Fishing Monthly Magazine | June 2021

• WINTER SPECIES COME OUT TO PLAY • NEW FIND THE

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NSW

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Features

Why not try the fly?

• DIY leader keeper • 4WD review: Triton GSR • Bread baits: they earn their crust •

NSW

Technique Spotlight

Jamie Robley brings us bread baits: be the bread winner

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CONTENTS

OUR COVER June 2021, Vol. 2 No.2 VIC

TAS

QUEENSLAND Gold Coast Jumpinpin Southern Bay Brisbane Northern Bay Noosa Bundaberg Gladstone Mackay Whitsundays Townsville Hinchinbrook Cairns Port Douglas Cooktown Lucinda Cape York Freshwater Kayaking

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NEW SOUTH WALES Pittwater Sydney North Sydney Rock Sydney South Ballina Coffs Harbour Hastings Forster Port Stephens Swansea Central Coast Illawarra Batemans Bay Bermagui Tathra New England Rivers Hunter Valley Batlow Lithgow/Oberon Albury/Wodonga Canberra

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VICTORIA Warrnambool Cobden Geelong Port Phillip West Port Phillip East Phillip Island Gippsland Lakes Lakes Entrance Bemm River Marlo Mallacoota Robinvale Bendigo Ballarat Wangaratta Shepparton Crater Lakes Eildon West/South Gippsland

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JUNE 2021

From the editor’s Desk...

WA

Get ready for another AFTA public day

As part of their spawning cycle, southern calamari will start to enter Port Phillip Heads over the coming months.

A Brenton Hodges image.

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REGULAR FEATURES Bread Baits Starlo’s back to basics Tech Tricks Sheik of the Creek WIRF What’s New Fishing Recfishwest Tournament Calendar Track my Fish Trades and Services 4WD: Triton GSR Tide page

8 12 48 31 102 118 104 119 126 116 128 130

The AFTA Trade Show as a businessto-business event had been going on for decades. It’s where the manufacturers and wholesalers show the tackle stores all of the latest and greatest gear for the upcoming season. It’s taken a lot of efforts from a few determined people to involve the public with the show, so don’t take the opportunity for granted.

Remember, also, that it’s not a show where you can go and buy a trolley load of gear. It’s a non-retail show with exhibitors limited to being able to sell only a narrow range of promotional gear.

In 2019, though, there were plenty of sample bags and freebies kicking around.

We think your entry fee will be well spent.

Indeed, Fishing Monthly decided to do some exit-polling at the show and it was around three hours until we found anyone wanting to leave! When we did, there were universal accolades, apart from one guy who was annoyed that he couldn’t buy a rod and reel – so be warned. It’s not a retail show!

Like all things COVID, you have to pre-book your tickets this year and there will be limited capacity, although the venue will easily hold the same number of people who attended in 2019.

Keep an eye out closer to the dates for places you can buy your ticket online. We are sure that the 40+ exhibitors at the show will be keen to see you and show you all things tackle.

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After the inevitable cancellation of the Australian Fishing Trade Association’s (AFTA) Trade Show in 2020, it’s great to see the show back in 2021. And better still for the mad keen fishing public within striking distance of the Gold Coast, the show will again include a Public Day, where keen anglers can come along, pay an entry fee (usually less than a movie ticket) and check out all of the latest and greatest fishing tackle that’s on offer. It will be held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday 10 July.

The public day was a great success in 2019. Tackle companies ensure that their promotional anglers and personalities are available to interact and show products, get selfies and give advice. It’s the biggest collection of fishing knowledge in one room, nationally.

With overseas travel off the books until who-knows-when, there’s a lot to be said for some destination fishing travel within Australia. And if you’re not travelling to catch fish, then the next best thing is playing with the toys that help you catch them.

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Bread baits: they definitely earn their crust! from the coastal rocks. In fact, the rocks are where I’ve enjoyed my most spectacular results when using bread baits. At times it’s been a real eye opener to see how fish like luderick, drummer and even sweep react to drifting pieces of bread. I’ve seen plenty of

CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

One of the most commonly asked questions about fishing anywhere around the world is: What’s the best bait at this location or for a particular species? From the firsttime novice, right through to experienced veterans, they all want to know the best bait – it’s like wanting to know the secret to eternal youth or the next winning Powerball numbers!

The reality is that there are many excellent baits worth using at different times and places for all manner of fresh or saltwater species. Over time, some baits prove to be extraordinarily successful and versatile for a broad spectrum of species and scenarios. In Australia

as berley or bait.

Although other offerings like peeled prawns, cunje or green cabbage are favoured by many seasoned rock anglers, I am more than happy to grab a couple of loaves of white bread and go rock fishing with

Perfect conditions for rock fishing with bread baits. The swell is calm and it’s quite safe, but there is still plenty of white wash close in around the rocks. corner store, fuel stop or supermarket.

ROCK FISHING This is a perfect time of year to use bread both as a bait and the berley

This bream was caught from the end of a beach, adjacent to a low rocky outcrop. Bream really like shallow spots with a mix of sand and rock, especially at this time of year.

Despite their reputation as a weed eater or grazing feeder, luderick absolutely love white bread! prawns and pilchards are probably right at the top of the list, but other popular baits we’re all familiar with include squid, mullet, beach worms and pipis.

Bread is also quite well known as a bait, although it’s all too often considered as a second choice bait when you may not be able to get your hands on better stuff, or as a simple muck around bait for the kids to try while you’re on holidays. It is a bit more popular with those who chase mullet or amongst some rock fishing devotees who target bream or drummer. However, mostly it still seems to fly under the radar or take a back seat compared to more ‘credible’ baits.

In my books though, bread is one of the very best baits in existence. In fact, if stranded on an island and I 8

JUNE 2021

was only allowed to use one form of bait or lure in order to catch fish to survive, I would instantly choose

bread. More specifically, plain white bread. The type that’s available anywhere from the local bakery,

White bread works exceptionally well in freshwater rivers east of the Great Divide for mullet. These fish were caught in the Williams River in the Hunter region of NSW.

Both mono or fluorocarbon leaders can be used when fishing with bread baits. However, the author’s favourite leader when rock fishing for luderick, bream and drummer is Sunline FC Rock. It has proven a winner many times over the years, with hard fighting fish in gnarly rock fishing spots.

awesome surface strikes from predators like tailor, kings, tuna and queenfish over the years and I can honestly say, for their size, luderick and drummer can make quite an impressive explosion on the surface as they smash into chunks of floating bread!

It’s also interesting to see these fish, which we normally consider as vegetarians or grazing feeders become so fixated on something that is far removed from their natural habitat. Regardless of the science behind it, rock fishing favourites like drummer, bream, luderick and silver trevally respond with remarkable enthusiasm towards bread

full confidence that I’ll be using a first class bait. On a number of occasions I would even say that bread baits have saved my trip and some of my personal best bream have fallen to quite small bread baits over the years.

The first part of the puzzle is to fish in spots where fish like bream, drummer or luderick are likely to show up. Nearly all east coast rock ledges, outcrops and major headlands will have these fish swimming around them, but generally the more broken up rocks in relatively shallow places seem to house more of these fish. Bream in particular, favour spots with a shallow

sandy bottom, as opposed to deeper ledges with more kelp or rock below.

Secondly, it’s important to fish at times when fish are inclined to be actively

rocks and it’s extremely calm, try to look for any small amount of white wash around ledges, as even a tiny bit of churned up water may attract a few fish.

bread on the surface also tends to attract sea gulls and they just end up becoming a pest. So it’s a good idea to think in terms of ‘less is more’ and that way you’ll

The author loves using bread baits off the rocks along the Central Coast. Bream are one of the first fish to come looking when they detect the scent of bread in the vicinity. looking for food and when it’s safe to be fishing from the rocks. So this means when the swell or wave action is small or relatively calm, with a rising tide and preferably earlier in the

Next, I normally mash up a few slices of bread to a pulp and throw it in close to the rocks as berley. There’s nearly always a few pools of water around most rock ledges, so it’s easy enough

hopefully spread some scent through the water and encourage fish to look for your bait, rather than eat all the berley.

Small to mid-sized baits on hooks from size 6 up to

Carp also love bread as bait. This fish was caught in a shallow stream on a small bread bait drifted down the current under a float. morning or later in the day.

Dull, overcast weather is normally pretty good and when it’s quite dismal, fishing can still be good right through the middle of the day as well. At the opposite end of the scale, periods when westerly winds flatten out the ocean so it’s dead flat can make for very tough fishing.

If you do turn up at the

to dip the bread in these to help soften it up for the berley. The finer you can mash it up the better too.

A common mistake that many anglers make is to think more berley must be better. That’s generally not really the case and it may just serve to feed the fish rather than get them hungry so they’ll be looking for your bait. A lot of floating

a 1/0 should work well in most situations. If it seems that luderick are the main species present then smaller hooks in sizes 6 or 4 will be on the mark. If bigger bream or drummer seem more prevalent than larger or stronger hooks could be a better option. Baits can either be suspended under a float or lightly weighted on To page 10

JUNE 2021

9

From page 9

other types of rigs. A very simple and easy option I like to use in some places is 4-5kg nylon mono as the mainline, with one hook tied at the end, nothing else, no float, sinker, swivel, trace or anything. This is a particularly good way to go when fishing shallow areas

where only very short casts are required.

ESTUARY OPTIONS Much like rock fishing, bread works extremely well in calmer water for bream, luderick, mullet, trevally and garfish. Anyone who’s ever tried to catch poddy mullet in a bait trap would have used bread as the

enticer in the trap. However, when pinched over a small size 8, 10 or 12 hook it can be dynamite on both small and larger mullet.

A general guideline is to use bread baits suspended under a float when targeting mullet, garfish or bream.

Thinner, stem floats are my preference, however,

some may prefer to use little Styrofoam bobby floats or those plastic floats that can be partially filled with water to create some extra casting weight. This is basically a more scaled down and sedate version of rock fishing with bread baits and the common target species slightly different. However, it’s still as entertaining and productive, whether you’re fishing for food, bait or just having some fun.

IN THE FRESH Plain white bread also makes an excellent offering in freshwater. Once again, mullet are one of the first species to zoom in on bread berley or baits, providing they live in the place you’re fishing. Most

I’ve enjoyed sessions catching all three species.

As with estuary fishing, small baits suspended under a float is normally the best way to go, with ideal hooks being long shank sizes 8, 10 or 12.

Carp certainly won’t say no to bread either.

Although corn kernels are often considered as the best bait for carp and they’ll also go for worms, cheese and various other baits, bread has the advantage of being so clean and convenient.

A piece of bread about the size of your fingernail, squeezed over a size 4 hook works very well for carp in most places.

BREAD FISHING TIPS Bread comes in many different forms these days,

so well, try another brand or go to a different shop to buy it. Wholemeal, brown or other forms of bread are generally best left to be used as berley and that also applies to older stale bread that’s gone too hard or crumbly to be used as bait.

When squeezing a bit of bread over the hook, be it a tiny size 10 hook for garfish or a 1/0 for drummer off the rocks, try to squeeze it firmly over the eye end of the hook, leaving some unsquashed over the hook end. Also, try to leave at least a little bit of the hook point exposed, which helps when it comes to getting a solid hook up.

As mentioned earlier in this article, go sparingly when it comes to using

Bread isn’t just a bait to muck around with for tiddlers. Some of the author’s biggest bream have fallen to relatively small bread baits fished close in around the rocks.

Silver drummer are just one of the many species that respond well to bread baits. freshwater streams east of the mountains house mullet and wherever you find bass you’re also likely to encounter mullet.

Freshwater garfish and herring are also quite partial to bread and in some places

but the best type to use for bait in the fresh or salt is your simple white loaf, either sliced or unsliced.

Some white bread is better as bait than others, so if you find it always falling off the hook or not performing

bread as berley. The main thing you want to do is to entice the fish with a bread scent in the water.

Too much berley may just encourage fish to fill up on that and they’ll then ignore your bait.

A solid carp around the 6kg mark caught on a bread bait in the middle of winter.

When the weather is cooler, try presenting carp baits a bit deeper than in summer.

10

JUNE 2021

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JUNE 2021

11

Why not try the fly?

NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Chasing fish on fur and feathers certainly isn’t for everyone, but you might be surprised at just how enjoyable – and addictive – it can become, not to mention how effective… and not only for trout!

Fly fishing… I’m sure the mere mention of it is enough to have some people automatically flicking over to the next page in annoyance, disgust or disinterest. Perhaps it’s like oysters, olives, coriander or the myriad other things we tend to either love or hate with equal passion, and which polarise us strongly into one camp or the other — often for life.

I must admit that I’ve been fascinated by the concept of fly fishing since early childhood, and I actually asked my grandparents for a fly fishing outfit for my 11th birthday.

For better or worse, the bloke in the tackle shop managed to convince my grandfather that fly fishing was far too difficult for a kid of that age, and I ended up getting a surf rod instead. I wonder what directions my fishing life might have taken had that not been the case?

Such ‘Sliding Doors’

history. But when you drill right down to the core of what it’s all about, fly fishing is just another way to catch a fish.

In fact, I reckon the very best way to sum up fly fishing is to describe it as a form of lure fishing in which the “lures” are too small, lightweight

precisely what fly fishing is: a form of lure casting that relies on the weight or mass of the line to carry our offering through the air and out over the water to the fish… It really is as simple as that!

Of course, casting a line instead of a compact weight

Inshore pelagics like this chunky Australian salmon lend themselves beautifully to fly fishing, as do tailor, bonito, pike, barracouta, trevally, kingfish and a host of other contenders.

Mention fly fishing to most folks and they instantly think of trout… but fly fishing doesn’t begin and end with these speckled immigrants.

of the physics involved.

I won’t lie to you: coming even close to mastering fly casting isn’t a pushover, and

New Zealand river! Of course, I quickly tallied up what my expensive rod, reel and line was worth and dashed back

or wind-resistant to be cast effectively using conventional tackle. Once you accept that very basic definition, a lot of the perceived mystery simply drops away.

Because the lures called flies are made of fur, feathers, tinsel and various other wispy materials, they’re too hard to cast on their own. So, we’re faced with two options for

You can buy flies, or have a crack at making them yourself, and there are patterns to imitate just about any item of prey a fish is ever likely to consider as food. Your columnist whipped up this fairly basic prawn pattern to target bream, bass and estuary perch in brackish water. It worked. like a sinker demands an entirely different action. To do it, we need to generate a travelling wave or loop of that special weighted line that will carry the lightweight fly to its destination. If you’ve ever flicked a length of garden hose out across a lawn, waved a ribbon, or cracked a whip, you’ll have an instinctive idea

it will certainly frustrate you at times. I like to joke that the first 20 years are the hardest, but to be honest, I’ve been doing it on and off for well over 40 years now and I still have days when I simply want to throw the whole outfit into the water and stomp away in disgust… something I actually did one day on a gale-ravaged

Sometimes fly fishing is as much about the places it leads us to, like this gorgeous little Tasmanian trout stream. moments aside, it’s worth stressing that fly fishing is really just another branch of our diverse sport: nothing more and nothing less. Sure, it’s a little ‘different’, and it certainly has a long and fascinating 12

JUNE 2021

getting them out to the fish: we can add weight to the rig in the form of split shot, sinkers and floats… or we can move right outside the square and actually build the casting weight into the line itself. And that’s

to recover it, but that moment of heaving it all into the pool was actually quite cathartic. So was the realisation that it was

of the plethora of very good instructional videos and texts available on-line these days.

Instead, spend a few bucks and take at least one lesson from a good teacher or guide early on in your fly fishing career.

Trust me, it’s an extremely worthwhile investment.

Don’t rush out and buy a heap of expensive gear, either.

Dip a toe in the water first.

Borrow an outfit, or use one provided by your teacher.

When (and if) you decide to take the plunge, do your homework first, then spend a reasonable amount – say, $300 to $700 – on a decent, middle-of-the-road fly rod and at least a hundred bucks or so on a quality fly line. They are the two most important components in the equation.

Don’t scrimp on them.

Fact is, there isn’t a fish that swims – up to and including marlin, tuna and sharks – that can’t be successfully targeted on fly. Best of all, it’s a great way to chase a whole swag of our most popular species in salt and freshwater. Things

Mullet make a perfect starting point for dipping your toe into saltwater fly fishing.

You’ll know all about it if you tangle with a bream in this league on a fly rod!

probably better to avoid trying to cast in a gale!

The best advice I can give you is not to teach yourself to fly cast, even with the aid

like flathead, bream, trout, cod, perch, mullet, salmon and tailor. But be warned – it’s also highly addictive! Once you try it, you’ll understand why.

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JUNE 2021

13

Southern

OLD

West winds signal transition GOLD COAST

David Green

On the offshore grounds June is a month of transition. The water temperature starts to drop and most of the winds are

from the west. Out wide on the continental shelf, the current slows but the water temperature usually holds at around 23ºC. There can be some good blue marlin fishing in June and striped marlin become much more common. As

the warm water moves north a lot of species that have migrated south on the East Australian Current in summer, migrate north.

Some of the biggest mackerel and wahoo caught off the Gold Coast turn up in June.

The Seaway will produce some excellent catches this month, like this mulloway.

JUNE 2021

A decent blue marlin from the Riv Grounds on the Gold Coast.

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On the 36 and 50 fathom lines the bottom fishing improves markedly as the water cools. Snapper and pearl perch increase in numbers and there are some big amberjack and kingfish as well. Deep fished live baits can be a very effective option this month. The high pinnacles at the northern end of the 50 fathom line can fish very well in June and also produce some big cod.

A lot of anglers are turning to electric reels and are catching good numbers of bar cod and big pearl perch on pinnacles in 150-200m.

Cobia are another target this month on the closer reefs. The 18 and 20 fathom reefs east of the Seaway can produce a lot of quality cobia in June, with quite a few over 25kg being caught.

The secret is to constantly berley and work the berley trail using live baits and big soft plastics. A deep live bait and one set mid water are both effective. Cobia love big baits, and species such as tarwhine, goat fish and tailor are all very effective.

Cobia are one of the hardest fighting species encountered off the Gold Coast and a big one on light tackle can take well in excess of an

1/11 Knobel Ct SHAILER PARK QLD 4128

OLD

hour to land. Cobia are also partial to big soft plastics worked mid water or close to the bottom.

Mulloway are another good option this month. The inshore reefs off the Seaway have produced increasing numbers of mulloway in recent years and the best feed time is usually in the first hours of darkness. Live slimy mackerel and live pike are the best baits to use and they don’t seem to like yellowtail nearly as much.

Tailor are another excellent bait, both live and as fresh fillets. The secret is to get well set up in your spot before dark, berley with chopped pilchards and be patient. Most bites come after sunset. The artificial reefs 23m northeast of the Seaway produce a lot of good mulloway.

Mackerel catches drops off a lot in June, but the remaining fish are generally big fat females, and there are still a few wahoo around as well. If you can catch small tuna or bonito try slow trolling them over reef.

The Tweed Nine Mile can produce some huge mackerel and wahoo in June, as well as some thumper yellowtail kingfish. June is very much a period of transition between summer and winter species and there are plenty of offshore options to try.

RIVERS AND ESTUARIES As the westerlies start to blow the water temperature drops and the fishing

improves. This is the first month of the year to get really serious when it comes to your flathead fishing.

While most of the fish are

smaller specimen around 40-60cm long, there is the odd bigger fish. In general soft plastics, vibes and metal blades will produce

Lorraine Golightly starts to get serious with her flathead fishing in June.

most of the fish and trolling hardbodies is also very effective. Calm clear days with light winds usually produce the best results.

Trolling the flats on an early morning high tide can be particularly effective in June. There should be some bigger fish up on the flats at high tide and casting swim baits and big soft plastics is worth a try this month.

Big schools of sea mullet start to move through the estuaries this month in preparation for spawning.

These attract the attention of big mulloway and it is a good month to start fishing high tide changes at night in the seaway. Live mullet are a great bait and can generally be caught with a cast net along the Seaway walls.

Live pike are another good option. Use around 15kg leader and position your bait so it sits in the eddy. It is a waiting game, but most of the mulloway caught at night are over a metre long and every year a few in the 25kg bracket turn up. The best times are generally towards the end of the month into July. Both dark and full moons are fine, but on the dark moon phosphorescence can be a problem as it lights up the line and the fish can be very shy. When you get a run let the fish have a bit of line before striking

Southern

hard. I generally use two 7/0 octopus pattern hooks in my mullet. Some of our best spots are in the middle of daytime high traffic boat areas. Keep noise to a minimum, minimise lights and be quiet.

Large schools of bream turn up in the river entrances and the Seaway and Jumpinpin this month prior to the spawning run.

These fall to soft plastics, small hardbodies and small vibes. Small live herrings are often the best way to catch really big bream with the odd fish over a kilo turning up. The area around the pipeline in the Seaway produces a lot of bream in June on both baits and deep fished plastics.

There should still be a few mangrove jack around along the seaway walls.

Sand crabs should still be around in numbers, especially after the flood waters in March. By June the effects of this fresh should have replenished the estuary quite well and I think the fishing this month should be excellent. Tailor should also start to show in numbers in the Broadwater this month on the run-in tides. Overall, June is a very good to fish the Gold Coast.

There are plenty of options and the weather is generally very good.

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ARB - Artistic Burbot

HLW - Halloween

HTIP - Hot Tiger Pike

MRC - Mirror Carp

OG - Olive Green

PEL - Live Perch

PGG - Pearl Ghost Gold

ROL - Live Roach

RTL - Live Rainbow Trout

SMB - Smelt on the Beach

Model No. Running Depth Length XROU17 0.5-1.0m 17cm XROU25 0.5-1.0m 25cm

Weight Buoyancy Hooks 40g Slow Sinking VMC Coastal Black 90g Slow Sinking VMC Coastal Black

Rapala

@rapalaaustralia

JUNE 2021

15

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Rug up and get out JUMPINPIN

Bo Sawyer

At the time of writing, temperatures have come down and those who’ve left the jumpers at home have probably been a little bit chilly out on the water, especially in the mornings.

closer to the bar has often treated us to some cleaner water, and this has been the most productive tide/time to wet a line.

Crabs and prawns have still been fairly active if you are chasing a tasty feed.

I’ve been getting a lot of prawns on the northern end of Eden Island, plus they

a few schools on your own can be more rewarding and fill your bucket up in fewer casts when there’s fewer boats around you.

Some massive flathead have still been showing up.

One thing to keep in mind, the colder the water gets the more likely the flatties will be up in the shallows soaking

Cheyne with a 115cm thready caught on a live garfish.

The author with an 88cm flathead caught on a live garfish.

We’ve had a little more rain than expected in the back half of autumn and this has made fishing tougher in the upper reaches of the system.

However the incoming tide

MARINE

WINDOWS

are regularly showing up on my sounder in various other spots. It can pay to have a look around other areas if you’re not getting them in the usual places, and finding

& DOORS

up the sun and warmer water.

It amazes me how shallow these beautiful fish will lay, even the big girls. Casting plastics and working lures while covering lots of ground will usually result in more fish, however I’ve had much more success over the years catching the trophy

sized fish on good sized live bait. Big prawns, garfish or 6-7” mullet will be hard for them to resist.

Tailor have been active on the incoming tide and a bit quieter when the dirtier water is making its way out. They’ve been biting on the northern tip of South Stradbroke Island, inside the pin bar and along Kalinga Bank on lures and live bait.

Of course the easiest way to find them is to look for diving birds.

Mulloway numbers are improving and so are their size. I’ve lost a few big ones just recently on light gear. A good starting point is 20lb main line (I’d be hesitant to go lighter, especially if the current is running hard) and 30-40lb fluorocarbon leader (1-1.5m in length). This size leader will hopefully prevent you from being bitten off by any decent by-catches, such as

big tailor or lizards. Let the sinker move freely all the way down to the hook and just enough weight to keep the bait around the bottom.

Hook sizes will depend on

lagoons on the northern end of South Stradbroke Island, northern side of Crusoe Island or over any flats that are littered with yabby holes. Worms and yabbies

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Nick with a 90cm flathead.

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JUNE 2021

Suzanne with a great whiting.

the size of bait being used, anywhere from 3/0-7/0.

Some nice whiting are still being caught. The bigger whiting tend to be in the deeper water during the day and then come in very shallow at night over the flats. Fish the lightest leader you possibly can, your catch rate will greatly increase just going a few pounds lighter as the smaller diameter will get more bites. Using 4-6lb fluorocarbon will give you the best results. Try the

are the choice bait.

If you need to buy some fresh bait or stock up on tackle be sure to go in and see Brett down at Jacobs Well Bait and Tackle. He’s also got boats for hire and you will have a fantastic time getting out on the water away from the crowds.

Until next month, tight lines.

• To see more of my fishing adventures on Instagram, follow The Bobo Boat (@ thebobo_boat)

JUNE 2021

17

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Plenty of winter activity SOUTHERN BAY

Nick Whyte

With the on set of the cooler weather, there’s been a bit of activity with a variety of species this month.

Bream, tailor, snapper, squid, flathead, winter whiting and longtail tuna just to

Channel. Just make sure you keep an eye on the Green Zone boundaries when fishing up there.

Snapper numbers are starting to increase with nice pan-sized fish common around the reef edges. The better quality fish have been coming from deeper waters around Peel Island artificial reefs,

islands, South West Rocks at Peel, the sunken reefs at Peel and Potts Point are all consistent producers this time of year. Small soft plastics like the 4” Zerek Flash Wrigglys fished light along the edges should see you in with a shot.

There will be plenty of bream around over the coming month. The fish

the back of Short Island, the western mouth of Duck Creek and down around Tiger Mullet Channel.

Find any sunken timber in a little deeper water and you should find a bream.

There will be big catches on offer with cricket scores not uncommon, but make sure you limit your catch, don’t catch you limit.

Tailor have started showing up down around the Pin. Plenty in the chopper size range but bigger slab baits or larger surface poppers will give you a better opportunity over bigger greenback. The schools have been moving in with the tide and pushing back out with the bait. It’s worth having a small slug or plastic rigged ready to cast at the schools that pop up. Early mornings around some of the shallow rocky bay island points with 80-100mm poppers, will also see some action while traveling around the bay.

Keep an eye out for larger

The 4” Zerek Flash Wrigglys are dynamite on the bay snaps.

Bill with a PB mulloway on a recent Tech Fishing session. name a few. With reports of prawns still getting caught, there should still be an opportunity to get into a couple of great captures.

Squid should be in full swing now. There have been some really good reports coming from the Rainbow

Harries and Mud. Using your sounder to locate these bigger sized school fish will see the best results. Fishing low light periods and light lines while keeping boat noise to a minimum should see you with a few fish coming over the side.

Mud Island, Bird and Goat

will be schooling up for their spawning run and will dominate the catches. Best places to start looking are down around the Jumpinpin area, the mouth of the Logan River and around the Amity Rock wall. Some of the fish will school up over the sand flats around

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An 83cm lizard caught on a Mustad Ink Vader. schools busting bait in the channels.

Flatties have again been a consistent capture over the last month. There’s been plenty of quality fish around the mouth of the Logan. Numbers of fish have been caught in between Garden and Macleay islands. Small trolled lures or small soft plastics worked around the drain mouths will see some action. Flathead aren’t really picky with colours but try and keep them natural in the clean water and a little brighter when it muds up a bit. It’s also worth having a look

in Canaipa Passage around the top and the bottom of Russell Island.

There should be some nice mulloway getting around the southern bay this month. Areas like Marks Rocks in the Logan, deeper water around the power lines, the southern end of Goat Island, the Peel artificial reefs or any isolated wrecks you know about will be worth a look.

Pin bar and Amity Rock walls are also worth the time around the turn of the tides. Look for areas holding lots of bait and the fish shouldn’t be too far away.

Winter whiting have been in good numbers when the schools have been located. Move around until you find them and then work the area over.

These little fellas are tasty morsels but don’t take more then you need for a feed. Best areas have been up the Rous, Navel and the Pelican banks. Fresh bait is best with squid and worms both doing the job.

If you have a great capture from the southern bay you would like to share, email them through to nick@techfishing. com.au. Till next month Tech-it-easy.

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Braving the winter chill BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

With winter now upon us, anglers will be braving the cold for an early morning or night fishing session.

For most, this will be worthwhile with a great array of popular species

offering go a long way to promoting a quality catch, however the humble frozen pilchard, squid and bonito fillet are also worthy offerings.

Those who rig up well with minimum weight sinkers, sharp hooks hidden in the bait with just the points exposed and fluorocarbon leaders will generally

Double snaps for Chris with this solid pair of tasty specimens. now available in the bay and estuaries. Snapper, mulloway, squid, luderick, bream, whiting and a host of other will be on the hit list for anglers.

Quality by-catch such as sweetlip, flathead, threadfin, tuskfish, morwong, tuna and school mackerel will also fill the creel. Crabbing will be slower but often setting a few pots can still produce a crustacean or two to grace the table. For those willing to don the winter woollies and tolerate the chill, rewards will be forthcoming.

SNAPPER The favoured Moreton Bay target for many anglers during the colder months is snapper. These crimson crusaders can be found at most of the bay islands, artificial reefs, wrecks, coffee rock and rubble grounds throughout the bay and also well into the Brisbane River.

During winter, the early morning brigade can regularly be found anchored over the artificial reefs and around the bay islands with baits deployed into the current. Quality, fresh 20

JUNE 2021

achieve the best results.

Casting baits upcurrent and allowing them to drift down and settle behind the boat will also promote more bites.

Some will even continue to feed out line, allowing the bait to drift along with the current before reeling in and repeating the process. This type of fishing requires more effort but in most cases it will increase the rewards, especially in regards to better quality knobbies.

You don’t need to be anchored to present the bait in this manner. Drifting and dragging baits close to the bottom will also work well, especially around the artificial reefs. This allows you to cover plenty of ground and can increase the likelihood of finding fish.

However, on days when there are several boats anchored in the area this can a difficult approach.

My preferred way of targeting snapper is with artificial offerings. Jighead rigged soft plastics, soft vibes, micro jigs, blades and many other offerings can all work a treat. Fish these in

the lower third of the water column at all the usual places where snapper are found, including the lower reaches of the Brisbane River.

Often schools of snapper can be located using your sounder, especially side imaging models. I generally just drift in productive looking areas, placing casts upcurrent and retrieving at a pace just faster than the current. My favoured offering around the artificial reefs and Mud Island outer margins is the Samaki Thumpertail 100mm in either whitebait, fairy floss UV, motor oil and chartreuse pink head. In shallower water I commonly use Atomic Prongs, ZMan Diezel Minnowz 4”, ZMan Jerk StreakZ 5” and Keitech Crazy Flapper 2.8” rigged with 1/4oz jigheads. This said, there is an enormous range of lures that will get the job done. You just have to find the ones that you can gain confidence with and that will work for you.

Another approach and a different way to score a few snapper is by using flies cast with a #7 to #9 weight fly rod. Clousers, crab patterns and weighted deceivers can all work well. A fast sink line is generally required with the Scientific Angler Sonar Triple Density 357 being ideal for the job. I find this a fun way to score a few snapper and at times the smaller presentations will work exceptionally well, often out fishing other offerings.

Trolling deep diving minnow lures is gaining in popularity, especially around the outer margins of the bay islands, channel edges, rubble grounds and the shallower artificial reefs.

The Atomic Shiner 85mm Double Deep, Killalure Flatz Rat 15+, Nomad DTX 85mm

This 105cm longtail ate a Samaki Thumpertail targeted at snapper, but who could be disappointed with a feed of sashimi? and 100mm, Classic Dr. Evil, RMG Poltergeist and Samaki Redic DS80 and DS100 are just some of the useful offerings that work. A broad array of other species can be hooked on these including mackerel, trevally, cod, mulloway, sweetlip and even longtails. It’s a great way to cover a good portion of ground and ideal for learning the layout of an area. Over the coming months, snapper should increase in numbers and quality. Extremities of the day can be some of the more productive times to get amongst the action.

MULLOWAY Although often caught as by-catch by those chasing snapper, specific targeting can increase catches of mulloway. These predators will often be found in sizeable schools with structured areas such as wrecks, artificial reefs, deep holes and ledges often holding fish in Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River mouth.

Large live baits will commonly reign supreme for mulloway, especially the larger specimens. Slimy

mackerel, yakkas, pike, mullet, large herring, banana prawns and numerous others can be put to good use when presented close to the bottom on a snelled hook rig with fluorocarbon leader.

The artificial reefs such as Peel, Coochiemudlo, Harry Atkinson (especially around the Tiwi Pearl wreck), Bill Turner and Curtin can all hold good numbers at times. Those with good sounder skills can often located individual fish or schools of and then target them with lures including vibes, jighead rigged plastics (especially large paddle tails) and micro jigs.

However, sharks will often turn up fairly quickly to devour any fish hooked.

If this happens you are best to vacate and go off to target another species or fish another area. The deeper dredge holes adjacent to the retaining wall at the mouth of the Brisbane River are a good place to deploy live baits, especially at night when boat traffic is minimised. The swing zone, fronts of major jetties, Claras

Another quality Moreton Bay tiger squid from a session that produced a full bag limit of 20.

Rocks and the Oil Pipeline are other areas worth a try with both disciplines.

Lighted areas along the Brisbane River attract baitfish at night and these can entice mulloway, tailor and threadfin to the area. Many of these spots can be fished from a land-based position with the cooler months being the best times to target these areas. Mulloway are present in the bay and rivers year round however better concentrations of fish are usually present over the following months.

SQUID Commonly by June westerly winds have created very clear water conditions around the foreshores. This is ideal for squid and the land-based egi aficionados have a great time targeting both arrow and tiger squid, especially during darkened hours. It is a very simple way to target squid, which will lurk along the edge of lighted areas, near structure (rock walls, weed beds, pontoons etc.) and anywhere that baitfish and crustaceans are likely to be. Squid can often be sighted before casting to them as they will be close to the surface. Some use high-powered spotlights to increase their chances of this happening.

Once located, casting an egi (usually 2.5 or smaller) within a few metres of them and retrieving it back with small hops or a slow wind and pause is all that is needed for success. Do not cast too close to the squid or you will spook them. Sometimes you may get several follows without a take. In this instance, try a different egi and varied retrieves. Several egi changes can be needed to get results, if at all. Work over any likely looking areas. Sometimes the squid will be deeper, especially along the edges of rock walls and adjacent jetties and pontoons.

Out in the bay, squid will be found around the shallows of the bay islands, weed beds

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north of the Tangalooma Wrecks, in the major channels and anywhere that clean water flows over reef, rock, rubble or weed. Here tiger and arrow squid can be targeted with egi (mainly 2.5 to 4.0) or with a squid skewer baited with a pilchard or similar.

This baited skewer also works well for anglers drifting or anchored around the bay islands or when on the flats chasing whiting.

Usually the baited skewer is suspended a metre or two under a float of some kind.

When the float dips, you slowly wind in to retrieve the squid. Do not pump and wind as you would with a fish as you are likely to dislodge the barbs from the tentacles.

Once at close quarters, use a net to scoop up the squid or grab it with your hand just behind the head.

Keep the tentacles facing away from you or you may get sprayed with ink.

Drifting the channels with an egi or baited skewer in the lower third of the water column will likely score a few squid or even cuttlefish.

Good squid fishing will be experienced for the next few months so you have plenty of time to secure a calamari feast or some quality baits.

WHITING Perhaps one of the

easiest species to catch in the bay are whiting. These are a great species for the juniors and inexperienced anglers to target and can be caught on the most basic rod and reel outfit or even a handline.

Use a #4 or #6 hook, sinker heavy enough to get the bait to the bottom and light line (4lb to 8lb). A running ball sinker rig will suffice but a paternoster rig made with two hooks, fluorocarbon leader and a small bomb sinker is preferred.

Areas such as the Small Ships Channel, Rous Channel, out from the Sand Hills, Chain Banks and Fishermans Gutter are all worth a try. Best results come from drifting because you cover more area.

Have several lines aft to maximise hook ups when you come upon a school of winter whiting. Both winter (aka trumpeter or diver whiting) and summer can be found in the same area so it pays to be able to differentiate. Summer whiting have a minimum legal length of 23cm yet winter whiting have no legal size limit. The winter whiting have darker spots or blotches along the flanks and back and a pale belly with horizontal silver band running down the length of the fillet.

The summer (sand) whiting are a fairly pale

silvery colour with pale yellow pelvic, anal and pectoral fins. Sand whiting have a bag limit of 30 and winter whiting a bag limit of 50. Probably the best bait for whiting are worms (beach, blood or wriggler) however thin strips of tenderised squid (put them on a cutting board and bang with the flat of the knife blade) will also work well. There are even some artificial offerings that are super handy and productive such as the Gulp Sandworms and the Ecogear Isome Worms. Even if you

can’t catch anything else in the bay you should be able to return home with a feed of ‘tings.

LUDERICK Crack out the long sloppy rod, centrepin reel, pencil float, sneck hooks and split shots because luderick are on the hit list over the coming months. This inshore or estuarine species predominately eat weed therefore are a little different to target than many species.

Numerous types of weed including cabbage, string, purple and black can be used

however cabbage is the most common offering.

This can be sourced off rocks, pontoons, channel markers and almost anything that is in constant contact with salt water. With increased nutrients in the water from late summer and autumn rain, weed growth will be good therefore luderick numbers should be healthy.

Weed baits are suspended beneath an almost neutral buoyancy float with the depth adjusted until you find the depth they are feeding at.

Disappointing to have a shark bite your mulloway. The author thought the shark had still left plenty for a feed until he realised it was 2cm undersized and couldn’t be kept.

These baits are drifted along a rock walls or mangrove bank where luderick lurk using the centrepin reel to slowly feed out the line.

Once the float lifts or dips, strike and hold on.

Luderick are tough fighters and you should use the soft rod to absorb their lunges. Keep them alive until you are about to fillet and ensure to cut the black gut lining out to maximise flavour. They are fun to catch and the white fillets can be exceptionally yummy when rolled in flour and shallow fried. Try SEQ areas such as the sunken wall in the Brisbane River, Boat Passage Rock Wall, banks at Short Island and similar spots at Jumpinpin, Boyds Bay Bridge on the Tweed and Caloundra River Rock Wall, just to name a few.

CONCLUSION In addition to the above, anglers will still be able to score longtails, bream, flathead, sweetlip, tuskfish, threadfin, tailor, school mackerel and a host of others in the coming weeks. The air and water temperatures have fallen but the action is still hot for those fishing Moreton Bay and the Brisbane River.

Fill up the thermos, slap on a beanie, add a few extra clothing layers and get amongst some of SEQs finest aquatic offerings.

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Southern

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Exciting opportunities NORTHERN BAY

Steve Nash

Winter has finally arrived!

The long sweaty slogs through our summer heat are now well and truly gone.

months, they become more aggressive due increased competition for food. Bream will just about eat anything as they are scavenger feeders.

You can try to your luck on small crankbaits or even light jigheads with small profile

Mitch Townsend with a nice pansized northern bay snapper.

The new winter fishing season is now in full swing, bringing with it less daylight hours and awfully colder mornings and evenings.

For those willing to brave the cooler hours of the evening, there are exciting opportunities to find the more elusive species creeping in our creeks and rivers in these cooler months.

Bream and flathead have been feeding up around the mouths of our creek’s rivers and canals whilst winter whiting are being caught in good numbers in the shallower sandbanks throughout the northern bay. Some good pan size snappers are also being caught along the Redcliffe foreshore.

RIVERS With winter truly being in season the bream will be schooling up around any sort of structure around the mouths of our rivers and creeks. When schooling up in the cooler

plastics for a crack. Bigger bream can be caught on fresh strips of mullet.

June will see the start of tailor schools making through the bay on their way north to spawn. The tailor’s usual feeding times are early mornings and evenings. Tailor have a knack of feeding on the top, pushing schools of bait to the surface so keep the slugs and topwater lures handy or rigged up ready to go.

Medium to fast paced retrieves with your lures through tailor schools.

Winter also sees the mulloway make an appearance in our rivers. A good run of the tide is a good indicator that the mulloway will be on the chew. Be on the lookout on your sounder for deep holes and structure that may hold schools of mulloway during the day but these ghosts of the estuaries feed more at night, and take full advantage of lit areas like bridges and boat ramps pontoons.

BAY There are many of us that are not as keen as the keenest of fishos and enjoy a bit of a sleep in on these cold mornings. For those folks, there is good news for you.

Winter whiting are a perfect

Jimmy H Town getting into the local land-based squid.

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JUNE 2021

Winter means big fat bass. all day fish to chase and are agreed to be one of the most tastiest fish out in our bay.

Whiting are one of the easiest fish to target. Drifting over the shallow sand banks in Deception Bay or the many sandbanks the bottom end of Bribie are good places to start finding them. Fish light and use up thin strips of squid or rock worms.

Squid are a good alternative to chase during the cooler months. Landbased chasing squid along the Redcliffe foreshore and Woody Point jetty and the Scarborough marine rock walls are popular spots. Not to mention the local jetties are great spots to find the odd squid or three. For those heading out, try looking around the weed beds near Tangalooma wrecks and the shallow areas along the banks.

Finally snapper are most certainly doing the rounds in the bay. Great catches have been reported out of the front of Scotts Point and areas around Captain Nealsons and along the deeper channels.

Getting out there early whilst the whiting fishos are still sleeping can mean the difference to you getting on to a few and the awful dreaded doughnut.

Bring the usual heavy set ups for snapper fishing.

However, if things are getting tough, the old saying – go light to get the bite may

well come into play. Smaller profile plastics or even trolling 3-5m hardbody divers always produces a result at one time or another. Fishos can also try floating lightly weighted fresh or live baits

by daytime temperatures, cooler or overcast days. Fish will be deeper, but on warm days fish will be in slightly shallower areas.

Jigs will be the best lures to use to target these large

Winter whiting are easy to catch and great on the plate. around any of the bay’s artificial reefs. If the snapper are not on the chew you also have the luck of by-catching grassies, mulloway or even a cheeky flathead, only to mention a few.

DAMS Very exciting time for the freshwater fishers.

Schooled up fat winter bass are feeding up with some big fish being landed by the kayak fishers at North Pine Dam. These winter fatties will school up in big numbers in deeper areas of the dams.

This is generally determined

schools but it always pays to keep a range of other offerings on hand, like vibes, tail spinners and plastics.

Schools can sometimes shut down if it becomes heavily fished or too many are caught as bass are released back into the school. Search areas within the same depth will find fresh schools to target.

Nevertheless, there will be the odd day or two where you will lose count as to how many fish you land within your first hour! This makes bass impoundment fishing all that more exciting!

OLD

Southern

Noosa River is a prime land-based spot! like the Squidgy Wriggler are perfect for the job.

Whiting can also be targeted with a lure, poppers are great fun and worked across the surface can get some amazing results. Area like Chambers Island, Black Banks and Cotton Tree have all produced nice fish on the incoming tide.

Trevally are also in good numbers in the river, the most common has been the giant

NOOSA

Peter Wells

The Noosa River provides some great bread and butter species, like bream, whiting and flathead, and for those looking for more sports fish, there’s also plenty of trevally, big tailor, mulloway, and big flathead.

Flathead numbers seem to get better and better every year with more larger females being caught and released.

Soft plastics are perfect on the flathead and great for those just getting into lure fishing, casting and a slow roll retrieve making sure your lure is on the bottom is perfect. If you are a keen bait angler then small pilchards on ganged hooks worked slowly along the bottom has worked well.

Quality trevally have again been on the bite with big golden trevally along with

Mel Ottaway with a perfect looking mulloway from the Noosa River. top can be a really exciting way to get amongst the trevally and tailor coming through the system. Another

sandworms, prawns and yabbies, but remember to fish as light as possible!

Small mulloway are also in the river with the deeper holes holding fish. Bigger paddle vibes and large soft plastics, like the 5” Keitech Easy Shiners, worked slowly with a subtle double hop retrieve across the bottom.

In the Maroochy River the water temperature has definitely started dropping, and fish like winter bream and diver whiting revel in the cooler waters. Fishing bridge pylons and jetties is a great place to start when chasing these large bream. Smaller lightly weighted soft plastics,

Nic Swann with a pretty 76cm trout from the Sunshine Reef on a Samaki jig. trevally but we are seeing more and more diamond trevally in the system.

Flathead are also in good numbers with some good

Mathew Schweikert with a huge 83cm flathead taken from the Maroochy River on a live bait. giant trevally being caught on first light across the Frying Pan. In Woods Bay, there have been some big schools of mixed trevally coming onto the bite with the majority of fish falling victim to small 7g Japara micro jigs fish erratically off the bottom.

Fishing small surface poppers, like the 50mm Atomic Hardz Pop across the

quality fish taken on the run-out tide, fishing areas like Goat Island or drifting the banks between Eudlo Creek and Petri Creek has also seen some good results. The 4” soft plastics like, Keitech Easy Shiner, matched to a 3/0 jighead has been the go. The lift and retrieve method has been the most successful with most fish picking up the lure on the drop.

With the cooler weather

option is to work soft plastics at speed, using 1/6oz jighead cast and retrieved at speed, keeping the plastic sub surface.

This can sometimes be a better approach than a surface lure as the fish does not have to break the surface to feed.

We have seen nice whiting landed in the shallows around the Noosa Dog Beach and Sand Bags area on live

Jenny Gavey with a 75cm mulloway that took a small herring bait in the Maroochy River.

we should see those cooler water species really come on the bite! Offshore there have been some great reports with good pearl perch and snapper from the Barwon Banks with parrot, amberjack and Moses perch amongst them. Pearlies have also come from Chardons Reef with a lot of them falling to the 35g and 42g Shimano Colt Sniper Micro Jigs.

Up on North Reef, snapper to 5kg have been hitting the decks as well as good numbers of mulloway. Good-sized juvenile snapper have been active around Sunshine Reef and the closer reefs. Soft plastics like the Gulp nuclear chicken or the ZMan coconut ice fished close to the reef have been working extremely well.

The reef off Double Island have been really producing with snapper, pearl perch, sweetlip, trout and red emperor all landed. Live baits have been the most effective with plenty

of fish hitting bait as soon as it gets into range of the bottom.

Again the sharks have been a bit of a problem so getting the fish to the surface quickly is a must. Another option that has been very popular has been slow fall jigging, these jigs are designed to imitate a dead or dying small fish making its way to the bottom. Some great options are the Nomad Buffalo and the Samaki Ribcage.

Off the beaches, there have been some solid bream up to 40cm caught on the top of the tide around Peregian, Castaways and Sunshine beaches, with fresh mullet and small pilchards rigged on a small set of double gangs.

There are still copious amounts of swallow-tail dart spread along the beaches. The close gutters have been loaded with most fish holding in the closer gutters. This is great for the kids as they do not have to cast far to find the fish.

Prawns, yabbies, worms and cut baits are all ideal.

Tailor have been coming from the gutters along Noosa Northshore Beach, fast retrieved Slugs or a whole pilchard or bonito fillet on a set of gangs have been the best methods. For best results on big tailor try fishing around the full moon as they are known to come in to feed with the light making it easier for them to hunt potential prey.

Winter is a great time to target mulloway. The new moon is the best time, and coincide this with a late evening tide to give yourself the best chances of tangling with a metre-plus specimen.

Fishing the incoming tide as well as good gutter selection will greatly increase your chances. Bait is the other key factor – fresh mullet, fresh tailor, a big clump of beach worms or local squid are all on the menu.

• Don’t forget to check in to www.fishingnoosa.com. au for all the latest up to date info on fishing and bar crossings.

The knowledgeable teams at Davo’s Tackle World Noosa and Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola can provide you with the right equipment, bait and advice to ensure success!

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www.northsidemarine.com.au JUNE 2021

23

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OLD

Sharks are shutting down BUNDABERG

Luke Truant

It’s time to get excited because this time of year traditionally brings good weather, good fishing, and fewer sharks. Often within a couple of weeks of the water temperature dropping (and it’s dropping quite rapidly at the moment), the shark activity seems to slow significantly.

The scad have arrived with the westerlies, and this is great news because they make excellent live baits for red emperor and coral trout.

In June and July (particularly June), the trout and reds inhale the live baits much more

readily than they do in late winter. You might swim a live bait for hours come August, but in June the fish go crazy for them. The bigger the live bait, the better. If you’ve caught a scad that you think is too big, trust me – it’s not.

Predators like red emperor are insanely greedy, territorial, and competitive.

Having said all that, it’s still possible to catch good fish on dead baits. A 12kg red we caught recently ate a 1” piece of mullet fillet, so you never know.

If you’re new to catching XOS bottom fish, it’s vital that your line is up to the task. If you use 30-40lb line or leader you’re going to get busted off, and possibly lose the fish

of a lifetime in the process.

I recommend using at least 50lb mainline and 60lb trace (I personally use 55lb Schneider mono straight through). You will save yourself a lot of money and lose fewer fish.

In winter the fish tend to bite in shallower water. Most of my big trout in winter come from around 15-25m of water,

visited for a while and they may well be biting there.

The grass sweetlip have gone into insatiable mode, eating anything and everything. They do love squid but we are catching plenty on mullet fillet too.

Now is a good time of year to get fresh mullet fillets.

Westerlies mean mullet season,

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while the reds usually come from exactly 36m deep – not 35, not 37!

You will find the reds over a rubbly bottom, away from large structure. While you’re sounding around, look for small individual rocks or patches of low lying reef, where you might see a little dot or two showing organic bottom. One or two pixels is all you need to find the big guys. Try a drift over it with a live bait – if you don’t get a fish in 20 seconds, move on.

This leads me to my next point: don’t wait for the fish, find the fish. They’ll be biting somewhere, you’ve just got to find them. Many days you’ll catch fish nowhere near where they were biting the day before. Try a spot you haven’t

and these fish are cheaper than pillies and I reckon they’re a better bait – and the fishery is sustainable too. If you see pros catching mullet on the beach you’re allowed to buy directly from them, and you can buy the male fish for a discounted rate. Frozen mullet is almost as good as fresh, so feel free to stock up.

In the coming weeks the masses of Spanish mackerel will continue to taper off, but as their numbers decline the average size increases.

There are plenty of 20kg+ models out there, and a few locals recently got some XOS fish around 30kg. I strongly recommend that you send a floater out the back whenever you’re bottom fishing, just in case a mackerel or other

You can also get bottom fish this way, and at this time of year that includes snapper.

Last year we caught great snapper on big float-lined pillies off the surface. Just remember to release them during the snapper closed season, which runs from 15 July to 15 August.

• Truansea Charters specialise in 10-hour day trips chasing prized reef targets such as coral trout and red emperor, as well as arm-stretching pelagics like Spanish mackerel. The maximum number of anglers is 6, so you’ll never feel crowded. The price is $300pp (or $275 pp if you book the whole boat), which includes all gear, fuel, bait, ice, chilled water/soft drinks and laughs!

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Red emperor like to hold in shallower water in the cooler months.

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27

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OLD

Seeking warmer water GLADSTONE

Liam Jones

Overall, we’ve been really lucky with the weather over the past month. True,

it was blowing 30 knots during the HookUp, and offshore teams struggled because they couldn’t get too far from the reef, but lately offshore anglers have been doing really well.

Young Nash Meiers and his dad (@cmeiers.88) have been getting stuck into some blue salmon.

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In recent weeks we’ve been seeing great catches of red emperor and nannygai, both north and south. The nannygai have been coming from pretty much any location where there’s a bit of fern, in depths ranging from 30-60m.

Live baits have been accounting for most of the bigger nannies and reds.

However, we are seeing more anglers getting good results on jigs such as Palms Slow Blatts and Storm Koikas. Jigs around 60-80g are suitable for depths up to 60m, and if you go deeper than that you should look more to 100-120g.

We received a report that not many red-throat were up in the shallows, so we fished for them in 50-80m of water and got some really big fish. The average size was 50-60cm, the biggest ones were 65cm. We caught most of the red-throat on fresh local squid, rigged on a set of 7/0 or 8/0 Mustad gangs. We got a heap of red emperor too, averaging around 5-8kg. Not huge fish, but still a welcome bycatch.

The Spanish mackerel have come in and they are pretty thick; we’ve been

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Awoonga continued to fish well in April and May. They are a bit harder to target now, but can still be caught on vibes and trolled hardbodies. seeing them free jumping around the boat as they chase down their prey.

Anglers targeting them in recent weeks have all gotten their bag limits. Most of the Spanish have been taken on trolled gar, generally fished on ballyhoo rigs. If you haven’t tied a ballyhoo rig before, there are plenty of videos on YouTube that will show you how. It’s one of the easiest ways to rig a whole dead bait.

Inshore, anglers have still been getting plenty of mangrove jacks, in spite of the drop in water temperature. However, we can expect the jacks to shut down this month.

There are plenty of barra in the harbour at the moment, and it’s actually the best time of year for chasing Gladstone Harbour barra.

As temperatures drop they gravitate to the shallow mud banks, sunning themselves in the warmer water. This warmth makes them more

inclined to feed, and I have had good results on lightly weighted 5” plastics and B52s. Often the fish can be caught from only 1-2m of water. If you can see on your sounder that the barra are sulking on the bottom, and apparently shut down, try a prawn imitation worked slowly over their heads.

