Fishing Monthly Magazine | November 2020

• YOUR ESSENTIAL DOSE OF FISHING THERAPY •

QLD NSW VIC

TAS

WA

QLD

Features

High five at Mulwala • New twist on fooling flathead • Catching bull sharks • 2020 vision: whiting and snapper •

VIC

WA

Boating & Kayaking Yaks rule the creeks • Boat Test: Haines Signature 640F •

November, 2020 ISSN 2652-5798

11

9 772652

FIND THE

Stephen Booth takes us to Lake Mulwala

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CONTENTS

OUR COVER November 2020, Vol. 1 No.7 TAS

QUEENSLAND Gold Coast 18 Southern Bay 20 Brisbane 22 Northern Bay 24 Noosa 26 Hervey Bay 32 Bundaberg 34 Gladstone 37 Mackay 35 Whitsundays 38 Townsville 39 Hinchinbrook 40 Cairns 42 Port Douglas 43 Cooktown 44 Freshwater 46 NEW SOUTH WALES Pittwater 52 Sydney North 53 Sydney Rock 54 Sydney South 56 Ballina 58 Yamba 58 Coffs Harbour 60 Hastings 62 Forster 63 Port Stephens 66 Swansea 66 Central Coast 67 Illawarra 68 Batemans Bay 69 Bermagui 70 Tathra 70 Albury/Wodonga 72 Batlow 73 Hunter Valley 74 New England Rivers 74 Canberra 76 VICTORIA West Coast 80 Warrnambool 81 Cobden 81 Apollo Bay 83 Geelong 82 Port Phillip 84 Phillip Island 86 Lakes Entrance 87 Gippsland Lakes 88 Bemm River 88 Marlo 89 Mallacoota 89 Robinvale 90 Bendigo 90 Ballarat 91 Wangaratta 92 Shepparton 94 West/South Gippsland 94 Crater Lakes 94 Eildon 96 6

NOVEMBER 2020

From the editor’s Desk...

WA

Ben Johnson with a prime example of a spring bream.

A Brenton Hodges image.

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As we come to the end of one of the craziest years in all my decades of publishing, the boating and fishing industry can be thankful that it has fared so well through the turbulence.

At the time of writing, Victorian anglers, fishing and boating businesses are still struggling, but in states not locked down, fishing and boating are booming.

Our recreation is lucky enough to be in a good space. Primarily, it’s an activity that’s inherently socially distancing. We all like to settle down in a quiet corner of a waterway and do our thing.

Also, it the reduction of international travel means that people who would normally head overseas are now holidaying in Australia, and spending their money locally. They may need a new boat or caravan or some new fishing gear to do it in comfort. Just try to buy a new boat nowadays – pre-orders are out for months in many cases.

I recently walked into a tackle store that I hadn’t visited in years in regional

23

TASMANIA Hobart 97 WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance 101 Augusta 100 Bunbury 103 Metro 104 Exmouth 105 Lancelin 106 Geraldton 108 Broome 110 Karratha 111 Freshwater 112

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Queensland. The shelves were half bare.

I asked the guys if they were struggling, because under-stocking is usually a sign of cash flow difficulties.

“We can’t keep stuff on the shelf and suppliers are having the same issues,” said the attendant. Simply, they couldn’t keep up with demand. It’s a great problem to have.

Supply-chain issues in our industry may be the biggest problem moving forward, and I’m sure that local manufacturers are ready and raring to help fill the gaps.

At the end of the day, it means that more of us are fishing and boating in the short to medium term. Boat ramps in many areas are constantly busy, and we are thankful that there’ll probably never be a news story about a boat ramp being a COVID hotspot.

Let’s keep it that way. Off the radar and on the agenda for responsible, socially distancing people.

We appreciate all of the positive feedback about the new magazine format.

Our Victoria Fishing Monthly title would have been an unviable business during the lockdowns, but like lots of Australian businesses, we have managed to pivot to a tenable position.

I think this is particularly important because we print 100% locally and most of our magazines are sold through family-owned newsagents. Every one you buy keeps the wheels turning.

We, the working-from-home, tired of Teams Meetings staff, hope you enjoy this issue!

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REGULAR FEATURES High five at Mulwala 8 Starlo’s back to basics 12 Catching bull sharks 14 Yaks rule the creeks 48 Sheik of the Creek 72 What’s New Fishing 77 2020 vision: whiting and snapper 79 WIRF 98 Recfishwest 102 Trades and Services 120 Tournaments 114 Track my Fish 118 Tide page 122 Boat Test: Haines Signature 640F 124

Printing: APN – News Corp Australia Production: Matthew Drinkall

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Cod Feature

High five at Mulwala BRISBANE

Stephen Booth

Lake Mulwala, on the border towns of Yarrawonga (Vic) and Mulwala (NSW) is considered by many as the sacred heart of cod fishing in Australia.

riddled with timber. Fed by the Murray River, which is highly regulated out of Lake Hume at Albury/Woodonga, and the Ovens River, one of the few unregulated rivers left in the entire MurrayDarling system, Mulwala is largely used as an irrigation storage to service a massive area.

is so healthy and with access to an unregulated Ovens River, the cod can usually breed every season.

On the other side of the coin, golden perch are stocked into the lake, and these hard-hitting fish are a welcome catch on lures.

Mulwala is open to fishing year round, however during the cod closed season, anglers should downsize their lures if they are looking for golden perch. This is a hotly debated topic locally and regionally, as many believe the lake should be closed to all fishing during the cod closed season. I’m a bit both ways. I’ve fished a golden perch comp during the closed season and the biggest lure we used was a No. 2 StumpJumper. We fished only my favourite

The author with an 84cm cod trolled up near the swimming pool on the Mulwala side of the lake. lake in the closed season, but I do live 1800km away!

I still get to fish goldens in other, much closer lakes at that time of year.

all five ingredients than it does with a couple of ingredients missing.

FLOW Water flow is one of

It’s all in the eyes. Murray cod can feel your hardbodied lures and then see them as they attack.

You’ve got to love that violent strike on a hardbody.

For me, Mulwala is the place I visit when I have 5-10 days of freedom from work and family commitments. I’m not quite sure why this is… it’s a mixture of the place, the fish, the way we fish and, most importantly, the people I fish with. Over 30 years of fishing the pond has given us a lot to talk about around a campfire, and we’ve come up with some ideas and methods that will give you the best chance to make the most of this fishery. So let’s get on with my list of things you can do, as a beginner lure fisher at Mulwala, to catch a fish.

THE LAKE Mulwala is 20-odd kilometres long and is

Two major irrigation outlets empty out of the lake, and of course the mighty Murray is released at the Yarrawonga weir.

This means that in irrigation season a lot of water moves into and out of Lake Mulwala – an important point that we will discuss a little later.

The main target species is Murray cod, however the lake has heaps of golden perch, uncountable numbers of carp and the occasional redfin that anglers catch.

Other species are caught once every five or so years, but they’re so rare it’s just not worth talking about.

Murray cod are not stocked in Mulwala. This is because the cod population

Marc Ainsworth testing a new lure for Kuttafurra Lures. Goldens love current, and this one was caught off the root ball of the stump on the right side of the image. golden perch snags but landed seven cod and only one golden perch for the day! That was enough for me to give away fishing the

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Legally you can chase goldens, carp, redfin and more, so I have no problem with people fishing the lake at this time of year. Just reduce your lure size and do not target cod. I don’t care who you are, if you’re chucking a 1/2oz or bigger spinnerbait or a swimbait in Mulwala in the closed season, you are probably not chasing goldens and if you think you are, you need to learn a bit more about fishing.

HIGH FIVE I am going to give you the five things we tick off the list when we are fishing in Mulwala. If you’re new to the lake, you can follow these five tips (which are listed in no particular order) and put yourself in the best position to catch a cod or a golden, regardless of when you are visiting the lake.

If you are unable to follow one or more of these tips, all is not lost – you can still catch a fish. One way to look at it is if you are baking a cake. The cake turns out much nicer with

the key elements to fishing Mulwala. It pushes baitfish around, it allows predators to sit in the perfect ambush position and it can bring a welcome relief to high water temperatures during the summer months.

Finding flow is not hard in Mulwala, and the

closer you are to the two inflowing systems and the three outflowing channels, the easier it is to find. For me that means fishing the top third of the lake, say from Skilands (on the Victorian side of the lake) up to and above Bundalong.

Alternatively, fishing from Kyffins Reserve (NSW side) and Hogans Road Ramp (Vic side) down to the Weir wall is also a good place to find current in high flows.

The Mulwala irrigation channel leaves the lake just to the east of the main Mulwala township, while the Yarrawonga irrigation channel departs the lake between the weir wall and the main road bridge.

Towards the weir walling the lake it’s easiest to find flow on the Mulwala side as there are flats nearby with plenty of trees where you can easily see the tell-tale swirls and eddies indicating water movement.

Up around Bundalong and Skilands, it can seem like the whole waterway is moving and, truth be told, it probably is all moving. This means you can fish almost anywhere and be in with a shot at a fish. One tip in this area is to find sharp corners in the main river that lead onto heavily timbered flats.

Golden perch are stocked in Mulwala and crunch lures hard. They’re a super fun fish to target on hardbodied lures.

Cod Feature While a lot of water turns to follow the main river, a fair bit of water pushes up onto the flat, creating some beautiful current to fish.

LURES The simplest way to explain lure choice is to choose lures that run to the depth you are fishing. For example, if I am fishing a flat that is 1.8m deep with hardbodied divers, a StumpJumper size 2 is perfect, as is a Custom Crafted Extractor or a Kuttafurra Mud Honey 75.

If the water depth then shallows up and I am fishing 1.2-1.5m, I’ll go a Gidgee Fatty Junior or a Mudeye Happy. If the water depth deepens off to 2.1-2.4m, I’m looking at the Zerek Giant Ruby or a Kuttafurra Mud Honey 100 or even a

Big fish are not that common so the author likes to get in the water with them to keep them in the best condition for release.

Freshwater Masters event to be held two months later. It was December, a couple of days after the Cod Opening Classic and I was fishing stupidly light with 10lb braid and a 20lb leader.

Sometimes you’re lucky but I stress this is not the way to go about chasing big fish in Mulwala – it was just dumb luck the fish didn’t find a

snag to bury me in!

Regardless, it does show that a big fish can turn up at any time in what many would believe is water too shallow for their bulk.

LOCATION It’s a pointless exercise going to Mulwala and thinking you can fish all of the well known spots in one trip. The sheer size of the lake means it’s a long way from the top of the lake to the bottom so you need to concentrate on an area.

Luckily there are many boat ramps (of varying quality) that give access to Lake Mulwala. This means you can launch relatively close to the area you want to target.

Public boat ramps are found on the Victorian side at Bundalong, Majors Creek, Hogans Road and the Yacht Club. On the NSW side there are public ramps at Drain Lane, Kyffins Reserve, and three ramps from the eastern extremity of Mulwala right into the town proper. There’s also a number of private ramps, generally associated with accommodation venues that visitors to these places can access. Lake Mulwala

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Mulwala is not all about big cod. Legal fish like this are plentiful and they’re always welcome.

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These choices and need for change are almost made redundant if you are fishing a lipless crankbait, swimbait or spinnerbait as you can allow these lures to sink to the right retrieve depth or retrieve a little quicker in shallower water.

If I was asked to simply catch a cod in Mulwala, I’d use a 1/2oz spinnerbait because I can fish it in 1.2m of water right down to 4m of water on the river edges.

They are extremely versatile and catch fish after fish.

DEPTH While I will fish lures for certain depths, most of the time I am looking for a particular depth and that is 1.5-2.1m of water.

This depth is easily fished, allows you to make

out most of the snags and laydowns, and holds plenty of fish. There are plenty of monster cod caught in 2m of water every year, especially on swimbaits and surface lures, so don’t go into these waters thinking you’re only chasing smaller fish.

A lot of the flats in the lake are within this depth range, especially the top two-thirds of the lake. This depth range is also found in the Everglades area, around Skilands and there is a lot of it around Bundalong and in all the run through creeks and channels.

My biggest Mulwala cod came from 1.5m of water on a spinnerbait fished along a massive laydown. We’d only ever caught fish up to about 80cm in that area and I was practising for the

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Matt ‘Spider’ Rogers is one of the quiet achievers at Lake Mulwala. This Everglades cod nailed a Pimp Daddy lure in the 2020 Lake Mulwala Cod Nationals in 1.8m of water.

TOP TIPS • Best time: April-May • The perfect spot: 1.5-1.8m of water with current running alongside a laydown with a lot of horizontal structure off the bottom and nearby weed.

• Best outfit: 4-6kg baitcaster outfit, 30lb braid, 40lb leader.

• Top 5 lure colours: Purple, black, olive, redfin, yellow/black stripes.

• Top 5 diving lures: StumpJumper No. 2, Gidgee Fatty Junior, Zerek Giant Ruby, Custom Crafted Extractor, Kuttafurra Mud Honey 75.

• Top 5 lipless lures: Jackall TN70, Zerek Weedless Fish Trap, Jackall Doozer, TD Woofer, Zerek Maniac Vibe.

• Top 5 swim/glidebait: Jackall Gantarel, Zerek Live Swimbait, Jackall Gigantarel, Bone Focus, Zerek Flat Shad 7”.

• 5 other must-have lures: 1/2oz Bassman Codman, AC Invader 90, Mudeye Rattle Snake, Kuttafurra Creeper, Pimp Daddy.

If I had one outfit rigged with one lure it would be a Venom 6kg 7ft baitcast rod matched to an ATC Combat Plus 200 reel loaded with 30lb braid and topped with a 40lb fluorocarbon leader. To this I would tie a 1/2oz Bassman Codman in colour 7.

Ski Club is one of these with excellent ramps and facilities, so access to your chosen location is usually not a problem.

It’s difficult for me to say which location to go to at any given time because every year is different and every day is different, so the best advice is to pick a location and stick to it for the day. For example, a good starting point for many is Kyffins. This area has stacks of laydown timber, lots of flats and is one of the To page 10

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Cod Feature From page 9

areas that holds big fish.

Another good starting area is Majors Creek. The ramp here has just been upgraded and is a very easy to use ramp. The only issue is that they forgot to upsize the parking options and it can fill up very quickly on weekends.

When I first visited Mulwala we spent a lot of time fishing from Hogans down towards the weir

wall in a place called The Willows. Since that time I’ve spent years camping up at Bundalong, using the Bundalong and Majors Creek ramps, but more recently I’ve spent a lot of time camped out at Mulwala fishing and getting to know the areas around the Pumping Station, Kyffins and Hogans a lot better. The reason for the change has been attendance at comps such as The Australian

Freshwater Masters, Cod Opening Classic and the Lake Mulwala Cod Nationals, which are all held from Mulwala rather than Bundalong.

It’s a never ending story of learning and getting to know the place, but please don’t go there thinking you can cover the whole lake in a trip – it’s just too hard.

SNAGS The Aussie term for timber in waterways, snags

are the foundation of any fishing trip to Mulwala, but where do you start in the lake of two million trees?

If you get your location fundamentals sorted, such as current, depth and location, then you can narrow down your search quite significantly. For example, if you are fishing out of Majors, you can go in any direction from the ramp, pop up onto a flat and start your search for the best snags.

The best snags have current across or along them, are either laydown snags that are off the bottom and not buried, or a large tree with a big root ball that is scoured out. If you think about my two favourite snags, they both provide one important thing: a roof over the cod’s or golden’s head. I am firm in my belief that when resting, native fish like a roof over their head. It protects them from predation from above, and also creates shadows that the fish can use to launch ambush attacks on their prey.

Ian Rogers with the Big Fish of the Day on Day 1 of the Lake Mulwala Cod Nationals 2020.

This fish was taken in the Bundalong area. some of the most amazing laydown snags that I bet these fish call home. When they are caught out in the open, they are on the hunt, actively chasing a feed. But when they are done feeding, I bet they go and lay up on a good snag.

from an area we call the small sticks. It’s an area where you can usually pick up a fish or two that is actively on the hunt, but it’s dead water when the fish are off and resting as there are no larger snags for the fish to rest up in.

The Kuttafurra Redfin nose tow is a brilliant golden lure.

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These snags are also an ideal main home from which native fish, especially cod, can wander around on the hunt. Some of the weedy flats where really big fish are caught every year have

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A 106cm Mulwala cod from the Majors area. This fish was caught in less than 1.5m of water so don’t ever think you won’t connect with big fish in the shallows.

JUST FISH Mulwala is not like shelling peas, she can be a very tough mistress at times and when you think you have a clue, it’s donut day!

Following some of the advice above puts you in the best position to get yourself a fish, and make the most of those bite windows when they come around.

Certainly there are 20 or more other factors that influence the fishing at Mulwala such as barometer, moon phase, wind direction and strength, time of day and year, and even where the baitfish concentrations are found. However, if you are visiting Mulwala for the first time, or you’re struggling, just go fishing.

Keep your area small, concentrate on finding the right type of spots, and success will be yours in no time at all.

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New twists on fooling flathead NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling

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The humble flathead is Australia’s most popular saltwater target, and it’s not too hard to see why.

Whether you target tigers in Tassie, yanks in Victoria, sandies in NSW, duskies in Queensland, blue-spots in SA, or bar-tails in WA and the NT, chances are there’s a flathead or three living not too far from your closest stretch of coastline or in your nearest estuary.

There are dozens of species of these uglybut-tasty bottom dwellers lurking in our tidal waters, and quite a few of them grow large enough to excite anglers. The biggest, of course, is the mighty dusky that has (rarely) been known to top a metre in length and approach 10kg in weight, although the southern bluespot isn’t too far behind, sometimes giving the 80cm mark a pretty solid nudge.

Most of the others are usually much smaller, but even a 40cm sand, rock or tiger flathead produces a couple of delicious fillets with firm, white flesh that can be prepared in all manner of ways.

Most flatties aren’t especially hard to catch, although big duskies living in hard-fished estuaries can develop a level of cunning that might surprise some casual danglers. But the average 35-55cm specimen of most flathead varieties is a fairly simple-minded eating machine, especially when the water warms up a bit. Put something in

Scan this QR code to watch Starlo’s short video showing how to catching flathead on kabura-style jigs. front of it that looks even vaguely edible and there’s a better-than-even chance it

technique, lure, bait or rig to catch flathead, plus a few of the less common ones.

I’ve caught them on thick handlines carrying heavy paternoster rigs, lightlyweighted live baits, soft and hard lures of all sizes, shapes and styles, flies and even surface poppers. But just lately I’ve been playing with a relatively new style of lure that I reckon might be one of the better tools I’ve yet found for fooling flatties, especially in water deeper than 10-12m.

Kabura-style jigs have been around for a few seasons now. These Japanese creations are

ship jigs that have been on the scene for a decade or so.

Kaburas typically consist of three separate components: a heavy, spherical or rounded, laterally-flattened head, a skirt and a pair of stickysharp trailing assist hooks.

Your line or leader is run through the head and skirt, then tied to a solid ring attached to the hooks.

Like the earlier octajigs, kaburas are best fished by spooling them to the sea bed before slowly winding them up a metre or two, then dropping them down again. You can mix this up with some gentle rod tip

A whole mess of fresh flattie fillets, ready for the pan! are absolutely deadly on flathead, especially in deeper water. In particular, they’ve revolutionised my offshore fishing for sand flatties, increasing both my catch rate and the average size of the fish taken.

If the action is a bit slow, I’ll sometimes add a thin strip of bait to the

well! I’m also looking forward to trying them out in deeper bay, harbour and estuary scenarios, for various species.

The QR codes accompanying this column will take you to a short how-to video on using kabura-style jigs to catch flathead, as well as a simple

Kabura-style jigs are deadly on flathead (and many other species), especially in deeper water. They’re best fished using light overhead gear. will pounce. This trait helps to endear the flattie family with most anglers!

Over the years I’ve used just about every proven

sometimes referred to as golf-ball or coin-drop jigs, and they’ve essentially evolved from the highly effective octa and bottom-

bounces or hops, the odd quicker crank, or by simply dropping the rod in a holder and leaving them to their own devices.

Kabura-jigs work best when coupled with light overhead or baitcaster reels (for line control on the drop), fine braid and relatively long, light ‘slow pitch’ jig rods with soft, flexible tips. When a fish eats the jig, it’s best not to strike, but rather to keep cranking and smoothly begin to lift the rod as it loads up.

Not too surprisingly, I’ve found that kaburas QR CODE Starlo with a much better-than-average sand flathead taken off the far south coast of NSW on a Shimano Baku Baku Tiger kabura-style jig.

As Jo quickly discovered, kabura jigs work on all sorts of fish, including morwong.

12

NOVEMBER 2020

This QR code will take you straight to an instructional clip on easily filleting and de-boning flathead.

assist hooks, or some scent to the skirt, but most times this simply isn’t necessary.

It’s a bit of a ‘no-brainer’ way to catch these tasty targets, and when you drift off the sand and gravel patch onto some harder reef, they’re great snapper and mowie catchers, as

clip I put together on my basic tips for filleting and de-boning flatties. If you don’t know how to use a QR code, or can’t be bothered, you’ll easily track down both clips on my “Starlo Gets Reel” YouTube channel at www.youtube. com/c/StarloGetsReel

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Catching bull sharks BRISBANE

Aaron Walker

Sitting back on a lazy Saturday watching various fishing shows on offer is something we have all done to itch the scratch that is our fishing addiction.

Everyone loves dreaming about hooking onto some line burning action, hearing the drag sing its beautiful song. But weekend time is often limited and the chance to load up and head miles offshore is often a luxury we can’t all indulge in.

However, often we overlook the array of sizeable predators that lurk the local rivers, which are often on our doorsteps. One such creature that can deliver intense and prolonged battles, get the adrenaline pumping, test even the best terminal tackle and be caught in just about every river system up the Australian coast is the bull shark.

Bull shark are an aggressive hunter and available to just about every angler. Sharks around 1-1.5m provide a fantastic battle on

to chase these local beasts does not need to be expensive.

A size 4000 spin reel, loaded with 20lb braid and rigged up to a 4-8kg roughly 6-7ft rod is absolutely ideal.

My go-to setup consists of a Shimano Stradic 4000 running 20lb braid on a Daiwa TDT71HXS rod.

As far as rigs go, there are many companies around that supply affordable and high quality pre-made shark rigs. A 10/0 hook paired with a mono covered 130lb wire is a great starting point and will result in some great catches.

It is always worth having a few rigs ready to go, as the rivers are also home to many bull sharks that can exceed 3.5m in length, which will be unforgiving on your rigs.

A good set of long-nosed pliers or even a specialised hook removal tool is essential if you want to go home with as many fingers as you left with. I remove the barb from my hooks in order to make this process easier on myself, and the shark.

LOCATION A trait of bull sharks is their ability to regulate

This clash of two river systems on an outgoing tide creates many eddies that stir up many bait species and in turn attracts the sharks.

Any place you can access a tidal river, such as the Logan, Brisbane, Bremer, Pine, Albert will provide results. It is always worth trying to identify an area that has something special, this could be in the form of a junction, large bend, Ledge, Channel or a bank producing eddies. If you can identify a spot such as this, then persist, the sharks will

Aim for the smaller specimens if you want to keep it for the plate.

It is vital to bleed the shark for the best tasting flesh. beats the visual sensation of the balloon violently jerking below the surface and the realisation that only metres from where you are standing, an angry

Locations

apex predator was actively feeding and you didn’t know it was there. The mono on the balloon will break away allowing you to fight the shark.

6m

Best spots

Eddies Channels

6m

Wash off banks

2m Sandbank

Pontoons that allow access to Channels and deeper water

navigate the river and feed in these areas.

BAITS If the bait is fleshy, it will probably work. Ask any shark angler and they will tell you the go-to bait is freshwater eel cut into small 15cm fillets. Eel does seem to prove itself time and time again to be an outstanding shark bait. However, a hole mullet cut in half or filleted,

stingray flaps and even ox heart will yield results.

TECHNIQUES The techniques used to effectively target bull sharks, depend mostly on tide movement. The most rewarding technique for me is having a balloon attached to the upper swivel with 12lb mono, allowing the bait to sit roughly 2m below the surface. Nothing quite

Bull shark fishing can deliver intense and prolonged battles, get the adrenaline pumping, and test even the best terminal tackle.

Balloon Eel Fillet * Ensure maximum hook exposure for best hookup ratio

A trait of bull sharks is their ability to regulate salt intake, that trait allows this apex predator to travel far upstream into entirely freshwater. lighter gear, with smaller specimens being great on the dinner table too.

A key point if you’re interested in eating bull shark is to aim for the smaller specimens with it being paramount the shark is bled, otherwise you’ll have a mouth of flesh that tastes similar to glass cleaner.

TACKLE The equipment required 14

NOVEMBER 2020

salt intake, that trait allows this apex predator to travel far upstream into entirely freshwater. Brackish areas do hold a good population of sharks, but moving further downstream will provide greater odds. For land based anglers, pontoons and jetties are your go to starting points.

A favourite spot of mine is the junction between the Logan and Albert rivers.

12lb mono

Barbless Circle Hook *

Swivel Suitable crimp

Suitable crimp Approx. 1-2m wire

However, a balloon is not essential, and if the tide is slow, the balloon may not be practical. Instead, simply aiming for a long cast into your desired spot and allowing the bait to sit on the bottom would be suitable.

For both methods, it is ideal to set your drag so line can be freely taken, allowing the shark to devour the bait without feeling resistance.

Count to ten...then tighten the drag and hold on.

Now is the time of the year to get out and target these river-based beauties.

Before you know it, you will have developed your own preferred technique and have a go-to spot which will consistently produce.

Best of luck and tight lines.

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NOVEMBER 2020

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We want your day on the family toand matesbeam to be and the best it can be. it between with athepod Likeout plenty of water space.with Thanks a wide more distance dash transom so we can So we’ve designed the Fishabout around the things and transom, there’s Pro a stack of elbow room.that Andare for important. even moreduckboards space we’ve done either side, and plenty of Like plenty of space.

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Time to target the pelagics GOLD COAST

David Green

In November the current starts to increase on the offshore grounds, and the water temperature on the wider grounds increases to around 24°C. Pelagic species also start to show up in increased numbers.

Mahimahi catches should increase this month, and some of the best blue marlin

fishing of the season often begins in late November.

Closer to shore, snapper numbers start to drop off as the current increases, and it is usually the month where a lot of anglers put their bottom fishing gear away and start trolling.

In November I start trolling on the wider grounds. I generally put the lures in on the 50 fathom line and work my way east, before concentrating my efforts in water depths

between 200-400m. There are generally quite a few striped tuna and flying fish around in November, and it pays to check on the sea surface temperature charts before you head offshore.

Patience is required when chasing blue marlin.

It is common to troll for an entire day without a strike, but usually we have between one and five strikes per session.

Even in really deep water, a lot of the bites come in the hour

As water temperatures rise offshore, we will see more catches of pelagic species, like this mac tuna.

around a tide change. Nothing can match the blast-off of a blue marlin when it crashes a lure and gets hooked. In November we often catch a few wahoo and mahimahi too, and these great eating fish are always welcome.

In closer to shore, the first of the summer run of juvenile black marlin usually shows up in November. The smaller fish tend to be found in close to shore, often around the bait schools found in 20-50m of water. These fish are generally between 15-30kg, and reports usually start to come in in November as the migration of juveniles, spawned on the Barrier Reef, move south.

Small live baits, trolled gar and skirted lures account for most of the fish.

Each season is very different. In good years catches of 10 juvenile black marlin in a day can be common, while in leaner seasons very few fish are encountered. Indications from more northern ports are encouraging for a good season over the next summer. As soon as warm, blue current moves in onto the close grounds it is time to start trolling. The best water temperatures are over 25°C. Other options this month are chasing mahimahi around

November is a good month to target flathead. the FADs, chasing mulloway at night and jigging on the 36-50 fathom lines. The FAD situated on the 36 fathom reef north east of the Seaway has been particularly productive.

Casting small live baits or unweighted pilchards to the FAD is the best method. Most

of the mahimahi around the FADs are juvenile fish between 1-3kg, and it is important to observe bag and size limits.

These fish are great sport on light tackle and also respond to lures, but after a bit of fishing pressure they become quite shy.

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NOVEMBER 2020

Marlin 895

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OLD

On the wider reefs there should be amberjacks, kingfish and samsonfish, and these are a great target for those who like jigging metal lures.

Closer to shore there should mulloway and a few snapper that respond to live baits and berley. Fishing late afternoon into the night is generally the best time.

ESTUARIES AND RIVERS November is generally a good month to chase flathead, mangrove jacks and whiting in the Gold Coast estuaries.

By this time most of the big flathead have spawned, and they often feed aggressively after they have laid their eggs.

There should still be plenty of big lizards in the deep water around the Seaway and Jumpinpin entrances, and big soft vibes and large soft plastics should catch plenty of decent fish.

A few decent mulloway should also show up in the deeper holes and trenches.

At the time of writing there have been plenty of mulloway between 70-90cm in the hole at the end of the north wall of the Seaway, although bigger fish have been scarce.

Working the shallow flats on the top of the tide with swim baits, large stickbait soft plastics and shallow running minnows should be productive for big flathead this month.

These fish are getting quite shy and are much harder to catch the second time! There should still be plenty of 40-60cm fish around this month, and it is a good sign for the future to see so many smaller fish in the system.

As the water warms up, mangrove jacks will become active in the canals, with most of the action coming from casting soft plastics and hardbodied minnows around floating pontoons. Surface lures are another good option

early in the morning. Each summer the jacks seem to get a bit bigger, and fish over 50cm should be quite common this month. The Runaway Bay canals and the Nerang River are worth a look in the coming weeks. The by-catch when jack fishing includes estuary cod and big-eye and giant

River at night using worms, yabbies and shrimp. Most of the fish encountered will be 30-35cm long with the odd fish over 40cm. They make superb eating. An alternative to bait fishing is to use small stickbaits and poppers over the top of the flats on a rising tide. It is amazing

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Michael Green with a nice bull mahimahi. trevally. When herring schools are active the jacks won’t be far away. White is often the best colour lure to use, and you should work the lure quickly along the edge of the pontoons.

Whiting will be active this month as the water warms.

Some of the best whiting fishing is in the Nerang

how aggressive whiting can be when they chase down a fast retrieve.

Overall, November is a good month to fish the Gold Coast. We are lucky to have been spared the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic in Queensland, so take care, stay safe and tight lines!

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FACTORY OUTLET

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19

Southern

OLD

Big mulloway are marauding the rivers SOUTHERN BAY

Nick Whyte

The threadfin salmon are starting to show up more regularly around the port.

They are still not in big numbers but shouldn’t be too far away from their annual spawning migration.

There’s also been quite a few school mulloway around the mouth of the river. Most of these fish have been falling to slowly worked soft plastics or soft vibes like the Zerek Fish Trap. I prefer the 95mm size but the 110mm can be the go in the harder running water.

The better quality fish have

Brenden Whyte with a nice ‘Pin mulloway. been coming from the lead beacons out the front of the port. Putting the time into sound out the fish will see you with a much better chance with these bigger and run through fish.

If red-hot you’re right looking to until June. release these fish, make sure need as to travel you You try won’t to release soon far topossible start catching either, as afterthem capture. as somepulled of the from best grounds When deeper are also thecan closest. the water they sufferTofrom north, the obvious barotrauma and maychoice need is a Shark Bay/Woody This release weight to Head. get them sheltered and shallow is back to depth.

Don’t sitbay there a magnet fish for these catching afterfish, fishwith if large aren’t bait shoals everywhere, they releasing.

Take and in water care of the whatcalmer we have in you the shouldand finditit will easy only to findkeep the river fish. It better. helps that there will getting probably boats out

Therebe 20 areother plenty of there catching for you to flatfish aroundthem the Jumpinpin workwithin out where they area sight ofare! the bar I recommend at the moment. trolling There pink are squidsquality at firstfishlight fordeep the some in the first any hour,shallow then find good and flatsa close patch andwater eitherare driftproducing or anchor to deep while floating pilliesTrolling out the good numbers. backedges in yourwith berley trail. lures the small south, the Shad first like Heading the Zerek Tango patch of reef small just pastlures Angourie or casting like in about of water will be the Zerek30m Flash Wrigglys to a good placehas to start.

There is the drains had the best a lot of The goodtrusty trollingoldground results.

Fish down have here.been Troll the Traps the from go in the

for the draining water or areas with large amounts of bait.

There have been good reports of whiting from the Southern Bay area. The sand flats around the powerlines and the bottom end of Russell Island have been winners of late, there has also been good numbers up the Logan River with the Aggesester Sands area and the Logan/ Albert junction areas being consistent. Fresh worms and small soldier crabs have had the best results. For lure fishers, long skinny poppers work fast across the surface will attract the better quality.

There’s been good reports of nice bream and squid up in the shallow reef areas. Top water baits or shallow cranks have been

Fish a making tide and push up as shallow as your boat will allow them to cast even shallower. Sometimes you’ll see fish swimming on their sides feeding so don’t be scared to go super shallow.

Mangrove jack reports are coming in hot. With the afternoon storms starting to fire up, should see you in with a good chance to bang a red fish. Fishing live baits into the night around structure will see you with the best chance, but casting hardbody or soft plastic lures tight to structure will really get the heart going. There’s been a few fish around the rock bars and sunken timber in Cobby Cobby Passage, Sovereign Islands canal entrances, Logan River rock

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Autumn has arrived as far as the calendar is concerned, but on the water in our part of the world you may not see any real change. Water temperatures will still be up,

Around our waters, March Free quotes from your templates. or glass.for is the first realAcrylic hot month In or out ofboth survey. the mackerel, spotted guaranteed, very in and Quality Spanish, to appear rates, and an goodcompetitive numbers.

The last excellent freight service. couple of years have seen the mackerel turn up in March

9 Cameron Street, Clontarf QLD 4019 Phone 07 3284 5088 Fax 07 3284 5089 There should be plenty of Spanish and email amw@myaccess.com.au spotted mackerel around this month.

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A big Zerek Affinity glide bait was this lizard’s undoing.

Curtis (14yo) from Wollongong with his first mulloway. deeper water. doing all the damage on bars and Raby Bay canals.

Back up the bay the the bream and small jigs on If you have a great area around the mouth of the squid. Eastern side of capture from the southern the Logan River has been Macleay Island, Pots Point, bay you would like to share, producing some quality Coochie north west corner, email them through to nick@ flathead. Try around the W’s Cleveland Point and south techfishing.com.au Till next on the low tide as well. Look west rocks at Peel Island. month, Tech-it-easy.

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Tommy with a nice snapper from the southern reef.

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edge of the reef to Freeburn bottom while you are float Heading out to the FAD will Rock (the bommie) and back baiting the mackerel, as there find you plenty of those pretty for the first two hours to find are good snapper on these jumping fish, the mahimahi. where they are and, as with reefs in March.

This month usually produces When you have had our biggest specimens, with the north ground, float bait for them after. Be sure to have your fill of the mackerel, the some pushing the 10kg mark. this month are endless. a couple of lines out on the really Luke Cameron with aoptions nice Jumpinpin flatty on theThey 95mm Fish are Trap.the ‘sport

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Toothy species on the chew in November BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

Warmer air and water temperatures are promoting heightened activity from many fish species.

Baitfish prevalence in the bay will increase, generally promoting more aggressive activity from many pelagic species.

Demersal species will also be more active due to the higher water temperatures, which increase their metabolism, making them hungrier and more aggressive.

This will extend from the upper reaches of the rivers to well offshore.

Crabs are a serious target for those setting a few pots in the estuaries and bay, and we may even get an early run of prawns in the rivers if we get any decent rainfall. In all, November is a great month for chasing many of your favourite targets.

JACKS Mangrove jack activity is heavily reliant on water temperatures and barometer levels. Warm water and a high barometer (especially over 1020hpa) coincides with some of the most aggressive activity. Late afternoon, night and early morning sessions are generally the most productive. Building thunderstorms trigger very aggressive behaviour from jacks due to spiking barometric pressure.

Casting lures around prominent structures such as rock walls, jetty pylons, mangrove snags, bridge pylons, boat moorings and the like will put you in good stead. Minnow lures, topwater offerings, vibes, soft plastics, swimbaits and many other offerings can all work a treat. The closer you get to the structure, the better the chance of hooking up. Once the strike happens, you will need some aggressive rod work, serious drag pressure and good degree of luck to turn the battle in your favour.

Live baits fished in these same zones are also likely to reward, with quality offerings being mullet, prawns, herring, pike and gar. Fish these baits with just enough lead to keep them in the zone and ensure you have good hook coverage. A snelled hook rig with one hook near the tail of the bait and one in the nose will increase hook-up rates.

Many other species will be caught whilst targeting jacks, including trevally, cod, groper and flathead.

22

NOVEMBER 2020

This fat early season longtail around 13kg was hooked on the first cast of the day on a Rapala Magnum Cast.

MACKEREL School mackerel numbers have been exceptional throughout much of the year, and most days you can encounter a few if you specifically target them and understand their nature. Much of the time they are not found busting it up on the surface like spotted mackerel commonly do.

They are often deeper in the water column around the beacon bases, the edges of prominent banks, in the channels and around the artificial reefs. However, when baitfish activity is increased during the warmer months you will sometimes find them on the surface, where they can be targeted with high-speed offerings such as chromed slugs or slices and jigheadrigged jerkshad plastics.

Any surface activity in the bay is worth a few casts, as a broad array of pelagic species can be on offer.

Usually the spotted mackerel do not appear until well into December, however November can see occasional captures made. Jigging beacons with chromed slugs or dropping ganged-hook rigged pilchards adjacent them is a very reliable method to score a few mackerel during November. Shipping Channel beacons commonly harbour schools of numerous baitfish species and these attract all manner of pelagics. For a newbie to the bay pelagic scene, these are a good place to start.

Usually mackerel are in schools, therefore multiple captures can be taken from a single beacon. However, if several casts are put in

around the beacon without a strike then it’s best to move on to try the next one. A return visit to the unproductive beacon an hour or so later might see a lot more positive result.

TUNA Highly prized for their fighting ability, size and eating quality, longtail tuna numbers will be steady over the next few months. They can often be sighted off in the distance smashing small schools of baitfish on the surface. Often by the time you get to the melee they seem to have gone.

However, waiting in the area for a while will often see them erupt again a short distance away.

Observing the activity of any birds will give you a good indication where they will bust up next. The birds are almost a mirror image of the tuna. As the tuna get closer to the surface, so will the birds.

Often if a bird hovers or does small circles, the tuna below will be surrounding a baitfish school, working around them to push them to the surface where they are easier pickings. Slowly motoring within casting distance will make you Johnny-on-the-spot. I prefer to leave my four-stroke motor running as they seem to get used to it. I believe this is less disturbing to them than a sudden noise if you need to start the motor and move closer.

Obviously you may need to try different approaches at times, especially when they are skittish.

At times, longtails can be particularly fussy and will only eat exact replicas of the baitfish on which

they are feeding. This will sometimes dictate a small chrome slice or baitfishprofiled fly to get their interest. If they aren’t being fussy then you are in luck, as most stickbaits, jighead-rigged plastics, casting minnows, chromed slices, pencil poppers and other offerings cast in their direction will reward.

If you want to keep a tuna for the table, bleed it well by placing a deep incision behind both pectoral fins and cut the throat latch. After allowing it to bleed out for 15 minutes or so, place it into an ice slurry. Longtail tuna meat is best eaten raw or lightly cooked. Sashimi style with dipping sauces is ideal, however if you

need to cook then treat it like a good steak and don’t cook past medium rare (preferably less).

Schools of mac tuna and bonito will also be found, and these offer great sport and exceptional bait.

The flesh is best salted and frozen or used fresh. Small cubes are great for bream, while strips are good for all manner of reef species, and salted strips are common baits for anglers targeting large greenback tailor and other species. The Watson’s bonito are rather palatable, especially when smoked.

SNAPPER AND SWEETLIP Although many anglers consider snapper to be a cold weather species, these fish are actually available in the bay all year round.

Often I score some of my better quality fish for the year during November, however, you have to work for good results.

Early mornings and late afternoons provide some of the better times, but I have caught numerous big snapper in the middle of the day when boat traffic is at a minimum.

The usual lures and baits will still work well during the warmer months.

Anglers casting soft plastics and soft vibes or deploying micro jigs will often score pelagics such as mackerel and longtails around the artificial reefs during this period. In fact, these areas can hold a broad array of species including morwong, mulloway, sweetlip, tuskfish, cod and others.

If sweetlip are your target then good opportunities exist around the edges of the bay islands where reef and rubble

peters out and the sand and seagrass areas begin. Early mornings will often see the sweetlip in shallower water, but as the sun breaks over the horizon they will move out into deeper water around these zones.

Being on the water an hour before sunrise with quality fresh baits of mullet fillet, tuna strips, green banana prawns, squid strips or even pilchard bits will generally see a flurry of bites. Often several rods will buckle in unison but generally by an hour after sunrise the action is over. Fish these baits lightly weighted on fluorocarbon leaders with hooks well hidden in the bait with just the points exposed, and you are in with the best chance.

TUSKFISH Although smaller models are encountered around the reef edges at Peel and other locales by anglers targeting other species, good results on tuskfish come to those who specifically target them.

Crabs are without doubt the prime bait for all tuskfish, especially the Venus and black-spot species, which are caught throughout Moreton Bay. Crabs can be any species and anglers use anything from soldier crabs to whole legal sand crabs for bait.

It is surprising the areas where quality tuskfish are found, but few are landed as anglers either aren’t using crabs for bait or not fishing heavy enough line to turn them before they reach their cave or rocky outcrop. Smaller models can be caught on 15-24kg line however the big brutes between 5kg and 15kg will require minimum 37kg line to subdue in most cases.

Any jack over 50cm is brag worthy, and some anglers manage to catch fish of this quality regularly. Matt Mundy scored this one recently.

OLD

Those who specifically target these large specimens will commonly use whole legal sand crabs with 10/0 or larger hooks and 150lb to 250lb monofilament leaders.

The warmer months are prime times for bay tuskies.

