigo. If you would like a fishing report in the future, feel free to email me at codhuntertours@bigpond.com and I’ll help you out. The future is looking bright for anglers fishing in the Bendigo region, thanks to some terrific fish stockings by Victorian Fisheries. In the next few years, we should see a significant improvement in fish numbers and quality. Of course, the weather will continue to challenge anglers, with floods and droughts having an impact. Still, while fishing conditions are not always perfect, we should embrace the challenge and just enjoy spending time in the outdoors. While you’re fishing, remember to look around and enjoy the scenery now and then. Looking at your surroundings while enjoying the company of the people you’re fishing with makes you appreciate how lucky you are.

Thanks to the VFA stocking program, anglers will have more opportunities to catch large Murray cod in the future. LAKE EPPALOCK The lake is currently at 81% of capacity. The level had been dropping for a while, but some good rainfall has slowed that down. Most of the lake is clear. The exception is the Twin Rivers section, thanks to inflows after a good rain event. It’s hard to predict how much rain we’ll get this summer. Last year, we got significant amounts of rain caused by troughs from Northern Australia, and the region went from dry to flood in a short time. However, I think the chances of floods are unlikely this year. The catchments are drier and most of the impoundments are at lower water levels, so we’d need major rain events to cause flooding. As always, Mother Nature will decide. After a slow start, the fishing has

This redfin was caught at Lake Eppalock on a surface lure using a walk-the-dog retrieve. and beyond, with most bait anglers catching a feed. Mildura tackle proprietor Kym Sykes says the perch have been a little slow on lures in the Murray River but those using bait are getting a few fish. Scrubworms, small yabbies and the local river shrimp are all working well. Carp and a few small to medium-sized Murray cod have also been taking the bait. The expected run of goldens

downstream of the Wentworth weir has so far been a non-event, with just the odd perch being landed. Perhaps it’s a similar scenario to Euston, and a week or so of consistent warm weather might bring them on. With the open of the cod season close at hand, I wish every angler chasing these ripper fish the best of luck. With that said and done, it’s over and out from me. The best of angling luck to you all.

started to improve, with good numbers of golden perch being caught. Fishing the standing trees with a wide range of lures has been working. The goldens have been holding a bit deeper so sinking lures such as blades, lipless crankbaits, and soft plastics have been good options. As water temperatures increase, more goldens will be caught in shallower water, taking trolled small and medium-sized hardbody lures. Casting suspending hardbody lures around the tops of the trees or on rocky banks will also be productive. Anglers have been struggling to find concentrations of better-quality redfin, but things should improve in the coming weeks. If the water clarity stays the same, the best concentrations of redfin will be in deep water, usually around 8-10m. Try trolling deep-diving hardbodies like the Custom Crafted Basshunter and Australian Crafted Invader. Casting soft plastics and soft vibes can also work well. A few Murray cod have been caught on trolled hardbodies. Most of the cod have been small but it’s still a good sign for what the future holds for Lake Eppalock. CAMPASPE RIVER It has been a slow start to the fishing in the Campaspe River this season, thanks to the poor water clarity and cold water temperature. The good news is that conditions have finally started to improve, with rising temperatures and better clarity. Catch rates are still reasonably low, but the number of fish being caught is increasing each week. Most of the fish caught have been golden perch, which have been taking small profile spinnerbaits, 50-65cm lipless crankbaits, and small to medium sized hardbody lures. It’s not long until the Murray cod season opens on 1 December. Good lure options for the cod in low-light conditions will be surface lures and swimbaits. Other productive lures include the traditional hardbodies, spinnerbaits, and lipless crankbaits. In

the last couple of seasons, increasing numbers of Murray cod have also been landed on large soft plastic lures. CAIRN CURRAN Water levels in Cairn Curran are currently at 62%. The water clarity has improved slightly in recent weeks, but it’s still poor. The fishing is reasonable, with most reports coming from anglers bait fishing around the edges of the lake. Most catches are a mixed bag of European carp, golden perch and small redfin. The occasional Murray cod is also being landed on bait around the edges. Banks with submerged rocky structure are currently the most productive. Boat anglers have been struggling to find good schools of redfin, and have had better luck targeting golden perch. The best areas for the goldens have been around the edges of standing timber. A good approach is to drop a soft plastic to the bottom around

When water temperatures are favourable, large lipless crankbaits can be very effective on large golden perch. the base of the standing timber, then slow roll it up the trees. Casting lipless crankbaits and blades has also been working. The best lure colours have been bright UV colours such as pink, orange and chartreuse, and also dark colours like black and purple. LODDON RIVER The fishing has been poor in the Loddon River because of the cold, dirty water, but things are slowly improving. At present, the best water clarity is in the section below Bridgewater and downstream of Serpentine. The worst water clarity is in the section from Cairn Curran to Newbridge. Rising water temperatures have caused the fish to feed more aggressively. Golden perch have been making up the majority of captures in recent weeks, but that’s all about to change now that Murray cod season is upon us. Regardless of whether you’re chasing redfin, golden perch, or the majestic Murray cod, the Bendigo region is a great destination to do it. If you’re planning a trip to this area, don’t hesitate to email me. I’m more than happy to share my passion for fishing with you, and pass on some useful information to help your trip be a successful one. Thanks again, everyone, and great fishing to you all. DECEMBER 2024 95

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Dust off the cod lures and head to the river WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

I have never seen as many Murray cod in the Ovens River as I have this spring. Some people say that the river should be closed to protect them during the spawning season. Other people (including me) say the current laws are obviously working, so why change them?

the lake after spawning. All of the usual Murray cod fishing methods will be worth a try when the season opens on 1 December. Lures, bait and even fly fishing (which is growing in popularity among cod anglers) will be worth trying. December is a great time of the year to fish for Murray cod in the North East Victorian rivers. YELLOWBELLY The yellowbelly have been One of the author’s better trout this season. He caught this rainbow trout the morning after widespread rainfall drenched the region.

There are plenty of small freshwater blackfish in the streams. Look for deep pools with lots of snags and rocks. One thing I know for sure is that once the cod season opens in December, they will be nowhere to be seen! It’s Murphy’s law. MURRAY COD During spring, I caught a lot of cod in the Ovens River. They were all caught

conspicuous by their absence this spring; it’s easy to see that they’re not there! Rest assured, though, they are still present and have probably just been a bit slow to start this year. By the time this magazine hits the shelves, the yellowbelly should have turned up.

A small Murray cod caught on a Onewell Sumo lure. on worms because I refuse to cast lures or known cod baits into the river during the closed season. By using worms, you’re more likely to catch yellowbelly, or even carp, but a Murray cod by-catch is inevitable. Once the Murray cod season opens in December, I will dust off my cod lures and head to the river. Usually there aren’t as many cod around in December as there are in October and November. The reason could be because they’ve slowed down as the water has dropped and warmed up, or it could be because they swim upstream to spawn each spring. Many of the cod I caught as a by-catch may be Lake Mulwala fish that have returned to 96 DECEMBER 2024

There are growing numbers of the protected Macquarie perch in the Ovens River now, and it is the angler’s responsibility to be able to tell the difference between the two species. Macquarie perch must be released. SILVER PERCH I have been catching some massive silver perch in a private farm dam recently. If they are biting in there, that means they should start biting everywhere else. Silver perch are stocked into quite a few waterways around North East Victoria, including Lake Buffalo, Lake Nillahcootie, Stanley Dam, Merriwa Park Lake and Allans Flat Waterhole, just to name a few. By December, any waterway that has silver perch in it will be worth fishing. REDFIN The two main lakes in the Ovens River catchment are Lake Buffalo and Lake William Hovell. Both lakes are well worth fishing for redfin in December, although it isn’t the best time of the year to catch redfin in either lake. I have caught some smaller redfin in both of these lakes in December, but the larger ones tend to be few and far between. Lake Sambell in Beechworth will be worth fishing in December, where a yellowbelly or rainbow trout might turn up as a by-catch if you are lucky. TROUT The trout fishing has been very slow here in North East Victoria this spring. It has been a huge source of frustration for many keen anglers. People are spending hundreds of dollars on fuel, driving around looking for trout and catching

A Murray cod caught on a medium-sized Onewell Lunch.

nothing. As dire as the season has been, I have some positive news: there are still a few trout around. Over the last few years, we have been spoilt rotten with above-average rainfall and great trout fishing. Now, we have below-average rainfall. This means the habitat isn’t as suitable as it was, and the trout numbers have declined. Some people blame cormorants and other water birds, and some (like myself) say that it is seasonal, and the fish will return. I have been finding trout in recent weeks; not a lot, but there are a few

This giant silver perch was caught in a private farm dam. This month, silver perch will be biting in all the waterways they’re stocked in. around. Be prepared to work hard for them. There aren’t trout in every pool now, but they are in there in patches. Provided we don’t get hammered by drought, and the fish don’t end up wrapped in tin foil and put on the BBQ, they will spawn and restock the waterways. At the moment, we have Indian trout fishing – Apache here and Apache there. There’s never been a better time to practice catch and release of wild trout. This season isn’t a write-off – it’s just very slow. I suspect that the next couple of years will gradually get better. OTHER SPECIES December is a great month to catch yabbies. The yabbies are usually at their peak during November and December. If you have a favourite dam to go yabbying in, December is the time to do it. Although the trout seem absent, there are still a lot of freshwater blackfish in the creeks. Most people don’t target them because they’re small, but I enjoy it. And, as always, there will be plenty of carp on the bite in December. Pretty much every waterway that has carp in it will produce carp this month.

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Thank cod - the long wait is nearly over YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett

As we sit here holding our breath waiting for the real stuff to begin - cod season - the yellas have turned up in good numbers for their spring run. This has given fishos something to practice on as we wait for December 1! Lake Mulwala isn’t a stocked pond that allows targeting Murray cod all year round, so all cod gear is put away for a few months during the closed season. A few more sleeps and the wait is all but over for those who chose to target the mighty green fish at “the home of the Murray cod”, Lake Mulwala. Sure, there are a few other options open in the Sep-Nov period, but nothing beats fishing the Mecca itself! In the first full weekend in December, Lake Mulwala will come alive with the running of the 25th Anniversary Cod Classic. 2500+ anglers will be looking to hook a mighty Murray cod and share in the huge prize pool, which includes five boating packages. Targeting early-season Murray cod can be rewarding, with many different

styles catching their share. Getting off the edge of the deeper channels and casting in depths of 1-3m can be productive. Any style of lure - hardbody, spinnerbait, crankbait, swimbait, etc - will see you in with a good chance. Trolling probably turns up more cod than casting in the lake, and options are limitless. As long as your lure isn’t consistently ploughing the bottom but is somewhere close to it, you’ll be in with a chance. The bait brigade generally catch more fish than the lure fishos. Nothing beats a fresh grub, and yabbies, scrub worms, cheese or chicken will also do the trick. The yella season has started to fire. It’s been ‘standing room only’ at the usual haunt, behind the old police station! Young Yarra local Riley Brear has been the standout performer here, with his best being seven yellas in one session. The same location has been producing plenty of fish for the ‘scopers’ fishing from boats, with Anthony Loomes catching many on numerous occasions. It’s an intricate dance watching those fishing via boat and those fishing from land all cast in the same direction at the same time

without getting tangled up. The popular “Golden Dollar$” tournament was held in late October with a field of 35 anglers taking part. The event is based around the Bundalong area and its many backwaters. The fishing was tough, with only 13 yellas being returned to the scale for the day. Only the team of Connor Heir and Jarrod Gillespie managed to catch two for the day, and they ended up being the overall winners. Second place went to Russell Boyd, who also landed the biggest for the day (497mm), whilst Dave Stubley and Tristan Eastoe took third. In closing, it’s been a pleasure writing for the Lake Mulwala region over the past 15+ years. Hopefully, my reports have helped get you onto a cod or two. Being the last publication, I’m going to be a bit selfish and share a special picture of myself and a cod I caught last season. This fish was caught on a rod and reel combo given to me by the family of a wonderful friend, Sasha Jovanovic, who had recently passed. The lure I was using was also one of Sasha’s own creations. This lovely 71cm cod helped bring back plenty of memories. RIP Sasha. Happy fishing. • If you’re visiting Yarrawonga/Mulwala

for the cod opening, call in and see us at one of our two locations. You can find us opposite the Post Office in Mulwala with the big green fish out the front or at our Yarrawonga store, between Rivers and One Zach. We’re your local Murray cod fishing specialists and specialise in all things Green! We’re also the official Cod Classic shop. For an up-to-date fishing report or further information call us on 03 5744 1667.