In the estuaries there are still a heap of big grunter around. Pretty much all the systems are holding big grunter, including Colosseum, South Trees Inlet, Calliope and so on.

The action should continue throughout the next month or so. Some bigger blue salmon have started turning up too, in the same places.

Awoonga is still fishing very well, although the barra have moved and are a bit harder to target. They are hanging in 40-50ft of water, so the old school trolling methods have come back into the fore. Vibes are also catching their share.

Once you find the barra in that depth, try dropping down a vibe.

Looking ahead to the fishing in the coming weeks, the saltwater barra should be winding down but if you find that warm water they will still be on the chew.

Blue salmon numbers should increase, and flathead should start kicking in around Colosseum and Turkey Beach too. Spotted and doggy mackerel should also start turning up this month, so there are plenty of options for anglers.

• For more information on what’s biting, or to stock up with all best bait and tackle, drop into LJ’s Compleat Angler at the Gladstone Marina on Bryan Jordan Drive. The team are always happy to chat and answer any questions you may have.

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Evan caught this nice Spanish off the 24’s on the Gold Coast.

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South Aussies are very, very proficient at having very occasional showers. But I could be wrong. And after some of the yahoos I’ve run into on the water around Queensland in recent times, we could do with some of that in our system.

One thing I’m not wrong about is the trees here. There is nowhere else in this country that does trees like Adelaide and the surrounding country.

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I’ve always thought of Adelaide as being a dry and dusty cultural backwater, but it’s not dry and dusty at all.

That’s not to say there’s a great deal of freshwater kicking around. I thought Western Queensland had some pretty thin looking creeks, but in South Australia they’ll call any running water a creek or river. Some of ‘em looked like a diabetic goat might have recently wandered by before someone stuck up a sign beside the highway.

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JUNE 2021

31

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OLD

Snapper run to come MACKAY

Keith Day habdays@bigpond.net.au

Winter, such as it is in Mackay, has arrived and we can expect the snapper to show up in numbers on their annual migration run to our waters. A few early arrivals have been caught during May but the big numbers will turn up during this month.

The snapper catches will kick off in earnest in the more southerly of our waters and spots around the Beverley island group

etc will see the first of the action. This country though is big boat territory and for the small tinny anglers, the spots around Hay Point, Dalrymple Bay, Flat Top and Round Top islands will be the focus of their efforts. In fact any rubble areas in those areas are likely to produce good numbers of snapper.

With modern electronics, the old ‘secret spots’ are no more and it is relatively simple to stooge around with expanded bottom lock and locate either likely spots, or fish themselves, as snapper show up well. Often times anglers think they are on

a hot snapper bite only to find they have hit on a batch of golden trevally and/or queenfish as both species are prolific at this time of year.

Anglers wanting the latest info should check with the local tackle outlets where you will get the good oil on the where, how, and what bait/lure to use for snapper chasing. Early pre dawn starts are not mandatory, but will increase the chances of success particularly with a tide change.

But snapper aren’t the only winter fish on the chew this month. Queenies are around all year but seem to be

Jason Kidd from Inshore Fishing Mackay has been putting clients onto some early longtails, like this decent specimen caught trolling near Shoal Point.

Barra will be harder to catch this month but they will be quality fish, like this one caught by Luke Vella.

Sophie Goodfellow (6yo) is an old hand at catching fish – she caught her first bream at age 4. Mum says she loves her fishing and is always the first one to catch a fish on a family day out.

32

JUNE 2021

everywhere at the moment, and goldens are also around in numbers. Both species can be caught from creeks and rivers, around the close inshore flats and islands and out into the deep ‘snapper’ water. The waters of the NFZ around Seaforth are ideally suited to both species.

The NFZ is continuing to fish well but the barra catches have dropped off dramatically with the cooler weather and drop in water temps. Jacks are also now hard to come by but estuary cod and golden snapper are featuring more in anglers bags, and they are equally tasty on the plate.

Blue salmon, grunter and pikey bream will also be popular targets during June. Blues are best eaten fresh but irrespective of the species, any fish destined for the table should be bled immediately, washed/wiped down and then packed in ice.

All of these estuary/ creek species will respond to fresh baits like yabbies, prawns and butterfly herring and gathering these baits is not too difficult. Other baits worth trying include gar, mullet, and ribbon fish strips.

The blue salmon will range from the beaches right up into brackish water, and the grunter will mostly be found over rubble beds.

We also have a run of whiting that got underway in earnest during May and will continue on for several months yet. The Pioneer River is probably one of the most reliable spots and drifting up of a night with the tide is a great way to secure a tasty feed.

Mid May saw the first of the small mackerals turning up in the NFZ waters with Low Rock or Lonely Reef as its sometimes called being the first ‘hot spot’ for them. A recent trip to the area resulted in a number of doggies being boated at 550-600mm, which while not huge sizes still provides a decent fillet. Bled quickly, iced down, skinned and cooked fresh on the BBQ they make a very tasty feed of fish.

The long tail tuna are yet to show but will not be far away, and we can expect them and mac tuna to show up during June provided we get calm winds and the bait schools move inshore. They usually show up not long after the small macks and the word soon gets around.

Barra in the dams, like in the estuaries will be harder during June with the lower temps, but they are not impossible. A little strategic thinking and persistence will be the keys to catching them. Conversely the barra in the freshwater reaches of the Pioneer River seem to remain on the chew during winter and can be considered a year round fish. Unfortunately there are limited access points for a small boat but kayaks and canoes have plenty of spots to launch. Further up the Pioneer Valley, Cattle Creek offers skinny water fishing for both sooties and barra and the local tackle shops can advise visitors on access.

If you are walking the shallow waters, downsize your lures either hardbodies or plastics. Small poppers work really well early and

late in the day and provide top class action on either species. These are also fantastic flyfishing waters and great fun with a 6 weight, floating line and small flies.

Sooties are the mainstay during the cooler months in the dams, and Eungella, Kinchant and Teemburra dams are all well stocked with some horse sooties.

Eungella Dam is the pick of the three for sooty grunter and is the site for the INDT 2021 World Sooty Championship. Pre comp trips have indicated plenty of mid 400mm fish and the odd 500mm specimen. A full report on the Championship event will appear in next month’s magazine.

In the meantime results can

be seen on Mackay Area Fish Stocking Assoc.

Facebook page.

The lure angler has a wide choice when chasing sooties in the dams, with surface lures the best fun either early morning or late afternoon. As the fish go deeper, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, hardbodies and grubs or jigheads will all score fish. One of the most effective lures of late has been a small white grub on a jig head allowed to slowly drop down onto sooties spotted on the sounder.

So our winters are quite mild, and there is still plenty of fish action, so why not join us in paradise and experience all the region has to offer.

See you at the ramp.

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JUNE 2021

33

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Ocean is full of life WHITSUNDAYS

Mick Underwood

I love to be on the water in autumn there is just so much happening, the ocean is full of life and

catches have come in. It’s been mostly large mouth nannygai coming in off the shoals and coral trout and red throat emperor from the reef.

The lack of offshore fishing hasn’t worried me

reef fish at the moment, it’s been small hardbodies that are performing the best.

Moving onto June, and I would like to think that the shallow water inshore fishing should keep poking along nicely and provide us with some good entertainment but it will also be time to start giving the deeper areas some attention as well.

During June we normally get one last good bite out of the trout in the shallows before they clam up for the cooler months.

In the same inshore areas

Reef with his little brother Liam. This is Liam’s first fish and no doubt it will be the first of many for this little man. aren’t usually too hard to find as you will see them shimmering on the surface and the presence of any terns also helps to give the

This coral trout was Charlie’s first ever fish – not a bad way to open the gates. one of the best bits is that all the action is right on the door step. We haven’t had to go far to get into some quality angling.

Our local creek systems have seen their fair share of attention mostly from crabbers and those getting after a feed of prawns. I haven’t heard too many tales of quality fish coming out of the creeks recently, which is surprising for this

too much as we have had a nice bite going on for a multitude of species all within a stone’s throw of Reel Addiction’s home at Cape Gloucester Resort.

Straight out in front of the resort we have been enjoying a good bite from some aggressive GTs. Casting various surface lures is what has been bringing these fish unstuck.

Giant trevally aren’t the

It was cool to see so many kids coming out for a fish over the holidays. Here’s Isaac with a solid gold spot cod he caught to take home for his family.

Golden trevally have turned up in force lately and they should stay around right through the winter months. time of the year. I suspect this might have a bit to do with the amount of pressure that is currently being put on our estuary systems from the commercial sector. It is good to see the crabs and the prawns have been holding up and supplying locals with plenty of good feeds.

The ‘shoals’ and the outer reef have seen only limited activity over the last few weeks. As is typical for this time of the year as southeast trade breezes have kicked in with gusto and this has limited any offshore trips. On the odd day when it has been good to get out wide, some good 34

JUNE 2021

only critters having a go in the shallows at the moment, we’ve been getting stuck into some nice coral trout and fingermark as well.

Either trolling or casting small hardbodies has been the go-to technique and it has accounted for plenty of quality fish over the last few weeks.

The water temperatures are continuing to drop and this is helping the pelagic fishing somewhat. There are currently plenty of school mackerel about and mixed in with them is some thumper golden trevally. We are catching these fish using a variety of techniques but, as with the

show away.

Up in the estuaries now and apart from some diehard crabbers I don’t expect to see a lot of action

that the trout are residing the pelagic activity should intensify more, especially if the schools of herring show up on our inshore grounds. Finding any inshore pelagic action is pretty simple, find the bait and you’ll find the fish. The bait can turn up anywhere and generally won’t be in the same location two days in a row so each day is a new adventure in working out where they are going to be.

Around Gloucester Passage, the inner end of Gloucester Island and along the shore from Cape Gloucester Resort down to Sunset Beach are good places to start your bait hunt. The school of herring

Suzuki enjoyed some quality time in the Whitsundays recently. The humble tea leaf trevally might not be our most glamorous sports fish but on light line and lures they are piles of fun.

A nice shot of Reel Addiction at rest after providing anglers with another quality day on the water.

in these areas this month.

The prawns have all but disappeared, crabs area getting harder to come by and the cooler water will have a lot of the barramundi and mangrove jack sulking and hard to get a bite out of.

One fish that will be on the tip of everyone’s tongue this month is the mighty Spanish mackerel.

They are just a sensational fish in so many ways and are, in my opinion, the best thing about winter.

June is normally when they arrive in our waters in big numbers and I know plenty of anglers who are already chafing at the bit to get out

OLD

You can’t keep Reef out of the action. As you can see from the photos, the trout have been rolling in recently.

Brody’s first ever giant trevally. This was caught on the last cast of the day and it helped to put a shiny note on what had been an unusually tough session.

They’ve been catching plenty of nice fingermark the last few weeks.

There haven’t been too many monsters landed, but where they have lacked a bit in size, they have made up for it in numbers.

I look forward to reporting to you again soon.

• Reel Addiction Sport Fishing Charters specialises in light tackle fishing for all tropical sportfishing species on fly, lures and bait. Reel

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For more information, contact Mick Underwood on 0413 882 153 or email mick@reeladdiction.com. au. Resort enquiries can be directed to Julie Houston on

As you can see, it’s been the hardbodies that boats bassco have done the damage with the fingermark.

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Jenny brought her two sons out for a fish on board Reel Addiction and she gave them all a lesson in how to fish, with her first three fish of the day all being legal coral trout.

right behind the boat and I’ll rip them around at four to five knots. A little tip for you when trolling garfish is when you get a hook up on one fish, din’t stop the boat. Keep moving ahead at normal troll speed and if there are other fish in the vicinity you’ll quite often get a multiple hook up.

Spanish mackerel won’t be the only species to get after around the outer islands this month, the deeper reef, weed and rubble patches should start to fire up and provide us with some quality fun as well. Species such as grunter, fingermark and nannygai should start to feed in the deeper water.

Last year the deep water action was fairly average so I hope it improves a bit this season as these deep water demersals aren’t only fun to catch they’re sublime on the plate as well.

There we go. I’ll call that a wrap for another month and, as always, I wish you all the best with your piscatorial adventures over the coming weeks and

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and amongst them.

Out around Rattray Island, the seaward end of Gloucester Island, Middle Island, and in around Georges Point are all good locations to start a maccy hunt. I have a lot more success chasing these guys on the spring tides as opposed to the neaps. A bit of current flow definitely helps to get these fish off their backsides and go into feed mode.

Trolling is the go-to local favourite tactic for chasing a few mackerel and

normally it’s baits that get the best results, as opposed to towing lures.

For some reason the fish here don’t like hardbodies but they will smash garfish and wolf herring all day long. If you are intending on trolling wolfies this season remember to set them well back from the boat and keep your troll speed right down to the bare minimum, just over idle is fine.

Trolling garfish is the opposite. I like to set my baits in the pressure waves

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JUNE 2021

35

OLD

Last rain ensures fingerlings TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

An unexpected last batch of rain that snuck up on us from out of nowhere has reassured that the last of the barra waiting to lay eggs should have done so. This will obviously lead to more fingerlings and more barra for the near future.

I do understand why

that if that was his catch, there’s no way she’d be going back.

I explained my compulsion to release the big ones and he offered five big mud crabs for the fish. I reassured him that there was no amount of bargaining that would see that deal made or this fish die. His mate quickly took a couple of phone photos for me before they jumped back in their cars, boats in

As the fresh escapes and the water settles back to a normal level, some of the bigger fish will be moving back upstream. Bigger plastics, like this 7” Paddle Prawn will be the go until the water cools and smaller lures work better. ‘old school’ fishers find it hard to release those bigger fish. While the law says that they can kill them up to a staggering 120cm, there’s nothing I can say about it, but it’s quite funny sometimes to see their reactions when they realise that one of those big girls is about to head home from our grip.

Just today I had an experience where I was casting a few lures beside the road and was lucky enough to hook and land a nice barra, just as a couple of cars towing boats drove past. The guys driving were older gentleman, and they were super excited to see the big girl slide up onto the grass as I lifted her out to unhook her. Being on my own I asked if it was possible to take a quick pic on my phone before I let her go. His reply was hilarious, “BEFORE YOU WHAT?” he said. I said, “Let her go, mate”. He told me in no uncertain terms 36

JUNE 2021

tow, and carried on their merry way.

I had to laugh as they drove off, but it was also a moment of appreciation as far as how lucky we are to be able to pick and choose which fish to keep for the table. Yes, there would have been plenty of meals for us, but as they say, there’s plenty more fish in the sea. It’s a question of personal priorities and it’s more important to help stocks out where we can.

BARRA While on the barra subject, there has been quite a degree of variation of ‘success’ for some anglers. When this next fresh settles, the real action will more than likely begin.

I’d say the temps are going to drop considerably over the next few weeks, and this will be the time to break out the smaller lures and lighter tackle. It may sound strange, but we often go down to 6lb braid and 20lb leader to deliver the

tiny lures they’re feeding on at this time of year.

Obviously softer rods in the spin range are the best for this tiny lure stuff, and yes, you’re going to get busted up every now and then when your tackle isn’t quite up to the bull dozers that often eat a small lure, but your bite rate will certainly increase.

Drains, flats and shallow river mouths are prime areas to search for barra in open water, and these are the most easily landed as they can run in open water without the snag option to rub you off on.

The softer longer rods also allow and angler to do the gently-gently approach, and with reduced pressure on the leader, less damage occurs. The last of the battle within a couple of metres of the net is when you need to keep that rod angle fairly high to absorb any last minute lunges or head shakes that can pop the line or leader without the rods forgiveness. It’s a fine line between high sticking and shock absorption, so practice is going to make it an automatic habit sort of thing.

As far as lures that work well for me in the colder months, there are a few fall backs that rarely fail, and work well when talking smaller presentations. The Atomic Prongs in the 3” and 4” size work well on a 1/6-1/4oz head for the 3”, and 1/4 to 1/3 for the fours with the number. 1 to 1/0 hook size for the 3” and 4/0 to 5/0 for the 4”.

The Atomic Seekers sport a Gamakatsu hook with small

barb and ridiculously sharp point which is mandatory for lighter lines, and are as a good as heads get in my opinion.

Leader material needs to be top notch, and I exclusively use Unitika FC these days and is as good as I’ve found yet. The leader lengths that I have increased considerably and around 2-2.3m is a good starting point, and as it shortens with lure changes, I tie a new one on at around the 1.5m mark. 30lb is my happy medium, but the smaller the lure, the lighter the leader needs to be.

This is the time of year when the water clears and the temp drops, and many a fisho will be breaking out gear that hasn’t been used for a while for a range of species. My trout gear for example is similar in principle to my barra gear and I downsize according to water clarity, water temp, and environments I’m chasing them in. I end up with 20lb braid and 30lb leader, where as in summer it’s 30lb braid and 40lb leader on average.

It seems that everything on the reef eats Atomic Prongs, and many a trout has come undone due a slowly worked Prong. It’s important to let those of you who are pedantic about presentations know that the Yellow Protec Powder coat seems to be a standout in the head colours. In the deeper stuff I often go either a heavier head, or change completely to either an Atomic Semi Hard Vibe or an Outcast jig depending on the depth.

You don’t need 50 years experience to catch decent barra. A well chosen and placed lure can get anyone amongst them. Tannhym Hodge holds up a nice fish before release.

I have a new combo that needs some serious breaking in, consisting of a Samurai Xtracta Jigging rod PE 2 to 4, matched to a Concept 13 A3 big bait-caster reel that boasts 40lb of drag pressure, which will be needed in order to beat the bities.

Recent shoulder problems have dictated which rods I need to use, and the longer rear butt section on the Xtracta should help greatly in comfort and applicable pressure.

When the gullies are running, it’s possible to catch respectable fish right off the side of the road in some places.

OFFSHORE FIRING According to the fishers that do much more offshore stuff than me, the offshore fishing has been a little unpredictable, but generally pretty bloody good. Some anglers are filling bag limits quite quickly, while others are struggling to land a feed due to the shark issue.

Spanish have been increasing in numbers and size, and the wolfies have been walking out the door at The Fishing Warehouse where I work, although I think most anglers doing well on the mackerel have been playing their cards close to their chest at present. Smart if you’re on a hot spot.

Obviously, lures are a big part of the offshore scene and lots of anglers are realising how effective trolling a lure like the Halco Scorpion 160mm 7m diver is opening up new avenues to pull fish from. To be honest, one of the most well renowned and successful lures for mackerel was initially designed for trolling coral trout in that 8-10m mark, and is great for that, but the 190mm Crazy Deep accounts for countless Spaniards each year, not to mention plenty of miscellaneous species to boot.

What it boils down to is that as the weather stabilises and waters clear over the coming weeks the action should increase, so let’s get excited and make the best of our time on the water.

OLD

Here comes the cold LUCINDA

Jeff Wilton jeffwilton83@hotmail.com

I can’t believe it’s June already. How quickly time passed us by, especially when fishing is involved.

Everything changes at this time of year as the water really cools down and clears up, which will have a huge effect on what various species will do.

be bending rods this month in picture perfect Lucinda.

HINCHINBROOK CHANNEL Generally the fishing will get slower over the colder months.

Species like barramundi and jacks will still be catchable but plenty more time and effort needs to be put into chasing them.

Barra dislike the clearer, cold water and will often be seen sulking near the bottom not really interested

keep a few fish interested.

During the colder months targeting them at peak times is very important in terms of getting a few bites, and when these peak times are not happening it is normally a real grind trying to persuade them to eat.

The same goes with jacks, although even if they are not hungry you have the added benefit of annoying them into swiping at your lure.

Jacks are aggressive

Although not the target species they offer plenty of sport on soft plastics.

Anything on a jig is plenty of fun.

Estuaries will slow down, but the blue water scene will normally fish even better. Days on the water will be a lot more comfortable without the searing heat and humidity that the summer months bring. I will even go as far as making sure at least one jumper is packed on early morning trips, yes it can get chilly here in the tropics when you’re skimming across the water in the early morning darkness at speed. Let’s see what will

in eating most of the time.

Keep in mind that they will indeed still be feeding but only when the conditions are right and the correct food comes along. For example, during summer a typical barra bite will be when the current is running hard a few hours before and after low tide, during these hours it is normally easier to get bites. When the tide slows, the bite normally follows, but with a few smart changes to lure selection you can normally

fish and will normally take a swipe at something just to get it to move away from its snag. Using this to your advantage is key to getting into these fish, this simply means pin point casting so you’re making sure you’re landing your lures as close to structure as possible.

The use of snag proof soft plastic jigheads, such as TT SnakelockZ are absolute game changers as they allow anglers to land soft plastics into or over snags.

Top water lures are

also a smart choice for jack anglers simply because jacks can’t resist charging out to look at something making noise off the surface.

JETTY, ISLANDS AND REEF These colder months bring the pelagic fish into the jetty chasing the massive schools of bait.

Packs of queenfish, GT and mackerel will often be seen busting up bait early morning before the sun gets too high pushing the bait and predators down deeper. If you can luck out a session with not too many other boats out then lobbing some poppers and stickbaits around can provide loads of fun. Keep an eye on your sounder at all times as bait schools should always be worked over with some soft plastics or jigs. Dropping them to the bottom and hopping them or burning them back at speed will do the trick. Keep in mind

that these fish are normally very fast so there is no such thing as working your lure too quickly.

No matter what time of year the jetty will have fingermark bream hanging around, as well with lots of solid fish pushing 80-90cm are common.

These big fingermark are powerful fish and can take a lot of stopping, especially when hooked close to all those pylons. Live baits and soft plastics are the most popular methods of targeting them and the better fish will nearly always be caught at night.

The Palm Islands will be a hot spot for boats trolling around for Spanish mackerel. The deep dropoffs and reef passes that are subject to plenty of current will mean bait schools tightly packed and predatory fish nearby. Dropping a few baits down for trout never hurts, and if you’re serious

then jigging a few live baits up and sending them back down will see much better quality fish on board.

June is a great month to be fishing those deeper shoals for nannygai, as the clean water means the fish will move in closer chasing food. If the weather allows an overnighter, dropping a few squid into the depths should see you coming home with sore arms and plenty of red fish in the esky.

Nannygai are great eating and if you’re lucky to find a good school of them, and the sharks leave you alone, it is very easy to get your boat limit. The only problem with chasing them in my opinion is the number of undersized fish that die after bringing them up from the depths. I feel they would be better with no minimum size limit, instead of dead floating fish everywhere.

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OLD

Exploring new spots HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

Now the cooler weather is well and truly upon us, this is a great time of year to go looking for deep water aggregating fish during the more gentle

finding new areas that may not have been discovered or fished before – it’s so much fun.

Studying fathom charts or relief shading charts is a good place to start.

A mixture of live baits, soft and hard vibes usually do the trick, presented on 6-10kg spin gear usually

much zero.

I’ve also been quite occupied lately working on the viability of adding a second vessel to my charter business for offshore work.

This will enable me to do a lot more of discovering new ground, such as wonky holes and pinnacles that may have never been fished before. All I can say is that the vessel will offer fast day trips and will be around the 7m mark with twin engines to enable full 2C survey. Watch this space in the future!

Spanish mackerel have been coming in further close to inshore in greater numbers. Inner islands, like Eva and Pelorus, are great places to have fun with them over the coming months as the migratory schools arrive. Metal slices are a great way to chase these kinds of pelagic species, faster the retrieve the better. So keep this in mind when purchasing a reel for this type of application, high-speed spinning reels are the best

This beautiful GT was an unexpected by-catch for one lucky angler. option. There are many different brands and styles of lures for this kind of fishing, they will all work as it’s more to do with the retrieve that gets the bite.

Keep a watchout for birds divebombing bait schools, as this usually

The author has been exploring new spots to find fingermark for his clients. tide flows that frequent the middle of the year.

Species like fingermark and large mouth nannygai are my favourite. I find it enjoyable to put my clients onto them, while also

keeps it sporty for the larger fish. Although, if you intend to release fingermark make sure you’re not in water deeper than 9-10m as it’s been researched their survivability is pretty

There are always quality nannygai around Hinchinbrook.

indicates where the Spaniards will be.

Another species that makes a greater appearance this time of year is the golden trevally. There are some great foraging grounds around Garden and Gould islands, Cape Richards and Eva Island where they usually show up in good sized numbers.

Jigging vibes or even live baits will get the golden’s attention but unfortunately in these areas they are plagued with now resident bull and tiger sharks, it can make it impossible to get a hooked fish even close to the boat.

If this happens after one or two hook-ups then it’s best to move on.

Since the colder weather came through last month it would have sent the barra into a little period of lockjaw as the water temperatures plummet from

our summer conditions down to the usual 19-22ºC mark during winter. Once those temperatures plateau they will become used to it and then they will pick up, usually around the end of this month or July.

Sometimes I find the barra fishing to be just as good during the winter months as it is during the summer periods, both with lures and live bait. Slowing down your retrieve plays a big part, so finding lures or plastics that have a great action at slow speeds is what I tend to look for.

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PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

With a good dosing of wet weather that dumped in excess of over 1m of rain at the end of April, it seems we are set up for some electrifying times ahead.

This big drop of water goes a long way to setting up the rest of the year. With currents turning from the south and a rich supply of food and nutrients in our waters, it is a recipe for fishing success. All we require now is for the southeasterly winds to play its kindest role and we are up and running.

The major shift we’ll see will come from the reef fishing aspect as it 38

JUNE 2021

is prime time as the days get cooler. We’ve already seen a change in attitude with targeted species, such as red emperor, nannygai and coral tout gaining momentum.

Spanish mackerel are getting more frisky by the day and generally all other reef species follow the pack from here on.

For the game fishers, the small black marlin are ready to show their colours, and the more recent rains will hopefully entice an early run this season. GT popper fishing goes to another level from this point on and calm weather is your best friend for this style of fishing.

Our rivers and estuaries will see a change of the guard as water temperatures continue to fall. Barra will get harder

Expect some spectacular GT popper sessions this month.

to source by the day and mangrove jack will be less aggressive. However, not all is negative because systems such as the Daintree River will see an influx of big queenfish, some impressive golden and giant trevally plus the fingermark population never disappoints, especially using live bait.

Expect to see a drive from more javelinfish, bream, flathead and various other quality species. Now is the time to set the crab pots and the next short period is red hot and rewarding for these tasty crustaceans.

With tourist numbers looking very positive it is great to be alive and kicking and producing high quality fishing in the best overall angling destination in Australia and the world.

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Last wet gets the fish firing CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

It’s been a very strange end to the wet season with some bumper last-minute falls seeing over half a metre of rain across the Trinity Net Free Zone

prawns, which will get the barra and jacks feeding in a big way.

There are two ways I like to find prawns in the creeks in the Net Free Zone.

The first is over the high tide and I do this using my Humminbird sounder to locate the big

the low tide, and the lower the tide the better.

Basically, I just trim the motor up a fair bit, which creates a good wake out the back of the boat, and then cruise close to the muddy banks.

The wake of the boat against the shallow mud banks will disturb the prawns, which will flick out of the water.

Once you have a good concentration of prawns jumping out of the water you can turn around and have a cast.

If you don’t have a boat don’t despair, as there are plenty of land-based spots worth a cast. Along the front of the espl anade, especially out from the hospital, are plenty of little drains that the prawns love to hide in.

These are easily accessed and are best targeted on the coming in tide. Machans Beach rock wall area is also a good spot which gives up plenty

of prawns for land-based cast netters.

The other bonus of finding prawns is that the barra and jacks are never too far away, so it’s always worth having a cast around these spots.

It’s also an excellent idea to use prawn style soft plastics and try a variety of different sizes to get the best results.

Matching the size of the prawns the fish are feeding on to your lure is the best option.

When targeting barramundi after this wet, look for areas of dirty water running to cleaner water as these will be excellent ambush points.

There have been plenty of barramundi around so they should be biting well in all systems.

Mangrove jack will also be chewing well after this wet, and casting bait fish style plastics like the Biwaa Submission will bring good results.

Using prawn style imitations will be a good choice for barramundi.

Using a sounder to find the prawns will help you find the fish. in a week. While it kept most anglers at home and off the water, they will certainly be reaping the benefits of this flush once the suns back out.

One of these benefits will be a late run of

schools of prawns that are usually in the mouths of small creeks.

They will show up as large schools of bait so anything with a decent bait showing is worth a cast.

The second way is on

Flathead will be out on the flats and are good top water options.

If the water is dirty you will need to get as tight to structure as possible with your casts so running a weedless rig is a good.

Finally, as the water begins to cool the other option on the table is the humble flathead.

They will also be out chasing prawns, so any small prawn-like poppers worked over the flats will see good results late in the month.

Next month we should see the creeks clearing up, which will be good news for lure fishers.

The tides will also be smaller during the day, which will mean ideal conditions for chasing golden snapper in the deep holes.

JUNE 2021

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OLD

Lots of winter opportunities COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

The weather has cooled and the fishing is a little harder at this time of year.

Barramundi have been in

some in equipment when heading up the Cape. Make sure, however that you stick to the regulations as 4 pots maximum per person and they must be named and of legal size. Turtle exclusion rings are needed to reduce

releasing these fish to fight another day is much better than trying to cook them.

Freshwater barramundi doesn’t have the flavour of the saltwater specimens and releasing them improves the future fish stocks.

Three jacks off one snag at the same time. Joshua, David and James were very happy with their triple catch. large numbers in the Cape but as winter starts to cool things down so does the barra feeding frenzy.

Not to say it’s shut down altogether, but it’s just harder to get a bite.

Usually afternoon bites will be better as the day warms up and the fish become more active. The best bait by far is live prawns when fishing the salt and live cherubim when in the fresh.

Cherubim are easily caught in the Cape and it’s a hard choice to use them for bait or cook them up with butter and garlic. Hopefully you can catch enough for both! Kids have so much fun setting and checking cherubim pots so it’s very worthwhile that you include

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the chance of unwanted death of these native species. Checking the traps often can help as well.

The placement of the traps overnight can be positioned so that there is some part of the trap sitting out of the water so if a turtle does make it in, there is an area for it to breath. Not so great for kids to see a small turtle dead when checking the traps.

Floating a live cherubim into a snag in a deep hole will attract any hungry barra waiting for a delicious easy meal, so hang on tight as it can be explosive on the take and becomes a fight to keep the fish from running loops around the snag. As mentioned before, once captured and photo taken

Fishing the coast for barramundi at this time of the year can be extremely frustrating, but there are still plenty of options available.

Mangrove jack will still be active on the mangroves fronts, and throwing smaller lures is the go. Even bouncing soft plastics along the gutters can be fun when a large flathead takes it.

We are very fortunate in our fishery with barramundi and mangrove jack in large numbers but we do also have some exciting overlooked fish species. The flathead here can be impressive and I’ve seen flathead over a metre in some estuaries, which would be a challenge to catch on light gear. So there are plenty of exciting opportunities available when the barramundi are hard to entice to feed.

Reef fishing the next couple of months will be almost an unlikely event as the trade winds batter the coast and seem to blow non stop for the next few months. However, it will be a race the next time it drops, as everyone will be keen to hit up their favourite spots to chase the new fish that have moved

Rod Wawrzyniak (Wazza) with a big queenfish off the beach.

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Caleb Kamholtz caught a decent flathead.

They are a good target to try in winter.

SUITS ALL SIZE BRAIDS AND LEADERS

into the area. Finding those fish holding spots with the right conditions can produce again and again as they provide the right fish attracting conditions. It’s also much more productive if it’s been left for a while to rejuvenate. Lucky here in Cooktown the winter provides conditions to do just that as most of the time the winds blow and blow, there is little time to get out there and harass the fish, so it’s probably helped to keep our fishery healthy due to the annual drop in fishing pressure at this time of the year.

Anyway, winter is hard to fish but still lots of opportunities available and always a chance to try targeting something new.

OLD

Cold snap spurs on food chain CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

On 25 June is the full moon up in Cape York. Let’s take a look at what conditions might be presenting themselves as both in terms of weather and fishing.

We quite often experience what locals call a ‘cold snap’, but in reality it is the daytime temperatures hovering around 18-22ºC… hardly arctic!

But that first cold spell of the year can suppress the barramundi fishing, or at least signal a slow down in feeding activity. But it does tend to concentrate barramundi into smaller paddocks, making them a little easier to target with modern gadgetry.

Tempting fish is one thing, getting them to eat is another.

Regardless of the cooling weather, fishing throughout

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Bluefin trevally will be ravenous on the outer reefs. fish love patrolling a few kilometres offshore and generally feeding along contour lines and gravelly patches. Golden trevally, giant trevally, turrum, longtail tuna, mac tuna, cobia and bludger

winds early can make a run wide easier and cutting back with the prevailing afternoon breeze mid afternoon. But there will be times in June this feels impossible due to days of relentless breeze.

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Be on the look out for crocs this season. this month can be red hot.

A great mixture of pelagic fish will be on offer and the offshore fishing (wind permitting) should be off its head.

Most places experienced a fantastic wet season in 2021 and some of the more immediate effects will be an increase in bait activity, especially throughout the Gulf. Food chains will be in hyperdrive and the kilogramsper-minute consumed by predators must be staggering.

When you see huge bait balls being consumed in a matter

of hours, all manner of birds and fish working together to consume each and every one.

A successful method of fishing throughout June can be simply driving around, covering territory. The fish will be there, under birds, over lumps on the sounder, in gutters, channels, rock bars and even rapids. Covering more ground this time of year will bring you in contact with more of the quarry you seek.

Some of the usual Cape York West Coast suspects this time of year will be the inshore pelagics. These

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There is always plenty on offer around the Cape, like this tasty coral trout. trevally are amongst the crowd. These are all hungry fish, high octane burners.

Closer in will be big queenfish, smaller trevally by the truckload, blue salmon, giant herring, barracuda and a bunch of other toothy critters.

Everything out there trying to put on weight before the food chain runs out of stream and the chilly mid-winter weather cools everything off.

Most trips offshore are best undertaken early morning into the prevailing winds this time of year. That way lighter

June is a holiday maker’s special for Cape York.

Probably the busiest time of the year and rightly so, conditions are awesome. In 2021 with such a late start to the tourist season, expect the whole joint to be going crazy in the June/July holidays.

Anyone planning a trip this late would be well advise to ring ahead to check campsites and overnight stays are taken.

Be careful on the roads and try to give all other anglers you come across space to enjoy the Cape.

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Winter time challenge TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

When I head out for a bass fish, I often have an action camera set up and ready to go in the boat. This is how Hot Bite Fishing comes up with its fast action or technique based videos.

Despite the action in the videos, it isn’t all like this.

There are plenty of dead periods between the bites.

I love the deep schooling fish bites we experience in the Qld lakes and I love to look for those schools that will bite cast after cast and produce double hook up sessions. It’s kind of how I get my thrill out of bass these days. It either needs to be fast action or the chance of extra big fish to get me really excited.

We are moving into the metal jig and spoon time of year for some of our lakes and these lures are great for pulling big numbers. Here’s a bunch of tips to help you bang the big numbers (probably the most secrets I have ever

given away in one go): • Finding the schools willing to turn it on can take time. On a recent trip to Wivenhoe Dam, we spent two three-hour periods just sounding and looking for fish. When we found the ones we were looking for, it was a fish a cast. It is rare for the action to continue for more than 10 or 20 fish but when they are in the mood, they will continue to bite. Bass fishing is often like this.

Hours spent sounding will reward you in the long run.

• Part of chasing the numbers is knowing when to leave. Once the bites stop or bites are really hard to come by, you need to make the call early and move on to find more fish.

This involves moving at least 80-100m away from your current location and the fish you have been sitting on.

• Hammered fish can be rested and caught again.

Allow them at least an hour to reset. This can be hard with other boats on the water. A moving boat on the drift or electric can prolong a bite or be used

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST Some big bass are being pulled from Cressbrook.

These bigger 50cm+ models are hard to come by with plenty of smaller fish mixed in at the moment. It is actually good to see these small fish as it’s been some time since they made an appearance.

Spinnerbaiting the edges has been a good way to search and pull the bigger fish. Suspending hardbodies have also taken their share but the fish need to be in the mood to rise and take them. As the water cools we may see a trend where the suspending lures will produce better than spinnerbaits. Cooler conditions often see the more subtle presentations

work well.

Schooling fish in the deeper water are also an option. It is hard to find the better schools in Cressbrook and you can spend a lot of time on your sounder to locate them. The fact they love to sit tight on break-line edges makes them even harder to find. These drop-off hugging fish don’t bite the best but you can sometimes sit wide of them and get them to leave the comfort of the bottom and suspend where they are easier targets. If they are hungry they will venture up on to the flats around 7m deep.

Bigger spoons like the Raptor Slow Fall Jig are a favourite of the Cressy bass.

The big fish love them hopped back across the bottom. When the right fish are found, it should be a fish a cast until the bite suddenly stops. You

to lead following fish to a particular area. Unless they are uneducated, when fish sit under the boat, you don’t have long to catch them before it slows down.

The edges of these schools have more active fish than the middle below you.

• If there are heaps of boats on one spot, don’t fish in the middle. The active fish are likely to be around the edges.

• Leading shallow fish to deep water can make them bite better once they are suspended and stacked up in big numbers.

• Work fast, I mean very fast. Sometimes you’ll only get one or two bites out of a good show before they move under your boat or just refuse to eat.

• When I spot a school, I mark it by giving the outboard a stab and stirring up the water. This gives you a target to throw at and gets you right on top of the fish. There’s nothing worse than grabbing your rod and looking back up wondering where you’d just seen them. Small, tight patches of fish can require an accurate cast.

• Try lots of spots. Even if there’s only a few fish, they could be the right ones.

One cast is enough to tell you. Sometimes I don’t even turn off the outboard.

• If you are running 2D sonar and see a few, there is a good chance there are a lot more the beam has missed. You may have been just off the main school. I use the side image on my Simrad on 455 KHz to get a clear reading on the fish.

We can spot fish 60m out to

the sides if they are off the bottom a bit.

• When you find the right ones and present them with what they want, it will happen within the first or second cast. In a good school, an accurate cast could be eaten as soon as it moves off the bottom.

• At the end of the day, the fish make the rules. Be prepared to change it up.

• Bass fishing is a seasonal thing and each lake goes through phases. We are

lucky to have so many lakes to fish for these finned critters. If it isn’t happening at one spot, another just down the road could be on fire. Finding the lake with ones that are ready and willing is only half the battle, you then need to locate those hungry schools and strategically work them to pull the big numbers.

Until next month, buckled rods from The Colonel.

then need to leave the fish to give them a break in the hope they will chew again later in the day.

• Fish’n’Bits in Toowoomba has all the gear and tips

on how to chase the Cressy fish. They are an excellent store specialising in all freshwater lures and tackle.

The dam hours are 7am to 6pm over the winter months.

the game over winter. With less fishing pressure due to the tough nature of the fishing, they get a bit more relaxed and less shy of boats.

Places like the flats north of

edges and structure seem to hold more fish over the winter months. Big schools aren’t what you are looking for when using spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits around the edges. The fish can hang together but loners are not uncommon.

• Somerset Fishing has their store based at the area above the day use boat ramp. The store is open over holidays and otherwise from Thursday to Sunday.

Orders can also be made online via the website www. somersetfishing.com.au.

They have an excellent range of gear suited to fishing for bass and golden perch.

WIVENHOE CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, LOWOOD Wivenhoe really turned it on last month. Schools of bass were scattered all over the flats out from Billies Bay. These fish are pretty mobile so you’ll need to spend plenty of time searching. Trollers had plenty of success working lures which dive 6-8m deep and should continue to do well into the winter months.

The fish can be scattered at times and this suits the trolling approach. When they are found bunched up, casting lures is usually the preferred method.

I have seen it change quite a bit over the last month. At times it hasn’t really mattered what you toss at them when you find them in numbers. After the

The big Wivenhoe flats take a while to explore but if the bass stay there into this month it will be worth the effort.

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Suspending lures are great for targeting bass around the lake edges in winter. Jerk baits are popular but sometimes you need to probe a bit deeper by customising your presentations.

The campground has been closed for upgrades but is due to reopen this month. For updates, visit the Toowoomba regional Council website.

SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY The fishing has been ridiculously tough over the last month or two. Not much is likely to change for at least two months. The up side to a slow winter is the fish often come out the other side very hungry and very willing to play. Late winter and early spring should be exceptional.

There will still be the periods where the fish play

Kirkleigh, Happy Clappers, the Hump and Brads Bank will be worth searching for schooling fish. Smaller spoons and blade baits are a good presentation for the winter fish in these areas.

The edges of the lake may be worth exploring with suspending jerk baits. Pelican Point had a nice submerged weed bed that I’ll be having a go at some time over winter.

If the fish are on this there is a chance they could be there in really good numbers.

Bigger spinnerbaits can do the trick – for some reason they seem to work better in the upper half of the lake. Rocky

To page 45

OLD From page 44

increase in fishing pressure and as it cools more, they will get even fussier about what they want to eat. To work this out, you will need to experiment on the day.

Hopping tail spinners has been one of the techniques we’ve used when they are not responding. Don’t forget the old Jackall Mask Vib as it excels on these fish when they are loving hopped lures (and you can troll it between spots too). Soft plastics were doing well but the numbers caught on them have dropped off and the fish were loving smaller spoons. The Gang Banger G2 and Nories Wasabi have been the standouts but other similar sized offerings in 20-30g should do the trick as well.

Boats need to be launched at Logans Inlet, which is the only functional boat ramp at this level. You can still slip a kayak in from Billies Bay area and paddle out to the fish on a good day. There are boating restrictions in place. If you are petrol powered, you need to have a 4 stroke or low emissions outboard and travel at 6 knots when on this lake.

BORUMBA CLOSEST TOWNS: IMBIL, NOOSA Borumba should continue to fish well this month. There will be a mix of places to fish.

Golden perch and saratoga will be slower but the bass should be willing on the edges and in the deeper water. The edge fish will like spinnerbaits (or even the more subtle beetle spin rigged plastic), silent lipless crankbaits and suspending jerkbaits. This is more of a morning bite and the fish will then retreat back from the edge to deeper water during the day.

Good numbers of bass should start to school around The Junction area of the lake.

Smaller spoons like the Gang Banger G2 and Nories Wasabi 20g should get them to bite.

• Davos at Noosaville has all the gear you’ll need to tackle the fish at Borumba and Lake MacDonald. The store caters well for fresh and saltwater anglers. They can be found in the Homemaker Centre on the corner of Mary and Thomas Streets.

MOOGERAH CLOSEST TOWNS: (BOONAH, RATHDOWNEY) I had a reliable report last month about heaps of bass being caught in the coloured

waters. The lake is still stained from the rise. The water up the back in the creek is clear but the better fish numbers seem to be through the timber. Flicking edges with spinnerbaits may produce a few fish but the flats inside the timber seem to be holding the numbers.

Despite the dirty water, the bass are still finding lures.

Trolling TN60 Jackalls is a good way to explore on the electric motor. Once fish are found, they have had no trouble locating and eating spoons. The report I heard saw heaps of fish caught on G2 spoons.

There was a fishing competition a week or so after penning this article so I’m sure the results of that will shed even more light on the fishing if you are able to find any information on it.

• For a few tips and all the tackle needed to fish Moogerah and the other lakes in the area call in and see the team at Charltons Bait and Tackle. They have an excellent range catering to the local area.

MAROON CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, BEAUDESERT Maroon has been a bit slower than usual. The rise

stirred the fish up a bit at the back of the dam and there were even some big Mary River cod caught and sighted.

The rest of the lake was a bit tough. The water will have started to settle after the rise and fishing will slowly return to normal. Winter will slow the water weed growth so there won’t be a lot in the way of healthy weed beds and

great way to cover heaps of water and explore. When fish are found in numbers, you can mix it up and troll soft plastics and swimbaits or cast them to any good concentrations.

As things cool even more, we might see some of these big fish venture back into the shallow water as the search for the sun’s warmth during the day. If they move into the shallow areas it requires a stealthy approach to catch them.

Keep your eyes peeled for moving or spooked fish. A lightly weighted plastic is one of the best presentations. If the area

is choked with weed, you should consider using a weedless rig.

• Justin Nye from Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing runs fishing charters on the lake. He caters to the needs of the angler and can do fly or conventional tackle trips to target the lake’s barramundi. He successfully guides clients onto fish right through the year and has a good understanding of fish movements. It is hard to beat time on the water and this is a great way to learn more about this lake and its fish. You can contact him on 0429 223 550 or visit the website gladstoneflyandsportfishing.

com.au.

• Mark from Awoonga Gateway Lodge always has a few productive secret spots to share. The Gateway lodge is on the way in to the dam after turning off at Benaraby.

The accommodation is great with plenty of boat parking space right beside the comfortable air conditioned, self-contained cabins each with its own veranda. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 4975 0033.

CALLIDE CLOSEST TOWN: BILOELA The big barra are still coming from this lake.

CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE I had the fishing a bit wrong last month. I had made the call the fish would return to the weed edges of the lake in numbers. It still seems the bigger fish are quite happy out in deeper water. They are happy patrolling the deeper water areas and feasting on the schools of bony bream.

The fish found out in the deep tend to be on the larger side with not too many below 90cm and plenty around the 1m long.

Trolling hardbodies is a

lilies. If this is the case, the fish will drop back to deeper water during the day.

You can still start the day working soft plastics and suspending jerkbaits around the edges. If there is no weed, you may need to fish the medium and steeper sloping edges where the fish are easily able to change the depth they are holding. The long shallow

flats are always going to be better when they are fully weeded up. Schooling fish will be keen on plastics, blades, spoons and ice jigs.

• Duck into Charltons Bait and Tackle at Redbank if you need the latest information about the lakes in the region. The boys there always seem to know what’s going on.

Cressbrook bass just love the 30g Raptor Jig. If you find the schools, make sure you hop one through them. It can be a fish a cast, but it never lasts long.

The fishing pressure has dropped off so you might even find you have it all to yourself. The deep roaming barra are still mostly down the bottom end of the dam with a few being caught around the sticks in the middle reaches. Expect some very cold nights this month.

This will see the water temperature continue to drop. While the cold drops the surface temperature, it has less effect on the deeper parts of the lake.

You’ll still be able to locate the fish but they may be a bit slower to respond.

Try fishing a bit lighter and slow down your retrieve.

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Soft plastics will still be one of the best ways to get a bite in the open parts of the dam. In the trees, you can try suspending hard bodies with longer pauses.

• You can stay close to the dam at Lake Callide Retreat. The park has basic camping, powered sites for camping and vans and also self-contained cabins. There is a wellequipped camp kitchen and toilets and showers up in the main part of the park near the office. Make sure you bring all of your fishing tackle. The kiosk has a limited amount of fishing gear but it is well suited to the lake.

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• Pet friendly • BBQ areas • Saltwater pool It’s not too cold for barra in the dams yet. If the days are nice, they’ll be biting. Try fishing later in the day and into the night.

www.awongagatewaylodge.com awoongagateway@bigpond.com JUNE 2021

45

Yakkers battle the mighty Baffle BRISBANE

Troy Brown

The promise of scouting new waterways is always enticing for kayak anglers, even for those who enjoy the comfort of regularly fishing their favourite

ready to oblige, which can sometimes make it difficult to get onto the water!

Early risers were greeted with the aroma of bacon and eggs from Ron’s BBQ, fuelling the hungry fishos who were excitedly preparing to hit the water. In my typical ‘late to the party’ fashion,

ramp, while others launched from the retreat itself.

Launch facilities onsite are quite rudimentary, with a makeshift ramp within the camp ground and another launch on a neighbouring property. The ramp in the park should only be considered on high tide, but

slippery after rain.

For safety, the short drive to Flat Rock is an easier launch point, while also placing you closer to the mouth of the system. If you launch from the ramps at the retreat, I’d recommend you do so with company, as dragging a loaded kayak up the hill by yourself is tough work, especially when hauling a fully loaded Hobie Pro Angler 14. It’s an exercise made more difficult by carrying an excess of gear, so my ‘kitchen sink’ approach on Saturday was replaced with a slightly more minimalist set-up on Sunday, including a change

The Donut King and his trophy.

The retreat jetty became a parking lot for Hobie kayaks. haunt. Exploring a new area can result in feast or famine, as some locations give up their secrets freely, while others require a lot of patience and re-education.

Skilled fishers adapt faster to these changes, aware that their strengths in one system may be ineffective in new environs.

When presented with an opportunity to fish a new area and enjoy some great company, there’s little which can keep me from packing the kayak and hitting the road. The moment Ron Hess from the Qld Hobie Crew organised a social event at Baffle Creek, I started envisaging fun times and a fishing paradise.

Camping at the conveniently located Baffle Hideaway, nearly 20 keen yakkers pitched tents and readied their kayaks to attack Baffle Creek. For me, the weekend was mostly about the company and relaxation, so I was last to hit the water and spent more time chatting than fishing. If you’re ready for a chat, this crew is always

Ron’s BBQ was cold by the time I shuffled from my tent and ambled over.

Opinions were mixed about which direction to fish, with some opting to drive their kayaks to the nearby Flat Rock boat

even then it can be a difficult prospect, with soft, sucking mud greeting you at the waterside. The nearby ramp is only a moderate walking distance and certainly an easier launch, although it is relatively steep and very

little strike on my lure, then something more solid as my line was dragged under the rocks. Ron called my fish as a rock, but after a patient struggle I finally managed to extract a small cod from under the rocks. Apparently, even I can get lucky.

Ron obviously didn’t want me basking in the glory of my catch for too long, as he slipped quietly behind my kayak and hit the button on my Power Pole to anchor

Wind and rain punctuated the weekend, but Monica Crichton captured Nathan Inwood enjoying a perfect end to a busy fishing day.

Local knowledge is hard to beat, with trip organiser Ron Hess boating a large number of fish.

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Mangrove jack captures in the cooler months are rare, but Baffle offered a surprising number of these magnificent fish.

on the rock bar!

My own fishing efforts were hampered by a healthy dose of stubbornness, as I came to Baffle Creek with some untested soft plastic lures. As the lures were my own designs, I wasted many hours of productive fishing time, continually casting lures which were not getting results. Short-strikes, timid bites and complete disinterest in my lures was frustrating, but my real error was not recognising the absurdity of beating the proverbial dead horse. With many quality commercial offerings in my tackle box, I eschewed the advice I typically offer other anglers: change lures and techniques, and don’t persist with lures that don’t ‘match the hatch’.

With a tackle box of excellent alternative soft and hardbodied lures sitting idle in my kayak, ego won over logic, because I was desperate to prove that my lure designs would catch fish. However, even though they had great action in the water, they were simply the wrong choice for Baffle

from the PA14 to my lighter Outback kayak.

In typical crew fashion, there were plenty of laughs, plus the odd practical joke.

One of these moments occurred when I met some of the group members fishing a nearby rock bar. After telling Ron that my prototype lures were awful, he laid down a challenge stating that he could catch a fish on my lures before I could. Never one to shy from a contest, I selected my worst soft plastic model, which had great action but was too thin and needed a re-design. First cast, I felt a

Ray with a solid grunter, which are a prolific species in the area. They are excellent pound-forpound fighters and a great reward on the plate. my kayak. It took quite some time for me to work out that I wasn’t stuck on the rocks, but held firmly in place by my own Power Pole. If Ron hadn’t started laughing, I’d probably still be trying to work out how I got jammed

Creek. Whether it was the size, colour, action or a combination of these factors, the fish at Baffle refused to play with my bait impersonations. Meanwhile, the more adaptable group of legends who accompanied

me were busy accruing an impressive total of 20 species.

Baffle Creek was inundated with fresh water from recent rains, so the quality of the catches is testament to both the quality of the system and the skill of the anglers who managed to catch them. While I was breaking all my own rules, the group was steadily accruing some very nice catches, despite the fresh water and change of season.

Barramundi was high on the

successful lures prove the need to adapt, not only for the species, but for each minor change in the geography of the system. It is tempting to persist with our favourite lures, and for those anglers starting out in lure fishing, there is merit in learning how to get the best from a single lure before complicating the learning process with too many options. In reality, regardless of how well you unlock the secrets of a particular lure, differences in the feeding habits of the

our group were working their way back to shore, while I was heading out for the first time that day. I spent a few hours casting at every undercut bank, tree root or rock, with nothing but some bitten-off soft plastic tails to show for my efforts.

The stigma of the dreaded donut hung over me, so as I returned to camp my “one last cast” turned into multiple fruitless attempts. Finally deciding that my next cast would actually be the last for the day, I cast towards Adrian Shapcott spends many hours fishing inshore reefs, but revelled in the change of scenery at Baffle Creek. efforts to extract the insect, it seemed oblivious to my attempts and continued assailing me.

After I dragged the kayak and its contents back up the hill, staggering side-to-side with a near total loss of balance, I was met by Ron as he came to investigate my delayed return to camp. Despite their obvious amusement at my predicament, several crew members flew into action

as impromptu surgeons, tasked with the tricky task of enticing the bug from my ear. Ultimately, after attempts at flushing it out with saline, plus some jokes (?) about setting it on fire, I felt fortunate they hadn’t tried to knock the insect out forcefully.