Although securing crabs for bait can sometimes be a bit of a task, the sweet, flaky white flesh of a tusky is one of the best to hit the plate.

THREADFIN SALMON Although threadfin can be found right along the river’s length at any time of the year, the lower reaches will hold better numbers throughout the warmer months. Baitfish and prawn schools commonly hold along the declines into the main river basin, along the eastern end of the Oil Pipeline, along the fronts of the various jetties and port terminals and adjacent submerged ledges.

Naturally, where you find the bait you are likely to find the threadfin, so targeting these areas is wise.

A side imaging sounder is highly productive for locating threadfin as they will show up prominently due to larger than average air bladders.

Finding them is only half the battle though, as they can be hard to tempt

at times. Sometimes you will need to wait for a bite period, which can often coincide with a tidal change. Live baits may produce a bite when lures fail to, but success isn’t guaranteed.

The flats either side of the Brisbane River will often hold threadfin after decent rain, which flushes the prawns from higher

up the system. The leads beacons out from the mouth are also likely spots to secure a few threadies.

Lures such as soft vibes are one of the more commonly used, however jighead-rigged plastics (especially prawn and baitfish profiles) and blades are other options.

Dropping a micro jig down to fish sounding beneath

the boat can also be very productive.

CRABS Both sand and mud crab numbers should be healthy throughout the coming months. Setting a few pots can reward with some tasty crabs and can save the day if you fail on the fishing front.

Muddies will be found in the upper reaches of many systems, with those

anglers dropping pots into the harder to reach spots getting the better quality and numbers. However, after decent rainfall, these will be flushed further down the system where they are easier to reach for the average crabber.

Setting pots at the mouths of small feeder creeks, the gutters leading out of the mangrove expanse and along collapsed mangrove edges will likely reward.

Check pots every couple of hours if possible.

Sand crabs (blueswimmer crabs) can be caught around the mouths of estuaries and well out into Moreton Bay. Pots should be set along submerged contours surrounding the bay islands, in deeper gutters, adjacent ledges, edges of banks and near other underwater contours. The depths where commercial crabbers are setting pots will give you a good indication at what depths the crabs are running. Do not set your pots near the commercial pots as the pros may get a bit cranky about it. Set them in a similar depth and area a bit further away.

Remember to check regulations on crab size (muddies are different from sandies) and that your crabbing apparatus meets

Ian ‘Ace’ Johnson with a solid black sweetlip taken on light tackle recently near Peel Island.

Southern

regulations before setting out. Having a proper crab measuring device is highly advisable. When it comes to floats, it’s not legal to use milk bottles, oil bottles or any other float that is not solid as your minimum 15cm in diameter float.

Both your pot and float will also need to be labelled as per regulations.

CONCLUSION Wa r m weather promotes some hot fishing action throughout Southern Queensland.

Brisbane River and Moreton Bay anglers have some awesome variety on offer during November, with fish and crustaceans available of numerous species.

Rainfall may even provide an early run of prawns in the Caboolture and Pine rivers if we are lucky.

Even a casual trip throughout the bay may reward as surface feeding schools of tunas and mackerel can pop up anywhere at any time.

Having a rod rigged with a chrome slug can soon put you in the hot seat to some pelagic action.

This month there’ll be hot days that will require a bit more slip, slop, slap and slurp, but personally I love being on the water at this time of year. Hope to see you out there.

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Southern

OLD

Waterways will be firing NORTHERN BAY

Steve Nash

With this warmer weather now well and truly in place, fishing our local waterways will definitely be up and firing. There have been great reports of quality whiting being caught in the bay, and our estuaries are producing awesome catches of pan-sized flathead, legal cod and the occasional mangrove jack.

The bass schools at the local dam have diminished noticeably. But main efforts in fishing edge bites have been the winner.

Our summer approach and warm weather also means that one of the most exciting forms of lure fishing is now in play.

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RIVERS Great reports of whiting along the surf beaches of Bribe Island, Pumicestone Passage and along the sand banks along Gilligans Island will continue while the water is clear and clean. Worms are the pick of the baits, as well as squid cut into small strips or you can pump some live yabbies.

With the warm weather

they spooked easily, they can have the tendency to be very fussy on what lures they’ll hit. Mac tuna, which are less desirable of the two types of tuna, will start to arrive in large schools of smaller fish. These can be a little easier to catch, as you can spot them busting up the bait schools along the sand banks that line the main channels or watch the birds

If the tuna show up under the bait schools, let your lure or bait sink a little and this will hopefully get a hit.

Long tail tuna make for a fantastic feed and are delicious either as sashimi or lightly cooked done on the BBQ grill.

They are also the larger of the two but can be difficult to find and stay attached too, with a terrifying first screaming

Little Lilah Bubb holding a whiting caught on a recent beach trip.

A successful mangrove jack hunt. approaching another warm summer, the mighty mangrove jack have been on the chew!

If you are of the keenest of anglers, now is the time to concentrate all your efforts in chasing these red brutes.

Heavy gear with strong line and leaders and weedless plastics are effective in getting as close to structure as possible, and hopefully luring them out. Even if your jack hunt is unsuccessful, the usual by-catch species of cod or even trevally will almost certainly land on your deck, saving you from the dreaded donut.

The hook up rate for jacks are few and far between, but with patience and persistence you will most likely be rewarded.

BAY Warmer water temperatures in the bay mean most of the pelagic species will finally start to become more active, and bait schools will start to explode in numbers.

School and spotted mackerel, mac tuna and longtail tuna have been regularly caught in the northern bay. These species are quick and agile. At times they may pop up right beside your boat and other days you can drive all over the bay looking for them, only to have them disappear the second you approach them.

Mackerel can be the easiest to target using light tackle and small metal lures casted at the shipping markers or drifting a floating bait on a set of gang hooks.

Tuna on the other hand can be a little more difficult to locate and catch. Not only are

working bait schools that are being forced to the surface.

Head wide around the schools and park up wind to them, as they like to hunt into the wind. Be sure to turn your outboard off, and have your rod ready to fire off a large cast into the feeding school.

Casting a small slug around 30g or small profile plastics are amazingly effective. All this in mind, one must remember that tuna are only feeding on small bait fish and will shy away from anything of a larger profile. If the fish are feeding on the surface, put in a large cast and as soon as your lure hits the water, wind as fast as possible potentially attracting a bite! Remember that tuna are a predatory fish and will be more attracted to the chase.

run and are good at testing your gear.

DAMS Good size yellowbelly have been the main target, and the biggest winners last

month at Lake Samsonvale by our freshwater anglers.

This should continue through November but their numbers will soon start to drop off. Bass are spread

Reece Thomas with a good size long tail tuna.

Dave Hudy landing a nice yellowbelly from Lake Samsonvale.

out now all throughout the dam with schools noticeably decreased. More fish will be feeding in the shallower areas and the edges of Lake Samsonvale. The biggest bass have come from trolling lures out in the middle of the dam systems. The Purple RMG Poltergeist seem to be the most productive lure at the moment trolling the flats in 6-8m of water.

Lake Kurwongbah water levels are being maintained at full level, which means getting there early and throwing surface lures around the edges and along the weed edges will definitely end up getting some action. Predawn and late afternoon times are the best periods to chuck on your top water lures.

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25

Southern

OLD

The pelagics are starting to fire offshore!

NOOSA

Peter Wells

The offshore scene out of Noosa has been firing in recent weeks, and if favourable conditions continue (which is likely at this time of year) we will be looking at a fantastic pelagics season. These predatory fish are starting to make their presence felt, with plenty of spotted mackerel and school mackerel on the close reefs.

Some Spanish mackerel will also be about but numbers will not increase until later in the year or early next year. Trolling the pressure edges of the reefs with larger hardbody lures like Rapala, Nomad and the good old Halco Laser Pros is a great way to start out. Most anglers on the coast tend to use mono or fluorocarbon leaders and not wire; it seems fishing south of Fraser Island the mackerel tend to spook when using wire. Those anglers who are used to fishing up north would not put a lure in the water without using wire so it seems to be a local thing.

Another favourite is to slow troll large baits with a squid skirt over the front.

This imitates a squid eating a baitfish, and is a double scoop for a large predatory fish.

For the tuna angler, the mac tuna and occasional longtail will be chopping up in Laguna Bay and the closer reefs. Casting slugs like the Halco Twisty, Halco Outcast or the realistic looking Fish Inc. Flanker sinking stickbait is a great way to target them.

Keep an eye out for bird activity to show you where the bait schools are, as these will usually be brought to the surface by the tuna feeding from below. Another trick is the height that the birds are diving from. If they are diving from a higher altitude, the bait is deeper, so wait a little longer before you start your retrieve. If the birds are diving from lower then pretty much start your retrieve just after the lure hits the water.

During the spring months that annoying northerly pops up mid-morning, so the timing of your trip is

David Samson with a very solid 78cm snapper taken on a pilchard floater.

Nick Swan caught this 49cm jack on a Keitech plastic while fishing the upper reaches of the Maroochy River. important. Also, if you are in a smaller craft it would be smarter to stay around the local reef rather than

trout taken over the last month. Both North Reef and Halls Reef have been fishing very well with good-sized snapper, Maori cod, tuskfish, pearl perch and sweetlip.

If you have a larger craft, a trip to the Barwon Banks and the reefs off Double Island is worth the effort. Anglers who have recently fished these areas have landed some outstanding fish, including snapper, pearlies, Moses perch, mulloway, gold-spot cod, tuskies, nannygai and red emperor.

Out of Mooloolaba, mackerel and tuna are in good numbers, and if you can get out you should be able to get amongst them without too much trouble.

Getting the lures out in the

dart has been great fun for the whole family. Prawns, worms and small flesh baits of mullet have claimed some nice fish.

For those fishing into the evening, some goodsized tailor have also been taken. The northern end of the Noosa North Shore has been where most of the action has been happening.

Fresh mullet, bonito and pilchard baits have been working the best.

There have been some nice mulloway caught, with the majority of the fish taken around the new moon.

Large baits of mullet, squid, worms and fresh tailor fillets have all landed fish.

On the Southern beaches around Mudjimba and Marcoola, dart are in great

river mouth, Woods Bays and Munna Point, chasing bait brought in on the big tides. Casting slugs and soft plastics on the high tide has been ideal. If you can time this at dawn and dusk you are in with a good chance.

Flathead are still in good numbers with some monster females feeding on small baitfish and prawns predominantly on the run out tide. These fish are in the later stages of spawning or have just spawned and are feeding hard.

Whiting have been in great numbers right throughout the lower parts of the system. The good old yabby has been the gun bait.

Noosa has some good yabby banks along Gympie Terrace and the Frying Pan so don’t forget your yabby pump on your next trip.

The mangrove jack are now very active, and with some good storm activity they will be feeding hard.

These ambush predators love to use the ‘smash and run’ feeding technique so having the right gear is all important. Braided line is a must, along with quality fluorocarbon leaders of around 20lb or more.

Make sure you use quality suspending lures like Jackall Squirrels or Lucky Craft Pointers that are armed with quality hooks. Having rod and reel that is up to the task is also important. I

venturing too far out. Close in, Sunshine Reef is really firing with some quality grassy sweetlip, squire and

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Tyler Egan got this perfect big momma flathead from the Noosa River. bay and trolling up to Old Women Island has seen some success with spotted and school mackerel. For those of you working the reefs, the trout and sweetlip are in good numbers around Coolum and the Gneerings. Squire have also come from Coolum and Cartwright shoals.

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numbers with most fish in the close gutters. Prawns and small fish baits have claimed plenty. We are also seeing some good quality whiting coming from the breakers, and live worms and pipis have been the go to baits.

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These predatory fish have been very active around the

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Game on for marlin HERVEY BAY

Dane Radosevic

The November dark moon is notorious for being the peak bite period for big Fraser Island blue marlin, so let’s hope this aligns with a gap in the weather to enjoy this much-anticipated ‘epic’ bite!

Currents, water temperature and clarity are all crucial elements to try and align to find big congregations of blue marlin, as when you find one you will often find more. We have experienced multiple bites from different fish from within metres of previous fish, so once you get a bite it pays to work your lines over that same area.

Last year east of the 4 Mile crossing produced some fantastic action, however with canyons and steep ledges both to the north and south it pays to do the miles. Covering ground to locate a concentration of fish is very important before committing to working an area, as mentioned above where you find one there will often be more.

Typically, most crews will opt to start towing lures from the 150-200m line where the shelf typically starts to plateau and anywhere out to 1000m+ of water. Last year we had a mass concentration of baitfish move into the 100m line hard on the shelf and ‘where there’s food,

there’s predators’ and the blues were hot on their tails feeding hard.

Mixed in with the blues you will also encounter larger black marlin and striped marlin, which adds to the excitement of achieving a possible slam for capturing all three species in the one day. Mahimahi, yellowfin tuna and wahoo, also referred to as ‘vermin’ to the more elite marlin crews, typically congregate and move with these same warmer currents and can plague your spread tying up valuable fishing time, hence the nick name ‘vermin’.

To the average punter this ‘vermin’ by-catch can make for some seriously insane fishing on lighter 15-24kg gear and a fantastic feed, as all three species eat exceptionally well fresh.

The light tackle grounds will be worth a prospect on the way out to the heavy tackle grounds first thing in the morning, which also happens to coincide with what typically is the best bite period. Depending on direction of travel the bait grounds south of the ‘0’ Mile or north off the 13 Mile are both worthwhile areas to check out. The grounds off the 13 Mile can quite often hold large masses of bait that get stuck in the big eddies created by the currents that funnel in and out through the bar, this in turn makes them an easy feed for an opportunistic billfish. Not only will you encounter

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juvenile black marlin in this area you can also encounter quite respectable numbers of sailfish as well. Packs of fish can be found working this area in close in 15m of water and I have also found packs of sails harassing bait balls out in the 50m line, it pays to stay observant and investigate any bird activity or surface commotion.

This time of year, Roonies Point south to Station Hill can be quite chaotic with the volume of crews trying their luck trolling the point or scouring the flats for their shot at a juvenile black marlin.

Do not forget these fish are highly mobile and often bait will dictate their whereabouts. Last year most anglers persisted in close to the island working the drop off with varying results.

The more successful crews achieved better results when venturing away from the main pack of boats and opting to work the mackerel and tuna schools out wider on the bait balls. It’s not uncommon to cast a metal slug or soft plastic into a tuna school and have a little marlin ghost the lure back to the boat! Quick tip, have a live bait bridle rigged and ready so all you have to do is drop it in front of its face and nine times out of ten it’ll scoff it.

I’d hate to be a helpless baitfish this time of year in Platypus Bay, herded to the surface by packs of ferocious mac tuna and spotted mackerel only to then be attacked from above by the birds, it’s quite a spectacle to watch. This style of fishing is for the adrenaline and sport fishing junkies as big schools of fish can be found in a feeding frenzy and easily targeted using a variety of chrome metal slugs, jerk shad style soft plastics or fly.

Sharks once again will undoubtedly be a major issue, therefore opting to

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Hervey Bay Fly & Sport Fishing get the job done! Putting another happy client onto this absolute beast of a longtail tuna. Early on in the season we often see solo or small pods of big fish move into Platypus Bay. fish a medium to heavy spin outfit loaded with 30-50lb braid is recommended to try and keep the battles short and land the fish into the boat.

The deeper reefs and wrecks should also hold good schools of large golden and tea leaf trevally, queenfish and the odd big cobia hanging around. Try dropping down a slow pitch jig or erratically working a jerk shad style plastic up through the water column to draw a reaction bite.

Venturing inshore the sharks have become increasingly worse over the years particularly around the deeper wrecks and gnarlier reef structures that hold the better quality fish. Fishing throughout the night is a tactic often used to try and avoid them. For this reason, many have opted to fish the shallower fringing reefs of Point Vernon, Gatakers Bay and the inshore Islands where coral bream, coral trout, tuskfish, blackall and cod are all still achievable.

Although the fish in the shallows don’t have the same size about them at least the shark activity is less and you can easily secure a feed.

Bait fishing is the preferred technique in these areas and due to its snaggy terrain, a small sinker running onto the hook is a simple yet highly affective rig. Drifting lightly weighted baits such as squid, banana prawn or strip baits is ideal and remember fresh is always best. Tea-bagging soft plastics is another successful technique, particularly on the coral trout. Keep your casts nice and short that way when you hook a fish there is less country between it and the boat to be reefed in and you’ll also find yourself snagging up less.

The bluey is another species that starts to cop a flogging from the more

experienced locals over the coming months, with heavy gear and preferably hand lines required to stop these brutes. Fish exceeding the 10kg mark are not uncommon in our waters however getting one past the sharks is becoming increasingly difficult nowadays. Once again choosing to target these amazing fish in shallow waters or less pressured areas is suggested. Areas to look for them include the scattered coffee rock and ledges throughout the southern bay to the entire ledge country that runs along the western side of Fraser Island. Don’t be surprised if you cross paths with a jew, finger mark or big jack whilst doing so.

The run of mackerel inshore this season have been quite

small in size, with plenty of fish not making the legal limit. Here’s hoping this month we see a run of consistently larger fish.

Areas worth targeting would be the Burrum 8 Mile, Fairway Beacon, NU2 Beacon and wreck, Roy Rufus artificial reef and the main shipping channel down towards Picnic Island.

Whilst on topic of the main shipping channel, the ‘Arti’ and the Urangan Channel would be worth prospecting for a pencil squid or two as they should start to turn up, however their numbers will improve over the next few months.

Smaller 1.5 to 1.8 size jigs are ideal for them with the favoured jig being the Yamashita Sutte-r.

For the land based anglers, the Urangan pier,

Brett Alty, captain of Mistress, putting more happy clients onto the famous Fraser Island blue marlin.

Brett will be fishing off Fraser for the remainder of this season so watch his page for more cracking catches.

OLD

rock groins and shelly beach has still been producing reasonable numbers of summer whiting on the moons, with the better

quality fish still coming at night on fresh yabbies and blood worms. Alternatively walking the flats out the front of Eli Creek with some

Young gun Addie Priala with a school size longtail he tempted on a fast retrieved soft plastic in the western bay waters. Often we get a good run of fish to the west early as the masses of bait start to move into the bay.

small surface lures on the start of the making tide can provide a feed of whiting and flathead.

The Urangan Pier is still producing flathead around the edges of the sand bar on both live baits and soft plastics. It can also be productive scaling down the ladder at low tide and walk the sand bar working the entire flat for good results. The main attraction has still been the mackerel, queenfish, mac tuna and GTs out the end. Flick baiting has been the most successful method, especially on first light and late in the arvos, with those spinning spoons getting bites as well.

With barra off the cards now, it is the perfect time to hone your skills on mangrove jack, as it is the prime time to target them. The Burrum River has always been a major producer of large jacks with fish exceeding 50-60cm not uncommon in this system.

Bait fisho’s will generally extract better numbers of fish from in and around rock bars and snags especially if fishing live herring, poddy mullet or prawn baits. Whole mullet fillets can work equally as good at times.

Lure fishos must be sure of their casting ability as it is crucial to present

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your offering, whether it be a soft plastic, hardbody, vibe or topwater in tight to the structure especially throughout the day. Jacks will sit as tight to the structure as possible trying to get out of the main sunlight, hence requiring very accurate casting and lure presentations. Targeting undercut banks, rock bars, big snag piles or pontoons are all worth fishing especially if granted with a bit of shade for cover. These fish are far more mobile and on the hunt for a feed during dawn, dusk and evenings when the light is minimal.

This is when the fishing gets really exciting particularly if you are fishing top water lures.

Not to discredit the Western creeks of Fraser, these creek systems have a very healthy population of jacks that can fish incredibly well. Timing is everything in these creeks as getting in and out either side of the low tide can be a little touch and go, depending on the creek, however this is when you want to be fishing. Night bait missions and locking yourself in for the low tide period is how the majority of the serious jack fishos do it.

Threadfin salmon are another great sportfish and one that is prolific

Central

Colby Lesko scored himself one of Break-Sea’s big wahoo while out prospecting aboard Reel Deadly. throughout many of our major river systems and down throughout the Straits.

This time of year they typically school up in the deeper water where they are easily sounded up and targeted with soft vibes or alternatively trolled over using a rattling deep diving

hardbody. The Mary River in particular being a standout system for continuously producing big fish. Grunter will be another viable target especially around the gravel beds and rocky outcrops and are often caught as by-catch whilst targeting threadies as they are suckers for a vibe.

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Central

OLD

A fantastic month offshore BUNDABERG

Luke Truant

Although we are still getting good catches of reef fish, the average size has been down over the past month. This trend

is usual for this time of year, and it seems to be directly related to the size of the livebaits we’re able to use. Big reefies love to eat large yellowtail scad, but we’re at the tail end of the scad season now, and only the small

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ones are left. A 4” bait isn’t big enough to entice and XOS reef predator.

Having said that, little scad do still catch fish, and generally work better than dead baits.

During November even the little scads will disappear, so you’ll have to use different baits, such as whiptails, live or butterflied. When I butterfly small yellowtail I don’t take the tail off because I want that extra size, but with butterflied whiptails I take the tail off to make the presentation smaller.

If you’re fishing for big reds, the ideal bait size is around 8”. That equates to a full length hussar fillet or bigger live bait. I rig

is to have more than one kind of bait on hand. On a recent trip we caught all our fish on mullet strips, because the fish wouldn’t touch the live baits.

When it comes to line, I use 50lb+ braid, and long, shock-absorbing mono leaders around 15-20m. If you use only a short length of leader, you can easily jerk the hook straight out of the fish’s mouth when you strike. A long mono leader, on the other hand, will make the strike slower, giving you a better chance of a solid hook set. I use Schneider 55lb mono line for my leader, but there are other options that will do the job – just be sure to use a stiffer mono rather than a

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You never know when you’ll come across a patch of tuna, so it pays to be prepared. my baits on an 8/0 hooks on either a running rig or a single loop paternoster with a large loop. Don’t use two loops, because if you hook two 10kg reds you’re in trouble.

Another tip with bait when you’re bottom fishing

supple one.

The other option, and the one I personally prefer, is to go old school and fish mono straight through.

Straight through mono isn’t recommended for novice reef fishers, because it’s harder to feel a fish take your bait. However, if you’re experienced

and up for the challenge, I highly recommend it.

With practice you’ll be able to detect more bites, and you’ll get excellent hook-up rates. It’s also easier to keep pressure on mono line at all times, so you’re less likely to get that brief moment of slack line that allows a fish to get off.

A yellow-headed bar cheek coral trout for Chris. It came in at 77cm!

34

NOVEMBER 2020

Along with reds, in recent weeks we have been catching very large grassy sweetlip to 6kg, all taken on either live baits or butterflied large baits.

There are also still loads of good large Venus tuskfish (2-3kg range) and heaps of medium sized trout around 1-3kg.

Spanish and school mackerel have hit-andmiss lately, but when you do come across a patch of them you can enjoy some great fishing. Most of the Spanish are smaller fish around 5kg, but there’s still the odd bigger fish in the mix; on a recent trip I got one that went 24kg, so they are out there.

The mackerel can be found shadowing small baitfish schools, and if you catch livies and throw them out on a stinger they’ll often get eaten as fast as you can throw them. When I’m fishing for mackerel I use a 12-16” length of thin 58lb mono wire trace.

If you use a length of wire that’s too short – say, around 4-6” – you’ll lose fish because some macs will swallow it right down and slice through the mono.

The barra fishing was great leading up to the closed season (1 November to 1 February). A friend of mine went fishing in the Burnett in October and got three barra over 80cm on the full moon, which is awesome. Night time has been best for them.

During the barra closed season, a good target is grunter. Those caught lately have been monsters up to 65cm, caught on large strip baits or live sprat.

The deeper sections with a gravelly bottom are best for grunter.

Whiting and bream have been really slow in recent weeks. That’s normal for bream at this time of year, but we should To page 37

OLD

Central

Head to the dams for barra fun MACKAY

Keith Day habdays@bigpond.net.au

2020 is almost done and we have another barra closed season for the next three months. This means if you want to chase one, get up to the dams and have some fun.

You will need a SIP permit to fish any of our three dams.

I work spots for a good 30 minutes or so before moving on. For the visiting angler, first sight of Teemburra Dam can be overwhelming as there is just so much barra habitat and it all looks very ‘fishy’.

For starters, try the main basin points with weed beds or around old timber stumps that you pick up on a sounder.

In the sheltered areas and side bays fish the lilies and any

stock limited numbers of barra there under the SIP scheme.

Again check out the main points, bays, old gullies and in the shallows the weed beds and lay down timber. Sooties are likely to be a ‘nuisance’ when chasing barra as they will smash barra size lures, and a 50cm sooty will have the angler working hard even on barra gear.

Barra can be found in

MAFSA Inc has launched a data collection/survey app for recording catches in then stocked waters of the dams and the river and I urge all anglers to be part of this important initiative. Go to MAFSA on Facebook for the link or go direct to survey. sweetwaterfishing.com.au/ mafsa/. It takes less than 30 seconds per fish on a mobile and does not include specific spots nor anglers name, only initials. Get on it!

With barra off the menu in the creeks and estuaries, the small boat angler still has plenty of options. Top of the list are jacks and king threadfin salmon, and there are plenty of both right through the district. Jacks hang deep in snags, or around rock bars and those really hot, still days are preferred times to chase them. This can be challenging fishing, but the results are worth the effort.

King threadies are wherever you find them from the top of tidal influence to the beaches and headlands.

Kings will stay in deeper holes at low water well up in the

Balin Tweddle really enjoyed a recent family break at Eungella Dam while luring up mid 40cm sooties from the snags. Balin used a variety of lures over the break and all caught fish. they show well on sounders and then refuse live and cut baits, lures and flies. At times they are real enigmas and can often be seen following a bait or lure without committing.

Frustrating indeed!

More mundane species in

Mary-Anne Borg loves offshore jigging and came up trumps with this great golden just out from Mackay Harbour.

Here we are lucky to have three dams well stocked with barra and sooties. Kinchant and Teemburra are under 45 minutes drive and Eungella is between 1-2 hours depending on the road condition, which deteriorates after rain; only the last 30km is not bitumen nowadays.

Arriving at Kinchant, you are then faced with ‘where to from here?’ questions.

Fortunately the habitat rehabilitation project gives anyone a head start as GPS co-ordinates signs are at the ramp or can be downloaded from DAF or Mackay Regional Council websites. These structures are attracting large quantities of bait and barra so are well worth checking out.

Trolling deep divers around them is a good start.

Barra in Kinchant have always been around the weed beds and weed islands, so find these features and fish any clear ‘inlets’ or ‘fish lanes’ with plastics, vibes or hardbodies. Kinchant is fairly exposed and windy but it is a good place to get out the fly rod for barra as most of the dam is open, without timber.

Teemburra also has plenty of open spaces and is near full, so the bays and points are not as pronounced. There are plenty of smaller side bays off the main basin and they fish well, with a mix of timber and open water. Like Kinchant, Teemburra has weeds and heaps of water lilies, and they are good spots to work over.

laydown timber you find. In the timber, use floating or suspending hardbodies, and in the open use big plastics and vibes. Reliable lures include Reidy’s, Rapalas, Luckycraft, RMG, Halco, Zerek etc, but check with the local tackle guys who know what lure is working. Don’t forget some surface lures like Tango Dancers, Ziggies and some popper styles.

Eungella Dam is the hardest for barra due to colder water. But during November/ December the water temp rises and if you consistently find 25ºC+, the barra will be on the chew. Eungella is traditionally a sooty fishery (and a fabulous one at that) but MAFSA does

Broken River up to buggy bend but most are caught in the dam proper. Use the big plastics or vibes in the open areas and hardbodies around the timber. The same brands mentioned will all work here.

But for Eungella Dam, I prefer to downsize a little and specifically chase sooties with barra as by-catch!

Sooties in all three dams and the Pioneer River bite readily on lures or fly and are found around old gullies, rocks, in the timbers, or weeds/ lilies. Sooties will bite year round, but get more aggressive in summer, so get some lures/ flies 50-100mm long head to any of our freshwater areas, and have a ball on sooties.

Brendan Pollard is looking forward to more barra like this beaut 118cm model he caught at Teemburra Dam on a 6” Berkley Hollowbelly plastic. creeks. Other times they head down on the run out and feed back up on making tides. They can be very frustrating fish –

Mickey Finn caught this magnificent permit on Mackay’s flats. The cast was good, the crab fly snaffled and then the fun really began. Top catch!

the creeks during November include the popular flathead, grunter, silver/pikey bream and whiting. All challenging and well worth catching, and all are great on the plate. For all round baitfishing the creeks and estuaries, the humble yabby will catch all the species mentioned. Yabby beds tend to shift around a bit, but the holes at low tide give them away. Sometime with a pump will see plenty of baits for an outing, and let any leftovers go at the end of the session.

Small curly tail grubs and paddle-tails will catch all of these species, and the local tackle shops can give current advice on brands, colours, weights and more. Worked slowly with plenty of rod tip lifts and drops gets the action happening. These popular species can be found from Carmila down south up to and including the NFZ around Seaforth north of the city. The

Pioneer River in the heart of the city is a great spot to find flathead, whiting and bream.

On the pelagic front, provided the NN/E winds keep up, plenty of small mackerel and various tunas will be harassing the bait schools. This summer we have had a huge run of herrings and hardiheads around the islands, the harbour and in the creeks and rivers.

Various trevally species and permit will be around in numbers this month and will be found from the deep water around the islands into shallow sandy beaches where they hunt small pipis, yabbies and juvenile whiting. In the shallows use yabbies, while small plastics and vibes will also pick them up.

Fly fishos have plenty of choices, with clousers and prawn patterns effective. Local guide Paul Dolan’s clients scored some awesome permit of late, and he reports spotting metre-plus permit on recent charters. Paul is available for both salt and freshwater charters, and owns Mackay Fly and Sportfishing.

The wind dictates the reef catches here, but during October the bigger boats scored nice catches of reds, lippers, trout and nannies from all areas. Huge reds have been coming from the shipping channel deep water, but like everywhere, sharks are a problem, meaning plenty of shifts during any outing.

In the shallow reef areas, coral trout are on the chew but in they have to be really ‘horsed’ to the boat otherwise they will bury you. Recently there have been nice trout around the 70cm mark being caught in shallow waters in the Goldsmith Islands, and in close around the islands off Seaforth.

Mackay in November has opportunities from rainforest stream fishing to the outer Barrier Reef, so come and join us in Paradise. See you at the ramp.

NOVEMBER 2020

35

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QLD MERCURY DEALERS QLD MERCURY DEALERS ROCKLEA KAREE MARINE ROCKLEA 1776 Ipswich Road Rocklea MARINE P: KAREE (07) 3875 1600 Ipswich Road Rocklea E: 1776 sales@kareemarine.com.au (07) 3875 1600 W:P:www.kareemarine.com.au E: sales@kareemarine.com.au NORTHERN GOLD COAST W: www.kareemarine.com.au ONSHORE MARINE NORTHERN GOLD COAST Horizon Shores Marina, Woongoolba P: ONSHORE (07) 5546 MARINE 2480 Shores Marina, Woongoolba E: Horizon onshoremarine@ozemail.com.au P: (07) 5546 2480 W: www.onshoremarine.com.au E: onshoremarine@ozemail.com.au W: www.onshoremarine.com.au EVERTON HILLS HOLT MARINE 25EVERTON Queens HILLS Road Everton Hills HOLT MARINE P: (07) 3353 1928 8 Queens Road Everton Hills E: 25 info@holtmarine.com.au (07) 3353 1928 8 W:P:www.holtmarine.com.au E: info@holtmarine.com.au W: www.holtmarine.com.au CAPALABA MIKES MARINE CAPALABA 9 Smith Street Capalaba MIKES MARINE P: (07) 3390 3418 9 Smith Street Capalaba E: sales@mikesmarine.com.au P: (07) 3390 3418 W: www.mikesmarine.com.au E: sales@mikesmarine.com.au W: www.mikesmarine.com.au NOOSAVILLE SUNSHINE COAST MARINE NOOSAVILLE 122 Eumundi Road Noosaville SUNSHINE COAST MARINE P: (07) 5449 7633 122 Eumundi Road Noosaville E: sales@sunshinecoastmarine.com.au P: (07) 5449 7633 W: www.sunshinecoastmarine.com.au E: sales@sunshinecoastmarine.com.au W: www.sunshinecoastmarine.com.au

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Central

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Jacks are on the chew

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bottom fish hanging around absolute chock-a-block with the main structure, with barramundi. Soft plastics pelagics sitting up higher. are doing the most damage Even quality nannygai will on these larger fish with Over the past few months sit up high if that’s where a few standouts being the Molix Shad, Keitech we have been blessed the bait is. with plenty of offshore This time of year also Swing Impact, Berkley opportunities and, fingers- hosts some of the best flats Hollowbelly and the old crossed, that continues. fishing. Tropical species, faithful Awoonga plastic the With the weather warming such as coral trout, sweetlip Squidgy Slick Rig. The fish and the days getting and emperor varieties, seem are seeing plenty of these at longer, it’s always a to be more fired up with the the moment so if you happen great time to fish for the higher water temperatures. to be out there and they just mighty barramundi in the Preferred approach to this aren’t playing the game, it impoundments, as well style of fishing is to push way will pay to try a suspending as the estuary brawlers, up to the reef’s edge with a hardbody or even a vibe, mangrove jack. making tide then switching soft or rattle trap style.

Offshore weather has your focus to pressure edges If you like a bit of visual been exceptional when the along with veins and gutters fishing head up into some weather permits with plenty as the water starts to flow of the shallow bays and fish of quality captures coming back off the reef. surface lures, such as frogs, in, especially on the jigs. Many styles of lures will fizzers and walk-the-dog.

Jigging is fast becoming the work in this situation and You will find smaller more biggest trend to hit offshore in my opinion one of the aggressive fish with the waters since plastics first most effective would have to preferred time being first MELBOURNE came about ALBERTON and it’s not hard be stickbaits. They are able thing in the morning and the last thing in theCENTRE afternoon. to see why. ALBERTON MARINE to cover so much ground MELBOURNE MARINE using big long casts, which South In theRoad estuaries One of 39 theJohnson best things ALBERTON MELBOURNE Street Alberton 92 Hallam Hallamthe fish about jigging ALBERTON is the MARINE on particular days can be MELBOURNE have been up there CENTRE with MARINE (03) 5183 P: (03) some 9703 2003 versatility ofP: being able2344 to the difference between doing of the best lately with 39 Johnson 92 Hallam South Road Hallam F: (03) 5183 2219 Street W:amelbournemarine.com.au fish right the way through well Alberton and not even landing plenty of mangrove jack and P: (03) 5183 2344 P: (03) 9703 2003 the water column.

Having fish. If you’re reading this grunter not to mention some W: albertonmarine.com.au F: this (03) style 5183 2219 and thinking, ‘I’m just MORNINGTON not W: of melbournemarine.com.au thePENINSULA by-catch coming in quality sounder for of fishing isBENDIGO a crucial part a lure person’ well that’s of late where we are seeing MY MARINE W: albertonmarine.com.au of your success.

UseMARINE your &alright too, as it’s very hard some beautiful MORNINGTON PENINSULA Cnr Nepean Highway &fingermark, BENDIGO OUTDOORS sounder to hone BENDIGO in on the to go past some fresh flesh MY lateMARINE season flathead and Place Dromana Epsom baits possibly even Ponderosa live Cnr evenNepean black jew.

Keep& in depth range 160 the Midland fish areHighway at,MARINE Highway BENDIGO &and OUTDOORS P: (03) 5448 3988 P: (03) 5987 then it’s all about keeping baits depending on what you mind 0900 these fish are off Ponderosa Place 160 Midland Epsom W: bendigomarine.com.au W: mymarine.com.au your jig in their face for as Highway can get on the day. limits through untilDromana the first P: (03)often 5448 3988 5987 0900 Lake Awoonga has P: of (03) January.

There are also long as possible. More than not, fishing the bendigomarine.com.au bottom been absolute firing of MORNINGTON late W: some very good quality W: mymarine.com.au PENINSULA MELBOURNE section of the column with plenty of fish in high crabs getting around in some NAUTICAL MARINE BL water MARINE of the local systems, such as is proven for MELBOURNE demersal 90cm, with a few over the MORNINGTON 141 Hotham Road PENINSULA 612- 614 Plenty Road Preston species, howeverBLyou will metre mark. As always, with NAUTICAL the narrows, Calliope River, MARINE MARINE Sorrento (03)quite 9478 high 1420 fishing Awoonga the build find fish willP:rise South Trees and Enfield 141 Road 614 Plenty Road Preston (03)6124638 5984Hotham 1666 to eat the jig,F:not to9470 mention up to the full moon seemsP:to(03) with my advice being Sorrento P: (03) 9478 1420 the large array pelagic fish really get these fish firedE: up,info@nauticalmarine.com.au grabbing the bigger tides W:ofblmarine.com.au (03) 9470 4638 P: 5984 1666 however they can be caught and(03) pushing your pots right that you can often F: find sitting W: nauticalmarine.com.au higher around theW: schools of on any given day or night. to info@nauticalmarine.com.au the back of the smaller blmarine.com.au E: SHEPPARTON bait. Areas including wrecks at W: gutters.

In some situations nauticalmarine.com.au BOATS AND MORE Finding the fish TOORADIN and large isolatedSHEPPARTON pinnacles the moment is quite easy even the mud flats behind P&J MARINE SERVICE CENTRE P/Lvery Numurkah of Roadwith Shepparton are perfect207examples a good side imaging the mangroves can be AND MORE TOORADIN (03)BOATS 5822 2108 Station Road Tooradin where you P: expect to find sounder, the main basin101 is Tooradin productive.

P&J MARINE SERVICE CENTRE P/L 207 Numurkah Road Shepparton F: (03) 5821 2908 P: (03) 5998 3107 From page 34 P: (03) 5822 2108 101 Station around Road Tooradin Use heavier gear to bring themTooradin on hardbodies W: boatsandmore.com.au E: pjmarine_services@bigpond.com F: (03) (03) 5998 3107 have had a large run5821 of 2908 the fish up fast, because the P: rocky structure.

Live sand whiting byboatsandmore.com.au now. longer you play a fish the E: baits are fantastic too, W: pjmarine_services@bigpond.com MORWELL GEELONG Hopefully by the time you greater the chance it will especially at night.

CRAWFORD MARINE PORTSIDE read this the whiting run be eaten.

If you’re using MARINE After CENTRE the snapper MORWELL 71-77 Chickerell Street Morwellgear and are still 36-38 GEELONG Geelongended Road Portarlington will have started. heavier closure there were CRAWFORD MARINE MARINE P: (03) 6522 getting sharked, moveP:to(03) PORTSIDE Although the5134 bream numerous 5kg+ fish CENTRE caught, 5259 1110 71-77down Chickerell Street Morwell 36-38 Geelong Portarlingto have largely shut and there shouldRoad be plenty F: (03) 5134 6455 another spot.

E: info@portsidemarinecentre.com.au P: (03) 5134 6522 (they won’t come on

The red emperor fishing more this month.

P: (03) 5259 1110 W: crawfordmarine.com.au W: portsidemarinecentre.com.au properly until F:autumn), should be better in November.

• info@portsidemarinecentre.com Truansea Charters (03) 5134 6455 E: there’s stillECHUCA the W: odd large At this time last year we were W: specialise in 10-hour day crawfordmarine.com.au portsidemarinecentre.com.au MELBOURNE one being taken on prawn catching them on large strip trips chasing prized reef XTREME THE MARINE imitations EADES worked overMARINE baits, large locally-caught targetsSHOP such as coral trout ECHUCA MELBOURNE 24 Sturtbars Streeton Echuca shallow rock squid, and big cuttlefish baits. andDrive redMelton emperor, as well 6 Holland EADES XTREME MARINE THE MARINE SHOP pelagics the incoming tide, and a Some places sell cuttlefish as arm-stretching P: (03) 5482 2333 P: (03) 9747 0588 24lures.

Sturt Streetheads Echuca Holland Drive Melton couple on surface and they are the best 6 like Spanish mackerel.

F: (03) 5482 2133 F: (03) 9747 3999 (03) 5482 There are P: heaps of 2333 bait by far. The head is large, P: The(03) maximum number 9747 0588 W: xtrememarine.net.au W: themarineshop.com.au three-tooth jew the tentacles can be 30cm+, of anglers is 6, so you’ll F: (03)being 5482 2133 F: (03) 9747 3999 caught in the Burnett at and they present really well never feel crowded. The W: xtrememarine.net.au W: themarineshop.com.au BRAESIDE the moment.

They look – like a butterfly bait MELBOURNE on price is $300pp (or $275 JV MARINE WORLD TRIPLE M MARINE like a cross between a steroids.

I recommend saving pp if you book the whole BRAESIDE MELBOURNE 878aSpringvale Roadthese Braeside teraglin and mulloway, heads for tougher boat), which includes all 117 Northgate Drive Thomastown JV MARINE WORLD TRIPLE M MARINE only grow P: to (03) around gear, fuel, bait, ice, chilled 979835cm 8883 sessions when the fish aren’t P: (03) 9465 8787 878 Springvale Road smaller Braesidebaits or livies. 117 Northgatedrinks Drive Thomastown or so, andF: are great on taking water/soft and (03) 9798 7554 F: (03) 9466 1418 (03)them 9798 8883 the plate. You’llP:find Send down a big cuttle head laughs!

You’re welcome to P: (03) 9465 8787 W: jvmarine.com.au W: triplemmarine.com.au over the gravel in 7554 and see if you can switch bring reef fishing F: beds (03) 9798 F: (03)your 9466own 1418 around 2-6m of W: water. on the bite. gear if you prefer.

Other jvmarine.com.au triplemmarine.com.au FISHING Reef fishing for other W: charter options include IN NOVEMBER species such as trout will half-day reef trips, half November last year was also pick up as the water day river trips and private when the sharks arrived, temperature consistently sits guiding. To find out more and we can expect the same above 25°C, which is typical visit www.truansea.com.au, thing to happen this year. for November. or you can Like them on You have to fish smarter The jacks will also start Facebook or call Luke on when the sharks are around. to fire up. I love chasing 0423 015 490.