The author with a 71cm Murray cod.

Yellowbelly and redfin taking baits and lures SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

There have been plenty of yellowbelly reported in the Goulburn River lately, with a heap of different locations fishing well. Murchison area has seen some big fish caught lately, and fishing with worms and shrimp around sand bars has been the best way to target them. Trolling downstream of Nagambie Lake has been a good way to chase yellowbelly, with small Codgers and Old Mates being the stand-out trolling lures. The river near Moira Park has also been productive. Legal-sized yellowbelly have been reported by those using beetle-rigged soft plastics. Black Gulps on a 7g black Bassman jighead have been the best. In Shepparton, small square bills used from the bank and boat have been effective. The stretch behind the Shepparton Lake is the best area. WARANGA BASIN The Basin is dropping and it is now at its lowest level for the start of November since 2018. The upgraded ramp at Harrimans Point had about 8m underwater, and if there is no major inflow, it will be completely dry in the coming weeks, so make sure you plan your trips and be prepared to launch from the low-level ramps. The lower levels haven’t affected the fishing, with plenty of redfin reported lately. There are many schools of smaller

fish on the far side bay looking towards Shepparton from Harrimans. These fish can be fussy, but once you work out what they want to eat and the right technique on the day, you can catch high numbers. The standout lures have been the ZX40 blades, small plastics and also metal spoons. Those using Live have reported the schools will follow the lure up and down a lot. Pausing on the bottom or a quick retrieve through them has gotten the bite most of the time. Over towards the caravan park and boat club, there have been fewer schools but bigger individual redfin caught, alongside some legal-sized yellowbelly. KIALLA LAKES The smaller second lake has out-fished the main lake recently, with redfin and yellowbelly caught on both bait and lures. The average size has been around the 28-35cm mark, with the odd tiny fish in between. Those bait fishing have reported that yabbies and worms fished around the rocks have worked well, with the fish pushing shallow in the evenings. Lure fishing with TN50 Jackalls and spinners has accounted for some legalsized yellowbelly, with one 42cm yella caught around the reeds. The main lake has fished OK, but there have been a lot of smaller redfin caught in recent weeks. The brown dog Jackall Chubby 38 has been the stand-out lure. SHEPPARTON LAKE The days are getting warmer, and this is making trout fishing a little more

difficult in the lake. Only a couple of trout have been reported by those chasing them with PowerBaits. The grass hill seems to be the best spot, so target this area with worms or PowerBait in low light times if you’re keen to chase a trout. Those chasing yellowbelly and redfin have caught both species off the edge in the shallows again in low light periods with bent minnows, jerkbaits and also lightly-rigged 2” plastics. Kayaking deeper has seen some legalsized yellowbelly caught casting 2” plastics and TN50 Jackalls. MY FINAL SAY It’s been an honour to not just represent the magazine for so many years, but also to represent this great fishing area. My journey started way back when the River Rats Fishing Club held the

The author’s kids love to go fishing.

Shepparton Fishing Classic, and the magazine gave me a voice and an outlet to help promote and grow fishing in our region. At the time, I was only a young fella who struggled with writing, but I had a passion for fishing in our region. These were such great events where I got to meet so many of our great readers. Over my 15 or so years with the magazine, we have experienced so much in our area, including fires, huge floods, black water events and some great fishing. I feel the greatest thing that changed for fishing in our region is the introduction of stocked fish in the Shepparton Lake and also now the Arcadia Fish Out Pond, which now gives locals a fishing option 12 months of the year. This may be the end for Fishing Monthly reports, but you can still get the Trelly’s fishing reports, which are a great local resource. We will all miss the magazine once it’s gone. For me to be able to join the ABT bass circuit and research old publications will be truly missed. So, from my family to yours, I hope you all fish well and continue to send through a story or a photo from time to time, and say g’day when you see me on the water. Continue to teach kids how to fish responsibly and respectfully, and to enjoy fishing for what it is. Stay away from all the politics, and don’t feed keyboard warriors any of your time. Thank you again for supporting me and the magazine for so long. DECEMBER 2024 97

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Lake Wendouree is on fire with quality trout BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

It is with disappointment that I put pen to paper for the final time for Fishing Monthly Magazine. I would like to thank Steve Morgan, Jacqui Thomas and the team for allowing me to share my knowledge and experience with anglers around the Ballarat and District. I hope over the last 15 years, my tips and pointers have helped you to catch a fish or two. Fishing around the Ballarat and

levels and plenty of weed. If you prefer to fish with bait, I recommend looking for clear pockets of water and fish early in the morning, evening and after dark with mudeyes. Flyfishers will need to use mudeye fly patterns like Craig’s Nighttime or Muddler Minnows to get amongst them. Dean Reservoir, a small water very close to Ballarat, flies under the radar of most anglers as it is overshadowed by better-known waters. Mitch Howlett and his dad Craig like to hit up Dean on first light. The boys have been catching some very nice-sized brown and

Vern Barby with a very fat brown trout caught fly fishing at Greenhill Lake Ararat.

Greenhill Lake at Ararat is producing some of the bestconditioned trout the author has ever seen. This rainbow was caught on an orange Woolly Bugger and weighed over 5lb. District has been excellent on several waters over the past month, with Lake Wendouree being the standout trout fishery in the state. In general, the fishing this spring has been a bit tough due to our extremely dry winter. Many of our fisheries’ water levels are well down on previous years. Most of our waters are shallow, with extensive amounts of weed, which is excellent for the aquatic animals that our fish feed on. However, when water levels are low, there’s less fishable water. Fisheries like Moorabool Reservoir, which has been the standout fishery around Ballarat over the past three or four years, have been heavily impacted. The water is very low, with lots of weed, which has limited the amount of fishable water. However, those anglers who persevere and find the clear pockets of water will be rewarded for their efforts. Newlyn Reservoir and Hepburn Lagoon are both very low. Newlyn has plenty of fishable water though, with quite a few anglers reporting good catches of brown trout on lures, flies and baits. Mudeyes are the best bait. Hepburn Lagoon has low water 98 DECEMBER 2024

rainbow trout up to 47cm on fly. For those who know Dean Reservoir, they are very good-sized trout. Most were caught on small beetle fly patterns and the old faithful mudeye pattern Mrs Simpson. Greenhill Lake near Ararat has produced some excellent-sized

rainbow and brown trout over the past few months. They have been caught on a variety of methods, including trolling lures, casting soft plastics, fishing PowerBait from the shore, and fly fishing from boats or land-based. If you want to head to Greenhill Lake, don’t expect to catch a bag full of fish. You have to put in the hard yards to reap the rewards, and pick the right weather conditions. Cloudy days with a bit of wind have worked best for me and a few of my mates. On recent trips, my fishing buddy Vern Barby and I have done very well, fly fishing out of a drifting boat, catching brown and rainbow trout up to 6lb. They were some of the fattest trout I’ve ever seen, which is a testament to the amount of food available for them. We have been using Woolly Bugger fly patterns in a variety of colours,

Paul “Fossil” Walker landed this 71cm Wendouree brown trout on a Three Shot Minnow shallow-diving hardbody lure. Image courtesy of Trevor Holmes.

including olive, pink and orange. We have used intermediate fly lines (slow sinking lines that sit just underneath the surface). We retrieved the flies at a variety of speeds, using the rolypoly retrieve method, and found that the faster retrieve seemed to work best. Ensure that you hang your flies in the water near the boat, as the Greenhill rainbows and browns seem to follow the flies all the way to the boat before they decide to eat them. I have seen other anglers trolling pink Tassie Devil lures and catching some nice fish. One guy caught a couple of ripper rainbow trout measuring 55cm and 57cm, and another angler I saw hooked into a couple of trout whilst casting Tassie Devils out of his Hobie. Lake Wendouree, as I mentioned, has been the standout trout fishery for the state over the past month, with excellent catches of both brown

Ballarat Fly Fishers Club Member Noel Phillips landed this 53cm brown to win the 2024 Wastell Trophy. Image courtesy of Gerard Richmond.

and rainbow trout. They have been caught on all angling methods, both land-based and from boats. Anglers from all over the state and interstate converged on Lake Wendouree to fish in several competitions and state championships. The Victorian Fly-Fishing Championships was recently held on Wendouree, with some 40 fly fishers competing to gain selection in the National Championships later in the year, then hopefully going on to represent Australia internationally. This round of the championships was fished over one day, with anglers spending some eight hours on the water. A big day, to say the least. Some 256 trout were caught and measured throughout the day, which is a testament to how good the lake is. Many fish over 50cm were caught, with the longest being a 56cm

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LIGHT, POWERFUL, rainbow caught by Mark Cuthbert. DURABLE… from Wendouree. Noel received an

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…

INTUITIVE CONTROL

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Ballarat Fly Fishers Club member Tom Jarman won this round of the Victorian Championships. The Wastell Trophy, Australia’s oldest and most prestigious fly fishing competition, has also been held on Wendouree and other local waters. Due to low water levels in most of our other fisheries, most competitors fished Wendouree over the two-day tournament. This year’s Wastell saw 80 fly fishers from all over the country register to compete. I have never seen

Orvis Recon fly combo valued at over $1600 donated by Mayfly Tackle. Noel also won the highly sought-after Wastell Trophy, Gerald Armitage Trophy and the John Wacka McKay Trophy. All forms of angling have been working at Wendouree, including casting lures and the trout candy mudeyes fished under a bubble float, which the browns, rainbows and redfin find irresistible. Paul “Fossil” Walker and Trevor Holmes have been getting amongst

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Lucas Scott’s first Glenmaggie bass went 36cm.