Opting for a drizzle of olive oil, the pesky bug floated towards the surface and was extracted with some tweezers. Expecting

peak fishing times may sometimes coincide with a certain tide, moon phase or weather condition, but sometimes you should just fish when you feel the urge to do so. My own fishing fortunes were hampered by a one-eyed focus on lure selection and a failure to adapt to local conditions, but our group members found quality fish at times which defied conventional logic.

I recommend that you plan to explore, as within a short distance of the camp launch, you’ll find some tremendous combinations of rock bars, mangroves, sand banks, superb flats and drop-offs. Launching from Flat Rock ramp will provide even more choice, while also offering a far simpler entry and exit to the water.

If you wish to get the best from this system, simply do the exact opposite of what I did: slow your lure movement (even if you’re feeling impatient), mix up your lure selection and don’t continue to work the same area if it’s not

Father and son duo, Shane and Zack Campbell, battled for fishing honours over the weekend. We’ll score this one for Shane! list of desired catches, but it was one of the few local species which wasn’t caught.

The change of season has slowed barramundi catch rates, so it wasn’t surprising these incredible sporting fish were missing in action. The closest I came was seeing a barra launch out of the water, possibly while chasing the baitfish which were congregating in the area.

Unlike myself, the rest of our group cycled through their lures, recognising that when you aren’t catching fish with a specific lure or technique, you need to mix up the offering. Both hardbodied and soft plastic lures caught fish to an equal degree, with the successful anglers using each lure only while it remained effective.

Ron bagged a nice mix of species on finesse bream gear, with Jackall Chubbys, Atomic Hardz cranks and Samaki vibes accounting for mangrove jack, with some large bream pulled from deeper holes.

Ecogear lures were also popular, with Nathan Inwood accounting for some great fish using the SX shad-style hardbodies, while Charlie Klein bested him by 1cm for the largest fish, using a ZX35 blade.

Ray “Mr Consistency” Hawes amassed a solid tally as well, predominately using ZMan 2.5” GrubZ, although I suspect the highlight was a 50cm grub on light bream gear.

The wide variety of

local fish can dramatically affect catch rates. Knowing when to remove a lure and tie another on is easily as important as finding the correct method of putting the lure in front of the fish. There are no magic ‘one size fits all’ techniques or patterns, so the smart angler has a selection of lures and numerous ways to excite the bite.

My time on the water at Baffle Creek was limited, as I arrived late, and spent a great deal of time chatting and enjoying the fact I had no need to hurry. My resolve was tested at times, but no more so than on the Sunday night of our stay. Hitting the water late in the day, most of

some structure framing one side of the mud ramp. At the same moment my line started rolling off my reel, an insect made a beeline for my left ear. Unlike Maverick in Top Gun, this insect was not satisfied with a mere fly-by of the landing strip, instead deciding it should fly deep into my ear.

The noise from within my head was intolerable, with a volume which felt like someone was assaulting my ear canal.

As its tiny wings flapped incessantly in that large empty void between my ears, my balance became so badly effected that I could barely stand. Despite my

Scott Frizzell moved the tally to 20 species with this last-minute oxeye herring.

Big flatties were in abundance. This 73cm model was caught

by Charlie Klein and was the largest for the weekend.

an insect at least 3” wide, I was surprised that such a tiny pest could cause such a racket inside my head. See, size really doesn’t matter!

Balance restored, it was time to head back to the campfire for a rundown of the day’s fishing, some laughs and the awarding of a giant blow-up donut, which predictably was handed to the guy who staggered into the camp late, covered in mud and complaining about the buzzing emanating from inside his skull. With such a relaxed group, it’s easy to laugh at yourself, so I wore the ceremonial donut with pride.

If you’re intending to fish Baffle Creek, expect that it may not play by the rules. I’m sure that

producing. Mix up your retrieves, change the speed, add pauses, twitches, try subtle rod movements and don’t be afraid to introduce some more aggressive action when subtlety fails.

In other words, don’t be me!

Despite one of my most disappointing fishing efforts, Baffle Creek delivered on expectations, with a large number of fish boated, despite the prevalence of fresh water and a changing season.

After a series of long workdays and sleepdeprived nights, the relaxed atmosphere, great company and lack of expectations couldn’t have suited me better. Thanks crew, for one of the most memorable fishing weekends I’ll likely enjoy.

JUNE 2021

47

Tech Tricks

DIY leader keeper BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

Keeping your tackle neat, organised and in good condition makes sense for the serious angler.

For me, spools of leader material have always been a pain. In particular, fluorocarbon has the habit of recoiling and falling off the spool. You are constantly winding it back up but the problem persists time and again.

Additionally, when the spools get wet a few times, the labels often become illegible and you’re left guessing the breaking strain. Leader stored in

easily accessible spots in the boat sometimes means it is in sunlight and this can damage reduce its breaking strain. I was fed up with all these issues so set about making container that could store some of my favoured leader materials.

I mainly use Sunline FC Rock and FC100 as well as Daiwa J-Thread FC, all which come on spools with the same diameter of approximately 80mm. To my knowledge there is no commercially available leader container for this spool size, only larger spools. Time to make my own!

If you use different brands on differently

sized spools then just use the appropriate PVC pipe diameter to suit. The rest of the materials for the leader keeper remain the same.

Whilst it cost me around $25 to make a leader keeper for six spools, subsequent ones will be cheaper. I had plenty of PVC pipe and some Velcro left. The rubber grommets can be purchased in larger quantities making it cheaper to construct multiple leader keepers.

You may even be able to acquire some PVC pipe off a mate or possibly have some offcuts lying about, which would make the leader keeper even more cost effective. Let’s have a look at constructing one.

1

For this sized leader keeper, ideal for 80mm diameter spools, you will need 90mm PVC stormwater pipe, 2x push-on 90mm caps to suit, some self-adhesive Velcro hook and loop strips, Velcro loop dots (or bits could be cut from the Velcro loop strips), 6x (3/16”x5/16”) rubber wiring grommets and some adhesive foam window stripping (although you could find a substitute for this).

3

2

Basic tools required will be a saw to cut the pipe (hacksaw or timber saw), a drill, 8mm drill bit, tape measure, sharpie marker, coarse sandpaper and a pencil.

4

Cut the pipe at this position that coincides with the end of the cap.

You can use a hacksaw however a timber handsaw is easier to cut a straight line with. You may even have appropriate power tools to do the job. Use coarse sandpaper to smooth around the ends of the pipe.

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Place one of the grommets with the edge adjacent the edge of the end cap, which is already pushed onto the pipe. Position the first spool so the middle is in line with the middle of this grommet. Place the others against this first one as shown. Put another grommet in line with the centre of the last spool and the other end cap with the lip against the grommet. Mark the position where you need to cut the pipe, which will be level with the right hand side end cap. In this example this mark was at 165mm along the pipe. Put the sharpie into the hole in the middle of the grommets at their current position and mark.

5

Using an 8mm bit, drill holes for the two end grommets where you marked the centres. For neatness, try and get them in line. Mark a line down the length of the pipe between the centres of the two holes with your pencil. Mark evenly spaced positions for the next four holes. As the spools I am using are 24mm thick, the centres of the holes will be roughly this distance apart.

Tech Tricks

8

6

Drill holes at the marked positions.

If you are worried about the 8mm bit slipping off the mark, pre-drill with a smaller bit first and then the 8mm.

7

Get the six grommets and insert them in the six holes. You will need to squash them a bit and push them sideways into the hole to get them to seat properly.

9

Cut three strips of the Velcro hook side to span the distance between the two end caps (in this case 130mm. Cut another two pieces about 25mm long.

Cut a strip of the self-adhesive window stripping to the same length as the pipe, peel off the backing and adhere inside the tube roughly opposite the grommets. This is not essential however it will stop the spools unravelling easily due to vibration. You could use a substitute such as the loop side of the Velcro strip or some rubber stripping.

10

Peel off the backing and apply one of the smaller pieces in the middle of each end cap. Put one of the longer pieces each side of the grommets as shown. The third longer strip will go on the other side of the tube directly opposite the strip above the grommets.

12

11

I had some Velcro loop dots so used these but you could cut loop pieces from the pack of Velcro stripping for this purpose if you wanted.

Take two pieces, peel off the backing and stick back-to-back. Repeat this action five more times, as we need six of these back-to-back Velcro loop dots.

Put your rolls of leader inside the pipe and feed the ends out through the grommets. Use the Velcro loop dots to secure the ends and prevent them coming astray. Use a long length of the Velcro loop stripping to attach to the other Velcro hook adhered to the pipe. This will wrap around to hold on the end caps firmly but will still allow easy changing of leader spools when necessary. You can use the sharpie to mark on your leader sizes or print some labels out as I have done. This handy leader keeper is strong and functional, keeping your leader rolls organised away from the UV rays.

JUNE 2021

49

Recreational Fishing Update Reminder: Yabby and Crab Rule Changes Minor changes to recreational fishing rules are now in place relating to the use of “opera house” style yabby traps and the blue swimmer crab size limit.

Blue Swimmer Crabs: The size limit of blue swimmer crabs has increased from 6cm to 6.5cm to help assist with protecting spawning crabs and to improve the productivity of the stock through time. It will also provide consistency between the recreational and commercial fishing sectors.

Yabby Traps: After a two-month transition period, “opera house” style yabby traps are now illegal to use in all NSW waters as they pose significant risk to native wildlife such as platypus, water rats and turtles, which can inadvertently get caught in traps.

Open top nets allow mammals to exit through

Action to Rebuild Mulloway Stocks

DPI – in collaboration with recreational and commercial fishers – will soon start work on a harvest strategy for mulloway.

The focus will be on rebuilding the stock of this iconic species.

Harvest strategies are a best-practice tool for fisheries management used around the world. Fishers, scientists and managers will come together to agree on objectives for mulloway fishing in NSW, and what management actions will be taken in different circumstances.

A Mulloway Harvest Strategy Working Group is being established to engage key stakeholders in a collaborative process to develop a harvest strategy for the Mulloway in NSW, with a focus on rebuilding the stock to a sustainable level.

See the DPI website for more info.

Solid Swim For Recaptured Samsonfish!

Keen fisho Matt Ryan recaptured a previously tagged samsonfish near South Solitary Island, off Coffs Harbour, on 27 February, 2021. The samson measured in at 95cm and an estimated 7.5kg. Matt re-released it with the original tag in place in the hope that it would be get recaptured yet again.

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the top, unlike the opera house style traps which only have openings on the sides. By transitioning to using open top nets, fishers can keep fishing, while also continue to do their part to protect our wildlife and ensure the ongoing health of our inland river systems.

Up to five nets, comprised of either open pyramid lift nets, hoop / lift nets or a combination of both, can be used to catch yabbies in all inland waters where it is legal to use lift nets.

More information about the recreational fishing rule changes is available at the DPI website or by contacting your local NSW DPI Fisheries office.

These rule changes are being implemented following consultation with and support from the NSW Recreational Fishing Advisory Council.

A search of the NSW DPI tagging database revealed that the fish was originally released nearly three years earlier of Shellharbour. It was tagged and released by angler Ian Osterloh (pictured), who measured the fish at 70cm and an estimated 4kg. The samson spent 1014 days at liberty and was caught more than 290 nautical miles (~535km) from its original release location.

Interestingly, another samsonfish tagged on the same day by Ian and his crew was recaptured offshore of Wooli in northern NSW. This recapture set the record for the furthest distance travelled by a samsonfish under the Game Fish Tagging Program at 310 nautical miles (575km).

These recaptures play a vital role in further understanding samsonfish movements. Currently, there is limited information about the scale and frequency of their migration on the east coast of Australia.

Snowy Lakes Boosted With ‘Advanced’ Trout

The iconic Jindabyne and Eucumbene fisheries have been boosted with mass stockings of rainbow trout fingerlings.

Bred at DPI’s Gaden Trout Hatchery, the fish measured between 15-20cm and were produced using the hatchery’s heater/chiller technology to maximise growth rates.

These larger “advanced” sized fingerlings are expected to have excellent survival rates and should reach legal size of 25cm within 12 months.

Crews of enthusiastic anglers organised by the Alpine Angler tackle shop, the Monaro Acclimatisation Society (MAS) and the Jindabyne Fishing Club assisted DPI in stocking 10,000 advanced sized rainbows into Eucumbene and 20,000 into Jindabyne.

The cool and foggy conditions suited were not ideal for the team and dedicated anglers who volunteered their time but suited the thousands of lively trout released to improve their fishery.

These stockings of larger fish are part of an initiative developed by DPI in close consultation with key stakeholders such as MAS to enhance fishing opportunities and boost the socio-economic benefits of trout fishing to regional communities.

These stocking events are a great example of your fishing fees at work!

Even More Flatties Stocked!

A total of 75,000 juvenile dusky flathead have now been stocked into key NSW South Coast Recreational Fishing Havens (RFHs) as part of DPI’s Marine Stocking Program!

The most recent stocking event in April 2021 saw 22,000 flathead fingerlings released into the Basin, following on from earlier successful stockings in the Basin, Lake Conjola and Burrill Lake RFHs. It’s expected the flatties will have excellent survival rates and should reach legal size of 36cm in 2-3 years.

The juvenile flatties – which measured from 50-100mm and were produced for DPI by Narooma Aquaculture - will be monitored by DPI researchers with the help of volunteer citizen scientists fishing in all three systems. This research work is designed to evaluate the growth of the fish, their movements and impact of fish releases on the recreational fishery.

We’re hoping to stock more estuaries along the NSW coast with dusky flathead as the production of these highly popular sportfish expands.

And we’d like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all those involved in this exciting project, which will doubtless provide a huge boost to recreational fishing opportunities on the NSW South Coast.

These stocking events are a great example of your fishing fees at work! Contributing funds were also provided under the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy.

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

NSW

Sydney

Quality bait equals quality fish SYDNEY NTH

Steve Winser

The weather has been blowing and raining lately, but there will always be a few hard-core anglers who are determined to go fishing no matter what.

One guy went out after we advised him not to, and he sent us a pic and looked like a drowned rat! That’s true dedication.

The water temp has dropped slightly in the harbour to 20°C, and kingfish have been very consistent throughout the upper and lower harbour reaches. There’s a lot of bait in the harbour so the kingies are very well fed, and thus they can afford to be fussy. Fresh squid is a must to tempt them. The average size is good at the moment, with most fish ranging from around 75cm to a metre. We have caught comparatively few rats lately.

Mulloway are still about in the upper harbour reaches, and once again fresh squid is your ticket to a jewie.

With the water temperatures dropping, bream and blackfish are beginning their run out to

Dave with a nice harbour king. the sea, with quality bream to 40cm+ in the shallow areas. We target them with bread in a bread berley trail, using a size 6 hook and a bobby cork. Often you’ll be fishing water that’s only a metre deep, so you can see the fish competing with each other to grab a morsel before their friends do. It’s a very visual and exciting way to fish. When we throw bread

on the surface, the water erupts into a boil the size of a garbage cans. I recently saw a homeowner throwing bread off their pontoon, and bream and blackfish were eating it so I made a mark of where it was and took the boat two days later. I threw a slice in and, as expected, the fish went nuts. We caught 12 and kept four.

Some nice fish also been

taken on plastics and fly in that shallow water lately.

The best results have been coming on 2” curly tail grubs and crab pattern flies.

Large flathead to 80cm are still running in the deeper areas around wrecks and structure, and big live baits are bringing them undone.

• Fishing Sydney Tours takes pride in tailoring every trip to the customer’s preferred

Hugh caught a nice bream on a peeled prawn off the beach near Swansea.

species, style of angling, and level of expertise, all within a friendly and relaxed atmosphere at competitive rates. There are some excellent fishing spots that can be accessed straight off Sydney, and we will show you where. We offer

harbour, wash and offshore fishing for species ranging from kingfish and mulloway through to snapper and mahimahi. For more info go to www.fishingsydneytours. com.au, call 0481 120 600 or look up ‘Fishing Sydney Tours’ on Facebook.

Where do my fishing licence fees go?

Funds raised from the NSW recreational fishing licence are placed into special trusts, and spent on projects to improve recreational fishing.

Committees of anglers provide recommendations on expenditure from the trusts: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Fish stocking Artificial reefs Fish aggregating devices (FADs) Recreational fishing havens Fishing facilities e.g. fishing platforms and fish cleaning tables Kids fishing workshops Fishcare Volunteers Gamefish tagging Get Hooked...it’s fun to fish, primary schools education Fish habitat restoration

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au JUNE 2021

51

Sydney

NSW

It’s getting colder…

PITTWATER

Peter Le Blang plfishfingers@bigpond.com

Cold water has started pushing in from the ocean, and as Pittwater chills we start to see a change in the species available. Most of the larger pelagics have disappeared but there are still a few left along Pittwater to play with. I am of course talking about my beloved yellowtail kingfish.

The kingies can still be found on most days but are getting harder to tempt with the usual baits of squid,

have to feed as often, being cold blooded creatures.

There is one bait however that seems to be able to wake up these larger fish at this time of the year, and that’s morning cuttlefish.

These very small cuttlefish must have magic powers because you can use live squid, yellowtail or a neatlyrigged garfish and all will be refused, and then you put on one of these cuttlefish and the same kingfish will climb all over it within a few passes.

It can be hard work to catch kingies at this time of the year along Pittwater

dropping and they have been harder to catch.

To catch cuttlefish you still use squid jigs, and smaller ones are best (size 1.8-2.0) because larger jigs can be too hard to use over the rocky areas. Not only do you have to go near the rocky areas to find the cuttlefish but you will also have to keep your jigs no more than a metre off all structure. If you raise your jigs more than a metre off the bottom you will rarely tempt one of these small cuttlefish.

The natural colours seem to work better than the fluoro colours, and patience

This kingy was caught at West Head near the bait grounds.

Watsons leaping bonito will disappear in the next couple of weeks, so enjoy them while you can. yellowtail and garfish. We will quite often see these larger fish on our sounder and more often than not they are hanging down deep in the water column. With these fish are down so deep in the cold water it slows their metabolism and they don’t

but there are patches still to play with along the coast that will readily accept live yellowtail, slimy mackerel or garfish.

In recent weeks we have still been lucky enough to tangle with a few fish but have noticed the numbers are

is needed as the jigs sinks very slowly.

Normally you will find the cuttlefish paired up, so where you catch one there will generally be a second

one to catch as well. Be warned, these small creatures are absolutely full of ink, to the point where they should be named ‘ink machines’ and not cuttlefish.

Once you have secured a few of these for bait, downrigging the usual haunts and keeping an eye on your sounder for those large arches is the best method to catch a king. Downrigging is a great way to present these baits, especially when the fish are in deeper water towards the bottom. It provides you with the opportunity to drop the baits right at the depths the fish are resting in, so they don’t have to be that active.

All they have to do is open their mouths.

There are some monster squid to be caught at the moment. If you are partial to eating calamari, some of these bigger squid can be encountered over the Palm Beach weed beds, Careel Bay, Mackerel Beach and Towlers Bay. The better size jigs are 2.5, while the better colours have varied day to day. However, blues and greens should see a few

being caught.

Another area to try when the swell allows is on the ocean side of Barrenjoey Head. In this area use your sounder to define weedy spots and also watch for baitfish schools located near the bottom. To tempt these squid from the ocean it’s better to use a paternoster rig with two loops and a weight on the third, bottom loop.

Quite often putting the rod in the holder and letting the ocean move your boat is all the activity and action these jigs require.

Other species to be tempted at the moment are flathead whilst drifting from Patonga through to Lion Island, and bream and trevally at Flint and Steel reef when anchored. Please be aware that this area is extremely rough ground so if you are going to anchor upon the reef make sure you are using a reef pick and reset your anchor as the tide turns. On many occasions we have seen boats losing anchors because their chains and/or ropes wrap around the rough ground, making it near

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JUNE 2021

Big squid like this one are starting to show up in many areas of Pittwater.

impossible to retrieve their anchors. This area is best fished around the change of the tide when the water slows down.

Along our coasts we are finding flathead over the sand as well as the odd snapper.

The closer reefs are also fishing well, with captures of snapper, morwong and tailor as well as the odd pigfish and nannygai.

As usual before deploying your lines, try to find the edge of the reef and locate baitfish. If you can do both of these things there are normally some snapper there to be caught by using bait or lures.

The outer reefs on the odd day have seen some kingfish showing up to their usual breeding grounds but it’s not on for young and old yet. These reefs in 100m+ of water can be very frustrating when the kingies are not in large numbers. The good news is over the next couple of months even more fish should start to gather, so anglers wanting to do some jigging or deep live baiting will have a ball.

So as you can see, even though the air temperature is getting quite cold and the water is cooling down in Pittwater, there are still some fish to be caught. A little bit of planning goes a long way at this time of the year so make sure that you have a few options ready to go in case the fishing is too slow for you.

If you are not having much luck when fishing these beautiful areas give us a call so we can organise a charter and give you information and areas that you will be able to use for the rest your life.

• Peter Le Blang operates Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters, phone 02 9999 2574 or 0410 633 351, visit www. estuaryfishingcharters.com.au

X

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www.daiwafishing.com.au

Sydney

NSW

Better quality fish SYD ROCK & BEACH

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com.au

This month anglers may be reluctant to fish for a couple of reasons. The first reason is of course the chill, especially on those early morning and evening fishing trips.

The second reason is the cooler water temperatures.

However, the temps in June aren’t as cold as those in late winter/early spring, and there are still some temperate species to be caught in good numbers and in some cases better quality. For example, the kings off the rocks, snapper and tailor are generally better quality. And off the beaches the tailor are better quality too this month.

OCEAN ROCKS Southerly swell and southerly winds are the dominant weather conditions in winter. The southsoutheast swells tend to be noticeably more powerful compared to the summer/ autumn swells.

For those who don’t know the difference between a ground swell and a wind swell, here’s a quick rundown. Ground swell

is made up of waves that have travelled for normally thousands of km from a powerful low pressure caused from cyclone a long way up north of the coast from offshore Queensland, or from the southern polar region south of Tasmania or south of the southern section of New Zealand. A powerful swell from the north is generally an east northeast direction swell.

A wind swell is generated from a shorter distance away, with less impact and power. Wind swell generally appears thinner from front to back compared a much thicker looking wave like a ground swell. Wind swells are generally only 5-10m thick from front to back. A ground swell is generally 20-30m thick from the front of the wave to the back.

A wave that has a lot more width simply means much more wave energy.

Watch a set (there’s generally 1-8 waves per set) heading towards the rock shore and you’ll see what I mean. You will notice, especially at water depths of 4m+ from the edge of the rock shelf, that the ground swell waves impact with a lot more energy compared to

the thinner wind wave. Note that I mentioned 4m+ depth; this is depending on the size of the swell and the height of the ledge/rock boulder above the ocean. If the water depth is much less it will break into white water, also depending on swell height of course. A ground swell of 1.5m will break onto the ledge with more energy than a wind wave.

Other variables include what direction the swell is from, the height of the ledge/ boulder above the ocean, the direction of the ledge being open to the swell, the peak section of the wave impacting on to the rock shore, whether there’s a shallower submerged ledge, boulders metres away from the ledge, the underwater topography, and more. For example, the waves may stand up more on a run-out tide compared to a run-in tide because of shallower sections, or due to a larger run-in tide compared to a smaller run-in tide (new moon and full moon tides are larger compared to in between the moon tides), or maybe the rock headland/ ledges are more easterly exposed compared to the inner headlands. It gets quite complicated but simply

T S A O C T EAS 1 2 0 2 S E SERI g

An 80cm beach mulloway that hammered Charlie’s live yellowtail. It was his first fishing trip since he was a kid! It’s worth having a go this month but make sure you are prepared with the correct footwear and clothing. being able to differentiate between a wind wave and a ground swell will definitely help you better understand wave energy.

Ground swells can be from north, northeast, east, southeast and south. At this time of year it’s generally from the south-southeast.

Please take into account that this is just a basic example. You will flesh out your knowledge as you spend more time fishing.

ROCK FISHING REPORT Luderick have been on the chew of late off most rock spots. Most have

come from deeper water off The Hat at Manly or in the shallows at Long Reef Collaroy. Remember that Long Reef is an aquatic reserve, so although fishing and spear fishing is allowed you can’t harvest invertebrates or weed.

South Curl Curls Flat Rock is also a great spot for this species. Warriewood’s gutter involves a small climb but is 90% vertical climb for approximately 3m. Mona Vale pool is easy to get to, only a short walk from the car park.

Luderick are a hard fighting fish, they’re lots of

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Michael Wong with a 1.2m beachworm caught during his first ever worming session.

Michael converted it into a big whiting.

fun to fish for and can be caught throughout the day.

At the deeper ledges it is OK to fish the low to high tide periods. At Long Reef the ideal time is the 11-2nd hour of run-in to high if you don’t mind wading around because the vast ledges become flooded at high tide. Try to bring cabbage and/or hair weed on the outing, because the luderick may prefer one over the other.

Another winter time species that can be readily caught throughout the day is the eastern blue wrasse.

It is more commonly known as groper, and the sexes are different colours. The male is blue, while the females in his harem are brown. Most of the headlands have a good population of groper. Some great fish to 72cm have been caught lately with several smaller brown groper as well.

Groper forage for food using their big lips to find red crabs, juvenile crays camouflaged in the kelp, red weed and ledges. Although some fish are caught on cunjevoi and prawn baits, it’s hard to go past a whole red crab presented on a 4/0 to 6/0 suicide 2x strong pattern hook. Please keep only enough for a feed, release the rest after a few photos, and preferably return the largest ones.

Kings are good this month even though it is perceived as being out of season. Generally the larger kings are around in June.

Good baits are whole freshly caught squid suspended 2-8m under a float, and XL sea gars retrieved like a lure.

Good lure choices include Saltiga Dorado 180mm stickbaits and white Slug-Go soft plastic stickbaits.

Snapper distance casting is also good this month. Tuna fillets like striped tuna, and fish fillets like slimy mackerel work well, but I like squid strips

NSW

approximately 12cm long by 1cm wide. These baits will cast further because they are more aerodynamic. This extra casting distance may be necessary for avoiding the undulated, very uneven snaggy bottom that’s closer in. A more distant cast may allow you to reach the clearer

from the south at this time.

Spots like South Steyne with the Corso to Stenton Street should get you out of the majority of the larger south swells, or the Dee Why beach southern section from Howard to past the stormwater pipe.

Live beach worms might

A nice king for Daniel Marich on a ganged whole sea gar. Sydney Harbour rocks and the ocean rocks will produce fish this size and larger this month. bottom where you will hopefully lose fewer rigs.

For the snapper and kings, preferably fish the deeper headlands like Freshwater, North Curl Curl, and North Whale headlands.

At North Curl Curl front you need a big cast of 90-100m.

OCEAN BEACH FISHING This month there are opportunities to catch a great bag of whiting from most beaches, with a bycatch of bream.

When targeting whiting, it’s important to identify the best gutters. Fishing the really deep gutters may seem inviting but they may not be so inviting for the whiting, especially in flatter wave conditions. The shallower gutters are a better choice for this smaller silver fish, which prefer the cover of white water for camouflage and the puffs of sand which stir up the bottom so they can find worms and small invertebrates. Fishing these shallower gutters from the 4th hour of the run-in tide to the second hour of run-out will give you ample time and water depth to fish them.

Fish the deeper gutters when the swell is above 1.3 m.

You should avoid the open sections of the beach when the swell is big, as it’s too much of a washing machine. During an above moderate swell, preferably fish the lee sides at this time of the year. It’s mostly swell

an alternative bait. Peel the prawn and present it on a shorter shank hook. Size no.

2 would be fine.

Salted beach worms or metho preserved worms are also good baits to try. A lot of the bait shops have these in their freezer.

Big, fat salmon are on the beaches as well, with fish up to 4kg+ being reported. Fishing with a ganged pilchard bait is the conventional method. A single hook rig with a fish fillet strip of yellowtail, mullet, tailor, half pilchard or even salmon strips may catch you salmon quite readily, as well as bream and even trevally, which are also being caught on some beaches at the moment. I recommend using a 2/0 size hook, because it’s small enough to catch bream while still being large enough to catch salmon. If you get bitten off it is likely a tailor so ganged hooks should sort that out.

Mulloway (jewfish) are still on the cards this month. Make sure you rug up and have neoprene type surf boots to keep your feet warm. At this time of the year fishing for mulloway there are fewer whaler sharks to contend with.

Just a quick tip. When you go fishing, always bring a raincoat, even if the weather forecast predicts clear conditions. There are no

Winter means big southern calamari off the ocean rocks and in the deeper estuaries. The author likes to use the Emeraldas Nude in the 3.5 size.

The neon glo colour is good for night squidding. be harder to purchase this month as a lot of the fishing tackle shops that sell live bait may be reducing or stopping the supply for the winter. Of course, you can catch your own beach worms or pump your own pink nippers, but this may not be practical if you’re time strapped. The smallest river prawns you can find work quite OK as

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guarantees with the weather, and besides, the rain coat acts as a great windbreak to reduce the chill.

• For rock and beach guided fishing or tuition in the northern Sydney region, visit www.bellissimocharters. com.au, email alex@ bellissimocharters.com.au or call Alex Bellissimo on 0408 283 616.

JUNE 2021

55

Sydney

NSW

Signs to look out for SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Winter sports are running hot this month and so is the fishing on most fronts.

There have been great reports of sand and tiger flathead offshore, snapper and squid schooling on the close offshore reefs, and tailor and salmon in the washes off the rocks.

are even still kingfish, salmon, tailor and the odd bonito being caught off the sands and Dolls Point. It’s just a matter picking up your gear, rugging up and getting out on the water and start chasing a feed or two.

If you don’t have a boat you could always book one of the local charters or walk the shoreline as the fishing is very good at the moment.

If you are new to using lures and want to give it a

a shot are ‘tea bagging’ and ‘slow lifting’. Tea bagging refers to dropping your vibe/blade down to the bottom and lifting the rod up and down like you would when dunking a tea bag. Remember to do it slowly.

Slow lifting is where you cast your lure out and allow it to sink, and instead of doing a single or double rip, just slowly lift the rod tip so the that the blade or

During the cooler months it’s worth having a go for luderick and mullet off the southern side of the Captain Cook Bridge on an outgoing tide.

These three fish all weighed around 850g and were caught while fishing the washes off Cronulla with peeled prawns.

Inside the Port Hacking River and Botany Bay and its tributaries there have been reports of luderick feeding along the rock walls in the Georges and Woronora rivers, bream feeding over the weed beds, and trevally schooling up in the deep waters of Yarra Bay and off the third runway. There

go, now is a good time to try. June seems to be what I call a ‘deepwater bite’. This means that the fish tend to hold up during the day in those deeper sections of the bay and rivers, so when you’re using a soft plastic or vibe you will need to work them slow and also apply plenty of scent. A couple of methods that are worth

vibe only rises up about 30cm off the bottom.

The bite will either feel like you have snagged something or the fish will hit it on the drop. Remember that this can also be done with a weighted soft plastic with plenty of scent applied.

So what are a few signs to look out for

when fishing?

First, be on the lookout for the types of birds that are diving into the water. As a rule of thumb, if you see terns working the surface of the water it is usually slimy mackerel feeding on smaller baitfish. If you see seagulls it is usually tailor and salmon working the baitfish schools, and if it’s muttons birds you will usually find there are tuna about. On the other hand, don’t be misled by seagulls that are diving into your berley trail. They are usually picking up scraps

ice on the inside of the bags. If there is a lot of ice it means that the bait has been in the freezer for too long or the bag is broken somewhere. This will lead to freezer burn and the bait drying out.

Have you ever been using a whole pilchard on a set of 3/0-5/0 ganged hooks while spinning for tailor, salmon or bonito off the rocks and felt a small bite that you thought was pickers attaching the bait, only to find that the guts or a middle section had been bitten out of your pilly?

When I am using a running sinker down onto a swivel and a leader, I will make sure that I stop the line from going off the spool just a second or two before it hits the water.

This will allow the bait to project forward and not get tangled up around the main line as it sinks to the bottom.

Whether I am lure or bait fishing for bream off the beach, I prefer to fish the last two hours of the rising tide and the first two hours of the run-out. This has to coincide with either early

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that are still on the surface of the water. Also, if the birds are flying around up high over one spot all the time, it usually means that the fish are down deeper in the water.

A tip when buying frozen baits from a bait and tackle store is to have a look at the build-up of

When this happens, it’s time to downsize your hook to a single 1/0 or 2/0 and put on a pilly tail or head.

The culprit that has bitten the piece out of the whole pilchard will have been a bream feeding under the school of surface fish.

Timing is another critical aspect of fishing.

morning or late afternoon and the week leading up to the new moon. That said, you’ll catch bream at any time of the day if the bait, location and conditions are favourable.

That’s it for this month.

Don’t forget to keep those reports coming into gbrown1@iprimus.com.au.

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NSW

Anticipating big snowy bream BALLINA

Joe Allan

Most of the bream are still hugging the rock walls at the moment, but the odd one is out on some of the sand flats during the making tides. There does seems to be some good quality amongst them and with the water starting to drop in temperature, the big snowies can’t be far off.

Fresh prawns and nippers can be productive for these guys, and can be so much fun for kids. You are always pretty much guaranteed to catch some nice fish with fresh baits and quality hooks.

I use Gamakatsu Baitkeepers in size 4 or 2; the barbs on the back side of the hook help to hold the bait up the shank of the hook.

If you’re into lure fishing, try a small crankbait such as the Atomic Crank 38

John Oatley with an amazing catch off the break wall. The taxman tried to get this one but didn’t succeed.

ba Prawn Blade s” “Yam

Father and son team Todd and Lachlan Smith with their 3rd place bag in the local North Coast Bass Club round.

Deep. Get your lure right into the rocks and hang on. With light line these fish can give you some stick and provide some great sport.

The making tide has also produced some luderick along the walls on cabbage during the incoming tide, and peeled prawn or yabby baits on the run-out. If you can find any weed flies it’s worth giving them a crack too, either under a float or fished on a very light weight like you would float an unweighted soft plastic down a wall.

A lot of old timers will swear by long soft rods for this type of fishing which are tried and tested. Don’t be afraid to give your normal bream rods a go, just bear in mind that they don’t have the same reach when you land a fish on the rocks, which is what the longer rods help with.

Offshore fishing off Ballina and Evans has been pretty good of late, although we are coming into a transition period due to the

Shark almost got him! warmer water from summer cooling off with the winter currents coming in. There have been decent catches of snapper off the close-in reefs like Reardons and also up towards Lennox Point. When the tide isn’t pumping, try fishing really light jigheadrigged soft plastics up on the top of Reardons Reef. As light as a 1/6oz or 1/4oz isn’t too light. The snapper will come off the bottom and hit the plastic on the drop most of the time.

Until mid-May there were still some good catches of mackerel around, both trolling live baits and also larger hardbody lures.

The beaches both north and south of Ballina have been fishing well over the last month, with good reports of tailor, whiting, bream and dart being caught. Try fresh baits like blue pilchards rigged on 3 x Gamakatsu

Gangsters in 4/0 for best results. If you are into throwing metal slugs, try the Gorilla Big Eyes in 20g, 30g or 40g depending on the size of the swell and run in the tide. The last half hour before sunset is really the perfect time to try this, and there have been quality numbers caught in this short period.

The flathead are pushing up past the ferry and into the lower reaches of Emigrant Creek, although this time of year isn’t the time the big girls come out to play.

You will get some nice fish as bycatch though as the mulloway start to become more active. The deeper holes along the town stretch and up past the ferry will produce the best chance for a big mulloway, with live mullet being the best bait on either of the slack tides.

Until next month, tight lines.

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NSW

Having a ball on snapper COFFS HARBOUR

Dayne Taylor

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Personally, I am a big fan of targeting these fish on lures, but the bait fishos definitely get their fair share at this time of the year also.

Dropping the pick upstream of a reef or bommie and running a steady berley trail back with a few lightlyweighted strip baits such as pilchards, squid, mullet and the like will account for some great fish. The perfect rig to do this is a small round ball sinker allowed to run straight through to your hook. I personally would not run any less than 20lb line in this scenario, and a 4000 sized reel matched up with a 10kg rod will do the trick.

As for targeting big reds on lures, there is a plethora of different lures and ways to target them. In shallow water

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The Berkley Gulp range seems to always produce the goods, but the Samaki Boom Baits, Daiwa Bait Junkie and ZMan plastics have the upper hand when it comes to longevity and durability.

Out a little wider in depths around the 20/30m range I still like to throw a mix of both jerk shads and grub tail plastics, and often drop a second rod over with an octopus or squid style lure directly below the boat. Simply leave this lure a couple of metres from the bottom, put the rod in a rod holder and let the swell do all the work. I have caught some exceptionally good fish doing this.

OFFSHORE The Spanish and spotted mackerel will become more scarce this month, but there’s still a chance of catching one.

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times with the winter winds, but when there’s any break in the weather you should give them a crack. A simple paternoster rig with a mix of

definitely the undoing of a better class of fish. Target sand flats on the top of the tide and fish them slowly and methodically over areas

adjacent to some deeper water. It is a game of quality not quantity, so do not be disheartened if you spend a few trips for a donut. When

The author with a beautifully marked Maori cod. fresh bait such as squid and pilchard with a big enough lead to reach the bottom will to do the trick. Fresh slab baits and even live baits don’t stand a chance when dropped to fish marked on the sounder in these depths.

ESTUARIES AND BEACHES Bream and luderick are great target species along the front reaches of our local estuaries in June. The artificial rock training walls in our larger rivers where the rivers meet the ocean are usually loaded with better quality bream in great numbers, as well as a good congregation of luderick, as both species use these areas to spawn. Both bait and lure fishos alike will get good results fishing prawn and crab style baits or lures.

Flathead continue to be a popular target species, and larger swimbait lures are

you do get a bite it will be a quality lizard, I can assure you of that.

If numbers are what you are after, then small 2-3” size soft plastics and hardbodies in these same areas will get plenty of runs on the board.

Whilst targeting flathead in our estuaries I have noticed the return of undersize mulloway as by-catch recently. Mulloway are known to spawn when there is a lower than usual salinity level in the estuary system, so it makes sense to see a few little tackers popping up after our flood event a few months ago. If you do encounter some small mulloway, be sure to return them to the water as soon as possible with minimal stress. This species has been on the decline for several years, and we need to give them the chance to replenish their numbers.

Until next month, cast like there is no tomorrow and retrieve like you have all the time in the world.

Len Mumme from Garmin Marine had a great time visiting the Coffs Coast.

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NSW

Cool to be back on the river THE HASTINGS

Mark Saxon castawayestuarycharters@bigpond.com

Cooler weather and cleaner water will mean mullet running out to spawn. Bream will also be schooling and heading out to do their thing, and the luderick will congregate around our walls, making for some excellent winter fishing.

The cold nights will see boats anchored in their favourite mulloway haunts as these fish like to get into the mullet as they run out to sea. It’s a great way to catch a big fish but be prepared with warm gear because soaking a live bait or a cut bait and waiting for a run can get cold.

Not Copeton cod cold, but warm drinks are advisable.

After the battering from the floods we are now

seeing some good action in the lower sections of the Hastings and plenty of bream and flathead being caught. The coal wall and Settlement Point Road have been very good recently, and vibes and soft plastics have both been producing the goods. Tailor have been prevalent down the mouth of the river, but unfortunately size has been an issue. Small choppers have been hammering everything at times; we have been getting the odd good one but the majority are small.

The beaches will hopefully hold a better class of fish this winter season with tailor being a favourite.

Casting pilchards on gang hooks or just pelting out metals should see you onto a few.

Some bigger bream will also be welcome from the sand, and who doesn’t like the fight of a big bluenose?

mullet and tailor cruise the beaches, as it can be one of the best times to fish for them. Tailor heads and fillets, especially if they’re freshly caught, are ideal for this. Location and beach formation is important for success so check for gutters and holes that may hold the fish. After the heavy wet and bigger seas we have had, the beaches could really fire this year.

Let’s hope so.

Offshore has seen some good reds being landed as well as some of the more pan-sized snapper. Some nice pearl perch have also been coming in. The offshore charter boats have been getting clients onto plenty of these quality fish, so it could be worth doing a charter trip if you’re new to offshore fishing.

If you are heading out in your own vessel there are some great drifts south of the lighthouse in

Garry caught this nice bream on a soft plastic.

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Alistair with a great 80cm flatty.

30-40m of water, where you can start at one end and be catching snapper and then move onto sand for a few flathead. Using your sounder and plotter is ideal for this, and not just because it helps you locate bait schools and fish. It’s also great for going back and tracking your drift if you get fish – you just drive around to the start and repeat.

Another handy tool is an electric motor. If the seas allow, this can be used to move your drift even slightly, which can be effective.

Sometimes the good old paternoster rig with some fresh baits will get you a good mixed bag of fish.

Drifting the broken bottom or the sand is a method that produces good catches for many anglers every year.

Using strip baits like salted bonito or mullet is a good way to get a few.

Mulloway anglers will have a good chance of getting into a fish if the

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JUNE 2021

When they’re on, it can be mayhem, as Christine, Pat and Coby found out.

NSW

Time for shallow water snapper FORSTER

Luke Austin

As hard as it can be to drag yourself out of bed to go for a fish in June, the rewards for doing so can be very impressive, with plenty of fishing options on offer.

Luderick have been amazing in recent weeks.

The fish have definitely moved a little bit further up from the rock walls now and can be found in very good numbers on the bridge pylons, in The Paddock oyster lease area and Jonnel Park. Wallis Island has started to produce the odd fish but they don’t seem to have made their way up there in earnest yet. The luderick have really gone away from taking cabbage weed now, however they are taking string weed and artificial weed flies with gusto. With the number of fish around at the moment it’s easy to hit your bag limit, so please if you do manage to get onto a hot bite remember to only keep what you need. There’s nothing wrong with keeping your limit but only do so if you are certain that all of the fish can/will be eaten.

Bream catches have also been very good, and the fish are showing signs of starting to spread back out again. The rock walls are still holding fish but you really need to be mindful of your tide times to chase them successfully.

The bream down around the mouth are almost exclusively biting around the last hour

Lena Donnelly with a cracking kingfish.

all worked in recent weeks.

Like always, finding that nice, washy water is the key to success.

Bream and luderick are about in really good numbers along the rocks too, and they’re so thick in some places that they are making drummer fishing almost impossible!

If you are a land-based game enthusiast don’t write June off, as the water is still a decent temperature and there is plenty of bait about. Last year we saw longtail tuna as late as September so you just never know, and there will be plenty of kingfish and tailor in between.

than a few hanging about up on the weed beds, which indicates that the fish have finished spawning and are spreading back out again.

Tailor have really shown themselves in the estuary of late. I have had numerous reports from anglers who have been out chasing bream and hit patches of fairly nice 35-40cm tailor. Most have been up around the weed beds near Wallis Island and Lani’s, and they make for great fun on light bream gear!

Flathead are plentiful up around Wallis Island, The Cut and up the Wallamba River. If you are patient and fish through the numbers you should pick up enough for a feed. To chase these fish during the cooler months you really have to commit to using artificial offerings; hard-bodied divers, soft plastics and vibes are all

Shallow water snapper are so much fun!

Daryl Visocchi with a pigeon pair of snapper caught in the shallow stuff.

Break wall bream in June on light gear can be a handful. or so of the run-in tide and the first hour of the run-out tide. As is always the case over the winter months, the oyster leases between the bridge and Wallis Island are holding plenty of solid fish and there have been more

worth a shot. All you need to do is find some bait on your sounder and you should find fish under it.

The local sandy stretches have been fishing well and are tracking along more or less as they should for

winter. Most beaches have good formations along them and are holding fish. Tailor and salmon have been good early and late in the day.

Just about everyone who has chased them lately has caught fish, some up to 3kg, however some anglers have reported sessions consisting of just 2-3 fish before they shut down.

For those wishing to soak a beachworm or pipi there are still some very nice, fat little bream and the odd stud whiting holding in the better gutters. There have also been a few small mulloway in the mix, particularly on Diamond Beach and 9 Mile Beach.

Drummer are on! Black drummer have been caught all over the place of late, from the break walls here in town to Seal Rocks in the south and Crowdy Head in the North. Baits of cunjevoi, crab, prawn and bread have

This month is one of the best for chasing some shallow water snapper offshore. It’s hard to beat that freezing early morning run north full of anticipation! So far the fish have been fairly consistent but the bite is very short lived. Once the sun hits your back the bites will slow right down soon after. However, heading wider you should find a fairly good mix of fish on reefs in 35-80m.

Hopefully the leatherjacket and barracouta will hold off for a little while longer!

There has been the odd boat heading to the wider grounds, and deep drop trips have been fruitful out in 200-400m of water, with tasty mixed bags consisting of kingfish, bar cod, nannygai, pearl perch, gemfish and the odd bass

grouper coming back in.

The water out wide is still pretty good so if you do head out, keep an eye out for any surface activity as pods of tuna could pop up anywhere.

With all that’s on offer, it’s time to rug up, grab a rod and enjoy the winter wonderland that is out there right now!

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63

NSW

Hot morning sessions PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

Winter is here and while it may equate to a few extra layers of clothing it certainly doesn’t mean it’s time to pack away the fishing gear. Winter actually brings with it some great fishing opportunities in Port Stephens from the estuary to offshore.

chopped weed thrown around your float every five minutes will also greatly improve your catches of catching luderick.

Bream are fish that thrive through the winter months, especially around structure, so focus on areas with rocky, oyster-infested shoreline, wharfs, bridge pylons and rock bars. Unweighted nippers down a berley trail is a great way to catch them, or you

ROCKS Winter is the prime time for rock fishing in Port Stephens, just remember it is now mandatory to wear a lifejacket when fishing from the rocks here.

Productive drummer fishing will be found around the washy zones from Tomaree right down to Rocky Point.

The best way to fish for them is with large peeled prawns

The author with a solid snapper.

Young Joe was happy with this solid bag of winter bream.

In the bay luderick will be a major target for many anglers along the Nelson Bay, Anchorage and Winda Whoppa rock walls. If you haven’t targeted luderick before they are great fun and can be caught in big numbers at any time of the day. The way to do it is with fresh green weed or cabbage suspended under a float on light 6-10lb leader and a small no. 8-10 hook and fish around the tide changes. A berley mix of sand and finely-

can cast shallow diving crank style lures or lightly weighted 2” plastics.

Squid will be found lurking through the weed beds along Shoal Bay and Jimmys Beach, with 2.5 sizes in natural colours working best.

Tailor are on the chew early in the morning around Shoal Bay wharf and Tomaree Torpedo Tubes. Try casting and retrieving a ganged pilchard or garfish, or alternately a 15-30g metal.

or cunjevoi rigged on a 1/0 hook and 0 sized running ball sinker. This type of fishing will also produce a range of other quality table fish, with bream, luderick, squire and grouper all a chance.

Metal lures or ganged pilchards fished during dawn and dusk periods should yield good catches of tailor and salmon from areas like Tomaree, Box Beach, Sunny Corner and Fingal Head.

Winter squid fishing from

the rocks is as good as it gets, with massive green eyes up to 2kg not uncommon. Any sheltered ocean rock bay or cove between Boat Harbour and Fingal Bay will hold them, with 3.0 sized jigs working best in whites, pinks and greens.

OCEAN BEACHES There is some excellent bream fishing to be had at the moment, especially around the protected corners of beaches when a bit of swell is on.

Live worms are the go-to bait, and you can expect to pick up a few elbow-slapping late season whiting too.

Tailor can be spun up from Box Beach, Fingal Spit and Samurai, with the key being to fish late in the afternoon or early in the morning.

OFFSHORE Outside the heads and it’s all about snapper at this time of year. Monsters over the 20lb mark are a realistic possibility for anglers fishing these waters. Soft plastics fished early in the morning and late in the afternoon around Fingal, Broughton and Edith Breakers are extremely effective, and 5-7” jerkshad style plastics are

by far the most popular plastic to use. Jighead weight ranges from 1/4-1/2oz depending on current and depth.

Good old-fashioned bait

fishing still works too, just fish the same sorts of times at anchor whilst casting lightly weighted pilchards or squid down a constant berley trail.

Faz with a beautiful early morning calamari.

Persistence pays this month SWANSEA

Jason Nunn

• This month’s report has been supplied by Sean Griffith We’ve had a fantastic autumn, with flathead

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great catches up and down Blacksmiths, with standouts being 5” Berley Jerk Shads in nuclear chicken, and 5” Berkley Minnows in pearl white. Even newcomers to plastic fishing have been having good success – just look for the gutters and skip

your plastic along the bottom.

A few people have using mullet strips, left to waft around in the gutters, and these have been picking up a bycatch of solid bream.

There have been some good catches of jewfish in recent weeks but, as usual, the anglers have been keeping their cards close to their chest.

We have been getting some good tailor catches, with most fish coming on Rapala Tail Dancers at the southern end of Lake Macquarie. Troll your lure at around 5m deep for best results. There are tailor around the islands as well.

On recent trips we have had to spend some time finding the tailor. On one trip we started at 4:30am, but it took us until 9am to find them. There were bust-ups of large tailor and salmon hanging together, and in this scenario the tailor take on the feeding characteristics

Bayley Griffith caught this flounder on a 4” Minnow in pumpkinseed. of the salmon, i.e. feeding in schools, jumping in and try to beat each other to the lure or bait. A lot of the time the tailor come screaming in from the side and the salmon

come from the back. We have spent hours out there, and it’s been awesome.

If you want to get into the action, just troll To page 65

NSW

Time to get out the waders and into the chill CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

As we move into the big deep freeze, both the weather and fishing have been top notch in this part of the country. Despite the falling temperatures, we still normally see the fishing remaining very good at this time of year, so let’s take a look at the best angling options in the weeks ahead.

Beach fishing is considered by many to be more of a summer activity, but I love rugging up and enjoying

walking around on cold sand with wet feet around sunrise or at night is simply too punishing for me!

Small to mid-sized tailor have been the dominant fish along our beaches in recent months. I’m confident the tailor activity will continue this month, however we normally see those smaller choppers give way to larger specimens. A decent size tailor could turn up almost anywhere at any time, but most of my bigger tailor caught over the years have come from North Entrance, up to Pelican Point. Unfortunately the really big beasts are

Silver trevally are one of the many species likely to be encountered this month.

The author caught this one at the southern end of Lake Macquarie.

June is normally a pretty good month for luderick off the rocks, in the lakes and around Brisbane Waters. what’s on offer along the surf zone during the cooler months. I’ve just purchased a new pair of waders, which keep my feet and legs very warm, in combination with thick socks and track pants.

No matter how much I enjoy beach fishing, I find the sand simply too icy to go barefoot when it’s cold. Even if the water itself isn’t too bad, just

becoming rarer these days, but there’s sure to be a few around in the 2-3kg bracket along the beaches during winter, so it pays to be prepared and rig up with a short 20-40kg trace or even a short length of wire in front of your ganged hooks or lures.

Of course, salmon are another common customer on our beaches through winter.

The biggest numbers don’t normally move along the surf zone until later in the year, but there will definitely be a few around this month and they’ll generally be found feeding with the tailor.

Bream have also been quite consistent along our beaches in recent months.

While the best bream fishing tends to be closer to the rocks or adjacent to the mouth of the lakes or around Broken Bay, you may encounter good numbers of fish almost anywhere, especially when fishing a good gutter and not casting out too far. The

From page 64

past the bust-ups or cast small chrome slices into the melee. It’s great fun for families wanting to experience a decent fighting fish and get that buzz.

Of course, you can expect to get snipped off a lot. To minimise this, run heavy leader (we usually use 40lb) and after every fish you should check your leader for abrasions. If there are abrasions there’s a good chance you’ll lose the next fish.

Large bream are still abundant, which has been great for all the anglers in the local area. A good way of catching a quality bream is with a peeled prawn on a 2/0 suicide hook. You can catch them off the break wall and in the channel, and around pretty much any structure in the lake at the moment.

There are still plenty of large bonito hanging around the island, and some huge 3-4kg salmon are being caught from Blacksmiths to Catherine Hill Bay.

Alex with a quality flatty caught on a 4” ZMan in shiner colour.

majority of bream tend to be found just beyond the shore dump, as this is the churned-up zone where they look for food such as dislodged pipis, worms, small crabs or small baitfish.

Mulloway (jewfish) are another fish well worth considering this month. This is where those waders will be appreciated, as you’ll mainly be fishing after sunset. Once again, North Entrance is a reliable stretch of sand for jewies and as it gets colder, there tends to be fewer people fishing here, so it’s easier to find a decent spot to yourself.

Outside there are quite a few snapper being caught.

We recently went down Catherine Hill Bay way and got a good catch of snapper and trag.

The lake has been producing some quality blue swimmer crabs, which came as a surprise. People thought with all the fresh there wouldn’t be a lot, but there have been and they’ve been a good size too.

• Fisherman’s Warehouse Tackle World has a large range fresh and frozen bait as well as a huge range of rods, reels, lures and accessories. They also sell and service outboard motors, and have a competitivelypriced selection of new and second-hand boats.