GLADSTONE

Dylan Christie

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NOVEMBER 2020

37

OLD

Hydeaway Bay reveals secrets WHITSUNDAYS

Mick Underwood

Summer is here, and bring it on! As much as I like the fishing during winter, flannelette shirts and bulky jumpers I don’t like.

After all, those of us who

golden trevally. I have run across them everywhere from the flats to the deepest of reefs, and have caught them on everything from dead baits to flies. I know Hervey Bay has been the go-to destination for these fish over the years but I think I’m going to have to contest

water for weeks at a time.

Fingers-crossed we will get by unscathed this year.

For anglers who like to fill their iceboxes with tasty fillets, this is prime time to be on the water. During November all the shoaly patches wide of the islands and out in the shipping

attracting sharks which are becoming more and more of a problem over recent years.

This summer season why not try using jigs out on the shoals, not only will they help to single out the better fish, they can assist with keeping the shark activity down as well.

If the weather allows, the outer reef will get plenty of attention this month.

Most anglers who have the ability to venture out that far will be concentrated mainly on table fish, such as red throat emperor and coral trout. I don’t find these fish too exciting as a sports fish but they are stunning in appearance and

Getting up close and personal with a fly caught mac tuna. These fish will be on the prowl on calmer days this month. unfort unat el y t he barramundi season is now closed but the mangrove jack fishing is game on.

With the water temps now climbing rapidly these gutter brawlers will be very active

Spanish mackerel have been scarce, but when the weather permits anglers have made the most of the opportunities. choose to live in the tropics do so because we like to be warm. and now is the time for it.

The fishing the last few weeks has been a patchy affair and, as you can tell by my photos this month, the pelagic fishing has been on fire but the reef fishing not quite so.

This is of no concern to me as a combination of light line, lures, flies and big rampaging pelagics are what I’m all about. I’ve had a ball recently introducing a pile of anglers to this style of fishing and nobody has been disappointed.

There have been a lot of special memories created for clientele who have been blown away by the size of the fish they have caught and the lightness of the tackle they have used to catch their special fish.

When the weather has allowed, we have been able to get at the Spanish mackerel and they have obliged. There have been good numbers of good sized fish caught. Slow trolling wolf herring as always has seen a few fish come to the gaff but this year a lot more fish have been caught on garfish. This is a little unusual for our local grounds but I have been happy with it as I can tow the garfish around a lot faster than the wolfies, which enables me to find the fish faster. This essentially means more fish in the boat and that’s what it’s all about.

The star performer this month, along with plenty of other months, is the monster 38

NOVEMBER 2020

that title here at Hydeaway Bay. There is nowhere that I have fished over the years where I consistently come across so many of them and where the size of the average specimen is through the roof. I just never see a small one, they’re all hefty line burners with a never say die attitude.

On with November and the piscatorial delights that we can hopefully expect over the coming weeks.

There is so much going on in the water in November but, as always, it will be the weather that dictates where we go and what we do. We are now in the period when we can expect a few pesky nor’westers and they are no fun for anyone. Last year we got off fairly lightly but the year before I still have bitter memories of copping nor’westers for six weeks straight. Financially that nearly sent my business to the wall, as I couldn’t even put the boat in the

lanes fire up like a beauty and I expect that there will be plenty of large mouth nannygai and red emperor coming to hand. Both of

Mixed in with the golden trevally have been some huge queenfish, such as this one caught by Nick.

At this size they’re one incredible sports fish. and keen to do whatever they can to destroy your tackle. We are blessed to have such a local vibrant jack fishery, especially in the estuary systems around Bowen, they are loaded with them.

November is one of the best months of the year to hit the flats and indulge in some

big goldies and in shallow clear water they are always a challenge. Not every day is successful but everyday is enjoyable, for myself it’s all about the hunt. A little tip if you want to get out sight fishing this month is to do so in the mornings. Once the northeast sea breeze chimes in for the day, the water clarity diminishes and this type of fishing can become hard work.

Whatever fish you decide to get after this month and by whatever means, I wish you the very best with it. May the fish that you come across be large and plentiful.

Good luck and I look forward to reporting to you again next month.

• Reel Addiction Sport Fishing Charters specialises in light tackle fishing for all tropical sportfishing species on fly, lures and bait. Reel Addiction operates from the beautiful Cape Gloucester Beach Resort, 40 minutes’ drive north of Airlie Beach.

Combined fishing charter and accommodation packages are available.

For more information, contact Mick Underwood on 0413 882 153 or email

The author with a nice goldy caught on fly. these species never fail to impress both to catch and on the plate. Drift fishing with big chunky strip baits is the usual ploy to get after these guys but that can also aid in

The reef fishing hasn’t been the best this month but fish, such as this grunter caught

by Liz, have been making enough of an appearance to keep people happy.

sublime to eat.

Back inshore and around the islands, there will be plenty to get after here in these areas. The sweetlip and coral trout population should fire up in the shallows, which will see the local dinghy fraternity nice and happy. When they fire up properly you don’t even need a boat, they can be actively targeted shore based from many areas out around the Dingo Beach/Hydeaway Bay locale. If you’re interested at having a go at this, rather than casting out baits where you run a high risk of becoming regularly snagged, try casting medium sized poppers and shallow hardbodies. Not only is this dead set easy, it’s also highly productive.

Up in the creeks,

This golden trevally measured in at 1.04m, which is huge for these guys. What makes it more special is that Ian has 13 titanium screws in his spine and he showed that he has what it takes by muscling this fish up out of 40m of water. He was dead on his feet at the end of it, but one happy camper. prime sight fishing. Anyone who knows me knows that is this is my favourite style of fishing and I’m looking forward to snagging a few days off so I can get a good fix of this fishing. There will be so many species on offer, everything from permit to

mick@reeladdiction.com. au. Resort enquiries can be directed to Julie Houston on (07) 4945 7242 or at info@capeg.com.au. To stay in touch with what’s biting, check out the Reel Addiction Sport Fishing Whitsundays page on Facebook.

OLD

The wet season approaches TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

The wet is building, and you can feel the humidity and temperature rising by the day, which gets lure casters all twitchy and excited.

We have been putting a bit more effort in the early and late low light periods with surface lures for the last

permit (SIP) need not worry as you’re legally allowed to target stocked waterways that are full of hard-pulling, highjumping, tackle-destroying beasties. If you wish to see just how incredible the surface bite can be on impoundments such as Faust and Awoonga, head to the Pelagic Pursuit channel on YouTube to see some amazing footage by talented angler and

Barra have been more active in the leadup to the closed season, which runs from 1 November to 31 January. of the barra season, and have also been experimenting with some unweighted plastics fished on top in the sticks and flooded mangroves.

Obviously the end of barra season will leave a bit of a void for a few months, but the jack fishing makes up for this.

You’re probably going to hit barra while you’re lure casting for jacks, and if you do catch a barra during the closed season, please handle it carefully before release. Dropping a fish onto rocks and hot/dry surfaces is frowned upon for good reason, as is hanging a big fish by the bottom jaw, so take a bit of care to ensure the barra’s survival. Although lip grips are great for controlling fish on the deck or ground while removing hooks, it’s not good to let a fish dangle and thrash around – unless you plan on keeping that fish for the table.

The latest stats on barra sex change suggests that there is a surprising percentage of barra that are female at as little as 60cm, which blew me away. It adds more merit to the practice of catch-andrelease ethic that is such a big part of thinking anglers’ approach these days.

I recently spoke to some ‘in the know’ people who told me that some barra are already forming eggs in preparation for the upcoming wet season.

This indicates that the wet might be a little earlier, and possibly quite a good one. We can only hope, as this sets us up for years to come in terms of barra numbers.

Those of you who have a stocked impoundment

cameraman Matt. For those of us who have witnessed our lures disappearing down a big barra’s gob it’s pretty hard to describe, but Matt captures it perfectly time after time. It’s beyond exciting – it’s chaotic when it all comes together. Obviously editing makes it seem much quicker

tips to being successful at Peter Faust. You can also hire him for the day to guide you onto some of the horse barra available in Lake Proserpine.

This is a good idea if you plan on going for a few days on Lake Prossy, and want to speed up the learning curve to make the rest of your trip as successful as possible.

CREEKS AND RIVERS Tides are obviously a huge consideration when deciding where and when to focus your efforts on the local waterways around here – and apart from not getting stuck on sand bars etc, being in the right place at the right time is key to catching more fish.

Now, this is where it gets a little complicated and not so cut and dried. For the style of angling that we prefer, the last of the run-out in the early morning, running in towards lunchtime is best. We are jack nuts, and this period is when we catch the most jacks. As the tide reaches its maximum, barra usually become a more frequent by-catch.

If you’re a ‘viber’ then deeper water scenarios will be more up your ally. As with any style of lure fishing in the north, you’re going to intercept other fish such as golden snapper (fingermark), grunter, jacks, salmon, tarpon and so forth, which is an awesome problem to have. Leader strengths range from 20-40lb depending on what’s available and how big they are, but we always lean

the tried and true method of trolling hardbodied deep divers when you’re searching for barra in a river, but getting the depth right is a precise calculation. When we used to do a lot of trolling years ago, we found that the best lure was one that only every now and then touched the bottom – and it was hit consistently within a metre of the bottom. For example, if the undulating contours of the bottom structure rose and fell between 4-4.5m, then the 4m Scorpion fed

All of the freshwater locations are due for a wellneeded flush-out. On this trip, the only way to get a lure to the fish was to sink weedless plastics through the thick weed. This fish took a 4” Atomic Prong.

Smart rigging and accurate casts are the secret to catching jacks. Tannhym Hodge capitalised on Dad’s slightly off cast at a sighted fish and came up with the goods. and easier than it really is, but there’s no doubt that it’s achievable if you take notice of the almost subliminal hints and tips Matt passes on with his productions.

If I were to give you a tip that I classify as imperative, it would be to call in and speak to Lindsay Dobe of Barra World Proserpine and milk him for as much info as possible to find out the spots, lures, techniques and

towards the lighter end, with 30lb being a good all-round choice for us.

If there are deep snags in the hole, try a soft plastic prawn imitation. We usually rig a Atomic 4” Prong on an appropriate jighead and work it through the deeper stuff.

The motor oil colour is great for this, and the UV additive makes it stand out down deep.

Trolling It’s pretty hard to beat

Schools of salmon have been popping up in the middle of the rivers, and have often been mistaken for tarpon.

They can be caught on small lures retrieved quickly.

out approximately 25-30m behind was extremely effective when trolled at a slow walking pace. If the depth was between 5-6m, the Poltergeist was the one.

Deeper again and the 8m 125 Scorpion produced best. The right lure for the right depth is the secret, and just trolling around the one lure will limit how close you can deliver it to the majority of holding fish.

Rising water temps With water temperatures increasing, lure sizes can be increased also. Instead of the 4” and 5” plastics used during the cooler months, bigger plastics up to 7” will take their place when chasing barra. Don’t get me wrong, we know that the 5” is going to account for plenty of barra while we’re in the sticks, but those bigger lures will account for bigger fish as things heat up from now on.

At this time, we use 7” Paddle Prawns and 8” Madeyes Flick Sticks rigged on 7/0 Seekerz jigheads. We cast them on our heavier outfits, which consist of 30lb braid and up to 50lb leader, depending on the size of the fish we find. The general rule with leaders is the bigger the lure is, the heavier the leader can be.

OFFSHORE Winds have kept most offshore angers away for while. However, for those who have been able to do the early morning run, the mackerel have still been around in good numbers.

Trolling wolfies has been the gun technique to get the job done quickly. Dropping 80g metal slices down on a short length of wire has also been accounting for plenty of fish

when cranked back at warp speed. Longer 3m plus leaders have helped keep the hooks where they’re supposed to be, and softer tipped rods also stop the hook pulling affects of braided lines and fast fish.

GOLDEN SNAPPER AND GRUNTER These two species are on the top of the hit list for many anglers at this time of year, and the secret to getting the best results is to find the bait.

With the water being quite stirred up for weeks on end, the squid have been hard to find, but as the wind drops, and things settle down a bit, they should become a bit easier to find.

If you can find squid, you’re usually right in the ball park for golden snapper (fingermark) as well. If I had to pick the most important key element for success on these fish, it would be to hit the water early. You want to be there as the sun starts to glow.

Bait fishing Fresh or if possible, live squid, are going to be the best for the grunter and golden snapper. Sometimes it’s actually harder to get the bait than it is to catch the predators, but if you put in the time you’ll get better at catching squid. Those anglers who have the bait gathering down pat are the most successful.

For the lure fishers, soft vibes in the 100mm+ size range are effective on golden snapper, as are active-styled plastics and even trolled deep divers, such as Scorpions.

For grunter, smaller vibes in the 40-50mm size range work extremely well.

You can also get good results on smaller plastics rigged on 1/4oz heads with approximately 1/0 hook size fished in 2-4m of water.

I’ve found that 10lb braid and 15-20lb leader is a great combination for grunter fishing. This helps the smaller lures to stay closer to the bottom while you’re working through the hot spot.

Good luck to all those anglers who are out to make the most of what’s available before the predicted bigger and earlier wet starts this year.

NOVEMBER 2020

39

OLD

Bye-bye barra for another year HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

Well that barra season definitely didn’t turn out like we had expected.

Basically for barra charters it was February, then five months of quarantine, and then August, September and October! Throughout

Hinchinbrook region was on fire. Scoring five over a metre for the month of February, it was looking good for those months we missed out on.

One of my highlights before the season ended was a trip with clients Pam and Ray Mahoney. They had been travelling around for 17 years and he had always wanted to tick the metre-

rarely fish manage to catch their first ever barra with me, and also have it go over a metre!

It was one of the most windiest and unstable weather periods I’ve seen in a while for September/ October, which is unusual as there’s usually quite good fine weather at that time of year. It made for sporadic good bite periods

one species that will be heavily targeted during the barra closure. They are just as fun and are savage on the initial hook-up.

There haven’t been all that many threadfin salmon showing up lately around the island and in the channel, but on the northern beaches there have been plenty of smaller models hanging around. If we get an early wet season like they forecast to happen we should see a lot more of them spread out in the area. Many years ago when we had decent wet seasons, threadfin were plentiful in most areas that had a deep hole, or they frequented the headlands on the larger tides.

The most productive way to target them has been with vibes or baits of live mullet or mud herring on a dropper rig. These fish will also take a slow rolled shallow-diving lure on the headlands during the large tides.

Kyle caught this 78cm barra not long before the season closed.

November is a month when I like to also head out to the Lucinda sugar jetty and chase big queenies and golden snapper (fingermark) around the pylons. That structure houses some very big fingermark that can be difficult to stop close to the pylons, but they are also a common hook-up fairly wide of the jetty when they are foraging. Unfortunately over the years the shark numbers

here have increased, and this makes it pretty hard to get one to the boat intact, if at all!

• We are now taking bookings for the 2021 barra season so get in early to secure the good dates. Gift vouchers can also be purchased if you’re looking for birthday or Christmas gifts. You can email us at info@ ianmoodysportfishing.com or phone us on 0402 339 459.

Pam with a 45cm mangrove jack caught in September.

September and October I managed a few more bucket list metre-plus barramundi for clients before the season closed.

I only wished I could have fished the months of March, April and May this year as the northern

plus off his bucket list. He managed to do that with a nice 108cm that gave him a good workout on his light baitcaster. I know so many people who have been trying to catch a fish of this calibre for decades, so it’s wonderful to see some clients who

with quite a few tough times in between.

Notably there had been quite a few nice mangrove jacks being caught lately with the favourite method of capture being topwater frogs skipped into the overhanging mangrove lines. They are

Ray was thrilled with his 108cm barramundi.

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Fisheries blitz on freshwater permit evaders A new seasonal campaign to crack down on people fishing without a permit in Queensland’s stocked impoundments is underway.

Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol District Manager North Queensland Glenn Shiels said fishers can expect to see fisheries officers

on patrol at any stocked impoundment, at any time.

“It’s important that everyone does the right thing to ensure Queensland continues to have worldleading, sustainable freshwater fisheries,” Mr Shiels said.

“All fishers over 18 years must hold a permit to line fish,

Fish stocking at Wivenhoe Dam. Image courtesy of DAF.

including catch and release fishing in Queensland’s 63 stocked dams and weirs, and they must produce it when requested by fisheries officers.

“The message is, if you don’t buy a stocked impoundment permit (SIP), you will be caught and pay the price of a $266 fine.”

Stocked impoundments are ‘put, grow and take’ fisheries, with nearly all of the funds raised from permits going back to local fish stocking groups to re-stock the impoundment.

“It’s unfortunate some fishers are taking and not giving back, by refusing to buy their fishing permit,” Mr Shiels said.

“That’s why Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol has commenced a targeted operation across the State to ensure compliance with all

fisheries regulations at our stocked impoundments.”

The Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme has been supporting the stocking of Queensland’s impoundments to enhance fishing and maintain fish stocks for future generations since 2000.

In 2018/19, more than 44,000 permits were sold to recreational fishers to fish in Queensland’s stocked impoundments, generating more than $1 million to re-invest in fish stocking.

More than two million fingerlings, including iconic species like barramundi, Australian bass, golden perch and Murray cod are expected to be stocked in 2020/21 to provide access to some of the best freshwater fishing around.

An annual permit costs

Freshwater fishing at a Queensland stocked impoundment. Image courtesy of DAF. $50 per person, an annual concession permit is $36 and a weekly permit is $10. It’s quick and simple to purchase permits online at www. fisheries.qld.gov.au, at any Australia Post outlet or

sub-agent in Queensland.

Visit www.qld.gov.au/ freshwaterfishing to find the nearest stocked waterway and buy a permit. For more information call 13 25 23. – DAF

Barramundi numbers explode at Kinchant Dam hotspots Mayor Greg Williamson said community participation was vital to the success of this project.

“Without the help of volunteers who generously donated their time to construct the fish-attracting

DAF’s David Nixon and Jenny Shiau with barramundi captured during electrofishing surveys at Kinchant Dam. Image courtesy of Andrew Norris.

structures at a number of community workshops, this project would not have been economically viable,” he said.

“The structures include 88 synthetic trees, 39 pipe bundles, 30 synthetic hedges, 23 Georgia cubes, 12 Kinchant cribs and three suspended fish-attracting structures.

“All the structures have been designed with durability in mind to ensure they have no detrimental impacts on the aquatic environment and they are also relatively snag-free, meaning anglers can fish right in amongst the habitat with less risk of losing fishing gear.”

Council and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries would also like to thank Mackay Area Fish Stocking Association,

Walkerston Rotary and St Patrick’s Senior College for their contributions to this project.

To view the GPS coordinates of the Kinchant Dam fishattracting structures, download the Mackay Freshwater Fishing booklet on the Hooked on Mackay website w w w. m a c k a y r e g i o n . com/hooked-on-mackay.

Hooked on Mackay is a one-stop destination for everything you need to know about fishing in the Mackay region including weekly fishing reports, bassco boats operators and interactive fishing maps.

For more details on the Kinchant Dam habitat enhancement project visit council’s website. – Mackay Regional Council

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closed zones,” he said.

“The fact we’ve been able to increase the number of barramundi found in fishattracting sites by three times the amount that are found in open water is a testament to the success of this project.

“Mackay is known for its fishing and these structures will allow anglers to have a more enjoyable fishing experience at Kinchant Dam by allowing them to fish in more locations on the dam while avoiding snags.

“We believe this will be a great tourism asset to our region, as there are significant economic benefits associated with angling-based tourism.

“The annual economic value of the Kinchant Dam fishery is currently estimated at $1.1 million per annum and with projects like this we hope to see that number increase into the future.”

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Over the last three years 197 fish-attracting structures have been installed in Kinchant Dam, in a joint venture between council and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Recent electrofishing surveys have revealed a staggering three-fold increase in barramundi numbers at the 36 sites where structures have been installed in the dam.

Mayor Greg Williamson said this was a tremendous result for local anglers and the tourism industry.

“The goals of the project were to increase structural fish habitat diversity, improve angler experiences and catch rates and reduce the number of anglers fishing along the dam infrastructure in

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41

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November in the NFZ CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

With the barramundi closure upon us, anglers need to exercise the sensible and sustainable option of trying their best to avoid old bucket mouth along the NFZ, and to target other species which are on the chew. The warmer months or ‘build up’ months are some of the best months to

line for this type of fishing.

November will also bring some calm weather to the front of the Trinity Net Free Zone, and the headlands and rocky points and open beaches will be a very good option at this time of year.

Grunter and threadfin/blue salmon will be on the chew for those either bait fishing or vibing these areas. It’s important to first find the fish on your side imaging sounder and then target them directly. If you don’t have

or prawn style lures have also been effective. These fish love a rubbly bottom or any type of structure so it pays to spend a bit of time sounding around, looking for the right ground. The Cairns Recreational Fishing Team will be unveiling some new competitions through some new social media channels in the upcoming months so stayed tuned.

The run of barra and evidence of congregations of barramundi, especially in

Threadfin and blue salmon will be high on the target list out the front, if the weather is kind. limits it doesn’t mean the NFZ is not worth fishing.

The warmer months are some of the best times to be targeting mangrove jacks. There should be some stormy weather this month and there is nothing better to trigger a jack bite than a big afternoon lightening show. Couple this with some

balmy northerly winds and a low tide and you should be in for some cracking red action.

This is my favourite time of year to target jacks on the surface as they are hungry as hell and more aggressive than a pit-bull. Casts don’t have to be pinpoint as the jacks are so fired up that they will travel to attack

late, and have found it to be an excellent topwater soft plastic. It skips easily under overhanging mangroves and has an aggressive action.

As water temps get up over the 30°C mark, fish will seek out cooler deeper waters so sub-surface hardbodies and lures are the way to go. I have found that 3-4” soft plastic

Sunline ADV braid is good for making accurate casts. fish in the NFZ, so there are plenty of options.

My favourite option for this time of year is the mighty mangrove jack. Jacks will be chewing hard in November, especially as the storms start building up along the ranges. The Cairns Inlet is still home to trophy jacks, and fish up to 50cm are not uncommon. Casting plastics and suspending hardbodies close to snags will bring the best results, and you should look for areas which have a lot of structure. In the Inlet it can be hard to find structure on the low tide so try fishing the run-out tide when the water is still on the snags. Also flicking weedless plastics under the green mangrove cover is also an excellent option as the jacks do tend to move towards the shade during the middle parts of the day.

Other systems like Thomatis Creek, Barron River and Moon Creek will all be fishing just as well, however the average size in these systems will be a little smaller. It’s vital when targeting these fish to make sure your braid and leader is up to scratch. I do prefer a very thin braid for lure casting as it makes it much easier to get your cast inch perfect. I have been fishing the latest ADV braid from Sunline over the last few months and it is an awesome 42

NOVEMBER 2020

a side imaging sounder, it is best to find an area with some bait and life and sit on it for a while and do a few prospecting drifts. This is a terrific option as you cover a lot of ground, and once you find the fish you can anchor up.

The other fish which will be worth chasing in the NFZ this month will be golden snapper (fingermark). These fish have been thick in the inlet and along the headlands of the NFZ. The best success has been on live or freshly caught herring, whilst vibe lures like Jackall Transams

the Cairns Inlet during the closures, is testament to the success of our NFZ. Some early heavy rain has already fallen, and here’s hoping for a steady monsoon over the next few months to get that recruitment going. I am currently in the preliminary stages of looking at ways to work with stakeholders to give this recruitment a leg up through stocking of barramundi along the NFZ to plug a few gaps from the last couple of years’ poor wet seasons, so stay tuned for more information on this.

With the barramundi off

Golden snapper will be firing in the Inlet.

Jack fishing is at its best in November so make the most of it.

anything in their area. This is where surface lures can be a plus as the bloop of a popper or aggressive action of a stickbait will quickly get their attention, and you’ll be set for a serious jack attack.

When using surface lures, it is best to target structure which is relatively shallow in a couple of metres of water, especially on a rising tide. Working around mangrove roots is also a viable option – just be ready to thumb that spool when the attack from below occurs. Surface fishing is always best during times of low light. If you are fishing the heat of the day it is best to target shady backwater areas.

I have been having some significant success on the Tiemco Skipping Minnow of

minnow style lures like the ZMan Diesel Minnow are ideal, and with the jacks in an aggressive mood, darker colours are always a good option. A steady roll retrieve is best, and you should try to keep that lure as close to the structure as possible.

The open beaches are still worth a shot, especially when the calm offshore weather is on. Calm beaches are ideal for live baiting or vibing for threadfin salmon, which will move into the area over the summer months.

Remember to get out and enjoy your NFZ as it is a privilege to have in our backyard. If you catch a fish in the NFZ and post it on social media, don’t forget to add the #lovemyNFZ to share your success with others.

OLD

Be nowhere else but FNQ! end with the heavy tackle marlin season ready to ignite. Big black marlin are already converging towards the adjacent shelf for their annual breeding season. It only lasts for a couple of months of the year and a bucket list for any adventurous angler. It is by far the best marlin fishery on the planet. In a typical season there are plenty of billfish ranging from 200-400lb with the 500-1000lb+ in significant numbers. Add to this a mix

PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

There’s nowhere else in the world where you’ll find the extensive array of fishing options available all at the one time and in the one place. Port Douglas has game, reef and river fishing all firing together, so this is the place to visit no matter your style.

We’ll start at the top

From 1 November, remember that barra are a no take species.

of light game fishing, and you’ll be tangling with other sporting icons such as yellowfin tuna, mahimahi, wahoo, sailfish and Spanish mackerel.

Due to the unusual year, there are no big tournaments with the exception of the Port Douglas Marlin Challenge in early November. We will run this popular 4-day event but under a slightly different format.

All the local game charters are raring to share this ultimate Formula 1 fishing experience.

On the GBR itself, the reef bottom fishing will continue to produce handsomely with the likes of coral trout, nannygai and emperor species all having big moments. There are a couple of spawning periods at this time of year and this process can produce the odd quieter day, but overall it will remain strong. It is a great way to spend a day on the water amongst one of the seven natural wonders of the world tangling with some serious fish. The bonus is you’ll more than likely return home with a range of species that will delight the palate to no end.

If the calmer waters are your preference, then the local Daintree River is gaining momentum very quickly and the best fishery to venture to. With our specialist guide you’ll come across a plethora of highly sought after fish, including barramundi (must be released from 1 Nov), mangrove jack, a variety of trevally, big queenfish and its speciality – golden snapper (fingermark). This system is the best along our wonderful coastline for these quality big, super tasting, hard fighting beauties. They are the best tasting fish to eat in FNQ. The coastal fishing adjacent is also really special mixing it with the likes of coral and bar cheek trout, large mouth nannygai, numerous trevallies and mackerel as well. With more days likely to be conducive to this type of fishing, it will not disappoint.

Looking ahead with a La Nina system strongly suggested to dominate the weather pattern soon, it shouldn’t alter too much in the coming weeks. We are still expecting some brilliant fishing ahead on all fronts.

Marli caught this 42.5cm flatty all by herself at Double Island Point. It was a tough wind in but she was so proud of herself!

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43

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Summer fishing heats up COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

The approaching summer and build up of the wet season has many ‘calm before the storm’ days

and lots of opportunity to head out to the reefs and get some quality fish for the family.

The build up also sees barramundi move down around the headlands to breed, and often the large

breeding females are seen on the clear waters around our wharf. They are protected now as the closure has started and they won’t be targeted until 1 February 2021 when it opens again.

The reefs will have plenty on offer, like this tasty coral trout.

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It can be very tempting to try to capture barra around the wharf when they are so active, especially when you can see them on those calm days when the water is so clear you can see the large breeding females swimming around.

However, targeting them can have disastrous effects, with the chance of damaging the fish with hooks down their throat.

Best to try avoid it and wait until the end of the closure, as killing breeding fish is not a way to look after future stocks.

We had a fisherman recently capture a barramundi that was oversize and he was trying to release it but due to the injuries in its capture, it died. Try to limit the chances of harm if you are looking to release fish to ensure they have the best chance of survival. Using hooks like the Kahle wide gap hooks will promote more lip hook-ups than traditional hooks, which are better and easier for hook removal when using live baits. When lure fishing, have the barbs crimped on your trebles as this will also allow for easier

Jonathon caught this barra before the closed season. The barra closure will begin 1 November and reopen 1 February 2021.

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to more calm days, which presents so much more opportunities to capture quality table fish. Coral trout, red emperor and largemouth nannygai will be around in large numbers.

Getting to your favourite spots will produce, as there has been a long period of bad weather so stocks should have built up. In my experience when you find good fish-holding locations, they can produce year after year as fish get removed more fish move in.

These locations mightn’t fish as well when you first find them, as years might of past since they where fished, but they will continue to attract fish due to the structure, current flows and most importantly bait schools. So fishing your favourite spots first is always a must, especially after a long period of not being able to access them due to weather. Once you checked them out, looking for more spots can be rewarding. As I’ve mentioned before, finding bait schools is the key.

Hungry fish will be around these areas looking to feed.

Hopefully there will be lots of fishing opportunities to head out on the reef in the next month, so get ready to have a seafood Christmas next month.

Caleb with a tidy saratoga. The river systems are at their lowest levels now and the wait is on for the monsoon.

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removal. This can also be an advantage when you end up with a lure treble stuck in your flesh!

The river systems are at their lowest levels now and the wait is on for the monsoon. The fish are usually in survival mode as they wait for the rivers to flow again.

The big waterholes become a refuge to these fish and as bait numbers decrease, the fish can become very active when luring. Barramundi are so aggressive and will almost chase down anything on offer when food is scarce.

The condition of these fish is not great and capturing them can put extra pressure on them as they fight to get away.

What they thought was an easy meal turns out to be a fight for their life, and sometimes it is.

I’ve seen fish released that are spent and hardly have the energy to swim away, so it’s important when fighting and releasing your fish that you try to be as gentle as possible and minimise their stress – better to leave them be so they have the best chance to survive until the rain comes.

The reefs will have plenty on offer as the weather will be shifting

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Dam barra are firing TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

If I have said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times – we are so blessed with our freshwater fishery in Queensland! Where else in the world can you chase line-peeling fish that are a metre long? They jump, they play up and they can leave you shaking with excitement.

The impoundment barramundi will be a great target this month as their tidal water mates enjoy a rest during their closed season.

Wa r m e r water temperatures will see them holding a little deeper and easier to find as they go on patrol after dark.

Staking out windblown points should guarantee you some action at this time of year.

If you have ever wanted

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST The big bass came out to play last month.

Excellent numbers of fish were caught in the early mornings but bites were short-lived; often only lasting an hour or two.

The same bass action can be expected this month with the peak bite times early and late in the day. Rotating your spots and working different schools will prolong the action when one area slows down.

Bigger profile spoons were the standout lures last month. I had a lot of great feedback from anglers successfully using the Hot Bite 30g Raptor Jig. As the water warms up more and the fish move shallower, the bigger spoons will start to be outperformed

by smaller offerings like tail spinners, blades, soft plastics and smaller spoons and metal jigs. This change may take a while but expect to see it sometime this month.

Schools will still be located around the major points and flats that drop off to the old creek beds.

These fish will start to scatter more as they will probably suspend next month making them harder to catch with cast offerings.

Get into them now before this happens if you like your lure casting.

• For all your fishing supplies and the latest reports on the surrounding dams, call in to see Fish’n’Bits in Alderley Street. They have a great range of lures and fishing gear. The boys can sort you out with the right gear and give you some tips on where to find them. The

to give it a go, now is the time they are easiest to catch for the first timer.

It’s not just barra on offer. Bass, golden perch, sooty grunter, Murray cod and saratoga are just some of the other species available this month. All will be fired up so make the most of it before things get slower over the hotter summer months.

Until next month, buckled rods from The Colonel. gates to the boat ramp are now open from 6am to 8pm.

SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY We will start to see some change this month at Somerset. The bigger bass up in the northern part of the lake will start to move south and blend in with the smaller fish. Schools will be found from The Spit right up to Kirkleigh with Pelican Point, Bat 13 and Queen Street some of the more popular areas.

The schooling fish will start to move shallower to around 10m of water in the middle reaches of the lake.

It will be a tougher month for choosing the best lure for the job. Spoons and metal jigs will still perform well but other lures like tail spinners, blades and soft plastics will also take their share. Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits begin to fool plenty of fish too in the right situations. In

Cressbrook Dam has produced some quality bass over the last month. This fish was caught straight out from the boat ramp. another month, they are likely to dominate catches.

The Spectre Vibration Jig is one of the best so make sure you are well stocked up and ready for when this happens.

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

BORUMBA CLOSEST TOWNS: IMBIL, NOOSA Schools of bass will be

found around the dam’s middle reaches. The deeper flats between 7-10m will be holding good numbers of fish in the upper part of the main basin and into the start of the timber around The Junction.

The deeper schooling bass should respond well to bigger profile spoons To page 47

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Rhys Branson with a 48cm fork bass from his recent trip to Borumba Dam on his 11th birthday. There were a couple of schools holding big fish in the basin, these were hard to tempt but almost all the biggest fish fell to a hopping Hot Bite Raptor in baby batter colour.

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like the Raptor Jig and Nichols Flutter Spoon. It pays to mix it up and work some smaller offerings as well. Lures like the Halco

Twisty in 20g and the Gang Banger G2 are ideal. Blades and tail spinners can also be good options so be prepared to mix things up to get the bites.

Closer to the edges in the timbered arms, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and lipless crankbaits will pull a mixture of bass and saratoga. Toga numbers

should be good this month and best results will come early in the day before the sun gets too intense.

If there is any significant rain, try to find

the clearer water to fish your lures through.

• 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.

been chewing better for the past couple of months.

Looking back over the past 5 years, November has been one of the best months for catching good numbers of Murray cod.

Golden perch have been a bit steady but they also tend to pick up over the next month or two. Trolling is a great way to catch both goldens and cod at the current capacity.

The timbered areas are too shallow to safely access and not as likely to hold fish.

This leaves the drop offs to the old river and creek beds a great option.

You can choose to troll medium diving hardbodied lures for a mixed bag or opt for bigger hardbodies, swimbaits, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits to target the Murray cod.

in the middle reaches will move a bit shallower this month but should remain in schools.

These schools could be

smaller as the fish start to spread out more in the middle reaches of the lake a few kilometres either side of the Barbers Pole.

Through the warmer summer months these

fish should then migrate more towards the dam wall area.

With the fish spreading out more, trolling medium to deep hardbodies will start producing.

Now the bass are a bit shallower, so expect to see a mixed bag including golden perch in the same areas.

Anglers will still be able to find the bigger

schools and target them with cast lures.

Blade baits, tail spinners, soft plastics and smaller profile spoons should do the trick.

should get a few bites. Be prepared for some handto-hand combat as these powerful fish around the tops of trees can easily win their freedom.

From past experience, the barra tend to move away from the tops of the trees in the afternoons.

They will start roaming around more on dark and can sometimes be found around points, bays and windblown banks. These night fish are keen on soft plastics and usually more willing to bite.

Choose an offering to suit the depth they are moving through. When in less than 3m of water, try Zerek Live Mullets and 120mm Slick Rigs. If they are roaming a bit deeper, position your boat out wider and run a heavier swimbait like a Molix Shad refitted with barra tough trebles.

AWOONGA CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE Plenty of great sized barra have already been caught this year. With heaps now around 90cm+ in length, we are sure to

see more models over 1m long caught before the end of the year.

The fishing has been tougher during the day. On occasions, roaming fish will move through in the deeper water outside the weed edges and these can be caught on swimbaits like the Molix Shad, Zerek Live Mullet and Barambah Bony Shad.

There has been a noticeable move to anglers throwing swimbait style plastics but the old jighead rigged paddle-tail is still simple, cheap and effective.

The other option during the day is to work the edges of the weed using soft plastics and hardbodies.

Don’t be afraid to brush the lure through a bit of weed when it is swimming back. Staging fish will be encountered around the spindly type trees. They can be very frustrating refusing to bite. Smaller models seem to come out and play early in the morning but the bigger specimens only bite when they feel like it and you can spend hours fishing to encounter very short bite windows.

As darkness falls, the action will pick up a notch.

Patrolling barra will start

cruising outside the weed edges looking for their next meal. The wind-blown points and edges that are really getting pumped by the afternoon breeze often fire best.

The wind stirs up oxygen, encourages bait and the barra are never far behind. In the ideal scenario, it will dirty the water to provide better hunting conditions for predators. Dirty water lines also fish well prior to dark as the barra can ambush prey easier in them.

Swimbaits are a great option around sunset and into the night. Molix Shads, Barambah Bony Shads and Zerek Live Mullets are some of my favourite and

are well proven on this lake. I always like to run a paddle tailed plastic as well. The 6” Powerbait Hollowbelly plastics rigged on a 1/2oz Barambah Barra jighead fitted with a treble stinger (by using couple of split rings and crane swivel) are also ideal for working the afternoon and night sessions.

• 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, selfcontained cabins each with its own veranda. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 49750033.

DARLING DOWNS REGION COOLMUNDA CLOSEST TOWNS: INGLEWOOD The secret is now out and anglers are returning to

Coolmunda to try their luck on the cod and golden perch.

After a rise prior to winter, the dam cleared right up and the fish have

WIDE BAY AND BURNETT REGION BOONDOOMA CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSTON, KINGAROY The schooling bass CAPRICORN REGION CALLIDE CLOSEST TOWN: BILOELA It’s that time of year again when the Callide barra start to get more willing to play. Being further inland and experiencing cooler weather through the middle of the year, Callide’s action is always a bit slower to fire up than other barra lakes. The days will now be scorching hot and the water temperature will be prime for chasing Callide’s big fish. The bigger models will now be between 110 and 120cm and worth the effort.

Working out Callide can be very tricky. Scouting the lake’s edges, bays and points can often draw a blank. The barra have a way of disappearing even though there is nowhere to hide from today’s sounders. Often they will be suspended somewhere out in the middle of the lake. This almost always happens around the tops of submerged trees.

The barra in the treetops don’t mind having a feed early in the mornings.

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www.awongagatewaylodge.com awoongagateway@bigpond.com NOVEMBER 2020

47

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Yaks rule the creeks BRISBANE

Troy Brown

Having endured a couple of months of transitioning weather and the patchy fish catch rates which often accompany the change of season, anglers are primed for the warmer weather.

Spring typically yields increasing catches of species such as large flathead, but it is also that awkward shift from species which are predominately active in the winter or summer months. As

a result, targeting a particular species can yield inconsistent results, with many anglers complaining about the tougher conditions. The approaching summer not only gives us more comfort when braving those early morning launches, but it also brings us some iconic species which are tough to target during winter. For me, the warmer months allow me to reignite my recent passion for chasing mangrove jack in our abundant creek systems.

Boats may rule when chasing fish long distances offshore, but the humble kayak

Gene Grehan successfully employed the author’s ‘lazy fisho’ technique for chasing flathead. This passive approach works best when fish seem more tentative and unwilling to strike a more actively presented lure.

is king when exploring skinny creeks. Many devout boaties are now turning to kayaks for a more budget friendly and simple means of hitting the water. As a former boater myself, I feel kayak fishing is bounds ahead of boating in terms of satisfaction and relaxation. Boats are less physically demanding than a kayak, but for most kayakers that physical interaction is part of the attraction. Not only are you more physically involved, but a kayak also allows the angler to explore areas which cannot be reached in most boats. In addition to improving accessibility, small hulls are more stealthy and place the angler closer to fish which are easily spooked, while also giving the fisher a more immersive experience than a boat can offer.

Recently, my focus has been more on bread-and-butter species such as the humble flathead, with Boggy Creek featuring heavily in my weekend expeditions. I’ve also had the opportunity to start reconnoitring Saltwater Creek on the Gold Coast, but more on that system later.

Boggy Creek is well known to any fishers who regularly visit the Brisbane River, with a reputation as an

From The Edgiest Looking Boat Flooring, Side Deck and Trim Designs To The Cutting, Shaping and Routing Of Plastics, Foams & Composites.

If you launch from outside Boggy Creek or want to explore the creek mouth, watch your sounder like a hawk. Finished for the day, the author spotted a large fish arch in deep water, he grabbed his bream rod with a 2” grub and let it flutter down to the fish. The result was spectacular and a great fight on a 1-2kg bream outfit. exceptional flathead nursery.

It is also barely bothered by boaters, as there is a multitude of muddy flats which can be bothersome on high tide, but near impossible to navigate when the tides are very low.

Having rescued a jetskier recently from these very mud banks, losing my footwear to the sucking mud which swallowed me up to my hips, I can attest to the fact that the word ‘boggy’ is no misnomer.

With the sucking (and somewhat stinky) mud in mind, I suggest that only the most diehard or foolish yakkers attempt to launch on low tide from anywhere other than a dedicated boat ramp. The photos and video of kayakers braving the mud to attempt a mid-creek launch are hilarious, but the reality is that extracting yourself from waist-deep mud is unpleasant and can actually be dangerous if you are not in good physical condition.

For that reason, I suggest you launch from the rudimentary boat ramp on Bancroft Road or, if you are feeling energetic, from the Pinkenba or Port of Brisbane ramps. Personally, I suspect my recent rescue efforts looked more like a sumo wrestler fighting his way through a giant pond of chocolate, rather than the fearless hero I envisaged myself to be. In hindsight, it was just plain stupid. After all, it was only a jetskier, so leaving him stuck there may have been the smarter decision!

Boggy Creek is a compact system, with a wide mouth

tapering down to a barelythere trickle within a relatively short distance. The mouth is expansive, feeding into the fast-flowing Brisbane River and marked at its entry by an unmissable pipeline. The pipeline itself is worth a few casts, with bream and even some small snapper being extracted from its base. As you enter the mouth, you are immediately introduced to the varied structure of the creek, with a narrow deeper channel to the left tapering to expansive flats on the right.

Tidal flow in the creek is more easily managed than the strong surge of the main river, so even paddlers on compact craft can easily navigate its reaches.

Adrian Shaocott is not a Boggy Creek regular, but after the success of his recent visit he’s sure to return.

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The 2-4” paddle-tail soft plastics, grubs and small cranks are all tempting targets for flathead.