DECEMBER 2024 99

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The summer fishing is starting to heat up WEST/SOUTH GIPPSLAND

Martin Auldist

Summer is finally here and what a great time it is to be a trout angler in Gippsland. At the time of writing all the local streams are in great condition for fishing with perfect flow and clarity, so there’s no excuse not to get out amongst the action. Anglers have been reporting good numbers of fish in all the usual places. Most reports have come from around Noojee, primarily because it is a very popular spot. The Latrobe River and its two tributaries, the Loch and Toorongo rivers, are consistent producers of good numbers of brown trout between 20-30cm long. The Latrobe is the most substantial river in the district, and all techniques will work here, be it fly, bait or lure. The Loch and Toorongo are much smaller so downsize your

Trout will be on the minds of Gippsland anglers over summer. Image courtesy of Steve Haughton. presentations accordingly. If you are in Noojee, drop in and see Hanno Parker at Noojee Bush Goods for all the latest reports and hottest lures. Elsewhere, the twin branches of

the Tanjil River and Icy Creek in the foothills of Baw Baw provide some good water for adventurous anglers. Access is tricky due to overhanging vegetation, but it is often worth the effort to bush

bash your way upstream. Either side of Neerim South, there are some good areas of the Tarago River to explore. Other options include Traralgon Creek south of Traralgon, while over in the west, the upper reaches of the Bunyip River are well worth a look. O v e r at Bluerock Reservoir, the action is also hotting up. Anglers chasing bass have caught fish to 30cm using surface poppers. The weather is warming up and water levels are dropping, exposing good areas of bank for land-based fishing access. Meanwhile, boat anglers trolling along structure will almost certainly find success on good-sized trout early and late in the day, right around the change of light. So, get out there and have a crack - you won’t be disappointed. Wherever you fish, keep your eye out for sticks that wriggle. There are some big snakes around and you don’t want one to ruin your day.

Evening sessions after stinking hot days hope the whole writing team can move on to other exciting writing ventures in the future. Don’t forget to check out primalspinbaits.com, and for all things native fishing, subscribe to the Primal Spinbaits social media pages to keep up to date.

EILDON

Daniel Piazza

The Christmas holidays are nearly here, and I hope all you keen Lake Eildon fishos are not on the Naughty List! It won’t be long before we start getting some stinking hot days, and that’s when I like to fish in the afternoon or late at night. This December I’ll be staying close to the dam wall for quick, afterREADER’S

PICTURE

Ben with a healthy Eildon cod caught on a 1oz Primal Spinbait spinnerbait rigged with a 170mm plastic.

Ladies Fishing Charter organiser and Women in Recreational Fishing & Boating Network Leader Amanda Keilar with an 80cm and a 74cm snapper off Westernport.

100 DECEMBER 2024

work sessions, testing my handmade spinnerbaits on the resident Murray cod and golden perch. The trick to fishing the dam wall is to keep doing laps left to right, and at different depths. Remember, the deeper you go, the more time your lure will need to reach the rocky bottom. A 1oz single-arm willow blade spinnerbait is your best friend in this scenario. I usually fish in around 10m of water and repeatedly cast from the shallows into the deep. I often cast to structure/ features that I remember seeing way back when the water levels were low. If you like trolling lures, you can encounter trout, redfin, golden perch and Murray cod at Lake Eildon in summer. Try for trout in the early morning, Murray cod into the night, and everything else. Trolling a 6m diving hardbody can be lethal on the cod; last month we saw two spawning

cod caught within seconds of each other. Usually, when you catch one fish on the troll that means there are more in the area, so continue to troll the same area for results. This month we can expect the lake level to hover at around 80%, or maybe a bit less. The graveyard of trees that pepper most of Eildon’s shoreline will start to reveal some of the habitat that holds large numbers of popular angling targets. The rocky, clay shoreline is just one of many features that can be productive. Choose your banks wisely and make your casts count. One thing I have learnt about the Lake Eildon daytime bite window is that it can be short and sharp. Still, you’re not going to catch that trophy fish on the couch, so get out there! It has been a pleasure to write articles for Fishing Monthly, and I

The author with a Goulburn River rainbow trout. Finally, please be mindful of other punters on the water this summer. Lots of people share the same love for Lake Eildon, and we need to be vigilant to stay safe. • Daniel Piazza is the creator of Primal Spinbaits – quality handcrafted, Australian-made spinnerbaits with a wide range of coloured heads and skirts. These spinnerbaits feature heavy-duty wires and high-quality finishes, and are proven effective on our native fish. Google ‘Primal Spinbaits’ to see where you can buy them.

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FISHING NEWS

Sustainability: how our flathead stocks rate MELBOURNE

Ross Winstanley

During 2022/23, teams of fisheries scientists around Australia conducted the fifth in a series of tw0-yearly assessments of major Australian fish stocks. Among the 155 species covered were four flathead species taken by commercial and recreational fishers in two or more states: • bluespotted flathead Platycephalus caeruleopunctatus • dusky flathead Platycephalus fuscus • southern sand flathead Platycephalus bassensis • tiger flathead Platycephalus richardsoni BLUESPOTTED FLATHEAD The bluespotted flathead stock extends from southern Queensland to eastern Victoria, eastern Bass Strait, and Tasmania’s north coast. It is distinct from the southern bluespotted or yank flathead, Platycephalus speculator, which occurs in inshore waters, bays and inlets across southern Australia. Most bluespotted flathead are taken off NSW where recreational catches

Most flatheads are masters of camouflage. often exceed those taken commercially by fish and prawn trawlers, estuary mesh nets and handlines. Underscoring this point, the most recent recreational catch estimate was 72t (tonnes) in 2019/20 - down 62% from the 2013/14 estimate - while the 2020/21 commercial catch was 56 tonnes. Bluespotted flathead is recorded as a key species for NSW recreational and charter boat fishers, making up 93% of the recreational catch/day data collected for ‘flathead’ from ocean waters. Fifty-two years of data collected from the commercial fishery indicate that the length structure of the stock has stayed stable, suggesting that, after being heavily fished in the past, the bluespotted flathead in NSW waters has not been depleted to the point where recruitment (spawning success) is impaired. On this basis, the species is 102 DECEMBER 2024

classified as a Sustainable stock. DUSKY FLATHEAD Dusky flathead are important to recreational and commercial fishing throughout East Coast estuaries and inshore waters, from northern Queensland to southern NSW, and are also a popular angling species in eastern Victoria. They are regarded as a single stock with at least some limited movement between estuaries. Queensland On average, about 77% of the total annual catch of dusky flathead is taken from estuaries and shallow coastal waters, by recreational hook fishing; most of the commercial catch is taken by mesh nets. After showing no clear trend, in 2019/20, the recreational catch was 93t. Since 2004/05, a combination of area closures and Government licence buy-backs have reduced commercial fisher numbers and net-fishing effort. As a result, commercial catches have fallen from about 85t in 1990 to 26t in 2021/22. Although the maximum sustainable catch is estimated to be 189t annually, the most recent combined catch is about 135t. Together with the relatively stable size and age composition of the commercial and recreational catches, this suggests that the stock is neither depleted nor impaired in terms of recruitment. All the indicators point dusky flathead in Queensland waters as a Sustainable stock. New South Wales The most recent estimate of the annual recreational catch of dusky flathead in NSW is 115t in 2019/20, with the estimated numbers of fish taken, down by 62% since a previous survey in 2013/14. This is partly attributed to lower fishing effort associated with a decline in participation in recreational fishing in recent years. With the legal minimum length of 36cm, and the limit of 10 fish/day including just one above 70cm, during each year surveyed up to 68% of dusky flathead caught by anglers were released. A 2008 study found that 91% of those that were released survived. During the past five years, annual commercial catches have been relatively stable, at about 120t, with more than 95% taken by gillnets. Similarity between

This is what makes flathead so popular – boneless white fillets.

2017 size composition measurements with previous measurements from commercial catches suggest “consistency in the size composition of the stock”. All indications show that the stock is unlikely to be depleted and that its spawning capacity is unlikely to be reduced. On the available evidence, dusky

flathead stock in Port Phillip Bay is a distinct biological stock. They exhibit slower growth and an upper size limit 30% smaller from those occurring in Bass Strait, and 20% smaller than those off south-eastern Tasmania. By 2022, when all commercial net fishing ceased, annual commercial sand flathead catches had been

Port Phillip Bay offers a mix of southern sand, rock and southern bluespotted flathead. flathead continue to be classified as a Sustainable stock in NSW waters. Victoria Together with black bream, dusky flathead are the main attraction to recreational fishers in inlets from the Gippsland Lakes to Mallacoota Inlet. With the closure of commercial net fishing in the Gippsland Lakes from 2021, the take of dusky flathead from these eastern inlets was effectively limited to recreational fishers. A slot size and bag limit introduced in 2003 were amended in 2012 to a slot limit of 30 to 55cm, and a bag limit of 5/day, based on volunteer angler diary data. These measures have received wide support from anglers in recognition of their exclusive access, the value they place on large fish, and their potential impact on the stock. Recreational fishing catch rates have been stable since 2014, but there is insufficient information to assess annual catches or the stock status. On this basis, dusky flathead in Victorian waters is classified as an Undefined stock. SOUTHERN SAND FLATHEAD In brief, the stocks status reports recognise that the southern sand flathead is popular with recreational fishers in shallow waters of southeastern Australia. In Victoria, one stock is sustainable and one is recovering. The Tasmanian stock is depleted, the South Australian stock is undefined and the Western Australian stock is negligible. Victoria – Port Phillip Bay Tagging, growth rate and larval studies indicate that the southern sand

reduced to about 1t, so the fishery has been effectively ‘recreational-only’ for several years. Recent creel surveys showed recreational fishing catch rates increasing until 2020/21, before hitting “a historic low” in 2021/22. Similarly, angler diary catch rates for fish of all sizes increased until 2019/20, then declined. Catch rates from annual research beam trawling have shown an increasing trend since 2012. Overall, researchers conclude that, due to recent recruitment, the stock is slowly rebuilding from a historic low in the late 2000s. The population is now dominated by under-sized fish, many of which are mature and contributing to annual recruitment which showed peaks in 2018 and 2021, promising to aid a slow build-up of the stock. While the stock size is lower than during the 1990s, the termination of commercial net fishing and the balance between recruitment and angling pressure favour the likelihood of continued slow recovery. All signs support the continued classification of Port Phillip Bay southern sand flathead as a Recovering stock. Victoria – Other Victorian catch and related records on recreational and commercial catches of sand flathead are insufficient to support stock assessments. They are not a popular target for anglers in Western Port Bay and Corner Inlet, or coastal waters, and they are a byproduct of commercial net fishing in Corner Inlet and trawling in Bass Strait, totalling less than 5t/year.