The friendly staff are all experienced local anglers, and they’re always happy to share their knowledge, whether you’re a novice or experienced angler. Drop in for a chat at 804 Pacific Highway, Marks Point, or give them a call on (02) 4945 2152. You can also find them on Facebook, or check out their website at www. fishermanswarehouse.com.au.

not much white wash around, try using a finer, longer fluorocarbon leader. For bream or luderick I’d consider a 3kg leader as fine, but if drummer are your specific target then 5kg leader is more on the mark. While it’s certainly quite possible to land drummer with a 3kg leader, you’re asking for trouble when going too light with these nasty customers!

We have no shortage of excellent rock fishing spots right along the Central Coast. When chasing bream, drummer and luderick, some of the very best spots are those smaller, unnamed rocky outcrops, as opposed to the bigger headlands. You’ll find lots of these smaller outcrops from Bateau Bay through to the south side of The Entrance, all around Norah Head and there are also plenty throughout the Munmorah area.

Luderick should be kicking into gear in the lakes and Brisbane Waters this month. Simply taking a

Our beaches have been fishing quite well recently.

That trend should continue this month, with salmon and tailor the main species to expect.

Of course, Terrigal, Forresters and Catherine Hill Bay are some other beaches well worth considering, depending on where you live or the prevailing weather conditions.

Rock fishing is can also be brilliant in the early stages of winter. Bream, drummer and luderick are normally very reliable targets from the stones right now. The main thing to consider is the swell and general sea conditions as well as the tide. A rising tide with a slight bit of wash close in around the rocks is ideal. If westerly winds have flattened out the seas a bit and there’s

drive around The Entrance, Budgewoi or Woy Woy will soon reveal if anglers are getting into any fish or not. If you can’t see anyone hooked up then perhaps the best way of finding out is to round up some green weed and give it a shot yourself!

Bream, trevally, snapper, kingfish and flathead are other fish on the hit list this month.

In fact, just leading up to writing this month’s column, I’ve been running into quite a few flathead. So all in all, June has a lot going for it as a fishing month. Just keep warm and stay safe around the rocks.

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JUNE 2021

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NSW

Fishing without the crowds ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke

The days are short and for the most part cold, with the wind usually quite strong coming from either the south or the west, or a mixture of both. The nights are less kind than

the days, making it tough going for anglers.

A positive is the crowds have gone from the boat ramps, and if you fish the rocks and beaches, you often have the place to yourself so there is less competition. There are fish about, you just have to work a little harder this month so

that should keep you warm.

Offshore it has been strange the last few seasons, with a few dolphinfish (mahimahi) still about, so that might be worth a look this month – you just might get lucky. Yellowfin tuna will be a better bet though, and with some luck they will get in close enough for

Bonito are picking up pilchards when snapper fishing.

Mark Halpin was filled with joy at his PB 65cm flathead he caught at Hasting River.

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more anglers to have a crack at. Usually, they are around the shelf and beyond, and at this time of year they’re best targeted from a larger boat. Fishing from a smaller boat is certainly possible but you’re playing Russian roulette with the weather.

April and May produced some good fish to 70kg and the weather was good, so let’s hope we get a few more nice days to have a crack at them. If not, it won’t be all that long before the southern bluefin make their run up the coast, but that probably won’t happen this month.

If all else fails and you miss a tuna then a deep drop on the canyons is always worth a try for some bottom dwellers, as the current is usually much slower at this time of the year.

In close there will be a few early snapper starting to show later in the month over the inshore reefs. Drifting plastics or putting down the pick and berleying should throw up a few fish before they switch their attention to post-spawn cuttlefish next month.

Mixed with the reds are the odd samsonfish and a heap of trevally if you are using berley, and there are still a few bigger bonito about picking up pilchards meant for snapper. In the

washes around the islands and headlands there are the usual culprits of salmon and tailor grabbing whole pilchards on ganged hooks, and if you keep getting bites and the middle of the pilchard is missing, cast a pilchard piece on a single hook into the wash for any trevally and bream that attack your pillies.

Kingies have been very quiet. The odd one has been picked up but there is a lot of time between bites if you are chasing them.

For the drifters it is not too bad really, with a few smaller snapper and the odd bigger fish, a few samsonfish, silver trevally, mowies, pigfish and heaps of leatherjackets.

Flathead have slowed right down but there are always a few fish that are willing to have a go if you are persistent.

On the rocks a few bonito and the odd mackerel tuna have been taken on lures, live baits and pilchards, with salmon being the most reliable species. The washes around your feet have had some nice bream and trevally on pilchard bits and prawns with a bit of berley thrown in for best results. The prawns are picking up some nice drummer too if they don’t bust you off.

The estuaries are cold and miserable at this time of year, with a few bream around the weed beds at

Some nice samsonfish are over the reefs but they won’t last much longer.

Primbee and up in the feeder streams. Peeled prawns are the bait of choice, and very light lines are a must to fool finicky fish, but the cold wind makes it tough and choppy on most days. Small vibes work too, but you can probably expect a lot of hard hours for little reward.

Minnamurra has a few fish around the bridges and is a little more protected from the wind.

There will be a few nice choppers around this month in and around the surf.

On the beaches if you can get a few beach worms there are some very big whiting about. They aren’t in big numbers but they are bragging size fish. It is very cold getting the bait though.

Bream will be the mainstay on most beaches with a decent gutter.

Pilchards, cut fish baits and worms will get them and other fish as well, or you can use chuck steak and mullet gut at a pinch.

Salmon and tailor are about on most beaches during the early mornings and late evenings, with Coniston Beach fishing well. I recently scored a few there myself casting lures from the boat into the surf and down along the groyne and break walls at the southern end, and they were solid fish too.

The highlight of the month will be the big mulloway that frequent the local beaches at this time of the year. The top of the tide just after dark is the time to chase them, and the best baits are live tailor, fresh squid heads or large cut baits. It will be cold and probably windy from the west most evenings, but it’s well worth it when you get that solid bite and run, and finally shine your torch onto that big slab of bronze rolling in the wash at your feet.

Having said all that, we could get a big east coast low like last year that destroys everything and lasts for a fortnight. If that happens, disregard all this and go and chase bream, blackfish and drummer in the harbours.

Good luck.

NSW

Bluefin on the way BATEMANS BAY

Anthony Stokman

Hello June, and hello bluefin! In previous years they have come a bit earlier, but for the last couple of years it’s been around 20 June. So will they come earlier or will the end of June be the start date of the bluefin migration here on the south coast? Once the current starts moving uphill and the water temperature is around 18-19°C we start dreaming about bluefin.

This year we have high expectations of bluefin because we are seeing some good yellowfin getting around. However, it might

out that the land disappears.

There’s a lot of water out there and it can take all day to find them, so keep your eyes open for finlets breaking the surface and possibly a couple of petrels flying around close to the surface. The surface signs are more subtle than big yellowfin crashing the surface chasing bait and more bird activity.

You should also keep your eye on the sounder, because everything may seem calm and quiet with nothing in sight, but under the boat there could be tonnes of bluefin.

Of course, the most obvious sign of bluefin is when all lures go off from a pack attack. When you’re

in sizes from 10000 to 14000 are good options (the new heat sink drag feature is interesting in the new Stradic and Twinpower which cools the spool down during the fight). For the Daiwa fans the new Certate is a good choice, and a suitable low budget option would be the Quantum Reliance spin reel.

Rods and line have gotten lighter and thinner over the years, and when chasing tuna with stickbaits, you want your gear light and line thin but strong, and your lure 60g and up so you can get that distance in cast.

You might only get one shot all day at casting at a big yellowfin, and you want to make sure you have the gear

The dream team chasing down yellowfin tuna with stickbaits. Off tha’ top baby!

Big G with a 80cm mulloway caught on 4lb! not be a mind-blowing run like last year, and that would be a tough comedown. So come on bluefin!

To catch them, the first thing you need is a big fuel tank full of fuel. Customers still ask the questions in store on the location of the bluefin, or how far out they are.

The answer is, they can be very far out. You have to be prepared to travel well past the Continental Shelf, out to the famous 151 line, which is longitude 151° east. Yes, you have a chance of yellowfin around the shelf, but if you are looking for big schools of bluefin then you have to do the miles, and that can be anything from 50-100km out to sea.

Then the next question I get asked is, can you see land from out there? Yes, you can, because our mountain range is quite close to the sea. It’s not until you get 110-120km

trolling and one lure goes off, it’s best to keep going for a little while and you may get another one or two more hook-ups. Once you pull up to fight the fish, that’s the time to toss out some pre-cut pilchard cubes to feed the remaining school if you want to keep them up and around.

This can be successful at times and other times not so much, because the fish might be thin in numbers or a bit shy and flighty.

Overall, not much has changed in catching tuna.

However, one thing that has increased in popularity has been chasing them and casting stickbaits at them and the gear used for that is getting lighter, stronger and more compact. When it comes to suitable reels, there are some good offerings from a range of brands. From Shimano, the new Saragosa, Stradic SW and Twinpower

and right ingredients to put you in the game.

When it comes to the right rod, my choice is the Shimano 77M or 77MH Grappler from Shimano because they are super light, not too long, not too short, strong and bendy, and can cast lures a mile. However, there are lots of other rods out there at a range of price points that will do the job.

Trebles or single lure hooks? We have seen a comeback of treble hooks over the last couple of years.

The appeal of single hooks is their simplicity, ease, safety, and ability to stay connected after a hook-up.

However, with the charge and explosion of the yellowfin take, the lure and singles can get tossed about. So it seems more spikes the better, and so getting any parts of the treble to stick can get you connected long enough to get

the fish boat-side. When it comes to trebles, you want them to be big and strong like those from Shout, BKK and Owner.

When trolling for tuna, skirts and hardbody divers have always been towed around. Now we have the resurgence of the Bluewater Livie and now the popular Profidgie, and these soft fish imitations are proving to be deadly on tuna and some anglers will troll the entire spread with them. Teasers are being used more and more these days too, and there is a bit more variety now also, with the reflective strip teasers getting more popular every year.

Inshore reefs have been doing great, with good snapper numbers, and we are hoping this represents the rest of winter. The kabura jig has become popular over the years, with a technique that is similar to micro jigging (the only difference is that the kabura’s weight separates from the hooks). Flasher jigs have been really popular too, along with soft plastics, and trolled extra deep diving lures. Staying open minded and having four or five different approaches under your belt can only improve your catch rates.

Headlands and beaches were on fire at the beginning of autumn, but that has simmered down a bit. Some good mullet are running, and a good run of salmon, tailor and some solid trevally for the south coast have kept fishos entertained lately.

The bonito and mac tuna have slowed up and the slight chance of a longtail has dwindled. Kingfish can

linger around even through winter, but it’s the salmon and drummer fishing that will stay strong throughout this time of the year.

The estuaries will cool down and the fishing will become tougher this month.

The big mulloway seem to have eluded us in the estuary, with fish from 60-80cm

winter might not be so tough this year.

After the dirty water completely cleared up the squid were basically found everywhere, and they will be found at the squid haunts into winter. They make great bait and great tucker, and I recommend checking out the Squidezy tool to make

Georgia Poyner with a good example of the quality bream getting around. being the most common catch. There have also been hundreds of 20-30cm juveniles which is a good sign for future years. Fishos will be looking for the mulloway out on the beaches this winter. There has been a large run of bream from our rivers and on the beaches so

cleaning easier.

• For more up-to-the-minute information on what’s biting where, drop into Compleat Angler Batemans Bay and have a chat to Anthony or one of the other friendly staff. They’re located at 65A Orient St, Batemans Bay (02 4472 2559).

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Time to track down the tuna BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

It’s that time of year where we should be finding tuna on a regular basis within the nutrient-rich waters that surround Bermagui.

This season has seen high water temps linger longer, and now as these temps subside it creates favourable conditions for the tuna – and the action is starting to happen. A good way to locate tuna is by trolling with a nice spread of surface and diving lures, which allows you to cover all options, from late season marlin through to the several species of tuna that patrol our waters.

With the Continental Shelf so close to Bermagui you can be fishing within minutes; it often takes less than an hour to be out over the 1000 fathom line, and how often do we travel past the fish in search of better grounds?

The tuna species that is most sought-after at this time of year is the mighty yellowfin. You may encounter these fish on the troll along

Makos will often turn up in a berley trail, providing some fun action.

with striped tuna or albacore, and if you start to catch a few of any of these species within a certain area try changing tactics to hopefully encounter larger fish. One of these tactics is ‘cubing’, where a berley trail is deployed with pieces of fish cut from mackerel, pilchards or small tuna drifted down the trail as berley, along with loaded ones with a hook in them.

These berley trails will attract other species like sharks or marlin, so a live bait under a float may excite a marlin along with the tuna. You should also have a dead bait in the water or close at hand should a mako shark decide to make an appearance.

Another form of angling which is gaining popularity is deep water fishing for species like hapuka, blue grenadier, ling, blue-eye trevalla or gemfish from down deep in the abyss. This is done with the aid of electric reels which can fill in the time while you’re waiting for the tuna bite.

In recent times another form of angling gaining momentum is casting To page 71

Hopefully we will see plenty of quality yellowfin this year.

Winter specials TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

Early winter in Tathra is a special time of year with often beautiful cool,

them, from the local wharf to the rocks at the back of the pub (a good place to visit on the way home) through to Kianinny Bay or beyond. Good baits include cabbage weed, cunjevoi or even the humble prawn

course which is a must visit while in Tathra is the old Steamer Wharf. Here you can encounter a range of species, including trevally, mackerels, schools of passing salmon or bonito, flatties with long casts fishing the bottom,

You need a good pair of polarised sunglasses for spotting salmon in the waves. At first glance you might think these are salmon, but they’re actually just big sea mullet.

Garfish are a tasty little fish, and a lot of fun. calm weather on offer, allowing us anglers to choose which form of angling to pursue and what species to target.

High on the list of species is the black drummer from the stones.

There are plenty of areas on offer in which to target 70

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drifted out under a float or cast into the suds with a light ball sinker. You may also be surprised at what other species you’ll catch on these baits (especially the prawns), such as bream, trevally, leatherjackets and some sizeable wrasse.

One special place of

plus many more – although a winter special is garfish.

These tasty little morsels are great fun to catch with a small float followed by a little hook baited with a piece of prawn.

With the aid of a little berley you should have a lot of fun catching these fish.

Another special form of

Drummer are a winter special from the rocks. They pull hard and taste great.

angling at this time of year is just to walk one of the area’s many beaches with a light spin stick and a handful of metal lures to cast to one of the many passing schools of salmon.

With calm conditions and often offshore breezes it is quite common to be able to watch these fish as they travel along the beaches. It makes for some spectacular visual angling.

Two other species that are on the winter specials board are in the Bega River in the form of black bream and estuary perch.

To page 71

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stickbaits on heavy-duty spin rods to schools of yellowfin busting up on sauries. This requires good boat skills in order to get within range of the surface fish, followed by a quick cast before the opportunity is lost. If you get it right, expect some explosive exciting action.

Not all offshore angling is targeted at tuna at this time of year though, as many of the reef species or bottom dwelling fish are also on the chew. As the waters cool, snapper come on the bite, with nearly all the reefs within the area holding their share. There are a couple of different ways in which you can target them, like the simple paternoster rig drifting over them or anchor up and berley to bring the fish to you. Expect the usual other species to also get involved like morwong, ocean perch, pigfish, nannygai or those pesty tasty leatherjackets.

For those who like to chase flathead there are plenty on tap just about anywhere from around 28m of water onwards. Both tiger and sand flatties are on offer, plus the odd red gurnard or gummy shark, and if you leave early enough in the morning you should be home in time with full bags for the pub to open.

From page 70 (Tathra)

The bream can create some interesting angling in the shallows on both lure and fly as they sun themselves while fossicking for small shrimp, crabs, worms, nippers or small baitfish.

The estuary perch, on the other hand, often concentrate around the deeper rock walls where they can be detected on your sounder. These fish may require a lot of effort

Whilst waiting for a tuna bite, blue-eye trevalla are a deep water option. to entice to feed, although once you’ve caught one EP you can often catch several more in quick succession.

The last one of my special favourites for this time of year is offshore bottom fishing. Flathead fishing is like picking mushrooms, it is that easy at present. Down south out from Bournda there are plenty of tigers and sandies to be acquired, and up north similar angling can be found

out from Nelsons Lagoon.

There are plenty of reef fish on offer like snapper, ocean perch, jackass or blue morwong, pigfish, nannygai and yep, leatherjackets. You can easily catch these by drifting although anchoring in areas like out from White Rock to the south, where creating a berley trail will bring fish to you, and you might just encounter that special snapper of a lifetime.

Elka Gaden was very proud of her very first squid capture, she handled the whole thing from cast to capture. She used a Yamashita jig and Daiwa Emeraldas combo.

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Big lures for greedy fish NEW ENGLAND RIVERS

Adam Townsend

Although the first frost already landed weeks ago, June officially kicks off the winter months and this

surface lures to sub-surface during the low light hours, and chatterbaits and swimbaits worked down deeper as the sun gets higher in the sky. I find however, if you have a lure you can work as slow as you can,

natives because slowing the approach down is key.

Murray cod are well known to be lazy, and although they have eyes bigger than their stomach and will quite often try eating other fish already

more little factor to trigger the bite. Lure choices or moon phases can definitely play a part, especially with smart Copeton fish.

Lures around 50-100mm long still catch their fair share of fish at this time of year, however do not be scared to throw lures that seem to be ‘too big’ because previous seasons have shown that cod are not scared to eat big things.

Throwing big lures up to 300mm (or even bigger) can be very effective during these colder months as the cod bulk up before the next spawn season. Copeton Dam is currently sitting at around 41% capacity.

Pindari Dam is still sitting around the same level as my last report, at 50% of its capacity. With the higher water levels now, it has made camping limited along the edges of the dam although there are still a few designated camp spots just below the lookout which are not too far from the water. The main boat ramp is also easily accessible with the higher water levels, which makes for easy loading and unloading of watercraft.

And with more water surface to fish now, it has

The trout season closure is fast approaching.

With only weeks left in the season, now is the time to get out there.

A well-conditioned Murray cod caught at Copeton Dam on a larger scaled swimbait. time of year has proved to be one of the best times to be chasing dream fish, whether it be Murray cod or yellowbelly.

During the winter months, a lot of anglers focus in on XL Murray cod and seem to leave the goldens alone, however they are still around and willing to eat lures, especially lures intended for cod such as chatterbaits and swimbaits. And let’s face it, catching perch on bigger lures focused for cod is pretty cool and doesn’t always happen that often, so I’ll take them any chance I get. The next two months are my favourite months to be out on the water for that reason as many exciting events occur on the water at this time of year, and anything can happen.

Copeton Dam is once again living up to its name as one of the big Murray cod fisheries in NSW. Many cracking fish have been caught already since the first cold snap, including many big cod over the metre mark, and with all the water Copeton received from the autumn rains, the dam is looking in awesome condition for months to come.

Most common lure choices and methods have been productive, from 72

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and you know exactly what it is doing in the water even 20m away, you will have the best chance at catching XL

hooked (including big yellowbelly and even Murray cod half their own size), sometimes it takes one

Golden perch are quite greedy, sometimes taking larger lures meant for Murray cod.

Big lures can really trigger a bite as Murray cod bulk up for the spawning season.

spread the structure out a lot which makes it easier to target a certain area and fish it thoroughly.

The Severn River, both above and below the dam, is also looking in awesome condition heading into winter and should fish well after the flush last month, as well as most other surrounding rivers in the Tablelands.

There is only one other thing to remember this month: with trout season closing on the June long weekend, it only leaves a couple of weeks left of open season before a couple of systems close around the area (including the Beardy River and Deepwater River as well as parts of the Severn, Macintyre and Gwydir rivers etc.) for the

3-month spawning season.

That means now is the time to get out on the water and make the most of it.

Check the DPI website for more details on which rivers or parts of rivers are closed if you are not 100% sure.

Good luck to everyone braving the cold this month, Fish slow, stay warm and tight lines.

NSW

Winter means plastics HUNTER VALLEY

Nick Price

June is the month of cool, crisp days and cold water temperatures. The winter months are my favourite time to fish. Once water temperatures stabilise, the fish start biting and the fishing is great. Generally only those people in the know are out fishing so it is never crowded.

more structure-orientated forage fish) in Glenbawn are a dark green colour.

Both gudgeons and smelt are small, generally only from 30-60mm with the odd larger specimen.

During the winter months I love to fish plastics.

My favourite are plastics in the 2-3” range that match the size of the smelt and gudgeons. I chose colours that match the hatch, such as a dark green or brown for

at Glenbawn or in the weed at St Clair I like to fish the plastic weedless, either using a tungsten weight and worm hook or a weedless jighead.

When fishing plastics, vary your technique and colour. Once you work out the combination that the bass want, you will catch lots of fish. Unfortunately, in winter it can be hard to get the combination right.

Sometimes the fish want a light jighead and will hit the

Tubby Taylor with a good Glenbawn bass.

Often the fish will be suspended at a depth with comfortable water quality. You then need to work your plastic at this depth. This can be tricky but once mastered it will improve your catch rate significantly.

If your sounder has a feature like the Garmin Livescope system you can watch your plastic and keep it at the right depth. Since using this system I have noticed that a common mistake is Natural colours and chartreuse are the author’s favourites, with a weedless rig handy in tight structure.

The bass at Glenbawn and St Clair in June are starting to school up. They can also be found on the edge or flats feeding on small forage fish such as smelt and gudgeons. Smelt are a schooling fish that sit mid water, and on the sounder you can see these as a big school of fish, often with bass under or chasing the school. Smelt are a clear colour, while gudgeons (a

gudgeon, an ayu for smelt, or a colour that stands out and is easily seen, such as chartreuse.

Fish your plastics on a 1/4oz, 1/6oz or 1/8oz jighead depending on the depth of water. Make sure the plastic is sitting straight on the jighead. If you take your time when rigging your plastic it will pay off with more fish.

When fishing the timber

plastic on the drop, while at other times they like it presented horizontally with a slow retrieve, and sometimes brought up through the school vertically. The combinations are endless, and again the trick is to crack the pattern.

When fishing with friends we all use different coloured plastics and try different techniques until we work out what the bass are after.

Smelt are in big schools at Glenbawn at the moment.

not being patient enough and not letting the lure work deep enough.

A good trick to keep your plastic at the correct depth is to fish in the depth that the fish are holding. If you notice the fish suspended in 25ft then go and find a similar bank that is 25ft deep. By working your plastic just off the bottom you will be at the correct zone where the fish are.

Next month I will look

at more plastic techniques and also examine the use of jerkbaits, which is another very successful and fun technique that I use a lot in the winter months.

If you’re heading to Glenbawn or St Clair drop into the shop at Aberdeen, and Liz or I can help with what colours, techniques and where the fish are found in the dam. There are plenty of bass in both lakes, and winter is a fantastic time to catch them.

FISHING NEWS

Flood plain harvesting blocked

In the NSW Legislative Assembly on 6 May, NSW Labor, aligned with most crossbench MPs, rejected plans by the NSW Coalition government for new monitoring, regulation and licencing of flood plain harvesting, which allows irrigators to capture flood waters on their properties.

The disallowance of the regulations published only a week earlier, was on a vote of 21-15. This will be the second time the regulations have been rejected; the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, Greens and other MPs rejected the proposed rules in 2020.

The flood plain harvesting rules were meant to plug a loophole in the Water Management Act 2000 that allowed irrigators to capture water without a licence as it flowed over their land.

The regulations were an attempt to reconcile the effect of restrictions of water extraction from the Murray Darling Basin rivers with the thousands of dams and other structure irrigators have built to

capture those flows over their land. Opponents to the proposed regulations say that before licensing can be introduced, there should be legislation to enshrine adequate downstream flows to other types of licence holders, communities and the environment. Without those downstream flows firstly being protected, the availability of water to those users would be under threat if the models of extraction turned out to be inaccurate, or if inflows continue to fall due to climate change.

The government claims the modelling is accurate.

Melinda Pavey, Minister for Water, says the policy would make NSW the first state to measure and license the extraction.

“The NSW government spent six years and more than $15 million on collecting and analysing data from field inspections, remote sensing, metering and river flow records, ensuring the best available science informs this groundbreaking reform,” Ms Pavey said.

However, other MPs, including Helen Dalton from the Shooters Fishers

& Farmers Party, say it is just a way to legalise flood plain harvesting.

“The Nationals say this causes ‘uncertainty’, but they only have themselves to blame,” Ms Dalton said. “They’ve not consulted properly, failed to legislate downstream water targets, and failed to ensure all water take will be within the cap [on water extraction]”.

In other bad news for the NSW government on the same day, the Murray-Darling Basin Commission said that all 20 water resource management plans put forward by the NSW government were unlikely to meet the requirements of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Four of the plans have already been withdrawn by the government. A statement by the Authority said “All proposed NSW [plans] appear to be inconsistent with Basin Plan requirements... some of these inconsistencies are policy related and others are technical.” – Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW JUNE 2021

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Still time for trout BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

The first thing I just have to mention this month is the exceptional trout fishing in our local rivers and streams. Pretty much everyone who has fished

crack at some of the best trout fishing possible, you will be pleased to know that it’s not too late to get a piece of the action yourself before the season closes after the June long weekend. No matter how far you have to travel to get down here before the close, it will be worth the effort I can assure you.

aggressive pre-spawn fish.

Lure anglers can also take advantage of the trout’s aggressive nature at this time of the year by throwing any lures that resemble other fish, such as minnowstyle hardbodies or fishshaped plastics.

Bait anglers have been getting amongst their fair

Alacia with her partner David Faircloth and her first ever trout from a recent guided session with the author in some spectacular country. She went on to catch many more. even get better.

BLOWERING REDFIN The redfin fishing at Blowering Dam has been great for the last few months, with plaque proportions of small to medium sized fish being landed by both land-

The condition of the Tumut River trout this season is exceptional, and there is no shortage of them either. share of trout also, with wood and bardi grubs being the pick of the baits. I expect there will also be plenty of trout caught on PowerBait over the last couple of weeks of the season.

The trout fishing has been so good this season that I have struggled to drag myself away from the creeks and rivers, and have hardly fished a lake at all. However this will all change once the season closes because like everyone else I’ll be forced to fish the no closed season lakes, which have also been fishing great of late. Both Eucumbene Dam and Tantangara have fished well over the last month or so, and that should continue this month and may possibly

based and boating anglers.

However, this month will see a transition from large numbers of small fish in shallow water to large numbers of big fish in deep water.

This is the best time of

This month will see the trout really start to show their spawn colours. Nymphing with flies that have a bit of red in them, like this red copper John Nymph, will be hard to beat.

Redfin will be forming massive pre-spawn schools in deep water this month, and now is your best chance of landing some of those monster redfin that impoundments like Blowering Dam are famous for. This fish fell to an Insanity Tackle Yab blade. the area this season has remarked on just how good it’s been, and many anglers said it was by far the best that they had ever experienced.

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TROUT Fly fishing for trout in our creeks and rivers will be the most productive technique this month, with glow bugging and deep nymphing the most consistent tactic employed for these

the year to target redfin, not just because the large fish are much more prevalent, but because once the trout season closes your options for good numbers of fish are limited. Add the fact that redfin are delicious to eat

There has been no shortage of stunning trout willing to rise for a grasshopper dry fly lately.

and you can see why many of us opt for redfin jigging for our fishing fix during the winter months.

Vertical jigging is the best way to catch insane numbers of fish because schools do not move around much at this time of the year, and once a school is located it is not uncommon to sit in one spot and catch close to 100 fish or even more at times. I generally continue to exploit a school that I’ve found until the bites drop right off, then I go and find a fresh school and start the fun all over again. Jigging with bait such as small yabbies, prawns or worms will account for plenty of fish, but the time it takes to rebait and drop back down can decrease your catch rate compared to someone using To page 75

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Last chance for creek trout LITHGOW/OBERON

Glen Stewart stewie72@bigpond.com

This June long weekend is our last chance locally to target trout in the streams. I’ve recently reacquainted myself with some old stomping grounds and have been pleasantly surprised by what I’ve seen.

The efforts of local trout acclimatization societies have to be congratulated.

Without them the fishery would not exist in such diverse locations.

Good consistent

weather seasons (cooler summers, plentiful rain) do have a big impact on marginal trout waters, but some of the bigger fish we have seen have definitely survived what was a pretty dire drought just a year or two back. Deeper, cooler sections of the Duckmaloi and Fish rivers higher up may have held a few resident hardened fish that have now spread throughout the systems?

Spawning does occur locally when conditions present at this time of year, but it’s very hit and miss, with long kilometres walking between reds

(spawning beds). It’s frowned upon in some circles and I totally get it, especially as I’ve gotten older. The opportunity in some cases to target the biggest brown trout in the river at this time of year is hard to resist, and I get that too.

It is possible to target pools above and below the spawning beds for trout (mainly brown trout at this time of year), who are still in a pre-spawn mode. Nature very rarely puts all her eggs in one basket. Large shallow diving minnows or smelt pattern flies can be deadly on these fish.

BIGGER COD In my experience, bigger cod are definitely in a league of their own. I’m by no means an expert, but I have seen enough to know that targeting cod over a metre in length requires a different approach – even, dare I say it, down to individual fish.

Pressured water tends to fish very differently from unpressured water on most days. It’s a trend that is getting more pronounced as each winter weekend rolls on, and the fish become more educated.

Adjusting your tactics to suit, shifting focus, and thinking outside the box will be key. During those red-hot bites when all the stars align it won’t matter what you do, but let’s face it – those days are rare indeed.

Slight adjustments are sometimes all that is required, so why not try a new or different style of swimbait? I have little doubt that the cod remember the sonic footprint and appearance of popular lures in popular destinations, and

Brown trout in most cases are the first to show signs of the spawning urge in small streams.

Catching them on fly is a great challenge.

Murray Stewart with the sort of small creek specimen that is possible with caution and the right presentation on fly. This one grabbed a streamer pattern after refusing other offerings.

From page 74

the right lure.

There are a number of lures that work well when fished vertically, including soft plastics, lipless crankbaits (rattling, silent and rubber models), tail spinners, spoons, blades and ice jigs. All of these lures will catch fish when used correctly but the ice jigs, heavy rubber vibes and blades are my

first three choices when vertically jigging for redfin.

There is no need for any fancy retrieves with these lures, simply drop them all the way to the bottom, take up the slack line and start jigging. The most important thing to keep in mind when employing this technique is to stay in contact with your lure on the drop because more than 90% of the hits will come whilst the

lure is dropping back to the bottom after a lift. If you feel a little tap as the lure is sinking back to the bottom, strike like there is no tomorrow because redfin are notorious for spitting lures very quickly.

Staying in contact with your lure and striking hard will make sure you spook fewer fish and will help fill your keeper bag regularly this winter.

Plunge pools below waterfalls will be worth hiking into this month, as they will often be stacked with migrating super eager trout trying to get their spawn on.

It can be difficult to target trout in clear shallow mountain streams on fly. They will be off limits after the June long weekend. these fish will associate those lures with danger.

Ditto boat noise, so it may pay to adopt a more stealthy approach. In fact, in some instances that floating sound board might best be left pulled up on the bank.

TCD TROUT It has been way too long since I targeted Thompsons Creek Dam trout. It’s a difficult fishery but one approach that has rung true over the years has been to go when the weather is bad.

Windy, cold cloudy days at TCD in June are no place for the faint-hearted though; I reckon it’s the coldest place I’ve ever fished.

Investing in some quality outdoor clothing is critical.

It allows for longer, more comfortable stays in cold and/or wet weather. Still, a fair degree of tenacity is required on some days, even when you’re fully prepared.

A false spawn can push big rainbow trout to the gravel banks in shallow water. They are far from rats in a barrel and can drive you absolutely nuts. Seeing them and catching them are two totally different things.

In fact, on some days you are better off ignoring them.

Fly anglers possibly have the best presentations to suit the circumstances, especially those fish on the gravel beds. Light leaders and small flies are needed in most instances.

Once hooked, things get pretty hairy. It’s real heartin-the-mouth stuff that never gets old.

Lure anglers are usually better off targeting pre- or post-spawning fish away from or in close proximity to these shallow gravel banks.

Keep in mind that TCD is lure and fly only. Fisheries operations are regular at this time of year, both visible and non-visible. I believe in recent years prosecutions and gear confiscation has been needed to curb certain activities by unscrupulous individuals intent on breaking the laws.

Hoping to see you on the water soon. Until then, tight lines.

JUNE 2021

75

NSW

Due for winter cod!

ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

The long, warm sunny days are now well in the past, and the icy winter blasts are here to stay for some time. These next few months will push us cod enthusiasts to the max, testing our skill, persistence and mindsets.

It can hard to motivate yourself to brave the cold, and the fish will not always play the game, which can put us off our ultimate goal: a prized big winter Murray cod. However, if

you persist, the rewards are spectacular! I can almost guarantee if you land that fish you’ve been wanting for such a long time, you’ll celebrate, sit back and tell yourself it was totally worth it. And this will make you want to do it more and more!

There’s a few things I like to keep in mind before heading out in winter to keep myself focused on the goal. The first factor is to expect the unexpected.

Some days cod do things that you can’t believe, and other days they won’t even budge no matter how much

you annoy them, which leads me into my second point: be prepared for a donut. Fish won’t always play the game, especially in winter. Big fish are particularly smart, so fooling one can be a really tough gig, especially in waters that get fished more frequently. The upside though is that you learn something on every trip, even if you don’t land a fish, so it’s not a write-off.

And just being there is a blessing in itself.

The last motivating factor to remember is that you could catch a trophy

n Trout Hatchery e d a G

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fish on your next trip.

That’s what drives me to get out of my warm, cosy bed at ridiculous times of the morning. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve rolled over to hit the snooze button but then I remember that my fish I’ve wanted for so long could be waiting.

This region has got some fantastic water to go explore – we have the Murray River at our doorstep and lake Mulwala is roughly an hour down the road.

Take advantage of

ut Hatcher o r T n e d y Ga

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these places, because the potential for amazing memories is certainly there.

Not to mention, who could not say no to the beauty of these places?

In winter you should fish everything super slow and don’t rush snags. At times during winter, I’ll spend twice as long at snags and put in double the amount of casts as compared to summertime.

The fish’s metabolism is very slow so getting a reaction isn’t always easy. Sometimes it can pay to have a couple rods rigged up with different lures tied on.

For example, you might

have a surface lure on one rod and if the fish doesn’t react to it, rigged on another rod you could have a diver or a spinnerbait ready to go just to cover the options.

This can also be a really good way of catching a fish that has come up to eat a surface lure but has missed hooks and won’t come back. Sometimes they won’t break the surface again, so switching to something different might be the best card to play.

So fish slow and stay focused, and make sure your gear is ready to handle a new PB! Your dream fish awaits. Tight lines and best of luck out there!

See how premier sport fish are bred and raised!

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JUNE 2021

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77

Canberra

ACT

Have the lakes to yourself CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

I love fishing in Canberra throughout winter. I know a lot of local anglers who pack up the fishing gear and ride out winter from the comfort of their office or

within 50km. Inevitably, there will be change over time as Canberra’s population continues to grow rapidly and so too does the urban sprawl, but for now, it’s still possible to go for big fish throughout winter in the ACT without having another soul wander up during a session and ask

fish can be targeted along the banks which run parallel to Lawson Crescent near the Museum where the snags are thick but worth the risk. A well-placed plastic hopped around the base of one of the half-submerged logs in this area will often elicit a strike.

Golden perch also

be fussy and homed in on one particular food item at this time of year. It is a case of trying a lot of different lures and several different retrieves along the dam wall while also planning your trip around low light periods. I tend to fish Tuggeranong once or twice a fortnight, and for the past few weeks have not gone home without landing at least one redfin.

Lake Ginninderra is, as always, one my regular winter haunts. I have found that the golden perch don’t really shut down to the same extent as those in Tuggers and LBG, and do bite well, especially during the first few weeks of winter. The lake is in decent

Cod have moved since the floods. spinnerbait if twitched and then almost dragged along the bottom near the old police jetty. Watch out for the enormous weed bed in this

so the cod have moved into back eddies away from the traditional larger winter snags.

I have caught good numbers of small fish targeting the

Brendan Hawes has worked out the winter goldens. couch, but for me there is nothing better than casting from a windswept bank on Lake Burley Griffin.

I don’t catch a lot of fish through this period but the fish I do catch are usually much bigger than those I land through spring, summer and autumn. Plus, I really

“getting a few?”

And that is why, when the weather is at its worst, you’ll find me casting plastics on light spin in a variety of locations across out urban lakes.

LOCAL LAKES The fishing hasn’t been easy on Lake Burley Griffin.

inhabit this area, and it is possible (even in the coldest of conditions), to land a half dozen good sized reds and at least one golden perch. If you’re fishing from a boat or yak, this area is also worth investigating, with the old broken pontoons representing structure to cast at in the hope to entice a big yella.

Lake Tuggeranong received a good hit of rain in early May and this meant that the fishing, for a short time was very good and almost at the level seen through late summer and early autumn.

Always an interesting prospect for any angler, there are plenty of winter options on the lake, with small to medium reds still feeding up along the edges. Just be prepared to work hard for a cod on lure as these fish can

The author with a cold water Canberra cod. shape and, despite the turbid water, is producing good numbers of reds and yellas for anglers using a variety of methods, from slowly twitching creature baits on a ned rig along the bottom through to slow rolling vibes and blades behind the College and along the concrete walls.

The cod, similar to Lake Tuggeranong, are fussy at present but can be coaxed into taking a well-placed

area and be prepared to lose a lure or two as some people use this area as a trolley dumping ground.

The Murrumbidgee is fishing quite well. There have been some excellent captures by anglers who have put in some serious hours and found fish in some unusual locations. The floods from a few months back have completely changed the banks of the river in some areas

David Pidcock releasing a solid LBG golden perch. don’t mind missing out on big numbers because the serenity is the real highlight. Most of the time, through June, I don’t see another angler when on the water, even when fishing the urban lakes. This makes for a special kind of angling experience when on some days, in a busy city like Canberra, it is possible to feel like you’re the only person 78

JUNE 2021

The cold weather has shut down the fishery, with the ever-present redfin heading out to deeper water while large numbers of natives have followed suit and tailed the reddies out into the depths.

That said, some of the bigger reds have hung around in the shallower areas where there are decent snags and a good supply of food. These

Smaller fish are holding tight to structure, including submerged grass.

now-submerged grasses from eroded banks, and some of the surface takes have been absolutely spectacular. The Evergreen Timberflash has done the damage for me but plenty of anglers have landed fish using Jackall Pompadours and paddler style surface lures.

SURROUNDS Googong is a bit of a mixed bag at present. There have been some great captures including some large cod to 115cm and some really big goldens to 60cm. The natives are starting to shut down though so now is a good time to target a big green machine using a swimbait because these fish will be looking for one last big feed.

The redfin fishing has been outstanding. I ducked out last week with local gun Michael Wilson and we caught a fish a cast for about an hour.

There were double hook-ups and plenty of lost fish coupled with some genuinely exciting moments including when a small cod ate one of the reds as I was bringing it to the bank. All fish were caught on creature plastics attached to a ned rig and paddle tail plastics attached to a beetle spin.

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Choosing the right day to fish HOBART

Andrew Large

Anglers have been making the most of good weather windows, and have been catching a variety of summer species that continued to bite well into autumn.

SALTWATER On the coast, southern bluefin tuna continue to be caught in the southeast of the state around Cape Pillar.

Jumbos or fish over 100kg seemed to have lessened off in Peninsula waters, and are now being encountered east of Maria Island and further north to Bicheno. Meanwhile, good

fish from 35-70kg have picked up a little in recent days around Fortescue Bay. School fish continue to be caught in good numbers. Bluefin are now being caught from Mewstone in the south to St Helens.

Numbers of albacore tuna are starting to wane but are still available off the peninsula, and reports still have the odd fish being taken in Storm Bay. Consistent captures seem to be in the vicinity of Fortescue and Tasman Island.

Unusual for this late in the year, arrow squid are still being caught in Storm Bay, Marion Bay and Mercury Passage in deep water of 60m+.

Cooling waters have

encouraged winter spawning by southern calamari, and they are available in the lower Derwent River and Channel areas. Further afield, good numbers are available although schools have been patchy.

Sand flathead are continuing to bite well, with bait, lure and fly taking fish recently. The best spots for a feed include Storm Bay, Marion Bay, Fredrick Henry Bay and White Beach.

The now very scarce yellowtail kingfish are still available but they are very much a species of opportunity.

At the moment numbers are falling with the receding warm water. Some kingfish have

A beautiful cold morning at Bronte Lagoon in the Central Highlands.

been taken on paternoster rigs destined for flathead in deep water in recent weeks.

Good-sized Australian salmon are starting to reappear now that we have sea surface temperatures cooling. Alum Cliffs, near Kingston and South Arm, close to the CBD, seem to be local hotspots, while anglers fishing Cremorne in the canal to Pipeclay Lagoon are reporting fish to 1kg with the average being 0.75kg.

Anglers are making the most of flounder that are now moving for autumn. The ever-frustrating sea breezes have generally tapered off allowing for an early outing, and a return at night. South Arm, Lewisham, Dunalley and Orford are reported to be producing fish.

ESTUARY Sea-run trout continue to be caught in the mid reaches of the Derwent and Huon estuaries. Both of these waters are open to angling to the Huonville and New Norfolk bridges by anglers holding a current freshwater angling licence. Spin, troll, soft plastic and fly are producing fish.

While black bream are being caught in good numbers around Cornellian Bay, Store Point, Bowen Bridge and Cadbury Point. Prawns are working well for the bait fishers while the many small soft plastics and brightlycoloured shrimp type flies are working well for anglers using these techniques.

FRESHWATER The brown trout season closed on the first Sunday in May, leaving just our rainbow

Morwong are still biting well of Eaglehawk Neck on the Tasman Peninsula. trout waters open for a few further weeks, generally open for another month, and of course our 12-month open waters remain open for a fish with a current IFS Inland Fishing Licence.

For the moment Great Lake is still producing fish and will continue to do so into June. It’s important to pick the right day at this time of the year conducive to good fishing at altitude. Enjoy the settled weather while it lasts.

At the time of writing Weld River remains open but is flowing at a higher level due to recent rains throughout the southwest. Spin fishing this

area may be worth a try.

While Dee Lagoon continues to produce fish in the later stages of this year’s season. Good fish, both brown and rainbow, have been taken on lure and fly recently.

Mentmore Bay has the pick of the fishing for the moment.

Other waters such as Lake Pedder and Lake King William will come into their own over the coming winter months. Picking a good day to fish will be the only consideration at altitude more so than whether the trout will be biting.

Good luck over the next month.

PRODUCT PROFILE

New reels from Daiwa Daiwa has released a slew of new reels for 2021, and three of the latest models to hit the shelves are the Alphas SV TW, Emeraldas X LT and Luvias Airity.

The Alphas was Daiwa’s first real foray into the finesse baitcast realm, and quickly established itself as one of the go-to light tackle baitcast reels for light tackle baitcaster enthusiasts. Fast-forward over a decade, and the first true redesign of the Alphas platform is here.

Redesigned from the ground up, the new Alphas SV TW now features T-Wing to deliver a new era in Alphas design and performance.

Incorporating Daiwa’s Hyperdrive Design concept, Alphas SV TW features all four of the key pillars: Hyper Armed Housing, Hyper Tough Clutch, Hyper Double Support and most importantly Hyperdrive

Digigear. The new Alphas SV TW is equal parts, strength, refinement and next level performance to deliver the Australia bass scene its most advanced Alphas ever.

Alphas SV TW also features SV spool system, which is a super versatile system capable of both light and heavy weight lures for maximum versatility.

The new valuefor-money Emeraldas X LT features Daiwa’s latest design innovations.

Daiwa’s LT Concept delivers lightness and strength while the Emeraldas’ Tough Digigear enhances gear design, with its high precision cutting technique achieving perfect gear meshing and ultra-smooth performance.

The heart of any dedicated squid reel is its drag, and Daiwa’s finesse focused ATD Drag is tailormade for ultimate control and refinement, with its

Emeraldas X LT

Luvias Airity

Alphas SV TW

finely adjustable drag setting allowing you to keep the barbs in the slightest and most timid of hook sets.

A truly lightweight and fully functional reel, the Emeraldas X LT isn’t just a squid reel, excelling at

any light tackle application where light line and finesse drag capability is important.

The Luvias Airity sets a new standard of lightweight spinning reel. Daiwa’s lightest spin reel ever, finesse perfection starts with the Airity’s Monocoque body. The Monocoque body provides ultimate strength, while the Airity’s treated magnesium frame provides superior lightness and

rigidity.

A large diameter aluminium machine-cut Tough Digigear is housed inside the MQ body and delivers smooth, powerful reeling performance. A Zaion Air Rotor contributes to the reel’s weightlessness to enhance rotational balance and cranking smoothness, while a single-piece seamless Airbail further enhances rotational performance and design.

A waterproof ATD Drag

is installed inside the super lightweight spool to provide flawless drag performance, while a Longcast ABS (LC ABS) lip provides casting ease and distance. Made in Japan to the highest quality, Luvias Airity will be sure to impress the most hardcore and discerning light tackle angler.

For more information on these and other new releases, visit w w w. d a i w a f i s h i n g . com.au. - FMG JUNE 2021

79

www.vrfish.com.au #makefishingbetter

Changes at VRFish

to the Werribee River. The diversity and sheer magnitude of issues facing Victoria’s recreational fishers, who just want to go fishing, means that we’re lucky to have these volunteers to go into bat for us. Without them recreational fishing would look very different today.

As VRFish celebrates its 25th year as the Peak Body for recreational fishing, I wanted to reflect on just how much blood and treasure our volunteers have spent over the last quarter century on representing the interests of Victoria’s recreational fishers. It is a thankless task that often means giving up your family and fishing time to tackle the issues of the day so that any Victorian who wants to just go fishing, can go fishing. The issues VRFish volunteers tackle are many and State-wide, but generally fall into the categories of Access, Best Practice, Water and Habitat and Promotion of Fishing.

And VRFish looks very different today. A small but professional staff assists VRFish members to continue to represent Victoria’s recreational fishers. Sure, VRFish might not be perfect, but we will never shy away from standing up for recreational fishers. A simple reason is that statistically only 1 in every 5 decision makers go fishing. Making sure the ‘other 4’ understand recreational fishing, our requirements and our

Some of the historic and notable advocacy from VRFish involved Marine Parks, Scallop Dredging, Environmental Flows, Mako Sharks, Netting in Bays and Inlets and all the way down to a fence built across the crown water frontage that blocked recreational fisher access

MAKE FISHING BETTER BY JOINING VRFISH VRFish Individual Membership Annual membership subscription: $25.00

Member benefits • Receive regular ‘Member First’ email updates on important issues that affect your fishing.

• Be represented on key issues affecting recreational fishing at a local, state and national level.

• Receive our monthly ‘Fishing Lines’ e-newsletter emailed to you with all thenews and events happening in Victorian Fishing.

VRFish Subscriber Charge: Free

Member benefits • Monthly e-news ‘Fishing Lines’ to keep you up to date with issues affecting your fishing.

• Opportunity to have your say on the future of fishing through surveys and polls.

Other membership categories • Visit our website

www.vrfish.com.au to learn more about our membership options including for fishing clubs.

80

JUNE 2021

• Help fund programs and projects that make fishing better.

• Opportunities to formally contribute your views and expertise in making fishing better through member forums, reference groups and surveys.

• Have an influence in the direction of VRFish and take part in the voting rights at the Annual General Meeting.

Here are the priorities VRFish are working on to make fishing better, for everyone:

ACCESS

Fixing our boat ramps and defending your fishing rights to access our waterways.

HABITAT

Improving our vital fish habitats through protection, restoration and enhancement.

WATER

Keeping our rivers flowing and defending recreational and environmental water allocations.

PROMOTE

Promoting fishing in Victoria, creating new and vibrant fisheries and supporting the next generation of fishers.

BEST PRACTICE

Supporting our fishers to take a lead role in the stewardship of our fish and waterways, fish responsibly and promote fish for the future.

PO Box 4574, Geelong, VIC 3220, AUSTRALIA

P 03 5221 1104 E info@vrfish.com.au

of the best funded and staffed anti-fishing groups in existence. The RFL funding from your licence also means that should you have an issue while trying to go fishing, or even a suggestion or project to make fishing better, you can contact us for assistance. It does not matter if you are exempt from purchasing a licence either. VRFish represents all of Victoria’s recreational fishers.

issues is very important. You’d be surprised how often decisions are made that have unintended but negative consequences for recreational fishers.

Then there are ‘those opposed’ to recreational fishing. I am in the lucky position that I get paid to go toe to toe with these fools. The 5% of recreational fishing licence funds, or about $1.70 from every 1 Year licence, that gives VRFish life each year means that we can go up against some

As I write this report today the many VRFish issues range from a local government trying to remove kids from fishing in a local lake so a gardening group can take over, the Murray Cod population being scoured out of existence in the Lower Goulburn River, the oncoming Animal Welfare Act and the potential to impact how you go fishing, the Rock Lobster Management Plan review and ensuring a fair share of the fishery, developing a State-wide habitat Strategy, building better boat ramps and even a locked gate at Goomalibee.

With Barrell season underway at Portland, the Mulloway starting to fire, big Browns galore and Eildon metery’s starting to show up on my social media feed, take a moment to reflect on the best fishing destination in the world, Victoria.

Then get out there.

Ben Scullin A/Executive Officer

VICTORIA'S RECREATIONAL FISHING PEAK BODY

HABITAT

WATER

Visit the VRFish website www.vrfish.com.au to join and contact us on issues affecting recreational fishing.

ACCESS

BEST PRACTICE PROMOTE

#makefishingbetter JUNE 2021

81

VIC

Winter chill is here WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

June, the first month of winter…hang on, it’s only just winter now?

The progression from summer to winter seems to have been very quick this year with little of the calm, glorious autumnal weather that local anglers enjoy.

Massive seas one weekend saw huge groyne wall rocks picked up and thrown onto roadways at Point Fairy and enough damage done to the Warrnambool breakwater and boat ramp to see them both closed to the public for an extended period. One minute you were thinking about kingfish or spending warm night’s beach fishing, next minute it’s too cold and windy to even want to take a boat out and it’s all about bank fishing for trout! Fortunately, the trout fishing has been pretty good.

Early in the season

my son and his friends got some quality fish on light gear to over 2kg doing long walks into remote areas that become inaccessible as we head deep into winter. As the water continued to cool and rise, the trout switched on in easier to access areas.

Many good fish were taken by anglers casting or trolling from boats in the lower Merri, a very good option before the water dirties up too much. Come later in June, if we do get significant rain and the waters dirty, bank fishing targeting shallow runs in the local rivers, tends to be a more productive method.

Interestingly, we’ve had two trout recaptures – fish we have already caught and released. One was a 59cm fish recaptured about 3 weeks apart. The other was a 66cm fish we captured and released almost 12 months ago. In that time it had grown 3cm and put on about 700g.

You may ask how in the world you can know this without tagging

the fish? Well, a trout’s spots are individual patterns much like our fingerprints. A keen eye (and a good memory like my lad seems to have) checking old photos can easily reveal a recapture.

So it goes to show if you aren’t after one for a feed, carefully releasing a trout you have caught can see someone else get the same enjoyment as you just had.

Reports on the other winter staple, the bluefin tuna have been a bit ordinary for this time of the year, mainly due to the poor weather. Not many school fish in close but a couple of barrels in the 80-110kg range were landed west of Port Fairy in around 65m of water.

Hopefully some calmer winter days will see more action on the local tuna front .

On the estuary scene, some good mulloway to around 80cm have continued to show up in the Hopkins River. They are still a possibility in June, particularly in the lower

One of the recaptured browns: it measured 63cm in 2020 (left), and then 66cm in 2021. reaches before the waters get too dirty with winter flows. Bream fishers using vibration style lures can often get an unexpected

surprise at this time of year when a decent mulloway latches onto their lure.

Come winter estuary perch have usually started

to migrate downstream to spawn and can also be taken in the deeper lower regions of the estuary on vibration size lures.

Tuna catches increase PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

We have had a few ups and downs over the last couple of months, with another COVID shutdown in February and some very large swells in April and May, and we are currently having some issues with our abalone population.

However, for some better news, the school tuna have certainly ben up and about, and this should only get better as winter sets in.

We have seen some bigger tuna caught in Port Macquarie over the 100kg mark, so it’s only a matter of time before we see them here. Hopefully our restricted area has been lifted by the time you read this, but if not, the tuna have

been in good numbers just outside of this area.

We have seen some great snapper caught off the lee breakwater in April and May, with some good quality whiting mixed in.

Some big 7-gillers and gummies have also been caught at night. The bay was also fishing well before the restrictions.

When the weather is on the better side and the

The spoils of a trip last month with Pro Red Fishing Charters.

The guys bagged out in quick time and released 16. guys can head to the shelf, they have been able to bring home good catches of blue-eye trevalla, pink ling, blue grenadier and gemfish.

So let’s hope the season continues this month and

Archer Cummings with the rainbow trout he caught at the kids’ clinic with Lee Rayner.

82

JUNE 2021

we can all get some good fishing in.