Big fish will hit bigger lures, but moderating the size of your offering will typically ‘match the hatch’ in the creeks and guarantee more fish.

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NOVEMBER 2020

The contrasts in Boggy Creek provide a conundrum in terms of technique, as the narrow flats on the edges border a deep channel and a wide body in its centre which is more like a small lake than a typical creek. While your sounder will often show some large fish schooling in the deeper centre, extracting them is another matter entirely. I can only guess at what they are, as the solid arches on my sounder would suggest big mulloway or threadfin salmon, but so far I’ve been unable to tempt any onto my hook. If fishing this area, I’d stay with the basics, targeting the flats and edges for Boggy’s prized flathead.

Small hardbody lures, large

swimbait offerings and some of the more extreme offerings like the large Slapstix plastics will all work for flathead, but I tend to favour the humble grub. For simplicity, grub impersonations still rule when chasing flathead, working equally as well with a more active or passive technique.

Casting onto the flats and slowly working the lure to a drop-off is deadly, with a slow wind, small stalls and gentle lifts being the most effective technique. Grubs don’t require a lot of interaction from the angler, so keep the action simple and you’ll catch more fish. If you want to guarantee

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a fish, simply drift through the area with a grub lure bouncing on the bottom and do NOTHING! I introduced another angler to my ‘lazy fisho’ technique recently, as he was struggling to catch a fish and had indeed been having difficulty for

particularly leader shy and heavier leaders of around 20lb will make boating larger fish much easier, but a light combo of a 1-2kg rod, 6lb braid and leader will amplify your fun factor. When you get a solid flathead beside the kayak, be ready for the dreaded

Michael Welk with a modest Boggy flathead. This fish was caught in the upstream section of the creek, an area most often ignored by anglers. many weeks. I tossed him one of my grubs and a light jighead, asked him to tie the lure on and simply toss it overboard. After a few minutes of employing the lazy fisho technique, he had a nice flathead on board.

I prefer the more active style of fishing, but sometimes that subtle action of doing absolutely nothing is what the fish need to be tempted.

If the tide and wind permits, I often will actively cast the edges with a small paddle-tail soft plastic or crankbait, while passively towing a grub on the opposite side of the kayak. It is surprising how often the grub gets more hits!

If you’re using soft plastics, regardless of the method you use, the most important factor is to stay light. Light jigheads, with just enough weight to get you down in the flathead’s face, will dramatically improve your

Tim Donselaar typically targets bream with soft plastics but, like all successful anglers, knows you need to alter your offering to suit the mood of the fish. This Boggy bream was tempted with a 38mm crankbait. headshakes, with an unhappy fish slicing through your leader before you slide the net under them. You can keep the fish more compliant by keeping it low in the water while netting.

Ensure the fight is truly out

Small creeks offer some great angling opportunities, but there are few better than mangrove jack.

Boaters often cannot access some of the most ‘fishy’ areas, but a kayak is near unstoppable! strike rate. If I’m drifting a lure, I want it to be gently hopping off the bottom with the motion of my kayak, rather than dragging it through the mud. Sure, flathead will still occasionally hit this unnatural presentation, but using just enough weight will increase the number and aggressiveness of strikes.

Flathead are not

and jetties on the way to your final destination. It is a great way to mix up your fishing for the day, offering up potential of a mulloway or threadfin salmon. There are horse-like fish lurking below the nearby port jetties, although you need to be respectful of the many restricted access areas, as the potential fines are simply not worth the risk.

In addition to the pipeline crossing the mouth of Boggy Creek, there is a substantial rock wall to the left which can provide prolific catches.

If I am launching from a spot which is not near my final destination, I am always looking for opportunities on my sounder, as all that water is too good to waste!

Lastly, please stay safe.

Recently, we’ve heard of too many tragedies involving kayakers, all of which could have been avoided with better planning and safety gear.

Unlike other states, PFD rules for Queensland kayakers

of the fish and gently swim it into your net. Rushing this last step has cost many anglers prized fish, myself included.

Sometimes excitement wins over logic!

When you next fish Boggy Creek, consider grabbing the opportunity for some additional exercise and launch from the Port of Brisbane ramp, targeting deeper sections

are quite relaxed, so many anglers choose not to use them. I’ve heard numerous times “they are not necessary”, as an individual considers themselves a strong swimmer, or it is their right to put their own life at risk. While both may be true, being a strong swimmer is no benefit if you are unconscious or fatigued.

Also, you may be willing to risk your life, but think of those who must risk theirs to save yours.

When the wind is stronger, or if you are a beginner to our great sport, these narrower systems offer some protection from the elements and also reduced boat traffic. Most importantly, they also offer some stellar fishing opportunities.

My focus will now shift to a new creek, with a far angrier target species.

The mighty mangrove jack is calling and I am ready to renew my chase for this amazing species. Having just made my first foray into Saltwater Creek, I believe I’ve found another waterway which will join my list of favourite locations. When I write about my next creek adventure, I hope to bring you news of some great battles with the red dogs.

NOVEMBER 2020

49

Recreational Fishing Update Two Incredible Snapper Recaptures!

Gun angler and DPI Fisheries Manager Chris Cleaver has recaptured two different snapper which he originally tagged himself.

The first snapper was tagged on 17 October 2019 and measured at 72cm total length. Fast forward 330 days to 11 September 2020 and Chris recaptured the same fish. Upon recapture, the fish measured 78.5cm, highlighting an impressive growth rate for a mature fish.

The second snapper was originally tagged on 8 May 2020 and was measured at 73cm total length.

Japanese Sea Bass Mystery Solved!

Chris recaptured it 134 days later on 19 September 2020. Upon recapture, the fish measured 77cm.

Both fish were originally caught on the South Coast of NSW and both were recaptured within 1km of their original release location, showing that some snapper tend to be resident fish. Both were re-released using a release weight.

These recaptures highlight that snapper are a resilient species well suited to C&R. Check out the DPI website for more info on our tagging programs.

Tagged Trout For Blowering Dam!

Kingies Stocked Into Botany Bay!

More kingfish have been stocked into the Botany Bay Recreational Fishing Haven, further enhancing local fishing opportunities for these prized sportfish.

This latest stocking of about 600 fish follows on from the release of 6500 kingies into the bay earlier in the year. Combined, these stocking events are boosting the kingfish population and will provide better fishing.

All the kingies stocked so far were bred at DPI’s marine hatchery at the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, with fish in this latest batch averaging about 20-25cm in length. Survival and growth rates of these juveniles should be excellent.

The kingfish stockings are being monitored by DPI researchers to assess distribution and survival of the fish in the system. Stay tuned for news on more stockings planned later this summer season.

This marine stocking project is another example of your recreational fishing licence fees at work!

Check Out DPI’s How-To Livestreams!

DPI experts have confirmed a mystery fish caught near Newcastle in February by keen fly fisherman Ben Hall was indeed a Japanese sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus).

Examination of the fish revealed it was female and six years of age. Measuring 113cm and weighing 12.53kg (27.63lb), the fish is more than twice the weight and length of sea bass of a similar age studied by fisheries scientists in their home waters of the Western Pacific. In fact, Ben’s sea bass has been described by DPI experts as being “exceptional in both size and growth rates”.

Japanese sea bass – known as “suzuki” in Japan – are protandrous hermaphrodites, reaching sexual maturity as males at about two years of age and then changing into females as they become older. DPI understands that small numbers of Japanese sea bass have previously been recorded in Sydney Harbour, with speculation that they may have been transported as fry or larvae in ship ballast water.

At this stage, it is uncertain how the fish Ben caught ended up in the Hunter River. If you encounter any suspicious fish or other aquatic species, please contact the Animal Disease Emergency Hotline on 1800 675 888.

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NOVEMBER 2020

One thousand yearling rainbow trout have been stocked into Blowering Dam as part of a long-term stocking strategy to combat predation from redfin and to provide information on survival and growth.

The fish were produced at DPI’s Gaden Trout Hatchery and range from 150mm to 230mm. Blowering is a fantastic native and trout fishery and finding the best size for stocking in the presence of redfin will help to maintain the dam as a great mixed fishery. Anglers who land one of these trout will be rewarded with a Wigston “Tassie Devil” lure prize in return for their capture information.

This information received will help determine survival and growth rates of the fish and can be lodged on the DPI website by searching “freshwater fish tagging recapture form”.

This release is part of our tag recapture program which includes tagged fish releases into Oberon Dam, Lake Lyell, Lake Wallace, Carcoar Dam and Khancoban Pondage. This is another great example of your licence fees at work!

Keep an eye on the DPI Fisheries Facebook page for more info on new episodes of our popular The Fishing Stream livestreamed events.

So far we’ve run two livestreams, the first in August on snapper and the second in September focusing on the mighty mulloway. Hosted by fishing legend Steve “Starlo” Starling and featuring DPI and tackle industry experts, the events are designed to provide NSW anglers with useful and relevant info about key species as well as promoting responsible fishing and supporting the local fishing tackle sector.

Stay tuned for more info on future episodes from tackle shops around the state where we’ll be discussing a range of popular sportfish including dusky flathead, Murray cod and bream. As well as expert advice and info, there’ll be plenty of great prizes on offer!

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

... that’s what the NSW DPI FADs program is all about!

NSW DPI installs 30 fish aggregating devices (FADs) off popular fishing ports along the NSW coast from September to June.

FADs attract fast growing pelagic fish such as Mahi Mahi (Dolphinfish), Wahoo and Marlin and create an alternative fishing location for recreational sport and game fishers.

FADs are deployed in NSW by DPI using funds from the Recreational Fishing Trust.

Visit the FADs webpage for GPS coordinates of your nearest FAD, FADs distance off the coast and the best access point. www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/recreational

dpi.nsw.gov.au NOVEMBER 2020

51

Sydney

NSW

Fishing in Pittwater paradise PITTWATER

Peter Le Blang plfishfingers@bigpond.com

As a Sydneysider we sometimes forget how lucky we are to have a great variety of rivers and estuaries to have fun on. Pittwater is an absolute paradise for those wanting the fish, go boating,

and Pittwater is starting to see some of that flow into our system, which in turn has seen a lot more fish being caught.

When targeting kingfish along Pittwater it is pretty important to have a few different baits at the moment.

Instead of just having squid it’s a good idea to have a few yellowtail or slimy mackerel as well.

There are some nice bream to tangle with on the Hawkesbury River. swim or sail. Not only do you get to enjoy clean clear blue water, but the scenery is absolutely stunning as well.

If you are lucky enough to own a boat there are a lot of areas to explore now that the fish are starting to bite. Warmer water is being pushed in along the coast,

Early most mornings there has been surface activity so trying to find feeding kingfish has been easy, but hooking these fish has been a little harder. Some mornings the surface feeding kingfish have been very fixated on the micro tucker. These small, clear living eyes are very hard to

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match with any conventional lures so I don’t try. Instead of trying to match those impossibly small baitfish I think outside the box and offer the kingies small live squid, small yellowtail or when found slimy mackerel.

We still cast lures into the feeding frenzy and every now and then will catch a fish as well from this melee, but normally small live squid will get the most attention.

This surface activity can be anywhere along Pittwater or Broken Bay, and on the odd day can be very frustrating to get a hook up, but don’t despair – you can always take advantage of the fish feeding deeper down in the water column.

If you can drag yourself away from the surface activity there are still fish held up in other areas of Pittwater. You just have to cover the ground and that is best done using downriggers and presenting live baits at depth. The western side of Pittwater is seeing some good fish being caught by using the above method of a downrigger towing live squid and yellowtail.

Catching squid at the moment can be a bit of a task.

There are lots of squid to be caught but they all seem to be pretty small so be prepared to use 1.8 squid jigs. The usual areas of Careel Bay, Palm Beach weed beds, Mackerel Beach as well as the Basin area. The best colour at the moment seems to be anything that has a splash of orange, so the fluoro colours are starting become the best to use.

Not only are there kingfish to catch in Pittwater but there are some nice flathead to be tangled with as well.

These larger flathead seem to be congregating along the drop-off at Careel Bay as well as the large drop-off between Mackerel Beach and Palm Beach. All of these areas can be fished by dragging baits or for those that need to keep themselves busy, soft plastics and lures will catch their fair

share as well.

The Mackerel Beach area has a channel that runs into it from Sinclair Point which is a great little spot to throw around some soft plastics.

Broken Bay is also seeing quite a few flathead and flounder being caught on the drift from Patonga through to Lion Island. The best baits to use at the moment seem to be your humble pilchard closely followed by Hawkesbury River prawns. If you do have some fresh squid I am sure a strip presented correctly will have great results as well.

The month of November usually sees the first run of decent mulloway into Broken Bay as well, and areas such as Flint and Steel, Walkers Point, Juno Point and the pressure wave between Juno Point and Eleanor Bluffs. All should see a few good fish being caught this month.

Remember to target all these areas at the change of the tide, and preferably use fresh bait. Using berley to attract baitfish to your boat can be a great way to attract mulloway and other pelagic species as well, just remember to catch one of the baitfish and place it towards the berley bucket.

Along our coast our reefs are really starting to fire up with

His first kingie might not be big but the smile says it all. some nice flathead, snapper and tailor as well as passing schools of kingies. Most of this activity is happening in water depths of less than 50m.

The 50m mark over the sand has seen some snapper being caught as well as some nice sized blue-spot flatties.

Please remember your bag limit for the flathead as it is not hard at this time of year to get 10 per person.

Closer in along our

Salmon are still around and stealing baits meant for kingies.

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coastline, schools of kingfish are showing up and on the odd day there is a bruiser to bust you up as well. It is harder to find these fish with so many boats fishing in some of the areas nowadays.

My suggestion is to try the afternoon sessions after everyone has gone home. Most spots along the coast between Broken Bay and Long Reef will see lots of boats first thing in the morning but as the day wears on there are fewer boats to get annoyed with.

Newport Reef has been fishing well in recent times, but once again the limited area and lots of boats will make it a little bit harder to find that larger fish.

So as you can see this month it’s really worth getting out on the water to enjoy our great coastline and appreciate beautiful places like Pittwater and Broken Bay. If you don’t have a boat, give us a call on 0410 633 351 so we can organise a fishing charter tailored to suit your target species.

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

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Kingies are on the move NORTH SYDNEY

Luke Winser

In recent weeks both bream and blackfish have been super consistent everywhere we’ve been in the harbour. It’s the best season I’ve seen for at least 10 years.

Once again we’re seeing numbers of big bream over the 40cm mark.

Over the last nine trips we’ve done chasing these, there has been only one trip where we missed fish over 40cm.

The blackfish have been present on just about every ribbon weed bank we’ve been to in the harbour at the moment.

Surface schools of salmon and tailor have been reasonably consistent throughout the lower harbour and out to the heads. The kingfish are

Kingfish are moving to the front of the harbour.

Alex with a nice topwater salmon.

Annelie was stoked to catch her first black drummer.

still present in the upper harbour reaches, with a few solid fish amongst them around the metre mark, but they have been a bit picky around that full moon period.

The kings are starting to move down into the lower reaches now as they prepare to move offshore to spawn, and then there will possibly be a bit of a lull in the kingfish in the harbour around late November to early December before they return. The good news is that there has been a new school of smaller fish that have arrived, and they will stay in the harbour.

Wash fishing has been extremely good in recent weeks, with solid drummer, groper and bream in all of the washes around the lower end of the harbour.

• Fishing Sydney Tours takes pride in tailoring every trip to the customer’s preferred 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 or look up ‘Fishing Sydney Tours’ on Facebook.

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Sydney

NSW

Switching up the species SYD ROCK & BEACH

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com.au

Finally we are getting warmer days, and we should see more consistent higher water temps this month, especially from mid-November onwards.

This month you will notice a substantial change in species, as the winter ones start to depart and the summer species increase in number to take their

catching fewer salmon and trevally, and the summer species will be more the norm until June.

Here is my report for the rocks and beaches this month.

OCEAN ROCK FISHING It’s good to take a break from fishing for a specific species to give yourself a variety of fishing experiences. Sometimes it’s good to chase a species that you can catch more often, rather than one that’s

bream also migrating. You can expect trevally, salmon and tailor, and you will likely get smoked by kings as they are partial to a half pilchard, squid strip or even a big prawn bait.

Reddies up to 2kg, bream to 1.1kg and the occasional just-legal king are being landed on 8kg gear. You can go heavier if you like, but having that weight line gives you the opportunity to have fun with a decent snapper rather than a skull drag. Having said that, there are locations that have harsh ledges, bommies and the ocean topography is so sharp that it would not be practical to fish under 10-12kg gear. It’s about being practical.

There are a couple of outfits I recommend. For the spinning reel angler, I like the Daiwa Seabass 110MH 335cm 7-15kg, 2-piece rod, Daiwa 4000BG reel spooled with 20lb J-Braid Grand and 20-30lb Wilson FC Shock fluorocarbon leader. And for the

Alvey reel enthusiast, I recommend the Alvey Stealth 65S, Alvey 7kg Rock and Beach Special 62 rod, which would be suitable for line class up to 10kg, and Daiwa J-Thread Nylon 20-25lb. Sinkers can be from 00-3 ball, and hook size at least 2/0, preferably 3/0 (I use a Mustad 3/0 Red Baitholder 92668NPNR).

A 32cm snapper will scoff down a big bait with a 3/0 buried in it.

When it comes to bait and berley, I recommend bringing a 2kg bag of pilchards, a couple of loaves of bread, a handful or two of king prawns, and some squid. Chop up half of your pilchards into cubes and throw them into a 10-20L bucket with a clip seal lid. Then add the bread, add water to soak and get your hands in there and start mushing/combining.

For bait, I recommend cutting the squid into strips or using whole or peeled prawns. Fish a deep water wash and berley

Steve Frith with a feed of snapper and a token salmon. November is traditionally a good time for wash fishing for snapper, but be sure to monitor the water temperature because cooler temps will give you a poorer result.

A typical bag for November – trevally, snapper and bream. The transition period between cooler species, like trevally, to the warmer water species, like bream and snapper, is typical this month. place. For example, off the beaches one day the Australian salmon may be going nuts, and with a swell/wind change a fantastic run of whiting, or a nice mulloway in the evening will be running.

Another example off the rocks is that trevally and salmon will be mixed in with the snapper and bream, then suddenly kings and even early season bonito might be thrown in.

As we progress into next month, especially late December, you will be

a waiting game with fewer results per outing, albeit with a utopia moment when it finally happens. Or perhaps you’re just after a change of pace or a feed.

Snapper fishing off the rocks can have that whole package. It keeps you busy, you get a great feed of fish, great sport, the opportunity to catch a broad variety of by-catch, and perhaps even catch that utopia fish of a lifetime as well.

This month will see more snapper off the deeper rock headlands with quality

SEASON

7

An 85cm king which inhaled an XL sea gar on a set of four gang hooks.

You can fish lighter, 8-15kg gear, but 24kg or heavier is recommended because this month you may encounter a monster king.

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Every Saturday 5.00pm on 54

NOVEMBER 2020

consistently. You may even encounter a fat rock blackfish in close on the wall, or a groper, especially on the prawn bait. The odd luderick is caught as well on prawn baits. So much variety when wash fishing for a red!

On the heavier 15-37kg outfits, kings to 6kg have been caught by some of the locals, with one sizeable fish of near 10kg smashing a Shore Spartan Rough Ride 140mm topwater stickbait. I was told it was in the dekanago colour.

The evergreen sea garfish ganged is a reliable way to catch kings, but getting the sea gars can be a problem at times. Some good tackle shops have them. When using gars you should spin them like a lure in a jigging motion, sweeping motion or just a plain old cast and retrieve.

Big pigs are still being caught so if you’re not having a lot of success on the king or snapper front, have a go for a big fat medicine ball pig. You can catch them on prawns or even big cabbage weed baits suspended under a float at a

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variable depth, depending on where your fishing. Pigs like the shallow washy zone in amongst boulders and submerged ledges.

Spots to try are The Hat near the Artillery Museum at Manly down the end of the Quarantine wall, Bluefish east front also at Manly, south and north Curl Curl and Dee Why rocks about 250m east of the swimming pool.

OCEAN BEACH FISHING I find that before the bream come on in big numbers from the ocean rocks, they often hit the beaches first. Some locals are catching between three and six fish per outing.

Unlike whiting fishing

fishing off the beach. You may not know that bream can bite at any time of day when conditions are right – for example, when the water is discoloured from rain run-off, when there’s kelp, or when there is a consistent cover of white water on the edges of your beach hole. You can also get good results bream fishing at night. You’ll want to be mobile, so bring a carry bag, bait container and belt.

Store your accessories in the carry bag – items such as spare rigs and terminal tackle, scissors, cloth and bait. Good baits include half pilchards, mullet, tailor strips and river prawns. If you have the opportunity to gather some pipis they

Sydney

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Sydney

The whiting will be even more active this month, with bags of fish ranging from a few to a bag limit, and big whiting may be part of your bag.

North Narrabeen Beach is a great spot for big whiting. I catch whiting up to 42-45cm every year from this beach. Another beach which you may not have considered is Manly Beach.

The swimmers, surfers and revellers may outnumber the fish but the whiting and bream don’t seem to mind too much. Both of these beaches are producing salmon, as well as tailor in the evenings, early morning and just before dark as well.

This month you should also definitely try for a

A great bag of whiting caught by the author and his mate at Dee Why Beach. you don’t need to have live worms although beachworms are a great bream bait too. I have noticed that most of the anglers fishing from the beach for a bream sit in the same beach hole and rarely move, even when the bream have gone off the bite.

There’s a number of reasons why they go off the bite, the most common being that the tide has become too full in their rather large beach hole. This causes the bream to either move to another section of the hole/sandbar or, if the beach hole is just too flooded, they will abandon it entirely. In this situation it pays to move to another hole.

If you are a regular reader of my column you’ll know I mention moving from gutter to gutter when whiting fishing. This also applies when you’re bream

work really well too.

Your beach whiting outfit would be perfect for beach bream fishing – a 3-5kg, 10-12ft rod, 550-600 size Alvey or 3000 size spin reel, 3.6-5kg line and 10-12lb fluorocarbon leader. The hook size for bream fishing is a little larger than for whiting; a 1/0 will suffice, or and even 2/0 (I use Mustad 92554 and 92247 hooks).

When breaming off the beach, be systematic about it. The large beach holes can be fished at low tide as there is more than ample depth. The next depth hole – say, 1.5m or slightly less – is preferably fished around after the third hour of run-in. Shallow holes or parallel gutters with a depth of only a metre or less can be fished on the fifth hour of the run-in, and the top of the high tide period.

mulloway. In November you don’t get hammered by dusky whaler sharks like you do later in the season.

If you have just taken up fishing you have picked a sensational time of year to learn. I suggest that you pick out pieces of info from the great writers in this magazine. When picking out info, choose the species you want to go for, the type of fishing you want to do and purchase the right outfit. Steer away from an all-purpose rod/reel set-up, because you will often find that it doesn’t suit the type of fishing you want to do in the long run.

• 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.

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What makes a good spot?

SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

“Where’s the best spot to fish in the Southern Sydney area?” is something that I get asked a lot. As far as I am concerned though there is no ‘best spot’ when it comes to fishing. What there is though is plenty of spots that you can go and wet a line and be in with a good chance of getting a few fish.

So, what dictates what a good fishing spot is?

Is it how many fish you can catch there? Is it the ease of access? Is it a secluded place that not many other

Hacking and while there I noticed a very large school of bully and sand mullet in less than a metre of water. After a short discussion with a mate of mine we ventured down the following afternoon and caught a number of large sand mullet, luderick and bream.

I quite often check out this particular boat ramp where you see the usual few small bream, luderick and mullet, but I have never seen such a large school of fish.

Coming back the following afternoon to have another go, they were gone.

So, does catching these fish indicate that it’s a good spot to fish? Maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t. There

cork and bread or small pieces of prawn would be ideal, or you could use small surface poppers or lightly weighted soft plastics. It’s a great place to fish when the wind is from the north.

The southern areas of Sydney have so many spots where you can go and have a fish. It’s just a matter of deciding on what species of fish that you want to target, working out the best time to fish it and making sure that you have got the right gear. Just be sure to do some research before you go, because if you don’t you’ll find that you will spend a lot of wasted time trying to find that special spot you are after.

Roland from All at Sea Charters with a couple of pansized snapper that were caught on a recent outing. anglers can get to? Is it a particular GPS mark?

No! As an example, I was checking out how they were going with the upgrading of a boat ramp in the Port

are a number of important aspects that make it a good spot to fish. You can park right near the water’s edge.

It’s best fished an hour either side of the top of the tide.

Using a very small bobby

baths at Gunnamatta and Gymea Bay, Deeban spit, Maianbar, Audley Weir, the Bonnet Bay boat ramp, Prince Alfred Park and the old Woronora Bridge are all great places to take the kids for a fish. They are all within easy access, not far to walk to and even though you may not catch the fish of a lifetime, you will always be in with a chance of catching something. One small thing to remember when fishing these spots is to always have some kind of berley.

By now the boat and foot traffic will have increased in Botany Bay as the bream, flathead, whiting and trevally will be on the chew.

You should also see the numbers of kingfish, bonito and salmon increase in the coming months. Trolling lures while moving from spot to spot would be a great option, as you may pick up a fish or two.

If you are land-based you could try Bare Island for squid, bream, trevally, luderick and kingfish on a rising tide and either early in the morning or just before the sun sets. The Cooks River break wall will be another very popular spot to cast a line and it’s not far to walk when you have parked your car.

Another easily accessible spot to fish is the stretch of beach that runs from Brighton to Dolls Point. You can either fish here with bait or try using those new soft plastics that you have just brought. My favourite bait to use from here are either

You don’t always get big fish when fishing off the rocks at Cronulla or Jibbon. This was the only one the author caught even though he had a nice berley trail going. It was released to grow bigger for next time. beach or tube worms. Pink nippers are also a great bait.

Macs Bait Bar at Blakehurst will have all three.

If you are after a few flathead, whiting, bream, mulloway and mullet while fishing out of your boat in the Georges River you could

Another example would be fishing off one of the number of wharfs that are found on the southern area – places like the northern side of the Captain Cooks and Tom Uglys bridges. The

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One of Scotty Lyons’ customers with a couple of large squid that were caught while fishing in Yarra Bay and near Bare Island.

try Kangaroo Point, Oatley and Oyster bays, the Como bridge, Lugarno, Picnic Point, Alfords Point Bridge, the entrance to Salt Pan Creek and Kelso Park.

The Port Hacking River may be a clear waterway and at times can be a bit hard to fish. Most of the time all you need to do is fish as light as the conditions will allow and make sure that you berley when you are bait fishing while anchored in your boat.

Chicken pellets mixed with squashed up pilchards would have to be my favourite.

Bream, trevally, whiting, flathead, mullet, kingfish, luderick, garfish, leatherjackets and snapper can be found in the Port Hacking River. If you are fishing from a boat you will need to be prepared to move about to find the fish. I don’t drift too much when fishing in the Port Hacking. But if you are after squid and flathead this is a great option.

Try drifting the main channel while staying out of the way of other boats.

If fishing off the beach is more your scene, I would try the beach from Wanda and around to the rocks at Boat Harbour. Whole and half pilchard are the best baits for salmon and tailor, while live beach worms are the go for the bream, whiting and dart that can be found here.

Remember to keep those photos and reports coming to gbrown1@iprimus.com.au.

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NSW

Watch out for the strong winds BALLINA

Joe Allan

The beaches along South Ballina can produce some amazing whiting fishing this time of year. Scout the beach a few days before the bigger tides and head out at night with live worms and pipis. The pipi numbers will start to increase as the water warms up. Watch out though, if the northerly is

big metal slugs or pint skirted lures. If you find a bait school, get your slugs and start casting because this action can be crazy with fish often coming cast after cast while you’re on the school.

There are still a fair few snapper around the Lennox Point, Riordans Reef and Black Head. The later can be a little hit and miss though.

There are a lot of smaller fish, however these are still great eating and can provide some

Whiting in the lower reaches of the Richmond firing on small surface lures.

The best lures to try are the Bassday Sugar Pen 70s in a variety of different colours depending on water clarity and sunlight. The most popular though are the C95(orange), MB16(clear with pink stripes) and C137(banana prawn). Get these walking as fast as you can over the weed or sand flats, until you find a concentration of fish. Then keep going as they can be in big numbers together. Be prepared to hook a few things as by-catch, like small trevally, bream and very hungry flathead.

When there is water moving over these flats, the fish know it’s time to feed. A good little trick is to change the rear trebles out for the Atomic Assist hooks in size 10. This

will help increase your hook up rate when the fish are not as committed.

Flathead are well and truly on the bite in the middle reaches of the river around Pimlico Island and right through up to Woodburn. If you’re bait fishing, get some white pilchards (salted keeps the flesh harder), fresh prawns and live poddy mullet. If you’re into throwing lures or trolling them behind the boat, this can be some of the best time of year for this type of fishing. Get as bright a lure as you can, flathead can’t seem to get enough of these fluoro things.

Bass seem to be fairly spread throughout the freshwater reaches of the system. I’ve heard good reports of fish up as far as Woodlawn on the Wilson

Anthony Melchior with a solid bream off a rock wall close to town. arm and around Casino in the Richmond arm. In a recent meet of the North Coast Bream and Bass Club it took over 2.5kg for the two biggest fish to take out the day. Now that’s some solid fish!

Moving baits, like spinnerbaits and mid running

crankbaits, seem to account for most of the fish but as the water heats up the jig bite will start to improve.

There are a few reports of crabs showing up already and by the time this goes to print they should be around in good numbers.

Thumper fish for bottom bouncers YAMBA

Mick Leavey

Adrian Melchior with a beautiful estuary perch from a rock wall in the lower reaches of the river. blowing the blue bottles will be out in numbers and, while not deadly, they will pack a punch and are very uncomfortable.

Offshore, the close in reefs have been producing a few tuna, bonito and horse mackerel of late. The best way to target these fish are trolling

good fun on light gear.

As the water starts to really warm up, the mahimahi will become very hungry and be around in solid numbers.

Best spots to check are the FADS and the Wave Buoy.

Further afield there have still been some nice pearl perch and kingfish.

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The fishing has been really good offshore in recent weeks, with solid snapper to 6kg. It’s a similar story with the pearl perch, with one customer coming in with some absolute thumpers to 4kg.

Most anglers still use paternoster rigs with pillies or squid, sometimes setting out an additional outfit with a running sinker rig with a smaller sinker to sit higher up in the water column. You can sometimes pick up mackerel this way, although it’s still a bit early for them. If you like chasing snapper on soft plastics, it can be a smart idea to drop down a kabura sliding skirted jig at the same time. Kabura jigs, such as the Daiwa Kohga Bay Rubber, don’t need any action imparted by the angler – you just stick the rod in the holder, and the boat’s action will cause the jig’s skirt to pulse and waft.

I like to set one in the rod holder, then go up the front and

flick plastics, and wait for the ratchet to go off.

At Lake Wooloweyah there’s good whiting surface action at the moment. One of the most popular lures for this is the Fish Craft Snoop Pop, but there’s a range of others that will work too. Bait fishers are also catching plenty of whiting on yabbies.

School-size mulloway are available too off Middle Wall and Collis Wall, taking plastics, blades and soft vibes.

Soft vibes are also accounting for some flathead. There are a few good size flatties getting around at the moment; a friend of mine recently caught a metre fish from the Clarence that weighed close to 7kg.

Both blue swimmer and mud crabs are starting to move as well, so it’s worth throwing a few traps in.

THE MONTH AHEAD November is when the mangrove jacks start to become more active.

Although they’re considered a by-catch by most local anglers, if you put the time

Michael was happy with his first catch of many on a trip aboard Reel Time. in with lures and plastics you can catch these sportfish more consistently in November and December.

It’s a nice time of year to get out on the headlands and chase mulloway off the ocean

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Young Blaze, 12 yo, with a huge flathead taken with Reel Time Fishing Charters.

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Bass anglers have been doing well up the Esk River, Shark Creek and Cold Stream, using surface lures like the Tiemco Soft Shell Cicada. When fishing for bass in brackish water you may hook the occasional jack, and who knows – you may even be lucky enough to land it.

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NSW

Spring snapper slurping softies COFFS HARBOUR

Dayne Taylor

November is the peak of springtime fishing and is usually a great time to wet a line on the Coffs Coast. There are perfect daytime temperatures, and the fishing in our estuary systems really starts to heat up.

There has been a massive increase in Aussie families spending time adventuring and exploring their own backyard in 2020, and Coffs Harbour has plenty to offer for

the whole family when it comes to fishing. Whiting and bream are plentiful in the beach gutters and throughout the sand flats on the lower reaches of the rivers. Topwater lures such as the OSP Bent Minnow and Bassday Sugapen are great choices for anglers of all skill levels to try to tempt a whiting on the flats. Long casts across and a quick, steady retrieve will entice an aggressive bite from these feisty little fish.

Alternatively, you can’t beat well-presented unweighted pink nipper (yabby) drifted along in the

ROCKS Marine

current on a red no. 1 worm hook. You will pick up a heap of welcome by-catch such as flathead and bream doing this, making for a tasty mixed bag of fish for dinner.

With the water temps rising every day the crab activity will also increase.

A collection of filleted fish frames or a whole mullet cut into halves makes for great bait, and you can have hours of fun chasing muddies and blue swimmer crabs with the family and your friends. And let’s be real, you would be hard pressed to find anything better to do on these warm afternoons than sitting back with a cold beverage and busting into an nice cold mud crab!

The odd steamy hot day and stormy afternoons make for ideal conditions to chase a few mangrove

jack and giant trevally up our creeks and rivers. Live baits are hands down the most effective way to get a result, followed by lures.

It can take a while to have success on a lure, but all that time spent peppering a snag or rock bar is forgotten when that 50cm red beast slides into your net. The Berkley PowerBait Hollow Belly rigged weedless and Jackall Squirrel usually get me the results I’m after, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try different lures or techniques.

Further upstream the bass are going bananas for topwater lures. Cicadas are buzzing in the trees at this time of year, so cicada imitations are the go. They are hard for any bass to refuse when presented up in the shade of an overhanging tree at any time of the day.

The Taylor family enjoyed a bit of family fishing time out on the river.

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Joel Sorensen with a quality snapper taken on a Berkley Gulp Nemesis.

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Once your lure lands, let it sit still for 10 seconds, then give it a little jiggle, trying not to move it too far, followed by another pause. If this does not get a bite, retrieve, and repeat.

It is a simple and effective method, and it works great on both bream and bass at this time of the year up above the gravel beds towards the fresh water.

We recently had a cracking session in the middle of the day using reaction-style baits such as chatterbaits and spinnerbaits, as well as skirted jigs pitched in around snags and structure.

Nothing huge hit the brag mat but a heap of fish in the 35-45cm range were on offer.

Offshore, the deeper reefs in the 30-60m range have been the more productive for bottom fish such as snapper, pearl

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perch and teraglin. A mixed offering of both pilchards and squid on a paternoster rig are sure to produce the goods. If you can collect some fresh baits such as bonito, mullet and even slimy mackerel, these also make excellent strip baits for reef fishing.

In a little closer and

shallower (15-30m reefs) I have found a single small ball sinker and a single hook with a nice fresh slab of bait drifted down is accounting for some very nice snapper. If lure fishing is more your scene, slow pitch metal jigs are working very well on these deeper fish. Another great option

is a heavily weighted curly-tail type soft plastic such as the Berkley Gulp Nemesis or Jigging Shrimp dropped to fish holding near the bottom.

In shallow the snapper are still actively taking an array of well-presented soft plastics like the jerkbait profiles and smaller paddle-

Josh Grayson was visiting from Western Sydney and managed this nice pan-sized snapper on a Gulp Jerk Shad in shallow water.

Dale Johnson with a Macleay River bass caught on a Jackall Charablade.

FISHING NEWS

National support for bushfire impacted aquatic habitat

Landcare Australia joins with national fishing conservation charity OzFish Unlimited and Native Fish Australia (Victoria) to support bushfire impacted aquatic habitat in Queensland, Victoria and NSW. A Bushfire Recovery program will support initiatives to restore habitat for ten national priority threatened aquatic species in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales.

The Landcare Australia Aquatic Wildlife Habitat Bushfire Program is funded by the Australian Government and will deliver support for on-ground activities with local community groups, OzFish chapters, the endangered native fish hatchery run

by Native Fish Australia (Victoria) and landowners across 17 bushfire affected areas.

The funding will provide on-ground bushfire recovery actions for ten threatened aquatic animals, including six fish species, three species of spiny crayfish and the Manning River helmeted turtle.

Landcare Australia CEO Dr. Shane Norrish recognised the Australian Government’s support for aquatic wildlife bushfire recovery, and how the program will bring together local community groups, OzFish Chapters and landowners with important on-ground bushfire restoration activities.

Dr Norrish said,

“Since the Black Summer Bushfires, Landcare Australia has provided funding to 86 community Landcare and environment group projects, made possible by our corporate partners and donors, to help with the restoration of wildlife habitats in bushfire impacted areas.

“Now, with the support of the Australia Government, we can focus on aquatic wildlife and their habitats with projects that will support a fish recovery program, erosion control, weed management, revegetation and citizen science monitoring.”

OzFish Unlimited and Native Fish Australia (Victoria) have commenced working with local OzFish Chapters, landowners and managers after recreational anglers felt the impact of the early 2020 fires, not only on their local communities, but on the waterways they love.

OzFish Unlimited CEO, Craig Copeland said: ‘Recreational anglers in fire impacted areas were reporting the devastation to OzFish. We were receiving daily reports of water quality resembling sludge, complete losses of riverbank vegetation, dying fish, some in areas with threatened species.

‘In response to the fires, OzFishers around Australia have taken up the mammoth task of focusing on their local waterway recovery. This initiative will see our army of recreational fishing volunteers roll up their sleeves to reverse the severe impact the fires have had on their local waterways,’ said Mr Copeland.

Native Fish Australia (Victoria) is eager to support fish recovery with their restocking efforts of endangered fish to benefit restoration of local aquatic biodiversity. In collaboration with Landcare Australia, NFA will collect mature Macquarie Perch to be used in a breeding program for the species.

These broodfish will be taken to the NFA (Vic) Endangered native fish hatchery located at La Trobe University, to produce Macquarie Perch fry. The fry produced will be grown in the hatchery until they reach a suitable size, and then released into the Buffalo River in North East Victoria once the habitat has sufficiently recovered.

Macquarie Perch from the Yarra River population will be used in the breeding program due to their genetic robustness and suitability to be stocked across their previous natural range. President of Native Fish Australia, Tim Curmi said: “Habitat restoration and targeted native fish reintroductions are key to the survival of native species in these bushfire impacted regions and it’s really encouraging for people to know they have access to support to get their projects off the ground which benefit, not only the natural environment, but the whole community.”

The Landcare Australia Aquatic Wildlife Habitat Bushfire Program is funded by the Australian Government’s Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery program.

– NEWSCAST

tail plastics. The ideal size jighead is 1/6-1/4oz, which will help to keep the lure in the water column for longer to entice that bite.

On the kingfish scene there have been some nice fish taken on both topwater lures and jigs, as well as live and dead baits dropped

to marked fish around that 60m mark. The lighthouse is an obvious choice for trying your luck at a bit of topwater action early in the morning and late in the afternoon, and 80-120mm size stickbaits with quality hardware are a must. These fish fight dirty when hooked

and there is nothing worse than losing a $50+ lure in the reef, or losing the fish of a lifetime, due to dodgy terminal tackle or light leader and braided line.

Until next month, cast like there is no tomorrow and retrieve like you have all the time in the world.

NOVEMBER 2020

61

NSW

Where and how to fish this sunny season THE HASTINGS

Mark Saxon castawayestuarycharters@bigpond.com

The fishing in the Port Macquarie region has been good over the past month, and if the weather stays like it has been, November is going to be even better. This month there will be plenty of options for anglers fishing the Hastings River. Let’s look at them.

Whiting will be a target for those who like fishing the shallow flats, and there are plenty of areas worth looking at. Down the front we have

Pelican Island, and both sides of this produce whiting. The weed beds in the back channel can be fun. Limeburners Creek from the bridge up does hold good numbers of whiting at times and is worth further exploration, as does Big Bay out the front.

Further upriver you come to Blackmans Point and the mouth of the Maria River, and there are lots of sand flats worth casting through.

We have discussed the where, now comes the how to.

My favourite way to catch these fish is casting surface lures that imitate a skipping prawn. Anglers that prefer to

soak a bait should pump some nippers as they are a favourite bait, and if you’re fishing Blackmans Point this is a great area to get them.

Bream have moved back through the system and are now a good target for surface lures and diving crankbaits.

Soft plastics still take their share but a well-placed prawn or cicada imitation will be a lot of fun.

Flathead is a real go-to species this month, with some really big fish around. For those wanting the big fish experience try using some of the bigger surface lures in the shallows, like Bent Minnows

Tony Blythe finally cracked his first mulloway on a lure.

Once again, many techniques will work such as soft plastics, soft vibes, hardbodies and they all have their day so mix it up.

Look for bait on the sounder and you are in with a real chance. There has been plenty of bait in the system as well as small tailor, and the fish that we have caught recently have all been in in excellent

condition.

The bass fishing has been good in the Wilson and Maria rivers, and should by now be up in the upper creeks. This season so far we have been catching them on suspending divers which has been fun, but as always we start with surface lures and this has been getting us bass and bream around the

fallen timber. Recently it was good to see one of my regular bass fishing clients get some decent-sized estuary perch in the Maria system.

We are looking forward to cicadas hopefully making an appearance this season, because if they do the aforementioned areas will be hotspots for our bronzed friends.

Mandy Saxon is hooked on Bent Minnows and big flatties.

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or one of the larger Sugapens.

Also getting their share of big flatties are swimbaits and the bigger 9” soft plastics.

For those anglers chasing a feed for the table, 3-4” plastics cast and retrieved around the edges of weed beds and shallow drop-offs will get you into some action. You may have to sort through a few smaller models while doing this but every now and then a real thumper will come along.

Mulloway have remained reasonable in the Hastings and anywhere from the break walls to the deeper holes upriver and in the Maria will be possibilities to find a silver.