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FISHING NEWS

Recreational creel survey data are insufficient to enable stock size estimation and there is no information on recruitment in these waters. In the absence of any level of stock assessment, the only basis for classifying the status of the “Victorian Other” southern sand flathead is as an Undefined stock. Tasmania As reported in FMM in August 2023, Tasmania’s most popular marine recreational target species, southern sand flathead, has been in decline for many years. This is despite tightening management measures aimed at addressing the situation. After peaking at 10-15t between 1995 and 2008, annual commercial catches declined, reaching 4t in 2021/22. Always exceeding commercial catches, estimated annual recreational catches of about 300t in the early 2000s fell to 184t in 2017/18. Since 2012, annual field surveys confirmed low numbers of legal sized fish, particularly off southeastern Tasmania. In 2015, recreational bag limits were reduced, from 30 to 20/day, and the legal minimum length was raised from 30 to 32cm. However, heavy fishing pressure continued, particularly on the larger-growing females. By 2022, fishing pressure on the stock of spawning females, estimated to be at below 20% of unfished levels, remained unsustainable. As a result the bag limit was reduced to10/day and the legal minimum length was increased

More of a recreational spearfishing target, rock flathead specialise in concealment. to 35cm. Based on these studies of the fishery performance and the stock response, the southern sand flathead in Tasmania has been down-graded, from Depleting to Depleted. South Australia While sand flathead is considered the most abundant of the eight flathead species taken in SA waters, neither recreational nor commercial catch records differentiate them from the others. The most recent estimate of the combined recreational flathead catch was 9t in 2021/22. During the 14 years to 2021/22, the annual combined commercial catches of flatheads averaged 2t. With no specific data on catches, catch rates, stock size or recruitment,

and no published assessment, SA’s southern sand flathead continues to be reported as an Undefined stock. Western Australia Although they extend to southern WA waters, there are no catch records, hence southern sand flathead in WA are reported as Negligible. TIGER FLATHEAD Tiger flathead are among the commonly targeted flathead caught by anglers in coastal and offshore waters of NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. Reports of 5t in 2019/20 off NSW, and 15t in 2017/18 off Tasmania are the most recent recreational catch estimates from the region; recreational catches off Victoria are unknown. In contrast, the Commonwealth-

managed offshore trawl fishery is managed closely under arrangements based on stock assessments taking into account all catches by state-managed commercial and recreational fishing. From those assessments, a yearly “Recommended Biological Catch” is specified to cover all catches. In 2021/22 the reported commercial fishery total was 2,123t, comprising Commonwealth (2,015t), NSW (51t), Tasmanian (34t) and Victorian (23t) fisheries. The total was well below the ‘RBC’ of 2,648t, leaving ample allowance for recreational catches. Current catch levels are not considered to limit spawning success, and the most recent observable recruitment, in 2015, was above average. Based on this considerable body of evidence, tiger flathead is classified as a Sustainable stock. NATIONAL REPORTING The Status of Australian Fish Stock Reports are a series of assessments of the biological sustainability of a broad range of wild-caught fish stocks against a nationally agreed reporting framework. The two-yearly reports examine whether the abundance of fish and the level of harvest from each stock is sustainable. Definitions of “sustainability” and quoted passages in this article are taken from the SAFS 2022 Reports. More details about the status of Australian fish stocks are available at fish.gov.au/

Shellfish reef restoration progress in Victoria MELBOURNE

Ross Winstanley

By now, a lot has been written about the nation-wide program to rebuild shellfish reefs and associated marine communities

around Australia. Starting in 2012 as a Melbourne angler’s pipedream, and picked up by a Victorian Fisheries manager, the shellfish reef restoration concept began to take shape later that year after a group discussion with anglers, commercial fishermen and marine scientists

at the Albert Park Yachting and Angling Club, Melbourne. Life-long local resident, angler and APYAC member, Bob Pearce, had recalled the aftermath of big southerly storms when masses of oysters, mussels and associated marine life washed ashore. He also

TABLE 1: REEF BUILDER RESTORATION PROJECTS, TARGET SPECIES AND TOTAL RESTORED REEF Restoration projects

Restored reefs

Shellfish

Area (ha)

Western Australia Swan-Canning estuary Albany North & South

Attadale, Freshwater Bay, Point Walter Oyster Harbour

Mussels Oysters

5.9 2.7

South Australia Glenelg Onkaparinga Kangaroo Island

Glenelg O’Sullivan Beach Nepean Bay, Eastern Cove

Oysters Oysters Oysters

2.1 1.9 1.9

Victoria Port Phillip Bay Gippsland Lakes

Dromana Bay, Wilson Spit, Margarets Reef Nyerimilang

Oysters/Mussels Oysters/Mussels

10.8 2.5

Tasmania Derwent River

Taroona, Woodbridge

Oysters

1.4

New South Wales Sapphire Coast Botany Bay Port Stephens

Wagonga Inlet Kurnell, Botany Bay Karuah & Myall

Oysters Oysters Oysters

0.9 3.1 6.4

Queensland Noosa

Noosa Sound

Oysters

0.9

TOTAL

40.5

observed that, by 1996 when commercial shellfish dredging was banned in Port Phillip Bay, stormstranded shellfish had disappeared years previously, accompanied by downturns in fishing. Today - 12 years after that meeting - there are Port Phillip Bay reef restoration locations totaling 11ha in area, on Wilson Spit and the 9ft Bank near Geelong, in Dromana Bay and in Hobsons Bay, and others in 13 geographic locations around southern Australia. As well as their success in supporting thriving bottom communities, the Port Phillip Bay reefs’ success in attracting fish has led to an offshoot – the placement of several reefs, specifically for that purpose, including one at casting distance from a popular and accessible shoreline site at St Helens boat harbour, Geelong. BOB’S STORY Also 12 years later, Bob Pearce has written the story of how the first shellfish reef project began in Port Phillip Bay. Bob credits VFA Senior Fisheries Manager Anthony Forster and former Fisheries scientist DECEMBER 2024 103

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Paul Hamer for their roles in providing the initial impetus needed to get that project operational. He tells how partnering with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), with their extensive experience with similar projects in the USA and elsewhere, brought professional assistance with everything from technical guidance, to funding, monitoring and communications. The TNC’s expert and well-resourced oversight led to the rapid establishment of similar projects on a sound professional footing around Australia. Building on their early success, the Albert Park Club has continued to initiate further reef developments

shellfish reef, in Corio Bay and the Geelong Arm, aimed at improving anglers’ access to snapper, whiting and other species. With a basalt base, and topped with limestone, three new reefs were ‘seeded’ with mussels and native flat oysters. Inside Corio Bay, the reef placed 62m off the St Helens boat harbour has proved popular and productive for land-based anglers fishing from the rock wall. The other reefs are located in the Outer Harbour, including offshore from Kirk Pt. A degraded shellfish reef, on the 9ft Bank just east of the Corio Bay Sand Bar, has been rejuvenated with recycled shells spread over an area of

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Restored shellfish reef in Port Phillip Bay. Photo courtesy of Paul Hamer

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in the Bay, raising more than $600,000 during the past decade an extraordinar y achievement. Remaining at the forefront of reef development, the Club has recently been instrumental in funding totaling $250,000 for the creation of “Kayakers Reef” which will give small craft ready access to snapper, whiting and flathead in Hobsons Bay. Key to the Club’s success has been its private and government partnerships. Remaining at the forefront of reef development, working with TNC and other partners, the Club is committed to working towards the effective restoration of the Bay’s shellfish reefs. Backed by TNC’s promotional work, Club members’ credibility and achievements have been reflected in two Premier’s ‘Sustainability Awards’. Bob’s intriguing story can be read on the APYAC web site apyac.org.au/ community/shellfish-reef. FISHING REEFS Separate to the shellfish reef restoration program, in 2021 the Victorian Government built three reefs, and ‘rejuvenated’ a degraded

500 square metres. In total, 1 ha of restored and new shellfish reefs have been established in Port Phillip Bay, and work continues. Details of all these reefs are shown on the VFA web site vfa.vic. gov.au/recreational-fishing/fishinglocations/recreational-fishing-reefs. PROGRESS AROUND AUSTR ALIA In partnership with the Australian Government, The Nature Conservancy has supported the country’s largest marine habitat restoration program. In brief, the $20 million program has worked to deliver new or recovered shellfish reefs at 13 locations, from the SwanCanning estuary in Western Australia to Noosa in Queensland. Two reports: Rebuilding Australia’s Lost Shellfish Reefs 2024 Reef Builder Final Summary Report, and the more detailed Reef Builder Monitoring and Evaluation Report, describe the history, progress and present state of reef work (see www. natureaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/ our-priorities/oceans/ocean-stories/ restoring-shellfish-reefs/) DECEMBER 2024 105

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Trout stocking in Victoria’s Crater Lakes MELBOURNE

Ross Winstanley

Victoria’s long-standing trout stocking policy, as published in 1998, has been ‘Where a water is selected for stocking, trout of the largest size possible will be used’. From time to time, this policy has been challenged, most recently for the crater lakes, Purrumbete and Bullen Merri. Today, an undeclared pragmatic approach seems to be in play. Between 2019 and 2022, a Geelong angler met several times with local club presidents, members of the Victorian Fisheries Authority, and peak body, VRFish. While his goal was to see all salmonids stocked in those lakes as fingerlings, his immediate proposal was for large numbers of Chinook salmon fingerlings to be added to the annual releases of yearlings. The VFA ultimately agreed to this as a trial, but there is no evidence of any effective State-wide consultation, public announcement or credible evaluation of this significant experiment. The trial proponent had commissioned his own research, contrasting the sizes reached by three Chinook salmon of identical age, one