• For all the latest updates, plus all your bait and tackle needs, call in and see the friendly crew from Portland Compleat Angler – Braden,

Emily, Fiona or Nigel – or contact them on 03 5521 1844. You can also view the latest news, photos and special deals on the Portland Compleat Angler Facebook page.

Matthew Hunt Fishing Services with a nice feed of school tuna.

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VIC

Hopkins River still producing good bream COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

Not too far offshore, it’s literally tuna city with many schools of southern bluefin tuna on their annual west to east pelagic migration. At the time of writing, the barrel fish have yet to fully make their presence felt, however there’s plenty of specimens pulling the scales down from 6-30kg and these are the fish you want if you are keen to take home a feed or three.

Schools of feeding fish have been located as little as 5km offshore. Feeding, diving seabirds are a dead giveaway that the tuna are feeding on baitfish, such as mackerel or pilchards balled up on or close to the surface. Casting and trolling is the go with skirted lures remaining the most popular go-to lure followed by deep diving hardbodies in the 130-200mm lengths. Most colours are working well and don’t forget a knife jig outfit to send down below the surface carnage as some of the larger fish hold deeper awaiting an attack plus there also maybe a

yellowtail kingfish or two down there as well.

Those who either cannot locate the tuna or prefer to bottom bounce full stop are picking up

some lovely table fish in depths of 70m+. School shark to 22kg, pink ling, blue grenadier plus the odd trevalla are all being taken off the bottom using whole

squid as bait.

One concerning thing here is the absence of Tasmanian trumpeter. Is this a cyclic phenomenon that occurs every now and then,

A solid Hopkins bream taken off the mudflats on a Berkley Shrimp.

a result of climate change and warming waters, or a sign of over fishing?

The Hopkins River has been good for bream up to 1.3kg, however this is the exception not the norm. There’s plenty about taking local live bait, such as spew worm, brown shell, shrimp and crab with the bigger ones cut in half.

The estuary perch have gone quiet, which seems to point to the fish moving way upstream to the upper tidal reaches and beyond.

Mulloway are few and far between, but there was one weighing in well over 6kg. It was over a metre and was taken at night on spew worm on the flats.

Unfortunately the Curdies Estuary has bluegreen algae in its waters and has pushed upstream from the lake somewhat.

I’d recommend not eating any fish caught here.

This outbreak has kept some anglers away however; those diehard anglers who mainly use lures have been doing well and many have caught good estuary perch and bream upstream of Boggy Creek.

Casting right up to

the bank or any snag has seen quite a few sudden takes from sizeable fish.

Once there, if the south easterlies abate and it cools down with a bit of rain to boot, this algal outbreak should dissipate.

It just goes to show that the river is very rich with nutrients caused by cattle effluent as well as fertilizers spread across paddocks too close to the river bank and heavy rain causes run-off into the river.

Add warmth and sunlight and an outbreak could easily occur.

Sensible farming practices, along with more native tree and foliage planted bank side to soak up some of these nutrients, will help but until that occurs on a much larger scale than it currently is, algal outbreaks and possible fish kills will continue.

The system is quite full but a solid sand bar blocks the mouth off to the Southern Ocean.

One more decent downpour dumping an inch or two of rainfall across the valley will, no doubt, bring about an artificial reopening of the estuary.

FISHING NEWS

Year-round cod fishing Recreational fishers will be able to fish for Murray cod all year in Victoria’s west with the three-month closed season to be removed from the Wimmera and Millicent basins, except the Wimmera River.

Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) CEO Travis Dowling said extensive consultation has shown strong support from recreational fishers to remove the closed season for Murray cod in the area.

“The response through the VFA’s consultation of fishers was extremely positive and this will have benefits for fishing and for regional tourism,” Mr Dowling said.

“The Wimmera and Millicent basins are outside of the natural range of Murray cod and thousands of fingerlings are stocked into waters each year, including the ever-improving fisheries at Rocklands Reservoir and Taylors Lake.

“Removing the closed season will deliver year-round fishing opportunities and boost businesses that depend on tourism, with fishers flocking to towns throughout the year to chase these iconic native fish. Creating more opportunities for Murray cod fishing also complements the State Government’s $35 million plan to get more people fishing, more often.”

84

JUNE 2021

Mr Dowling said the annual closed season – which runs from September 1 through November 30 – would remain in the Wimmera River, where Murray cod are more likely to breed and will be afforded the extra protection of the closed season.

“Fishing pressure will also be moved away from rivers by removing the closed season. Rivers are where Murray cod naturally breed and this will allow them to ‘have a rest when they’re on the nest’, consistent with our ‘Care for Cod’ campaign.

“Removing the closed season for cod at Lake Eildon in 2016 has proved a huge success and we’re confident this will have a similar effect on fisheries in the Wimmera like Rocklands,

Lake Charlegrark and Taylors Lake.

“Key recreational fishing bodies have come out in support of the change to closed season regulations, including VRFish, who initiated the move. Native Fish Australia, Mid-Northern Angling Association and Wimmera Anglers Association have also strongly backed it.”

VRFish chair Rob Loats said the move to open yearround Murray cod fishing in the Wimmera and Millicent basins is another example of progressive and positive fisheries management, helping to ensure great fishing for years to come.

For more information, visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/ bettercod. – VFA

Releasing cod fingerlings at Rocklands Reservoir.

Flathead stocking and new bream slot limit The Gippsland Lakes has welcomed 42,000 dusky flathead fingerlings and a new slot limit for black bream, delivering on key elements of the Recreational Fishery Plan released earlier this year following the removal of commercial net fishing from the Lakes.

The fingerlings were stocked at Metung and Lakes Entrance and are part of a thee year trial to boost populations of the iconic species in eastern estuaries including Bemm River, which was also stocked for the first time with 5,000 dusky flathead.

Flathead broodfish were captured at Mallacoota with help from volunteers including the Mallacoota & District Angling Club, then transported to a hatchery where they spawned and grew into fingerlings.

As part of the collection process, DNA samples from across East Gippsland were gathered to map the genetic structure of dusky stocks.

Black bream slot limit On 1 April 2021, a new slot limit of 28–38cm was introduced for black bream in the Gippsland Lakes and tributaries.

The new maximum size limit of 38cm provides added protection for larger bream, which are more prolific breeders, produce more eggs and contribute more to future generations, whilst still allowing people to take home bream for the dinner table.

The slot limit is underpinned by science with modelling indicating 12 per cent more breeding black bream will remain in the population with the slot limit in place.

To learn more about the Gippsland Lakes Recreational Fishery Plan, visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/gippslandlakes

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

VIC

Surf Coast serves up good winter fishing hood. Other anglers targeting squid also caught some real whoppers. Mine were in 6m and others were in 4m pretty much straight out off the ramp at Clifton Springs.

I also poked about for whiting and found them in 6m of water off Leopold. I was flogged to death by mini wrasse and only caught four whiting to 38cm.

St Leonards often has a fair run of gummy sharks out deep over winter. I had one gent by the name of Ian send me in a pic of a real ripper gummy he caught after dark

GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

We’re plummeting into the depths of winter but do not despair! The Bellarine and Surf Coast has your fishing needs covered! Then again, if it blows hard for ages and fails miserably to deliver on my claim, it’s a great time to self-test your lifejackets, safety gear, wheel bearings and general tackle maintenance.

Wurdee Buloc Reservoir near Moriac is a popular destination in June. The water has cooled and the trout are in the shallows. Andrew Orchard fished the east wall of the reservoir casting a Daiwa

Foordy and the author had the kids out of Barwon Heads and found a patch of salmon.

Ian and his mate wrestled with a big St Leonards gummy.

Presso 95sp in the spangle colour and hooked up on a nice brown trout of about 45cm after a few casts. Andrew kept flicking lures and hooked up on a redfin of about 38cm not long after he landed the trout.

The Barwon River’s estuary perch were still very keen on lures and worms over the last month. It will be interesting to see how active they are over winter.

baitfish on the surface. Much excitement, tangles and fun normally follows as these tough fighting fish get airborne as they come in.

Salmon have shown up all over Corio Bay. They can show up anywhere at any time so just keep an eye out for white water and diving birds. If they are not feeding on the surface, then you can troll about for a while until a school is located. Most

Andrew backed up the brown with this 38cm reddie from Wurdee Buloc.

These perch in Geelong were stocked by VFA around 2018 and earlier this year hit 20cm in length so the will provide a much needed native sportfish for the river in years to come.

The Geelong waterfront has been booming over the last month or so with plenty of fish about. The everpopular Wangim Walk wave attenuator has been producing pinkie snapper, flathead and salmon have shown up from time-to-time pulverising 86

JUNE 2021

birds were seen circling over some salmon so we headed over to the school and had some fun casting lures at them for a few hours. The salmon maxed out at 50cm but there was plenty of shouting and excitement watching fish slash at surface lures and frustratingly follow them all the way to the boat on occasions. We had the most strikes on Lunker City Slug-Go soft plastic lures and although we didn’t land too many, they were great fun.

Other anglers reported some fair pinkie action

Corio Bay salmon have been from 30-40cm with a few over 50cm pulling the kinks out of the line.

Any shiny metal lure, soft plastic or pilchard should get a strike and if you’re game, try out a surface lure like a stick bait or popper for some real yelling and excitement.

Cunningham Pier can see good numbers of snotty trevally school up in June.

They’re great eating and can often be caught in numbers.

They love raw chicken, pilchard fillet and pipis as well as a soft plastic worm worked slowly along the bottom half of the water column. Often the snotty bite on the soft plastic is very subtle so strike if your lure pauses mid fall or mid water.

King George whiting went bananas around the Bellarine throughout April and into May. I’d expect them to continue biting throughout June as they did last year. Curlewis was the place to be in Corio Bay and their preferred depth varied from 3-6m of water. In 6m of water, the seabed can be hard to see on occasions and this makes it hard to find sand and weed patches. If this is the case, just cast around the boat until your rig comes back weed-free and this is where the whiting will be feeding. Land in the weed and you’ll often be picked clean by small wrasse.

St Leonards down to Queenscliff has also been producing great numbers of whiting with some fish either side of 40cm as well. This area

is best fished with a heavier sinker and longer leader as the tide runs a fair bit harder.

This time last year, the average whiting size was around 33cm, which isn’t overly large. However, the current run of whiting has seen a lot more around 40cm caught, which makes for a solid feed.

Anglers doing well have said pipis was the preferred

Some big calamari were hunting around Clifton Springs in early May.

Pop, pop, BOOF! A salmon attacks a surface lure off Barwon Heads. bait next to squid and small pieces of pilchard fillet.

Calamari also turned it on recently with some bag limit captures taken by those anglers prepared to spend some time moving about. There are always a few squid off Clifton Springs and St Leonards, but sometimes you just need to move around to find them.

I had a go off Clifton Springs recently and caught a bag limit of calamari and one was a ripper with a 37cm

Andrew caught this Wurdee brown on a Daiwa Presso minnow.

on a pilchard.

April saw some late warm weather and we did have one calm day with low swell so I figured this would be a good day to take the kids out off Barwon Heads. I called my mate Adam and it was on.

Adam said his son Byron was so excited he had trouble sleeping! Me too, Byron!

I was hoping to get the kids into some tuna as there were a few about. We lucked out and as it turned out, the tuna were 10km out at the 70m line. Of course, the very next day, they were in where we were but that’s fishing.

Anyway, after dragging lures about for a while, we decided to have a drift with bait in 40m. Immediately, the kids were getting bites and a few leatherjacket and wrasse were caught including a pinkie snapper my son Max nabbed.

More trolling and a kingfish of 63cm grabbed a skirted lure so the enthusiasm was back! After midday, a few

around the 35-40m line at the spoil ground off Breamlea that same day.

The water has been cooler this year than previous years along the Surf Coast maxing out about 18ºC where past years, it has been over 20ºC. The Lorne Pier has been fishing well and anglers have enjoyed a wide variety of fish. The ever-present salmon, pinkie snapper, the odd calamari, silver trevally, flathead and king George whiting to 38cm.

Lorne also had a solid show of flathead out around the 40m mark, which some solid fish over 50cm caught.

Whiting have also been biting well around the shallower reefs when the weather has allowed and the snapper have been harder to find as things cool down.

June can see an influx of salmon within casting distance along our coast so give the beaches and rock platforms some of your time.

Remember if a day’s rock fishing is planned, check the swell report and tides. When in doubt, ask a local or try beach fishing instead.

FISH HARD – DIE HAPPY! Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterfish@gmail.com with “FMG” in the subject field or give me a call on 0408 997348.

Please include where (without giving away your secret spot!), when, what on and who caught the fish. Pictures are always great, but please make sure they are at least 1mb (file size).

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The cold snap is here PORT PHILLIP WEST

Alan Bonnici

What a strange year it has been so far. Only a month or two ago we enjoyed a very delayed Melbourne

summer but suddenly, the cold conditions have settled in. It’s been a tough adjustment for many keen local anglers who have used this time to take some time out to refresh before a tough

slog ahead.

Many fish species around Melbourne are seasonal. The temperature change isn’t suggesting that you won’t catch fish. It simply means that throughout the year

Darren with a healthy gummy shark.

How’s this for a big squid?

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you need to adjust your techniques and target species that are active depending on the season and weather conditions. As the cold weather settles in, it means catches of pinkie snapper and whiting will start to decline and we instead need to turn our focus onto species such as salmon, gummy sharks and squid.

It’s been pleasing the last few weeks to see a large volume of salmon enter our shallow waters

regularly. Daily we’re seeing massive schools in a feeding mood turn up around Altona, Werribee, Point Wilson and well into Corio and the greater Geelong region. Pleasingly, they have turned up in areas accessible for land-based anglers and those on kayaks or small boats. When the school is in a feeding mode you can throw just about anything at them and they will fight over it. However, a soft plastic, metal spoon or shallow diving hardbody

lure worked quite fast is irresistible to a hungry salmon and will always work a treat. Wangim Walk the new mega walking and fishing platform in the Geelong township has been a spot where these schools of salmon have turned up quite regularly. I’ve had some crazy sessions flicking lures and plastics here in recent weeks when taking a few beginner anglers out which has been a blast.

Steven Jurec has

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Steven Jurec has been smashing the whiting at St Leonards.

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Leonards and catching many whiting, which is very pleasing for this time of year. Targeting them in slightly deeper waters than usual and using staple baits, Steven has enjoyed many bag out sessions out in his boat. It just shows that with persistence even in a changing climate good fish can be caught in big numbers.

For those who fish inshore with boats and kayaks, it’s a good time of year to target bread and butter species such as flathead. You will still get whiting and pinkies as by-catch but you’re always quite certain to catch a

it’s a fascinating fishery that is so different to Port Phillip Bay in many ways. It’s a challenging terrain with strong tidal flows, frequently changing depths, and sand bars.

The fishing is unique and requires changes to my usual terminal tackle including much heavier sinkers and bigger outfits.

I used this experience as a good excuse to buy some saltwater reels including the new Shimano Saragosa and Stradic SW. One of my bucket list species for some time has been to catch an elephantfish. They’re such a unique looking

tested the limits of our new reels and surprisingly a couple of snapper in the mid-50s.

However, the surprising heroes of our sessions on Western Port were the massive squid. Randomly picking some spots in the shallows we found a couple of amazing patches, and the squid couldn’t resist a Yamashita egi Oh Live in rainbow colours. For me, the size of these squid was truly remarkable and a big step up to the usual size squid I catch at Port Phillip Bay frequently.

Any squid that peels line and makes the drag scream is something special and

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APALABA KARUMBA MIKES MARINE JONES MARINE Smith Street Capalaba 30 Yappar Street Karumba : (07) 3390 3418 P: (07) 4745 9159 The author with a decent Western Port elephantfish. : sales@mikesmarine.com.au E: jonglo@bigpond.com few flathead even on a creature with dorsal fin pretty much every squid we W: www.mikesmarine.com.au W: www.jonesmarine.com.au quiet outing. During this that resembles a shark caught that day caught was time of year, they move and a trunk like snout that pulling line. This session LACKS CREEK IPSWICH into slightly deeper waters resembles an elephant. I was very memorable giant USTRALIAN MARINE CENTRE IPSWICH MARINE and you will catch them simply haven’t targeted squid, elephants in big 491 Pacific Highway Slacksfishing Creek them 45 in good number butHuxham was veryStreet keenRaceview to numbers, snapper, gummy in depths one. sharks in good numbers and : (07) 3808 7333 between 8-12m. catch P: 07 3294 3944 Natural-looking curl-tail Launching from giant rays. All of this can : sales@amcboats.com.au E: enquiries@ipswichmarine.com.au soft plastics worked slowly Corniella and fishing in be seen on the FishingMad W: www.amcboats.com.au www.ipswichmarine.com.au with hops lifts and lengthy quite W:shallow waters it YouTube channel. pauses is a go-to method didn’t take too long to Until next time, good OOSAVILLE that rarely lets me down. get my first, which took fishing everyone. Please UNSHINE If COAST you’re MARINE having challenges a fresh squid strip on a feel free to reach out to gettingRoad ontoNoosaville a fish with double snelled rig. My me directly to share your 22 Eumundi the change : (07) 5449 7633 of weather use second elephant followed fishing experiences and this as a last resort which only moments later and it catches around Melbourne, : sales@sunshinecoastmarine.com.au can turn a quiet day on was a memorable catch. Port Phillip Bay and beyond W: www.sunshinecoastmarine.com.au the water into a productive The size of this elephant which we can feature in one. Areas all around was significantly bigger next month’s article. You Werribee and Altona are that peeled plenty of drag. can contact me by email at productive grounds for this I was very surprised at how alan@fishingmad.com.au. fishing method. strong elephantfish fight Also don’t forget to follow Talking about moving when hooked. I always my fishing adventures your focus and targeting presumed they were a through my website www. the right species at the docile creature but boy was fishingmad.com.au, and to right time of year. This I wrong. Our session that subscribe to the FishingMad month I travelled a little day was epic catching a YouTube channel www. beyond Melbourne and total of 12 elephantfish. youtube.com/c/fishingmad, spent some time fishing at These puppy dogs of the We can also follow Western Port. Specifically ocean were all handled us on social media on targeting elephantfish, carefully and released to Facebook page www. gummy sharks and large fight another day. We also facebook.com/fishingmad. squid, which are active caught countless amounts com.au, Instagram page during this time of year. school sharks, a few very w w w . i n s t a g r a m . c o m / Western Port is the second decent size gummy sharks, fishingmad.com.au.

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JUNE 2021

89

VIC

Great fishing will continue PORT PHILLIP NE

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

Predominantly dry and calm fishing and boating conditions have continued once again on the bay for the past month. And, due to the lack of any substantial rainfall or strong onshore winds, the inshore areas of the bay have remained extremely clear.

At the time of writing, we are beginning to receive more consistent amounts of

rain, so it is fair to expect the clear inshore water to naturally discolour by the time you are reading this edition. The great fishing we have experienced recently should not be adversely affected however, as a good old flush of freshwater will give a big boost to the bay’s food chain as we move into the winter months.

With so much happening, and a great variety of offshore fishing still on offer locally and farther afield for the past month, many of PPB’s most dedicated anglers have

Despite a slow start to the squid season, numbers are really picking up now.

been looking elsewhere (and who can blame them). For those of us that have stuck around, there has been plenty on offer in the bay as well to keep the dedicated local anglers busy.

Good numbers of quality snapper are still being taken out wide, right through from Mount Eliza to Mount Martha, especially in areas nearby to the shipping channel, and on the western side of the channel itself.

The normal expectation at this time of year is for the snapper to make their way to the vast mud bank areas further south of the bay, but for many anglers the snapper fishing now is better than it was during peak time last year, so long may it continue.

Peak periods of activity have been around the high tide change, and during the run-out tide, especially around first and last light, and after dark as well. Everyone seems to have their favourite and most successful bait, but what I will say is that fresh and good quality bait is worth the effort and expense.

And with so much on offer in the local areas, bait gathering is sometimes the easy part.

Another really encouraging sign is the size and regularity of quality gummy sharks that are continuing to be reported by anglers chasing snapper out wide. So much so that plenty of anglers are targeting them specifically in our local waters, and not travelling to Western Port, or further east. Big baits of trevally, salmon fillets and other oily baits like eel are preferred by many, and it is a great idea to have one of these in your spread while out on the wider marks chasing snapper.

Recent reports have also come through of good snapper to 6kg in shallower areas as well, especially in close around Mornington and Mt Eliza, and further north in the bay as well. Now is the prime time to target these

fish from the bank during the rough weather, and consequently land-based anglers have been getting amongst a few nice reds as well. I would expect this to continue for the next couple of months, at least while the inshore water temperatures continue to drop.

Peak times in close will be when the water is dirty and churned up from prolonged periods of wind and rain. If it is comfortable to be standing on the rocks or the pier chasing snapper, then it’s normally not ‘peak’ conditions. Generally, the rougher the better, but still remember to keep clear of the water’s edge and stay safe.

The numbers and regularity of calamari being taken from all the popular spots in recent times continues to amaze me, and after a slow start to the season this year, the squid fishing has been amazing.

The clear water has helped keep things consistent as well, and therefore smaller, more naturalcoloured jigs have been the most productive offering, especially for the land-based anglers. Boating anglers can afford to upsize their jig at times, especially when the squid are predominantly smaller in size.

Periods of low light are best, especially approaching dusk. The inshore reefs and land-based areas right along the eastern shoreline from

Amy Day has been getting amongst the calamari action around Mornington over the past month.

Frankston to Safety Beach are producing good numbers of calamari, and further south as well.

Whiting reports have once again been sparse for the past month, most anglers are concentrating their efforts further south, and to the north.

With good numbers of fish in both these areas, I am expecting to see more reports from the Mornington and Mt Eliza areas over the next month. I would also expect to see more garfish and salmon

in these areas as well over the next month.

The Patterson River and lakes system has been a real feature for many since Easter, with some ripper bream being taken on both baits and lures, and some great bread and butter fishing for mullet along the riverbanks and small salmon near the mouth. There has also been plenty of reports of estuary perch being taken on lures in the canals, which I would expect to continue over the winter months as well.

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JUNE 2021

Wayne Wright with a cracking 6kg snapper taken recently in 5m of water on a 4” soft plastic.

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS FINGERS WHEN FISHING IN WINTER

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91

VIC

Expect quality over quantity this season PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

At the time of writing, there haven’t been a lot of chances to go fishing, with very strong winds where most people like to go fishing. There was the odd gap during the week for a quick fish or a session on the jetties between the windy and wet weather and we are seeing, as we did the weekend before, plenty of fish being caught. What we find at this time of the year is most people are happy with a feed of fish rather than in the summer where we get more people chasing a freezer full, and will generally spend far less time fishing.

Wintertime on Phillip Island means extra jumpers, the occasional need for a raincoat and a little bit of thought when it comes to

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JUNE 2021

your fishing. It also requires a change to how you fish and looking more at the tides and wind direction. Because it is colder this time of the year no one wants to be standing on a beach or sitting in a boat for hours so you will find yourself looking more at the tides and concentrating more on that hour or two before and after. You will also study the weather a bit more, and because we have the unique situation of having two islands you can usually find a sheltered spot to make your fishing more enjoyable.

I’m the first to admit that fish numbers are reduced during the colder months, but the quality is generally much better. We do see more of the colder water species in the form of draughtboard sharks, cod and ling but we also see every other species that you expect to catch in the summertime. There are several things you can do to help make it a successful trip during the colder months – things you should also do in summer but which appear to make a bigger difference in winter. These include fresh baits, presenting your baits correctly, positioning your boat on the drop-offs, fishing the beaches on the gutter edges and fishing the tides.

Calamari and salmon make up almost all the

Kev recently managed to catch his first ever tuna. reports now with only the odd report of anything else.

Reports have come from the land-based, boat-based and even the occasional brave kayak fishers with mixed results from all. The boating weather has been patchy, and the wind has restricted anglers from fishing some areas. However, generally what that means is people will try somewhere they normally do not fish and

are often surprised with their results.

The other reason most of the reports have been for calamari or salmon is they are the two most targeted species at this time of the year. We have seen a few other reports, but nothing really targeted and more of an accidental catch from someone just out for a fish.

Those anglers picking the right days are

managing some quality flathead from offshore and this will continue right through winter. It’s getting favourable conditions that can be difficult. For some reason, the flathead stay in a lot closer during the winter months and can be found between 25-40m of water, but generally closer to the 25m and just outside the eastern entrance. If you do head offshore at this time of

year, have a rod ready with a lure set up because you will see the odd school of salmon swim past.

When it comes to the major species being targeted, most are being caught by those anglers getting up early in the morning and heading off Rhyl in 8m of water. We are still seeing some decent sized whiting, both fat and long, providing a feed at least.

Before you know it, the new season will be here, and we will be talking about snapper again, but like all other species that we catch around the island the odd reports will come in over winter too. Already we have seen a few nice reds popping their heads out, and a few nice 6-8kg fish have been caught with the fish in excellent new season condition.

We have seen a lot of weed and trouble with water clarity for the last few months due to the sudden change of weather. The water itself has most definitely cleaned up in recent weeks though and is almost crystal clear, although the weed is still causing a lot of havoc, especially for the guys fishing in the surf.

Move around, try a variety of different baits and even look at using some lures – you’re bound to find something.

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VIC

East Coast

Winter bream keep us warm

Tyler Metherell (12yo) caught his PB bream at 1.2kg at the Barrier using a prawn on a float rig.

and 45cm and another big fish dropped. He also had on board young Jackson Wakefield with his first ever lure-caught bream at 42cm and 1.27kg, which is not a bad start to his lure fishing career.

The boys threw a lot of different lures at the bream but the lightly weighted 2.5” plastic grubs did the damage. By concentrating hard on the edges in the timber they used Hurricane Sub Grubs and ZMans.

Good effort Wayne and I’m sure I’ll be seeing you down there soon.

David Yuill caught 24 bream for his session in the same area and 14 of those were over 40cm.

His biggest bream was a whopping 1.9kg. David used the 7” Turtleback Worm to trick his fish – it’s amazing the bream can eat such a massive lure!

I met up with Justin Dingwall and Bobby Sproule on the same day and they landed some thumping perch to 45cm and bream to 43cm. Mick Dee also got in on the action and, by using the new Chasebait 65mm Junior Flick Prawn, he caught an amazing run of truck bream and perch out of the snags. Judging by the pictures he sent me, most of his fish looked around 45cm!

NICHOLSON AND TAMBO RIVERS The rivers are also firing and Peter Nord rang me and says he caught a terrific run of big bream all around 40cm up stream from the railway bridge. He said the

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GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

It’s easy to brave the Victorian winter chills while big bream keep chasing lures and bait.

Every year in June you can rely on the Gippy Lakes bream to really fire up, and the fishing has been outstanding. I’ve got plenty to report on.

HOPETOUN CHANNEL I want to remind anglers of a fishing hot spot often ignored but easy to find and delivers big results.

Looking out over Rigby Island, Barrier Landing is nestled on the eastern

From page 92

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edge of Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park. Located on the Hopetoun Channel you can access the area by boat from Metung or Lakes Entrance.

The Metherell family are regular visitors to the Barrier and over the last few years have sent me fabulous pictures of impressive bream and once again they have caught some big fish. This time young Tyler was the family star and landed a ripper bream at 1.2kg that happened to be his biggest fish yet.

Tyler used a prawn bait that was suspended under a float and this cunning method is often overlooked

by bream anglers. His mum Kerrie assures me this was just one of a score of magnificent bream caught for the trip and I’m sure you’ll see more of the Metherell family in my future reports.

HOLLANDS LANDING In a word – wow!

The McLennan Strait is of course the home of the biggest bream that swim and the news is all good.

Wayne Sederlan sent me a report that is typical for the area and he scored a new PB bream at 45cm. Although not a lot of fish caught, he said the size made up for it, with four bream boated for the session 39, 41, 42

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Tony Pettie used a deadly hardbody lure, the Hurricane Stik 40 to net this chunky bream from out of the snags.

Sprat 75 soft plastics did the damage once again on light weighted jigheads.

You can expect this area of the river to keep firing over the next few months and if the water remains fairly clean I suggest you push well upstream for even bigger bream.

Keep in mind that as we get into the depths of winter the larger fish will push right up high in all of the local rivers and sometimes the upper Tambo can become a real hotspot.

BLADES ARE BACK So with the colder water temperatures comes the deadly method of blading for bream. This technique of using small blade lures is a winter specialty and I can assure you it’s working right now. Over a three trips I fished with a few mates recently at Hollands and although the edge bite was a little slow for us I was still able to extract some ripper bream to 46cm out of

the snags.

The real action started when we tea-bagged blades out in deeper water and on one trip, myself and Anthony Havers, netted just over 50 bream for the session.

A lot of our fish were around 35-40cm and it was busy hookin’.

The next day I was joined by Jason Dennan and this time we searched up towards Lake Wellington and found a bigger run of bream on the blades. We released 36 bream and three flathead. Our best bream were three at 43cm and five at 42cm, and most of the rest were 38-42cm. That was an awesome day out and great memories with a good mate.

LOOKING AHEAD So here’s the easy part because the bream fishing should just keep rolling in all the places I’ve mentioned above. You can add in the upper Mitchell River as well and, if the rivers remain fairly clean, be sure to search in the higher reaches.

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A change to the species mix LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

It’s that time of year again in Gippsland – the short winter days are here, and foggy mornings are regular scene early in the day, and the nights are cold. The lake’s water temperature has dropped rapidly, causing a change in the fishery. Species like Australian salmon and trevally have become popular catches.

The local beaches have a been a great producer of salmon. Most have been

smaller models but there have been a few salmon up to the 2kg mark, taking anglers by surprise.

Bait fishers lately have had the upper hand, producing the better quality better salmon on pieces of pilchard matched up to a paternoster rig and cast in a good looking gutter.

Spinning with metal lures has been a good producer too, but has mostly produced the smaller salmon. Still, it’s great fun on light spin tackle.

The local shark scene has slowed down with the cold water currents making their way past.

The sheltered water around Lakes Entrance is ideal for the keen angler to do plenty of exploring. The local weed beds are great producers of King George whiting and sand whiting.

Bait fishing is one of the best methods, and fresh mussel and peeled prawn are some of the best options. A wellpresented bait is extremely likely to produce, especially with the improved health of the lake system.

Metung has been a popular spot lately for many land-based anglers, Shaving Point has been yielding good catches of King

The cooler months are when we see many of the lake’s estuary perch come out of hiding.

George whiting. The same old bait fishing methods have produced the goods.

The Metung yacht club has been a good producer of many species, and many anglers have fished around the marina in search of snapper. Since the removal of commercial netting in the Gippsland Lakes, snapper have become a regular catch in the lower lakes, and the size is slowly getting bigger.

The odd snapper up 40cm has been caught.

Bait fishing with squid and pilchard strips is always a great option, but many anglers have begun to target the snapper around the dock with lures as there a common by catch when chasing bream. Soft plastic minnows and grubs work well but something a lot of anglers don’t use locally is micro jigs, and they’re highly effective, especially on snapper in the lake.

LAKE TYERS Lake Tyers has slowly begun to cool off. With the lake being closed off to the sea it does take longer for it to cool down, which makes for a longer summertime fishery.

With the water so high the fish have moved up into all the extra cover, and jerkbaits have been a deadly approach around the flooded timber for anglers targeting bream. As the water temperature drops, fish such as bream will slowly begin to make their way out the deeper edges and steeper rocky edges, and soft plastic

Long, slender jerkbaits like the Atomic Jerk Minnow match a lot of the small baitfish in the lake. grubs are a deadly approach when this happens.

We are at that time of year when the monster tailor in the lake really make the presence felt. Large hardbodies and silver metal lures trolled behind the boat are an ideal way to find and target the monster greenbacks.

HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING? If you have been out for fish lately and have a great pic, please send it to stevenprykefishing@gmail. com with a short description and you could be featured in an upcoming edition of Fishing Monthly.

Welcome to winter!

BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

Welcome to winter and the official opening of the bream season.

This winter we are expecting to see an amazing fishing season. At the time of writing, the entrance remains closed and the water level is high. Reports show that the bream are being caught in the lake on blades, frozen prawns, vibes and soft plastics. The advantage of high water is that more fishing areas are accessible, such as the mouth of Mud Lake, edges of Bobs Bay, Sibiera and Pelican Point.

The surf beaches are certainly not disappointing anglers with plenty of salmon and tailor being caught.

For anglers wanting sport fishing, the channel has been productive for targeting tailor, with reports of up to 70cm fish being taken. Some anglers have reported catches of perch around the edges of the lake 94

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Expect decent sized bream this winter.

It’s the unofficial opening of the bream season in Bemm River!

while targeting bream and flathead. Anglers who persist with bait have also been rewarded, along with the lure anglers. Peeled prawns are the favourite choice.

There are still plenty of $2,000 tagged fish in the system. Late April saw number 105-tagged fish caught by Mario from the Ormond Angling Club.

Congratulations Mario.

Peter McCoy and Tony ‘Bream’ King, from the Bemm River Angling Club did a flying trip to Bemm River late April and caught some nice bream off the fishing platform at the boat ramp, ranging from 37-43cm – well done boys you certainly earned a nice cold beer at the hotel!

• So now is the time to plan your winter fishing trip to Bemm River. Give me a call

on 0427584233 – the phone is always in my pocket!

• For on the spot and up to date fishing reports check out Robyn’s website: www. bemmaccommodation. com.au or ‘like’ us on Facebook – Bemm River Holiday Accommodation Phone: (03) 5158 4233/ Mob. 0427 584 233 Email: bemmaccomm@ bigpond.com.

VIC

East Coast

Great catches in the lake MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

The town is still busy with plenty of people enjoying everything the town has to offer, and the fishing isn’t letting them down.

the fish keep working the area, and you should end up with a good bag.

There are plenty of baitfish around, which is normal at this time of year with the water temperature around 20°C. Once the colder water arrives the action will move to the north.

hooked fish to the boat, so it pays to have a rod with a squid jig rigged so you can catch a good feed.

The past month has seen a few big broadbill caught out wide around the canyons, and the coming month should see the southern bluefin make an appearance.

up, trapping numbers of salmon in the lake, because these fish eat everything that moves, including small bream and flathead.

The past month has seen some good fishing in the lake, and those anglers who know the lake well have been having a great time. It’s a big system and if you haven’t spent much time fishing here it can be tough.

The Bottom Lake has been fishing well, with fish also being caught in the Top Lake and further upstream.

The back of Goodwin Sands has fished well for black bream, yellowfin bream and flathead. There are plenty of baitfish schools about, so find the bait and the bigger fish won’t be far behind.

Some good size tailor are also being caught, along with silver trevally. When fishing in the deeper water around the schools of bait, a few nice-size pinkie snapper are also being caught. There are plenty of prawns in the lake too, and the next dark will be a good time to chase a feed.

Lachy with a good bream caught on a soft plastic fishing around the bait schools.

Chris Wright with a great kingfish caught on a soft plastic.

For those heading offshore there has been some great fishing reported with a good variety of fish being caught. The boat ramp has allowed good access without too much sand building up, so pick your day get out early and you will be amongst the fish.

Flathead, both tigers and sandies, are being caught in big numbers. Once you find

Plenty of good size kingfish are about, but they have been a bit hit-and-miss.

They’ll be on the bite one day, taking soft plastics and jigs, and then be hard to catch the next. They have frustrated many anglers, who have seen them on the sounder but couldn’t get them to bite.

Good numbers of squid are about at the moment.

They have been following

Along the local beaches there have been plenty of salmon caught, with fish extracted from the good gutters on all the beaches.

Plenty of fish are around the mouth of the lake, moving in and out of the lake with the tides. The lake mouth is really silting up and it will be no surprise to see it close up over the coming months.

Hopefully it won’t close

Big bream for brave MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

The winter months are here and the cold weather is coming through in cold fronts all the way from Antarctica, which makes it a bit unpleasant to venture out fishing often.

But in saying that, the winter run of bream have already arrived and are in good numbers all the way up the Snowy River to the highway bridge at Orbost.

With the bream up here at the town bridge it stands to reason they will also be up the Brodribb River and all the other small streams and creeks that feed the estuary system.

Here in Orbost, young anglers only have to walk downtown to the river where they have been getting good captures of bream up to 42cm and plenty of others not much smaller.

There have been other reports of luderick still being caught on the rock groins that surround the islands and the rock groins along the riverbanks.

Salmon and tailor are still in good numbers coming into the estuary on the incoming tide and congregating close to the entrance. Best results have come from either trolling or spinning with metal lures.

Flathead are still in good numbers along the sand flats that run from

the Marlo Jetty all the way down to French’s Narrows.

The surf beaches are fishing great, but with the cold weather and strong wind it makes surf fishing only for anglers who are rigged out for polar fishing.

The winter run of big salmon is due and could happen at any time.

When the big salmon arrive, anglers have a great time spinning with metal lures and fishing with a surf gear and using bait accompanied with a popper.

Fishing offshore from Cape Conran has eased off a bit but anglers have reported getting good captures of flathead, gurnard, barracoota, squid, pinkie snapper, salmon and gummy shark.

Find the bait and the predators won’t be far away. This spot is in the Bottom Lake behind Goodwin Sands.

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Big Murray cod on the chew ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

With a run of cool crisp mornings cranking up the barometric pressure, the cod bite along the Murray River in our local waters

has been excellent over the past month. Swan Hill continues to fish well with good-sized Murray cod landed on both bait and lures.

Several fish up to and over the metre mark have been landed on surface lures while those soaking

Clinton Hann caught this big Murray cod on the StumpJumper lure trolling a mid water bait ball.

bait have also caught a few metre plus fish in the mix.

Chicken continues to work well, as has scrub-worms, yabbies and grubs.

Anglers trolling upstream against the current have also been amongst the action, with the biggest fish landed of late a supposed 120cm model.

Pental Island seems a popular stretch of river for the larger fish, as does Brooks Lane.

The perch bite has slowed locally as the water temperature dropped away, but anglers are still finding the odd fish on small lures and bait.

Downstream along the Murray River and Boundary bend is offering up a few good-sized Murray cod to 85cm on both bait and lures. Yabbies have been the pick of baits at this location while the No2.

StumpJumper in bright patterns has been working well on the troll. The Murray River from Euston downstream to Wemen has seen good numbers of small cod on bait with the biggest of late being a respectable 90cm model caught on a chicken-yabby cocktail. There were a few

more perch in this area on bait with small yabbies and scrub-worms doing the damage.

Fishing along the Murray River in the Mildura area continues to get better with numerous big Murray cod landed this past month on lures, both cast and trolled. Several fish over the 120cm mark have been

The author with an armload! There have been some big cod caught this past month on both bait and lures.

Donna Mackenzie caught this thumping golden perch while casting a No.1 StumpJumper for Murray cod. landed mostly on the troll with a range of large lures doing the job.

Water clarity, both above and below Mildura, has been excellent with many anglers opting to cast spinnerbaits to the timber for

some good results landing a few big cod. Some solid golden perch have been cod-lure by-catch as these feisty natives bite off more than they can chew. Some of the perch have been up to 50cm and most anglers are

landing one or two while searching for Murray cod.

As the weather continues to cool down and the water temperature drops we can expect to see the bony bream start to school.

Once this happens some cod take on a nomadiclike feeding pattern where they will actively hunt wide in the river and high in the water column. If the water clarity remains good, mid water presentations where bait is abundant will often see the rod load to the crunch of a good fish.

Sometimes several cod will pack hunt these bait balls and double hook-ups are always on the cards.

The autumn bite has been sensational and with any luck we will see it continue as we flip into the cooler months of winter.

Hard yards for large fish BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

I’m not going to sugar coat it – fishing at this time of the year is not easy. Cold starts to the day with often sub zero temperatures, frost bitten fingers and chilblains on the toes, and to top it off often a runny nose with snot cold enough to nearly freeze.

It sounds like a dream doesn’t it? Why would you put yourself through the hard yards like this? The answer is because it’s not all bad, it can actually be extremely good!

Like those days when the sun comes out and starts to thaw you out, and when there is minimal wind. There is also the opportunity to fish a section of water by yourself – not having to see a water skier or jet ski for the whole day. And of course, landing your personal best Murray cod, golden perch, redfin or trout. With the native fish, the catch rates are often lower during the coldest months of the year but it is a terrific time of the year to catch a large fish if you put the time in on the water.

LAKE EPPALOCK Redfin are still making up the majority of anglers 96

JUNE 2021

catch rates in the lake. The numbers of redfin being caught is still good by those anglers who are able to find a good concentration of redfin. Bait fishing with small yabbies and shrimp has been working well.

Trolling deep diving hardbody lures has still been producing a few fish. Some good lure options for this technique are Halco Crazy Deep, Custom Crafted Basshunter and Australian Crafted AC Invaders.

Casting soft plastics and hopping them across the bottom has still been working well. Vertically jigging with soft plastics and ice jigs has also been producing some good redfin.

The numbers of golden perch being caught has reduced over the last few weeks as the water temperatures have been dropping quickly. Trolling medium-sized hardbody lures in the depth range between 6-8m of water has been producing small numbers of golden perch. Casting silent lipless crankbaits with no rattle has been a more productive option than casting rattling models on the majority of days. The occasional Murray cod has been caught.

Over the next few years, thanks to the fish stockings from Victorian Fisheries, Lake Eppalock will become a good destination to target some large Murray cod during the coldest

months of the year.

CAMPASPE RIVER For those anglers who enjoy fishing the Campaspe River, it has been a frustrating year. This has been mainly due to the variability in water clarity. For the majority of this season water clarity has not been great. When it was good it only lasted for a short time period and then the water clarity deteriorated again. At the present time, the water clarity has started to settle again. This should hopefully last for a month or two unless we receive a significant rainfall event. Catch rates will be low for those anglers who fish this destination over the next couple of months. However if you do put in the hard yards on the water there is a good chance you may land a large Murray cod or golden perch.

Good lure options for this time of the year for the golden perch are large lipless crankbaits like Jackall Doozers and 6th Sense Quake 80. Casting medium-sized hardbody lures are also good options. Good lure options for the Murray cod are large spinnerbaits, large hardbody lures, large lipless crankbaits, surface lures and swimbaits, especially for this time of the year.

CAIRN CURRAN The fishing in Cairn Curran has remained good.

Catch rates have been reducing as the water temperatures have

This 68cm Murray cod was caught casting on the edge of the river off some submerged timber. Timber structures that are not obvious are often productive because they receive a reduced amount of fishing pressure. been dropping, but if you put the time in there are still some quality fish being caught.

The numbers of golden perch being caught has reduced significantly over the last few weeks. Small numbers of golden perch are still being caught by those anglers bait fishing around the standing timber.

The redfin fishing has been okay. Good options for the redfin have been bait fishing with worms or small yabbies, or casting soft plastics.

The water clarity is still not too bad and is definitely clearer than it has been over the last few seasons. It will be interesting to see with the improved water clarity at this location if there are improved catch rates in the lake’s trout population this season. The reports of trout being caught at this destination over the last couple of seasons has been

very low. With the improved water clarity we may see an increase of anglers chasing the trout again.

If you want to catch a large Murray cod, this location is improving due to fish stockings. Trolling large hardbody lures, casting large lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits and swimbaits are good lure options for this location.

LODDON RIVER Like the Campaspe River the fishing in the Loddon River has been frustrating due to the variability in the water clarity. The irrigation season has now finished and therefore there will be reduced flows coming down the river. Water clarity will improve again until there are inflows again after significant rainfall events. The water clarity should continue to improve over the next couple of months.

While the fishing has not been great in the Loddon River this year, if you put the time in over the next couple of months there is a good chance you can land some fantastic fish. As the water temperatures drop the productivity in the fishing in the shallower section of the river dramatically reduces. If you are walking the banks fishing the skinny water, concentrate your fishing efforts in the deeper bends, this is where you will find the best concentrations of bait and fish.

The fishing productivity is often best in the deepest sections of the river, above the weir at Serpentine and Bridgewater. Like the other destinations this time of the year it is not about the numbers of fish, but all about the quality of the fish being caught.

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No crying over crayfish WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

There is something that I just LOVE about June, and that is the opening of the Murray crayfish season. I love crayfishing and look forward to it each year when June arrives.

Here in Victoria Murray crayfish are subject to quite complex regulations involving their size and bag limits, as well as

crayfish in the Murray River and most of its tributaries, such as the Goulburn River, Ovens River, Mitta Mitta River, Kiewa River etc…

What can we expect with finned fish during June?

MURRAY COD I expect the rivers to all fish quite slowly during June. Fish can, and will be caught by both bait and lure, but usually it is the very keen and persistent anglers that catch them.

Of the rivers, the Murray

cod fishery in my area.

Further afield Lake Eildon is a great June Murray cod fishing option too.

TROUT The trout streams are open at the start of the month however they all close on Queens birthday long weekend.

In that short period of time the trout can be quite hit and miss as many of them are either about to start spawning, or already spawning. Many people The author spends quite a bit of time bait fishing at Lake Moodemere during the winter months. Sunrise is his favourite time.

Murray crayfishing season opens in June. Make sure you have read up on the rules before you head out. This giant crayfish is protected thanks to a maximum size limit and it was released. different rules for different waterways. I am not going to delve into the rules here, but encourage you all to familiarise yourself with the strict Murray crayfishing rules and regulations before you head out in June.

My favourite technique for catching Murray

River is usually the best spot to fish for cod during the winter months, possibly due to its largely modified flow regime.

Most of my Murray cod fishing during June will probably be with bait, such as worms and cheese.

I do know that the

choose not to fish for trout in stream at the start of June as a self-imposed closed season, in order to protect the fish that are spawning before the season closes.

The small family friendly waterways that get stocked with trout in time for the winter school holidays usually get stocked around the end of June, usually just in time for the school holidays. These waterways are always a big hit with the kids.

Some of the more popular waters in this area include Glenrowan Recreation Reserve, Stanley Dam, Lake Sambell, Allan’s Flat

Waterhole and Tronoh Dredge at Harrietville.

Other June trout fishing options include Lake William Hovell, Lake Buffalo and Lake Dartmouth. Of those 3 lakes Lake Buffalo is probably the worst to fish. The last few years a few nice trout have been caught during the winter months thanks to trout stocking, however it is Lakes William Hovell and Dartmouth that are easily the most consistent.

Flatline trolling winged lures such as Tassie Devils works well in both lakes, particularly during the low light times of the day and on overcast and foggy days.

REDFIN For the most part, the redfin fishing will be slow during June. If I do head out chasing redfin in June I will head to Lake William Hovell where I have had success fishing for them at that time of the year in the past.

The key to redfin fishing is to find the schools of fish, and that is particularly important during June. The best way to do that is by trolling.

Trolling behind a boat or even a kayak enables you to prospect around the lake searching for the fish, and hopefully locating a school. In June if you find a school you may have an

amazing fishing session, but if you don’t you may go home fishless.

Lake Buffalo will also be worth trying, especially this June as it has fished so well for redfin during autumn. But just remember, if you do not catch anything that does not mean that they are not there. It just means that you have not

When crayfishing, be VERY careful where you put your fingers… they hurt, A LOT! found them.

YELLOWBELLY I am not expecting to see too many yellowbelly caught in the Wangaratta area this June. I am hopeful of picking up one or two

A Lake Moodemere carp. Last year the author had a lot of fun fishing for these during winter and he plans on doing it all again this winter. crayfish is to use drop nets, otherwise known as hoop nets, with any kind of meat for bait. A bait that I really like to use is dry dog food.

A handful of Goodos in a stocking tied into the net works very well.

In order to find the best spots you will need to do a bit of research, but there are

dedicated anglers targeting the monster Murray cod with lures love this time of the year and do well casting and trolling very large lures.

Generally the lakes tend to fish a bit better during June than the rivers do, with Lake Mulwala being the stand-out Murray

while bait fishing in the Ovens River, however my expectations are not high.

Usually I catch a few carp and the odd Murray cod, but yellowbelly are few and far between. In saying that, quite a large number have been stocked into the river, which is just fantastic, and I did manage to catch one in August last

Trout streams close on the Queens Birthday weekend so you can still target trout at the start of June. Rainbow trout tend to bite better at that time of the year.

winter so it is always a possibility.

CARP I find that the carp seem to fish okay all year. They certainly fish better in the warmer months, however they do still bite during the coldest months of the year.

Last winter I caught quite a few carp at Lake Moodem er e.

Som e mornings it was as cold as -2ºC when I went over there, but I still managed a couple.

I also caught quite a few carp in the Ovens River in Wangaratta during the depths of winter. The key to carp fishing in winter, as with most of the fishing in the Wangaratta region, is to be VERY patient. Expect long breaks in between bites and be persistent.

Eventually a carp will swim by and take your bait.

My favourite baits are worms and sweet corn.

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Early start to winter fishing BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Our weather patterns have been all over the shop over the past 12 months. It appears we missed out on the usual autumn days of bright blue skies, cold nights and light winds, and instead went straight into the winter

a lot of anglers). You will not see much insect life at all; early in the morning you will still have midge hatching, but will not see dragonflies, damselflies or mayflies buzzing around over the surface of our waters or fish feeding on them. The fish will all be feeding subsurface now, which can be tough work.

They will be eating stick

due to them being territorial and protecting the area they are living in. Anglers should use bright coloured lures, flies and baits for best results.

Pink, orange and chartreuse are colours that I would recommend.

The trout will also target smelt, as these small baitfish are one of their main food sources during the winter

The author landed this brown trout on a Bent Minnow lure at Tullaroop Reservoir, a sample of what Tullaroop has to offer over the winter months. months. This hasn’t been a bad thing, especially for anglers around the Central Highlands/ Ballarat region of Victoria.

Trout thrive in cooler temperatures, and this year has certainly suited them in our fisheries. The insect life which many anglers revolve their fishing around, are all but a distant memory. The insects have moved into their winter slumber period (like

smelt, so you need very quick, accurate casts and a bit of guesswork and luck.

You definitely need to match the hatch when it comes to catching the smelters. For lure and soft plastic anglers, minnow-type patterns or wobblers are excellent choices. For the fly fishers, Woolly Buggers and Matukas will bring them undone.

A lot of anglers fall into the trap of casting where the fish has already been. Instead, you should try to anticipate the direction of where the fish are chasing that school of smelt that they are focussed on, and cast your lures or flies there. Easier said than done, but the rewards are there for those who get their flies and or lures in front of the smelters as they will certainly smash them with gusto.

Lake Wendouree has been fishing well, although not up to its lofty heights of the past few years for whatever reason.

You can have success fishing from a boat, kayak or from the shore, but you’ll probably have to put in the yard yards.

Some sessions you will have a few follows and hook-ups, and other sessions you can’t raise a scale.

caddis, snails, worms, grubs and smelt.

Anglers will need to change their approach when it comes to winter fishing, especially the further we go into the winter months. Early on the trout and redfin will be in a very aggressive moods given it is around this time of the year when both species are getting ready to spawn.

They will attack lures, flies and baits with aggression,

The author watched this 51cm rainbow trout swim over and engulf his Bent Minnow lure on Lake Wendouree.

A lovely 41cm Lake Wendouree redfin landed by the author on a Bent Minnow lure.

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months. The ‘smelters’ can be very challenging and rewarding at the same time.

Anglers will see fish smashing through the surface chasing the smelt all over the place, in shallow water and out deep, and it’s awesome to watch.

However, catching them isn’t easy. The trout move at a rate of knots chasing the

On one of my recent sessions, it was tough going.

We fished a few different areas around the lake when I thought I’d have a look in an area where I saw a fish feeding a few days earlier. We started casting surface lures in the general area when I saw a fish rise. We moved over with the electric motor,

Will Hoskins nailed his personal best brown trout from Moorabool Reservoir on a Bent Minnow lure that he found on a previous trip out at Moorabool. Photo courtesy of Will Hoskins. and I popped a couple of casts around in some calm water. While I was retrieving my Bent Minnow, a ripper rainbow of 51cm swam over and nailed it. It was awesome to watch. After an excellent tug-of-war session, I landed it, and after some quick photos it was released.

Another trip saw myself and my son Maxi fishing mudeyes suspended under floats. The fishing was once again a bit on the slow side, and I decided to cast a lure around whilst waiting for a bite. This proved to be a good idea, landing a few smallish redfin around the mid-20cm range before a bigger model of 41cm decided to eat my Bent Minnow in the T26 pattern.

I expect the fishing will really quieten down over the next few months, as is expected whilst the fish are really in their spawning mode, however if you put in the effort you will be rewarded.

Moorabool Reservoir has been fishing well over the past few months; the amount of fishable water has been dramatically reduced due to the amount of weed and low water levels. Anglers who have been able to find the areas where the weed is not as bad have been catching some lovely rainbows and browns on lures, flies and baits, with PowerBait being popular with the rainbow trout.

Will Hoskins, who is regular angler out at Moorabool, scooped the pool recently when his surface lure was engulfed by a 3.1kg brown trout. Will said it was the biggest trout he had ever caught.

“I actually caught the fish on a Bent Minnow that I previously found out there,” he said. “I changed the hooks on it and thought I’d give it a

run, and boy was that a good decision!”

I have been fishing Moorabool myself a lot over the past few months, mainly casting Bent Minnows, and it’s rare that I don’t catch a fish. It’s a matter of doing the miles, covering plenty of water and being able to come across a fish that is feeding on smelt – that’s when you’re in with a show of catching one.