James with a top bream on a 3” grub.

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Chris got this good mulloway on a hardbody in the upper Hastings.

NSW

Great time for a trophy flathead FORSTER

Luke Austin

The Forster/Tuncurry area starts to feel very summery once November hits. Most days are warm, consisting of nice still mornings followed by cool northeasterly winds

go at chasing these bigger fish please be mindful of sustainable fishing practices.

Chances are you will catch a lot of fish well up over the 70cm mark so please do the right thing as these big fish are incredibly important to the fishing generations of the future.

the flats casting small stickbaits and poppers (up to 120mm) is amazing fun.

The fish in these areas are in full hunt mode, and they belt lures incredibly hard which makes it one of the best forms of fishing you can do in this area. There have been some great reports of double-

is increasing daily. Bream, whiting, dart and flathead have all been caught regularly now by anglers soaking good old beachworms and pipis in likely looking gutters.

The early risers are still managing to land some nice tailor down at 7 Mile Beach and Cellito but the bite time is very short. Getting there early enough to fish at daybreak is an absolute must.

This month is a very dynamic period on our local rock ledges where anything is possible. At the moment the water temperature is still a little on the cool side which is great for chasing species like drummer and bream, and tossing baits of cunje or crab is a sure-fire way of finding some nice fish. Tailor have also been hanging about the washes in good numbers lately with some great fish coming from Booti Booti, Elizabeth Beach and the back of North One Mile Beach.

Offshore fishing can be a bit of a lucky dip this month. While we are often

Walter Scifleet with a cracking shallow water flathead. hammered by annoying northeast winds, we nearly always see the first lick of nice warm water make its way down the coast possibly delivering all sorts of pelagic goodies. On the

If things get too breezy offshore you can always have a go at the mulloway and kingfish closer to home. in the afternoon. While this weather pattern can be frustrating for offshore anglers it is absolutely perfect for hunting the shallow estuary in search of some trophy flathead or a feed of bream and whiting.

Flathead are being caught throughout the system now with a lot of fish sitting up around Wallis Island and The Cut. Unfortunately there are a lot of smaller fish in the schools at the moment however you will find the odd 45-55cm fish among them if you fish through the numbers. By far the easiest way of getting among these fish is to drift along (or use your electric motor) a weed edge or sand drop-off while tossing lures about.

Soft plastics, soft vibes and metal vibes will all work a treat and it’s a good idea to mix things up a bit until you figure out which lure type is working the best on the day.

This month is a really good month to try your luck at hooking into a trophy flathead. Throwing 100-250mm lures (swimbaits, glidebaits, soft plastics, Bent Minnows etc.) over shallow weed beds and sand flats is a very successful technique and it is growing in popularity among anglers.

It’s amazing how many fish will rise up off the bottom to belt a big surface/sub-surface offering, and quite often the flathead won’t be much bigger than the lure! If you do decide to have a

The same shallow areas have really come to life over the past couple of weeks.

Increased baitfish and crustacean activity translates into increased predator activity as whiting and bream (and flathead of course) get up in the warm, ankle-deep water chasing down prawns, shrimp, worms, crabs and baitfish. Drifting or wading

digit sessions coming from the area up around Lani’s and Wallis Island, with some absolutely monstrous sand whiting being landed. The biggest I’ve heard of so far went 48cm!

Our local beaches can be an absolute delight to fish in November. Temperatures are warming up nicely and fish activity along our coastline

November is big lizard time! Brennan Perry caught an absolute ripper.

days that boats have been able to get out things have been fairly consistent with some great snapper, teraglin and pearl perch coming in from those reefs to the north in 35-50m. The reefs down off Boomerang Beach have also been producing some really nice teraglin and pearl perch in 65-80m. We often see some really good shallow water snapper action towards the end of this month where anglers run into quality fish in all sorts of places such as the break walls, North One Mile and the bait grounds off Pebbly Beach.

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65

NSW

Estuary action fires up PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

Right now, Port Stephens is alive with great fishing opportunities regardless of whether you’re fishing off the rocks, the beach, estuary or offshore.

and islands around Soldiers Point through to Tea Gardens Bridge, and if the surface fishing is slow swap over to small hardbodied crankbaits or lightly weighted plastics.

Mulloway continue to be caught around the bridges at Karuah as well as the deeper water around Soldiers Point

simple and it’s not often you miss out when fishing the gutters with long shank hooks and live worms on a high tide.

Fishing this way, you will inevitably pick up welcome array of by-catch, including bream, tailor, dart, salmon and even the odd mulloway, which have a real taste for a live beach worm.

Speaking of mulloway, the beaches are well worth your while dedicating some time into this month, as November is typically a good time to catch them from the sand.

OFFSHORE Out wide it’s well worth a shot at an early season striped marlin along the shelf so keep an eye on the sea surface charts

Quality sand whiting will fire this month.

The mud crabs are on!

The estuary is on fire with flathead spread from the Karuah River all the way down to the mouth of the bay.

The biggest mistake anglers fishing Port Stephens make with dusky flathead is fishing too deep. Port Stephens is a shallow water flathead fishery and if you can’t hit the shoreline with a cast you are probably too far out.

The other key is covering ground, and never putting your cast in the same place twice. Casting and retrieving a lure or slow rolling a whole pilchard or whitebait is the most effective method to catch them. Look for areas around on the high tide such as intertidal mud flats, small drains and mouths of feeder creeks or anywhere where sand or mud meets rock and weed.

Surface fishing has really fired up this month, with whiting smacking poppers along the flats near Taylors Beach, Tahlee and Pindimar flats, and this will only get better over the coming months. Bream have started to chew on the top, with early morning and late afternoon being the best bite windows. Fish the structure

Port Stephens Estuary Charters

and Anchorage or Nelson Bay rock walls. If you after a feed of crabs, both muddies and blue swimmers have been in good numbers around Tilligerry, Oyster Cove and the Karuah.

While the blue swimmers are generally caught out in the open, muddies prefer those smaller feeder creeks, many of which can only be accessed on the high tide.

ROCKS Signs have now been installed on almost all the access points to rock fishing ledges, letting anglers know that it is now compulsory in Port Stephens to wear a lifejacket when fishing the rocks. It’s a good time of year to cast metals and stickbaits for tailor, salmon and bonito.

These smaller pelagics make for some great fun, especially on light gear. The best places to spin for them are Tomaree, Box Beach, Fingal Head and Sunny Corner.

BEACHES The next couple of months are the peak times to target whiting from the beaches, with most ocean beaches holding quality elbow slappers to 40cm. The recipe for whiting success is very

7 Contact Paul Lennon :043437068 il.com email: paul.lennon.fishing@gma

rs

fishportstephensestuarycharte @fish_portstephens

66

Prawn runs are piling on SWANSEA

Jason Nunn

One of the highlights for anglers this month will be the prawn run. There was a great run in October, and it will repeat in November. The run starts seven to 10 days after the full moon, and lasts for around seven to eight days. All you need is a head torch and prawn scoop, and set out at night on a run-out tide to grab a bucketful.

This month we can also expect to see whiting numbers increase in Lake Macquarie.

We’re already seeing some great whiting to 40cm being caught, and live tube worms are the best bait.

Surface lures are also

ens estuary system the beautiful Port Steph signed g charter that can be de with a calm water fishin family bait fishing to to suit your needs from hing anglers. hardcore lure and fly fis

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Some monster bream will be eager to take a surface lure in November.

for any patches of good water.

Mahimahi are another species that should start appearing in good numbers, especially on the offshore FADs, and the early season ones are generally the best quality of the year.

As they say, the early bird gets the worm, when it comes to fishing the FADs, and a wide range of methods are effective, from trolling to casting lures to dropping cut and live baits down.

working well on the whiting at present. Jackson Ebi Panics and Sugapens are producing the best results on the flats.

There are currently good numbers of bream through the channel, however most of them are only school size (25-28cm), which is typical of this time of year. You can catch them on small 35-40mm crankbaits.

If you want to catch a better class of bream this month you’ll need to go into the lake and fish in the evening, and you will have to work for them.

Oily baits are the go, such as half pillies.

Flathead are starting to move back into the shallow water, and anglers have been picking up some very big specimens up to 90cm on big surface lures and soft plastics.

All the big girls are getting released, which is great to see.

If you’re using soft plastics, I recommend a 6” paddle-tail rigged weedless. The biggest tip for targeting flathead in the shallows is to slow roll your plastic along the bottom, give the occasional pause, and maybe a very slight lift.

When you’re in deep water it’s obviously a different story, requiring you to lift vertically, but when you’re casting out in 3-4m of water you’ll be retrieving your lure along a level platform. Remember that if your tempo is too quick, your lure is not close enough to the bottom.

In the deep there’s still the odd tailor around, but mulloway

Tackle World staff member Sean Griffith with a nice flatty caught at Wangi on a 4” Berkley Jerkshad in pumpkin seed. are the bigger drawcard. Their run has continued on from September with fish ranging from around 60cm right up to 1.1m. This mix of large and small fish is exactly what we want to see, because it bodes well for the future of the fishery.

A lot of the mulloway have been taken on vibes, such as the Zerek Fish Trap and Samaki Vibelicious. If you’re using a paddle tail or grub tail, work the lure with a nice slow lift, with half a roll to retrieve the slack, and let it sink. If you’re using a fork tail, you need a double lift to impart the required action.

The best lure colours seem to be natural ones, such

as motor oil or whitebait imitations. At night, dark colours have been working best, providing a distinct silhouette for the fish to home in on.

Moving offshore, the water temperature has fluctuated in recent weeks, which has affected the fishing (less so in the deeper areas).

However, the temps are now moving up around 18°C or better, which will make the fishing more consistent.

Further wide we’re seeing a few snapper in around 100m of water at The Farm, while down south towards Texas anglers are still catching a few kings and longfin perch.

To page 67

NSW

Flathead out in force before the summer hits CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

Technically speaking, it may not quite be summer yet, but this month normally provides just as much warmth and angling action

theoretically means we are in for an excellent prawning season, but that also depends what the weather throws at us as we move into summer.

Rains are always welcome, but we don’t want too much either. The usual prawning areas around The Entrance,

the bridge and further inside the lake around the islands, channels and weed beds. It would be impossible to beat a live prawn as flathead bait, but regardless of the bait or lure used, a good strategy is to concentrate your efforts along the edges of the channels and

hit lures this month at The Entrance, but other good spots around the coast for these fish are all the shallow sandy flats

school-size tailor swimming in the surf zone as we move towards summer. Bream and mulloway are also quite likely

should be worth a shot for these species, but there’s still a reasonable chance of hooking into a few salmon,

Typical school-size tailor around 30-40cm are reasonably common along the beaches as we move into summer.

The author with perhaps the best eating size flathead, around the 50cm mark. The Entrance should have plenty of these this month, but you may also have to sift through smaller flathead first. Make sure your keepers are legal size because The Entrance is a hot spot for fisheries officers. as the following few months.

So let’s take a closer look at what may be on offer in the coming weeks.

All going well, prawns should be in abundance, particularly around the dark or new moon period. Good rainfall throughout the year From page 66

Most have been caught on squid or pillies on paternoster rigs, with just enough weight to hold bottom. Bear in mind that there have been quite a few leatherjackets around, and if you see a big, low patch of clutter on the sounder it’s probably them. If they become a problem, don’t stick around – just move to the next spot.

A few yellowfin tuna are still being caught, with specimens up to 37kg being taken recently. We’re starting to see marlin turning up off

Canton Beach and Elizabeth Bay should all be worth a shot, providing conditions are favourable and there’s not too much weed growing.

Aside from prawns, flathead should also be out in full force around The Entrance, right from the mouth, back to

weed beds. By that I mean cast your offering close to the edge of the weed or right near where a deeper channel rises up to a shallow sand flat. These edges are where the majority of flathead will be found.

Whiting and bream will also be keen to take baits or

around the lakes and Brisbane Waters. Generally speaking, the warmer the weather, the shallower these fish will be found. So don’t worry too much about the deeper holes or channels. Try to look for sandy patches between the weeds, rather than big open expanses of sand without any weed around. Fish in our waterways love a mix of sand and weed, not too much of one or the other though.

SURF OPTIONS Whiting should also be picking up along the beaches this month and it’s common to find a few average or

the shelf off Swansea too.

Inshore fishing has been a little quiet because of the fluctuating water temperature, but this month it should start to gradually improve. We can expect a few kings, a few trevally and flathead on the inshore reefs, and when the water gets to around 19°C the action will ramp up. This will bring the bonito on as well.

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to be caught in the coming weeks and as always it’s best to target mulloway around sunset and into the night.

However, it’s also not at all uncommon for quite cold currents to move in along our

bream, tailor, trevally or groper.

Offshore fishing can still remain a bit patchy at this time of year, but it’s definitely on the improve. Once again, currents and temperature have

Whiting should be moving up into the sandy shallows and along the surf zone this month. part of the coast at this time of year. Average ocean temps for November would normally be around 18-20°C, but if it dips down to 15°C you may struggle to catch much at all or perhaps a few salmon.

It’s worth being mindful of the temperature factor if surf fishing isn’t going your way.

Of course, ocean currents also influence fishing along the rocks. In November, I normally stick to traditional cool water bait fishing targets like drummer and luderick. All our popular rock fishing venues, from Catherine Hill Bay to Norah Head and down Avoca way,

a major impact on results.

Ideally, a nice trickle from the north with 18-21°C showing on the sounder should be good. Depending on the day though, don’t be too surprised to find it’s running ‘uphill’ and only 15°C. All going well, a mix of reds, trevally and morwong are likely to provide some bottom bouncing action. Up towards the surface and closer to shore you’ll probably find salmon and rat kingfish around. If you do end up getting into a patch of kings, be sure to put them on the measuring stick because undersized fish are very common in November.

Patrick Nunn with a solid yellowfin tuna.

If you want to catch a big bream at this time of year, you have to work for it. This quality 1.7kg fish was caught by John Frith.

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67

NSW

Flathead are bucking the season’s trend ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke

In the Illawarra we are not blessed with a great river that runs for a hundred kilometres, starting in the far off mountain gorges, to meander down through to the flood plains and eventually into the ocean.

No, we have Minnamurra rivulet with its 2km of shallow navigable water you can almost throw a rock across, and the lake with a few little creeks running into it.

So while we are not blessed with diverse fishing opportunities on a massive scale, these two waterways still provide us with some great opportunities, and for the next five to six months they will fire, starting right now.

Flatties are the main target. Bucking the trend of most waterways, they seem to be getting bigger and more numerous each year.

Last year was a phenomenal year for flatties in the lake and this year could be even better. The whole of the lake produces good fish but the main productive areas are from the entrance to where it drops off into the deeper water of the lake proper.

The edges of the weed beds, the rock walls, deeper holes in the channel and the drop itself are the spots to target. The locals looking for a feed love their live poddy mullet and at this time of the year every poddy equals a flatty.

Plastics are almost as good, and you don’t need to gather bait – just open the packet. Poddy mullet and

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prawn patterns work well but the flatties will grab almost anything that moves at the moment.

Whiting are on the move over the sand flats as well. Small poppers are getting smashed when it is quiet with little water traffic, but for a feed, nippers and worms score every time.

Bream are around the bridge pylons and the edges of the weed beds, with the hours of darkness being the best time as all the small bait stealers are hiding and the bigger fish are on the hunt. Live prawns are the gun bait and can be picked up scooping the shallows the night before.

There are a few prawns on the move, but with the lake now constantly open to the sea they don’t get big or large in numbers, because as soon as they are mature enough to breed they run straight to the ocean. On most nights of the dark you will get more than enough for bait, and on a good night you can get a feed as well.

On a sad note the cockle poachers will be out in force, vacuuming the lake of this precious commodity. Fisheries need to ban all taking of cockles and snails from the lake and enforce strong fines and confiscation of vehicles used for the poaching to deter further declines before they are all gone – and it won’t take long at the rate they are being pilfered.

Putting up multi-lingual signs is a waste of time

A few kings are starting to gather over the reefs and around the islands. Not all are whoppers but they’re still fun to catch. full in the boot. It needs to be sorted, and soon.

Minnamurra has good flatties along its length, and the same methods used in the lake work there too.

The beaches are starting fire properly now too with whiting the number one choice for anglers all along the coast. Get some beachworms and pick your beach – Windang, Warilla and MM are favourites – then fish the edges of the gutters on the falling tide and wait for that tap, tap, tap to come up the line and you’re on.

Bream, salmon and flathead will be by-catch with the worms, or if you can’t get worms the good old prawns and fish fillets

beach with a deep gutter is worth a throw.

The rocks are on the up and up with a few bonito showing, along with salmon and tailor all taking lures and pilchards. The deeper ledges will produce some rat kings along with some solid hoodlums on live squid, mackerel, yellowtail and pike. Pre-dawn is the time to have the livies in the water and, to a lesser extent, just on dark after sunset so they are early starts to get bait and be on the stones in time or catch your bait the day before and keep it alive. You have to be dedicated these days for good results.

A few big mac tuna for some reason get along

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There’s nothing like a good feed of flatties from the lake. If it fires like last season it will be a terrific summer. as the poachers don’t care.

They already know they are breaking the law and do it anyway, that’s why they have their helpers who take the legal amount and run it to a car a long way from the foreshore, then return and do it time and again, until they have fish tubs

will get these guys as well.

During the evening is the best time, then throw in a few tailor as it gets dark, then the good fish show up. School mulloway will increase in numbers over the month with bigger fish showing more regularly as we head into summer. Any

the coast at this time of the year, and if the planets align and the currents are perfect there may even be a stray yellowfin about. They used to be common on the deep water spots around Kiama at this time of the year many moons ago, but instincts are still the same

and although they’re scarce in close these days there is still a chance if you are an optimist.

The washes still hold some nice drummer and there are always a few bream and trevally about if you use a bit of bread and pilchard oil berley, and fish light with little or no lead.

Offshore it is a real lottery. If the current pushes hard downhill early there could be striped marlin or yellowfin tuna, big mahimahi and spearfish for the taking. It happens most years and there are always good fish on the very front of the warm water, you just have to watch the water temperature charts and hit it while it’s there.

In closer the baitfish are still hugging the coast with salmon, tailor, bonito, trevally, rat kings and barracouta all getting in on the action. Under them the flatties have kicked into gear, and there are plenty over all the sand patches up and down the coast.

When you pull them in they are spitting out baitfish everywhere.

The shallow reefs have a few small snapper and trevally on them but the deeper reefs in 40m+ have some quality snapper on the bite. Look for the bait patches down deep and you will find the snapper are not too far way. Drift plastics in the area for best results, or if there is little or no current put down the anchor and berley, then fish strip baits and plastics down deep.

Some nice mowies and pigfish are on the deeper reefs as well along with lots of leatherjackets so some plastics will inevitably be collateral damage. At least on most occasions you get the jighead back.

Good luck!

NSW

The best of spring is here BATEMANS BAY

Anthony Stokman

November is the best part of spring – it’s when it all comes together.

September hits and you think, ‘you beauty, winter is finally behind us and sunny days ahead’, but then you look at the fishing

starts to pick up.

In October, bream start entering the estuary, big flatties start feeding, whiting appear, bass begin hitting the surface, the squid start spawning, and the mulloway are on!

But it’s November when the Eastern Australian Current starts pushing downhill and pours

water from the equator southward. This process is part of what allows the Great Barrier Reef to thrive. It keeps the east coast of Australia around 18°C year round.

The current is actually very low in nutrients. The EAC removes heat from the tropics and releases it to the mid-latitude water

Kye Forrest finding big spring girls on the troll. and the tuna are swimming away and the change of season comes. There ends up being a bit of a lull as we eagerly anticipate the best of the new season. It’s not really until October and November when the fishing

nutrient-rich blue water along our coastline. The EAC is a surface current driven by winds over the South Pacific. As it skirts along the East Coast of Australia it carries a large amount of warm tropical

Jed Forrest finding the snapper, which are normally in good numbers all November.

and atmosphere. It does this by producing warm core eddies, which allow the Tasman Seas to have a large biodiversity. The combination of the EAC current and eddies is where the nutrients come from, and the collaboration brings the nutrients up to the surface and strong northerly winds will bring nutrients up from the deep further offshore along our continental shelf, where all the baitfish will be happily schooling. This big beautiful offshore environment creates the perfect environment for big predators like the striped marlin. The south coast is up there with one of the best striped marlin fisheries in the world, particularly for larger stripes of 100-140kg.

We are expecting a big gamefishing season, with everybody travelling regionally this year.

The marlin fishing will definitely be a drawcard for people to visit. Today the marlin are tagged and released for research, and that also maintains a healthy fishery. Marlin can show as early as end of November.

Also swimming in the blue currents are schools of spring kingfish, and they have been appearing

since the start of October with a customer dropping a couple of good ones on light gear from a popular headland. There have also been a few showing up around Montague, so get out on some local ledges or headlands and start spinning lures or use live baits under balloons for a shot at a kingy. The by-catch can be bonito, salmon and or tailor.

This month the EAC will also be bringing with it arguably the best table fish out there: mahimahi, also known as dolphinfish.

They have been in good numbers over the last several years, and let’s hope that continues.

Mahimahi are often found hanging around anything floating on the surface, even pieces of seaweed. It’s November when the FADs (fish aggregating device) begin to get deployed.

Batemans Bay FAD is east of Burrewarra Point in 120m depth, and you can expect mahimahi to be in reasonable numbers around the FAD throughout the summer period.

Probably one of the biggest events in November is the snapper run. Large amounts of snapper spawn in the deeper waters at this time of the year. You can find them in all depths, but it’s the 60-80m depth where you’ll find large schools. Paternoster rigs and micro jigs works best in these depths. The snapper bite typically lasts into December, although last year it continued for longer, and the snapper have been good numbers and sizes all year.

The water will start to warm up along our beaches, and whiting will become a favourite target for a lot

Georgia Poyner finding the bass further upstream. of anglers for their table quality. When it comes to bait, nothing has changed for these guys – worms and nippers are still the best. Artificial worms can sometimes work, or used together with real worms to draw out the bait. Using small surface lures with a nonstop retrieve will also catch fish, and is the most exciting way to catch whiting.

The estuary has been seeing some good bream move in, and big flatties come out of winter looking for a feed and mulloway also make a good appearance at this time of the year.

Further upstream we are seeing more water this year, with some good rainfall events, and the bass bite has reacted instantly to show how a resilient they can be after

years of drought. Surface lures, shallow divers and spinnerbaits have all been successful since the end of September, and it should be a good season.

Some lakes have opened and we should see some prawn activity this summer, and crabs traps are moving out the shop at a faster rate as they start to come on. All in all, November is a good month with plenty on, and it’s the last month before it gets really busy, so get out and get a piece of the action.

• For more up-to-theminute 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).

Marshall Elliot with an impressive metre-plus cod from Copeton.

NOVEMBER 2020

69

NSW

Tough times for Brogo BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

Sadly after 21 years of hosting the Brogo Bass Bash, the event set for this December has become one more victim of COVID. It has been decided by the committee to cancel this year’s event in the best interest of all, and now concentrate on hosting the 2021 event with the aim of making it bigger and better than ever.

The good news is Brogo is pretty much full to the brim, and with the warming weather the fish in the dam are starting to chew, already providing some great angling. The other good news is that both bass and estuary perch are due for release, hopefully in early December, replenishing any stocks that may have gone over the dam wall with earlier rain events.

Some further news is the

boat ramp at the dam is due for an upgrade in 2021 so let us hope this is an indication that it will be a better year than this one.

In the estuaries it is full steam ahead, with flathead being most prolific in both Wallaga Lake and the Bermagui River. Upstream is the place to be, where the warmer water carries the nutrients prawns need to grow. Fish like eating prawns, so you can expect other species like bream, whiting and luderick to also be lurking.

Oh yes, and now is also the time to start looking for those tasty crustaceans if you like prawning, however you may have to do some searching to find the best lakes and estuaries that are harbouring them.

Salmon schools are moving along the coast, providing opportunities for beach anglers, off the rocks or boat fishing close to shore. Casting from all

these locations or trolling from a boat can result in hours of entertainment, and often all that is needed is a handful of lures.

Out to sea, tiger flathead are on the move with most of the fish lurking around the 50m mark. Larger fish are out wider if you like fishing deep water, however the ones closer in will fill your bag more quickly, leaving you free to go and explore other options, such as reef fishing. Species like morwong or snapper are likely to be found, and of late those tasty pigfish have also made their presence felt.

It’s time also to venture out to Montague Island as there is a fair chance the kingfish should be showing.

Check with the locals to see if this is so, or just go and give it a try, as if they are not feeding there are plenty of reef fish to be found around the island.

The other option you then have if it is quiet around

The 20th Brogo Bass Bash was one of the biggest, and hopefully next year’s will be bigger and better and COVID free. the island is to go wide to chase gamefish as albacore, yellowfin or may be a bluefin tuna may be lurking – and after last year’s very warm water temps there is a big possibility of an early season marlin. Trolling is the best way to go, with a good

spread of both surface and diving lures. This method allows you to cover more water to find where fish are holding.

Maybe the last option while out wide with the aid of those electronic reels is to do some deepwater fishing

in 200-400 fathoms of water.

This form of fishing is like a box of chocolates, you just don’t know what you might get. Blue-eye trevalla, gemfish, ling and ghost cod are just a few of the species on offer, so go and explore your options.

Love that warm weather!

TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

The weather got warm quickly this season, bringing the estuary fishing on nice and early with the Bega River now at its brilliant best.

All throughout this system it is now an angler’s dream. There is a lot of food available to the fish at the moment, with prawns being top of the list. Expect to encounter bream, flathead, whiting, mulloway and more around the weed beds or drop-offs.

Around the bridge pylons, rocky outcrops and fallen timber there will be more bream and estuary perch, and further upstream there

will be bass.

This is also a good time to lure fish with either a soft plastic or hardbody prawn imitation. Lures don’t always have to look like a prawn to be effective though, as most times it is how they are worked that brings the results.

Early mornings are essential to beat the winds, and anglers have been taking advantage of the early still conditions to get good captures throughout the river. You should also consider checking out some of the surrounding estuaries to the north, like Nelsons Lagoon and especially Wapengo Lake. Wapengo has some excellent duskies in there at present that only too willing to take a bait or lure, while on the

rising tides concentrate your efforts over the flats where schools of bream or whiting move in to feed looking for worms, nippers or prawns, so consider what you would use as bait.

One of my favourite little fish to catch and eat also call Wapengo home: the garfish. With a little berley around the seagrass beds with a small amount of prawn under a little float on a no. 8 hook you should be able to put quite a few tasty garfish on the plate with very little trouble.

Offshore a variety of species are also on the chew, with flathead being at the top of the list. Out from any estuary open to the sea, you can expect to find good numbers of sand flathead, which are easily

There are plenty of bream to be found over the flats in Wapengo.

70

NOVEMBER 2020

targeted with both bait and lures. These fish may be just offshore or in the deeper water, so move around until you find a patch.

Adjacent rocky headlands and inshore reefs are also fishing well as a result of plenty of food being available. From the stones there are good numbers of bream and trevally, with most being taken on bait while passing schools of salmon are entertaining those casting lures.

Both the inshore and deeper reefs have plenty of tasty reef fish available, with snapper or morwong being top of the list. In between these complexes, mud or gravel occurs hosting large tiger flathead, gummy sharks and some excellent red or flying gurnard which are a good table fare. It doesn’t matter if you fish north or south as most areas are fishing well, however which way you go may be determined by the weather forecast because at this time of year the prevailing winds are from the northeast.

Out to sea further the wider grounds have seen tuna return to this part of the coast in the form of albacore, striped and yellowfin schooling in numbers around the continental shelf.

Tathra is not renowned for its game fishing, with the grounds from here being a reasonable way out, so the best way to find where the fish are is by trolling. Head a few miles out to sea then put out a decent spread of mixed lures in the form of skirts and diving lures in

Garfish are great visual fun for all the family with the bonus that they taste great. mixed sizes to gain the best results. Once located, work the area over. If the fish are on, multiple hook-ups should come on a consistent basis.

Mako sharks are likely to accompany the tuna schools and may be an occasional capture on a lure, although if you want more action with them you should use berley for better results.

Brogo Dam northwest of Tathra is full of bass varying in size and only too willing to feed. Whether you use lure, fly or bait, now is the

best time of the year to pursue them as the warmer water will have them on the chew. Mornings or evenings are best for those using lure or fly, while trolling and bait fishing will work through the day.

Look for the bass herding the many schools of small galaxias up against the weed beds, as when this happens the bass can often be frantic. At these times, a decent cricket score can be knocked up in a short period of time.

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NSW

Gold before green – waiting to catch cod the key elements is the key to unlocking them. Some days you can try absolutely everything and not even get a touch, regardless of the approach you have, but that’s the nature of this game. However, studying a

ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

If those perfect days weren’t enough motivation to get you out fishing, then surely the golden perch opportunities will.

November is my personal favourite month for targeting this species.

The days are longer and warmer, water temperatures are usually substantial depending on the fishery, and catching numbers of fish is usually achievable under the right conditions.

Around this region, Lake Hume is where I give a lot of my attention. Last season the lake was much lower, and because of this some fishing tactics have changed quite a bit. Last season I was focusing on fishing trees and structure, because that’s what was working then.

Slow rolling plastics and hopping vibes isn’t a new thing in fishing for golden perch – it’s a very popular approach and it works. This season a bit of that has still been working, but with much more water in the lake this year there are more opportunities on banks and grassy flats. Again, nothing too flash or unexpected.

Anyone who fishes for golden perch knows that banks and flats are fantastic grounds for feeding

An example of some of the quality golden perch around in Lake Hume. goldens. The reasons are straight forward: if there’s food there, there are predators there.

So what should you look out for? You can start by using your fish finder if you have that technology available, but if not keep an eye out for banks that appear to be grassy, or where wind has been pushing debris against the bank, and chopping the mud/clay up. Often it can deter or kill confidence seeing dirty water, but in this case these zones are

perfect places for feeding opportunities for these fish. This approach can be applied for any fishery, and keeping an eye out for these things and having a crack is all you can do. It either will work, or you continue to change it up until you find out what is working.

That leads me to my last piece of advice: change it up. Often golden perch will be feeding on something in particular, or can be stacked up in areas for any reason. Changing things up is something that counts

THE SHEIK OF THE CREEK

Spoils of pot plundering I’ve now officially come to the realisation that there is no hope for humankind, and that there will be no people on this planet in any meaningful society in 50 years time. And it’s all because of crab pots.

I’m sure that university specialists doing Masters degrees and PhDs in socioeconomic forecasting might have incredibly complicated formulas that might predict the potential for loss of our society’s framework but my insights are much simpler, and more accurate I bet.

There used to be a rule on the water that you didn’t touch someone else’s crab pots, no matter what. You left them alone.

You didn’t check them, or monitor them, and you didn’t steal them. The only thing you might do would be to move them if they were in a position that meant someone 72

NOVEMBER 2020

fish’s behaviour and feeding habits certainly helps your approach and success rate.

And the best bit of advice I can give, and which I think accounts for 50% of your chances, is just being there doing it.

might run into them.

Gradually, over the past 20 or so years, that’s changed. It’s now common policy to sink your pots, that is drop them onto the bottom without a float to identify their position. This makes it potentially a little environmental disaster if the pot gets pushed away by the tide, or you forget where you dropped it, but for some people, it’s the only way to make sure your pot isn’t raided, or worse still, stolen. A pot that gets washed away and abandoned is going to be a death trap for fish and crabs so it’s not an ideal situation, but I can understand why people sink their pots for sure.

A couple of days ago I spent a few days on the water, and took four pots with me. Got a few jennies, but no bucks of any size, and came home with two pots. And these were good pots, worth considerable coin; heavy so they didn’t

wash away in the current.

Trouble was, someone took exception to where I dropped my pots, and untied the pots from the floats, so that all I was left with was a pot floating away to the bottom. To say that I was a bit cranky is an understatement, especially given I’d just found the boat was leaking again through a cracked weld, and had busted my new $200 rod, and if I had been able to find the adjectives that did it, I’d have given them some verbal.

After the boiling had dropped to a simmer, I had a think about the situation. It became apparent to me that a society that is producing the sort of grubs that go to such lengths to ruin someone else’s day is a flawed society.

It’s only a matter of time before the rot really sets in. Today’s pots are tomorrow’s plots.

on figuring out what they are doing. For example, if you’re not picking them up on banks, change your approach, fish a bit deeper, change lure styles, lure retrieval patterns, move to open water and fish trees or structure… the list goes on. Simple things make the world of difference! These fish can really surprise you when it comes to where they will be and why they will be there.

Asking yourself the question “why would a fish be here?” and looking for

The goldens were playing hard to get in the river, so the author changed from yella gear to trout gear and was rewarded with this beautifully marked brown. Sometimes it pays to have a good selection of gear in your backpack!

NSW

Great fishing for big footballs BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

What a great time of year to be on or near the water.

Weather conditions are normally close to perfect during November, and just about everything is in full

year as well, as most fish species are quite active and willing to get about freely, making them quite easy to catch at times.

GOLDEN PERCH If you’re fishing Blowering Dam this month your main target will most likely be golden perch. The golden perch fishing so far this

Giant goldens are not uncommon at Blowering Dam, with countless trophysized 60cm+ fish caught each year. When fishing for them at this lake you are always in with the chance that the next golden you hook will be a huge one, and one you will never forget.

The awesome golden

hottish days, is late afternoon for sure. However, on those cooler days (particularly windy, overcast days) the best times are gentleman’s hours right in the middle of the day at around lunch time. This is great news if you don’t like early starts or can’t hang around until the late afternoon bite.

Most anglers will be targeting these fish with lures, either on the cast or on the troll. It’s hard to beat lipless crankbaits like Balista Juggernauts, Jackall TN60s, Mazzy vibes and Slap Walkers, whether you’re casting or trolling.

Lipless crankbaits are a super versatile lure as they work very well both on the cast and on the troll, and it seems like every fish that swims wants to eat them.

While using lipless crankbaits you just never know what is going to whack your lure next. There is a good chance of hooking a good trout or two while targeting the goldens

Redfin will be starting to pop up in the shallows more and more this month, and will be within easy reach of those fishing from the bank.

What’s not to like about giant golden perch? More anglers are starting to target them, and are honing their skills to catch them more regularly.

On some sessions you can catch over a dozen big fish. bloom, making for some gorgeous surroundings and backdrops.

Catching fish at this time of the year is always a bonus when you’re immersed in these beautiful conditions. It is obvious that fish feel the same about this time of the

spring has been sensational, with some stonking big goldens popping up on the end of anglers’ lines. It goes to show that Blowering Dam is up there with the best lakes in the country when it comes to the chance of landing a trophy-sized golden perch.

perch fishing we have already experienced should continue this month as these fish attain more and more weight while they enjoy the smorgasbord of food that is on offer through the spring months.

The best time to target these fish, particularly on

Batlow IGA owner Sam with his first ever trout caught recently while on a guided trip with the author. Trout season is now in full swing with everywhere open and most places fishing well.

Giving the Murray cod a break for a few months to do their thing isn’t hard to do when there’s insane golden perch fishing to be had in most of the impoundments.

at this time of year, and you should also start to see a few redfin starting to frequent the shallows as well.

TROUT With the 2020/2021 trout season underway we now have the option of fishing either the lakes or the running water. Trout will be firing in the creeks and rivers by now but if we have had a heap of rain just prior to your trip and the rivers are too high and dirty for lure and fly fishing, hit the lakes as they rarely if ever muddy up that much to class them as unfishable.

In saying that, if you’re a ‘baito’ I’d stick with the higher flowing creeks and rivers as this is when

bait fishing comes into its own, and the fishing can be nuts. Simply drift a lightly weighted juicy garden worm or wood grub along in the slower moving parts of the creek or river you’re fishing, and strike as soon as your bait stops drifting. If your bait stops drifting it has either been eaten by a fish or has become stuck on the bottom.

Either way, you should strike because it is often hard to tell the difference. If you strike very time the bait stops drifting you will increase your chances of hooking more fish.

This month we should start to see a bit more dry fly action as insect life starts to become more prevalent.

The best time to try to get some surface action is right on dusk, but the odd trout will stick its nose out during the day for a well-presented grass hopper imitation. Team the hopper dry fly up with a red copper john gold bead nymph on a dropper below it and you should be able to get into fish all day long.

Golden perch that come from lakes like Blowering Dam are insanely solid and heavy for their length, making them high on many anglers’ target list.

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Take advantage of the end of spring bite HUNTER VALLEY

Peter Phelps

It’s nice to hear a high chance of a wet summer forecast this year.

Hopefully this will top off the last couple of months of rain and break this drought well and truly.

If we get the predicted rain, we can expect some exceptional fishing coming up. November is the time to take advantage of the last month of the spring bite before the potential hot weather really sets in.

Lake St Clair’s fishing is shaping up to be great this month. The lake has not come up a tremendous amount at the time of writing this, but warming water means the weed growth and beds are really turning into an endless sanctuary for the fish to hide in. With the lake being fairly small it does suffer from boat traffic and pressure during the warmer months. On the weekends it pays to be out nice and early before everyone is on the water, then wait until late evening before heading out again.

Almost every fish in the lake will be eager to hit a reaction style lure at this time of year. This

can make it hard to find and catch the larger fish, with so many smaller fish eager to get to your lure first. You can try going to slightly larger lures or even trying some really bright, unnatural colours.

Chartreuse or bright orange can sometimes deter the smaller fish and give the larger ones something they have not seen before.

The insect life will become active this month, which really brings on the surface bite at St Clair.

Low light into the night will see the most action.

Experiment with retrieves and lures to see what is working.

A constant retrieve from a wakebait, paddler or buzzbait will work some days. Then sometimes a retrieve with a pause in it from a popper, walker, or prop-bait will get eaten. Casting lures tight to the edge over and around the weed is where you want to be to catch the larger fish in the lake.

For anyone looking to catch some fish with the kids, this is a great time of year to get them onto some easy fish. Trolling along the outside of the weed drop-off will see plenty of smaller fish eat a diving hardbody lure. They will be scattered the whole way around the dam and it

Crankbaits work well in November. shouldn’t take too long for one to jump on.

Lake Glenbawn has come up quite a fair way over the end of winter and into spring, and if these levels continue the fishing should be terrific.

The water temp should be hitting the low to mid 20s, and the fish will be up on

the edges during the early morning before retreating to deeper water, and then move back up in the late afternoon. When trying to locate fish it pays to concentrate your efforts on banks where the fish can transition easily. Targeting points with deep water not too far from the main river

section is ideal. Fish can be caught anywhere in the lake but you will find more fish holding on these points than other areas.

It may not feel like it when you are on Glenbawn, but it does have a current.

With water running in and the dam wall releasing it, a current is drawn down

through the old river bed.

It can be seen on weed beds or the algae growth on tree trunks against steep edges.

The fish relate to this and will concentrate close to the main flow.

November can be the ‘throw any lure’ month because a lure will almost always get eaten at some point, but because the weed growth has been so fantastic this year, a spinnerbait or bladed or vibrating jig will be particularly good.

These two baits are great for passing through weed and popping over timber or rock. With the clear water in the lake it would pay to stick to a fairly natural colour like a green, brown or silver.

Topwater is always an option as the cicadas should be starting to sing soon, which means the bass will start to focus on them as a food source. Any edge with some tall trees close to the water’s edge is a perfect place to start. When trying to mimic a cicada it is best to try shaking your lure on the surface instead of retrieving it. Sometimes a really long pause will get the bites after shaking it.

When the low light bite dies off and the fish move deeper, trolling deep divers can reap some rewards.

The fish will move out and

New England bounces back NEW ENGLAND RIVERS

Adam Townsend

At this time last year the drought was in full swing, and the area suffered through devastating bushfires, but now the New England region is finally starting to bounce back, even after the harsh winter months.

The impoundments are in much better condition also, with their rise from the now flowing creeks and rivers making fishing across the tableland fruitful. With the days growing longer and warmer, plenty of awesome fishing opportunities arise with many species to target. The main ones are redfin, golden perch and carp, which can be found in numerous small creeks, rivers and dams across the entire region. Trout and bass can also be found not too far south.

Copeton Dam has remained open for targeting Murray cod since the closure in September, and it has continued to fish well for both golden perch and cod species on a range of lures.

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Around this time of year when the water temperatures warm up, the natives start to dial in on smaller bait,

and this is where matching the hatch and downsizing baits can be a major factor in finding fish consistently.

As mentioned in many of my reports around this time of year, it is always the lipless crankbaits and

Rainbow and brown trout are feeding well after spawning. Good ways to target them at this time of year include throwing soft plastic lures or small flies.

Carp are classed as a pest species but can be a lot of fun on light tackle. This fish was caught using a small fly presentation.

small blade style lures that seem to find their fair share of fish, and both lure types are a really good options for casting and trolling

applications. Copeton Dam is currently sitting around the 16% mark.

Pindari Dam has been To page75

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suspend at a comfortable depth. Trolling through these fish and covering water will find the active ones willing to feed. A diver that can reach at least 5m is a good starting point, targeting the outside of weed edges and trees.

The river fishing will be starting to peak as well at this time of year.

However, if we get a ton

of rain the flooding and dirty water will make for tough fishing. The good news is that these times of extra flows allow the fish to migrate further upstream and reach all the little honeys holes in time for summer.

River bass can be pretty aggressive at times but they still have their slow days. Your basic crankbait,

spinnerbait, beetle spin and surface combination will catch any willing fish in the area. These sections that you catch fish on hold more than just the one bass.

Slowing down to a plastic grub, swimbait even creature bait and picking apart the structure or timber will see you catch multiple fish.

Sometimes repeated casts at a one snag will bring them on.

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Luke Hillenberg with a brace of Glenbawn bass.

fishing deeper and targeting fishing well using the same the standing timber or the methods as mentioned treetops later on as the sun above. Casting or trolling gets higher in the sky.