Spawned together at Snobs Creek and taken from Lake Purrumbete on the same day at age 1+ years, one (top) was stocked as a fingerling in 2021 and the others as yearlings in September 2022. Photo courtesy of Garry Ridgeway. stocked as a fingerling in 2021 and two stocked as yearlings in September 2022 when all three were taken on the same day from Lake Purrumbete (see photo). While only three fish, they simply illustrated his point that fingerlings can grow faster and to larger sizes in a productive natural environment than in the hatchery, so if large enough numbers are released, those which evade predation may reach the ‘trophy sizes’ of 10-12kg prized by many anglers. Records show that historically, Chinook salmon fingerlings have reached sizes of up to 12kg within their usual 3-year life span in lakes Purrumbete and Bullen Merri. At one of these meetings, the VFA undertook to conduct cost/benefit research into stocking Chinook salmon as fingerlings and as yearlings, aimed at delivering trophy-sized fish in waters 106 DECEMBER 2024

previously noted for such fish. In support of this goal, three local clubs subsequently asked VRFish to advocate for changes to the lakes stocking plan to add annual releases of Chinook salmon fingerlings as well as yearlings. To date, there has been no sign of a cost/ benefit study. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS In Lake Purrumbete, from the 1980s, redfin predation was regarded as the major constraint on the stockingbased salmonid fishery. Over many years, this had led to unsuccessful attempts to reduce redfin numbers by netting and trapping. As recently as 2012, the Purrumbete club had asked for a netting survey to estimate redfin numbers as a baseline for a ‘removal program’. Their two suggested removal strategies were the introduction of ‘large numbers of big salmonids’ (or Murray cod) as redfin predators, or a selective harvest of ‘undesirable’ species to ease pressure on the lake carrying capacity, to increase trout survival and growth prospects. Time moves on and the redfin are now seen – and promoted - as a major attraction to anglers in Purrumbete. Setting aside the production of trophysize fish, when growth, predation and costs are considered, both systematic stocking experiments, surveys and close observations of stocked trout populations in lakes in the past have proved the net benefit of stocking yearlings rather than fry or fingerlings, particularly in the presence of predators like redfin. This has been shown and documented repeatedly in Victorian, NSW, Western Australian and overseas stocking-based trout fisheries. With this in mind, the current mix of redfin and stocked trout and Chinook salmon is delivering a popular and productive recreational fishery for anglers from across Victoria and beyond. The question is, how far are the VFA and anglers prepared to move the annual stocking strategy, in the hope of delivering some much larger fish? VFA’s current strategy Since 2017, the VFA seems to have redefined ‘yearlings’ and ‘fry’ with an accompanying downsizing of yearlings and expanding of fry to encompass what until recently were called ‘fingerlings’. Whatever the reasoning behind this, it legitimises the now-current majority releases of what were formerly barely larger than fingerlings. After 130 years of trout stocking in Victoria, and decades of stocking trials and surveys, the stocking policy evolved to the release of 50-150g yearling trout in lakes (including impoundments). Stocking research repeatedly showed the three-way benefits of releasing yearlings, in terms of costs, growth and survival of fish to satisfy most anglers, particularly in waters containing

predators such as redfin. Results of these trials were widely publicised and showed consistency with similar studies interstate and overseas. In line with the trout stocking policy, annual reporting showed that, early in the May-November stocking season, yearlings barely averaged above 50g when released, while later in the year they averaged 150g or more. Fry (1-5g) or fingerlings (20+g) were released in special circumstances. Stocking records show that those arrangements held until 2017 when yearlings were redefined as fish of 20-150g; suddenly, fingerlings had become yearlings. Then, according to annual Vic Fish Stock planning reports, by 2023, yearlings were reported as fish of 20-40g, previously the definition of fingerlings, and the ideal prey size for redfin and other predators. In the latest development, in mid-October 2024 a total of 15,000 trout of 30-35g were released in Lake Bullen Merri. By October, unless their growth had been severely retarded, yearlings should be at least 150g, so presumably these were fingerlings bred earlier in 2024. Either way, this seems like a fresh ‘development’ in stocking policy for one of the State’s premier trout waters. This followed the release of about 40,000 Chinook salmon fry of 2-5g in Lake Purrumbete earlier in October. NSW TROUT STOCKING In NSW, Australia’s other major stocking-based recreational fishery, DPIRD Fisheries position continues to be firmly based on dedicated science and more than a century of experience. DPIRD Fisheries is focused on a fishery-based approach for its stocking work, aimed at delivering ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’. The agency does this by putting the right fish, at the right sizes, in the right places. A team of recreational fisheries scientists regularly evaluate stocking activities to ensure their effectiveness, whilst each individual site is assessed by fisheries managers to ensure compliance with stocking policy. In waters containing redfin, based on long experience supported by tagging studies, DPIRD Fisheries releases ‘sub-adult’ trout of about 20cm and 100g in size. WESTERN AUSTRALIAN TROUT STOCKING A 2001 CSIRO study compared the ‘relative efficiency’ of stocking trout fry and yearlings in a WA lake containing redfin. Post stocking netting surveys recorded 47 fry per shot present in the lake after 24 hours, 20/shot after 48 hours and 0/shot after 60 hours. While resident rainbow trout guts contained no fry, over 42% of redfin guts contained 1–13 fry within 12 hours of stocking. The study concluded that redfin have a ‘relative predatory impact’

Two 11.4kg Chinook salmon out of 37 2+ year olds, averaging 8.4kg, taken in one day from a 1980 Lake Bullen Merri netting survey. on rainbow fry more than 100 times greater than other fish present. CONCLUSION In the presence of predators like redfin, evidence Australia-wide and beyond confirms that stocking yearling salmonids yields excellent returns that satisfy most anglers. So, significant departures from that ‘orthodoxy’ requires careful assessment of the fishery benefits and the associated costs, and the desire for change among anglers – and their willingness to share any added costs. VRFish’s recent surveys of anglers’ priority concerns found ‘trialling new ways of stocking fish’ as the leading response, along with ‘evaluating the success of fish stocking’. In Victoria, intentionally or not, scaling down the sizes of stocked ‘yearling’ salmonids to former-fingerling sizes will deliver two political benefits: first, smaller fish in larger numbers will contribute to the Government’s stocking-by-big-numbers agenda. Added to this, stocking fingerling-sized ‘yearlings’ enables the Snobs Creek hatchery to pump out greatly increased numbers of fish during a limited season. And second, it may appease those anglers who want salmonids stocked at small sizes to produce ‘jumbo’ trophy fish. But it won’t appease the wider group of fishers typified in VRFish’s survey responses, wanting to see proper assessment of such stocking ‘innovations’. As things stand, the VFA’s each-way approach, stocking 20-40g yearlings, is not delivering the 10-12kg trophy Chinooks that some anglers want and that lakes Purrumbete and Bullen Merri have produced in the past. Part of what is needed is the VFA’s promised cost/benefit study of ‘going big’ with stocking Chinook salmon fingerling numbers. What is also needed is effective consultation with Victorian anglers who target trout and salmon, asking ‘are you happy with what lakes Purrumbete and Bullen Merri currently offer?’ Or do you want more of a chance for a real trophy-sized fish and are you willing to share the added ongoing production and stocking costs, plus the costs of an effective evaluation program’?

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South Coast

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Summer beach fishing around Esperance ESPERANCE

Murray Johnson

Esperance at this time of year is always a great place to be, with plenty of sunshine, white beaches and blue water. The fishing is consistent for species like herring, salmon, skippy and sharks off the beach. In recent weeks, Thomas River has been producing plenty of salmon around 4kg, skippy around 2kg, big bull herring and the occasional gummy. Anglers spending time at Cape Arid end have been getting good catches of bronze whalers. An added benefit of fishing there is that it gets you out of the afternoon sou’easterly sea breeze so you can keep fishing into the evening. Heading east, Poison Creek is also a great place to be at this time of year with more mulloway being caught there, along with bronzies, salmon and skippy. Israelite Bay has plenty of good channels, and catches

Lachy Warren with a Salmon Beach bronzie. Image courtesy of @lachywarren. of gummy sharks and small bronze whalers, which tend to school at this time of year and are good eating from our colder southern waters.

Tracks through to the cliffs are open, so you can make trips to Billbunba Dunes (the biggest dunes in the southern hemisphere)

and through to Point Culver. These locations provide plenty of opportunities to catch salmon, bronzies, and big flathead. Heading back towards town, local beaches such as Wylie Bay and Fourth Beach have been producing smaller schools of salmon, plenty of herring, smaller skippy, and the occasional tailor. West of town, places like Roses are still producing plenty of good fish, with skippy up to 6kg, salmon, herring, and bronzies. Heading out towards the Munglinup area, you can catch skippy, bronzies and gummies. Anglers fishing off the jetty are still getting good numbers of squid, even though they’re out of season. There are also plenty of big bull herring, the occasional snook, and small skippy. Bandy Creek is producing numerous small King George whiting, flounder, flathead and herring. The Bream Lakes are still holding plenty of water, and anglers have

Hot fishing action this season BUNBURY

Whiteys Tackle and Camping

The warmer weather and especially the warmer water have certainly fired things up! The local Leschenault Estuary is full of yellowfin whiting. These magnificent fish can be targeted with bait (usually bloodworms) rigged with a simple long shank hook and small running sinker, or with lures. Targeting whiting on lures is a great option, as they hit a variety of lures, from vibes and plastics to surface lures and flies. The local beaches are producing plenty of chopper tailor to around 35cm. Using a mulie on a set of ganged hooks or casting a metal slice

Harry with a beautiful silver mulloway on a night session.

Jake with a pretty harlequin. 108 DECEMBER 2024

at sunset is a sure-fire way to get amongst them. We’ve had some cracking reports of mulloway around the 10–15kg mark. If you’re wanting to target the elusive mulloway, you’ll need a nice gutter to cast into, a well-presented bait (fresh is best), and lastly... patience! The local divers have been getting their fair share of crays. Those who are a little keener, diving the 25–30m patches, have been getting great bags of jumbo crays. There are also plenty of smaller crays in the shallower regions. The local blue manna crab fishery opens back up on 1 December and, if it’s anything like the last couple of years, it should be a cracker! After two months of letting the crabs get down to business, the onslaught of boaties and scoopers will try their luck for these tasty morsels.

Sophie loves her bream fishing! Last year, the people willing to get their feet wet and wander around the flats were getting exceptional results, with numbers easy to come by, especially in the afternoons, generally coinciding with the high tides. The boat anglers were getting their fair share too, but it’s worth moving around if the numbers aren’t great. A small tip that worked for me last year – don’t be afraid to set your pots right on the drop-off. You may only be setting the pots in half to one metre of water, but it seemed to be the hotspot on many days. When selecting your bait options, keep in mind that dolphins and stingrays will show preference for fish-type bait. So, when dropping pots shallow, try mullet or mulies, and when setting deeper, spleen

South Coast

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been having good sessions on fish up to 40cm. 2.5” Bait Junkie Minnows in watermelon red have been working well. The best way to work them is to cast out, let them settle but not reach the bottom, and then commence a reasonably brisk, constant wind. For boat-based anglers fishing close to town, the bay itself is still producing plenty of whiting and squid. Choice squid jig colours are ones that have white in them, such as the Harimitsu 3.5 in blue. King George whiting are being caught at Lovers Cove, and Observation Point is producing some quality flathead. Heading out wide, we are seeing plenty of nannygai being caught up to 60cm mixed in with the occasional breaksea, harlequin and queen snapper. There are also good BENDIGO numbers of samsonfish up to 30kg BENDIGO MARINE & OUTDOORS and the occasional smaller yellowtail 160 Midland Highway Epsom kingfish to 10kg. P:Bluefin (03) 5448 3988schools are starting tuna W: bendigomarine.com.au to show up, with plenty of fish up around the 4-5kg mark. They have SHEPPARTON tended to be spread out in bigger BOATSand ANDtrolling MORE a Black Magic schools, 207 Numurkah Road Shepparton Jet Setter in a rigged Burple has been P: (03) 5822 2108 producing plenty of fish. F:Looking (03) 5821 2908 ahead, summer will W: bring boatsandmore.com.au the challenges of strong sea breezes in the afternoons, so look MORWELL for a spot where you can get out of CRAWFORD MARINE the wind in the afternoon, or get 71-77 Chickerell Street Morwell out your swag and have a kip in the P: (03) 5134 6522 arvo and then fish at night. Beaches F: (03) 5134 6455 that give you some protection W: crawfordmarine.com.au from sou’easterlies include the end of ECHUCA Poison Creek, Cape Arid, and Victoria you want to fish EADESHarbour. XTREMEIfMARINE closer to town, try Rossiters, Fourth 24 Sturt Street Echuca Beach or Roses. P: (03) 5482 2333 The next couple of months should F: (03) 5482 2133

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Huddo was very pleased with his bream catch. seems to keep the undesirables at bay. Even though the numbers are through the roof, remember to stick to bag and size limits and only take what you need to ensure the crab population for future generations. Get out there and enjoy the

sunshine, and if you’re having any issues with your gear or techniques, or just need some advice, come in and see the boys at Whitey’s Tackle and Camping. They have a wealth of local knowledge that they are always happy to share. DECEMBER 2024 109

West Coast

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It’s all systems go from mid-December popular amongst anglers recently has been the humble flounder. They started off being a nice bycatch for flathead anglers and then, because of the size and eating quality of the fish, they have quickly become the main target species. Vexed Buckabou jigs have been popular lures amongst the anglers targeting them. Some good areas to try for the flounder and flathead are Point Walter, Pelican Point and Alfred Cove. The key

METRO

Jacob Crispe

From the 16 December until the 31 January, anglers can fish for all their favourite species and enjoy in full what the fishing around the Perth Metro area has to offer. It’s something that all anglers would like to see more often.