The best days have been when there is a bit of cloud and ripple on the water.

The trout are quite happy to move into shallower water in search and feed on smelt. If it’s bright and sunny with no wind, however, they are rather reluctant to come in closer, preferring to stay out in the deeper water.

Moorabool will continue to fish well over the winter months, just put your walking boots on and you will be rewarded for your efforts.

Tullaroop Reservoir is one of my favourite winter destinations for targeting trout, but you will need to do a lot of walking. Anglers who don’t like to do much walking, or prefer to fish from boats, can launch them from the dam wall area or in Galloways lane. I would suggest targeting the deeper areas over the winter months, casting lures, plastics or flies.

The lures that have worked well for us over the past few years have been wobbler/ spoon style lures or brightly coloured Tassie Devils.

Make sure that your gear is up to scratch as there are some very big, feisty browns lurking around in Tullaroop so be prepared. You never know what you might catch.

The deeper banks are not the only areas will be holding fish – the shallower To page 99

VIC

Right gear for the job SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

Winter is here and with that comes some quiet fishing months locally, with many of us putting away the rods and dusting off our cray pots.

There have still been some reports of both cod and yellowbelly being caught locally in May, especially early with the little rise and also warmer weather. But these better conditions will most likely fade the deeper into winter we get with the water temps dropping.

If you’re keen to target the bigger cod locally this winter I recommend buying a sounder with Live Scope or Active Target. If you can’t afford that, I would be going big lures or big baits.

In the colder months

you can expect just one or two bites a session, so make sure every cast you’re keyed right into it as you would hate to miss that one bite. You should also dial your gear right in for big fish, changing hooks and split rings, and also making sure your leaders and line are on point. You can’t afford for your gear to be 10% off.

The Goulburn is a lot easier to target bigger fish but there are still some deeper pockets of water along the Broken River that will hold bigger fish.

If you’re bait fishing, expect to lose plenty of it to crays as they will be starting to move up and down the river system. It can be very frustrating but also fun when you try to reel in a keeper cray on your hook.

KIALLA LAKES Carp and redfin will be

almost the only fish that will keep on the bite during winter, with the yellowbelly slowing right down with the water temp drop.

Casting blades and hopping them back can be deadly for the redfin in the lake, as well as Jackals and tail spinners when the sun is up.

If you want to chase carp on bait, get some corn or worms and lightly weight your baits. The trick is not to cast out too far; the drop-off about 6ft out is the best area.

SHEPPARTON LAKE The Shepparton Lake had a stocking of some good quality trout for the kids fishing day in late April. There were the standard 20-30cm trout stocked but also some good quality 40cm models. It’s good fun on light gear if you can land one of these bigger fish. Casting smaller

The author with a channel yellowbelly taken on a Rapala BX Brat.

Nelson ‘Goat’ Rouw with a monster carp caught on a Miller Rods Bass Freak with 4lb leader on a Strike Tiger plastic. plastics around the boat ramps and jetties is perfect for the trout.

Some locals have also been reporting some carp and redfin being caught while chasing the trout on both lures and bait.

Trelly’s Pro Staff member Nelson ‘Goat’ Rouw landed a 20lb carp on super light gear recently while chasing trout on a Strike Tiger Nymph. Nelson is building a reputation as Shepparton’s best carp angler so if you want some carp fishing tips, stop by Trelly’s Shepparton and he will be happy to pass on his knowledge.

LOCAL CHANNELS I would expect the channels now to be dropped to their winter heights.

This may affect the flow at drop bars but you can still catch fish there and also off bridges.

A month or so ago I managed to land a handful of fish in two separate trips casting a Rapala BX Brat crankbait. It was something I had used in a bass tournament and I

From page 98

bays that are not weeded up will certainly be worth a look as the trout will be chasing smelt around in these areas. Overcast skies and a good breeze are the best conditions in my experience. The fish are willing to come into the shallows when it’s overcast, the same as at Moorabool Reservoir. I’m certainly looking forward to the fishing over the next couple of months at Tullaroop.

Steve Angee has been fishing a number of waters around Ballarat over the past month with not much success, which is unusual for Steve. He decided that, seeing as the weather had cooled down, he would take a look at the local

Steve Angee landed this ripper of a brown trout from the Yarrowee River only minutes from the heart of Ballarat on an Ecogear MX48 in the rainbow trout colour. Photo courtesy of Steve Angee.

thought they would be perfect for the channels and I was right. Redfin and yellowbelly have followed all the way to my feet and smoked the lure in 10cm of water, so they must love it as much as I love catching them.

This winter don’t be scared to throw something different out there as sometimes I think the fish get used to the Jackals and beetlespins that we all love to throw. Hop a blade, throw a swim jig or give these crankbaits a go and you may surprise yourself. It will give you an extra technique or lure type in your arsenal for future channel trips when the fish are shut down.

Bait fishing in winter is very quiet and it’s something I have not had many reports of in recent times. However, I am sure a stack of worms around structure could work well.

WARANGA BASIN There are a couple of positives and negatives for those wanting to fish the basin during winter. The

main negative is you’ll almost always get wet feet when launching off the shallow ramps. The main positive is there are zero speed boats and jet skis.

Another positive is you can get some cracking wind-free sunny days out there and that normally means fish.

Trolling along the Rock Dam wall has been a must for those chasing redfin on diving lures like the 15ft Codger or the Halco RMG in the Trelly’s colours.

Bait fishing at Harrimans Point end has also been a successful method with either spot locking on the fish or drifting over the top with worms or live yabbies, although they’re very hard to come by at this time of year. Sometimes you can flip rocks in the channels to find some smaller yabbies.

Casting lures on points or vertically fishing a blade or ice jig has also worked well, but it’s been super important to locate the fish then sit on top of them or in the general area.

river not far from home.

Steve, like many anglers, is a bit hesitant walking along rivers and streams during the warmer months whilst the snakes are active, but in winter the risk is reduced. It’s a good time to venture out for a fish before our rivers and streams close, to allow for uninterrupted spawning.

Steve fished the Yarrowee River, which basically starts in Ballarat not far from his home. Steve was certainly rewarded for his efforts by landing a ripping brown trout of 41cm on a small Ecogear MX48 hardbody in rainbow trout pattern. The brown was an excellent size for this little river, and Steve said he had a few others follow his lure, but only one decided to eat it.

Ballarat has a few other rivers and streams not too

far away that are certainly worth a look, such as Tullaroop Creek, Birches Creek, Creswick Creek and Mt Emu Creek just to name a few. The fish in these rivers and creeks, like our lakes, will be very aggressive now and ready to pounce on lures, flies and baits that are cast into their territory.

Anglers need to remember that rivers and streams throughout Victoria are closed to fishing from the long weekend in June until the first weekend in September, with some exceptions in the south west region of Victoria.

I recommend visiting the VFA website at www. vfa.vic.gov.au to see which waters are open all year round.

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VIC

Wishing for the refresh CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

After a year or so of above average rainfall, autumn has been rather dry. Hopefully by the beginning of winter some solid rain will have refreshed and topped up our local rivers and lakes.

Not that water levels are critical by any means but an injection of fluid from the sky will certainly keep the fishing side of things ticking along nicely.

On a lighter note, there’s plenty of school redfin on offer at depth at Lake Purrumbete.

Just beyond 12m deep, where not enough sunlight can penetrate, the weed dies right off and along this line is where a largely bare bottom suddenly meets weed growth, which is the prime area to target the reddies.

Anchoring up and sending down some berley will help heaps when it comes to taking a bag of

fish for the table.

Live bait such as minnow or worm suspended just off the bottom works a treat.

So too does jigging metal blades, ice jigs and soft plastics, such as the 3” Fish Arrow shads on a 1/8oz or heavier jighead.

The schools can be easily identified on a depth sounder as a cloud coming up off the bottom, but this doesn’t always guarantee that the fish are hungry.

Using berley and working an area for at least thirty minutes is the go. If the fish are not biting after that, move a short distance and sound up another school.

The better redfin here average between 26-32cm, with the occasional larger specimen taken from time to time, but when you bring in 20 or more fish in a session, there’s plenty of fillets for everyone.

There’s always the chance that something bigger might come along and snap up your offering.

In saying that, many boaters target the shallow weed beds that surround the lake as many trophy salmonoids, along with more redfin are taken in this way.

Simply cast and work hardbodied minnow lures or soft plastics close to the surface.

Some young, intrepid and well taught anglers are still tackling the upper clear water sections of at least two of our local rivers that flow to the sea.

These boys are targeting mainly brown trout that are selfsustaining and easily reach 4lb+ in weight.

Using a mixture or minnow hardbodied lures and soft plastics, the lads work each stretch or pool they come across and are not afraid of getting wet wading.

Most fish are taken by sight casting in and around entry and exit points to a particular pool; overhanging bank side structure as well as

Young Max Stevens recently fished Purrumbete with his dad, Shane, and was stoked to catch this solid Chinook on a bent minnow surface lure. peppering snags.

Obviously all fishing is done on foot and any section of river that lies

in natural bushland as opposed to farmland is favoured by the lads.

Kudos to them and may

their exact location remain a secret to most, as they catch and release to ensure future stocks.

Rockin’ the winter blues WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton

steve@habitatcreations.com.au

The 2021 trout closed season on rivers and streams starts at 12:01am on Tuesday 15 June, and runs until 11:59pm on Friday 3 September. To beat the winter blues, Blue Rock Lake provides anglers a retreat for those anglers missing the streams but who are still eager to wet a line.

The picturesque Blue Rock Lake is tucked in behind the township of Willow Grove, 15 minutes north of Trafalgar off the Princes Highway. Fishing the lake over winter can be rewarding, you just need to know where to focus your efforts.

Right now, Blue Rock Lake’s water level is near or at 100%. Over autumn it had dropped a little

but we would expect the lake to sit at near capacity over winter. It is important to rug up in your winter woollies when fishing Blue Rock. It can get mighty cold so being prepared can be the first step towards a good day out.

Winter trout on Blue Rock can be targeted in a number of ways. Landbased anglers can target trout by bait fishing, casting lures or casting out dry or wet flies or lures from the shoreline. Trout will feed along the shoreline so this is certainly advantageous for land-based anglers.

Often on a mirror calm winter’s day you can spot the trout feeding as they gently pick insects trapped on the water’s surface. If you’re bait fishing, keep floats, sinkers and hooks as small as possible to better present the bait and avoid spooking an inquisitive fish. Live baits such as garden worms, scrub worms, gents/maggots and

Scan QR code to see them in action!

Colour: GOAT

mudeye are recommended.

Trolling for winter trout on Blue Rock is good fun and possibly the most popular method for chasing lake trout. In June there can be some magical still days, ideal for trolling a lure behind a boat or kayak.

To increase your chances of success, troll your lures beside windrows or scum lines on the lake’s surface.

This is where all the food congregates after a wild and windy few days. If you look at the windrows closely you’ll notice an abundance of insects and beetles caught in the surface tension. If you are skilled with a fly rod, hold the boat or kayak back a distance and cast a dry fly or beaded nymph into the feeding zone.

Bass and redfin are winter active species too, and are best targeted fishing baits or lures down deep against structure. The most common technique for boat and kayak anglers

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Hudson Cole with a chunky early winter bass hooked on a baitfish-style soft plastic jigged at Blue Rock. Bass are starting to school, so now is a good time to get into the action. is to ‘tree-hop’ by tying up to trees and dropping baits and jigs.

If you get no strikes then move on to the next tree. A good sounder may take some of that guesswork out too.

Sounding around shoreline points may also show up good schools of bass and redfin. This is where anglers have had

their luck using jigs on bass.

Lures to keep in the tackle box for winter include weighted soft plastics, redfin jigs, twitching lures and ice jigs. Worms and yabbies are fair game for bass and redfin if presented in the feeding zone.

If you’re using baits, be prepared for eel as a by-catch. There are some monster eel out there which

can provide anglers with a challenge on a light rod and line setup in amongst the snags.

Feel free to send me a report or photo, particularly if you have any success stories before the closure of the stream trout season or if you’ve had luck on a winter trout, redfin or bass on Blue Rock.

Happy fishing!

VIC

Lush lake will deliver EILDON

Peter Burtchell

Winter is a great time to fish Lake Eildon as brown trout continue their spawning, larger Murray cod lie in ambush

With several hours to spend, Ray was out on the water to try his luck. A Murray cod had followed his hardbody lure to the boat but did not strike, quick thinking Ray switched to one of his Obsession Spinnerbaits and with his next cast was on,

an avid angler who had also just landed a Murray cod that morning –it was also landed using one of Ray’s Mumbler lures in green fluoro colour.

Jake who had never fished for Murray cod prior to his visit to Lake Eildon was well rewarded with a nice catch trolling along the Big River Arm. Rhys Stritch ventured from Echuca to try his luck in the Big River Arm. Rhys fished the first of the late afternoon shade that was provided by a westerly rocky bank.

Added to the on-lake action, a group of local anglers, business proprietors and citizens have begun the process of developing an angling club for Eildon and Districts.

The club will be hosting/

Rhys caught this cod flicking in the late afternoon shade. friendly, family-orientated caravan park, and makes the perfect home away from home. While there you can opt to hire one of their Boatel floating apartments, hire a boat or book a fishing guide at competitive prices.

Julian with his memorable redfin catch – the lure is bigger than the fish! along the routes the trout will take to their spawning grounds, and Murray cray can be caught drop netting the

For more information on all of these services and other attractions in the area, visit jerusalemcreek. com.au, or give them a call on (03) 5774 2585 or email i n f o @ j e r u s a l e m c re e k . com.au.

landing the Murray cod that had previously rejected his lure. Retiring to the café for lunch, Ray was in luck as he was introduced to Chris

Chris enticed this 90cm cod with an Obsession Spinnerbait Mumbler.

Archie Clark, the Eildon Fishing Club’s first Junior Ambassador, with a healthy Murray cod. many productive areas of the lake.

Redfin remain active during winter as Julian Wooster found out while trolling for Murray cod using an Ol Mate lure in redfin pattern. Not to miss a photo opportunity, Julian quickly called for the camera to capture a juvenile redfin who had taken his much larger Ol Mate Lure, making for a special photo indeed.

Ray from Obsession Spinnerbaits visited Jerusalem Creek in early May to deliver spinnerbaits and other merchandise in preparation for the Lake Eildon Fishing Challenge.

assisting a variety of fishing competitions and community events to raise funds for both the community and for the development of junior anglers. They hope to see some of their junior anglers compete in some of Australia’s most

Ray with his switch baited Murray cod.

prestigious fishing events promoting the Lake Eildon Fishery and District.

The first Junior Ambassador of the club is Archie Clark who is pictured with a nice Murray cod caught during a late autumn fishing adventure on the Lake. If you would like to know more about the club or its activities, please contact Craig Parker from Eildon Bait and Tackle or Peter Burtchell from Jerusalem Creek Marina and Holiday Park.

The second Lake Eildon Fishing Competition for 2021, the Lake Eildon Cod Masters, will be run this month from the 17-20 June. Many of Australia’s most competitive anglers will battle it out for cash and other prizes in this inaugural event. To find out more details of how to enter or visit the event be sure to find Lake Eildon Cod Masters on Facebook.

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Jake with his first ever Murray cod catch.

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101

It’s been an action-packed month for WIRF while enjoying this shared passion. The weather didn’t seem to hold back Victorians either! What a crazy weekend it was, with snow in some parts of the state (we were dressed like eskimos!) to sunny and warm on the banks of the Murray River. Regardless, the fish were still biting!

Chrissy Cue was fishing from Barmah and caught a lovely Murray cod, “I buddied up with my brother on his boat for my 1st Pirtek fishing challenge.

On the Saturday, I had few touches and lost one (it broke my line!). Not giving up, Sunday was very quiet until later afternoon when flicking lures in my secret spot, I landed my PB cod at 55cm and had my entry to the competition! I was just a tad excited as I was

WIRF

Cara Cummings

Winter has landed and for many freshwater fishers this is ideal for chasing the big Murray cod. While the smaller cod take a back seat, this is the prime time to land yourself a monster.

The 5th annual Murray Codference was recently held in Shepparton and had a sensational line up of guest speakers and experts in the field to deliver all there is to know about this iconic native species. Two of our wonderful WIRF Leaders, each chaired a session and share their recap and highlights of the day.

Shae Bloom chaired the ‘Native Fish’ session, “What a great session this was to chair, we covered a wealth of information.

Dr Taylor Hunt educated us on inland fisheries management and the important work that VFA is doing to protect native species and their breeding programs. We touched on the invaluable Care for Cod program. There was a great presentation by VR Fish’s Ben Scullin on camping on crown land and the legislation surrounding it, including what the responsibility is for anglers and other fishing access.

Chris Rose from the VFA board gave his talk on tourism and what it means for Victoria and also the diversity of Victorian fishing. And finally, our last speaker was Yorick Piper also from the VFA Board who spoke to us

Amy and Tiff on the set of Talking Fishing. about his journey as a cod fisher and perseverance.

Yorick was inspired

by Karen Rees back in 2018, whilst listening to her presentation about how hard she originally found it to land a cod while lure fishing, and how it all changed for her when she finally landed her first cod on a surface lure. Yorick was hooked at that point and he was on a mission to catch a cod on a lure and that he did thanks to Karen.

Karen Rees chaired the ‘Angling’ session, “I’ve had the privilege of being a part of the event for the past three years as a presenter and session chair.

Year after year I leave with new inspiration, techniques and knowledge that will improve myself as a native angler and give myself the

weekend on the water with the family supporting the Pirtek Fishing Challenge.”

TALKING FISHING TV It is always great to see our WIRF Leaders on the big screen and Talking Fishing host, David Kramer, recently invited Amy Day and Tiffany Newton as guests on the show. The girls got to speak a little about their own fishing adventures and also had a chance to discuss all things WIRF. To see the girls in action, you can catch up on Youtube – Talking Fishing S10E24.

NUPTIALS ON THE HIGH SEAS When you think of the words bells and fishing, most immediately think of bait fishers, making that mad rush to get to their rod before they drop their catch.

best chance of catching my all-time favourite species.

“The codference is a pinnacle of knowledge from some of the best in the business, from angling techniques and new innovations in fishing tackle to hearing other angler’s journeys and understanding the scientific research that the Victorian Fisheries undertake.

“The VFA’s Anthony Forster gave us a progress update on the progression of the Arcadia Native Fish Hatchery. This place is going to be amazing and will help secure the production of native fingerlings into the future. Dr Katie Doyle presented her talk on the Murray cod diet. Who would have thought talking about cod vomit could be so interesting? Plus, she

Mr and Mrs Phil and Amanda Pirotta.

Chrissy Cue with her PB Murray cod.

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JUNE 2021

is making some pretty amazing waves in the industry! Steve Threlfall discussed new and useful native fish fishing products and we also walked a day in the shoes of Fisheries Officer Greg Sharp.”

This is merely a snippet of the day, if you missed out attending this year’s Codference, you can watch it on playback via the VFAs Facebook page sessions 1, 2 and 3.

PIRTEK FISHING CHALLENGE A wonderful representation of females across the nation participating in this year’s Pirtek Fishing Challenge.

Lots of fabulous photos of individuals, couples and families all having a ball

only saying that morning, how I’d love to catch a cod with darker colours and beautiful markings. Guess I should be careful what I wish for!”

Nicole Higgins was also chasing freshwater fish and had a great time with her family.

“For what was a very chilly two days on the water in Wemen, we had some great catches, with the biggest of 7 cod caught being a 51cm (Wemen will have some great size cod in a few years). We also landed a beautiful yellowbelly, which we hadn’t caught in over 12 months, so this was awesome to see. Overall, for the weekend, our tally stood at 7 cod, 1 yella and 8 carp. It was a great

Well in this story, I’m not talking about fishing bells, I’m talking about wedding bells! Let me introduce you to this gorgeous couple, WIRF member Amanda Pirotta and her newlywed husband Phillip Pirotta.

This couple are crazy keen anglers and have spent more time fishing together than apart. I interviewed Amanda and here’s what she shared about their big day…

Your engagement story is unique yet so appropriate, tell us all about it.

“I proposed to Phil!

It had been a little bit of a joke between us and our fishing friends. Phil wanted a Penn International game reel and I would laugh and say, ‘Ok but only if he buys me a ring.”

celebrants in our area and sent them the same email explaining what our plan was and how we would need them to not get seasick. All of them wanted to take part as it was a unique wedding but only one out of eight was able.

We were very lucky.

Our back up option was a beach wedding prior to the charter, but hubby just wasn’t having that and I’m glad it all worked out.”

We love your wedding dress, what inspired you to choose this gorgeous colour?

“The colour of the skirt was inspired initially for our love for fishing and the sea. My engagement ring we designed together, selecting a stone the colour of the ocean. A blue green

tourmaline in a diamond halo. When people asked about it, I wanted to share a story and not to just tell them how many carats it had but what it meant to us and what brought us together. So, my skirt was also the same!”

Did you catch any fish during your wedding?

“Yes, we caught a few different varieties, we specifically went out chasing a mako shark for me. Because why shouldn’t the bride have a cracking photo next to a game shark on her big day?

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the mako but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up!”

Do you have any other fun stories or recollections about your special day?

“Well, aside from the

northerly winds wanting to make me pull a ‘Marilyn Munroe’ all the time with my skirt, we did have one tangled line out on the water and Zac Cross said, ‘There you go, your first tangle,’ to which I replied, “…and it definitely won’t be our last!”

Congratulations to you both and thanks for sharing your amazing day!

• To stay up to date and see what else has been happening within the network and for upcoming events, please head to our Facebook group www. f a c e b o o k . c o m / g ro u p s / womenrecfishing/ or via the VFA website/Facebook page. Are you a WIRF member? If not, we’d love to have you on board! Join us on FB today.

RECIPES THAT ARE ‘WIRF’ IT

Tasty scallop party pies

Nuptials on the high sea.

“I’m a big believer in, if you want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself.

So, I planned with the team at Richardson Marines Tackle Shack to order me a Penn reel in time for the leap year. I proposed to him at home, and he was a little bit shocked (but not that much) as we both had a bit of a laugh at the same time.”

How long have you both been fishing?

“Phil has been fishing all his life, I did a bit when I was younger with family.

However, neither of us have fished as much as we have since being together in the past four years.

Phil’s passion for outdoors and fishing is highly contagious. It’s definitely bonded us.”

What’s your favourite

fishing style/target catches?

“We live in Warrnambool so it’s tough to say we have favourites when we literally have every option within an hour or two of us. We fish all year round, saving cooler months for trout, mulloway and barrels.

When they leave, we are onto gummies and snapper.

Pushing then onto kingfish, school tuna. We are blessed to have every option on our doorstep. Typically, we bait fish unless trolling for specific species.”

Who catches more fish?

“Well, if we are together, I generally out fish him. We actually had secret messages engraved in our wedding bands and mine reads ‘To My Forever Rodhog’ haha. But seeing

as he takes more ‘sickies’ he probably catches more fish!”

How long did it take to plan your wedding?

“Probably only four months. We knew we only wanted something small then celebrate later, so once I had the charter idea in November 2020 it was then up to the weather to play the game. But Zac Cross with Cross Country Charters was amazing.

He allotted us six days, three on two separate weeks in hope one of them would work. We planned for mid February and COVID altered it, but not too much.”

Was it challenging trying to find a seaworthy celebrant?

“100%. I searched

INGREDIENTS

(SERVES 4) 500g scallops 20g butter Olive oil 1 cup white wine 2/3 cup thickened cream Salt 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp cornflour with water to make a paste 4 sheets puff pastry

METHOD 1. Dry the scallops using a paper towel and seasoned with a little salt.

2. Drizzle olive oil in a frypan and sauté the scallops on each side until slightly caramelised (approx. 2min) Remove from heat and allow to rest.

3. Wipe the frypan clean, add the butter and allow to melt. As the butter begins to turn brown, add in the wine and simmer until it reduces (approx.

3 min). Once reduced, add in the

cream and lemon and stir well.

Continue to simmer for a further 2 minutes and then add in the cornflour paste. Stir well and once thickened, remove from heat and stir the scallops through the mix.

4. Cut disks of pastry for the base of the pies and slightly smaller disks for the tops. The size of the disks will depend on the size of the pie tins you are using. The base disks need to be 1.5 times the size of the tin and the top disks to be the same size or slightly overlap the tin. If using a pie machine, use the cutter provided and follow instructions for cooking.

5. If making pies in individual tins or muffin tray, lightly spray with cooking oil and press the larger disk into the base of the tin/tray. Fill the scallop mix 3/4 full (2 scallops per pie), place the top disk over the pie and using a fork, press the edges together to ensure they seal.

6. Bake pies in a pre-heated oven of 200ºC for 20-30 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Nicole Higgins with her Pirtek Challenge entry from Wemen.

JUNE 2021

103

recfishwest New reef marks exciting new chapter in statewide artificial reef program Boat fishers across Perth, especially those who reside in the city’s northern suburbs, are buzzing with excitement about the prospect of targeting kingies, sambos and pink snapper at a new fishing Mecca.

In late April, before this edition of Fishing Monthly went to print, deployment of a new artificial reef covering four Optus Stadium playing fields

wait too long before many species call the north metro reef home,” he said.

“The 292 modules of three different types have been purposely-designed to suit target species in WA waters.

“The modules have already proven to be the perfect home for a range of species on Esperance and Exmouth artificial reefs.

“The architecture of the reef has also been specially

WA Fisheries Minister Don Punch, Subcon’s Cameron Stirling and Recfishwest’s Tim Grose discuss the new reef with media. worth of ocean floor started 7km off Ocean Reef.

With 292 purposedesigned concrete modules based in 27m of water at a safe and easily-accessible location, it is the seventh artificial reef deployed as part of WA’s statewide artificial reef program.

R e c f i s h w e s t Partnerships and Business Development Manager Tim Grose said the reef was set to establish itself quickly, with species including pinkies, skippy and samsonfish.

“Having closely observed the development of other artificial reef systems, we can confidently say we won’t have to

designed to accommodate multiple boats fishing the reef at once, while creating a productive marine ecosystem.”

Recfishwest joined WA Fisheries Minister Don Punch at Fremantle Port in late April as the first of the reef’s modules were loaded onto the barge ahead of deployment.

The project has been overseen by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and funded by the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund (RFIF).

It is a great result for fishers in Perth’s northern suburbs, given the area’s recfishing community

had been asking for an artificial reef accessible from northern suburbs boat ramps for many years.

ARTIFICIAL REEFS RAPIDLY SHAPING WA’S COASTLINE Recfishwest have vast experience in artificial reef projects. In addition to the new north metro artificial reef, the Statewide artificial reef program has also delivered: • Cooper’s Reef off Esperance; • Dunsborough artificial reef; • Bunbury artificial reef; • Mandurah artificial reef; • Perth Fish Towers; and, • Exmouth’s King Reef.

Works are underway for another artificial reef off Carnarvon, while three more – including one off Albany – were flagged in the State Government’s recfishing COVID recovery package.

Another chapter in

JUNE 2021

the statewide artificial reefs program The statewide FADs trial program has delivered great new fishing opportunities for medium and larger boat owners off Perth.

Now, there’s no reason

why this exciting new reef system won’t be able to do the same for small boats.

Since the Dunsborough and Bunbury artificial reefs were deployed in 2013, artificial reefs have proven to be highly popular with boat fishers with

Tim Grose, of Recfishwest, hopes to catch more big sambos like this at the new north metro artificial reef.

Artificial reefs quickly establish themselves after deployment.

104

Four of the 292 purpose-built modules about to be deployed! Photo courtesy of DPIRD. thousands dropping a line or spearing on them and with local communities and visiting fishers reaping the benefits.

The north metro reef will be based in 27m of water, with its purposedesigned concrete modules ranging in height from 0.7m to 1.8m in an area of about 15ha of oncebarren seabed.

“I can’t wait to get out to the new north metro reef for a fish especially given the many different fishing options it will have on offer,” Tim said.

“We’d also like to give a big shout-out to artificial reef partners Subcon, who have overseen the construction, testing and deployment of the north metro artificial reef modules – their expertise in the artificial reefs space continues to prove invaluable.”

Want to fish the new north metro artificial reef?

Head to Recfishwest’s website to get the coordinates!

– Zach Relph

Samson fish are likely to be formidable opponents at the north metro artificial reef.

WA

South Coast

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…

Water tempsCONTROL dropping INTUITIVE ESPERANCE

Murray Johnson

The weather has continued to remain favourable, with sunny days, low winds and good fishing. However, as winter sets in we will start to see occasional showers, colder weather and a change in ocean temperatures.

The new jetty has been a huge success, with lots of people taking the opportunity to rediscover their fishing passion. There have been great numbers of squid, herring, garfish, skippy and bonito being caught,

flathead to 50cm, and skippy around the 1kg mark. Choice beaches are still Salmon Beach, Fourth Beach and Stockyards.

Further out of town, gummy shark shave been in good numbers, mixed in with skippy to 4kg, plenty of herring, the occasional bronze whaler and tailor.

Good beaches to try include 14 Mile, Roses, Dunns and Alexander.

Thomas River has been producing great numbers of small soapy mulloway and gummies, along with skippy around the 5kg mark and plenty of herring.

abundance. Both whiting and squid catches will continue to increase with the colder water temperatures. There are also plenty of breaksea, queenies, snook and sweep around the islands.

Heading out wide, we are seeing good catches of samsonfish up to 30kg, plenty of nannygai up to 3.5kg, and still plenty of breaksea, queen snapper, harlequin and the occasional yellowtail kingfish. Leatherjackets also tend to plague the waters at this time of year; they can be good eating but are pretty hard on your gear.

If you don’t want to keep

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JUNE 2021

105

West Coast

WA

Salmon run shuffle AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

‘Salmon run time,’ they said. ‘It will be nonstop fun,’ they said. Well, that was the theory anyway, as the salmon obviously missed that memo.

2021 will go down as the longest and slowest salmon run in history; it was more of a shuffle!

action soon eased off to a trickle again not long after and the number of schools dwindled like the hopes of many of us wanting to break the drought.

The only glimmer of hope was that there were constant reports of many schools still slowly leaving the Great Southern to spawn further up the coast.

A run that continued well into May became a reality

find out the latest catch reports and get ahead of the action. Generally you will have plenty of time to get ahead of the schools as long as you play it smart.

Make sure you have your gear ready with plenty of lures and bait ready to go and you can head off first chance you get.

While you are out and about on the beaches looking for salmon don’t neglect the other species that are also great fun to catch and also nice to eat.

This time of the year has mild calm weather that is ideal for spending the whole day at the beach, so instead of standing around

Brayden Warnke is the pinky whisperer with another beauty to add to his collection of trophies. Caught on whole squid drift fishing in Flinders Bay.

A female western blue groper, a surprise catch off the rocks near the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse.

Caught on a bottom rigged mantis shrimp bait.

With the schools of fish taking their own sweet time it became obvious that this run was going to take patience and a fair bit of luck for anyone to satisfy the yearly Arripis trutta itch.

During Easter there was a drop in water temperature and an obvious increase

bolstered by the massive amounts of spawning herring that suddenly turned up everywhere along the Leeuwin Coast. They are a favourite food of the salmon so it is logical that they will follow them in.

If you want to break the drought then there looks to be a slim chance that

Sylvia Figg shows her grandson Blake how to catch kingfish. They were caught trolling around some of the reef in Flinders Bay.

A typical bag of fish off the rocks in autumn. All were attracted to the spot by the judicious application of berley. in the number of schools coming along the coast, with most fish being caught from Hamelin Bay to Boranup. This burst of 106

JUNE 2021

the schools will follow the cold water as it comes in close to the coast as autumn dwindles. Check out the media and social pages to

with your rod in your hand waiting, get active.

While looking for schools, don’t be afraid to check out the gutters, channels and holes for tarwhine, flathead and whiting that are lurking about looking for a meal to come past. Bounce a soft plastic or flick a bait into any likely looking spots and you will no doubt pick up something for dinner.

You will often see action along the edges of weed banks or reef area where individual flathead will lie camouflaged in the sand or tarwhine will be schooling.

They are aggressive feeders and anything that looks edible within reach will elicit a response. I have found that they love fresh strips of herring fillet,

squid and especially small squid heads or tentacles.

Using a bait rigged with a running sinker, cast as close to the reef or weed banks as you can, let it sit on the bottom for a few seconds then wind it in 30cm, let it sit again and repeat. Keep that up and you will find that any fish waiting nearby will see the bait or puffs of sand from the bottom and pounce.

River and jetty fishing has been a shoulder-toshoulder proposition during the school holidays with the herring and skippy pushing well into the inlet. Plenty of action at the Ellis St and Town jetties from dawn to well into the night provided families with plenty of fun and a feed.

River boaties have been picking up plenty of skippy and herring, small salmon and an assortment of whiting. Mooring close to the edge of a channel has had the fish directed straight past where you are sitting and almost guaranteed a feed.

The crabs have thinned out but there are still the occasional big males caught up towards North Bay

but it would appear that the season has just about passed for another year.

Time to put away the nets and hang up the scoops.

The open water fishing in Flinders Bay has been exceptional with action all through the water column helped by some beautifully calm weather and low swells.

There are still plenty of schools of tuna around and they are obviously taking part in the feeding frenzy of the assorted food species that are widespread throughout the area. They are taking hardbodied lures trolled past the schools but tuna skirts are resulting in better hook up rates.

Demersal fishing results, as usual, have been very good which generally means the calm weather has allowed people to get to their favourite spots.

The fact that some boats have returned to the boat ramps before mid-morning shows how ‘on the bite’ they have been. Pink snapper are everywhere with many smaller fish around the 40-48cm very prolific. In amongst these

Just to mix things up, Brayden Warnke ticks off the demersal list with a bottom baited dhufish, also in Flinders Bay.

To page 107

WA

West Coast

Slow retrieves for fast action BUNBURY

Whiteys Tackle and Camping

Black bream are a popular target over winter with the Collie and Brunswick River always holding a few. While they can be tough to find sometimes, the quality makes up for it.

With the cooler fresh water flowing into the river, the winter bream do get

target in the dirty water. In this situation some of the most successful plastics are the Berkley Gulp Crabbies and Worms and the Ecogear Aqua Prawns. Generally you will need a little more weight on the jighead to counteract the harder flowing water, so look at using 1/16-1/8oz jigheads with a hook size to suit your plastic choice.

In regards to vibes, the

the timber, let it sink down and be ready to strike and engage the bream. These fish will race out, nail the lure and be back to their lair given the chance.

If you are in the mood for sitting back on the river bank and chilling out, a small ball sinker running down to a baitholder or shiner hook laced with a fresh strip of mullet will usually fool these cunning

great numbers. The rough weather presents a good opportunity for the pink snapper to forage for food that gets bashed around and dislodged during or following the cold fronts that will be coming through over the next few months.

Due to the fact that these fish move around a lot looking for their next meal, the best results usually come in the form of setting the pick and getting a solid berley trail going, bringing the fish to you. Some days it will only take minutes for them to appear, and once they come up in the berley trail the fishing is generally hot with fish coming one after the other. A berley that consists of fish frames, old bait and scraps works a treat, but can be a messy job to do at home. An alternative is to use quality frozen berley from a tackle shop.

Once the berley trail is established all you need to do is present an unweighted or lightly weighted mulie/

This queenfish put up a good fight for Sam Clarke.

Mitchell Cooper with a quality bream. sluggish and that means it’s time to get out the soft plastics and vibes. Slowing your retrieves down, using long pauses and small movements are the key to targeting winter bream.

There are certain plastics on the market that have a large amount of scent built into them to provide the bream with a smelly scent-filled From page 106

smaller schools are what everyone is looking for with individuals over 70cm. They have scoffed whole squid or mulies on bottom rigs as well as taking Vexed bottom meat with fillets of fish or 7” soft plastics jigged just off the bottom. Dhufish are ever present and can usually be found around the same areas of reef as pink snapper and will also take similar baits and soft plastics.

Fishing off the rocks continues to be one of the most productive pursuits for land-based fishers, especially for bread and butter species.

There are currently huge numbers of 30cm herring schooling in the bays and coves feeding mainly near the surface whereas closer to the bottom skippy up to 40cm are lurking. The

River2Sea Baby Vibes are my choice, with either the darker colours or baitfish colours that give off a bit of flash doing the damage.

Rigged with a solitary treble hanging off the rear end, these bream magnets will bring the fish in from far and wide and with such a small profile lure the hook-up rate is excellent. Cast in close to

fish. Look for creeks or runoffs feeding into the main branch of the river because there’s a good chance bream will be waiting to pounce on any offering flowing into the river.

With winter rapidly approaching, thoughts turn to the inshore pink snapper fishery with these pink slabs coming in close to shore in

herring will eat anything that fits in their mouth but pieces of squid, fish or prawn are always a favourite.

Skippy will take whole river prawns, coral prawn pieces, squid or their favourite, which is mulie pieces. When they pick up the bait let them take a couple of metres of line before striking as they are similar to bream and will pause before swallowing it.

Both species will take various soft plastics or hardbodied lures and when they are on the feed, they are voracious. To work them into a feeding frenzy introduce a small but frequent berley mix of pollard, fish oil and mashed up mulie. Try the rocks at Ringbolt, Dead Finish or Skippy Rock or the rock walls at the marina.

Rock fishing can be very productive in Augusta but it

can also be deadly. Choose a spot that allows you the chance to seek refuge from any king waves and don’t let calm conditions fool you into thinking you are safe. Rogue waves are just that and can quickly result in being thrown into the water. People have died here after being washed off by king waves.

• Unpredictable weather can quickly affect the fishing conditions and slippery rocks are a recipe for disaster. Please remain vigilant when rock fishing; wear a life jacket and tie off to something solid. You can hire one for free from Augusta Xtreme Outdoor Sports at 66 Blackwood Avenue Augusta -the local tackle shop and font of all local fishing knowledge.

Look for the big green sign on the roof, it’s right next to the Better Choice Fuels Service Station.

Trout are loving the cooler conditions. scaly on a gang or snelled hooks with hook size determined by the bait used (4/0 to 6/0 sizes are the most common).

I have found occasionally they will go off the bite (usually when you drop a fish!) and then it is good idea to change it up to get them switched on again. By that I mean put the baits away and try a couple of lures. Good results have been coming on soft plastics and vibes, with the vibes being especially deadly. They can really change the mood of the fussy pink snapper. With lures they will hit it out of aggression and it can get them feeding freely again.

Another technique to get them biting is to drop down a micro jig in the 5-20g range. This smaller

offering flicking and darting off the bottom will replicate a small baitfish.

You could also get a bonus by catch of any skippy that are milling around the berley trail.

As always, call into the store to get the latest info on where they are biting! The crew at Whiteys Tackle and Camping in Treendale are always more than happy to share their knowledge of the southwest and fishing techniques so don’t be shy, come on in and say hi, show off your catch and ask any questions you may have. Tight lines!

• Call into the shop at 1/143 Grand Entrance, Australind for the latest fishing reports and what’s biting, or simply to have a yarn. Until next time, tight lines and screaming drags!

Mitchell loves chasing mulloway.

JUNE 2021

107

West Coast

WA

Rug up and go fishing METRO

Jacob Crispe

Over the last couple of months I have mentioned the influence the freshwater flush has had on the river systems in the Perth metro area. The end result of these rain events is that as things return to normal, the fishing can go off tap. That is the case at the moment, and in June I can only see this getting even better.

SWAN RIVER Although the influence of the freshwater is still there, the system is settling and the whole waterway seems to be going nuts for anglers. The bream fishing in particular has been excellent, and your locations to fish are widespread. Try the area from the Causeway to the Narrows, focussing on locations that have a bit of structure. The biggest structures in the area are the bridges, and it is well worth spending the time to fish around them, whether you are using artificial offerings or bait.

Finn Parr and good mate Jeffry Cui with a pigeon pair of solid pinks while drone fishing a metro beach.

JJ Stephens with a black marlin caught while trolling the trench, a rare Perth trophy! water will be the best option.

Try areas like Blackwall Reach, Mossman Bay and Rocky Bay. East Fremantle will be your best bet for a feed of prawns. If you get a calm night that coincides with an outgoing tide you will have every chance of getting some.

This is great fun for all the family. Just anchor up, put a strong light facing forward in place, and dab away.

ROCK WALLS AND BEACHES Just to get it out of the way, I would like to mention berley and the importance it plays in your fishing success when fishing from the rock walls or beaches around Perth

Jackson, son of the great Michael ‘Spanish Mack Mike’ Robertson, showing us a comparison of his dad’s massive Spaniard caught from a kayak!

floats and light line when fishing the surface (especially for the herring). If you’re targeting squid, play around with different jigs until you find the sink rate and colour that the squid prefer.

Keep an eye out during the month for the larger southwest swells that occur at this time of the year. These swells stir up the water along our rock walls, dislodging food and attracting the snapper to them. Firm baits like octopus cast out using heavy sinkers (for distance) are ideal. If you can’t get firm baits, trying using something like bait tread to hold your baits together for a bit longer. It will protect them from the pickers and give you a better chance of hooking a decent pinkie.

Tailor will also be present, and dawn and dusk will be the best times to target them.

Try areas like the Cottesloe rock wall, City Beach and the Ammo Jetty.

Our beaches should

Metro. Species like herring, skippy and King George whiting don’t seem to be able to help themselves, following a berley trail looking for its source, feeding as they go.

Peter Zahradka caught this big blue-spot flathead slow rolling a bait on a metro beach at night.

The tailor fishing will also be excellent, with most of the better fishing still being towards the mouth of the system. Your best options will be to use either small stickbaits or metals (for the lure anglers) or fresh mulies in areas like Applecross, Blackwall Reach or Clairmont.

Always remember to keep an eye out for the obvious signs that tailor are about, i.e. birds in the area or signs of baitfish being chased by predators.

The other main target in the Swan will be our friend the mulloway. Recent captures of fish over 20kg have been reported, and most anglers expect that June will see the fishing for them get even better. Fishing during the night has been the key to unlocking the code for these bigger fish. Live baits fished in the 108

JUNE 2021

light lines (the shadow that the street lights make) that are present at all the bridges along the Swan have produced the best results. Soft plastics and medium to deep diving lures working along these lines can also be very effective.

As the month progresses you will find more areas will start firing up. It will be worth trying areas like the E-Sheds and North Mole. If I was going to provide one tip it would be to use lighter leaders when targeting them. Using leaders in the 40-60lb class will get you more bites.

Crabs and prawns are also well and truly on the cards.

Areas in the lower reaches of the system will be better for crabs. Scooping has not been producing, so drop nets with fresh oily baits like mullet, tailor or tuna put in deeper

Ken Dickenson with a massive 22.5kg dhu caught in 57m off Rocko.

Brad Kelly caught this beast of a mulloway in 88m of water west of Rotto!

This concentrates them in a smaller location, making them easier for anglers to target.

This activity can also attract species like squid to the area as well, and make for a great fishing session.

Most rock walls will be worth fishing, however places like the Sailing Club and South Mole will be good starting points.

Use running sinker rigs when fishing the bottom (as light as possible) and small

also fish well this month.

Something that is becoming more and more popular is drone fishing for snapper from the beach. Floriet and City Beach have been good locations to give this a try.

The beach staples like small sharks, mulloway and tailor will also be popular targets this month. Port Kennedy, Floriet, Swanbourne, Cottesloe and City Beach will all be worth a try.

To page 109

WA

West Coast

Mandurah mayhem month MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

As we make our way into winter, the fishing around Mandurah will keep you warm and busy. Most fishable bodies of water are a worthwhile option at this time of the year, as a result

side of the boat.

Dhufish are worth chasing a few hours before the tide, with fresh octopus on a paternoster style rig fished in 10-60m of water being a popular presentation.

Increased amount of anglers are providing reports that occy baits offer up good durability and will generally increase

An increasing number of anglers are using their drones to get fish like this beautiful pink snapper from our shorelines. of a change in water clarity, movement and temperatures.

If big winter pinks or angry black bream in the river sounds your thing, go out and give it a crack. Although the conditions can be tough at times, it can just as often be overridden with a cracking session and plenty of fish being dragged over the From page 108

INSHORE Like the river, beaches and rock walls, the fishing on our inshore grounds has been very good, and this should continue throughout the month of June. The key species will be skippy, King George whiting, sand whiting, squid and snapper.

Pretty much any inshore reef will be holding skippy (silver trevally) this month.

The huge area between Garden Island and the 3 Mile Reef sees large congregations of them holding there.

They are a great sportfish

overall fishing time.

Bottom meats show no sign of slowing down and occy head patterns are also working well as an effective yet simple way of getting your bait in the zone. The usual white or glow plastics weighted to suit conditions can be hard to pass up if fishing plastics is your

thing, as avid plastic anglers are definitely finding result in an aggression bite when baits are not playing the game.

Pink snapper are becoming more prolific as the inshore reefs start to feel the change of weather more.

Although conditions can be trying to endure at times, they are always prompting a change in the structures and the way the fish feed.

Land-based fishing during rough conditions, or prior, is ideal and will produce some great quality fish. Boating is not ideal in rougher conditions, so picking a window of opportunity shortly after a sharp change in weather is better and will help you capitalise on the feeding patterns before the fish start to regain their inhibitions.

When heading out, it is important to use fresh bait to increase your chances at catching more consistently.

Make sure to spend the time rigging your mullet, squid or octopus to ensure that it looks natural in the area and that it has the ability to look enticing when paired with water movement.

The river is best fished around this time of the year, as like the ocean, the rivers tend to change dramatically, effecting both structure and fish behaviour. Fish will tend to become more susceptible to capture as they are often more

opportunistic and find it hard to turn down a good-looking presentation. These fish have an obscured vision with the constant water change, but as a result are much more willing to commit quickly before the opportunity disappears downstream with the current.

If spending a short time in the estuary, trolling with metal slices or shallow running lures will turn up a feed of herring, the odd tailor and the occasional skipjack when fishing closer to the ocean openings. Whiting are really beginning to taper off, but will generally opt to be present following a few warmer days.

Reports of freshwater fishing indicate that the dams are worth checking out if you enjoy the freshwater and that is something of interest to

Quality black bream are right throughout both of our river systems. They provide good fun and are often willing to take a lure. you. Good quality redfin perch and the occasional trout are being taken by anglers fishing a variety of lures and bodies of waters.

Fishing vibrating lures like vibes or bibbed

Trout are definitely starting to get around, with a good mix of browns and rainbows all being caught.

on lighter gear (good on the chew as well), but it will pay to have a heavier outfit on hand as samsonfish enjoy hanging with them, and you will definitely need a heavier outfit if you want to tangle with them.

The King George whiting will also be widespread. From Windmills right across to the front of Fremantle will be worth trying. Look for broken ground with sand patches, use a little berley and you should be able to get a feed of this beautiful eating fish.

While on the subject of whiting, June is the month for big sand whiting around the

your prime locations. North Rottnest has been producing some better dhufish in slightly deeper water (50m), so this is worth a try. As mentioned in last month’s report, these fish will hold on quite small pieces of structure, which I call unobvious ground. Finding this type of structure can be the key to a great day on the water as the bigger structures can be fished quite heavily.

Good areas to look for your favourite demersal species are the back edge of Five Fathom

minnows are often the pick of choice, although your plastics do work well when fishing structures and deeper sections of water. At times you will find that the fish are schooled up deep, yet some other times you will find that the fish are quite shallow.

Remaining versatile is key as always and remaining open minded is just as important when out there giving it a crack.

July’s conditions will build on what we experience in June. With the weather being so unpredictable, doing your homework is best and forecasting according to the length of your session is smart. Although we need to take extra caution when out on or around the water, it can and will remain productive for those willing to endure. snapper, nannygai, mulloway and 8-bar will be available in 100-250m of water, while bass grouper and hapuka tend to like deeper water (300-450m), with the highly sought-after blue-eye trevalla deeper again in 400-500m. If you haven’t tried this, get out and give it a go. The rewards are some of the best eating fish in the ocean.

So as you can see, June is an excellent month to wet a line. You may need an extra layer of clothing, but don’t

Matt Flambard taking advantage of the weather windows getting his first monster Bass grouper coming in at 37kg pulled from 400m of water.

Jason Webb with a stonker 95cm pink caught on a jig! No sounder needed, says Jase.

shipping channel. Drifting is the best way to target them.

Squid are always a popular target at this time of the year (all year round, really). In the cooler months they can be pretty easy to find. Look for broken ground and 3-8m of water, and squid rings should be on the menu.

The snapper will also be everywhere. The southwest swells create almost a natural

berley trail, bringing the snapper closer to shore. Look for 7-15m of water in areas like Five Fathom Bank or 3 Mile Reef. Fish unweighted baits or use as small a sinker as possible and you should be able to pick up a few fish.

OFFSHORE Samsonfish, dhufish and pinkies will all be available this month. Reef areas in 25-40m of water will be

Timothy Schneider with a pink snapper caught on the light change using 10lb line and a soft plastic. and all of Rottnest.

There should also be plenty of opportunities to get out deep dropping. Pink

let that stop you getting out to try and put a bend in your fishing rod. Catch you next month.

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The Lano life: great fishing, glorious days in the swell or a low tide that breaks the waves on the outer reefs. The main target is cobbler, although you can also encounter mullet, yellowfin whiting,

LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

Some might think it is time to pack away the fishing gear as we move to winter. Picking windows in the weather between fronts, some great fishing and glorious days are still on offer.

Off season also means you have a good chance to book some accommodation for the upcoming school holidays. There are plenty of holiday rental houses around town with room to park a boat to enjoy the relaxed Lano life and abundant seafood.

Often overlooked because of the great offshore demersal fishing, the bay itself is stunning

Drone fishing has taken off in popularity. Mike Bawden with a nice pan size fish from his first bait drop. tarwhine and heaps of squid of late. The best way to fish the bay’s waters is to anchor up and put

water it is easy to sight cast unweighted baits to the fish.

One activity the kids

Graeme Doodson with a monster tackle buster guitarfish, great job to land that one!

Beach driving conditions can change quickly this time of year, it is a time to drive with care. Shortly after this photograph was taken, a 4WD rolled over at this location. this time of year with crystal clear water and provides an abundance of opportunities. It is an ideal sheltered water for small tinnies or kayaks, the beaches fish well and

there is the town jetty for a safe fishing platform for the kids.

Boats and kayaks fishing the bay have been enjoying great catches of herring, skippy, snook,

Chris Hartanto recently pulled out a 125cm PB mulloway off the surf, south of town.

garfish, crabs and squid so a scoop net is handy too.

Blue swimmer crabs can be caught with drop nets from the jetty. The best numbers are along

out a good berley trail; it won’t be long before fish are schooling at the back of the boat. In the gin clear

Graeme Doodson, is renowned for regularly pulling mulloway from the local beaches.

Mat Martinovich has been landing some cracker fish at every Lancelin Angling Club comp lately. How is this for an 8.6kg pinky?

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meets the sand.

Fishing from the jetty daytime in June, most fishers are targeting the plump sand whiting, a great average size compared to

love to do, is walking the shallows at night with a hand spear and a bright light. Best if there is a lull

the shoreline, so if drop netting from a dinghy or kayak run nets along the shore where the seagrass

the summer run fish. Use baits like prawn, worm or squid and cast towards the shore. As the sun sets a lot more species come into play tailor, snook, pike, herring, skippy, squid, tarwhine and salmon are all on offer. The bulk of the catch is usually herring and they can swarm around the jetty in huge numbers under the artificial lighting at this time of year.

A weightless bait of prawn slowly retrieved gets the bites. Lures work very well too, small soft plastics or metal slices 5-10g. When the swell and wind is up there is always a chance to score a pink snapper or mulloway here too!

The beach along Edwards Island end of the bay is only a short walk if you are staying at the caravan park, and can be very productive. Casting lures in the channel at Edwards Island is great for tailor, skippy and herring. Around the corner inside the bay fishing the shallows with soft plastics can get a bite from fish like tawhine, skippy, flathead and herring. Bait will also find sand whiting and even a few King George or yellowfin. North end of To page111

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Good weather, happy fish

John Niemeyer and Graham Maunder got a nice bag of pink snapper and WA dhufish out from Geraldton.

Gregory to Wagoe.

Unfortunately there seems to be more sharks than usual around this season, which is making the landing of a whole mackerel or other fish a bit more hit and miss than we would like.

BOAT Two weeks of sensational weather and the offshore fishing has been excellent with reports of good bags of both demersal and pelagic species.

Spanish mackerel numbers have improved around Mid Reef through to Southern Group and Rat Island at the Abrolhos, but so have the sharks making landing one difficult at times. Some good reports of demersal species include WA dhufish, coral trout, pink snapper, bald chin grouper, spangled emperor and the occasional red emperor to 10kg.

Squid are still in good numbers with some tubes to 40cm. The FADS out from Rat have had lots of mahimahi around them with some good-sized ones in the mix. Anglers throwing small sinking stick baits have been have the most success, lures include Halco Slidog 105, Maria Rerise 105, Nomad Riptide 105FS, Zip baits SSM120 and Yo Zuri Twitch bait 110 in natural bait fish patterns.