ORT STEPHENS blades or lipless crankbaits Also, if there is plenty between 40-70mm in of duckweed around, do not length should put you in be afraid to cast your bait or AY BOAT with SALES a pretty good chance lure underneath the weeds of finding an active fish and debris. The golden willing to bite. I like to perch are very confident to 2 Soldiers Salamander targetRd,the yellowbellyBay get up really shallow and here the same way as I feed in there as they are less would when chasing cod in vulnerable to predators like 02 4982 7899 open season – casting the eagles and other birdlife edges early in the day and above them. At the time bayboatsales@hotmail.com From page 74

of writing, Pindari Dam is currently sitting around the 17% mark.

We can only hope that there are more rainfalls to follow in the weeks to come as we get closer to the new Murray cod season starting 1 December. Good rain events will keep the rivers (as well as the rest of the country) in pretty good shape.

Good luck to all those getting outdoors this month, and tight lines on the water.

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Redfin at this size are pretty cool fish, and this is the best time of year to be out targeting them in the hotter weather.

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The perch search is on CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

There is always one particular location in or around Canberra that seems to really stand out through November.

Anglers usually wise up to this location after a few social media posts and head to the hot spot in search of big numbers of golden perch.

Sometimes it is Googong, and other years it can be Lake Burley Griffin (LBG) or Lake Ginninderra. This year, my pick of the bunch is Captains Flat Dam, which is located about an hour from the centre of Canberra. This small dam has been stocked with a variety of native species and, in my opinion,

is relatively easy to launch a boat and even easier to get a kayak in the water. So, if you are after a few yellas and want to get away from the dirty water fishing in Canberra, head to Captains Flat through November and cast some plastics at some snags.

LOCAL LAKES Lake Burley Griffin is a bit hit and miss. The water is still dirty and, while there have been some amazing captures, most anglers have left emptyhanded at the end of each session. In fact, I know of one particularly angler who has fished the lake every day for several weeks and is yet to land a golden perch despite October and November traditionally being the best time to land a yellow football.

That said, the redfin are

National Gallery.

As always the carp are ever present, during November they school up in massive numbers behind the Carillion. These fish are easily targeted with bait or lure and represent good sport if nothing else is biting.

Lake Ginninderra is fishing reasonably well considering the weed issue and the fact that the water clarity is almost non-existent at present.

Small redfin are raiding the flats behind the dog park and can be caught using small soft plastics like the Dragon Maggot 2�. This lure also appeals to the resident yellas, especially if fished close to cover and while using a slow roll with an occasional pause.

Again, the carp (as with LBG) are everywhere and will eat almost anything. I really like

Captains Flat Dam is the author’s pick for November yellas. provides some truly exciting golden perch fishing, especially after rain. And given the enormous amount of rain we have had lately; it should now be firing on all cylinders with small to medium sized yellas hitting almost anything that happens to swim past.

This spot can be tricky to fish from the bank but it

hitting lures along the reedlined banks at the entrance to the Molonglo and there have been some larger reds landed by anglers fishing blades near the concrete walls at Gallipoli Reach. Speaking of blades, most of the yellas that took a lure have been fooled by Ecogear ZX blades fished using a rip and pause retrieve along the flats behind The

going for a walk along the dam wall at dusk and sight casting at big mud suckers with a black wriggler style plastic (usually the fish will hit soon after the lands). If after a golden, be prepared to work for it and target low light periods and the shadows around the bridge pylons.

Lake Tuggeranong is fishing well. After a lot

Sam Hancox with a nice Googong yella. of false starts, the fishing steadily improved through October with anglers landing good numbers of carp, redfin and golden perch. The area directly behind the college is a great place to cast a small plastic, vibe or blade for yellas, while the flats opposite hold good numbers of redfin feeding up on small bait fish. These fish can be targeted using small poppers and are a lot of fun on light gear. If after a trophy yella, hit the spillway at dawn or dusk and slow roll your offering as close to the concrete walls as possible.

Tuggers holds enormous carp and there are big numbers of mud marlin holding along the islands at Greenway and these fish will hit bread, corn and soft plastics.

SURROUNDS The Googong gold rush has finally started and anglers are enjoying a lot of success targeting the flooded

the best choices if chasing a golden perch. The redfin have been a little quiet but can be coaxed into hitting

fishing down the South Coast continues with Canberra anglers heading down in big numbers to target these little

Anglers using blades have caught some nice fish. a well placed soft plastic in either grub or paddle-tail and shallow divers are also producing plenty of hits.

bronze battlers. I have caught some good fish on plastics and lost a few bruisers using surface lures like the D-Style.

The South Coast bass fishing continues to impress.

The reddies are on the chew at Lake Burley Griffin.

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banks at Bradley’s and at the Southern end of the dam.

The yellas are hitting lures with plenty of vibration and colour so small spinnerbaits and Ecogear ZX 43s are

There is a small but intense bite window in the early afternoon, which has yielded some exceptional fish.

The outstanding bass

For me, this has been the best bass season in many years and it is well worth the trip down the Clyde for the day as the scenery and fishing has to be experienced to be believed.

WHAT’S NEW DAIWA DB SOLID

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DB Solid is the first Daiwa jigging rod to feature a solid carbon blank design, delivering an incredibly thin yet deceivingly powerful action.

Designed to be worked slow and methodically, DB Solid rods will react and recover to perfectly accompany precise reel control, providing anglers with confidence that their jig is performing exactly as intended.

DB Solid is crafted around a 24Ton solid carbon blank. Daiwa engineers then wrap the solid carbon with 30Ton graphite cloth to further enhance blank strength and desired performance. The result is a solid carbon blank that is responsive, and able to rebound quickly to gain maximum action out of slow fall style jigs. The DB solid features a pronounced parabolic bend under load, providing comfort and control even under heavy drag settings.

Developed to accommodate the growing market of slow jigging, DB Solid features three overhead and three spinning models to perfectly cater to a wide range of jig weights and styles.

Featuring Fuji Alconite guides and Fuji reel seats, DB Solid is outfitted with quality components you can trust when the pressure is on, and is designed to deliver anglers ultimate strength, comfort and performance. www.daiwafishing.com.au

ROKK WIRELESS CHARGER

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The days of messing with phone charger cables (and trying to keep them dry) are over, with the release of the ROKK wireless system – the world’s first range of certified waterproof, wireless phone chargers.

Compatible with both 12V and 24V power systems, this unique charging technology is housed in a fully encapsulated and sealed unit, so there are no messy cables. You just put your phone in the adjustable dock, and charging begins.

The docks have been designed to have the smallest footprint possible, so you can mount them virtually anywhere on your boat. The ROKK System will ensure your phone is held securely even in the toughest conditions, whether mounted on a flat or vertical surface, and the charging is ultraefficient.

So now, whatever the weather, whatever the conditions, you can make sure your phone will be powered up and ready for use… whether that be checking messages or putting out an emergency call. To find out more, head to YouTube and search for ‘ROKK Wireless Active’. www.mercurymarine.com

RAPALA FAT JACK 04

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The long-casting Rapala Shadow Rap Fat Jack 04 dives fast when cranked. With a very slow rise on the pause, it perfectly imitates the fade of a dying baitfish.

Designed for slow presentations with a steady retrieve, and built with a subtle natural rattle created by two internal glass beads, the Fat Jack will draw aggressive strikes even from the most passive fish.

Detailed Shadow Rap Series baitfish and attractor patterns help cover all fishing situations, while the strong wire-through construction withstands even the biggest fish. There are 26 colours in the range, designed for a variety of freshwater and saltwater species.

Price: SRP $23.95 www.rapala.com.au

PRODUCT GUIDE

SEPHIA CLINCH AND FLASH BOOST

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Two new additions to the Shimano squid jig range for 2020 are the Sephia Flash Boost and Sephia Clinch Fall Rattle.

The Flash Boost utilises Shimano’s patented Flash Boost system to create a continuous flash and shimmer within the lure body through kinetic energy. This new technology incorporates a reflective mirror, and increases visual appeal and reflects UV light.

Most notably, the Sephia Flash Boost elicits aggressive strikes when the jig is paused. It’s available in 10 colours and two sizes: 2.5 and 3.0.

The Sephia Clinch Fall Rattle has specially designed dual chambers to create a continuous rattle on the fall that attracts squid and increases the catch rate. Additionally, this series includes a new range of 10 vibrant and colours to create maximum contrast in the water and trigger aggressive strikes from squid. The Shimano Sephia Clinch Fall Rattle is available in two sizes: 3.0 and 3.5. www.shimanofish.com.au

TT’S NEDLOCKZ EWG

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The next step in TT’s Ned Rig Fishing System, the NedlockZ EWG has been designed for ZMan Ned Rig plastics to allow anglers to fish heavy cover, such as weed, lilies, reeds, timber and other environments that fish love to hold in.

The NedlockZ EWG combines a traditional mushroom-shaped head with a custom heavyduty #1 VMC extra-wide gape hook to allow for easy weedless rigging, without overpowering the finesse plastics, ensuring maximum action.

The moulded ‘chin lock’ keeper locks the soft plastic in place so that you can punch long casts, work the plastic aggressively if required, and even on a missed strike your plastic is likely to be in place and still fishing for you.

Available in 1/15oz, 1/10oz, 1/6oz and 1/5oz weights, in black, green pumpkin, chartreuse or orange, the NedlockZ EWG has you covered for all of your finesse Ned Rig presentations, whether shaking and dragging a TRD CrawZ, hopping and twitching a TRD BugZ, or swimming and stalling a 2.5” GrubZ or Slim SwimZ. Price: SRP $11.95 (4-pack) www.ttlures.com.au

BONE EXPEDITION SERIES

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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The Expedition Series is an upgraded range within the Voyage series of rods from Bone Lim. This 4-piece range has been designed to give anglers a top-of-the-line option when they need to travel to exotic destinations and fish hard.

Using the latest TorayCA blanks, the Expedition Series features three rods of different ratings to give anglers the right option when they hit the water. This range exudes quality, from the relatively light Tight Quarters (#604H, baitcast, 4-piece, 10-25lb, 6’, 10-40g), to the Black Bass (#664XXH, baitcast, 4-piece, 20-40lb, 6’6”, 10-90g), right through to the up to the Big Bait Black Bass brute (#684XXXHt, baitcast, 4-piece, 30-60lb, 6’8”, 14-140g).

Fuji components, including the Sic K-Series guides and the brilliant PTS reel seat make these rods a dream to use and each rod comes with its own neoprene, soft travel bag to keep your precious gear in the best working order. www.wilsonfishing.com

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NOVEMBER 2020

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2020 vision: Outlook for whiting and snapper GEELONG

Ross Winstanley

The prospects of healthy Victorian whiting and snapper stocks and happy anglers just keep rolling on. The annual survey of incoming King George whiting numbers shows the fourth successive year

and snapper numbers are set to continue.

KING GEORGE WHITING Surveys of small whiting numbers have been conducted annually during spring since 1998, focusing on the seagrass beds where they settle out of the water column. These surveys have proved to be reliable

JUVENILE SNAPPER The annual March surveys of juvenile snapper target small young of the year 3-5 month olds, less than 12 cm long. The ‘babies’ are from spawning in Port Phillip Bay during spring/summer. They disperse with age to populate the snapper stock from Wilson’s Promontory to southeast South Australia. Many will eventually undertake migrations in and out of the Bay each year to spawn. They take about 3-4 years to reach the legal minimum length and about 7 years to reach the over-40cm adult fishery.

For about 80-100 days, the tiny post-larval whiting are borne eastwards by oceanic currents driven by winter westerlies. The numbers entering the bays reflect the strength and duration of those seasonal winds. Once settled among

surveys in March each year to determine the relative abundance of small juvenile snapper of 3-10cm, which have survived and settled from the previous spring/ summer spawning. With the Bay providing the main source of snapper in Victoria’s western stock, three years after the 2018 landmark event, anglers in both bays and coastal waters west of Wilsons Promontory can expect great fishing for many years. After being pestered by large numbers of undersized snapper earlier this year, anglers will be relieved to see the 2018 year-class pass the 28cm minimum size limit. At this

Extremely low numbers of small juvenile snapper were taken in the 2020 survey, and followed low numbers in 2019. In a shortlived species, these numbers could signal grim times ahead – a significant stock decline and poor fishing.

But for snapper, after 26 years of annual surveys, the highest-ever numbers found in the 2018 survey have enhanced the alreadyhealthy stock enough to provide a real boost to the pinky fishery from this summer and to the adult snapper (over 40cm) fishery after 2025. In fact, the 2018 year-class is expected to have a major influence on

stage, they will also begin to disperse along the open coast, giving whiting anglers some respite in the Bay, and giving regional anglers a chance to experience some great pinkie fishing.

the fisheries in both bays for many years to come.

Last year the VFA reported that above-average spawning successes in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and again in 2013 and

A baby snapper at about 3 months old. of abundant post-larval fish that enter Port Phillip Bay each spring.

While low numbers of small juvenile snapper were found in both 2019 and 2020, the 2018 survey revealed the highest annual number seen in 23 years of snapper recruitment surveys in the Bay. The 2018 influx

predictors of whiting fishing success in following years, in Western Port Bay, Corner Inlet and other inlets, as well as in Port Phillip Bay. The strong 2019 yearclass of whiting detected late last year, followed on from good year-classes in 2017 and 2018. As a result, the excellent fishing seen

the bays are between two and four years of age. While still immature, they exit the bays and are caught as larger older fish as they mature and move to the west, where they are believed to spawn during winter, most likely off far western Victoria and southeastern South Australia.

their preferred seagrass habitats, they take about two years to reach the legal minimum size, 27cm.

In the bays and inlets, the fluctuating nature of recruitment numbers, combined with whiting only being ‘catchable’ at ages 2-4 years, mean that catches can vary considerably from year to year.

If this year’s windy winter is any indication, we can expect to the VFA’s 2020 spring survey to show a fourth substantial influx of early-stage juvenile whiting.

SNAPPER The VFA conducts alone is likely to bolster the already-healthy pre-existing stock of older fish for years to come.

For more than 20 years, the VFA’s annual surveys of whiting and snapper recruitment (spawning success) have proved to be reliable indicators of future stock levels and fishing prospects. In 2014/15, when the scientists predicted resurgences in whiting and snapper numbers, anglers looked forward to fishing recovering from a low ebb, particularly in Port Phillip Bay. Today, the good news is that already-healthy whiting 78

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recently can be expected to continue this summer and for at least the next four years. The ‘pulse’ of whiting spawned in 2017 was the third largest seen in 24 years. At two years old, these fish entered the fishery during 2019 – anglers will have noticed the increased numbers of fish around the legal minimum size. These fish are likely to dominate catches until 2022, bolstered by large numbers of 2018 and 2019 ‘recruits’. Catches of larger older whiting along the open coast are likely to be high for several years.

Most whiting caught in

KING GEORGE WHITING The VFA’s October/November surveys of juvenile King George whiting target the early stages (2030mm) that have just settled on to the Bay’s seagrass beds, after a journey of 80-100 days on the ocean currents from coastal spawning grounds in far western Victoria and South Australia. These tiny fish take about 2 years to grow to legal size and then leave the bay by 4 years of age never to return. They live out their lives in coastal waters and can reach up 20 years of age.

A King George whiting at 25mm long and around 4 months old.

2014, have supported the recovery of the snapper stock and the fishery in recent years. The previous exceptional spawning successes in 2001, 2004 and 2005 resulted in ‘fantastic fishing, from 2008 to 2013’. Those year-classes were fished down by the combination of recreational and commercial fishing pressure, adding to natural mortality effects such as predation and disease. Few of them – now 8kg or more – survive today.

• Photos and graphs courtesy of the Victorian Fisheries Authority.

A clearer path to public land We’re improving public access to public land to give more families the chance to camp and fish on the banks of Victoria’s iconic rivers.

Allowing fishers to camp on Crown land with river frontage is a key component of the State Government’s $35 million Target One Million plan, and we’re getting on with the job of making it a reality!

We want to make it easier for you to spend time with loved ones in the great outdoors, next to a campfire and with a line in the water, making memories for generations of all ages.

We’re working on changes with other agencies right now so you’ll have a clearer path to enjoying more than 30,000 km of Crown water frontage across the state.

To learn more, visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/crownland

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

VIC

Top species are spread out at Glenelg River WEST COAST

Brett Carson

The Glenelg River this time of year has a lot of ground to cover if you want to catch all of the species. Bream are everywhere but are now en masse in the upper reaches of the system.

Perch are spread out too but are schooled up near the mouth spawning at the opposite end of the river to the bream. They swap ends of the river each year to complete the process, I guess just to add some spice to the activity!

Mulloway are in the bottom 30km or so, depending on salinity affected by rainfall levels.

The town is slowly returning to normal, and the stay-in proceedings the fish have enjoyed are about to be over.

The bream are in full breeding mode and can be found way up river in the snags. The Dartmoor communities and above have their favourite spots during this time of the breeding cycle, and they target the bream on worms

and similar soft baits. Being for only a short window each year, the locals are waiting for the fish to arrive so they can focus their attention on them. It’s

a secretive business often done on private land and we hope that the majority do the right thing.

Tides in the estuary can still be a good time to

have a crack, and that will increase as the fish return over the coming months.

If you are fishing crab up river make sure you crack the shell, the bream can be

Riley Badenoch with a pair of gummy sharks. Fishing for sharks will improve on the beaches as the warmer weather increases.

GULF RUNNER 550

soft in the mouth this time of year and prefer softer baits. The humble pipi is a hugely underrated bait when the spawn is on, and plenty of south Aussies that know no other bait often do well on the spawning fish using a light running sinker.

Perch are great to target from the bridge to dry creek around now and will take anything from vibes to small livies fished under a float. The fish will chase your lure a long way from the edge, so watch that you are not too close to the edge when working the banks. When you realise the fish are striking your plastic right at the boat and you move out wider, your strike and catch rate will increase. Perch are renowned for tracking the lure a long way before the strike so work the lure right to the boat.

Live mullet can be a battle this time of year, but are the secret to the big mulloway. I catch livies for a living and often describe it as the dumbest animal on earth getting chased by the second dumbest, sometimes they win sometimes I do… it’s a pretty fair fight. Again,

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fish away from the edge and don’t be frightened to berley a bit, as it could be the difference that triggers a bite and draw that fish to your bait. If you can’t get mullet give strips of squid or pillies a go. A long leader on a super light running sinker will work well.

School and gummy shark will start to be a thing on the beaches as people fish the warmer weather and longer evenings that daylight savings allows.

The fish are about, especially offshore with those anglers targeting them in the 50-100m mark doing very well. Our sunsets over the southern ocean never disappoint either.

• So good luck and feel free to come and see us at Nelson Boat Hire for the latest info, we have the local ‘live bait licence’ meaning we stock live mullet, crabs and pod worms along with all the frozen bait, tackle and lures you need for the area. We’ll do our best to give you some local knowledge and get you on the fish quicker.

Remember you can hire any of our boats without a boat licence, including our very popular houseboat.

VIC

Point Fairy barrel tuna success WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

The fishing has really begun to fire up in the South West as we crawl out of winter and lockdown. There have been some excellent captures

occurring and, as we roll into November, there should be plenty more.

Undoubtedly the most impressive capture recently was the barrel size tuna taken off Point Fairy by Ashby Hoey. While fishing with her dad Dan, Ashby managed to land a 147.9kg bluefin on 24kg line. The fish took just

over an hour to land and would have been a world record, except for the leader being slightly too long, a great effort nevertheless.

November is probably now one of the few months of the year you probably won’t encounter a large bluefin off the coast, maybe someone might prove this wrong. It

Luke Gercovich with a 46cm EP from the Hopkins River.

won’t be too long hopefully until the first summer tuna turn up though.

An important offshore focus in November will be the opening of the southern rock lobster season on the 16th.

Warmer, longer evenings will also see more anglers out targeting another tasty southern specialty, King George whiting. Shallow waters less than 5m around Lady Bay, Killarney and Point Fairy should provide some quality fish with most in the 36-43cm range.

The estuary scene has also fired with some impressive captures recently. Two cracking fish to come from the Curdies were Dan Mackeral’s 100cm mulloway and Corey McLaren’s 47cm estuary perch. Dan’s mulloway crunched a Double Clutch Lure on only 6lb line, and Corey’s fish was subdued on only 3lb. Both fish were taken during the ‘Perch Search’ where selected anglers assist Fisheries Victoria with capturing estuary perch for brood stock to assist other waterways with low, or no, existing EP populations.

The Hopkins River also produced some exceptional fish at this time with Luke Gercovich capturing a 46cm estuary perch and a 45cm bream. The Alwood boys got some good EPs up to 44cm. Even with the recent heavy flows of freshwater

Ashby Hoey’s 147.9kg barrel tuna off Point Fairy. coming down, big tides and a decent sized river mouth has kept the water clarity and quality, good enough to still capture fish in the shallower margins. These heavy flows though, have

pretty much made any trout fishing difficult recently.

By the time the rivers get to a low enough level it might be too warm and snaky to do any long, walking, remote trout missions.

Prospecting the mouths should pay dividends COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

All of our rivers are coffee coloured and running hard, so giving them a miss for another few weeks would be on the cards.

For those who cannot wait that long wetting a line, down near the prospective mouths could be the go. Predatory fish, such as large Australian salmon, mulloway and gummy shark will pick up the scent of murky water pushing into and past the surf and will move in close to shore looking for an easy feed.

Having a spin in and around the mouths of the Hopkins, Curdies and the Gellibrand using chrome slices could prove interesting. A polished piece of metal cast out amongst the gutters, especially if you can target the edge of where dirty meets salt, anything could take the bait, so to speak – mulloway, gummy shark

and salmon to be precise!

In saying that, we seem to have missed the annual Australian salmon run that for years has dominated the winter surf fishing scene.

Some small specimens have been caught but the bigger schools have gone missing and as we are now well and truly into spring, I cannot see these massive schools making a late appearance.

So what’s happened?

Once again those equipped with seaworthy boats are doing well bottom bouncing any reef or rubbly bottom. Out in 50m+ has seen more snapper catches, with fish ranging from the pinkie size right up to those beginning to grow a gnarly bump on their proboscis.

Along with school and gummies to a sizable 50lb.

Other worthy species, such as nannygai (red snapper) and morwong are also being caught. Those in the know are keeping their hooks on the small side but using the beefed up tuna circle model. Double paternoster rigs weighed down with a 2-4oz sinker

(depending on swell and current) and baited up with a tough bait, such as squid, has seen success for many.

Don’t forget the squid jigs as the calamari are on their way close into shore to lay their eggs, die and turn

into snapper food.

The whiting front appears to be rather quiet with fish scarce for some

Bruce with a 34cm Hopkins bream taken on shrimp. The first of many for the day.

reason or another. The King George whiting might be also waiting for the inshore water to warm up, along with the snapper, before making their presence felt.

Our local estuaries are of course, running dirty; meanwhile the bream are attempting to school up and move upstream where there’s no salinity so they can spawn.

Minor floodwaters, in the meantime are keeping the fish downstream and out of any currents that make mobility energy-sapping.

In saying that, the fish can be found in isolated pockets not affected by flow, hopefully feeding whilst awaiting the mating call.

Good mate Bruce and I did this very recently on the Hopkins River. We found the bream feeding on the mud flats (with the help of local bream guru, Gerry Taylor) and fresh shrimp plus shrimp style soft plastics fished ultra slow brought in 9 solid bream to 40cm in a single session.

NOVEMBER 2020

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Slumbering species are starting to wake GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

The last month has seen some fierce winds lash the region, so the fish have been left alone for long periods.

November is peak hour on

the trip worthwhile.

Stoney Creek Reservoir has risen sharply and remains clear and probably the best bet for lure fishos keen on trout or redfin at the moment. This waterway is definitely produces the most trout around first and last light but redfin can be caught

are funding a project through Target One Million, to contribute to improvements to the Wal Whiteside platform at South Geelong and a better canoe launching spot upstream at Balyang Sanctuary.

The revamp of the Wal Whiteside Platform will add

David and Lucy at St Augustine’s waterhole where they nabbed plenty of rainbow trout. the Bellarine and down the Surf Coast. Snapper are a primary target but plenty of other likely suspects are waking from the cold of winter.

We’ve had a fair drink of rain and, as a result, Wurdee Buloc reservoir near Moriac and the Barwon River in Geelong are coffee coloured.

This makes lure fishing very hard – some say impossible but fish are still caught on lures. Hugh Hanson visited Wurdee and found trout ripping a few midges to shreds on the surface. He pinged lures around them but they were not interested.

He did manage a redfin of around 35cm, which made

fishing deep during the day.

This November, expect the estuary perch VFA have stocked into the Barwon in Geelong to be that bit bigger.

My son Max and I assisted in one of the estuary perch stocking events in January 2019 and it didn’t take them long to hit 20cm earlier this year! The VFA fish stocking team have done a great job stocking more than 100,000 estuary perch into the Barwon in the last couple of years to boost the fishery.

VFA, in conjunction with Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and City of Greater Geelong

a recreational fishing area to the existing facility, allowing for kayak and canoe access.

Balyang Sanctuary’s new landing will provide more stable access to the river at various levels for canoes and kayaks. It’ll also feature an innovative recycled plastic kayak launch ramp.

This project adds to other recently completed work on the Barwon River at Barwon Heads, where three jetties were refurbished with help from Parks Victoria.

Major construction works of this project were set to get underway at the beginning of September 2020 at the Canoe landing near Balyang Sanctuary. This is expected

to be completed by the end of December 2020 and the rowing landing extension and Wal Whiteside Platform being completed by April 2021.

St Augustine’s Waterhole on South Valley Road in Highton gets rainbow trout stocked into it during school holiday that fall in the cooler months. Keen angler, David Le has a YouTube Channel and one of his fans, Lucy, got to fish with David at St Augustine’s Waterhole recently. David says, “Let me just say this... The rainbow trout didn’t stand a chance against Lucy.

Berkley Fishing Power Bait Nuggets in sherbet and pink were used on the trout, with each fish landed averaging between 32-35cm.”

David says that Lucy was having so much fun she didn’t want to leave and she kept asking her mum to stay back longer and fish, now that’s a good day out!

David notes that the trout were caught using a running sinker rig with Mustad Pro Select Aberdeen size six hooks. David says he and Lucy would like to thank Kieran at BCF for donating the Pryml tackle bag, BCF beanie and stickers.

CORIO BAY I’ve had a few goes flicking plastics about the structures inside Corio Bay. I’ve caught plenty of small stuff but this November should see that improve – hopefully! There has been plenty of small salmon and snotty trevally keeping the land based fishos entertained along the Geelong waterfront. The odd pinkie snapper 50cm is also making an appearance, which keeps people coming back. Best bet to catch a few is to use small, single tailed grubs but if you’re chasing something bigger, upsize to a larger

minnow profile lure.

Corio Bay is getting three new recreational fishing reefs thanks to the State Government’s $35 million Target One Million commitment!

Starting this month, over 2,000 tonnes of basalt and limestone will be deployed at 3 locations in and around Corio Bay, creating more habitat for fish. From what I could see, there would be one reef close enough for shore based anglers fishing at St Helens, one in the outer harbour north of the shipping channel and one roughly half way between Kirk Point and Portarlington ramps.

These rocky reefs will be seeded with recycled scallop shells covered in oyster

and mussel spat, which will increase the reefs’ ecological productivity, water quality and habitat for fish.

Keep an eye on the VFA website and Facebook page for updates.

King George whiting have been biting well in 6m of water out off the Leopold hill. They’re not quite in the numbers they were a few months ago but they have grown slightly and are around 35-38cm.

BELLARINE PENINSULA The Bellarine Peninsula squid have really been firing with some solid models either side of a kilogram being caught.

Nathan Wright took his son Ryder down to the local

Hugh turned a frustrating trout session into a productive reddie session by going deeper with his lure.

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Brendan Scott caught this eel out of the Latrobe River on 6lb line while bass fishing. It measured 123cm and just under 10kg.

VIC

pier to flick a few squid jigs about. Nathan says that in a quick session, they managed to land three, which was exciting.

The Bellarine Pirates Angling Club are holding the Bellarine Snapper Challenge that runs until the 8 December. If you’d

like more information on the competition, please give Phil Walters a call on 0411 215146.

Rod Ludlow from Beachlea Boat Hire at Indented Head says his customers have been boating plenty of squid between Grassy Point and Governors Reef in a range of sizes.

Other customers targeting flathead have done well drifting off Indented Head and back to St Leonards in 8-12m of water with squid being the preferred bait. Rod says there has been some solid snapper taken outside of the Portarlington Harbour and if any strong northerlies are forecast, anglers should give the Portarlington and St Leonards piers a go.

QUEENSCLIFF Silver trevally have been biting well in the Queenscliff boat harbour lately. Michael Crawford fished there on a recent flood tide and managed to catch and release plenty of fish between 30-40cm and kept a couple for gummy bait. Michael caught all his trevally on the new Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5” minnow in bloodworm. This was Michael’s first session using them there and he was quite impressed (we both have no affiliation with Daiwa).

Calamari are well and truly on the bite in Victory Bight near Point Lonsdale and at the mouth of Swan Bay all the way up to Portarlington. The larger

specimens over a kilogram have predominantly been caught by anglers using fish baits under floats on skewer type jigs however, they’re still keen on cloth covered artificial jigs.

LORNE AND THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD The water slowly warming should spark the coast down to Lorne into action. This time of year can see pinkie snapper and whiting caught from the many rock platforms here.

Flathead have been biting well offshore and the ever present gurnard have been thick as well.

The Lorne Pier has seen a few king George whiting, Australian salmon and the odd calamari.

Tuna have been a little hard to come by but every now and then you hear a rumour of one caught here and there. Best bet here is to get the boat on the water and scan the horizon for birds working.

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 “VFM” 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).

Pushing through the slump APOLLO BAY

Craig Rippon

November should see these red beasts invade the region.

It’s been pretty slow fishing down here the last month, as the wind and rain have made it difficult to get on the water.

For those who have made it out, when the opportunities have arisen, have done well on some nice sized flathead up to 45cm in around 40-45m

of water. Snapper have also been around, along with the odd gummy shark, for those putting in the time.

As summer comes along and the wind hopefully drops off a bit, we can get out more. There have been a lot of birds working along the coast between Apollo Bay and Lorne.

There are still some tuna getting caught at Portland, so hopefully they will move along the coast and we can

get some fish through here.

Recently, local angler Daniel Kent has started a new charter business. He has loads of experience and knows the area. I know he will do his upmost to give you a great experience – I will have heaps more info about this venture next article.

The beaches have been a bit quiet again, as the weather is not helping but there have been the brave few getting the odd salmon.

The rivers and creeks have been fishing well since trout opening with some nice fish caught on small-bibbed minnows and plastics.

Bream have been on and off with the Aire River producing the best, as well as the odd estuary perch being caught.

With Victoria starting to open up and anglers being able to travel, we’ll hopefully to see some more people on the water soon.

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Locals enjoy lifted fishing ban PORT PHILLIP NE

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

To say that this year has been strange would be short changing things

feeling of abnormality, but at least ‘some’ of the bay’s anglers have been able to reap the rewards over the past month.

At the beginning of last month, anglers in Melbourne Metro areas

is that I actually have current fishing reports and information to write about this month, which is great after more than 3 months of fishing being banned. But I still feel for those anglers living more than 5km from the water, who are unable to enjoy the great fishing on offer in the bay. At the time of writing, the current restrictions are due to be revised, so hopefully by the time you are reading this edition of Fishing Monthly, things will be looking more like a normal snapper season on the bay.

This time of year on the bay it’s all about snapper, and for those anglers fortunate enough to be able to get on the water now, this year is no different.

Before the ban on boating was lifted, landbased only missions were allowed, and around my part of the world at least, from Mornington to Mount Martha, some ripper reds are usually taken from the rocks and piers at this time

were finally allowed to go fishing again, and about a week later, boating was also allowed by the government for ‘recreation’, but only within 5km of home, and for a maximum of 2 hours a day. And if you’re reading this from another state in Australia, and thinking it’s some sort of printing error, no, that’s the rules! And no doubt the strangeness of the whole situation, and the vast number of anglers who are disadvantaged by their proximity to the water has all contributed to the abnormality of the start of the fishing season so far.

Now I like to think that I’m a positive person, so I guess the big positive

Calamari continues to be a major drawcard for land-based anglers. Local areas will continue to improve as the water and weather gets warmer. other structure while water temperatures are still low, so expect these areas to continue to be productive for a while yet.

The Royal Reef, and the wider areas on the inshore side of the Mount Martha mussel farm have both been productive for boat and kayak anglers, who are enjoying their two hours of freedom on the water.

As always, the good old calamari continues to be a major drawcard for both land-based and boating

After the lifting of the fishing ban, local anglers have enjoyed some great fishing close to home from the creeks. a fair bit, but even notwithstanding the current global pandemic, everything seems to still be way out of whack this season on the bay.

As has been the trend for the past few years, the transition from the winter months into spring is less gradual and seems to arrive in a big hurry late in the season, and this year has been no different, but seems even later than usual.

The bay has enjoyed an extended period of time with no angling pressure due to recent fishing bans, so the food chain and ecosystem has had an unusual and abnormal time of recharging.

All this adds to the current

of the season every year.

You’ve got to be prepared to fish during the worst of the weather, and more often than not this also involves getting cold and wet, but I’m telling you the rewards are worth it.

My good mate Gerry Morsman has recently been getting amongst a few nice reds, up to 3-3.5kg from various spots around Mornington.

Another consistent snapper angler, Al Lesko has also been enjoying some good landbased action during the rougher days further south around Mount Martha and Safety Beach.

As far as snapper reports from the boating anglers go, there hasn’t been much time since the boating ban was lifted, and less anglers than normal have currently been on the water, but most of the recent snapper action has been coming from in close around Mount Eliza in 10-12m of water.

Traditionally, snapper tend to stay close to reef and

Local anglers around Mornington and Mount Martha have been cashing in on some great snapper fishing from the rocks during the rougher weather.

anglers alike, and while the areas further south are currently fishing more consistently, our local areas will continue to improve as the water and weather gets warmer. The numbers of squid in the local inshore areas should also increase greatly in the coming months as well.

Plenty of other bread and butter fishing has been enjoyed by anglers since the ban has been lifted, and probably even more so by many that had gone for so long without any fishing at all. Families have been out amongst the action, which is great to see, and it’s certainly awesome to see some of the bay’s more fortunate anglers back out on the water again.

Hopefully next month brings more good news for anglers farther afield and we can all get back out on the water.

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Your fishing licence fees at work We’ve relocated more than 1,600 native fish from irrigation channels near Cobram, thanks to your recreational fishing licence fees.

The channels were to be drained for maintenance works so we got in early and salvaged as many Murray cod, golden perch, blackfish and silver perch as possible.

Most fish were Murray cod with 1,279 relocated. The biggest was 95cm.

The rest were 192 golden perch (up to 50cm), 199 river blackfish and one silver perch.

The Victorian Fisheries Authority retained 43 Murray cod and 51 golden perch as future broodfish for our Snobs Creek hatchery and soon to be built native fish hatchery at Arcadia.

The Goulburn River near Shepparton rolled out the welcome mat for more than 1,000 salvaged fish with the remainder released into: » Benalla Lake » Broken Creek, between Nathalia and Katamatite » Seven Creeks at Euroa » Craigmuir Lake » Kialla Lakes.

Thanks to our project partners Goulburn Murray Water, Austral Research and Consulting (electrofishing experts) and fishing club volunteers who helped release the fish into their new homes!

vfa.vic.gov.au/feesatwork Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

VIC

Ready for the visitor upturn PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

Christmas is only just around the corner but somehow it doesn’t seem the same as it normally would, having said that nothing really feels the same. While the local fishers have been enjoying the peace and quiet on the water businesses are ready for an influx of visitors to help the cash registers turn over again.

Although we have seen a lot of quality fish

be sure you have your land based set ups sorted, the more sorted you are the better experience you will have. If you are coming down over Christmas or even for a weekend and not sure what sort of gear you will need just give us a call at the shop or send us a message through our Facebook page and we will help you out.

One positive to come of the Covid situation has been the amount of people and families getting into fishing again. We have had plenty of reports from first

nothing to do with the Covid restrictions. Generally they have been very poor, there is no logical reason that anybody can think of as to why. Everybody is trying all they know but reports of somebody bagging out have been very rare. We would get a couple of days in a row where customers were catching two or three but then days of nothing.

Baited jig, black, green, blue or white, it didn’t make any difference it was just a whole lot of luck.

It has been a good mixture of snapper sizes so

There’s nothing better than an early morning fishing trip as the sun is coming up. and some good numbers, without the extra people fishing getting a pattern or a starting point for the day has been difficult and a bit more guesswork than normal. We had that perfect winter that made the ordinary start to spring seem different than normal. Although it seemed unusual, it’s actually normal and, especially through September, you get limited opportunities to fish. You almost need to be hooked up to the car waiting for the window and go because it usually closes as quickly as it opens.

All the forecasts are saying if the restrictions ease considerably and there is a bit of control over the virus, the holiday destinations around the state will be extremely busy this Christmas. This will mean congestion at the ramps and shoulderto-shoulder fishing off the jetties. There is a bit to go before the holiday time so now is the time to plan for the busy and get yourself organised. Get your boat ramp routine worked out, especially if you have a new boat and 86

NOVEMBER 2020

time anglers and kids that enjoying their time out in the fresh air. What we also find when a lot of new people are here fishing is reports come from many different spots and fish are caught where you wouldn’t expect. Locals anywhere can be stubborn at times to try somewhere different and often miss out of catching fish. This year has been no different both in the boats and on the land, if they aren’t where you first look go somewhere else and try.

This year we have seen whiting in the usual spots, as well as deep channels on snapper gear and across the 6m flats of the corals area and in close offshore.

Snapper started off all over the place and we even had reports from the mud, 3m of water very early, deep water along French Island and across the corals, but nothing from below the bridge in Cleeland Bight.

The piranha pinkies came back in September as if they hadn’t gone anywhere and are a nuisance when you are trying for bigger fish.

We have seen only patches of calamari,

far this season and while we haven’t seen any of the big 10kg models, we have weighed some solid 6-7kg ones. We have also seen a lot more of the 2-4kg ones than we would normally for this time of the year. They have settled down a bit and schooled up to the places you would expect. As the month goes on, reports will start to come more regularly from across the corals and look for the days where there is a low tide through the afternoon with plenty of sun then head up onto the mud areas for an evening fish. Late in the month you will also start to see some quality pinkies being caught very early morning on the tide change in that no mans land between the top light to Bass River to Leolia shoal.

As people get over the snapper, attention will turn to the frustrating whiting and dealing with the influx of leatherjackets and toadies. Perseverance and patience is always needed when chasing whiting but more important is a little courtesy to other boats. Whiting fishers are generally in shallow water

and reasonably close to each other fishing on the same school of fish, so when some very inconsiderate boater drives through at high speed or makes more noise than a rock concert scattering the school of fish it doesn’t help anybody.

The same goes when you finish fishing and ready to leave, do it slowly until clear of other boats.

As we get into the warmer weather most will start to head for the shallow water to chase their whiting. If you are fishing late evening or early morning, it probably the right spot to go to, but during the day don’t discount some of the deeper areas. Going on past years’ reports, the more successful spots are deep during the middle of the day during the summer period.

Over the holiday period there is always a noticeable police presence on the water and several customers have been a little confused with some of the things that they are being told when checked. To clear up some of the questions we have been asked we sent off an email to Marine Safety for clarification. Please refer to the fact box on this page.

FAQ ANSWERED BY MARINE SAFETY Are vessels travelling more than 2nm offshore required to have 150 lifejackets?

• Rec vessels are required to carry/wear Level 100+ lifejackets when operating in Enclosed and

Marie with a perfect size snapper for the table.

Coastal waters. The 2nm mark doesn’t change this requirement, so level 100+ (the old PFD type 1) is all that is required.

Are vessels required to show navigation, red and green as well as an anchor light while travelling at night?

• When underway, a powered vessel must display a port, starboard and an all-round white light. The confusion here is that people call the all-round white light an anchor light, this is true

Quality size eating snapper with a whiting entrée.

when at anchor at it remains on with the side lights off, but underway red, green and all-round white must be displayed. This is because if the white light is off, you are invisible to vessels who are behind you.

Are vessels no longer permitted to have deck or forward spot/flood lights, do they need to be removed?

• The use of additional lights cannot impact the safety of another vessel, displaying bright floodlights when other vessels are nearby is not permitted as it can dazzle them plus can distort how they see your nav lights.

If fitted, they can only be used with no other vessels around so as to not impact anyone’s safe navigation.

Are we required to wear a lifejacket while travelling at night in a vessel under 12m regardless of how many people are in the boat?

• Operating at night falls under heightened risk, so if people are in an open area of a vessel under 12m at night then everyone must have a suitable lifejacket on.

When are flares actually out of date and is it against the law to carry old flares?

• Expiry date of flares is at the end of the listed month. The Marine Safety Regulations require that you carry an in date set of flares, once expired then WorkSafe’s legislation says that there is no permitted reason to have expired flares in your possession and they must be disposed of appropriately (at a police station).

To page 87

VIC

Surprising spring catches LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

The Gippsland region has had some very interesting weather in recent months, with large amounts or rain, wind and then heat – basically four seasons in one day, At times this has made the fishing a bit tougher but the rain has been welcomed.

LAKES ENTRANCE Every season the Gippy Lakes continue to surprise us. One notable recent different capture was an amberjack caught in Cunningham Arm by a local angler fishing for tailor and trevally. Cunningham Arm has begun to show some form, with anglers catching silver trevally, bream and tailor off the foot bridge.

Bait anglers have had good success fishing small pieces of bluebait or chicken on a paternoster rig close to the pylons.

The whiting fishing this year has never really stopped. With the recent buyback of commercial licences from the lakes, areas that our king George whiting prudentially hang around have not been hit with nets.

This has allowed the fishery to begin to rebuild. We are all looking forward to a cracker season ahead. King George and sand whiting haven’t been as hard to locate as in From page 86

EXTRA INFORMATION FROM MARINE SAFETY • Maritime Safety Victoria are encouraging boaters to check out Boating Vic prior to heading out for a day on the water and throughout their trip.