Shannon Mcgowan with a big resident salmon, caught casting mulies into a shoreline gutter.

The result of the ninja Han out on a sunny day: 5-star whiting for the table! These warmer months are always a good time to target the black bream of the Swan. They take the opportunity to push into all parts of the system, and this gives anglers every chance of catching

Nolan Unwin with a beautiful little bronzie he caught while targeting snapper. Before I get into the fishing report, I would like to quickly thank the Fishing Monthly team for giving me the opportunity to do this report and to write for the magazine. I still remember speaking to Peter Jung, Nick Cuccovia and Ian Sewell at the Perth Boat Show about providing content for the magazine, and wondering whether I had the skills to do so. With their help, as well as Jacqui, I have been part of the magazine since then, and have enjoyed and even looked forward to writing the report. Well done, Fishing Monthly, for setting up in WA. You will be missed.

Han Yeoh strikes again. Early morning sessions always produce when the ninja is on duty!

Chin Moy is no stranger to big shore-based squid. them. They are a very structure-orientated species, so if you find structure, it is more than likely there will be bream nearby. Small soft plastics, hardbody lures and natural baits (earth worms or river prawns) are all effective things to use to target them. The other species that has been

Ben ‘Bender’ Howe with a solid tailor from the surf. This was Bender’s first tailor, and what a way to open his account! SWAN RIVER The fishing in the Swan River in December is like a big pile of Christmas presents under the tree. You look forward to what the fishing may bring, and you have plenty of options and species to play with. 110 DECEMBER 2024

T Rev with a beautiful little mulloway caught in close using fresh salmon that Shannon had caught as bait. The mulloway was released to fight another day.

to these areas is they are large open flats with scattered weed on them. Fishing your lures around the weed, and being the first person fishing in a particular area, will improve your chances. The deeper water off these flats is also a wonderful place to target species like tailor and giant herring. Small metal lures or stick baits worked with a fast retrieve is a great method to target them. Keep in mind that you will need to use heavier gear if you are chasing the giant herring. Using light gear will tend to result in a ‘fish that got away’ story. Mulloway are the other popular target species. Fishing for them at this time of the year can be quite a social thing. It is not uncommon for anglers to go fishing in locations like the E-sheds, the Narrows Bridge or Mosman Bay in groups. Each angler with a live bait out waiting for a mulloway to come along. ROCK WALLS AND BEACHES When the school holidays kick in, our rock walls will become extremely popular fishing locations. For these anglers, it is all about species like herring, whiting, skippy and squid. The key, as I have most probably said in every report I have written, is a good burley trail. This concentrates the fish in your area and increases your chances of success. If you wish to focus more on the squid, I would suggest focusing on the first and last light periods. There are generally plenty of squid around at this time of the year; they just tend to be on

the smaller side. Snapper are another target species for our rock wall anglers, particularly during and post bad weather. They are drawn to the shoreline, giving anglers access to them and often have mulloway swimming around with them too. Beach anglers will also enjoy some good fishing for species like tailor, herring, sand whiting, pinkies and mulloway. Tide changes, fishing at the start and end of the day and having a burley bag staked in the wash zone will improve your chances of success. Also, please be mindful of other beach users. INSHORE As we head into the holiday season, there will be more boat traffic on our inshore grounds. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get out there (there is plenty of room for everybody); it just

Peter ‘The Z Man’ Zahradka has been slaying big flounder in the shallows using the Vexed Buckabou jigs. means you may need a little patience at the boat ramps. Many people’s focus will be on King George whiting, herring and squid and why not? They are great eating and lots of fun to catch. Fishing areas with patches of broken ground is the key. The squid will tend to be in 3-6m of water, while the best water depth for the whiting is 8-12m. Other target options are the sand whiting around the shipping channel, while tailor, skippy and kingfish can

West Coast

FMM be found in the wash areas of any exposed reefs. Post the 15th (not in the Cockburn Sound) snapper are back on the cards. I

Spanish mackerel are another warm weather target. Plenty of 15-20kg models are caught every year at around this time. Fishing with live herring or trolling dead baits are popular options to target them with. OFFSHORE Prior to the demersal ban being lifted the focus for offshore anglers will be yellowfin tuna. Most will troll a mixture of skirted or bibbed lures. Birds are a sure sign that the tuna are nearby. There is the odd wahoo caught as well, which can be a very welcome surprise. From the 16th, the world is your

Nolan with a pink snapper caught casting from the sand. have always found that the best snapper fishing is just before and after sunup and sundown. Be at your preferred location before these times, with a line in the water, and you will improve your chances of success.

The author with a lovely juvenile Aussie salmon.

The Fish Tucker Man, Dom Magoo, with a lovely feed from inshore. Does it get any better? oyster, and species like dhufish, baldchin groper, breaksea cod (aka black arse) and snapper are back on the table. Fresh baits dropped to the bottom on deep structure have a chance of picking up any one of these species. You can also encounter some very big (60cm+) King George whiting or even the very tasty bight redfish. All your deep-drop species are also on the cards from the 16th. Who doesn’t want some bass grouper or

blue-eye trevalla as a Christmas treat? Well, that is my final report done and dusted. Thank you to everyone who has helped me with photos on this awesome journey writing these reports for Fishing Monthly. You are all legends! Thank you also to all the readers who took the time to read my reports over the years. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and I will catch you on the water somewhere. Tight lines.

Plenty to keep anglers busy! MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

Fishing Mandurah during December is where anglers can really get stuck into their work and take a pick of what species they want to target. With the demersal ban being lifted during the middle of the month, a larger number of anglers will look to get offshore and make the most of weather windows that present themselves. With the warmer weather becoming much more frequent, you will find there is a lot of opportunity for success when it comes to beach, river and estuary fishing too. Whether you are aiming to pop for whiting in on the flats, target some great sized black bream up the rivers or get stuck into some beach mulloway, there is plenty to keep us busy and on our toes. ESTUARY The estuary will be hard to look past during the month, with the opening

of the blue swimmer crab season and yellowfin whiting fishing also in full swing. Though you are not restricted to the estuary to target blue swimmer crabs, it is a very rewarding option for many casuals as you can quite easily drop some nets around the area or go for a scoop with the family to see who can get dinner first. If you are planning on heading out to catch some blue swimmers in the estuary via method of manually scooping, then it is a good idea to focus on areas that have an abundance of seaweed surrounded by some good sand flats and potentially dropoffs into the deeper water too. Seaweed can be a bit daunting to tread through, but rest assured there will be plenty of goodsized specimens attempting to camouflage themselves as they attempt to feed and avoid being food. If you are going to crab by dropping nets via boat or jetty, you have the luxury of targeting some deeper water where the crabs use the current as a highway and you will still find good quantities in the shallower water’s where

@hanyeoh13 certainly is an absolute demon when it comes to fooling the wily yellowfin whiting on surface.

the scooping is occurring. Additional to the blue swimmer crabs the Peel-Harvey is renowned for, yellowfin whiting are just as plentiful and can also provide a lot of entertainment for anglers of all skill levels. The Peel-Harvey is prime habitat for yellowfin which means you will find them across much of the estuary regardless of where you are and if you are on the land, boat or kayak. When locating yellowfin, you generally want to look for patches that are sandy but also surrounded by beds of seaweed. A good set of polarized sunglasses will not only assist in your mission of locating fish moving along the flats but will also help a lot in locating depth changes, seaweed and the sand flats themselves too. When fishing on the flats, be sure to maintain a stealth approach as spooking fish is almost guaranteed when you become complacent and the fish being aware of your presence can make your attempts at catching fish extremely low. RIVER River fishing will be a great way to get a line wet if you are an enthusiast who targets black bream on lures or perhaps the weather manages to prevent you from targeting your preferred species elsewhere during the month. Fortunately for anglers, when fishing in the rivers during summer you can often find protection from the winds if you are fishing by boat or kayak and the banks tend to offer great protection from the sun whilst simultaneously acting as a wind break. With the damp months well behind us, we can now expect the salt to be pushed much further up and as such we

This dhufish stole my plastic in 45m of water but was then jigged up from the same lump on the next drop with a 120g clownfish flap – I managed to get my line and lure back! will find fish as far as we are willing to travel. Fishing right up in the river systems can be quite difficult for the most experienced angler, as the water is quite dense with submerged trees and the smallest of these crafty fish will make short work of the light line you need to use to tempt a bite. If you are persistent, you will find yourself being rewarded with some very productive sessions on good quality fish and may even find a big bream in your hands if you are successful in winning the ferocious battle which will undoubtedly ensue. It is important to remember when fishing for bream during summer, that the water is not as turbulent as DECEMBER 2024 111

West Coast

FMM

Busy sessions lead up to Christmas LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

We move into an extremely busy fishing period – school holidays commencing with the opening of the demersal season on 15 December,

and the white cray run in full swing. All leading up to Christmas, when everyone will be wanting a smorgasbord of seafood to feed the family for lunch. Lancelin is certainly the place to be, with great fishing and no long waits at the boat ramp to get in and

Look out for tarspot and berried lobster, as they must be immediately returned to the water.