Seaweed has made the trolling along Pensioners Bank difficult at times but for those that have been lucky enough to be there when the weed hasn’t been an issue, there has been some good-sized mackerel being caught. Lucky angler John Niemeyer landed a

like reef or gutter structure, likely to hold fish and dirty water where they will be able to ambush feed. These

head south along the back beach, some great deep near shore gutters form over winter that fish well for

GERALDTON

Graham Maunder & Michael Triantopoulos

What a difference good weather makes to anglers fishing options, especially what fish might be about and where the best ones can be caught. Fish will also take advantage of better sea conditions, the same as we do.

Beaches that have had high weed concentration, heavy surf conditions or surging sand filling up inshore channels and gutters, become easier for anglers to fish and provide newly accessible areas for fish to search and hunt for the food they need.

The good weather has brought out more anglers, and reports of much better catches are wide spread.

The rock walls at Port Denison and Geraldton are

From page 110

the bay, bread and butter species like sand whiting and herring can be caught through the day; as the sunsets, tailor, sharks and even the possibility of a mulloway. When the swell is up, it’s a good spot to try for a pink snapper.

Leaving the sheltered waters of the bay, the surf beaches have been turning it on. Lately, it has been a mulloway madness, weekend fishers have been traveling from Perth fishing the beaches after seeing great pictures of monster mulloway on social media. A lot are leaving disappointed only to see more pictures the following week. The fish peak in activity each full and new moon, so if you have been missing out on the fish, be more proactive and follow the moon cycle! Trust me, there is no one secret spot, plenty are caught right along the coast north and south of town. Look for features

enjoying the best squid fishing seen for many years.

Squid season is usually from the end of February to the end of April, but the last 15 months has been very consistent with some much bigger than usual squid and larger numbers being caught as well.

Along our coast, squid tube sizes would usually vary between small (15-30cm) with only the occasional bigger specimen being caught. But the last year has been excellent with many squid having tubes of 40-50cm and the hole squid weighing over 1.5kg or more.

The beaches and reef edges from Seven Mile Beach to Headbutts and north to the S Bend have good numbers of school mulloway up to about 1m and plenty of chopper sized tailor, with the occasionally a few larger jumbo fish over

the magical 70cm as well.

The beaches from Flat Rocks south to Wakeford Road can be a bit difficult to access by 4x4 at times, but anglers using quad bikes have been catching mulloway, tailor, some excellent dart, whiting, herring and the occasional shark.

West Bank north to Geraldton and Drummonds Cove to Port Gregory is quite a big section of our coast, but is also one of the most accessible and better fishing areas. It has a large variety of fishing conditions giving everybody the opportunity to cast a line with a better than average chance to take home a good variety of fish species.

Spanish mackerel, tuna and sharks have arrived in better numbers over the last month or so and the balloon and drone anglers are doing quite well from the deeper water from Port

spots often only appear and fish well for a short time before the sand shifts again.

If you have a 4WD,

The author had an hour to spare and found this little 108cm fish a few minutes from home, the Lano life!

John Niemeyer with a Spanish mackerel 1.44m, 25.1kg.

1.44m, 25.1kg Spanish mackerel on a light spin outfit with a Halco Laser Pro 120 trolling amongst the weed. The new Nomad Vertex soft vibe has been very successfully on coral trout fishing the shallower parts of Pensioners out from Drummonds Cove north to Corrantion Beach.

South of town towards African Reef, we’re starting to hear more consistent reports of WA dhufish, pink snapper, bald chin grouper and coral trout, and still the odd Spanish mackerel to 15kg on drifting baits while bottom fishing.

North to northwest of

Geraldton, the fishing has been much tougher with strong currents and hot water,which seems to shut the fish down. Being there at the right time has paid off for some lucky anglers, reports of WA dhufish, coral trout, pink snapper and estuary cod.

• Geraldton Sports Centre is the Mid Wests specialist Fishing tackle store. Drop in and see the friendly professional staff for local advise and knowledge and browse the extensive range of Fishing equipment on show at 204-208 Marine Terrace Geraldton WA, Phone; 08 9921 3664.

big tailor and mulloway.

These are easy to fish when it is rough, the outer bank breaks the swell while you fish deeper water close to the beach. Further south, Tailor Reef, Fence Reef and Mile Reef are all spots to score pink snapper, tailor and mulloway.

Heading north the beaches can be very eroded and difficult to drive, the back tracks can provide various access points to the different spots.

Gutters and holes will fish well for big tailor and mulloway. Reef breaks can hold a few green back tailor.

There are a few sheltered points along the way to fish the bigger swell periods for pink snapper and mulloway at Didie Point, Narrow Neck and Magics.

Between Narrow Neck and Magics is a great stretch of gutters, although the beach changes and may not be passable by 4WD at times. No back track access is allowed, as this is inside the Lancelin Defence

firing range. At times, the beach access will be closed here when the Air Force, Navy or Army use the range for live fire activities. The Facebook page ‘Fishing Lancelin’ posts notifications a few days out before each beach closure.

Heading offshore in winter it is important to be familiar with the passages in and out of the bay. Tide, swell height and period will have an influence safe passage, all the passages have the potential to break on a 3m swell. If unsure ask a local for some advice. The 30s have been productive, we have been picking up the odd dhufish or snapper and plenty of baldchin groper. Keep an eye out for signs of baitfish too, although it is late in the season it’s been a season of very warm water and there are still plenty of Spanish mackerel around.

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Lots on offer at Exmouth EXMOUTH

Barry Taylor

• Report supplied by Josh Cheong There have been quite a few squid being caught recently, with good numbers being taken by land-based anglers fishing off the marina wall, as well as boat-based anglers fishing out from the marina and to the south.

I recommend trolling size 3.5 jigs, such as the Ika 3.5, and white colours are generally pretty good.

Plenty of bream and jacks are being caught in the marina at the moment. You can catch them by putting out a mulie berley trail and fishing an unweighted (or very lightly weighted) mulie.

Dawn and dusk are the best times, but they can be caught all day. Jacks are also taking small hardbodies and soft

plastics such as the Daiwa Bait Junkie Paddle Tails or ZMan 3” MinnowZ. Quite a few wahoo are being caught trolling on the west side, and some good mackerel as well. These speedsters have been taken mainly on trolled small skirts and divers. There are still plenty of black marlin and the occasional blue being caught out there as well.

Solid spangled emperor are being caught inside the reef just out from Tantabiddy, with the average size being around 40-65cm.

They are falling to stickbaits such as the Halco Slidog and Nomad Madscad.

We have been getting reports of a couple of good trout being caught on line and speared out towards the islands. To catch them, focus your efforts around broken ground, using big soft plastics or jigs. Try to get the trout up as fast as you can

because the coral country is very unforgiving.

There have been some good blue swimmer crabs caught around the 8m mark down the bottom of the gulf.

A few swordfish are caught as well by anglers specifically targeting them out wide.

Big GTs are being caught off the beach, and we got a couple of good ones around 20kg recently. We caught them casting stickbaits off the beach in the middle of the day on the outgoing tide, and had three hook-ups within half an hour. We were using heavier gear consisting of the new Daiwa Certate SW spooled with 80lb line, matched to a PE 4-6 Demon Blood 79.

JUNE FISHING Mackerel will start to fire up a fair bit more this month, and squid should only get better as we get into the cooler months.

John Palermo with a GT caught in a recent popping session with staff member Josh Cheong.

Catches of whiting and jacks will dwindle as the water continues to cool.

However, the jacks will still be there, it just takes more persistence and patience to catch them.

• For all the latest news

on what’s biting and where, drop in to Tackle World Exmouth at 3 Maley St, Exmouth or give them a call on (08) 9949 1315. You can also view the range at www. tackleworldexmouth.com. au, and see the latest catch

photos on their Facebook page. This family business stocks a large range of tackle, from light spin to big game. The staff have a wealth of local knowledge and expertise, and are always happy to help.

Everything from sails to squid DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

We are now in the heart of tourist season in Karratha.

Locals are donning beanies, gloves, and jackets for the frosty boat trips out in the morning, while the southern visitors are in boardies and tank tops, shaking their heads at us.

called the southern calamari.

Both species are a fantastic addition to your fish and chips or holiday BBQ. The larger northern squid are very sweet to taste but possess firmer flesh than the southern calamari.

They are also one of the best baits to use when fishing for demersals, especially when kept fresh.

Squid, both northern and southern species, have a

Harper Mclean with a ripper of a rankin cod caught on a squid jig in the Dampier Archipelago. Now that is something even the pros could only dream of.

The colder weather from May to July brings with it some of the best fishing on the West Coast including demersals, billfish and cephalopods. The latter is one species that many look forward to coming into season. In the Karratha region, there are two types found: the northern calamari, commonly referred to as tiger or diamond squid, and the smaller southern squid, also 112

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maximum life cycle of less than one year, or around 200-270 days on average. Both species of squid can spawn all year round, but this is water temperature dependant, and that’s why we see a reasonably short season in Karratha waters of around four months when they are of good size and actively hunting.

Fishing for squid is best around shoals, reefs, and grassy bottom during the

day, where they have good protection from their main predators, which are tuna and sharks. During the night, both species of squid can be found in shallower waters with less structure. Squid jigs work well but the best results come from using small fish such as fresh caught scaly mackerel, small mullet, or yellow tail scad on metal squid spike jigs.

All the islands in the archipelago and surrounding shoals and reefs are holding good numbers of squid right now. Look for areas that include lots of weed and sea grasses for your best chance of finding them. Fishing from any of the rocks around Dampier, Cleaverville and Point Samson is also where you will find squid.

Whether you’re fishing from a boat or land-based, using a bright light that is held shining into the water at night is a sure way to attract the squid, and floating out a jig under a small float or using a cast-retrieve method will work well under the light. If you’re using jigs, keep changing colour and size until you find one that works on the day or night.

Once you have caught your feed of squid in the Karratha dry season, it’s the best time of year to get amongst the popular billfish action and head out from Dampier to target sailfish. June is the start of the peak season for sailfish in the region, and with the numbers showing up in the last couple of months it is proving to be another big year for them.

Fishing for sailfish can be a simple fun day out or a very technical artform. Personally, I think it’s best to not over-

complicate things unless you are looking for an edge over others in one of the many comps held throughout the northwest each year. Sailfish are not particularly fussy and will take trolled skip baits or by using hookless teasers that are switched to skip baits of garfish, mullet and the everpopular queenie. Circle hooks are by far the best hooks to use as they produce excellent hook-up rates and prevent damage to the fish by not gill or gut hooking them, which allows for a far greater chance of survival.

Sailfish are being hooked all around the outside of the archipelago to further offshore between the islands and the oil rigs. If you want to cover more ground to find them then use skip baits with plastic squid skirts and it will only be a short time before you see the sails behind the boat. Neap tides are always the better tides to target sailfish. Tide change,

Looking for something different in the Pilbara? Try your luck and search the inland creeks and rivers for redclaw. After some research and exploring, the author found a spot that was full of them.

There are some very big squid to be caught in Karratha. Ricky Mclean landed this monster of a northern calamari, locally known as diamond squid.

either high or low are when sailfish feed, so make this the time you are trolling or even better, chasing birds who are feeding on the many large bait balls being smashed by tuna. It is here where you will most likely find these fantastic sportfish. Sails will be in big numbers from June to October off Dampier.

The demersal fishing continues to be strong, especially around the new moon on the low tide changes. Red emperor, saddletail and rankin cod are all being caught in as little as 20m although higher numbers are coming from depths beyond 35m. Blueline and spangled emperor as well To page 113

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Booked out on Broome charters BROOME

Troy Honey

When it comes to fishing in June in Western Australia, you would be hard pressed to find anywhere as enjoyable as Broome. With sunny, warm days and light winds, it’s the perfect place to escape the cold weather of the south.

it’s not hard to see why the Broome charter operators have a few months’ wait to get onboard.

Ideally you are able to bring up your own boat or jump in with some friends because right now in Broome the fishing – which includes everything from billfish to demersals and nearshore species such as threadfin salmon – is on fire.

to find them. Look for the shallow reefs off the coast from Barred Creek down to Gantheaume Point, starting as little as 1km offshore, and work your teasers and skip baits from there. Garfish are the most popular skip bait to use in Broome as the waters are full of them and they are a common natural food for sailfish. Small queenfish also work well, and both fish can be readily caught around the Broome coastline the day before or morning of your day out chasing sails.

Spanish mackerel will be coming of size now in Broome, and they are not

pack of Spaniards following.

Always match your lure size to the size of the fish in the bait schools. If you are getting too many tuna and no Spaniards then start upsizing until the Spaniards start hitting. If that fails, troll your lures out from Gantheaume Point to around the 5km mark and work the bommies that are prevalent in the area.

You can easily find them on your sounder.

It’s a tough call at tide change to either chase the sails and Spaniards or try your luck further out on red emperor and coral trout.

Fishing for all these species

Alex Keating enjoyed a day out fishing the creeks in Roebuck Bay when he landed this monster blue salmon. shore, making boating time less and fishing time more.

As mentioned previously, fishing the tide changes is ideal but don’t let it deter you from fishing mid-tide, especially on the falling tide when out chasing demersals.

Some of my best coral trout

have come in the middle of the changes so it is definitely worth soaking some baits or drifting soft plastics and jigs down. You will find good sized demersals during June anywhere from 25m but if you head out past the 40-50m mark the size

Known as one of the toughest fighting fish to catch on lures, Alex made light work of this metre long northern bluefin tuna offshore of Broome.

However, if you are heading up with the intention of jumping on one of the many fishing charters, you may find you’ve missed out unless you booked months ago. All the Broome charters offer amazing experiences with some of the best fishing in the country, and with so many Australians now unable to venture overseas From page 112

as a few large chinamanfish are being caught to the south west of the islands in the 20-30m range, with both plastic and metal jigs working better than bait on most days. On the days of neap tides and low wind, bait has been performing better.

Blue swimmer crabs and prawns are still in good numbers in Nickol Bay, but this will start to drop off

by July as the commercial fishers are working the area.

There are plenty of blue

June is typically the start of the sailfish run in Broome.

The numbers caught in recent years exceed anywhere in the state, and on most occasions in the country. They do tend to be smaller in size than areas such as Karratha and Exmouth, but the nonstop action certainly makes up for it. And the best bit is you don’t have to travel far

too hard to find. Look for the birds feeding from the tuna schools and work those areas, as there will always be a

crabs to the northeast of Point Samson as well as large green mud crabs in all the creeks right up to Port Hedland.

Back on land there have been a few reports of bluebone coming from the rocky areas, with lots of smaller ones to 50cm being landed. Fresh rock crabs have been working best. Remember if you are not getting snagged on the rocks you are not going to find the big bluebone.

Whiting and flathead have been caught along the many sand banks from 40 Mile

right around Dampier and beyond Point Samson.

A holiday in the Karratha region can be a very rewarding one, even if you do not have access to a boat. In May I had three separate reports of coral trout over 55cm all coming from the rocks along the Dampier foreshore, with one even being on a handline. What’s not to love on a fishing holiday when you can catch prized fish such as coral trout from the shore in town on a handline!

Chris Blanchard holding one of the many red emperor caught on a solid session off Broome.

Flathead can be a very rewarding target species but you have to work for them.

Ricky Mclean landed this rock flathead on an Atomic Hardz in rock crab colour.

is ideally at the changes, and the perfect day is when you are able to stay out long enough to fish both a high and low change in a single day.

The demersal fishing in June is something not to be missed as it is when the water is at its coolest and the fish move in closer to

Broome is well known for big coral trout.

Brad Horseman certainly proved that by landing this thumper during a day offshore when fishing with mates.

Among the many species of demersals in Broome is a wide variety of cod that fight hard and are superb on the plate. Chris Blanchard caught this solid specimen.

and numbers will certainly be better.

Closer to town the creeks are all fishing well for mud crabs. Dampier and Crab creeks are holding good numbers of the smaller brown mud crab, and if you head around to Willie Creek and work upstream on the bigger tides you can find the larger green mud crabs.

Crabbing the falling high tide is best, as this is when they are on the move. A common method in Broome while out Crab Creek way is to drop your nets in and then head back to the mouth and surrounding area in Roebuck Bay to try your luck for some threadfin salmon. Thready fishing has become a year-round event in the bay, and working the couple of hours before high tide, especially on the spring tides, will put you in the best position to hook up on these feisty fish.

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A productive time of year FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

With the start of winter, a lot of trout anglers in other states wind up their trout fishing, but here in the West it can be one of the most productive times to wet a line.

Reports have indicated that the northern dams have fished slow for trout, and I can confirm this, with the opening start to my season being well below average.

The better fishing has come from the deeper south region however, if one compares it to what was on offer a few decades ago then it could only be classed as poor. The same cannot be said for the redfin fishing as some nice catches have come from all regions, with one river being a standout this year.

On the news front,

to see how they progress.

Both a river and new dam will receive brown trout, and these are detailed are in

development to stock better suited species in our freshwater impoundments south of Perth. We have a

to deeper lures, with one going 41cm. This water will receive 600 ex-brood rainbow and 120 brown

Shane Owens is a regular contender of the annual Harvey Bash. Here he is honing his skills with a nice early autumn rainbow that survived the summer.

He will again compete in October with a bigger prize pool on offer at Harvey. number of waters which, despite constant stocking of thousands of trout each year, remain a wasteland each autumn. The redfin are always ever present in these waters, however the size and fighting abilities are less than favourable.

WAROONA DAM I spent a few good days fishing this water with the sole purpose of targeting trout with shallow-running lures. I chose midweek and had the water to myself with only a couple of juniors on kayaks having fun in one of the bays. The water was very low and the surface temperature was 19.3°C with light wind and broken cloud, so perfectly suited for trout fishing.

I managed only two trout that were possibly last year’s yearlings of around 25cm, and they were in very poor condition. There was a rainbow caught on fly so a few of the bigger broods have survived the summer months.

A number of redfin were caught after changing

trout from 2-3 years. A further 2400 yearling rainbows will also go in, but this won’t be until they are big enough to evade the clutches of the larger redfin and smaller cormorants that reside at this location.

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the locations report below.

AUSSIE NATIVES Not many reports have come through, with a noticeable trend to stay silent of any captures for obvious reasons.

One thing I can report is that there are plans in place to secure waters here in this state by individuals other than the traditional government-backed departments. I’ve heard of some encouraging plans to try to get past the red tape that blocks any future

DRAKESBROOK WEIR It seems a few trout are still being caught but most trout anglers will wait until the annual stocking takes place later in the year. There will be around 200 ex-brood rainbows and around 50 large browns stocked this year. Around

and I believe they will do well with the absence of redfin in this water.

HARVEY DAM There were a few trout caught earlier in the year, but things seemed to have slowed down. I spent a number of days on the water trolling and

Redfin have been very active in the Warren River this year.

June sees the start of the stripping season at Pemberton hatchery. Chris Church is busy milking a male rainbow into a bowl of newly stripped eggs. as reported last issue, the Freshwater Fishing Reference Group met in March and as a result some exciting new waters have been established and approved for stocking by Fisheries WA. Waters like Wellington Dam, Preston River, and old waters like Brunswick River and King River in Albany will all get some of the 40,000 rainbow yearlings this year. A few waters will also receive a stocking of brown trout for the first time as a trial just

A nice advanced yearling that put up a great fight on light gear. Gareth Dudley was pleased to get his name on the board with this rainbow.

This redfin fell to a very large StumpJumper trolled on a moonlit night. Although not recent it was a unusual catch as redfin normally don’t feed at night.

1000 yearling rainbows will also be stocked when they reach a suitable size to a avoid predation. Redfin are still being caught, mostly by anglers trolling lures, with the odd one being caught from the bank.

LOGUE BROOK DAM I have not fished this water at time of writing, because the traffic on the water has made fishing difficult most weekends.

This water will receive brown trout for the first time after many years of deliberation by FFRG (stocking committee). A small number of brown yearlings will be trialled,

fly fishing the banks for negative results. The water was the lowest I’ve seen it, with the old weir wall well exposed.

Over 1000 brood rainbows and 6000 rainbow yearlings are allocated, but as with other redfin dams the yearlings will only go in when they attain reasonable size. Approximately 150 large browns will go in if they are available this year.

This dam will again host the Harvey Bash in October. A maximum of 100 anglers will compete this year, with entries opening in June. This event will be bigger than ever,

WA

with tagged trout proposed and great prizes. More details will be provided in coming editions.

The redfin fishing has

have come through recently of better-than-average trout coming to the net.

This dam has improved in recent years even though

Brook Trout ladder and work has been completed.

I can remember the hard work I put in with WATFAA (Trout Club) back in the ‘90s carrying out the same repairs, so I take my hat off to those who were involved in the work. Around 2400 yearlings will find their home in the river and I hope some will go into the Brook itself. A trial stocking of brown yearlings will also go in for the first time in many decades.

Brunswick River Not many fish it because of very low water flow in summer. It was decided by FFRG to trial 400 rainbow yearlings to see if they will do better than the traditional fry stocking this year.

Collie River below Wellington Dam With the irrigation season finished this water doesn’t normally fish that well. A heavier stocking of 2000 rainbow yearlings

The water level at Harvey Dam is so low it’s exposed the old original weir wall. It has also exposed a boating hazard in the way of this pipe that could pose a threat once the water rises. to see how they go in this marginal water.

Blackwood River It seems most anglers give this long river a miss, preferring to fish the more reliable waters further south.

It normally gets around 3000 rainbow yearlings but this

over them as they seem to be actively working the beat.

Simon is a local and helps me out down that way with reports. There’s a particular big brown that refuses to take even the best presented fly. An increase in stocking this year of 2000 yearling

Simon Holland working a nice run in Pemberton. The trout are on the move and like to take up station with the first rains. been quiet with mainly only small fish being caught. The schools that congregate at this time of the year have been hard to locate.

WELLINGTON DAM This dam has only redfin, however their numbers seem to be low compared to other waters, with large areas void of any fish at times. There was a push to stock Australian bass and golden perch a few years ago but unfortunately due to the lack of vision and all the red tape regarding translocation laws, it fell on its head.

However, if you are a trout angler you will be happy to learn that the approval was given to stock trout into this water.

With the extra yearlings available this year there will be 10,000 rainbows stocked for the first time since the late ‘90s when brown trout where stocked.

Time will tell if it’s a success and just how well they will do.

GLEN MERVYN DAM The dam is very low so only 200 yearlings are allocated this year. Redfin are available if anyone is keen to have a go.

NOROLUP DAM Only a tiny dam near Greenbushes, Norolup doesn’t get a lot of attention. It will receive 200 yearlings again this year so it’s worth a visit if you are passing the area.

BIG BROOK DAM Some good reports

it carries a big number of redfin. Fly anglers have been doing well early in the morning and late in the afternoon on a variety of fly patterns. Lure fishing is still productive too, even through the day.

Around 200 ex-brood rainbows and a moderate 20 large browns will be stocked this year. Around 1600 yearlings are also allocated for this dam.

Redfin of decent size have also been caught.

This little rainbow was caught at Waroona Dam in May, presumably from the yearlings stocked in 2020. The redfin have depleted the food chain to the extent that small yearlings just can’t compete.

Perhaps we should try stocking only large trout in redfin dams. and around 1000 brown yearlings will be stocked this winter. No ex-brood browns will be stocked this year.

Preston River This little river has been in the spotlight but

year it will receive 4000.

Warren River The good early rains has seen a good steady flow, and this combined with cool temperatures has the trout fired up through the entire length, with the better areas being the rapids. A good stocking of 3400 rainbow yearlings, which is 1300 more than last year, and a good wet winter should see some great fishing this season. A further stocking of brown yearlings will keep the enthusiasts who target these trout happy also.

Lefroy Brook Simon Holland, a well-known fly fisher, has reported some nice little rainbow trout have been coming to the fly. He suggested try floating a fly

It’s every freshwater angler’s dream to land a beautiful brown trout, and fly fishing adds that special magic to the moment. This one was released to fight another day.

PREDICTED DAM LEVELS

These redfin were refusing everything that was offered to them. If this happens to you, then move on as the next school may be more cooperative.

RIVERS Murray River Not many reports lately.

It was good to hear the WA branch of the Trout Foundation received a grant to repair the Nanga

until now was not on the Fisheries approval list for trout stocking. It is fed by irrigation water from Glen Mervyn Dam so a trial stocking of 600 rainbow yearlings will be available

Overall storage in our public dams that allow recreational activities are currently at 31.8 % compared to 30.6% at the same time last year.

Wellington, Glen Mervyn and Harvey Dams are still extremely low however, the early autumn rain has been encouraging.

WAROONA DAM DRAKESBROOK WEIR LOGUE BROOK DAM HARVEY DAM WELLINGTON DAM GLEN MERVYN DAM BIG BROOK DAM

rainbows and the usual brown yearlings as well should get things fired up this year.

Donnelly River A few trout are showing up around the Highway but if you have a boat or kayak then try both upstream and downstream of Boat Landing as it can be productive at this time of the year. There will be 2400 rainbow yearlings stocked this year, that’s up considerably on last year when it received just 1000.

It will also receive brown yearlings as well.

ALBANY AREA King River This little water was once a great trout stream but unfortunately stocking was suspended due to a native specie study being undertaken. The great work done by FFRG has now got it back on the stocking

44% 85% 57% 25% 35% 20% 78%

list. Apart from the fry stocking it received back in 2019 it hasn’t had follow up stocking. Well, this year it will get 400 yearling rainbows so should keep the local anglers happy.

With all this stocking it’s hoped things will improve in the near future.

It’s encouraging to see our Fisheries Department and particularly the staff at the hatchery being proactive with their trout program.

Tight lines.

JUNE 2021

115

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117

Tournament Calendar 2021 DATE

Tournament

Location

State

Contact

5-6 June

R5 Hobie Fishing Worlds

Mallacoota

VIC

hobiefishing.com.au

5-6 June

2021 13Fishing BASS Pro R4

Cania Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

12-13 June

R6 Hobie Fishing Worlds

Blackwood River

WA

hobiefishing.com.au

12-13 June

2021 Pottsville Beach Sports Greenback

Pottsville

NSW

lionsgreenback.com

13 June

2021 BKK Hooks BASS Electric R4

Maroon Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

13 June

East Coast Bream Series R1

St Georges Basin

NSW

www.wsbb.com.au

19-20 June

R7 Hobie Fishing Worlds

Swan River

WA

hobiefishing.com.au

19-20 June

East Coast Sport Fishing Flathead Pro R5 Nambucca River

NSW

Kris Banks 0407 996 135

19-20 June

Daiwa East Gippsland Bream Classic

Mallacoota

VIC

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

11 July

2021 BKK Hooks BASS Electric R5

Hinze Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

17-18 July

R8 Hobie Fishing Worlds

Gold Coast

QLD

hobiefishing.com.au

24-25 July

East Coast Sport Fishing Flathead Pro R6 Macleay River

NSW

Kris Banks 0407 996 135

7-8 Aug

2021 13Fishing BASS Pro R5

Somerset Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

11-12 Aug

BREAM Queensland Open

Moreton Bay

QLD

abt.org.au

14-15 Aug

2021 Daiwa BREAM R5

Gold Coast

QLD

abt.org.au

14-15 Aug

East Coast Sport Fishing Flathead Pro GF Nambucca River

NSW

Kris Banks 0407 996 135

15 Aug

East Coast Bream Series R4

Botany Bay

NSW

www.wsbb.com.au

21-22 Aug

2021 BKK Hooks BASS Electric R6

Borumba Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

21-22 Aug

Atomic East Gippsland Bream Classic

Marlo

VIC

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

11-12 Sept

R9 Hobie Fishing Worlds

Georges River

NSW

hobiefishing.com.au

11-12 Sept

2021 Daiwa BREAM R6

Gladstone

QLD

abt.org.au

12 Sept

East Coast Bream Series R5

Sydney Harbour

NSW

www.wsbb.com.au

13-17 Sept

Venom BARRA Australian Open

Awoonga/Monduran QLD

abt.org.au

18-19 Sept

2021 BKK Hooks BASS Electric GF

Lake Lenthalls

QLD

abt.org.au

2-3 Oct

Humminbird BASS Electric Aus Open

Wyaralong Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

9-10 Oct

R10 Hobie Fishing Worlds

Burrill Lake

NSW

hobiefishing.com.au

9-10 Oct

Club Marine East Gippsland Bream Classic Metung

VIC

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

15-16 Oct

2021 Zerek BARRA R1

Lake Tinaroo

QLD

abt.org.au

17 Oct

2021 Zerek BARRA R2

Lake Tinaroo

QLD

abt.org.au

17 Oct

East Coast Bream Series GF

Hawkesbury River

NSW

www.wsbb.com.au

26-27 Oct

Rapala BASS Australian Open

Clarence River

NSW

abt.org.au

30-31 Oct

2021 13Fishing BASS Pro GF

Richmond River

NSW

abt.org.au

15 Nov

2021 Zerek BARRA R3

Teemburra Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

16 Nov

2021 Zerek BARRA R4

Kinchant Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

18 Nov

2021 Zerek BARRA R5

Peter Faust Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

20-21 Nov

2021 Zerek BARRA R6

Peter Faust Dam

QLD

abt.org.au

27-28 Nov

NS Rods Sunline Bream Classic GF

Marlo

VIC

www.vicbreamclassics.com.au

2021 Daiwa BREAM GF

Port Stephens

NSW

abt.org.au

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER 3-5 Dec

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au Just supply a date, venue, tournament name, telephone number and contact name.

118

JUNE 2021

WHAT’S NEW DAIWA 21 STEEZ A HLC

1

The Daiwa Steez baitcaster has been elevated to a new level of design and performance in 2021, receiving the HLC (Hyper Long Cast) technology treatment.

Daiwa’s HLC reels are highly sought-after in Australia, where long casts presented to finicky and flighty fish can often be the difference between getting a bite and going fishless.

The Steez A HLC is equipped with a 36mm diameter HLC Spool, an increased in line capacity from the original Steez A, and a change that will be welcomed by Australian anglers who favour larger line capacity reels.

The HLC spool is tuned for long-casting with new Magforce Z Boost braking system specifically designed to give 10-30g lures additional cast distance.

The new Steez’s list of new designs and features don’t end there though, with Hyperdrive Design featuring the four key pillars of Hyper Armed Housing: Hyper Tough Clutch, Hyper Double Support and Hyperdrive Digigear to deliver ultimate body and gear strength and refinement, and flawless casting performance and reliability. www.daiwafishing.com.au

MERCURY V12 600HP VERADO

2

The world’s first V12 outboard, the 600hp Verado engine from Mercury features a naturally aspirated, largedisplacement, quadcam powerhead that generates impressive torque to get heavy boats out of the hole and on plane quickly, and to accelerate up to rated speed rapidly.

The industry’s first twospeed automatic transmission for an outboard optimises engine rpm according to workload, facilitating powerful acceleration and highly efficient performance at cruise.

The industry’s first steerable gearcase on an outboard pivots independently underwater while the engine’s powerhead remains in a spacesaving fixed position. This provides more room for multiengine configurations and a wider steering angle for agile handling. With help from contrarotating propellers, it also has better ‘bite’ in the water for docking and other closequarters manoeuvring.

Several enhanced Mercury technologies work in conjunction to enable the V12 Verado outboard to deliver exceptional fuel economy and range. www.mercurymarine.com

ZMAN 3.5” PRO CRAWZ

3

Overwhelming demand has seen the addition of the ZMan 3.5” Pro CrawZ, equipping anglers with an upsized version of the popular TRD CrawZ. The bulked up ElaZtech claws are super-buoyant to float up at rest, displaying a crayfish’s natural defensive posture.

Anatomical realism includes a tuckedunder tail, bulbous crayfish eyes and natural swimmerets for secondary elements of underwater animation. It’s a dynamite presentation for yellowbelly, Murray cod, barramundi, mangrove jack, flathead, snapper, and basically any large predator that eats crustaceans.

This versatile 10X Tough ElaZtech presentation can be jighead rigged or run as a deadly trailer on a spinnerbait, ChatterBait or skirted jig.

The 3.5” Pro CrawZ is available in four colours, with three per pack.

Price: SRP $12.95 www.z-man.com.au

PRODUCT GUIDE

SUFIX SFX BRAID

4

The new SFX braid from Sufix provides anglers with a quality product at an affordable price.

This line is built on the same high quality standards of all Sufix products, with Japanese IZANAS fibres for superior strength and extreme abrasion resistance. The super low stretch and sensitivity of SFX will help improve your hookset and feel even the most subtle of takes.

SFX Braid comes as either a 4-carrier and 8-carrier braid to suit all fishing conditions.

It’s available in 150yd and 300yd spools, and breaking strains range from 6lb to 65lb. Keep an eye out for it at your favourite tackle store. For more news on the latest from Sufix and Rapala, check out the Rapala Australia Facebook page. www.rapala.com

SHIMANO TWIN POWER SW

1

2

5

Designed to challenge the impossible, the Shimano Twin Power SW is stronger and more durable than ever across six models – 4000XG, 5000XG, 6000XG, 8000PG, 10000PG and 14000XG. The inclusion of Infinity Drive reduces handle rotation torque by a maximum of 30% when compared to the previous series. This is achieved by increasing the pinion gear support and applying special skid coating which makes the reel lighter to turn and more powerful.

To improve drag performance, the Heat Sink Drag system features in the 10000 and 14000 sizes to reduce the amount of heat transferred to the drag washers and line during the fight via the spool’s insulated plate.

With superior saltwater durability being a must, the X-Protect seal and labyrinth structure has been employed to repel water intrusion. By including this in the line roller and clutch assembly, the mechanism is 10 times more durable according to Shimano internal tests.

Combining the best in technology on offer by Shimano, this series still includes Hagane Body, Hagane Gear, X-Rigid Rotor, AR-C spool, EI Surface Treatment, and 10 ball bearings and a massive 25kg of drag power in the 8000, 10000 and 14000 sizes.

Price: SRP $739-$899 www.shimanofish.com.au

SIMRAD RS100 VHF

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

3

4 5

6

The new Simrad RS100 and RS100-B are modular VHF systems that are expandable up to eight handsets (four wired and four wireless) and four external speakers.

The wireless handsets duplicate the radio display and controls on easy-to-read screens viewable under all lighting conditions. All primary functions are accessible from the handset with channel scan and favourites, alphanumeric keypad, clear audio, handset station naming and 60-second audio rewind.

And with inductive charging, you are only a push of a button away from staying in touch, no matter where you are on the boat.

The RS100-B system features a Class-B AIS receiver and transmitter, allowing users to see and be seen by other vessels with AIS equipment.

The Class D DSC approved radio can make and receive DSC distress signals including current position, and supports direct calling to other DSC-equipped radios. A dual-channel watch enables monitoring of the current channel and emergency channel 16. A record and replay feature ensures important calls are never missed. www.simrad-yachting.com

6

visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS!

SCAN THE QR CODE!

JUNE 2021

119

BASS SERIES presented by

Banks, Bassman and Blades win at Clarence Coffs Harbour’s Kris Banks certainly put in the work to earn what would be his first ABT BASS Pro win. Taking full advantage of the pre-fishing period and taking the time to keep a close eye on river flows and clarity after the flooding a month before, Banks basically locked in his location before even casting a line during the practice day.

“Before the pre-fishing ban, I’d spent a lot of the time fishing some of the lower stretches of the river, putting in at Brushgrove before work,” Kris said.

Coffs Harbour’s Kris Banks benefitted from the hard work he put in before the Bassman round of the 13 Fishing BASS Pro series on the Clarence.

A string of quality bass caught upstream of Grafton gave Banks an average weight of 1.3kg. The Clarence fished incredibly well post-flood.

However, at the end of the day it was the far upstream reaches of the main Clarence River that yielded most of his fish on the tournament weekend.

“I drove up to Copmanhurst on the Thursday before the event to have a look at the water colour and Scan the QR code to watch the Winner Interview

decided that’s where I wanted to be,” he continued.

And ultimately, it was a single, massive riverbank snag that yielded most of Banks’ weight and lasted the duration of the event. Milking it for everything it was worth with beetle spins, Bassman

spinnerbaits and blades, it gave him two 5kg+ bags and a 55g win over runner up Brian Everingham.

Each day Banks fished topwater early, but with limited success. On the Saturday, he teamed with non-boater and MO Tackle employee Cameron Hall to fill the bag quickly on smaller beetle spin rigs.

“The bigger fish were eating the spinnerbait, though, and we could see them swimming in and out of the snags on the Garmin Livescope all day,” Banks said. “For the last six months I have been using it as a really effective fishing tool. For the first six months you own one of these sounders, you’re just watching the screen all day, but when you start seeing how fish react to different baits, that’s when you can really use

BOATER RESULTS Place Angler 1 Kris Banks 2 Brian Everingham 3 Dylan Walsh 4 Mike Nelson 5 Dane Pryce 6 Lloyd Brown 7 Kris Hickson 8 Joseph Urquhart 9 Matthew Langford 10 Craig Simmons 120

JUNE 2021

Fish 8/8 8/8 8/8 7/8 8/8 8/8 8/8 8/8 8/8 8/8

it to your advantage.”

Banks threw a Bassman TW spinnerbait with tandem silver/black blades and the factory stinger hook on an Abu Villain rod and Revo MGX reel spooled with 14lb Daiwa J-Braid and 14lb Sunline FC Rock leader.

When he had to drop to a more finesse presentation, he opted for a red/black Vex 42mm blade on a Daiwa TD Hyper 1-3kg rod and Daiwa Crossfire LT reel.

Banks had the patience to keep returning to the snag time after time because of the active fish he saw on it with his Garmin Livescope.

Banks finished day one with a 4/4, 5.57kg bag, and on day two he amassed a 4/4, 5.11kg bag. You can see the

on-the water highlights for both days of the competition by scanning the QR codes hereby. $3,250 richer, the novelty cheque was last seen with his patient wife.

Scan the QR code to watch the Non-boater Winner Interview

EVERINGHAM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A CLOSE CONTEST Taree’s Brian Everingham, who famously defeated Joey Urquhart to win a $60,000 boat in the 2017 BASS Pro Grand Final, finally got to see the

Taree’s Brian Everingham started and finished the Sunday session in second place. He fell 55g short of the win.

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 10.680kg 10.625kg 9.500kg 9.000kg 8.815kg 8.715kg 8.665kg 8.565kg 8.500kg 8.315kg

Payout $3,000 + $250 Merc Bonus $1,500 + $125 Merc Bonus $1,300 + $75 Merc Bonus $1,100 $900 $800 $700 $600 $600

BASS SERIES presented by other side of the equation, with his Sunday bag falling agonisingly short at the denouement of the weigh-in.

Leaving in second position on the Sunday session, he fell 55g short – 2oz in the American terms, or 11 teaspoons-full of water.

And he did it in the BassCat Mercury combo that he won at that event.

Learning his craft on another big river – the Manning – Brian knew that the prespawn fish would love the big, midwater structure that Rogans Bridge would provide.

Starting on that structure every day, Everingham use a two-jig combo, depending on what cast he needed to make.

Around the pylons he used a Lew’s medium actioned 7” LWWS baitcast rod with a Lew’s Inshore reel, 14lb Daiwa J-Braid and a 15lb Sunline FC Rock leader. He matched that combo with a 5/16oz (9g) Molix jig in chartreuse/green.

It was real team effort with Everingham focussing on a jig and Hatton intentionally throwing something else.

“On the second day it was totally different,” Hatton said. “We caught a lot of fish on a 1/8oz jighead and 2 1/2” Keitech soft plastic fished on Scan the QR code to watch the Day 2 Highlights

his 13 Fishing OMEN spin rod and Daiwa Exceler LT reel.

“The reel was a gift from the son-in-law (Tim Oakley),” he proudly concluded,” and I’d recommend this tournament fishing to anyone – it’s a great weekend away.”

Hatton fished with Craig Simmons on the Sunday, catching a mountain of bass in a champagne session.

Scan the QR code to watch the Day 1 Highlights

Fishing with Brian Everingham on Day 1 and Craig Simmons on Day 2, Kelvin experienced two different styles of bass fishing and had to use a variety of presentations to put fish in the boat.

“I caught a few big fish on the first day,” he said. “The first was on a Woppa Ploppa that I usually use in Glenbawn and the others I caught on a Bassman Spinnerbait, initially a Carl’s Compact and later on with a regular chartreuse/ white model fished as deep as I could.”

Macksville’s Michael Goodwin bagged the VMC Big Bass from the back of the boat, weighing 2.03kg.

VMC BIG BASS

Narrabri’s Kelvin Hatton reckons that this tournament fishing gig is pretty awesome. He was last seen getting his ‘Champion Box’ from KFC on the way home.

After the bridge action slowed down he moved to a rotation of a dozen snags that he had sounded before the pre-fishing ban and skipped them into the structure with a spinning outfit. He fished a 3/16oz Molix in black/blue on a Lew’s Docksniper 6’11” rod and Lew’s TP300 spin reel loaded with 8lb J-Braid and the same 15lb leader.

Both of the jigs he fished with a 3” Gulp! Minnow Grub trailer in black.

“They love the stink of it,” he said.

Boating around 15 legal

fish on the first day, the action slowed a little on the Sunday, landing eight bass and upgrading twice.

“It’s an easy retrieve… just drag it slowly along the bottom,” Brian said.

It ended up being simple and very effective.

HATTON CATCHES FIRST FLATHEAD Narrabri’s Kelvin Hatton experienced several firsts on the Clarence. It was the first time he’d fished a river, the first time he’d won an ABT event as a non-boater, and he caught his first ever flathead.

Michael Goodwin, fishing from the back of Dylan Walsh’s boat on Day 1 landed the VMC Big Bass of the event. It ate a 42mm Vex Bread N Butter blade in brown colour with a Vex assist hook set added on the back.

NON- BOATER RESULTS Place Angler 1 Kelvin Hatton 2 Jayson de-Forrest-Haddleton 3 James Browning 4 Shane Richards 5 Michael Goodwin 6 Tony Neal 7 Adam Wilson 8 Heath Kimber 9 Jason Sheehan 10 Damien Kratz

Fish 8/8 8/8 8/8 6/8 8/8 8/8 8/8 8/8 7/8 8/8

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 11.100kg 9.520kg 9.160kg 9.115kg 8.355kg 8.240kg 8.225kg 8.150kg 7.925kg 7.840kg

Payout Bassman Pack EJ Todd Pack Daiwa Pack + Exceler Reel ProLure Pack Maui Jim Pack + $500 Big Bass Sufix Pack Keitech Pack Tackle Tactics Pack Molix Pack VMC Pack JUNE 2021

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BREAM SERIES presented by

Colotouros on major roll at Forster BREAM We have seen many anglers capitalise on their ‘fishing momentum’ over the years. Others call it being ‘on a roll’. However you describe it, Michael Colotouros is on one at the moment and it earned him another $4,250 and another trophy for the mantelpiece at Forster in the Daiwa round of the Daiwa BREAM Series.

Over the two days, Michael fished Forster’s plentiful oyster racks and dropped two, 3kg+ bags onto the scales.

And although he wasn’t leading after day one, he easily outdistanced a fast finishing Ryland Sainsbury by around 300g while Saturday leader Mark Healey dropped to fourth.

Here’s how he did it.

Day 1: 5/5, 3.77kg; Day 2: 5/5, 3.18kg.

Micheal’s experience at Forster dates back to his days as a non-boater,

towards the boat. When I went to net it, I dropped the net into the water and nearly went in trying to grab it. My non boater grabbed me and I managed to net the fish backhand.”

When you’re on a roll, those things always seem to end up in your favour.

Scan the QR code to watch the Winner Interview

Michael Colotouros kept his 2021 BREAM roll going at Forster, pocketing $4,250 for the weekend and racking up his first ABT BREAM Qualifier win to add to the Daiwa BREAM Australian Open trophy he won earlier in the year. bolted out and actually swam out of the rack. I leant on it and it changed direction and came back

Micheal used a stout Daiwa Luvias rod matched with a Daiwa Certate 2500 reel, 12lb braided line and 10lb fluorocarbon leader.

“Every rack looks good at Forster but not all of them fish that well,” Colotouros continued, “I have a set that I have fished for the last five or so years and there is good water depth to it. Some of them can be too shallow and you’re in the weed as soon as your lure lands.”

He also added that he looks for dirtier water than usual to help the fish

Ryland Sainsbury has recently made the move to the front of the boat and his second placing makes the statement that he belongs up there! He landed most of his fish in Wallis Lake. fishing with the likes of Ian Miller.

“Ian gave me some valuable advice when it came to catching bream in the racks at Forster. He said that they like eating bloodworm coloured soft plastics the best,” Micheal said.

Michael used a

Scan the QR code to watch the Non- Boater Winner Interview

combination of Bloodworm 65mm Squidgy Wrigglers and Daiwa BaitJunkie Bloodworm Grubs to fill

his bags over the two days. His day one bag also included what ended up being the Yolo-Tek Big Bream – a 1.29kg fish that ate the BaitJunkie.

“That big fish was epic,” Michael explained, “I cast between the racks at the end of a run – it was a suicide cast – but the bream

BOATER RESULTS Place Angler 1 Michael Colotouros 2 Ryland Sainsbury 3 Tom Slater 4 Mark Healey 5 Russell Babekuhl 6 Grant Manusu 7 Kris Hickson 8 Tim Vickers 9 Mark Crompton 10 Jason Mayberry 122

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Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10

Stuart Walker reckons that he’s moving back to New Zealand. After his 10th win from the back of the boat, the greatest non-boater of all time in BREAM will not be missed by his fellow competitors!

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) Payout 6.950 $3,500 + $500 Big Bream + $250 Merc Bonus 6.595 $2,200 + $125 Merc Bonus 6.585 $1,200 6.515 $1,000 6.365 $900 + $75 Merc Bonus 5.925 $800 5.890 $700 5.645 $600 5.630 $600 5.490 $500

BREAM SERIES presented by commit to biting.

At the terminal end of the rig he used a 1/16oz TT HWS jighead with a #1H hook and a combination of plastic grubs – leaning towards the BaitJunkies as the weekend went on.

“I committed to the racks and I reckon I went through 10 packs of baits and around 50 jigheads for the weekend,” he concluded.

BIG FISH Michael added $500 to his final payout by collecting the YoloTek Big Bream with a 1.29kg beast that he wrestled from an oyster rack.

SAINSBURY STEPS UP INTO SECOND Being mentored in the ways of Forster by anglers like Russell Babekuhl and Kris Hickson, Ryland Sainsbury put it all together on the weekend to finish in his highest position as a boater in an ABT BREAM event. He added nearly 3.8kg to his Saturday 2.8kg bag to beat third-placed Tom Slater by 10g.

And he did it with a solid game plan that he refined as the event proceeded.

“I decided to start in the lake each morning because I didn’t like the tides for rack fishing. It was basically a big low tide at the start and a high tide towards the end of the session,” he said.

Scan the QR code to watch the Day 1 Highlights

He spent around 7 hours out on the lake on the practice day to refine a location and pattern – focusing on shallow water (2-3ft) that was covered in ribbon weed.

“I found out that the bream were right up on top of the shallow water and not off the sides where they can sit at times, so it was all about a shallow, weedy water presentation,” Sainsbury said.

Ryland used a Juro Firebait Longtail Minnow in green and a Hurricane Sprat 65 when the Firebaits ran out. He rigged both on a 1/28oz Hidden Weight System TT jighead on a #1 hook. This would sink slowly enough to use like

Apart from his ever faithful ZMan Grubs in motor oil colour, he used a bright OSP Bent Minnow and a brown Suji coloured Jackall Chubby to land important bites.

“I use a long leader, around 4m,” Walker explained while showing his outfit to the camera for the winner’s interview (you can watch this by scanning Scan the QR code to watch the Day 2 Highlights

It’s Stuart Walker’s consistency that makes him so effective. He always seems to be able to catch a five-fish limit, regardless of the arena. a jerkbait in the lake where hardbodied lures were hindered by an excess of floating weed.

He fished them on a 7’4” Abu Revo KRX rod and Revo MGX 20 sizes reel with 4lb Berkley X9 braid and 6lb Daiwa J-Thread leader.

“Each day there was a real bite window between around 8:30am and 10:30am – about the same time as the moon hit the hills. I made sure I was on my prime spot at these times,” he continued.

And although Ryland didn’t fill his limit in the lake on the Saturday (he had to go to the racks and throw Gulp! Crabbies and Ecogearaquas to do that), he did that and more on the Sunday, adding an important 39cm fork length kicker in the process.

And with that, he beat his mentors Babekuhl (5th) and Hickson (7th)…something he’d only dreamt of doing when the event started.

WALKER NOTCHES UP DOUBLE-FIGURE WIN We call him the GOAT from the back of the boat – which means Greatest Of All Time if you’re not familiar with the acronym.

Stuart Walker notched up his 10th non-boater title at Forster and set himself a timetable for his return to New Zealand.

And despite how nice a guy Stuart is, there’ll be plenty of co-anglers happy to see him go back to his homeland!

One of only two

YOLOTEK BIG BREAM

Michael added $500 to his final payout by collecting the YoloTek Big Bream with a 1.29kg beast that he wrestled from an oyster rack.

NON- BOATER RESULTS Place Angler 1 Stuart Walker 2 Jason Harlock 3 Dallas Blatchford 4 Jake Aitken 5 Cameron Hall 6 Louie Wardini 7 Sam Peck 8 Jordan Armstrong 9 Mark Pedersen 10 Ryan Honeybrook

Fish 10/10 10/10 6/10 8/10 8/10 6/10 5/10 6/10 6/10 6/10

non-boaters to catch a full limit of 10 fish over the two days, Walker used his now-famous Daiwa SilverWolf bream outfits to get the job done.

the QR cover hereby), “and I think that this helps get finicky fish to bite.

“Although the topwater bite was pretty good in the morning on day two, I switched to the crankbait when it slowed down, which kept the bream biting.”

Walker explained that he only has another two events to fish before he departs. You can bet that he’ll be doing his best to add title 11 and 12 before the end of the St Georges Basin event!

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 5.195 5.045 4.280 3.820 3.420 2.980 2.820 2.680 2.665 2.660

Payout Daiwa Pack + Sol III Reel Costa Pack Daiwa and Samaki Pack Daiwa BaitJunkie Pack ProLure Pack Sufix/VMC Pack Cranka Pack EJ Todds Pack Ecogear Pack Keitech Pack JUNE 2021

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Round 2: Shimano Lake Macquarie Bream Round 2 of the East Coast Bream Series, sponsored

by Shimano, took place at Lake Macquarie on 18 April, 2021. Finally, we were back on the water after all that has happened!

The competitors arrived

on Friday and were greeted by strong winds all day. We woke up on Saturday to rain, which stayed all day. Fortunately, however, as daylight broke on Sunday, we were presented with sun and a slight breeze. A great day to go fishing.

Numbers were down, with 37 registered for the start, and most found fish with 13 teams registering bags over 3kg.

When talking to teams after the event, most declared they realized the edge bite was off early, and most teams found

David Dobson and Simon McAlpin from Vex Performance Lures won the comp with their 5 fish, 4.39kg bag.

Jarryd McBarron and Brendon Spinks (McBarron Construction) took out 3rd place.

their fish in deeper water.

VEX PERFORMANCE LURES TAKES TOP SPOT David Dobson and Simon McAlpin from Vex Performance Lures finished on top, with a bag of five fish weighing 4.39kg.

Runners up Adam Amos, Adam Martin and Robert Longley (BST/Ghost Recon Lures).

The Big Bream prize was taken out by the team of Gary Brown, David Tosland and Jorg Van Husen (ZMan Okuma Tosland Building).

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Mark Healey (Shimano/Lowrance) showing off part of his catch.

“We had a great day on the water,” Dobson said.

“We caught fish all day, and most were accounted for on Vex Bread & Butter 35s in shrimp pattern. ZMan Slim SwimZ claimed a few of the smaller fish.

“We were very happy with our catch and even happier to finish in first place. Thanks to organisers for running the event.”

Special thanks go to Shimano for sponsoring this

RESULTS Place Team 1 Vex Performance Lures (David Dobson, Simon McAlpin) 2 BST/Ghost Recon Lures (Adam Amos, Adam Martin) 3 McBarron Construction (Jarryd McBarron, Brendon Spinks) 4 B&F Fishing (Matt Babbage, Rod Ford) 5 Daydreamers (Rashid Ammoun, Khalid Aja) 6 Compleat Angler Gregory Hills/Garmin (Dane Tomaszewski, Dane Tribbia) 7 Team Abu Garcia/Evinrude (Ross Cannizzaro, Codie Stewart) 8 On the Chew (Tim Staunton, Brock Harmer) 9 Shimano/Lowrance (Mark Healey) 10 Bassnchips (Matthew Starr & Damien Skeen)

round, and thanks also to Mark Healey who represented them and presented the prize money at the end of the day.

It was great to have an AFC champion attending our event.

Congratulations to prize winners, and we look forward to the rest of the year. Round 1 will be held on June 1, after having been postponed earlier in the year. As always, full results and news can be found at www.wsbb.com.au. Alan Newton Bag 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Weight 4.39 4.08 3.77 3.67 3.61 3.44 3.35 3.31 3.30 3.25

Big Bream Team ZMan Okuma/Tosland Building (Gary Brown, David Tosland) 1.34kg

Prize $2000 $1000 $500 $300

Bayer Fly Fishing Friday Twenty Bayer retailers participated in the inaugural Fly Fishing Friday on 23 April as part of the Bayer

Big Fish Challenge to raise funds and awareness of men’s mental health.