• Boating Vic provides ramp-specific weather information directly from the Bureau of Meteorology, including temperature, wind, sea conditions, tides and sunrise/sunset timings, plus weather warnings and notifications as conditions change.

• With over 400 boat launching facilities, Boating Vic hosts the largest list of Victorian ramps and includes key information such as ramp condition, access and surface type.

Some popular locations including Corinella, Rye and Stony Point also feature ramp cameras, which update every 5 minutes, giving users an idea of how busy the boat ramp is at any given time.

• Aside from ramp and weather information, the Knowledge Hub provides Boating Vic visitors with a range of educational

past years, and anglers have had good success fishing fresh baits such as mussels and peeled prawn around the many weed beds.

With the warm current

reaching our part of the country a bit earlier this year, many keen landbased game anglers have made their way to many spots along the 90 Mile

A solid Lake Tyers bream. It’s great to see such well conditioned fish throughout the system. content.

From safety advice, to how-to guides and even tips for buying second-hand boats, all information comes directly from the team at Maritime

Safety Victoria, as well as Better Boating Victoria, Victorian Fisheries Authority, Parks Victoria, Victoria Police, Victorian Ports and Emergency

Beach in search of sharks.

I’ve been lucky enough to know a few keen anglers who have been willing to share their knowledge, and good mate Lucas Smith is probably one of the keenest shark anglers locally. He has already been putting in the long days paddling baits for himself and others. That’s that stuff of champions there; paddling other people’s baits 200-300m from the shore and back in the surf is hard work.

So far this year some quality sharks have been landed. Craig Bishop was lucky enough to land his first bronze whaler off the beach, and it was just a bit shy of 10ft.

LAKE TYRES The lake seems to be an ever changing place. The water level has rapidly risen and mere centimetres of opening to the ocean. The water in the lake has really fired up, and I think it’s been one of the best winters and spawning seasons for a long time. It will truly help the fishery in future years.

The Nowa Nowa arm has been on fire, with bream anglers having great sessions anywhere upstream from Devils Hole over the recent weeks. It has produced fish from 2-3m of water, where large schools of bream have been holding. Lure anglers have had some great success on these schooling bream, which have been eager to

Lucas Smith and Craig Bishop with their first shark of the season, just shy of the 10ft mark. climb all over a well worked grub or small paddle-tail soft plastic. Anything from 50-100mm has been fair game lately.

The action varies depending on the day.

However, if you can manage to fire the school up, sessions of 20+ bream are very doable.

Early in the season, before the water really gets hot, is the time of year when some of the biggest flathead in Lake Tyers come out to

play. Lake Tyers is an ideal fishery for large flathead, and the many points throughout the lake system are ideal areas to start looking.

HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING? If you have been out for fish lately and have a good pic, please send it to stevenprykefishing@gmail. com with a short description and you could be featured in the next edition of Fishing Monthly.

Management Victoria.

• Head to the Boating Vic website at www.boating. vic.gov.au, or download the Boating Vic app from your preferred app store.

There have been reports of offshore snapper but a 6.5kg specimen from the flathead grounds was a bit of a surprise for Gerard.

Alan Hepper caught this 30kg mulloway at Black Rock on a live yellowtail.

NOVEMBER 2020

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VIC

Estuary perch fire up as bream shut down GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

Those scheming bream have been up to their usual tricks in late spring and have shut down while they take part in their spawning run. Luckily a few bream are still biting, and the estuary perch are firing up in the rivers. Some nice dusky flathead are waking up now with a few finding lures, and that’s a good sign for the warmer months ahead.

BREEDING BREAM As expected around this time of year the bream can get a severe case of lockjaw.

The good news is that with such high rainfall totals and increased river flows

over about six months now, all the local streams will provide exceptional breeding prospects.

A few determined anglers have still found a big fish or two willing to bite. I heard of one thumping bream caught on lure in Duck Arm near Paynesville that went a cracking 1.92kg. That would be a PB for nearly every bream angler in the country, and I’ll have to track down a photo.

Another angler who fished bait at Hollands Landing recently scored a ripper run of bream landbased at the wharf, and I saw about six fish he had caught, all in the mid to high 30s.

The bad news is that for the rest of us it’s been almost impossible to trick the shut-down bream. I suffered

Fishing the snags with lightly weighted grubs can have you scoring good numbers of big perch in the Mitchell River or around Hollands Landing.

through six hours in the lower Mitchell River and failed to land a single fish while sounding up big schools. Yet another frustrating day on the water. I talked to at least a dozen bait anglers that day and all of them were also fishless. Tony and Kyle Pettie gave the Mitchell, Tambo and Nicho Rivers a workover for a grand total of one 33cm bream for the whole day.

They explored far and wide, also sounded vast schools of bream but the boys declared the fish totally shut down. A few other gun bream anglers I heard from reported in with stories of also coming home without having lifted into a single fish.

On the upside, the bream always come out of their spawning run extra hungry.

They will tip out of the rivers and fill the lake areas, then start feeding in the shallow as we close in on the longer and warmer days of December.

ESTUARY PERCH BITING At least the EP have saved the day and kept us going over the last few weeks and months.

Once again the Mitchell River from the highway bridge and upstream to the barrier has been holding fair numbers of perch and even a few large sea run trout. Some big snags near the town bridge are where a few small schools of perch are calling home. They don’t bite all day but if you target them near dusk and even an hour into dark, you’ll be in with the best chance of scoring a

Estuary perch get big in the Gippy Lakes, and 50cm fish are a real chance for dedicated anglers. A restocking program for the area will help with future trophies like this released EP. few on lures. Try small blades and soft plastics jigged down amongst the perch schools and try long pauses of your lure if they prove a bit timid. Most of the fish are around 28-35cm.

Further upstream in the Mitchell there are some excellent snags to search and the EP can gather around them in big numbers – just be prepared to search hard.

The perch will also be lurking around Hollands Landing and the straits but be geared up for much bigger EP there. Most of them are over 40cm, and a few trophy 50cm trucks are quite possible.

While talking about EP, I’ve heard that the recent Perch Search successfully caught enough broodstock to send off to the Narooma hatchery. The good news for my area is that

the Gippy Lakes have been earmarked for EP restocking and that’s very exciting on the back of the great success of their comeback after the Lake Tyers restocking.

GIPPY LAKES SURVEY AND FISHING PLAN The Victorian Fisheries Authority have been gathering thoughts via a recent survey on a plan to improve the health of the Gippsland Lakes and restore the fishing back to where it was many years ago. The health of the Gippsland Lakes and status of black bream stocks have been an ongoing concern for several decades. I would personally also add flathead, estuary perch, yellow eye mullet and luderick to that list. The bream stocks are classified as ‘depleting’ by

the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation’s fish status report and this has been reflected in declining recreational and commercial catches.

The Plan includes: 1. Involvement of recreational fishers, traditional owners and community partners; 2. New regulations for recreational fishing, including changes to catch and size limits for iconic species such as black bream; 3. Fish stocking throughout the Lakes system; 4. Improving fish habitat and waterway health; 5. Monitoring the success of the actions; and 6. Review the processes.

By improving habitat, installing artificial reefs, stocking and consulting on bag and size limits, the VFA aims to accelerate the recovery of key recreational fish species such as black bream, estuary perch and dusky flathead. The Draft Plan has been developed in close consultation with recreational fishers and a project steering group made up of local anglers and representatives from Futurefish Foundation, VRFish and the Gippsland Lakes Recreational Fishing Alliance. I know a lot of anglers took the survey and were able to also voice their personal opinions and helpful ideas about improving the fish stocks and wellbeing of the huge Gippy Lakes estuary.

The season that didn’t happen BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

As we progress into the warmer months, things will slowly come back to normal (we hope).

The fishing has been extremely good for those anglers lucky enough to get out and about, with any amount of bream throughout the system.

The river mouth has been a definite hotspot for bream and also down

Anglers have been having a ball in Bemm lately.

MARLO

OCEAN VIEWS CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK

www.marlocamping.com.au NOVEMBER 2020

HOSTS: Les & Kathy HEYNE

03 5154 8268

• Deluxe cabins • Cabins with ensuite • Budget cabins • Premium ensuite vans • Powered & Unpowered sites • Pet friendly • Boat friendly • Undercover BBQ areas in Marlo Largest park • Large oval • Kitchen • Camp fires • Kiosk the beach Short walk to • Coffee shops

88

21 Marine Parade MARLO VIC

the channel for a variety of species, including trevally, salmon, tailor and yellowfin bream.

Lure anglers have experienced great sessions catching perch throughout the system, but its always difficult to get a precise location of where the perch are as the anglers keep this information close to their chest.

The surf has been sensational on light gear for yellow-eyed mullet, which are a great table fish when eaten fresh. These seem to come on the bite right on the turn of the high tide and are great fun for junior anglers and adults alike. Surf fishings is also producing good numbers of salmon and tailor.

Simon Webser and his son Bailey, from Bairnsdale, enjoyed some action-packed father-son fishing recently.

Simon reported that there were plenty of fish about but the larger ones were tricky to find.

Their best fishing was in 4-5ft of water between the river mouth and Swan Lake mouth.

The entrance remains open,

Bailey Webster recently had a great trip with his dad, Simon. Bemm River has been a favourite location for the Webster family for generations. and Simon advises heavier sinkers in the channel due to the movement of the water.

We are looking forward to seeing all our customers/ friends back to enjoy what this pristine area has to offer. Please don’t forget to check your wheel bearings and boating equipment (especially dates on flares!) before venturing on

your holiday.

• 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.

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Kevin Gleed

NO APOLOGIES

VIC

East Coast

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE… NO SACRIFICES MERCURY

COMPROMISES INTUITIVENOCONTROL NO APOLOGIES

captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

We’re seeing continued quiet times in the Mallacoota and far south coast area with COVID travel restrictions affecting all areas. We are all crossing our fingers for a Christmas that brings visitors to the area, which is much needed for all the local businesses.

The year so far has seen good rainfall in the area which

Chris Wright with a great snapper caught on a plastic lure. fishing the beaches, with bream and whiting becoming a common catch.Fishing on the lake system has been good with catches of black bream being had in the upper reaches.

These fish will spread out over NORTH ROCKHAMPTON the coming months, and this is when you can expect good RIFEN BOATS numbers of fish to be in both 6 Dooley Street North Rockhampton the Top and Bottom lake.

Dusky flathead will really P: (07) 4927 9150 come on the bite as the water E: rifen.boats@bigpond.com warms. You can expect these W: www.rifenboats.com.au fish to be in the north-facing

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areas, soaking up the warmth NORTHERN GOLD AIRLIEsouthern BEACH TheCOAST guys have had a ball catching at the start of the season and ONSHORE MARINEbluefin tuna in close at Gabo WHITSUNDAY CENTRE Island. OUTBOARD then spreading out, finding temperature that best suits Horizon Shores Marina, Woongoolba 17 William Murray Drive the Cannonvale has been of fish. them.Good numbers of silver P: (07) 5546 2480well received after plenty P: (07) 4946 7286 the recent bushfires. The Great fishing was reported trevally are in the lake, and E: onshoremarine@ozemail.com.au E: woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au area is greening up, and with in 30m of water off Gabo Island, in the coming months we will W: www.onshoremarine.com.au W: www.whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au spring upon us and summer with anglers casting metal lures see more yellowfin bream around the corner everything at schools of southern bluefin and sand whiting making an EVERTON CAIRNS is HILLS coming to life, including the tuna. The fish weren’t big but appearance. With little fishing fishing. At the time of writing they provided great sport on pressure over the past 10 HOLT MARINE AUSSIE MARINE the ocean temperatures and it’s always months you can expect a great 25 Queens Road Everton Hills are light gear, 5 Hannam Street good Bungalow still cold (around 14.5ºC) but to see these smaller fish about in fishing season, and with the P: (07) 3353 1928 8 P: (07) 4033 8800 over the coming months that good numbers. A few gummy good rainfall over the past few E: info@holtmarine.com.au will increase until it reaches shark E: aresales@aussiemarine.com.au being caught along months everything is looking W: www.holtmarine.com.au W: www.butaussiemarine.com.au its warmest point around with flathead, the coming good for the upcoming summer mid-February. The winter months will see the water season. The rains have kept months saw some unusual warm and the fishing improve. all the smaller systems open CAPALABA KARUMBA catches made offshore in the Anglers fishing the local to give them a good flush, MIKES MARINE JONES MARINE Mallacoota and Far South beaches have caught plenty of and upstream all the rivers 9 Smith Street Capalaba 38 Yappar Street Karumba Coast area, with some good salmon along with a few good and creeks are flowing nicely, P: (07) 3390 P: (07) 9159 catches3418 of snapper reported. size tailor.

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Schools regenerating

NOOSAVILLE IPSWICH SUNSHINE COAST MARINE IPSWICH MARINE 122 Eumundi Road Noosaville 45 Huxham Raceview MARLO to catch mullet isStreet by using luderick are wondering when Jim P: (07) 5449 7633 P: 07 3294 3944 sandworm, shrimp, pipis or they will show up in the McClymont smallE:pieces of prawn. estuary and school around E: sales@sunshinecoastmarine.com.au enquiries@ipswichmarine.com.au

Anglers have also reported the rock groynes and mud mcclymont@net-tech.com.au W: www.sunshinecoastmarine.com.au W: www.ipswichmarine.com.au/ catching good size estuary banks and give then the With the entrance deep and perch in both the Brodribb excitement of landing these wide, allowing huge volumes and Snowy rivers fishing mid great fighting fish. Let’s hope of water to enter and leave stream and using sandworm, the luderick arrive shortly on the tides, conditions are frozen prawn and lures. The and populate the system. The ideal for big schools of fish catch limit on estuary perch is surf beaches are still firing to enter the estuary system five per angler. with plenty of salmon and to spawn and regenerate the Black bream are also tailor on the chew, with most system, making our estuary in good numbers and can taken by anglers spinning a fishing paradise. be caught from the Marlo with light tackle and using With the entrance working entrance all the way up to metal lures. Other anglers like a giant set of bellows, a Lake Corringle, and up the are using surf rods and reels huge school of yellow-eyed Brodribb River to Lake Curlip and bait fishing with similar mullet have entered the system and up the Snowy River all results, as well bagging a on their spawning run. There the way up to the highway gummy shark or two. are now mullet everywhere; bridge at Orbost. The best baits Offshore when weather they have moved up the rivers are sandworm, frozen prawn, permits, the fishing is OK; and into the small streams as local shell, Bass yabbies and maybe not quite as good as the saturate the system. In our black crab. usual. However, that will area locals regard mullet as Anglers have reported improve at any time and the a premium table fish and are capturing some very big estuary flathead, gurnard, barracouta, very willing to go out and flathead at Frenchs Narrows squid, pinkie snapper, get a good feed for family using soft plastic lures. morwong and gummy shark and friends. The best way Anglers who target will be back in big numbers.

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NOVEMBER 2020

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VIC

Rural anglers off the chain ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

With the bug all but knocked on the head, much of Victoria’s angling sector has been allowed to once more cast a line. At the time of writing, the city slickers

good catches of golden perch on bait and lures. Campsites struck, wood fires burning and a BBQ lunch are just a few of the simple joys associated with the great sport of angling, and all are bringing newfound pleasure. I think most of us are aware that things have not fully returned to normal, but this is a great start.

the Little Murray has also been fishing well for perch on small yabbies and scrub worms.

The Murray River between Tooleybuc and Boundary Bend is producing golden perch, with good numbers landed on both bait and lures.

Of course, as it happens every season, a few Murray cod have been muscling in on the action but a quick release beside the boat sees them right for the open come December.

The Murray River at Robinvale has fished well in the warm spring flows, with some ripper golden perch landed on bait. Shrimp are still a little slow in the river but they should explode on the scene as the water temperature continues to climb. Meanwhile, small yabbies bobbed around

some of the deeper snags are turning up perch to 56cm. A couple of bankside sessions at Wemen on the Murray River put a bend in the rod, with multiple perch and some thumping carp on bait.

A trip with the boat is on the cards over the coming weeks as the water clarity looks good enough to cast a few lures. Rain has been a welcome relief in much of our local area but it does dictate the clarity somewhat. For that reason, timing for lure fishing is at present a rain-driven option that can change with a single downpour.

Kym Sykes from Mildura Outdoors & Tackle said it was great to see the Murray reopened to fishing for Victorians, with boating once

Check out the size of this worm held aloft by young Darcy Hann. There are a few perch baits in this worm.

Competitive from a young age, Darcy reckons his perch was this much bigger than his dad’s. are still on the chain but rural Vic is open for action and just at the right time, as the golden perch bite kicks into gear.

Anglers fishing the Murray River from Swan Hill right the way through to Mildura and beyond are reporting

Jim Credlin from JC’S Bait & Tackle Swan Hill said the perch are biting well on bait in the Murray River, with most anglers bagging a few.

The Floodway has been a popular spot with good sized perch to 50cm landed over the past few weeks. Fish Point on

A nice sized golden perch taken on a Tubby Native Minnow lure from Bassman.

more allowed. Good catches of perch have been reported on both bait and lures, and anglers are really enjoying the chance to get out and finally wet a line. Below the Mildura weir has been a popular and productive spot, as has below the weir at Wentworth. Anglers fishing from the bank are also catching a feed.

On another note it’s great to see some flow in the Darling River once again, providing fish a passage to feed and spawn. Anglers wetting a line have been

pleased with the fishing with some ripper perch landed in the dirty flows. Let’s hope the water continues to flow in the Darling well into the future.

All up, it’s just been great to get back on the water and simply have a fish. Let’s hope we can keep the bug under control as we march towards a new cod season filled with much expectation.

Until then, breathe deep and embrace the joys associated with the great sport of angling.

Inflows needed to see lakes fire BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

The amount of rainfall that the region receives over the next couple of months will be critical in determining how productive this fishing season will be.

Unfortunately, recent rainfall has fallen short of my expectations so far.

We are still seeing small inflows into the region’s impoundments but at this stage the inflows have not been sufficient to see an explosion in the food chain.

There is still light at the end of the tunnel though.

Above average rainfall is forecast over the next few months, so we may yet see a fantastic season of fishing ahead. That would be great for the local economy and people’s mental health, after a very trying period with people dealing with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

LAKE EPPALOCK The water levels in Lake Eppalock are currently at 41.5% of capacity. The water 90

NOVEMBER 2020

levels did drop approximately 2% in recent weeks as an environmental flow was released down the Campaspe River. The flows have now been reduced, and with some more recent rainfall we should see water levels steadily increasing again.

The productivity in the fishing has been steadily improving, with golden perch being caught by anglers on a regular basis. Several techniques have been working on the golden perch. Bait fishing around the edges of standing timber has been producing small numbers of yellas, and productive areas have been the Twin Rivers section and the Campaspe Reach sections of Lake Eppalock.

If you prefer using lures, the best options are casting lipless crankbaits and trolling small to medium sized hardbody lures.

The most productive areas have been around the rocky shorelines and the edges of the standing timber. If the lake does get some good inflows then those areas with gradual sloping grassy banks will become productive.

The redfin fishing at this stage continues to be average.

The majority of anglers chasing redfin have been doing it tough. There are small numbers of anglers who on a good day have located a reasonable school and managed some nice redfin up to 1kg. The majority of these redfin have been caught by anglers fishing soft plastics in deep water.

CAMPASPE RIVER The productivity in the fishing in the Campaspe River has been very low. Water clarity is still poor, although it is slowly improving after a recent environmental flow was released down the river.

The water clarity can change quickly at this time of the year. If we receive heavy rainfall the water clarity can deteriorate with the inflows from smaller creeks.

The most productive lures in the Campaspe have been suspending hardbodies, fished slowly along the edges of weed beds and laydown timber.

While the fishing has been slow in this location we should start to see an improvement in catch rates in the coming weeks as the water warms up and the fish start feeding more aggressively.

CAIRN CURRAN Water levels are continuing the trend of steadily increasing.

At the time of writing this report the water levels at this reservoir were at 46.6% of capacity. There is currently a good amount of regrowth around the edges of the lake.

If the reservoir receives some significant inflows in the next couple of months we should see the productivity in the fishing increase significantly.

The numbers of golden perch being caught at this location has started to improve over recent weeks. Trolling the edges of the lake with hardbody lures has been producing small numbers of fish. Casting the standing timber with lipless crankbaits and small profile spinnerbaits has been producing some nice golden perch. Bait fishing around the edges of standing timber has also been a good option.

LODDON RIVER Like most areas the water clarity can be quite variable at this time of year. At the time of writing this report the water clarity is currently the best in the sections of the Loddon River at Bridgewater and Serpentine; it’s currently

This golden perch was caught casting a Custom Crafted Mega Minnow. very good in those sections.

Golden perch have been making up the majority of anglers’ captures. Casting lipless crankbaits and suspending hardbody lures have been the most productive lure options for these fish.

Upstream in the Loddon River at Laanecoorie and below Cairn Curran the water clarity is reduced after recent rainfall and inflows. The productivity in the fishing in the Loddon River is slowly improving.

At this time of the year a few weeks can make a big difference to the productivity in the fishing.

UPDATE: The day

after writing this report I received some information that an environmental flow was being released down the Loddon River. The increased flows have already produced a reduction in the water clarity at Bridgewater.

As the flow works its way down the river system, water clarity will be reduced further downstream. The higher flows will continue for two weeks, and then be reduced. At that point we should start to see water clarity slowly improve again, but this is always dependent on inflows after major rainfall events.

VIC

Ballarat lakes fishing well BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Anglers from around the Ballarat and district have certainly been treated to some very good fishing over the past month, with all lakes rewarding anglers for their efforts. I believe the best is yet to come, as we have received some very heavy early spring rains and even snow falls, which has meant the water

and the trout will feed on them with gusto.

Tullaroop Reservoir has certainly produced some excellent fishing over the past month. This waterway is a perfect example of how the fishing can improve when the water starts to rise over new ground. The trout will move right into the shallows to feed on worms, grubs and beetles.

Tullaroop’s location from Ballarat north of the divide is only about 45-50km, which

day during the right weather conditions (warm, sultry and overcast). Fly fishers will obviously need to use midge patterns, both dry and wets, to entice these feeding trout.

Vern Barby and I have been up to Tullaroop on a few occasions over the past month fly fishing. The trout were initially feeding on smelt, both rainbows and browns, but as the water levels have risen the trout have turned their attention to feeding mainly on midge.

started to hatch at the time of writing this report. However, although Vern hasn’t found any mayfly feeders he has been able to find some lovely browns lurking around eager to eat his flies. On one such trip he snagged a ripping brown trout of 60cm on a Coral fly stripped really fast.

Steve Angee has been hitting Wendouree up casting lures out of a drifting boat with some success. He said it’s been a bit slow, but that on his last few trips he’d actually started to have a few more follows. With a bit of luck, they will soon start to eat the lures instead of just following them. Steve has managed to catch a couple of nice browns and a ripper redfin of 46cm on Ecogear Power Shad soft plastics recently.

Newlyn Reservoir is full and overflowing. The trout

The author landed this 3.5lb rainbow trout on a Hamills Killer fly Pattern at Tullaroop Reservoir.

Ballarat Fly Fishers Club member caught this magnificent 60cm brown trout on a coral fly pattern to win the club Len Walker Trophy. Image courtesy of Vern Barby. levels in our fisheries are continuing to rise. The trout will have an even more abundant food supply to choose from.

means it’s a bit warmer than here in Ballarat, and the insects start to hatch earlier.

While the water levels are rising over new ground, the

Vern and I have landed some absolutely magnificent brown and rainbow trout on fly around the 3-4lb mark.

As I mentioned, with the warmer weather conditions, the fishing will only get better for all angling methods.

Lake Wendouree is just starting to produce some lovely fish. The lake has been a little quiet, falling behind what it would normally be on other years, but one thing’s for sure – it will be back at the top of the list over the next few months. When the mayfly and mudeyes start to move we’ll certainly see the fishing and angler numbers increase, which go hand in hand.

Vern Barby has been out on Wendouree looking for some early mayfly action, but unfortunately they haven’t

Nathan Angee caught this golden coloured brown trout from Birches Creek casting an Ecogear MX48 hardbodied lure. Image courtesy of Nathan Angee. are mooching around the shallows feeding, and early mornings and evenings are delivering the best results, whether you fish fly, lures or bait. Russel Wilson has been sneaking around Newlyn, landing some ripper brown trout up to 5lb on fly. He

Vern Barby nailed this well-conditioned brown trout while fly fishing at Tullaroop Reservoir.

The cooler weather has certainly slowed the insect hatches down, especially when in snowed. I’m sure as we approach the warmer weather conditions, this will increase the water temperatures which will trigger the insects starting to hatch. When this does happen, we will see a plethora of insects buzzing around our lakes and rivers,

midge will start to hatch in significant numbers, and the trout certainly love to eat them. These insects can hatch in millions if the conditions are right. They ball up into small clusters, and you will see the trout sipping them down freely.

These fish can sometimes be difficult to catch, but it’s still very rewarding. The midge will even hatch all

Steve Angee nailed this ripper 46cm Lake Wendouree redfin casting an Ecogear Power Shad soft plastic.

Image courtesy of Steve Angee.

has been looking at the weather and has targeted the overcast days in hope of a mayfly hatch. He has spotted a few duns, but not in great numbers yet, and the fish haven’t been up feeding on them the days he has been out. The more mayfly that hatch, the more trout will start to target them. On those overcast, sultry days, the duns will be on.

The mudeyes hatches are well and truly underway now, and fly fishers fishing the evening rise, after dark or the dawn patrol will need to pop on their mud eye patterns. Craig’s Night Time, Mr Simpson, Cubits Mud Eye and a Muddler Monnow would be the fly patterns that I would have ready for the hatch. For the bait anglers, a couta or a bug mudeye suspended under a float are the go because trout will be certainly looking for them now.

At Moorabool Reservoir

the fishing is really starting to fire up. I’ve had a few trips out there just on first light with some excellent results. The water is still rising over new ground and the fish are making the most of every opportunity, feeding freely in the shallows. I have landed some lovely brown trout that have been feeding on midge, and my go-to fly for these midge feeders has been a black nymph.

James Taylor has also been out at Moorabool on first light. He has nailed some magnificent browns including two fish around the 6lb mark on Stick Caddis fly patterns. Moorabool will continue to fish well over the next few months for fly, bait and lure casting anglers.

Birches Creek, part of the Bullarook system, is located just to the north of Ballarat. Birches Creek basically is the overflow from both Newly Reservoir and Hepburn Lagoon, and the creek meanders through Stoney Rises, Clunes and then runs into Tullaroop Reservoir. Birches Creek is not stocked by Fisheries, rather it is self-supported from the now heavily stocked Tullaroop Reservoir with both rainbows and browns moving up from the reservoir to reside in the creek. There are also escapee trout from Newlyn Reservoir when it overflows, as it is currently.

Birches Creek is not heavily fished by anglers due to accessibility, but those anglers who put in the hard yards and walk the miles are certainly rewarded for their efforts. Nathan Angee is one such angler. He has been landing some lovely browns on the Ecogear MX48, which is a small shallow diving lure ideal for casting in smallish rivers and creeks like Birches Creek.

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It’s yellowbelly time!

WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

November can be a very exciting month as most species are usually quite active. Yellowbelly are the stand-out target species

Flat Waterhole and Lake Sambell will be worth trying, but the larger lakes like Lake Buffalo and Lake William Hovell usually fish very slowly for redfin until around Christmastime.

If you an find a small creek with redfin in it, November

such as a no. 2 StumpJumper.

If you are planning on keeping a yellowbelly for a feed, the best size is around 35-45cm. I have kept them at 50cm and they’ve been OK, but any bigger and they get too fatty. A large fatty yellowbelly tastes horrible, and has the potential to put you off eating fresh fish ever again.

I learnt the hard way. I kept one from Lake Mulwala in the 1990s. It was over 7.5lb and was truly disgusting. At the 35-45cm size, however, they are one of the nicest freshwater fish that you are ever likely to eat.

Lake Moodemere can be spectacular at sunrise. not totally unexpected.

I find that Lake Moodemere fishes particularly well for carp on sunrise, using corn as bait. Not only is sunrise a productive time to go carp fishing, but sunrise at Lake Moodemere is often quite spectacular.

Yellowbelly are the number one target species during November. This one was caught recently in Broken Creek. for November as they are usually actively feeding, and are often caught in great numbers and big sizes.

Let’s have a look at what we can expect in November.

TROUT November can be a wonderful time to target trout in the Ovens River catchment.

In the small streams running through farmland, early November is usually best before the water begins to warm right up. In the larger rivers like the Upper King River, the Buckland River, Buffalo River and Upper Ovens River the entire month of November should be great.

In November the water is

will definitely be a great time to fish it. Small creeks with redfin are very hard to find, but there are a few if you look hard enough.

Lake Hume just up the road can produce a few redfin during November. Usually they are caught by anglers targeting yellowbelly.

YELLOWBELLY November is usually the highlight of the fishing calendar for the region’s keen yellowbelly anglers. In any waterway that contains yellowbelly, the yellowbelly are usually biting.

Anglers keen for feed of yellowbelly should head to Lake Nillahcootie. Try using

Most lowland waterways also contain carp. Lake Hume has lots of big ones in the shallows, the Ovens River (particularly around Bundalong) has a lot of carp, and the many lagoons and swamps around the region also hold a lot of these fish.

November can be a very good time to target redfin in North East Victoria.

MURRAY COD Murray cod season is still closed and it is illegal to target them during November.

CARP Carp fishing is one of my favourites, I absolutely love it and November is a great month to do it. Pretty much anywhere that has carp (which is most places) is worth fishing

during November.

One of my favourite places is Lake Moodemere, near Rutherglen. It is just a lovely place. It does not offer much for the sport fisher, or the angler fishing for a feed, but it is a lovely place with abundant wildlife and stacks of carp.

The lake does get stocked regularly and a yellowbelly is

November is a great time to target trout in small streams, but early in the month is best before the water warms up too much.

Time to target ambush points NAGAMBIE

Sunny Martins

Right now is the best time of year around Nagambie Lakes to grab your light rods and finesse tackle.

November is one of the most active times of the year for the golden perch and redfin

fishing in the area, and this year is ramping up to be a cracker for anglers chasing those species.

MITCHELLSTOWN The Mitchellstown area always suffers from the intervalley water transfers around this time of year, and for the next 3-4 months as the irrigation season starts up.

A Lake Moodemere carp caught a few days before this report was written. still quite cool in most larger rivers, while the air is really warm, leading to increased insect activity – and the hungry trout are feeding on them.

The above mentioned rivers will all be worth trying, and pretty much all known trout fishing techniques will work. Fly fishing, lures and live bait will all be worth trying.

Worms will work well for bait if we get rain and the rivers are up a bit, but if they’re low and clear I would probably look for grasshoppers instead.

REDFIN Redfin are active in November in this area, but only in some waterways. The smaller lakes such as Alans 92

NOVEMBER 2020

worms or small yabbies as bait. Live shrimp are dynamite bait if you can keep them alive.

Those chasing monster yellowbelly usually head to either Lake Eildon or Lake Hume where very large yellowbelly are caught each November. My biggest ever yellowbelly was 62cm and caught in Lake Hume in November, trolling a LuhrJensen Hot Lips lure about seven years ago.

Bobbing small lipless crankbaits around the base of standing trees is often a great way to catch yellowbelly in these lakes, and so is trolling medium-sized diving lures

This redfin was taken on a Gidgee Lures Baby Barcoo.

A 50cm golden caught on a Daiwa BaitJunkie 3.2” Minnow.

This has a vast impact on the fishing in the river as the abrupt change in water temperature, rise in flow and increase in water turbidity drastically put the fish off the bite. However, if anglers

manage to get to fish in the week or two after the increase in water flows, the fishing tends to ramp back up, especially if you’re targeting redfin and To page 93

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It’s now prime season to chase golden perch

yellowbelly and it’s prime time for these fish. Some of the lakes can be harder to access but it can be worth the effort if you find a few open areas to cast your bait or lures in.

If you’re looking for an easier session just target the main lake. You can break it down to certain areas – rock walls, willow trees, reed banks and sand bars. You will find the fish will bite similar at the same type of area, so if you catch a few fish on a sand bar keep fishing other sand bars.

Slow rolling a 3” paddletail (e.g. Keitech Easy Shiner) or a blade (e.g. TT Switchblade, Ecogear ZX40) is my go to in October. Then, when it warms up I will start to use football jigs, chatterbaits and the trusty Jackall.

If you are bait fishing the lake, work your depths with fish biting shallow and deep.

Many anglers have had luck floating worms on the edges but if this isn’t successful, go

out a bit deeper with a lightly weighted bunch of worms or shrimp.

LOCAL CHANNELS There is still a good amount of redfin being caught in the channel system, similar to recent years. After a few months the redfin bite seems to drop off so make the most of it while you can. Small soft plastics and vibes will work well in the channels for redfin, as well as the trusty old spinner.

For those chasing yellowbelly, I would use similar lures – just upsize a bit.

Instead of a 2” plastic go to a 3” and add a beetle spin or the TT Revlockz underspin heads.

The Jackall TN60s in colour peacock is one of my favourites for yellowbelly in the channels, so make sure you grab one if you’re a Jackall user.

If you prefer bait fishing, I would be floating shrimp and worms around the drop bars and bridges. There will be flow in the channels so the baits will always be moving, which is ideal.

WARANGA BASIN Water everywhere is the main thing we take out of the Basin reports. I can’t remember the last time I saw the Basin this full. This makes fishing a lot harder because now the fish have so much area to be in, unlike earlier in the year where we only had 50% levels.

Reports from those living near the Basin are that there aren’t big numbers of fish,

NAGAMBIE LAKE Nagambie lakes always become tougher and tougher to fish as the season warms up, mostly due to the increased traffic of recreational boaters like skiers and jet skiers who frequent this area. However, in spite of this traffic many anglers still do well fishing the main lake. The biggest advantage of the lake area around Nagambie is that it tends to warm up a lot quicker than the rest of the system, as it’s much shallower and doesn’t receiving direct flow from the river.

The best species to target in this area are golden perch,

redfin and European carp as they aren’t as bothered by the increased traffic and will still feed.

The boardwalk and the rowing club are by far the most accessible and easiest spots to fish. Additionally, these areas have been some of the most productive in the past, especially for anglers bait fishing with worms or small yabbies. Soft plastics work very well on the golden perch and redfin in these areas as well.

KIRWANS BRIDGE For anglers wanting to target golden perch in particular, fishing around

SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

Unfortunately the COVID restrictions were not completely eased in regional Victoria at the time of writing this report, and this has made it tough to compile an exact report on local areas, especially the Goulburn and Broken rivers.

Those who live close to these rivers did send through a few reports, with mostly yellowbelly being caught on bait. Worms and shrimp cocktail seem to be the best when it comes to baits for yellowbelly in springtime.

October is normally go time for yellowbelly in our local rivers, and if we get a wet spring as predicted there should be a few natural river rises. If that’s the case, the yellowbelly will go crazy. Lure fishers will be throwing smaller spinnerbaits or lures such as the weedless

Young Charlie was very happy with this nice brown trout.

Fish Trap. For those trolling I would use the medium-sized Codger in the natural colours.

Hopefully we will have a ripper spring and the restrictions will ease, but if not, try to stay positive.

Tinker around with your gear, do plenty of research and be 100% ready for when we can fish normally like we used to.

KIALLA LAKES The lakes are all full of

Trelly caught this healthy brown trout on a StumpJumper.

From page 92

golden perch.

The most effective techniques for targeting golden perch in the river at this time of year have got to be slow rolling lipless crankbaits or spinnerbaits in and around the many willow tress that lines the

banks around Mitchellstown, especially upstream.

Bobbing small yabbies or shrimp is deadly when you’re targeting those more picky fish. Structure and flow are key for the goldens. Any spot with spindly timber, where bit of and eddy is formed, is worth investing.

RECOMMENDED TACKLE

• Small lipless crankbaits, e.g. Jackall TN50 or TN60, Mazzy vibes, Redeye 70 • Small compact spinnerbaits, e.g. Obsession Spinnerbaits Mini Spin range, Bassman Compact series or any other compact locally built spinnerbait • Small 60-80mm hardbodies, e.g. size 2 and 3 StumpJumpers, 15ft small Old Mates and Gidgee Lures Fatty Jnr or Baby Barcoo • Scrub worms, shrimp or small yabbies rigged on a small hook and running bean sinker

This 48cm golden perch fell to an Obsession Spinnerbaits Mini Spin.

but there seems to be a lot more size to the fish that are getting caught.

With the water up on the banks there is a lot more timber to target, and these areas are holding the bigger redfin as well as yellowbelly. Continue to target the points and rock walls if you’re casting lures, and just pick a point and work it over. Start high and drift out, and make sure you also fish both sides and the shallow

Tiger or Keitech soft plastics in the 2” size. Slow rolling these lures around the weed edges has worked best, with small redfin also reported on the edges.

Those in kayaks and boats have reported that yellowbelly are now on the chew. Productive lures include weedless Fish Traps and soft plastics with a beetle spin.

Burning these lures above the weed or hopping off the

Yellowbelly are attacking baits and lures. top of the point as the fish can hold in many different areas off these points.

SHEPPARTON LAKE The Shepparton Lake had a stocking prior to school holidays with 750 trout being released. Many locals are still targeting these fish with Strike

bottom in the clear areas are the best methods.

When bait fishing for trout I would continue to use PowerBaits under a float.

You could also float some shrimp above the weed out a bit deeper for yellowbelly and bigger redfin.

A Team Rapta Redeye 70 lure was the undoing of this 46cm golden perch.

Kirwans is definitely the go, especially if you’re fishing out of a boat or kayak. The stretch from Picnic Point boat ramp to Kirwans Bridge has got to be one of the best areas to target goldens. The fishing has been phenomenal downstream of Kirwans as well, with some big goldens being caught from 45-50cm in size. The redfin have also ben very active with the peak of their spawn, with the big female fish being super aggressive post spawn.

The best areas to target golden perch in this areas are in and around the willow trees, as in most areas.

However, what sets this section on the system apart is the reed-lined banks which provide awesome cover and spawning grounds for baitfish and redfin. These are the areas to be targeting big goldens and redfin because this is where they are mostly actively paroling and looking for a feed. Any spot where you find timber breaking through the reeds and forming a laydown is optimal because it provides significant structure for the goldens to set an ambush.

This is exactly the spot that anglers should target.

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Chasing the chooks CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Recently during steady rain, friends of mine travelled from Warrnambool to try their luck with the Chinook salmon on Lake Bullen Merri. Rugged up against the inclement weather, the Ellul clan put in a good session trolling a variety of lures around the lake’s fringes. At the end of the session the boys came up trumps with some sizable salmon and rainbow trout. Against the odds they found the larger

specimens, as opposed to the many smaller fish that have been taken here of late. As they say in the classics, patience and perseverance against the odds (in this case, the weather) can pay dividends.

They were not the only ones. Wayne Tempest and his partner Angie also nearly bagged out recently on the Bullen Merri ‘chooks’, again trolling lures.

Our lakes are certainly benefiting from the recent springtime rainfall.

Our shallower crater lakes are reaping the

benefits, with Elingamite, Tooliorook, Deep and Bolac receiving a much needed top-up.

Fisheries Victoria has recognised this, and are currently restocking these lakes with salmonoids.

They are mostly rainbows, but Elingamite should get browns and maybe Tooliorook, which had a successful stocking just a few years ago.

The trout opening occurring earlier this month has meant that those in the South West with a sense of adventure can now legally stray outside the boundaries of

Xavier Ellul with a trolled up Bullen Merri Chinook salmon.

Wayne Tempest and Angie having a bit of fun in front of the camera with one of their many Chinook captures from Bullen Merri.

our sea-run trout rivers.

One of those is the Mount Emu Creek.

The creek flows into the Hopkins River but above the falls so it’s closed during the season, but is now open to all.

This small but long waterway gets a decent flogging from anglers and receives minimum stocking but can still produce some sizable trout.

The Gercovichs, also from Warrnambool, have been successfully exploring these newly opened waterways.

Also the fishing has been sparse, there are still good trout to be taken – especially browns to well over 5lb taken on minnow lures worked with the current in shallow, fast flowing water as opposed to the slower, deeper pools.

It seems that the trout, particularly the browns, are still operating in breeding mode so the shallower rippled waters are holding the bigger fish.

However, we can expect that to change in the coming weeks as the sun begins to warm the water.

Below the Hopkins Falls continues to be a hot spot, especially for browns up to 5lb. Casting and working shallow diving minnow lures with the current has seen a few brilliantly coloured fish hooked and landed.

Lake Elingamite has plenty of browns and rainbows sitting around 900g with a few approaching 4lb on offer.

Trolling and casting lures adjacent to the weed growth has been the go for many.

Turning hatches into catches WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

The fishing in West and South Gippsland will start to heat up this month as the longer, warmer days start a chain reaction. Insects hatch. Fish are more active at the surface. And anglers begin to emerge from their enforced COVID slumber and enjoy the thrills of sightfishing. Spotting a fish or its feeding ripples and trying to coax it on to your fly, lure or bait is great sport and the most productive method for targeting stream trout and lake fish.

In a stream situation, any surface feeding activity in these parts is 99% going to be trout, unless it is a bigger stream and you are one of the lucky few observing a platypus in the wild.

Out on Blue Rock 94

NOVEMBER 2020

Lake though, a break in the surface tension resulting in a ripple could be any number of likely suspects. Carp are easy to spot with their orange lips sucking at the surface, sometimes followed by a large wake if they are spooked. Most fish that belly flop and completely breach the water are carp, even though most anglers wish they were witnessing a trout. Multiple feeding ripples at any one time tend to be schooling redfin hunting as a pack.

But even the regular anglers on Blue Rock can still get confused between the surface action of bass and trout. Although bass give off a ‘popping’ or ‘gulping’ noise when they are aggressively feeding, at other times they can be more finesse. Trout will swirl with finer pecks at the surface. In any situation, it is important to have several lures on hand ready to go when you do see some

surface action.

Those with the ability to cast a fly will be in amongst the action quickly if they can match the hatch. Presenting to the buffet an insect imitation to a surface feeding fish will likely result in some fun.