Ryan with a show pony mulloway posing for the pic before release. the winter months and as a result the clarity can dramatically improve. Though water clarity is often sought after by anglers, it can also mean the fish may be harder to target as they could feel like they are extra susceptible to being preyed upon and be hesitant to commit to your offerings as a result. Fishing during the summer months with regards to presentation (bait or lure) is no different than in previous months, you just need to be aware that the fish can take a lot more convincing and so it often becomes a persistence game with a lot of casts involved. OFFSHORE Offshore anglers will be fired up to get their outboards humming, knowing that they are able to get out when the ban on demersal fishing ends during the middle of the month. Some good quality fish are sure to be captured, as the festive period tends to have plenty of people putting their daily work aside to spend time with their families and fishing as a result. If you are heading offshore with limited knowledge, it is a great idea to push out as far as your vessel and weather will permit when starting your mission. Working your way towards the ramp as the day passes will still allow you to fish hard through various depths, but you are shortening your ride home as you do and will be back sooner if your better half calls you to come home. Great fish can be found from 5-50m, with the deeper waters tending to produce good dhufish and pink snapper quite regularly. At these depths, you will also find plenty of other demersal species like breaksea cod, baldchin, harlequin and some sizeable pelagics like tuna, samson or kingfish. Though great quality fish can be taken from 112 DECEMBER 2024

shallower waters, it often proves difficult to locate or land these fish unless you are lucky or specifically know why they are in these shallower waters at specific times. Regardless of the depth you choose to fish it is always favorable to have quality, fresh store purchased baits like mullet, squid or octopus and many will agree that going the extra mile to catch your bait will often increase your chances of hooking up out there. BEACH Beach fishing during the summer months is a personal favorite of mine, as you have some great temperatures on both light change periods and a lot of the beach dwelling species that put up a good fight can only really be targeted when the water has some summer warmth to it. Fishing the mornings will yield results on fish of all sizes, but if you are after some constant whiting or herring action, the sunrise will keep you entertained for hours and once you are done you still have the entire day ahead of you. Bait of choice when targeting

out of the water! While there has long been angst about the lack of a boat ramp at Lancelin, the beach launch does have many advantages for our community. It limits the weather conditions and sizes of boats that can regularly fish our waters, acting as a natural way to limit the fishing

effort. Hence, we still have quality fishing offshore, where you can be pretty sure of having a bag-limit of demersals each trip, and there are certainly no boat ramp queues or parking fees. It’s just a fact that you will need a 4WD at least, and larger boats are better off using a tractor. If

these fish would have to be coral prawns, squid and beach worms. Many of our avid local beach fishermen will find themselves heading down to the beach a few hours before sunset and fishing into the night in attempt to catch a few tailor and or a good sized mulloway if they are lucky. Heading down to the beach early will allow you to visually pick a spot that is to your liking, with rips, holes, gutters and shallow sand banks surrounded by deep water all preferred by anglers for their own reasons. Often heading down to the beach too late will make it hard to locate less obvious structures which may only be seen during the day, so allowing yourself the extra time will give you confidence in your bait positioning when you are fishing as the light fades away. As with offshore fishing, you are giving yourself a great chance at catching fish if you are using freshly caught bait like tailor, herring, whiting or mullet. You will occasionally get a great fish on bait like

squid or octopus, but many of our local beaches lack the habitat for them which can make your bait appear like it is out of place or unnatural to the wise eye. If you are unable to catch your bait, picking some quality mullet, scalie or

@newland.t is known for his bream fishing, but lately he has been getting addicted to catching sizeable mulloway from the rocks and beach.

Mandurah local Alex shows that his tournament experience mixed with precision casting can make for a good day on quality bream like the one pictured. pilchard baits from the local tackle shop freezer will give you a good chance at doing some damage. OUTRO I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has followed my writing over the past number of years, thanks also go to those providing me with endless content to share with the readers and even teaching me some things in the process. Meeting some long-term readers has been a great highlight of past years, with the support you have all shown being all too humbling and making the journey worthwhile. I hope to have helped a few of you get onto a fish or two in my time of sharing knowledge here at Fishing Monthly Magazines and hope to meet a few of you around town in the future.

West Coast

FMM the swell is up, it is best left for the experienced, as many 4WDs do end up bogged and full of seawater each holiday season. Speak to a local if you’re unsure. Fishing throughout the year has indicated a good recent recruitment of dhufish, with lots of small fish weighing less than 2kg. Mostly on the inshore reefs where they will

was marked by great numbers of pink snapper across the range of depths, with fishers doing well no matter whether fishing from a tinny in 5m or deep-dropping in 300m and everywhere in between! The inshore snapper specialists were having a ball catching big fish on unweighted pilchards floated down a berley trail in 10–12m depths. We

Ethan was very happy to catch his first mulloway.

Ryan with a decent snapper. release very well. Although Fisheries has removed the size limits under the pretense of reducing postrelease mortalities, which are quite significant over 30m depths, it doesn’t mean you have to keep small fish from shallower depths. This is an educational issue Fisheries has failed to address! Fish under 20m depths have a very good chance of survival, as long as fish show no obvious signs of trauma, like bleeding, or have not been gut-hooked. At depths of 20-30 m, more care should be taken by paying attention to the type of fish on the line from the onset; a weakly fighting fish with little sign of headshakes will indicate you most likely have a small dhu hooked. Simply don’t rush the fish up; wind very slowly and put the rod down in a holder two-thirds of the way up for a minute or two. If done correctly, from these depths the fish will show no sign of barotrauma and will quickly swim back to the depths on its own strength. If the fish is floating, you have brought it up too quickly, and it should be kept as part of the day’s bag. The Johnny Bray fishing competition will be on again at the Lancelin Angling Club on 27 December. It is open to all juniors up to 16 years old, fishing in the bay from boat, jetty, or beach. Registration takes place at the Lancelin Angling & Aquatic Club, Hopkins Street, between 7:00a.m. and 9:30a.m. Fishing starts after registration and finishes at 12 noon. Everyone wins a prize! The October demersal season

expect to see more of the same when the season reopens on 16 December. Traditionally, we start to see a lot more baldchin groper in the mix as the waters warm. Bluefin tuna and bonito have been prolific offshore; as the waters warm, expect yellowfin and striped tuna to add to the action. Also, start thinking about Spanish, school, and shark mackerel mid-month onwards. Once temperatures hit 21°C and upward, you’re in with a chance. Small boats and kayaks have plenty to keep them occupied, with big snook a common catch trolling the weed beds with small lures. Squid can be found throughout the bay, and flathead are more active in the shallows of the bay, warming in the sunshine. Herring always schools

down in the southern shallows in front of Grace Darling Park; casting or trolling lures will avoid the blowfish. As for the beaches, the best time has passed for the big mulloway for now; schoolies can still be caught, but often the gutters are quite shallow, so there’s not much to concentrate them into any specific spots. Casting larger baits, you’re more likely to come across small whaler sharks or the back-breaking guitarfish.

While many people associate shore-based pink snapper with winter storms, it is currently a great time to be casting baits to near-shore reefs at dawn, when pink snapper will be actively feeding. The big greenback tailor season is coming to an end along the reef breaks, though high tides along the gutters towards Wedge Island will still reliably produce some larger fish. Most of the beaches will have smaller

Johnson with a nice tailor from casting the Halco Rooster popper over a reef break.

Douglas with a typical solid gutter tailor.

chopper tailor in good numbers mixed with some nice bull herring, so it’s time to downsize baits to pilchards on a gang of 4 x 4/0 hooks to accommodate the smaller mouths. It was sad to hear of the closure of Fishing Monthly magazine; all the best to the staff, and wishing the team well with future goals. I have enjoyed my time providing the monthly reports and thank FM for the opportunity they’ve given me. I will continue my monthly report through social media, so jump on board if you’d like to find out all the latest along the Lancelin coast. You can find me at Peter Fullarton Fishing on Facebook and ‘Peter Fullarton – Fishing is My Passion’ on YouTube. DECEMBER 2024 113

Freshwater

FMM

Anglers to pay attention to water temps FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

I envisage that I will not be the only one starting off their report like this. If you are one of the rare writers that isn’t, then you may not share the same passion as most of us. It has been a privilege to be involved in such an informative and wonderful magazine.

excellent South West Kayak Anglers and, until the recent announcement by FMM, had been running a competition for an exclusive photo of a 50cm redfin for this very magazine. A special mention to Didier Blanquart who did run a great event being the Harvey Bash, which was the source of dozens of photos for this great magazine. There are others that all contributed with reports and photos through the years. Finally, I must

Early days fishing Harvey Dam on the Allycraft Top Ender with two great fishing partners, Wendy and Chester, who was sadly killed not long after this photo.

A classic photo of Fisheries WA from Pemberton Hatchery: Wendy and the author (centre), CEO from Recfishwest and his team on a FMM promotion day at Troutfest. I started this freshwater report when FMM launched here in WA back in September 2018 and only missed one edition since. The position was offered to me by Ian Sewell who was in charge of launching it here in WA. I thank him for convincing me that I was the man for the job. I have learnt much as my schooling history was limited preferring to pursue a career in the building industry the day I turned 15. The task was huge because we don’t have the diversity of freshwater species

DAM LEVELS South West WA Overall storage in our dams that allow public access and recreational activities are currently 59.3% at the end of October compared to 60.7% as of the same time last year. Glen Mervyn, Waroona, and Wellington dams are very low and if we have a dry summer, things will look bleak by autumn. Drakesbrook, Logue Brook, Big Brook and Harvey Dams are looking reasonable leading into summer. WAROONA DAM DRAKESBROOK WEIR LOGUE BROOK DAM HARVEY DAM WELLINGTON DAM GLEN MERVYN DAM

55% 90% 71% 89% 56%. 54%

thank my beautiful lady Wendy who has been by my side, even in blustery cold conditions striving for that special photo on days better spent indoors by the fire. Now to the fishing. Freshwater anglers in WA lack the opportunity that our neighbours have on the East Coast with not only the lack of species, but the lack of suitable quality freshwater needed to sustain a good trout fishery. We are heavily dependent on hatchery stocking and, should this cease, then the only option will be redfin perch and a few freshwater cobbler. I am alarmed at the growing green movement in this state and have seen first-hand the devastating impact it has on our farmers and now, licensed firearm holders resulting in losing their rights and free will in this state. I urge freshwater anglers to unite and stop this happening to our sport in WA. Having said all that, some impressive photos have been posted on socials of nice trout, both rainbow and browns that were caught around our local dams and the Pemberton region. December normally brings very hot conditions, so pay attention to water temperatures with anything over 25oC sending trout to deeper water. REDFIN Some nice redfin have been caught throughout the South West of the state. Most of our dams have produced 40cm+

The author with a nice redfin he caught trolling Waroona Dam. If trout stocking should cease in WA this species would be our only freshwater sportfish available to anglers. in this state, and the vastness of our South West makes reporting difficult at times. I must take a moment to thank my co-area reporters like Waroona local Jonah Chiera who has helped me with information on his local waters, Bunbury local Ben Kelly who runs the 114 DECEMBER 2024

The author’s son holding his dad’s Mount of the State record – 3.525kg rainbow trout caught in 1996 that still stands today. Photo taken beside one of the dams on father’s farm.