Each year individuals and

teams that are registered for the challenge, upload the fish they catch through the Bayer Big Fish Challenge app.

Bayer contributes one dollar per centimetre of the largest fish per type caught by each team or individual to the Bayer AgSpirit Fund. The funds are then used by The Fly Program to facilitate a number of fully funded wellbeing

programs, called AgSpirit retreats, to help rural Australian men in need of reprieve.

Over $300 was raised on Fly Fishing Friday at Millbrook Lakes to go towards the Bayer AgSpirit Fund.

Registrations for new

individuals or teams are now open for the 2021 Bayer Big Fish Challenge. Farmers, growers and any other interested individuals across rural Australia are encouraged to register on the dedicated app.

– Bayer Big Fish Challenge

My Alloycraft Brand Ambassador journey As I write this I am preparing for the up coming Clarence River ABT sponsored by Bassman Spinnerbaits.

This will be my second ever event as a boater, but I will touch on this at a later date. Let me take you back to the beginning of this journey. It all started when I was scrolling through Facebook back in August 2020 and came across a post to be the first Alloycraft Brand Ambassador Apprentice.

After watching the clip, now knowing what this was about, I took a bit of time to think about where I was heading in my fishing life and where I wanted to be.

The answer to my questions were all the same. ‘Yes, do it, what have you got to lose? The gains available from such an opportunity are uncapped.’

Now with the goal set to win this amazing opportunity, I needed to start at the beginning - getting into the top ten. The first step of the process was on paper, a simple interview video. I needed to record an interview to answer two simple questions (that were actually tougher than first thought): who am I and why was I best for this role? The video needed to be between 3-5 minutes and once completed uploaded to a group on Facebook where all the members could see it too.

I am lucky enough to have amazing, creative people in my life so I recruited a good mate to help me with the video. The hardest part of this first step was to keep the video under 5 minutes, which took some crafty editing on my mate’s

behalf – thanks Rich.

Once uploaded to the Facebook group the wait started for the announcements of the top 10, which happened weekly. All finalist would need to go live on Chewing the Fat with the Cap, Corey Goldie’s live show on Facebook/You Tube, which in itself was a daunting prospect for someone not having done anything live before.

After what felt like months had passed and waiting hopefully to see my picture and name announced in the group it finally happened on the third week. The whole neighbourhood would have heard my scream of jubilation!

Goal number one, tick.

I was now waiting for an email from Brad Richey the owner of Bluefin to let me know the next step in the quest to be the Alloycraft Brand Ambassador Apprentice. The email came through and was read thoroughly several times to make sure I was ready for this. My task for reaching the top 10 was to do a presentation on the Bluefin Scoundrel for 3-5 minutes and wait, this was to be done live on Facebook/ YouTube. I spent the next few days planning my attack on this presentation, had many

talks with Brad and also Corey Goldie the Bluefin Fishing Team captain. I now had my plan, and attack is what happened.

I was able to get details of a current Bluefin Scoundrel owner. My video had an intro to the Bluefin Scoundrel, the midsection was the interview with the owner and then wrapped up the ending to make you feel like ‘Why don’t I own this boat?’ Once all the video was recorded and edited, I sent it off to Corey to be loaded ready for the show.

The show came around on Monday and to say I was nervous is the understatement of the year (or so I thought, wait until what happens at the end of this process). Corey and I logged on, all seemed to be going well while we waited to go live. It just so happened that the provider of Corey’s live program had technical issues just minutes before we went live and the show was cancelled due. The only course of action from here was wait until the issues are fixed and do the show the next day.

Talk about a roller coaster of emotions, it was time for a beer and to get ready for this all over again. Tuesday rolled around and we got the show

underway. I was nervous at first but started to feel comfortable pretty quickly. The presentation went off without a hitch and a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. With the show done and presentation complete it was time to sit back and watch the other finalist do their thing.

With weeks passing and watching the amazing presentations coming through from the other finalist I was feeling the pressure. I was extremely happy with what I had brought to the table but it is hard not to think “Geez, they killed it with their presso”.

Finally, all 10 were done and the next announcement would be the top three.

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was in the car driving up the coast with the family and I could not stop thinking about the announcement coming in at 6pm. The best thing was we were so busy all day it helped calm my nerves, as I thought of what the outcome would be. As we rolled back into the driveway the clock ticked over to 6pm and I ripped the phone out. Now I was sweating bullets. For anyone who knows Corey, he is always up for a good yarn and he did a job of drawing this announcement out, hurry up Corey!

I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and paced the house as my wife told me to relax, you got this, thanks bub. The first person was announced Declan James, yep, he was deserving for sure. Corey on cue, dragged it out a bit longer. The second person announced, Bill Latimer.

The whole neighbourhood again heard a massive scream of delight and a few colourful words to express my feelings. I was pumped to say the least. The third person was announced, again after Corey took his sweet time. Kevin Beams, again a

much-deserved place in the top 3. ‘Well done lads’ I thought. I wondered what they had in store for us now? This was going to be the toughest and most out there presentation/assignment we had seen.

Now for the pinnacle. The presentation this time would be pre-recorded – however, it was a doozy. Our brief was: We are being sent to Norway and Sweden at the end of their winter/start of their spring for two weeks. We will be meeting up with two current Alloycraft Pro Staff while there. We need to say what will we be fishing for, how we will fish for it (techniques, gear, etc), what else we will do while there and we will also be attending a boat show.

But wait, there’s more!

We will do the same for the two Alloycraft Pro Staff to come over here to Australia in September. Where will we take them, what and how will we fish for it, who else will we take with us and what cultural experiences will we show them on our adventures? We had a week to get this done plus we had to fit all this into presentation that can’t be more than 8 minutes!

Late nights were had, and early mornings too, as you would not be able to sleep with the ideas running through your mind. Lots of prep work was done as the seasons over in Norway and Sweden dictated what we could chase. My sister in-law was amazing in helping me piece this gigantic puzzle together and the end product was perfect. Once the presentation was completed it was sent straight off to Corey.

The hard part was now in the hands of Brad, with the help of Corey to decide who would be the inaugural Alloycraft Brand Ambassador Apprentice.

Of course, fishing is huge

component of my life.

So, on the day of the final show I had a chance to go to Somerset Dam with a good mate to chase trophy Australian bass. We found out the local pub, Exchange Hotel Kilcoy had plenty of reception to be able to run the live show that Declan, Kevin and I would be on that night. I took the opportunity to head up.

After a great day on the water boating 15-20 fish we headed back in to freshen up and get to the pub for a feed before the show and maybe a beer to calm to my ever-rising nerves. Corey was able to prolong this show more than any prior, and if suspense was what he was going for then, well played sir!

While the show was going on I was feeling the pinch of the whole journey that had led me to this point.

After all the presentations were done I was still hopeful to take this out, but was amazed by what both Declan and Kevin had produced.

The announcements then started and with this they worked from third to first. Third place was Declan James, well done mate. Then there were two: Kevin and I both sitting and waiting trying to keep the emotions from taking over. Brad was up to announce 2nd place: the runner up Kevin Beams, great job Kevin.

At this point I could not hold back the tears, I did it!

Now the journey into the tournaments as a boater is beginning and I am stoked to be a part of the Bluefin Fishing team.

Thank you Brad Richey and Corey Goldie for this first in Australia opportunity.– Bill Latimer.

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Part III: Stocking, to keep or not to keep SUNTAG

Stefan Sawynok

In addressing the issue of keep or not to keep, I want to move away from the usual conversations of size/ bag limits as the primary decision maker. Instead, there are two key components to the decision: • The alternative model – catch and release has always received lip service acknowledgement rather than being properly integrated into the fisheries management structure. The best way to do this is to recognise that fishing has developed as a sport and, as such, formal recognition of the ‘sports’ alternative in fishing needs to be given serious support and action within fisheries agencies.

• The risks – the risks to fish species are not universal, there are key risk species where changes to fishing habits need to occur.

On the latter point, there is recognition at the fisheries management level of the need for changes and education and it’s starting to happen. That is in their hitting zone.

On the former, fisheries agencies have never really had a clue how to deal with catch and release and that remains the state of play. For this reason, I want to dedicate more time in this article to the former over the latter.

EVOLVING WORLD OF REC FISHING Recreational fishing is evolving and growing up fast and technology is playing a critical role in that transformation.

Looking back to the 1970s, in pre-technology era, the dominant purpose for fishing was for food. However, the 70s also saw the rise of an alternative model for fishing – sportfishing, and with it came catch and release.

Catch and release has presented a challenge for fisheries managers since the beginning, as it was difficult to quantify and assess given the technology of the day. It also provided a different valuation of fish, and with this change new opportunities.

Heading into 2020 and little has altered in terms of management practices. While the market solutions have become a little more flexible, fisheries management is still pretty much driving harvest caps, rather than market led solutions.

Restraint alone on the part of the recreational sector is not going to deliver long term solutions to harvest. That does not mean the recreational sector doesn’t need to play its part.

The recreational sector is seeing changes in structure and organisation from traditional volunteer organisations to preorganised events. It 126

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makes sense that in a world that competes fiercely for the time and attention of the individual that parcelling out participation is easier to manage than a dedicated commitment.

Additionally, technology is making it possible to run large scale even country wide events.

This market change presents a real opportunity to shift effort away from harvest and toward rewarding catch and release practices; by clearly defining an alternative model for fishing, not just in the minds of fishers, but in actual changes to regulations.

THE BASIS OF SPORTFISHING Sportfishing, a variant of fishing popularised by IGFA/ GFAA and ANSA, differentiated itself by developing a way to assess the meritorious nature of the catch. In the case of ANSA, this was done via a points system that took into account the species and line class as well as the weight of the fish. This system ‘equalised’ captures, e.g. to generate the same points, such that for a fish with a fighting factor of 1 on 10kg line as 1kg line, the weight would have to be 10 times heavier. The fighting factor was a number 0-2 that ‘quantified’ the difficulty of the fight.

If there was a flaw in the sportfishing system, it was that despite the increased promotion of catch and release, fish could only be assessed based on their dead weight. Even though more fish were being released, competitors couldn’t win an event without bringing fish back.

The advent of braid and later abrasion resistant lines, and evolution of views on releasing fish faster with a view to improving survival rates reduced the role of both line class and fighting factor. However, it was another innovation that led to the decline in sport fishing, even as the core philosophy of conservation and catch and release went mainstream.

SPORTFISHING VS FISHING AS A SPORT It might seem that ‘sportfishing’ and ‘fishing as a sport’ are the same thing, but in a modern context they are not.

In the late 1990s a new system was imported from the Bass Master series that moved away from the notion of the merits of the individual catch to assessing competitors on a more holistic performance. This new system focused on new dimensions, such as time management, strategy and technique over the value of an individual fish. This new system also maintained the ‘live’ weigh-in, with the fish being released at the end.

In parallel to this new format, the barra community in particular were trialling a catch and release format using disposable cameras for photographic evidence of catches.

This format expanded beyond barramundi comps and is probably the most common

format currently is use today.

Fishing as a sport differs from ‘sportfishing’ as it shows the skill of the competitor on the whole, not just on the catch.

Events in the IGFA sphere, like GameX, acknowledge this by creating the equivalent of a bag system, rather than an open ended point system. This is an important distinction, as the sport becomes less technical and has allowed fishing competitions to expand well beyond IGFA/ANSA to every level of the fishing community.

WHY SPORT IS IMPORTANT The overwhelming majority of ‘fishing as a sport’ is catch and release and, as such, puts a very different value on fish from traditional harvest.

Overall, it is an evolution of fishing has a very high level of participation, equivalent to many other mainstream sports.

It’s not a small activity either, so far this year we have averaged 5,000 fishers per month on the Track My Fish Network and more than 8,000 fisher days.

That’s a lot of effort for catch and release.

Recognising that fishing as a sport is a viable alternative, increasing participation and shifting effort to this format has to be part of the long-term harvest strategy if anyone is serious about reducing pressure on fish stocks.

MARKING SPECIES AS SPORT SPECIES Marking some species as sports species makes sense, as it clearly cements in the mind of fishers that fishing as a sport is an officially recognised alternative.

While not a showstopper in terms of developing the sport, it’s a big step to taking the same steps that other sports have taken in terms of developing an officially recognised version of their sport. Cricket for example can be played in a wide array of contexts but everyone understands the official context is fixed.

The fishing as a sport scene does cover a great many species but there are species that lend themselves more readily and they have similar attributes: • They are able to be caught on lures and bait in a variety of contexts (boat/kayak/landbased, etc) • Survival rates on release are high • They typically live in shallower water, so are less affected by barotrauma This is not a philosophical basis, this is based on the most commonly targeted species across all the events in our network, over 850+ events. The list of species that I think should be considered sports species: bream (yellowfin and black), Australian bass, barramundi, dusky flathead, mangrove jack, trevally (all variants), golden perch, and murray cod.

MAKING A SPECIES A SPORT SPECIES The process of moving

effort into sport shouldn’t just be a self-interest action, as catch and release has been.

At times catch and release practices have taken pressure off the commercial sector to do their part.

Defining a narrow list of species is specifically intended to develop more than just a feelgood activity, it’s an opportunity to reward that effort shift, which can happen in two ways: • Tight bag limits on sportsonly species; • Significant reduction and preferably elimination of commercial effort on sports species; I openly acknowledge that tight bag limits on species like bream and flathead would likely be unpopular with key groups of fishers. I also acknowledge that in some areas, such as the far west, bass, barramundi and golden perch may be the only option. In the case of the latter, I think that there is some room to be geographically flexible on bag limits. In both cases, a bag limit that shifts catch to immediate consumption is a reasonable compromise.

The key point in reducing harvest and shifting effort to sport would be that increasing biomass of these species and taking pressure of other species is a good thing. At some point in the fisheries management space, we need to take a step towards not just ‘sustainability’ but towards restoring biomass.

This species list is narrow and focused on the largest return in terms of sports participation and audience, thus providing a direct incentive to increasing participation.

GAME SPECIES I didn’t list specific game species in the sports species, including tuna and marlins.

Game species are a little trickier as my preferred list of species is accessible by the largest proportion of the fishing population. Tuna, marlin and sailfish are worthy of being on the sports list, but they would be tricky to implement in the real world as there are interests external to the fishing industry that come into play.

The IGFA/GFAA have largely operated independently to the mainstream fishing institutions, they have always been a big player in advocacy and setting recreational fishing policy. As such I think when it comes to game species, the right path is to allow the GFAA/IGFA to direct the future pathway for Game Fishing as a sport. Game species are in good hands.

DEMERSALS AND REEF SPECIES The Track My Fish network has a proportion of the competition space that includes demersal and reef species.

I will be honest; I am very uncomfortable with including these species in any form of competition.

Demersal and reef species on the whole are under more

stresses than most other species, including habitat challenges, localised stock depletions and disruption of recruitment cycles as climate change kicks in. Species like snapper, pearl perch and a number of the Western Australian species are not doing well.

In terms of catch, these species are often more susceptible to barotrauma and while our biggest seller through the Suntag store remains barotrauma kits which we ship around the country, it’s not easy to know how successful fishers are at treating barotrauma. I like to err on the side of caution and assume that results are overall less successful.

Reef and demersal species are very highly valued in terms of their eating qualities and the reality as this makes them more vulnerable as a result.

I don’t think a simplistic solution like making them targeted sport species is going to help in this case and longer term I think they should be removed from any large-scale competition. My only concession would be for shallower water events that target juvenile fish for catch and release only as I think that dataset is useful. Straight up, the only way they stay competition species is to reduce the risks to near zero. Otherwise, competitions need to adapt and move away from them, even though I recognise that will cause pain in some areas.

TO TAKE OR NOT TO TAKE? Three articles in, let’s get down to brass tacks on the harvest decision – should you take fish? The reality is that fisheries managers aren’t very good at assessing your impact – so it’s up to you to assess your own impact. The best alternative is a sensible risk matrix: • What are the post release mortality issues?

• What are the depredation issues?

• What do we know on recruitment?

• What is the likely impact of climate change?

Here is my guide having reviewed about as much commercial and recreational data, and available scientific articles as I can.

• Bread and butter species are for the most part safe options so long as you don’t use the bag limit as a target. Swap around your focus species several times a year, fish for immediate consumption.

• Periodic recruiting species – barramundi, threadfins (often known as salmon), mulloway/ jew should be treated on the precautionary principle – limit the take and drop to close to zero as possible when in drought/ extended dry.

• Inshore/offshore pelagics, with the exception of mackerel and southern bluefin tuna, pelagics are a pretty safe bet. There is little commercial pressure on most of the stocks, they taste

great and there are less issues with habitat or global warming than for many other species.

• Reef/demersals – Go with extreme caution. These species are most impacted if habitat changes and at this point none of them should be considered immune to global warming unless there is strong evidence to the contrary. Even if things are okay today, tomorrow is not a given. Never use the bag limit as a target, only take what you need for immediate consumption and move if sharks are around.

• Rockcods – Rock cods come in many forms, and while they can be fished out of a location and there are some that are protected, the common varieties are not over targeted by commercials and so long as don’t over target a single area and fish for immediate consumption are a good option. There are issues for rockcods in some states so pay attention to regulations if travelling.

• Impoundment bass/ golden perch/Murray cod/ trouts/salmons – all of these are stocked and pretty much dependant on human intervention. There are concerns with stocking during the dry periods in terms of survival rates but overall maintaining a level of harvest is in the interests of the stocked waterway as this helps keep turning over fish. Redfin, trout and carp as non-natives are all good options, though carp are not a widely popular food species. Respect local customs, if it’s a trophy catch and release waterway – release the big fish.

• Beach species – darts, tailor, salmon, mulloway. The beach scene seems to come in and out of fashion and to be fair at times this sector has been abused when the larger migrations come in. That said I see them similar to most other species, add them into your fishing rotation rather than target all the time, fish for immediate consumption.

For all these species there are a wide array of alternatives that are likely rarely or not targeted. As a part of working with SCF Australia for the past three years we have catalogued over 370 species, direct targets and by-catch so there isn’t a shortage of options.When it comes to highly valued species like demersals and reef species treat them like your doctor would prefer you treat deserts – every now and again as a treat is fine, dining out every day is not good.

The best piece of advice I have – do a bit of homework, get adventurous and spread your harvest energy across a range of species and habitats.

Only take what you need for immediate consumption or if you are going to pickle, smoke or put in the freezer – pick a low-risk species.

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127

Mitsubishi Triton GSR BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe

Mitsubishi have put together a pretty neat package of bells and whistles in the their new flagship, the GSR, and all three versions have replaced the popular GLS Premium.

ADEQUATE POWER I tested the GSR (all are autos) powered by a 4-cylinder 2.4L turbo diesel engine (133kW, 430Nm) linked to a 6-speed auto box. The power/transmission setup was adequate rather than awesome. However, with a kerb weight of 2045kg and an 855kg payload the engine performed well,

leather seats with contrasting red trim, dual-zone climate controlled air with a fan to keep back seat passengers cool, push button start, Apple Car Play, Android Auto, and digital radio. There are also two USB ports, both front and rear, and two 12V sockets up front.

The driver is spoiled in some respects as the Triton is one of the few utes equipped with height and reach adjustable steering. With full electronic adjustment of the seat I found it very easy to become comfortable for a fair stint behind the wheel.

Lastly, although the Triton’s auto gear shifter was unobtrusive in use, Mitsubishi

At the time, the Triton’s enhanced body shape was an original, unique design.

Don’t look now but several competitors are adopting similar styling. it has an uncanny ability to reveal suspension flaws and steering issues. The corrugations and pot holes are the central issue, and when travelling at even a modest speed some pretty serious bump steering will soon show up if the suspension and steering are not set up correctly. I have seen some very pricy packages reduced to decreasing forward

A well set out dash lay out is a Triton GSR feature, and all controls are easily identified and managed while behind the wheel.

The Triton underwent a highly-acclaimed revamp and facelift some time back, and now in 2021 there’s new eye candy in the form of sporty looks, thanks to plenty of black accents, setting the GSR apart from siblings. There’s a bold midnight black grille, along with black alloys, door handles, roof, side steps, sports bar and rear bumper.

Additionally, the new model offers no less than three rear tray covers to add interest, and also boasts advanced safety tech.

And Triton’s Super Select II is a real game changer, because you can engage 4x4 mode (via a console rotary dial) on the fly on formed road surfaces – a feature not available on any other similar ute in our country, which limits rivals to 4x4 mode only on gravel, sand or snow to avoid gear box damage.

For those of us putting the GSR to work rather than play, a tub liner with ample tiedown points is part of the deal, although – unlike the top shelf Ford Rangers and Toyota’s Hilux – a GSR Triton is not blessed with a standard tow bar. Interestingly, towing capacity remains at 3100kg, with most rivals stated as 3500kg, which will see the Triton towing plenty of boats but maybe not the larger caravans.

The Triton’s vital stats of engine, suspension and transmission remain the same as the GLS Premium.

The GLS Premium was widely acclaimed and sold many units for Mitsubishi, so if it worked for that model, why not this one?

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JUNE 2021

easily holding the Triton on the money from traffic light starts and in the cut and thrust of suburban traffic.

The Triton just as easily passed the towing test; with my 1.2-tonne boat on the tow bar, it didn’t struggle at any stage.

SAFETY AND CONVENIENCE All three of the GSR variants (only differentiated by choice of the rear tub

The Triton towed the author’s boat with ease. The 2.4L diesel engine and gear box combination were well matched.

As befitting a top of the range model, the GSR featured highlighted stitching on the steering wheel. In this photo you can see a portion of the left side manual gear change paddle above the wheel-mounted audio controls. cover) are equipped with seven air bags, 360° camera, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert. I really liked the latter feature as it saved a ding in a car park!

The Triton lacks radar cruise control, digital speedometer, and speed recognition features, which some rivals do offer. Would that prevent a sale? Probably not, when we look at the cost savings with the Triton!

When it comes to creature comforts, there are plush

the tuning and re-tuning of the Triton’s suspension over recent years has paid dividends, so while the leaf spring set-up might still register some bumps on rough surfaces, the overall package certainly impressed me.

During the country run, which did involve some paddock crawling, I averaged 10.4L per 100km, which is

still like to provide override paddles for manual gear selection in premium models, so the GSR naturally has paddles as well.

A COUNTRY DRIVE With a few days available for a Triton test drive I packed the roller slideequipped tub with fishing and camping equipment and headed to the New England area in pursuit of cod on fly.

(For the record I did land two, and lost another: the river was in flood and the fishing was tough!)

Behind the wheel I found

the Triton an easy ute to drive, holding position in a chosen lane very easily, and the marriage of 2.4L diesel engine and 6-speed auto shifter a very happy one, with a run up Cunningham’s Gap a breeze. The highway drive into the ranges was just as enjoyable.

My favourite fishing area has a 16km section of pot holed and corrugated gravel road to keep low-slung sedans and their ilk at a much reduced speed, and the hapless driver on the edge of the seat. Over the past 30 years I have travelled this road with many utes, larger SUVs and 4x4 wagons, and

Models within the top-shelf GSR range differ only in the cover arrangement on the rear tub. movement with old Kampey trying to keep the table drain at a distance as the steering wheel vibrates and the vehicle bounces sideways across the road.

For the record, the Triton certainly revealed its work ute heritage in that bumps were mildly felt but bump steering never occurred at any speed. In my view,

The Triton made easy work of travelling off the beaten track.

quite fair in my opinion.

OVERVIEW Yes, the Triton is maybe not quite so modern as some, with the engine/transmission unchanged for several years.

However, it’s still a very easy drive with enough tech, safety, and comfort features to demand serious consideration by a buyer.

But it’s value for money that’s the biggest drawcard, with the GSR model having a massive price advantage (i.e. thousands of dollars) over its rivals such as the top-shelf Isuzu D-Max, Hilux SR5 and Ford Ranger Wildtrak.

The warranty is set at 5 years/100,000km regardless of service history. If the service is carried out within their dealer network the warranty effectively doubles, according to Mitsubishi.

In all, The GSR Triton is well worth considering if you’re in the market for a well put together ute.

ADVERTORIAL

Tony is stoked with his repower choice.

Tony Bygrave is a pretty cool dude, who we met when we were shooting a story for Mercury Marine. The local dealer (Whitsunday Outboard Centre) was impressed with the quality of the renovation and the performance of his rig, so we had to go and check it out.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to go to the Whitsundays to take a ride in a neat boat in a great part of the world?

The weather didn’t agree with the plan though, with a calm week finishing with a southerly buster the day before we drove into town. Regardless, we got to chat to Tony about his rig, his renovation and his repower. It’s just that we wouldn’t be doing it while getting our arms stretched on the Great Barrier Reef.

Them’s the breaks.

Like so many stories of the old dead boat coming to life again, it started with a boat that was 50/50 as to whether it would find a buyer or go to the dump.

“It’s an early 70s model Haines Hunter V19 that was one of the first of the first, and I picked it up as a wrecked shell,” Tony said. “After two years and a lot of itching and a lot of grinding and converting it to a centre-console, we got it done.”

In the Whitsundays, Tony’s boat is asked to do a lot. It

Tony’s standard day heading out to the reef involves departing Airlie Beach at 3 or 4 in the morning and blasting out the 80 or so kilometres it takes to reach the closest part.

“I have quite a few jigging marks for when the light is low early in the morning so I’ll usually hit them while the light is still low,” Tony said. “I’ll jig for red emperor and nannygai until the sun gets high enough for topwater fishing. That’s my thing. As soon the sun is high enough I’m straight up into the shallows. That’s why I go to the reef, to sight cast big fish in shallow water.”

Making a real difference to Tony’s trips is the economy that his boat now gets at speed.

“I used to sit on 26-27 knots and get 1.6km/L with an absolute best at around 1.7. Any speed over that and the fuel usage would really start creeping up. This thing here [the Mercury], at 30-32 knots I’m getting 2.1km/L but even up to 40 knots I’m getting 1.9 and wide open throttle I’m getting around 1.6km/L,” Tony reports.

This means that he’s using less fuel while cruising faster.

Effectively, this means that he can spend less time travelling and spend less on fuel – or get more fishing time. He said that he can now get an extra 90 minutes at the reef.

V-6 200hp 4-stroke performance RPM 2000 3000 3500 4000 4500

Speed (km/h) 15 37 46 56 67

Economy (km/L) 1.1 1.7 2.0 2.0 1.9

“ In my opinion it schools everything else in the 200hp class, and both the power and economy have blown me away.

”

Tony Bygrave

Before and after. That’s what a couple of years of itching and grinding gets you. might be chasing barra in a lake one day, inching through water on an island flat the next, and then blasting out to the reef on the calmer days. When you think about it, it’s a great problem to have.

“When I finished the rig, money was a bit tight of course, so I fitted an old 225hp 4-stroke,” he continued. “It was a great engine, but old technology. It was very heavy and thirsty on fuel.

Eventually, when I was able to upgrade I researched everything on the market and I thought that the new Mercury V6 and V8 platforms would be perfect.”

So in 2020, the V-6 200hp Mercury 4-stroke went on. It was around 50kg lighter that his older 4-stroke, and the 3.4L capacity puts out plenty of power.

“In my opinion it schools everything else in the 200hp class, and both the power and economy have blown me away,” Tony said. The local dealer, Whitsunday Outboard Centre, supplied and fitted the outboard for the project. Owner, Mark McNally weighed in. “Tony really put a lot of love into that boat, and when he published the figures that he was getting with the new Mercury on that hull – especially on the Old School Haines page on Facebook – it turns some heads,” Mark said.

Scan the QR code to learn more about Tony Bygrave from Airlie Beach and his amazingly restored Haines Hunter V19 and the new 200HP V6 Mercury 4-stroke that powers it.

The Haines was converted to a centre console from the original side console.

There’s no doubting that the V6 looks like a mean motor.

TORQUE AND ADAPTIVE SPEED CONTROL “The other thing I like about this motor is the torque,” Tony said. “I started with a 19” pitch propeller but I’ve since changed to a 20”, which drops my revs down at cruising speed.”

He also explained how Mercury’s Adaptive Speed Control has helped him – especially on the long runs back from the reef when it blows up from the north. Adaptive Speed Control uses the brains of the motor to keep the RPM the same, no matter what the load is on the engine.

“I used to be constantly on and off the throttle with the old motor... but with the new engine I can just set and forget the throttle and keep two hands on the steering wheel. Or one on the wheel and the other on the grab rail. It’s a great safety feature,” Tony said.

“It also means you get better economy because you’re not constantly on and off the throttle tweaking it. You just set it and off you go.”

QUIET Tony also explained that his rig is now so quiet that he’ll just leave the motor running when he’s fishing a reef bommie. When he hooks a big GT in heavy country, even with the electric motor down he can punch the throttle and help to drag the fish out of the nasty stuff.

“It’s really invaluable for the fishing we do here,” he concluded. “They’re more than just boats, you know.”

That we do. Thanks for taking us on a tour of your rig, Tony!

For more angles on how the boat was finished, you can watch the video of the repower at the QR code that you can scan hereby.

Top: There’s not much left of the original shell.

Above: This rig turns some serious heads at the Airlie Beach ramp.

JUNE 2021

129

New South Wales Tide Times

Victorian Tide Times

2021 2021 LAT 33° 51’Heights S LONG 151° E Waters LAT 38°and 18’ SHeights LONG 144° and 37’ ELow Waters Times and of High and14’ Low Local Time Times of High POINT – VICTORIA Times and HeightsJUNE of High and Low WatersLONSDALE TimesLocal and AUGUST Heights Time of High and Low Waters JULY MAY JUNE 2021 LAT 38° 18’ S LONG 144° 37’ E JUNE JULY JULY MAY AUGUST JUNE

DNEY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALES NEY (FORT DENISON) –LONG NEW151° SOUTH LAT 33° 51’ S 14’ E WALES

POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA POINTLAT LONSDALE –LONG VICTORIA 38° 18’ S 144° 37’ E JULY

m Time m Time m Time Time m Time m m Time m Time mTime mTime m m Time Time Time m Time mand Time m 0.53 Time m Time 1.34 m Time Time m 0145 Time Time m Time1.26 m Time Time m 0034 0.51 Time Time m1.41 Times and0057 Heights High0006 Low Waters Local 1.68 0519 m0.58 0037m 1.78 Time0633 1.60of 0557 1.36m0150 0046 0.69 0452 0623 1.40 06460228 0.43 11170.58 1.28 0750 0807 0740 0.49 06331238 0.540006 1148 0.55 0735 1.30 1041 0.381.68 1158 0.58 0519 0.53 1.30 0057 0744 1.47 0319 0.51 1.45 0348 0145 0150 1.26 0037 1.78 1.60 0226 1.60 03390.62 1.56 1.34 0419 1.500735 1.47 FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL JANUARY 1303 1.43 0.76 0744 16401.28 0.75 1430 1.59 1446 1345 1.380646 TH 1358 FR 0.43 SU TU WE 1804 SU MO 1900 1.50 1245 0.801013 WE 1748 1.58 1904 1.54 1245 0.75 1117 1238 1.30 m 0831 0.38 0909 0.44 0929 0750 0.51 0807 0.62 0740 0.491.33 0.54 0825 0.15 0943 0.32 0.47 FRm SA MO1.43 TU Time m Time m Time Time m Time m Time Time m Time m 18481522 0.661.73 23140.75 1.71 2110 0.56 2114 0.76 1911 0.79 1940 1532 0.781303 1935 1.44 0.741.43 1640 1629 1.76 1.59 TH 1358 1.38 FR 1.87 TU 1345 1.33 WE 1804 0.76 SU SU 1446 1.43 TU 1653 WE 1615 1.70 TH 1714 1.691928 FR 1.54 SA 2319 MO 1430 0415 1.59 0230 1.482213 0319 03090.56 1.51 0315 1.59 0238 1.60 0337 02270.76 1.52 1848 0.66 2314 2105 0.75 2152 1.25 0.77 2110 2114 1911 0.791.66 0.781.62 2059 0.65 22151.18 0.69 2254 0.62 0030 1.67 1.68 1940 06081.71 0.61 0255 0138 0148 1.47 0100 1.58 0301 0.74 0.59 0135 0534 1.38 0043 0130 1007 0.42 0023 0808 0832 0.340.47 0850 0.62 09010.65 0.43 0906 0.68 0.22 0818 0.75 0917 0.56 0724 0.52 0148 12070.61 1.25 0858 0835 0828 0.580100 07330303 0.451.47 0853 1.681.43 0400 0.56 1.44 0608 0255 1.18 0138 1.660.54 1.471.43 1.58 04300.65 0301 1.51 0515FR1.45 0434 0311 1.59 1.29 0842 1121 0.42 0735 1.40 0849 1624 1.46 0656 1516 1.671.50 15301.25 1.50 1600 1.32 1.76 1413 1.33 0030 1430 1.43 MO 1530 TU MO TH FR1447 SA 1457 TU 1335 1.34 1726 0.80 1542 1.47 1.35 1451 1.41 1359 1.49 1538 1.64 TH 2100 O MO WE FR SA 0.45 TU 0.520.21 0942 0.47 1207 1.25 0905 0.39 0858 0.65 08352016 0.54 0.26 0724 0828 0.58 0733 1030 0853 0.41 0.56 1056 TH 0.57 1012 0914 0.16 2211 0.38 2058 0.640.85 2115 0.46 2134 0.89 0.51 2119 0.27 2019 0.36 1231 0.65 1336 1836 1.52 1256 0.68 1345 SU WE SA TU0.72 1906 0.77 2227 2019 0.82 2045 0.81 1957 0.67 2230 0.50 1726 0.80 1.71 1542 1.47 1538 1.69 1.64 1703 1.82 1.49 1947 1.44 2019 1.40 1.51 TH 1651 1.67 MO 1557 MO WE 1447 1.35 TH 1335 1.34 FR 1451 1.41 SA 1359 WE 1740 TU 1959 FR 1753 1.632023 SA 1.50 SU 1620 0446 1.57 03400.50 1.52 0356 1.60 0300 1.482252 0318 1.64 19060404 0415 03090.72 1.58 0.771.67 2228 1.22 0.74 2139 0.75 2227 2019 0.821.56 2045 0.811.64 1957 0.67 23051.16 2230 0.69 2340 0.60 2144 0.66 0000 1.66 0406 0422 0239 0126 1.63 0245 1.37 0200 1.48 0940 0.55 1043 0.37 0116 0852 09360.59 0.37 0952 0.65 0.15 0905 0.330.43 0858 0.69 0959 0.46 0.45 0.75 0953 0230 0001 0.75 0144 0230 0925 0815 0.50 0245 0911 0.610200 0825 0.471.45 07021.66 0.62 1001 1704 1.46 16081.22 1.54 1647 1.36 1.79 1547 1.671.55 1458 1.37 0126 1522 1.54 0000 0340 0406 1.16 0239 1.560.57 1.371.48 1.48 05240.66 0422 1.44 0615SA1.41 0524 1.631.43 0356 1.57 0443 0.57 1.42 SU 1546 WE WE FR SA1544 TU 1617 TU 0808 1.26 0945 0628 1.34 0858 1.44 0958 1.40 1433 1.41 1543 1.46 1458 1.57 1303 1.24 1637 1.52 1645 1.72 TU TU WE TH FR SA SU 2246 21500.57 0.49 2219 0.96 0.53 2130 0.650.92 2202 0.30 2106 0.35 0702 0.62 0936 0.41 0953 0.66 09252054 0.57 0.25 08152146 0911 0.61 0825 0.470.43 1117 1001 0.52 1137 FR 0.67 1058 0.500.25 1001 0.22 1020 0.52 1321 0.75 1438 1209 0.48 1402 0.78 1453 MO TH SU WE0.65 2129 0.81 2015 0.75 2155 0.79 2114 0.64 1822 0.83 2330 2341 0.41 1303 1.24 1637 1.52 1.57 1645 1.61 1.72 1740 1.74 TU 1633 TU1.67 TH 1544 1.40 FR 1433 1.41 SA 1543 1.46 SU 1458 TH 1827 WE 2058 SA 1830 1.562124 SU 1.47 MO 1709 FR 1728 1.63 2036 1.38 2108 1.37 1930 1.47 1.48 0514 1.54 04080.41 1.51 0435 1.60 0332 1.472335 0357 1.66 20150444 0451 03480.65 1.61 2129 0.811.49 2155 0.791.64 2114 0.64 23571.17 2341 0.68 0.751.65 2229 0.67 2306 1.25 0.70 1822 2213 0.76 2330 00560.83 1.62 0513 0534 0339 0228 1.59 0344 1.31 0310 1.41 1115 0.34 1037 0.12 0938 0.34 1025 0.49 1009 0.33 0936 0.63 1039 0.37 0.33 0220 0935 0.75 1046 0329 0.61 0252 0.51 0338 0.39 1106 0.54 0.59 0905 1.42 0.48 WE 1704 0954 0052 0.62TH 0.74 0919 0.49 0800 0.61 0.66 1741 1.45 1735 1.76 1619 1.650621 16431.25 1.56 1542 16111.17 1.61 TH SA SU SU1009 WE 0056 1.62 0417 1.42 0513 0534 0339 1.49 1.39 MO 0344 1.311.51 0310 1.41 0630 1.38 0023 0.59 02281634 1.59 0443 1.51 0531 1.41 0922 1.27 1044 1.42 0735 1.33 1014 1.53 1103 1746 1.80 1633 1.47 1530 1.52 1632 1.52 1558 1.66 1407 1.26 1728 1.58 WE WE TH FR SA SU MO 2320 2302 0.56 2204 0.671.61 22230.54 0.52 2245 21510.66 0.38 0800 0.61 1007 0.44 1046 1106 10092131 0.59 0.25 09052228 0954 0.620.35 0919 0.490.49 0.63 1.38 1145 0.480.31 1048 0.31 1422 0.83 1202 1550 1.000718 SA 1307 0.851104FR0.59 1608 0.94 2234 0.78 2128 0.70 2300 0.74 0.572230 0.56 1929 0.84 TU MO1759 TH 1517 1407 1.26 1711 1.63 1728 1.58 1746 1.80 1633 1.47 1632 1.52 1558 1.66 1913 1.54 1219 0.77 1819 1530 1.52 1.65 1807 1.59 WE1.50 WE TH 2200 FR SU MO SU MO SA TU1.61 SA 2126 0426 1.35FR 2200 1.36 2031 1.44 1.48 2229 1.46 0542 0406 1.45 0519 1.61 0436 1.50 0435 1.66 0527 1.62 0416 1.57 1929 2246 0.77 2234 0.781.45 21280333 0.74 2315 2230 1906 1.49 0.70 1.56 2300 0442 2348 0.32 0.65 0.69 0.56 0020 0.57 0433 1.28 0422 1.36 0039 01580.84 1.61 1015 0.57 1121 0.29 1018 0.23 1023 0.15 1147 0.33 1009 0.36 1106 0.45 1041 0.31 0607 1.20 0.59 10381.52 0.62FR 0.70 1016 0.50 0633 1.31 0956 1.40 0.46 TH 1753 0858 0.58 0330 0.71 0426 0157 0402 0.43 0445 1625 1.40 0333 1659 1.65 1723 0.56 1.69 1817 1.43 1655 1.610.36 17150.32 1.57 MO0.59 TU 1719 FR MO1049 TH SU 0020 0.57 0039 0433 1.45 1.56 0442 1.28 0422 1.36 0050 0.68 0630 1.41 0107 0020 0158 1.61 0533 1.44 0457 1.39 1136 0.63 1718 1.54 17170.43 1.59 1.35 1658 1.77 1206 0.49 1626 0.39 1.64 1512 1.33 1030 1.32 1137 1.51 0900 1122 1.64 1205 TH SA MO TU FR SU TH 2210 0.28 2330 2235 0.42 2245 0.61 2355 0.56 2237 0.701.67 2306 2256 0.55 0607 1.20 0633 1049 0.590.73 09562240 0.46 0.61 1038 2357 0.62 1135 07441.65 1.35 1.311842 1154 1.87 0.68 0817 1.38 0727 0858 0.42 0.50 1040 0.48 1814 2331 0.681016 2342 0.46 20430.58 0.81 1539 0.89 1701 1.00 1418 0.66 1636 0.88 1720 0.92 WE SA TU FR SU 1136 0.63 1206 1.54 1.64 1.641.56MO 1717 1.59 1.77 1250 0.74 1850 1.55 1305 0.86 1237 1512 1.33 1851 1.56 1751TH1.58 FR 2300 SA 17180512 SU 16260550 TU 1658 SA SU TU WE1.58 TH1.46 05050.49 1.48 0502 1.61 0459 MO 1.52 0602 0611 0441 1.411.47 2215 1.35 2255 1.37 2137 1.43 1.50 2331 2043 2322 1814 1842 2331 0.731.42 0.610.42 0.680.24 0.46 19590.49 1.48 1945 1.44 0102 0522 0536 1.272342 0531 1.350.77 0129 0.251107 0.21 0438 1.54 2357 03040.81 1.62 11121.87 0.31 1053 0.52 22401145 11011.65 0.17 1203 1219 0.33 1039 0.381905 0652 1.24 0.59 11211.50 0.62SA 0.62 1115 0724 MO 1.37 1046 1.37 0.44 FR 1845 0950 0.52 17460.25 1.55 1709 1.41 WE 1746 1.65 1814 0.50 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SA0.61 MO 12020625 TU 18120020 TH 1212 MO TU TH FR SA0.70 SU 1844 0100 0.62 0107 0559 1.321.75 0001 0.55 00030.40 0.65 0015 WE 0.71 2350 1.38 1915 2339 1.50 1935 1.79 1835 1.680.61 1.711.47 1.96 21320.37 1.39 2116 1.35 2101 1925 1.49 2034 0.22 1.48 2259 2040 1.43 2017 0650 0618 1.52 0640 1.37 1215 0.40 0722 0716 1.35 1146 0.460.81 06091.90 1.41 0104 0124 0.541850 0139 0.27 0047 1.45 0.39 1840 05050.63 1.67 0216 0254 0.17 1.33 1849 1.39 1.40 FR 1256 0.37 1.39SU 1228 0811 07110.23 1.29MO 13280732 0641 0.40 1.50 SU 1331 0852 WE 1.451242 0.41 TH 1905 1.44 1125 0.40 TH0649 MO 1215 0.34 03450.50 0.62 0344 0.550123 1.50 0318 0104 0.610.59 00471938 0.391.31 0.541.44 0.271.34 0234 0.39 0.45 0212 0.74 0505 0054 0.72 0254 0216 0.37 0533 0.37 0053 1.55 0040 0603 0.50 1929 1.54 2010 1.43 1.43 2046 2029 19010.22 1.47 1237 1242 0.610139 0.46 0.44 0124 1344 1435 17481.67 1.72 TU TH FR 1306 WE 1228 SU SU 10581.84 1.44 MO 1055 0649 1.391.74 0641 1.50 2.01 0711 1.29 0909 1008 1.85 1.57 1.29 1125 0.40 1.34 0852 1.45 0811 1.33 1242 1.711.39 0657 0.25 0644 0.401106 1.470729 0.33 1300 1.60 1910 1919 1.770732 19440749 2.01 1903 2015 2100 1600 0.96 1612 WE 1.02 1557 0.59 0.50 0.440.65 TH 1242 0.61 0.46 1507 1421 0.75 1748 1.72 1306 1435 1344 0.50 1813 0.72 1.84 1352 1440 1840 0.86 0150 0.71 0147 0110 1.72 0.76 0045 0.63 00370.39 0.70 0025 0.801.75 TU TH FR TU 12370022 WE 12280059 FR 1306 WE SA SU0.78 MO 1411 SU0.70 FR MO TU0.95 SA 2134 0.25 1.47 2135 1.39 2100 22200.32 1.37 2210 1.34 2213 1910 1.740.56 2.011.39 1.771.40 2.01 2019 2015 0811 0757 1.29 06441.85 1.36 0748 0.87 1.29 0704 1.51 19030722 07011.84 1.46 0651 1.280.75 1934 0.78 1926 2005 0144 0202 0.481944 0145 0.30 1919 0000 0.51 0331 0253 0230 0.221.46 0.40 1.41 1300 1.38 0.35 SA 1332 0.22 1.37 07520.26 1.31TU 14060826 0740 0.41 1.48 MO 1423 0600 1.68 0933 1.47 TH 1340 0.51 FR 1231 0.52 FR0730 MO 1313 0849 TU 1246 0.37 04390.46 0.57 0440 0.52 01441952 0.560.60 0.301.29 0.481.41 0342 0.41 0.38 0328 0.71 0000 0.51 0155 0.65 0253 0.32 0331 0.25 0.221.30 0432 0144 1.56 0128 0213 0032 1.54 0033 1.42 2154 2126 1947 1.42 2113 1.46 1.37 1.39 0145 2028 1.47 2001 1.401.50 1322 0.600230 1319 0.45 0202 1519 0.45 WE 1311 FR TH 2030 O 1210 0.37 TU MO 1425 SA 1359 11511.86 1.52 1.47 0730 1.381.79 07401956 1.48 2.07 0752 1957 1.31 1022 1116 1.76 1.66 1.33 0600 1.40 0849 1.37 0933 1200 0746 0.26 0724 0.371157 1.520815 0.36 0629 0.261.41 0642 0.44 2053 1945 1.810826 18361.68 1.86 2141 20330911 2.02 1709 0.97 1717 TH 1.01 0.60 0.61 0.450.74 FR 1322 0.60 1624 1537 0.81 1210 0.37 1416 0.80 1425 0.46 1519 0.45 1713 0246 0.80 0235 0131 0.71 0223 1.75 0.78 0116 0.801.73 01140.41 0.77 WE FR WE 13110113 TH 13190141 TH SU MO0.86 MO TU 1459 SA 1359 SA 1.84 1434 1522 1338 1.81 1339 1.68 TU WE0.96 SA SU 0748 1.46 19560759 0910 0846 1.24 0751 1.38 0911 0.82 1.25 0800 1.260.71 07231.76 1.30 23070.29 1.37 2306 1.35 1945 1.790.52 1.811.34 2.02 2326 2.071.33 2239 0.31 1.48 2229 1.38 1836 2118 1.45 2053 1.86 2141 00571.86 0.40 0330 0407 0221 0241 0.24 1957 0241 0.442033 0318 0.22 2022 0.75 2007 2052 1908 0.70 1919 0.83 1350 1.36 0.32 SU 1413 0.43 1.42TU 1401 0929 0.30 1.41 SA0812 FR 1454 0.60 SA 1330 0.60 WE 1322 0.41 0656 1.67 1013 1.47 0837 0.42 1.46 TU 1525 08320.30 1.32WE 14540915 0057 0.40 0434 0.64 0303 0.56 0330 0.29 0407 0.31 02212104 0.520.62 0.241.28 0.441.41 0.22 05260.45 0.51 0450 0.46 0.31 0531 0.48 0541 1.40 0241 2303 2233 1.29 2131 1.40 2215 1.48 1.36 2104 1.381.49 2041 1.36 1602 1411 0.48 0241 1401 0.590318 1449 0.45 0230 1.55 0214 0259 0123 1.58 0115 1.45 TU 1256 0.37 TU 1509 WE TH 1345 FR 2127 SA SU 0656 1.40 1.51 0929 1.41 1013 0812 1.361.82 08372047 1.46 2.09 0832 2035 1.32 1128 1.42 12361.85 1.59 1.47 1219 1.65 1.74 1242 1.580859 0.41 1300 19241.67 1.98 2218 2133 2019 1.840915 21211030 1.98 0833 0.30 0804 0.36 0720 0.20 0718 0.39 0357 0.85 0336 0.91 0352 SA 0.76 02250.45 0.78 01560.46 0.82 0223 SU 0.761819 1256 0.37 1654 0.84 1535 0.86 1509 1602 0.62 0.72 0.480.83 SA 1401 0.59 1449 0.45 1803 0.94 1735 0.93 1812 0.96 MO TU TU WE TH 13450208 FR 14110229 SU TH FR 1544 1.80 1515 1.76 1600 1.70 1430 1.87 1416 1.73 WE 2218 TH1.51 FR SU MO 1021 1.29 09510403 1.19 1031 1.27 0839 1.41 20470843 08531.85 1.31 08131.65 1.25 0924 1.29 2319 1.38 1924 2218 1.46 2133 2019 1.820.50 2.091.28 1.84 2353 1.39 2345 0441 0.38 0.28 0259 0334 0.23 2035 0318 0.422121 0.25 01531.98 0.31 1957 0.681.98 2107 0.72 2047 0.77 2136 0.67 1957 0.80 0407 0.45 1.42 1445 1.35 0.29 MO 1500 0.38 1.45 SA 1616 0.65 SU 1444 0.67 SU0852 WE 1501 1011 TH 1407 0.46 0751 1.63 1051 1.47 0932 0.43 1.44 WE 1641 09120.33 1.33TH 15571002 0526 0.57 0407 0.28 0441 0.38 0259 0.50 0334 0.23 0318 0.42 0403 0.25 0608 0.47 0553 0.27 0153 0.31 0413 0.44 0000 1.37 2344 1.32 2315 1.37 2216 1.43 2228 1.29 2239 1.36 2143 1.32 2208 1.390031 1343 0.40 1645 0.52 1554 0.45 1422 0.64 1503 0.51 1442 0.58 1539 0.48 TH WE FR SA SU MO WE 0315 1.521317 1.79 0258 1.490617 0.450343 1.46 02091002 1.591.42 1138 0156 1.47 1.50 1011 1.45 1051 0852 1.351.83 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MO 1709 0.81 TH 1.52 2308

0.93 TU 1807 0.90 FR 1512 2117 1.48

1.39 0.38 0010 0346 22 7 1112 0.38 1.54 0611 1.65 0.96 WE 1329 SA 1627 0.85 1.45 1856 2223

0.36 0105 0451 1.44 8 1206 23 1.58 0659 0.35 0.97 1734 SU 1.70 TH 1414 1.44 1942 2328 0.76

0.34 0157 0546 1.49 9 1254 1.63 0745 24 0.34 0.93 MO 1829

FR 1456 1.73 1.45 2027 0.67 0.31

0027

0246 1.53 10 0633 1.68 0831 25 0.35 0.85 TU 1336

1.73 SA 1535 1915 2113 0.58 1.48 0119 1.55 0.30 0335 0715 0918 0.40 1.72 1415 WE 1.71 SU 1614 1955 0.76 2159 0.50 1.52 0208 1.56 0.31 0425 0756 0.47 1.73 1006 TH 1453 1.68 MO 1652 2034 0.67 2245 0.43 1.53 0254 1.55 0.35 0519 0837 0.55 1.73 1053 FR 1528 1.63 0.60 TU 1730 2114 2331 0.39 0340 1.53 0.42 0620 0919 1.53 1.70 1141 0.65 SA 1602 0.54 1.58 WE 1813 2154

26 11

12

27 12 27

27 12

13

28 13 28

28 13

14

14 29

29

29 14

30

1.51 0.49 1.65 0.51 TH 1.48 0.57 1.60 0.49 FR

26

15

15 30

31

1228 1.35 1847 0.53 0101 1.46 0818 1.02 1313 1.34 1929 0.48 0147 1.52 0914 0.99 1406 1.35 2018

0.43 0.40 0520 0242 21 1.59 6 1012 1.51 1240

11 26

11

m Time 0.58 1.35 0545 0.87 1109 1.42 1741 2345 0.57 0635 1.37 1147 0.95 1812 1.38

30

15 0426 1003 0.37

0018 SU 0726 1230 1900

1637 1.51 2235 0.75 1.52

31 0110 0832

0.37 1.50 1324 0.84 1954 1.47

ctions is Lowest Astronomical Tide of Meteorology © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2020, Bureau of Meteorology mmonwealth of Australia 2020, Bureau © Copyright Commonwealth Australia 2020, Bureau of Meteorology cal standard time (UTC +10:00) savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect ions is Lowest Astronomical Tide or daylight of Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical © Copyright Commonwealth of AustraliaTide 2019, Bureau of Meteorology Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide First Quarter Last Quarter ymbols Full Moon l standard time New (UTCMoon +10:00) or daylight savings timeTimes (UTC are +11:00) in local when standard in effect time (UTC +10:00) or daylight Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when inFirst effect New Moon First Quarter New Last Moon Quarter Quartersavings time mbols Moon Phase Full Symbols Full Moon Times areMoon in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight (UTC +11:00) wh New Moon First Quarter Last Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon Tide predictions for Port Phillip Heads have been formatted by the National Tidal Centre, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Copyright reserved. All material is supplied in good faith and is believed to be correct. It is supplied on the condition that no warranty is given in relation thereto, that no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions is, or will be, accepted and that the recipient will hold MHL and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australia free from all such responsibility or liability and from all loss or damage incurred as a consequence of any error or omission. Predictions should not be used for navigational purposes. Use of these tide predictions will be deemed to include acceptance of the above conditions.

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