A final trolling session with the Stacer Crossfire before its sale resulted in Wendy boating a beautiful 50cm brown trout from Waroona Dam. redfin and our rivers are showcasing some wonderful specimens as well. As mentioned earlier, I organised a competition for an exclusive photo of a 50cm+ redfin and although this angler posted it elsewhere prior, I must mention it here on our final report. It was a beast of a redfin going 54cm and weighing 2.65kg. This fish broke the official state record redfin that at 2.53kg has stood since 1966. A great catch for not only here but anywhere in Australia. This warmer weather is a great opportunity to target these tasty species. AUSSIE NATIVES In this final report I must thank all the keen freshwater anglers that tried so hard to convince our Fisheries Department to establish a strict stocking policy in a couple of key dams. It all started when a good friend of mine Gavin Penn, who runs one of only three silver perch hatcheries in this state, convinced me to form a group to promote the idea on social media. Reluctantly, due to others before me that had failed, around 2015 I formed Aussie Native Freshwater Anglers WA and launched it with a bang. It was astounding how popular it became with all the well-known

Freshwater

FMM freshwater enthusiasts both amateur and commercially getting involved. We had the scientific experience behind us and even Recfishwest couldn’t convince our Fisheries Department to commence a trial. The closest we came was to stock golden perch into Wellington Dam. The lack of support by the Collie Shire, as they were too scared that the redfin and marron stocks would suffer, along with some ill-informed trout anglers worried they would end up in the Collie River and compromise the trout fishing should the dam overflow, put an end

rainbow. He normally always gets on to them and has given me some handy hints over the years. I haven’t bothered fishing here because of the heavyhanded approach Watercorp has taken on freshwater anglers wanting to stay overnight. This makes it difficult as day trips involve a lot of travel. Watercorp was the sole reason why the Harvey Bash had to be cancelled because they would not allow the organisers to camp there to keep an eye on their gear, they needed to set up the day prior to the competition. I

Fishing Logue Brook Dam can be challenging this time of the year with skiers being more active. The new Quintrex Top Ender with the latest Minn Kota Quest Instinct will see some exciting fishing adventures in the future. to what would have been a milestone in freshwater fishing in this state. A sad ending to what could have been a truly magical fishery. This has left us with a fishery that is limited to the few lucky anglers that have access to private waters or know where these Aussie icons exist in local lakes. I am hoping with increasing pressure from the public we can one day enjoy these species here in WA. DAMS Waroona Dam With the increase in temperature throughout this month it will be difficult to find suitable trout around the edges during the day. Early mornings will offer better opportunities. Redfin are always on offer, although the boating activities will hinder fishing efforts especially over the weekend. Drakesbrook Weir I spent a few days fly-fishing the shallower areas and unfortunately didn’t land anything apart from a few redfin. Jonah Chiera had better luck landing a few nice redfin from the shore using soft plastics. Kayak anglers are doing better in deeper water. Logue Brook Dam Ski boat activity is making fishing difficult. A few of the bays are worth a try, however, it seems things have gone quiet recently according to Dan@Westyboys who is a keen fly fisher and has found things difficult on recent outings. Harvey Dam I’m surprised this water failed to fish well this year. The high water levels should have produced favourable conditions for trout to grow rapidly. Ben Kelly from South-West Kayak Anglers fished this dam hard and only came up with a few small redfin and a small

believe that a better effort is needed by both Watercorp and the Fisheries Department in the future to get anglers to gain confidence to return to this dam once again. If this doesn’t occur soon I believe our freshwater anglers will lose interest in this great location. Wellington Dam Trout have retreated to deeper water after a few were caught around the dam in late spring. The quality of the redfin fishing has been astounding if you happen to be in the right areas. As mentioned earlier a trophy size redfin measuring 54cm was taken from this water. The lucky angler is renowned for landing large fish using jigs dropped deep around structure. Things might slow down with the onset of summer,

Ben Kelly from South West Kayak Anglers with a lovely brown trout from Harvey Dam. His support of the magazine involved competitions and promoting FMM on his page to his loyal members.

Waroona local Jonah Chiera with a superb rainbow trout. His coreporting helped the author cover such a vast area of the South West. however, a visit is worth it if you can get out on the water. Glen Mervyn Dam Redfin are being caught using a variety of techniques. Lake Kepwari Good redfin are being reported around the top section next to the ski club. It can be frustrating as not everyone has been successful, so mix the technique up until you find what they are taking. Big Brook Dam The Pemberton Trout Festival was held here again this year with a great turnout of a diverse group of keen freshwater anglers, and people who were interested in the day’s proceedings. It fished well after all the stocking, however things have slowed down compared to previous outings. I would put this dam on your list, with early mornings being the preferred times through summer. RIVERS Leading up to the warmer part of the season can be challenging trying to find trout in our rivers. Redfin can be a little more cooperative and tent to feed in the warmer months. For this reason I will only list the key rivers and streams I would target if I was keen to tangle with a trout or two over summer. Pay particular attention to water temperatures and if you are planning to release them then heat stress would most likely result in low recovery in some situations. Murray River The pools fish well for redfin over summer however, size is generally on the smaller side. Soft plastics are deadly in around the sunken structure. Northern Jarrah Streams Most of the trout normally retreat back to the main body of bigger rivers and dams. Spring fed creeks hold fish but finding them can be difficult if you are new to the game. Some flow through private property and others are up in the escarpment. Collie River below Wellington Dam This is the month that this water starts to fire because of the increase in irrigation, resulting in more water being let out of Wellington Dam. By far our best summer fishery however, it receives lots of fishing pressure over the weekend

period. It pays to keep an eye on water flow rate as at times it can be too high for successful angling. I normally fish heavily weighted flies to get down to where the trout lie. Same applies for lures with heavily weighted jigheads or spoon type lures the preferred option. The opposite is the case if the flow is gentle, which is rare in summer. Collie River above Wellington Dam The section around the town of Collie fishes well for redfin all year round. It is worth a visit if you are in the area. Warren River The occasional trout can still be in the rapids through December with the pools fishing better throughout summer. This is the area that redfin prefer and some truly magnificent fishing has occurred in recent years. As always, the better catches have come from those using kayaks to access the better structure. Any lure works well with big soft plastics being a killer choice. Lefroy Brook By far our greatest summer stream as its fed by a steady release of water out of Bigbrook Dam. The upstream

Wendy Banks with her personal best 48cm redfin perch caught trolling a deep diving lure at Wellington Dam. section above the hatchery fishes well on occasions and most prefer the timbered areas that are shaded in the warmer months. Small flies or any small floating lure works well when cast up the little runs that dot this water. Soft plastics have gained popularity in this water in recent times. Donnelly River A few good trout were caught over the last couple of months. December normally sees them retreating downstream so using a boat around Boat Landing is the go over summer. The bigger feeder streams are still producing some nice trout on fly. So, this raps up my final report in this great magazine. Please try to release your trout as they will become rarer in our drying climate. Be very aware of snakes around water. Campfires are prohibited in summer and please leave only footprints. It has been a privilege to report on freshwater fishing here in WA. Until my next chapter, Stay Connected. DECEMBER 2024 115

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Stabicraft 1550 Frontier with F70 Yamaha 4-stroke FMG

SPECIFICATIONS

Steve Morgan

Length ................................................ 4.8m Capacity.................................5 persons Max HP..................................................... 75 Fuel Tank .............................................60L Beam ................................................. 2.01m Transom deadrise...........................15” Tube thickness.............................3mm Hull thickness ...............................4mm Hull weight...................................550kg

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The Stabicraft Frontier 1550 is the second smallest hull in the Stabicraft range. We caught up with the guys from Northside Marine in Brisbane to go for a ride in this hull, powered by a Yamaha 70hp 4-stroke and met Mark Golden at the ramp. “The 1550 is derived from the popular 1440 model and adds some features like an underfloor fuel tank, built in live bait tank and anchor winch capability,” he said, as he pulled up with a beautiful looking and fully optioned rig. Stabicraft are a New Zealand built aluminium hull with a built in ‘life ring’ that offers greater stability and safety than a standard aluminium hull. And as a result, this sub-five-metre rig is very capable of pushing the boundaries of what boats this size can safely do. This boat is powered by a Yamaha

70hp 4-stroke outboard. The 1,000cc platform is reliable and economical and although Mark claimed 3km+ per litre economy, this could only be achieved with a single person on board. Add a second angler and the economy drops to a still-suitable 2.5km/L. At wide open throttle the boat reached 56km/h at 6,000rpm, where economy dropped to 1.8km/L. With an underfloor fuel tank of 60L, this gives a theoretical range of well over 100km. It handled like a typical Stabicraft - cornering flat and

super stable at rest for a hull of this length. The finish on Stabicraft is exceptional. Over the years, their attention to detail has constantly improved and there’s very little wasted space in any of their rigs. The 1550 was fitted with a removable casting deck that extends raised casting space up front and turns this into a very practical lure fishing rig. Remove it and there’s a massive cockpit for a boat of this

Main: The Stabicraft 1550 was created because of demand from 1440 customers who wanted something a little bigger. Above: Like all Stabicraft hulls the ride is smooth and it corners remarkably flat. size that can hold all of your camping gear or crab pots. At the transom there’s a rugged set of boarding steps which allow for easy access PERFORMANCE RPM Speed

(km/h)

Even though there’s a removable casting deck, Mark Golden likes the anchor well cover to throw a few lures from. 116 DECEMBER 2024

both on and off the trailer, a plumbed live bait tank and a simple bait station complete the rig. The side console is simple and practical, with plenty of space to flush mount your expensive electronics. We also love the fact that there is a built-in foot step, so you can wedge yourself in while driving this boat in rougher water. This practicality is mirrored across

Economy

(km/L)

600 ............................ 3 ........................5.6 1000 .......................... 5 ........................4.6 2000 ....................... 10 ........................ 2.7 3000 ........................17 ........................2.2 3500........................29 ........................2.3 4000 .......................35 ........................2.5 4500 ........................41 ........................2.0 5000 .......................46 .........................1.9 6000 .......................56 .........................1.8

the hull. There are plenty of places to grab onto, with thick aluminium rails where you need them. An awesome option for this rig was the aluminium G-Fab trailer. These NZ developed and Australian built trailers add to the package with both looks and function. They’re a full skid design which keeps the centre of gravity low for towing and easy launching. It’s a drive-on and off design which is simple for even one person operation. As tested, this boat sells for $84,800 with the upgraded trailer and electronics as fitted. Give Mark a call at Northside Marine for more information or to organise a test drive.

FMM

Top: There’s a spot to mount your bow mounted electric motor, which will be a popular addition for anglers. Above: The bait station at the transom is simple and has a couple of inbuilt rod holders.

BOATING TEST

Yamaha’s F70 4-stroke outboard is a long term best-seller for the company. It’s reliable and economical.

Top: The front casting deck is removable. Above: There’s plenty of open cockpit space with the small side-console. We loved the footrest while driving.

Open side console boats are pretty popular in Australia - you can load them up for a camping weekend and head away on an adventure.

We love that you can flush mount your valuable electronics and not occlude your vision with a bracket-mounted sounder.

Top Left: The GFab trailer is a real work of art. They’re not cheap, but their low COG is really functional. Top Right: Rubber decking is a neat option and is easy to clean when it gets covered in mud and fish. Bottom Left: Stabicraft are a New Zealand made aluminium boat. Bottom Right: This rig turns heads at the ramp and the package works together nicely.

Left: These are serious boarding steps. Easy access on and off the water.Top Right: These custom rod holders are designed to also hold a paternoster weight. Bottom Right: There’s a plumbed baitwell in the transom. DECEMBER 2024 117

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