Lure anglers will need more patience, as going through the tackle bag and launching everything you have at a surface feeding fish without a take can get quite exhausting and super frustrating. Once you do get that lucky break with a lure, it can be very worth it.

Anglers using baits will have much more success presenting a live bait under a stick float with minimal resistance.

When fish are feeding on the surface, they can be seduced with a worm dangling 2ft below but it’s not that easy if the float has too much resistance.

A surface feeding fish can be a little more sensitive

to its surrounds.

Blue Rock Lake is still sitting at full capacity which is making the fishing a little more difficult over the cooler months as there is lots of feed available around the shoreline. This year there is a lot of aquatic vegetation growing out from the shoreline, whereas in previous years when the lake was down a bit the fish were sitting more exposed and hungrier.

With the water starting to warm up, the fish will be up towards the surface so we should start to expect a bit more action.

All rivers and streams are flowing well.

Catchments have received lots of rain this season so flows should continue strong into summer.

Feel free to send me a report or photo, particularly if you have any success stories post-lockdown.

Happy fishing!

After a long day’s fishing on Blue Rock Lake, Jasmine Landmeter landed (then released) this feisty chunky bass on dusk.

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95

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Good catches for local anglers EILDON

Peter Burtchell

Never in the history of angling have so many been caught by so few.

With the second pandemic travel restrictions in place across Victoria, Lake Eildon experienced a major decline in visiting anglers during September and early October. At Jerusalem Creek, without visitors the only regular local angler Tommy continually landed and released his targeted species of Murray cod.

Tom landed and released all of his catches next to the Jerusalem Creek boat ramp as he trolled over newly inundated creek beds that were reported as a good place to fish back in the June 2020 Lake Eildon report. With the lake level standing at 59.2% and with more rain to come, the newly inundated creeks

Tom with one of his many Murray cod catches. and released so that anglers can report any recaptures.

Anglers are encouraged to report any tagged Murray cod by phoning 1800 134 093. The citizen data helps to obtain an understanding for growth and movement of Murray cod throughout the lake.

To date over 10 landed tagged fish have been reported, and each lucky reporting angler receives an award for their efforts.

The above mentioned Murray cod was tagged on 11 February 2019, and released in the Jerusalem

Sky and Ruby with a quality Murray cod that measured 96cm.

Creek Arm at a length of 395mm, so within an 18-month period up to its recapture and re-release it has grown well to add nearly 15cm.

Don Wilson, another keen local angler, has been keeping up appearances with his catches and has reported

that the yellowbelly have again started to fire up.

This will continue as the weather warms up in the coming months.

Local businesses around the lake are also looking forward to the warmer weather and predicted easing of travel restrictions

A solid yella caught by Donovan Wilson.

Relax and enjoy delicious food and warm hospitality.

Open for breakfast from 6am 7 days a week (Closed Mother’s Day)

Coffee Light meals Pastries Cakes Bread 10 Main St, Eildon Victoria 3713 03 5774 2362 0438 881 629 96

NOVEMBER 2020

and grassy foreshores will fish well for Murray cod, yellowbelly and redfin during the remainder of the year.

Another local family adventure included multiple Murray cod catches whilst holidaying on their houseboat close to Jerusalem Creek. The unsuspecting fish were all caught on fresh chicken whilst moored to the bank and angling from the houseboat’s duck board.

One lucky angler landed and released a healthy 54cm tagged Murray cod whilst flicking a pink Cod Sniper lure in the Jerusalem Creek Arm prior to the mid-September cold snap. Back in February 2019 during a Murray cod population survey conducted by the Arthur Rylah Institute, 125 Murray cod were tagged

This tagged Murray cod grew 15cm over 18 months.

To page 97

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Hot action in salt and fresh HOBART

Andrew Large

Australian salmon are running well in and around Southeast surf beaches such as Clifton, Hope and Roaring Beach on the peninsula. Meanwhile,

fish to around 1kg have also been caught at both Cremone, Carlton River mouth and in the Denison Canal. It seems as though this species is on the move as water temps rise for the summer season.

Yellowtail kingfish will appear in very

limited numbers with the Australian salmon. There are no reports yet but there is always a chance they’ll show up once the salmon have arrived. We’ll have to wait until at least January for a true run of these fish, depending on water temperature and

available baitfish.

Fortescue Bay has seen the arrival of tiger flathead, while Norfolk and Fredrick Henry Bays seem to have sand flathead biting well for the moment.

Closer to Hobart we have calamari biting around Adventure and Nubeena bays and throughout the channel.

Early arrow squid have been caught further up the east coast around Bicheno and St Helens, but these can’t be relied upon for a good catch just at the moment. The run of fish will increase in the coming weeks.

Silver trevally are available at St Helens, with soft plastics and even natural baits working the best recently. Fish up to 3kg have been landed.

Sand whiting have been available in sandy

A lovely fly-caught 5.5kg Penstock Lagoon rainbow trout.

The author with a good sized brown trout for Tungatinah Lagoon.

From page 96

as the fishing season gets into full swing through late-spring and early summer. Jerusalem Creek Bait and Tackle is looking forward to showcasing the new range of Alvey rods, reels and tackle to

the visiting anglers.

• Jerusalem Creek Marina & Holiday Park is a 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. 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 info@jerusalemcreek. com.au.

A selection of bead headed Woolly Bugger styled flies working on frog feeding trout.

Mark Edwards with his 97cm Murray cod.

coastal and estuary bays throughout the state for a while now, while the north coasts continue to give up good sized King George whiting.

Lucky Hobart anglers have recently taken luderick in Southeast waters in the last few weeks. These fish do frequent Tasmanian waters, but finding a sizeable population to target is half the battle.

Those anglers wanting to chase these seldom seen fish could try Southport in the south of the state and perhaps Orford further along the east coast.

Makos have been rumoured to have been off the shelf east of St

Helens, Bicheno and Maria for a while now. This is quite normal for this time of the year.

Albacore tuna have also been with us throughout winter and now spring.

These fish will build in numbers further in December next month.

Southern bluefin are quiet for the moment.

October has long been regarded as a jumbo month but the action was quite slow this past month.

Around the lakes keen fly fishers are right in the middle of some serious frog feeding action, with trout focussing their attentions on spawning frogs in the shallows.

With an increased amount of water this year and higher water levels anglers are revelling in the action so far. Bead headed Woolly Bugger patterns seem to be the best choice.

Spin fishers have also fared well spinning the edges of many waters such as Great Lake, Lake Leake and Tooms Lake. Frog action has certainly helped these anglers, and so too has the timing for the annual spawning runs of many species of galaxia. Trollers also taking good fish in Woods Lake, Bronte Lagoon and Four Springs.

It’s interesting to note that the trout activity in the opening 3.5 months, and the condition and quality of fish, has been the best we’ve seen for some 20 years. It’s only going to get better as trout turn to the surface in order to source their food, and the dry fly action will continue to increase. Already Woods Lake and Arthurs Lake have produced fish to 2.3kg to the dry fly. Duns having shown for a few weeks now.

Those anglers who possibly missed wet fly activity in the lower lakes during October have a second chance to catch up with this action at higher altitude in our western lakes region.

Again, an olive Woolly Bugger stripped slowly at the mouths of underwater channels close to shore will get the best results.

Local anglers can currently look forward to striped trumpeter and calamari closures reopening, while our various local Southern Rock Lobster seasons will be kicking off soon as well.

Good luck for another month! The new season is upon us and good fishing is available after a long winter.

NOVEMBER 2020

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Rigged and ready to roll WIRF

Cara Cummings

Metro Victorians would have to have the best maintained fishing gear at the moment.

During the COVID-19 restrictions in which they were unable to fish, the topic of conversation revolved around tackle, gear and creative storage solutions.

Now that these restrictions have eased a little, those lucky enough to be near water were ready and waiting with rods rigged, itching to fish once again!

Social media was soon

WIRF Leader Jackie Threlfall is one proud mumma with her son’s very impressive catch. Little Charlie was thrilled when he recently caught this very healthy looking brown trout.

WIRF Leader Shae Bloom with her son making the most of the school holidays in regional Vic.

Young Summer had a very successful trip to Eildon and caught herself this great trout. It put on a good fight and she was determined not to let it get away. filled with bragging rights once more, as these anglers returned to the sport they love.

Meanwhile, regional Victorians were sharing their stories and catches, allowing others to fish vicariously through their adventures.

WIRF WELCOME NEW LEADERS Albeit remotely, the VFA were still able to offer the WIRF Leadership program for 2020. While the program had to be run differently, this year’s amazing group successfully completed the training online.

Our new Leaders ‘virtually’

mingled with some of the great industry insiders and role models, gaining great insight into many aspects of recreational fishing. We look forward to introducing our new Leaders and sharing where their journey takes them as soon as we are able to resume WIRF events.

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.facebook.com/groups/ 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.

One of our new 2020 WIRF Leaders Helen McDonnell with her double hook up!

WIRF Leaders during one of their live Zoom training sessions.

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NOVEMBER 2020

Jess Smith with her monster yellowbelly!

RECIPES THAT ARE ‘WIRF’ IT

Mustard Herb Crumbed Trout great recipe for all types of fish.

2. Spread a thin layer of mustard on (what (SERVES 4) was) the original skin side of the fillet.

Fresh trout 3. In a small bowl, add all other (2x whole fillets/4 portions) ingredients to form the crumb. Stir to 1/2 cup Panko crumbs allow the crumbs to soak up the oil 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan until well combined.

1 tbsp. mixed chopped herbs 4. Press the trout mustard side down into Zest of 1 lemon the crumb mix ensuring you have a Juice 1/2 lemon thick and even coverage. Only coat 1tbsp. Dijon mustard one side of the trout as to not Salt and pepper overpower the fish.

5. Repeat with the other fillets.

6. Place into a pre heated hot oven 200o METHOD for 10-12 minutes.

1. Prepare the trout fillets by de-boning 7. Serve with a beetroot slaw, crunchy and removing the skin. This is a bread or roast potatoes.

INGREDIENTS

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QLD NSW VIC

NOVEMBER 2020

99

South Coast

WA

The town is abuzz AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

School holidays preceded by a long weekend made Augusta a real hive of activity, with as many people buzzing around the town as there have been bees visiting the springtime blooms. It has shown people in Western Australia that although we are cut off from the rest of the world at the moment, we are still able to support

then Augusta is a place where you can do just that. There are any number of spots in the river, marina or beaches that are safe, sheltered and unpopulated, allowing you to learn the basics without unwanted attention. Then again there are plenty of crusty old experts who haunt the most productive spots, most of whom will offer up a bit of local knowledge for free, or at most an ice coffee.

Hardy Inlet and the Dead Water have had plenty of sand movement caused by

Luke managed to coax this nice bight redfish up off the bottom, providing an excellent meal courtesy of Flinders Bay. each other by travelling and spending our money within this beautiful state.

It has felt like the weather has shown the way, with the early morning sunshine providing that boost in warmth that really makes you want to get up and get out into the world and do something constructive. Or you can do something that is really self satisfying and get a line in the water. It’s easy to justify it by telling yourself that you will be providing a meal for the family but let’s be honest, it’s generally a boost to our own mental health that is the real bonus.

As Christmas fast approaches, the time is right to get planning for that family expedition to the Margaret River Region. No trip to the area would be complete without a stay at one of the awesome holiday accommodation options available in Augusta. It doesn’t matter if it is camping, caravan park, hotel, motel or a luxury apartment, there is the level of comfort you desire just waiting for you to book.

If you are new to fishing and want to hone your skills 100

NOVEMBER 2020

the tides and heavy winter rains, and this has created plenty of sand flats that have a very low depth of water bordered by some good deep

holes and channels. This will certainly play into the hands of the summer whiting poppers who will have plenty of acreage to walk around. At the moment there are lots of yellowfin whiting, herring and juvenile salmon about, and hopefully they’ll stick around right through to the start of next year.

Jetty fishing has been pretty light on lately with the yellowfin, skippy and squid seemingly taking a break from the jetty scene and moving out into the wider areas towards the cut at Colourpatch. Some of the die-hard jetty fishers have been persevering with late night and early morning sessions and have been managing to scrape together a meal. Some big herring have been caught during the night and can usually be picked up off the surface as they zoom in and out of the floodlit areas, scooping up everything that gets in their way. Plenty of cobbler can be found mooching around on the bottom, and if you thread a fat cockle or mussel on an unweighted bait they will often pick it up. The skin is easily removed with a pair of pliers and the resulting fillets, although soft, are quite nice to eat fresh. Try them grilled with a coating of flour for a tasty breakfast.

As always it doesn’t hurt to put the crab nets in if you are boating on the river, as there are still a few getting around. No big numbers, but enough for a first rate meal if you persevere. Try spleen rather than fish bait as the big stingrays love destroying nets, and it is not unusual to watch one

A family affair is always fun on a charter, especially when you get to take home 5-star rated fish like these dhufish. of the floats on your nets disappear into the distance.

Trying to fight a big black ray in a crab net is a no win situation and will result in busted nets.

The Molloy Hideaway Park Bream Fishing Competition is held each year around this time and is always a big draw-card.

The new owners, as with the previous owners of the Molloy Caravan Park, have graciously allowed this annual event to be held on the grounds. As always the proceeds will go to the Augusta Volunteer Marine Rescue who provide a vital service to the community.

Things are looking good for the competition as there has been some great sponsorship from businesses which, along with the amazing volunteers, are the backbone of fund raising efforts.

On the bream fishing front there have been plenty of fish about. Word has it

that a couple of local bream experts have been narrowing in on the big fish with a plan to pick them off in time for weigh-in at the competition.

Not surprisingly there have been some good fish landed on the aptly named

mind blowing. As these fish are the big breeders it’s good to release them if possible; as we all know it is difficult to successfully release a dhufish pulled from deep water. Regardless, it’s best to just be happy with your

David Muller, owner and skipper for Leeuwin Marine Charters, with a 20kg dhufish.

Tom proudly shows off his first dhufish, and his dad managed a thumper as well. They were landed from the reef near the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse on a trip with Leeuwin Marine Charters.

Jarvis Walker Bream Lure Pack, which has five 60mm hardbody lures in a range of colours and patterns. It’s a matter of trying a couple until the flavour of the day gets some strikes. River prawns are of course always the best bait to use, with coral prawn pieces being a good alternative when the juveniles are picking baits to pieces.

The ocean fishing has been exceptional in Flinders and Hamelin bays with the run of big dhufish continuing without any sign of dropping off. The number of 20kg specimens coming over the side of the boats has been

first legal size dhu of the day, whether it’s a PB or not. The way the fishing has been lately, it won’t be many trips before you are taking a photo of the best fish of your life.

Big winners have been using 7-9” paddle-tail soft plastics and Vexed Bottom Meat jigs. The best baits as usual are whole fish, squid and octopus tentacles, and don’t be afraid to berley the area while you are drifting and leave a floating line out the back for gummy shark or bronzies, as they are well worth the trouble.

There have been some To page 101

WA

South Coast

Enjoying the countdown to summer fishing A couple of bluefin tuna have been caught recently, and in November they should become a more common catch. The initial run typically consists of smaller fish around 1-2kg, and these are followed later on by bigger specimens, which normally show up around January. You can get the bluefin around the back of the islands, and you can also find big schools sitting out wide.

Summer is fast approaching, and offshore anglers will continue to catch yellowtail kingies over the summer months.

There are still plenty of samsonfish too, and we’ll see a continuation of the nannygai, an increase in

ESPERANCE

Murray Johnson

The South Coast has started enjoying the longer days and warmer weather, and the fishing has continued to be full on.

In town we are continuing to see plenty of herring, smaller skippy, and the occasional King George whiting. The squid are still hanging around too.

We are also starting to see smaller samsonfish coming in close around town around the jetties, and the occasional groper.

Our tanker jetty is being rebuilt and it’s scheduled to be completed in time for next winter, but the plan is for a soft opening over summer, which would be great news for land-based locals and visitors who enjoy fishing in town.

The local beaches have seen the salmon go quiet but anglers are still getting plenty of herring, small skippy and some decent size flathead. Throwing chrome slices like Halco Twisties has continued to bring in some good fish, flathead and herring. When you’re targeting flathead with a chrome lure, let it hit the sand and drag it slowly along the bottom to stir the sand up, with the occasional pause. If herring are your target, just rip the lure along the surface.

In recent weeks there have been good numbers of gummy sharks caught.

Just after dark is normally the best time, and you can pick up the occasional mulloway this way too.

There are smaller From page 100

nice-sized sand whiting taken off the beaches, especially south of the marina where the sizes have been great. A bonus is that there have been a few good tarwhine and King George whiting turning up as well. The typical mixed bag of beach fish has been topped up with herring and skippy, but it definitely pays to berley the area to get better results. The best baits are blood worms, squid strips, mulie pieces or pieces of fresh fish fillet on a long shank hook.

The marina rock walls are proving to be a good idea when the wind is causing grief off the beach as you can usually find a sheltered section on the walls where you can throw a line. Recently there have been some great catches including a great harlequin from the outside of the rock wall.

Inside there are

dhufish catches, and plenty of Breaksea and harlequin.

In summer the salmon will start schooling up again close to the shoreline, bringing the bronzies in with them. Herring will start getting bigger too, with specimens up to 0.5kg being available from both the jetties and the beaches.

• Established in 1986, Southern Sports and Tackle specializes in the supply and servicing of fishing equipment. They have an extensive knowledge of the local area and provide all brands, whether you’re fishing from beach, jetty or boat. Come and chat to the friendly staff at Shop 16, The Boulevard, Esperance or phone 08 9071 3022.

The bream have been feeding actively in the warmer weather. Image courtesy of @olistevensonn. schools of salmon still cruising here and there, and wherever you find the salmon you’ll find plenty of bronze whalers.

Choice beaches in town are Roses, 14 Mile and Fourth Beach.

Heading out a bit further to Alexander Bay, there has still been the occasional salmon hanging around, but they’re not worth targeting at the moment. However, there are plenty of gummy sharks and bronzies being caught. If you’re venturing out in a tinny from there, you can still pick up plenty of squid, despite the fact

that it’s the tail end of the season. There are good numbers of nannygai in close too, and lots and lots of queen snapper.

At Poison Creek anglers are still picking up the occasional salmon on lures, and there are a few tailor getting around as well. One lure that has been working well lately is the new Halco Slidog 105 in pilchard.

Moving back around town, the bream lakes have received plenty of water from rains over winter, with the creek systems still flowing in. Anglers have

whiting and flathead, especially if you cast a line towards the finger jetties.

Hardbodied lures or soft plastics bounced along the bottom around the pylons could result in a nice flathead or two, and a bonus flounder is not out of the realms of possibility.

Try pausing occasionally as it is not uncommon for both these aggressive feeders to take a shot at eating your lure once it begins moving again. If you miss a couple of hits then it pays to keep trying with a longer pause as they don’t seem to be deterred by missed strikes and will have another go if given the chance. Both these first class fish are great eating, and although they appear to be difficult to fillet they actually aren’t, and provide some of the best eating you will get landbased. Try coral prawns if you prefer bait fishing and drop them to the bottom with a running sinker rig,

and slowly retrieve it.

Rock fishing can be very productive in Augusta.

Choose a spot that gives 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 an angler 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, right next to the Better Choice Fuels Service Station.

been picking up bream to 40cm, which have been feeding actively in the warmer weather. They are taking river prawns, herring fillets and soft plastics.

Anglers fishing from tinnies out the front are picking up the occasional squid, good numbers of sand whiting, some bigger flathead up to 85cm, and the odd King George up to 45cm. There are also lots of snook at the moment, and samsonfish around the closer islands.

There are plenty of queen snapper around the close islands too.

Oli Stevensonn caught this flatty in his squid spot while chasing whiting on his herring rod! Image courtesy of @olistevensonn.

Malu Bow has caught the fishing bug since travelling around WA with her family.

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recfishwest There’s super sportfishing around the FADs One year has passed since Recfishwest launched the innovative state-wide Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) trial to create fantastic new pelagic sportfishing opportunities across WA. From abundant dolphinfish (mahimahi) to different tuna varieties, and even the occasional cobia, fishers from Broome to Albany have been relishing the great pelagic action to be had on the FADs. It all kicked off in November last year when six devices were deployed off Perth to launch the threeyear FADs trial program, which is funded through the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund (RFIF).

Two of the new Perth

provides everyone, including boat fishers with tinnies, with access to a great fishing location,”

Eddie Sheppard caught plenty of mahimahi at the metro FADs last season. Image courtesy of Eddie Sheppard.

Tackleworld Broome’s Gino Chambers was buzzing after landing this cobia at Recfishwest’s FADs off Broome. Image courtesy of Jade Relph.

FADs were deployed southwest of Rottnest, while the other four were deployed in the north metro, making them more accessible to those launching from boat ramps in the northern suburbs.

With the new FADs complementing Perth Game Fishing Club’s six FADs off Rottnest Island, Recfishwest Operations Lead Matt Gillett was confident the new Perth FADs would fire quickly – and they did.

“When Recfishwest launched the state-wide trial FADs program, we wanted to ‘road-test’ the project in a bid to create awesome fishing opportunities,” he said. “It didn’t take long for schools of dolphinfish

to start aggregating on the Perth FADs, and within two weeks fishers were catching them and continued to do so right through to autumn, before the FADs were brought back to shore in May.” FADS CREATING NEW PLAYGROUNDS FOR WA FISHERS From Broome to Albany, Recfishwest was quick to expand the FADs trial, which resulted in some great catches being reported and also some important lessons learnt in anchoring the devices, with a couple of the FADs breaking away before being collected and replaced.

In addition to the Perth set, Recfishwest deployed four FADs off Cape

Naturaliste and four FADs off Albany last December, before setting three devices off Exmouth in March this year.

Broome’s fishing community was also buoyed with excitement in June when four FADs were deployed, marking the fifth set of FADs deployed as part of Recfishwest’s Statewide FADs trial.

“This is exactly the kind of thing RFIF money should be spent on – creating innovative new exciting fishing opportunities,” Matt said.

“The FADs are offering sensational topwater fishing experiences, with many pelagic species – including dolphinfish, wahoo and tuna – hunting the baitfish which aggregate around the devices.

“Critically, we’re learning a lot as we go and as a result we will be in a strong position to evolve the program beyond the initial three-year trial phase.

“However, we still need evidence of fishers’ catches on the FADs to help us secure the program in the future – so we’d love to see pictures of catches and anecdotal evidence about the quality of the fishing on the FADs. Please drop us a line if you fish the FADs on a regular basis, either by emailing us at

The State-wide FADs trial program has created new fishing playgrounds across WA. Image courtesy of Kurt Wilson.

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NOVEMBER 2020

wide trial FADs program’s success, Recfishwest is busy preparing for the next phase of the exciting

info@recfishwest.org.au or by giving us a call on 9246 3366.”

BOOM! BROOME TRIAL BLAZING A NEW TRAIL While every FAD location is exciting, the trial off Broome was the program’s the most groundbreaking to date for a raft of reasons. Two of the devices

Beau Suladra, the winner of Recfishwest’s FADs photo comp, with a mahimahi at the Perth Game Fishing Club’s metro FADs. Image courtesy of Cody Suladra.

One of Recfishwest’s metro FADs after it was deployed. are based close to shore in shallow water, making them accessible to small boat owners, whereas previous trials off WA have been deployed in depths of more than 150m. They’re also the first set of devices to be deployed off the Kimberley coastal town.

“The Broome FADs’ near-shore proximity

Matt said. “It has been great to hear of great catches from the FADs since they were deployed, including Tackle World Broome’s Gino Chambers landing a nice cobia.”

SIX LOCATIONS TRIALLED AND ANOTHER ON THE HORIZON On the back of the state-

program – Geraldton. Four devices will be deployed along WA’s famous Coral Coast, including one about 15km off Geraldton and three west of Abrolhos Islands.

Matt said it was exciting to see what species the incoming Geraldton FADs would produce.

“We’re hoping Spanish mackerel, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, dolphinfish and even possibly marlin could be caught there,” he said.

“It is possible that the FAD closest to shore could hold Spanish mackerel, which would be awesome and would unlock access for small boat fishers to target these pelagics. We have never deployed FADs there before, so it’s going to be interesting to see what fish they attract.”

Just one year into the three-year trial, Matt said the FADs program was already proving to be a very popular new addition to the recfishing landscape.

“We’re definitely keen to develop and improve the project and deploy more FADs and more locations off WA,” he said. “With one year down and two years to come, it is exciting to think what the fantastic FADs future has in store.”

• For the FADs’ coordinates and more info about how to fish the FADs, visit recfishwest.org.au/fads.

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A quality whiting caught by Anthony Sexton.

NOVEMBER 2020

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No demersals, pelagics are go!

METRO

Jacob Crispe

Although November means that Perth metro anglers cannot target demersal species, there is no need for concern as there are plenty of other options to put a bend in your fishing rod.

SWAN RIVER By the time you get your copy of Fishing Monthly magazine the tailor should be working their way back into the lower reaches of the Swan, and they will be a popular target for metro anglers.

Finding them will be all about looking for the right indicators. Nervous baitfish

if you can’t find them, trolling a ganged mulie is a great option to catch a fish and help you find the schools.

As the water warms flathead will become more active and move into the shallows. The area from East Fremantle to South Perth will be a good place to start. Keep in mind if you aren’t finding them in the shallows, look for areas where there is water with deep drop-offs nearby, and search these areas with a soft plastic or hardbody lure. There is every chance that the flathead will be patrolling these areas looking for a feed.

As always, the bream fishing in the Swan River

Luka Aldrian can’t keep away from the big skippy, with the unlimited fun he has catching them!

ROCK WALLS Perth metro’s rock wall fishing is on fire.

This will continue through November, in particular the squid fishing. There should be good numbers of squid about and plenty of quality models amongst

Dwayne Robinson making it look easy with a cracking calamari caught just off Freo!

Madeline Closey with a lovely PB 28cm black bream she caught on light tackle. hiding around the backs of sand bars are a sure sign that tailor are nearby.

The beauty of tailor is

is good. Try around Maylands, Burswood, the sand flats in the Canning River and around Shellys

them has tended to focus on using lures and lighter leaders to catch them.

The East Fremantle to Clairmont section would be a good place to start. As mentioned in many of my reports, look for structure and signs of baitfish, and chances are a mulloway won’t be too far away.

Dom Magoo stopped in at Lake Navorino for a spot of freshwater fishing, landing this beautiful rainbow trout. them. A quick tip if the squid are eluding you is to try putting a bit of scent on your jigs. There are plenty of scents out there and at

times using them can make all the difference.

The October run of King George whiting should also continue along

Dom with a big 5-star flounder he caught just out near Stragglers Reef. that they can be caught on all manor of lures and baits.

Cast stickbaits, metals, soft plastics and bibbed minnows will all get their fair share of fish, however 104

NOVEMBER 2020

if bream are your go.

The mulloway in the Swan are in full spawning mode and have headed into deeper water. The trend with anglers targeting

Rotto Rocks don’t disappoint at this time of year! KGs aren’t usually caught on soft plastics, but Michael Hill’s persistence paid off with this lovely fish.

the rock walls. Fremantle Sailing club and the South Mole walls are a good starting point. Fresh squid or coral prawns are the best baits. I like using either long shank or circle hooks to avoid deep hooking fish.

It makes it easier to release undersize fish and gets you fishing again quickly when the fishing is red hot.

Skippy, herring and salmon trout should also be about with the whiting. As I always say, using berley is a big key to success when targeting these species.

BEACHES There have been some trophy size sharks caught from our metro beaches.

Bronze whaler and tiger sharks in the 3-3.5m range have been caught recently by some very dedicated beach anglers.

Big tailor will however To page 105

WA

West Coast

Watching water temps EXMOUTH

Barry Taylor

The bottom fishing has been reasonable of late, when conditions have allowed. Blue marlin have been patchy over the past month, but they are starting to be caught more often. November, December and January are prime months for big blues. A grander was caught here on 1 January two years ago, so it’s only a matter of time before another one is caught by a lucky angler.

November is also when the sailfish start to fire up, chasing all the bait that has moved into the Gulf.

When the sails are actively feeding, some boats can get up to 20 fish in a session.

There have been some big yellowfin caught and sighted in recent weeks, and spearo Nate Brejnak actually got in the water and filmed some feeding yellowfin which ranged between 60-80kg. They From page 104

be the main focus our beach anglers, Trig, Cott, Floriet City Beach should

for and and fish

were in around 1000m of water, about 7-8 miles offshore.

From November right through until March is also when we get a run of small black marlin, which can be caught inshore in 25m of water, all the way out to 1000m country.

The water temperature largely determines the marlin’s movements, as they prefer temperatures around 27-28°C. The black marlin run provides a great opportunity for small boat owners to experience the excitement of being hooked up to a billfish. If you want to give it a try, head out of Tantabiddi Passage and put out some 6-8” skirted lures (such as Richter or Bonze), on 15kg tackle. If you haven’t done this kind of fishing before, feel free to drop into the store and we’ll be happy to share our knowledge to help you catch your first black.

At this time of year there are also plenty of

schools of little tunnies (also called false albacore).

You can see these mini tuna busting up baitfish on the surface, and if you troll skirts around the outside of those schools you can sometimes pick up some blacks. Little blacks love eating those tiny tuna.

On the beaches the action has been hit-andmiss, although there have still been some good catches for anglers who have put in the time. One of the most notable catches from the shore was a 28kg Spanish mackerel taken in Lighthouse Bay. We have been starting to get whiting again on the beaches in the Gulf, and they have been taking prawns and surface lures such as the Jackson Pygmy Popper.

Summer is fast approaching, and it’s traditionally a great time for big longtail tuna in the Gulf, although in recent years they have been a bit shy. The best way to catch them is with tiny chrome slices or a tiny stickbait,

and cast and wind as fast as you can. To avoid spooking the school you need to pull up just shy of it and cast over the feeding fish.

Here’s hoping for a great run this year.

• 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.

tailor are about. They love nothing better than a feed of tailor, so a tailor fillet or whole live fish sent back into the suds could result in

skippy, southern bluefin tuna and other tuna species.

What more could you want?

The skippy and KGW will be found in the areas with 6-25m of water (broken ground of course), and the squid are more prevalent in 3-8m of water.

The main talking point in November will however be the SBTs, oriental bonito and stripes. Look for bird activity and nervous bait schools, as they are the signs that these predatory fish are about. Coventries, North Rotto and the back of 5 Fathom Bank is where I would start. If there is no visible activity it can pay to troll a skirted lure

or minnow around while searching. This will help you find the fish you can’t see. Check out local angler Doms Fishing Adventures on YouTube as he provides a great source of information on what happens on our inshore grounds.

OFFSHORE For most offshore anglers, November will be all about jigging for yellowtail kingfish and samsons. At this time of year, 35-40kg specimens are not uncommon and there are plenty of eager anglers keen to tangle with them.

West and south of Rottnest are always a good places to try, and salmon Bay is

also always worth a look.

The schools of fish are not always easy to locate so searching with a trolled deep diving hardbody lure is a common way to try to locate them. Once you find the fish, jigs, baits and soft plastics will all

crayfish. If you are looking for crayfish gear, head over to Anglers Fishing World in Fremantle, as they have everything you need to chase crays.

Thanks as always to Max Sampson for helping me put this

Hayley Dellar with a nice spangled emperor caught on fly.

Joe ‘Big Kahuna’ Orifici keeps the younger gen in check with plenty of big kidney-slapping KGs. Dom Magoo just can’t get enough of these southern bluefin tuna! This fish was caught in 30m behind Garden Island. well for them. Dusk and into the evening is the prime time to target these fish, preferably around a tide change.

Mulloway also tend to be around when the

some pretty cool mulloway action. Smaller sharks should be about too.

INSHORE The inshore fishing in November is all about King George whiting, squid,

Madeline’s brother, Sunny Closey, with a decent black bream and his PB at 32cm!

work well. Just have the right gear to target them, as these fish will sort you out if you don’t.

November is also the time to start gearing up for crayfish. The whites are not running yet but it pays to have a pot in the water as you are bound to come home with a feed of

report together. Check him out on Instagram and Facebook Maxi_ Out_Fishing, and don’t forget to follow me too at @Jampacked_Fishing_ Adventures. That’s it for this month – get out there and enjoy everything fishy that November has to offer.

NOVEMBER 2020

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Gathering a good feed LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

Demersal fishing might be off the radar, but there are still plenty of other fish in the sea.

late in the month, because while the crays moult they won’t feed or move into the pots. Look for when the seagrass seed pods wash onto the beach en masse and the native Christmas trees bloom, indicating the

of the year.

Each year we see a number of blue ring octopus fall out of pots onto the deck, so be sure to wear gloves and shoes.

If someone is bitten or believed to have been,

Darren Rinaldi scored his first land-based dhufish at Seabird, using a drone to drop a mullet fillet 450m off the beach.

What tailor fishing is all about – Jackie with a great tailor and sunset.

One of the key events late this month will be the start of the white cray run. Potting for the white crays is when most of the annual catch is made, with well-placed pots coming up full. It’s best to save your bait and efforts until

water temperatures have hit the cue to start the annual migration. The run should continue through December, although most locals have their stomachs and freezers full to the allotted possession limits long before the end

dial 000 for an ambulance and head to shore fast as possible. Pressure immobilisation bandages should be applied to the entire limb, and keeping still slows the spread of the toxin. Monitor breathing as CPR may be needed and

should be continued until help arrives.

People take a few extra risks to pull pots when the swell is up, knowing they will be full, and will head out early to beat the wind. A lot of the time these anglers are back on the beach before sea rescue has opened the radio room.

Be sure someone knows where you are and when you are due back. I always wear a lifejacket and PLB, as it’s good insurance should something go wrong pulling pots in a swell.

It is still too early to be reliably chasing the more tropical gamefish like mackerel. We will have to wait until early in the

new year before the warm currents bring them our way. There are still plenty of gamefish out there to chase, however. Bluefin tuna have been around in fantastic numbers, and we should start to see some striped tuna and yellowtail kingfish turning up during the month. Some of the kingfish usually take up residence along the bay’s reef breaks.

Casting lures to the white water can also score some jumbo tailor. This type of fishing is not for the inexperienced and is best done with at least a 2-person crew, wearing lifejackets ‘just in case’. Remember, your PFD won’t do you any WA

good if you’re not wearing it! One person should drive the boat and watch the seas, leaving the other to concentrate on the fishing.

The boat should never be put where the swells are breaking. The sounder should be monitored for a safe depth swell won’t break, and at the same time watch well out to sea for larger incoming swells. The driver needs to know where the deep, safe water is, should an extra large wave come through.

Birds will normally indicate which of the reef breaks are holding fish, and lures to use will depend on the conditions. Metals will give some extra distance

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the size of the eye and teeth – and that is half the key to making the fish look lifelike.”

After that, it’s all up to the painting.

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In my paint shop I use spray paint to achieve blended, accurate colours

106

NOVEMBER 2020

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Peter loves his work, and prides himself on the quality of his carved fish.

“Computer drawing is one of my strengths, and this enables me to scale down or scale up the fish’s dimensions perfectly,” he explained. “For example, if someone wants a 750mm baldchin, I will scale it to that size and make everything very accurate, right down to

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To find out what Peter can create for you, give him a call on 0422 974 348, email candido.pete@gmail. com or look up ‘Arttek Timber Art’ on Facebook to see his other creations.

WA

to keep your safe from swells and punch into a breeze, while poppers and stickbaits are productive over shallow reef.

Samsonfish are moving out to deep water through the month to form breeding aggregations. The Key Biscayne wreck off Ledge Point is one place that will be holding fish, as will much of the structure out along Direction Bank.

Jigging with large knife jigs and heavy line makes for some arm-stretching fun.

The most reliable way to gather a feed is chasing sand whiting along the 20-22m depths. Norwest blowfish always turn up this month, but you can normally snatch a dozen

along further to finish the session.

Sandies are one of the best baits to use off the beach for chasing tailor and mulloway. Unlike pilchards, the pickers don’t demolish sandies. You can set a rod or two in a holder and wait for something decent to crash the bait. Sit back and enjoy a sunset and a beer without having to constantly rebait the hooks.

The biggest whiting always go fresh into the pan. They have a unique flavour and go down well every time, whether crumbed, battered or just pan fried with a little seasoned flour.

Tailor have been an excellent average size this year with plenty of fish

offshore reefs.

Whaler sharks have been in good numbers right along the coast, mostly spinners and bronzies, and at around 1m long they’re great eating. You don’t need to go far out of town to catch them, either; at Back Beach and even in front of Lancelin Island there can be good numbers.

Early evening just as it gets dark seems to the when they are most active.

Heading down to the south end of the bay to throw a few soft plastics, lures or baits can be a pleasant way to spend a morning, wading the shallows for flathead or yellowfin whiting. As the shallows warm, both the flathead and yellowfin

The humble herring will be turning up everywhere this month, and dinghy and kayak fishers will have a ball chasing them over the shallows at the south end

also throw over the anchor and set up a berley trail to bring them to the boat where you can cast unweighted baits or use a float. They turn up en masse each night at

West Coast

popular methods to use.

There are plenty of herring along the beaches north and south of town too. Berley helps to concentrate them and get a good bite going. There

Small bluefin tuna have been widespread. of the bay. Soft plastics and small metal lures cast or trolled will account for plenty of herring. You can

the jetty, and on most nights it is pretty easy to reach a bag limit. Soft plastics or an unweighted prawn bait are

Lancelin & Ledge Point Beach Driving & Beach Fishing

When seed pods wash onto the beach, the white crays will be walking. or so sandies before the blowies become a problem.

Once the blowfish set in, they start biting the fish off the line or taking the baits along with the hook. The only solution is to move

in the 50-60cm category.

By the end of this month the smaller fish usually become dominant. Larger greenbacks 60cm+ will still be in the wash areas of gutters, near shore and

become more active. In the last few years, yellowfin whiting have been a bit lean, but recently we have been seeing some better numbers, so hopefully this will be a good season.

are more bull herring along the surf beaches, and they’re not shy to tackle a pilchard bait intended for tailor.

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E: info@tailoredtreks.com.au W: www.tailoredtreks.com.au NOVEMBER 2020

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WA

Land-based catches improving GERALDTON

Graham Maunder & Michael Triantopoulos

What a change a few weeks can make! Last month finding any sort of decent sized land-based fish was hard to do, but things can change on a dime.

to Coronation Beach.

Casting 120-140mm floating stickbaits, poppers and plugs have accounted for some great captures.

Chopper tailor have also arrived at many of the local beaches, from West Bank to South Gates and Tarcoola Beach. Yellowfin whiting

Brady Haines with an estuary cod caught out from Geraldton.

Over the last couple of weeks big tailor have arrived along most of the local reefs at Greenough, Separation Point and Point Moore, and some of the bigger beaches north of Drummonds Cove

catches have picked up too, with plenty of whiting over 25cm and some to 40cm.

Mulloway catches are also improving along local beaches, with most fish between 60-80cm and

some monster fish closer to 1.5m reported from an undisclosed beach south of Geraldton.

Pink snapper catches have been patchy this season, mostly because of difficult weather and weed build-up. However, as conditions improved leading up to the demersal fish closed season, bag limit catches of pink snapper of 5kg or more mixed in with school sized mulloway and jumbo tailor made putting up with the early season challenges worthwhile.

Land-based squidding results have dropped off considerably, but as usual the people putting in the most effort are still getting good quality catches from the northern side off the Batavia Marina rock walls and over the weed beds close to shore.

BOAT-BASED FISHING Finally we got a run of decent weather and ideal conditions for anglers to get out offshore and make the most of it before the demersal closure took effect on 15 October. Reports were that the fish were on the bite, with pink snapper in good numbers and sizes, with some fish going 80cm.

The majority of reports came from south west of town, and along with the snapper there were good catches of WA dhufish, baldchin groper, coral trout, samsonfish and amberjack.

The area south of town from the Light House to African Reef has been hit and miss, but the lucky anglers have had captures of WA dhufish, pink snapper, coral trout, baldchin groper

and skippy.

Fishing closer to home, Outer Knoll buoy and around the ship anchorages, school sized WA dhufish to 65cm, baldchin groper, estuary cod and morwong have been biting. It’s been a matter of driving around until you mark the fish then having a drop as there isn’t a lot of bottom structure around there. Quite often the fish schools are only small, so you might have to drive around to find more. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as finding new ground is always a bonus.

With the still late afternoons and evenings we’ve been seeing some dedicated anglers anchoring on the drop of Pensioners Bank using berley, and having a great time catching school sized WA dhufish, pink snapper to 70cm, baldchin groper to 50cm,

Colin Llewellyn caught this solid tailor off the beach north of Drummonds Cove.

Colin Llewellyn with a 5kg pink snapper caught north of Drummonds Cove.

skippy, cuttlefish and squid using lightly weighted pilchards on medium to light gear. Great fun!

Squid captures have been a little more inconsistent, but bag limit captures of good-sized squid have been coming from Separation Point to Pages Beaches and along Chapman Road.

Until next month, tight lines and screaming drags!

• Geraldton Sports Centre is the Mid West’s specialist fishing tackle store. Drop in and see the friendly professional staff for local advice and knowledge, and browse the extensive range of fishing equipment on show at 204-208 Marine Terrace Geraldton, or phone 08 9921 3664.

Northern currents bring spring surprises KALBARRI

Stephen Wiseman

Some changes in species being caught around Kalbarri got me checking water temps and current direction to see what has brought orca, monocle bream and Moses perch to our close inshore reefs.

After a bit of checking around on some of the websites it was easy to see that offshore waters are flowing from the north and then swinging in from the Abrolhos Islands, which may be the cause of some changes at this time of year.

Fishos working the back of Oyster Reef have been doing well on pink snapper, with some fish going over 5kg, and plenty getting put back at 108

NOVEMBER 2020

the 400-450 size.

Plenty of assorted reef fish are keeping boaties happy in water depths

of 20-25m, with baldies, spangles and mulloway being in abundance.

With no water flow

in the river things have been quiet for whiting and bream, but some surprised anglers have had their

Currents from the north have brought some unusual visitors, like this orca.

arms stretched with the odd mulloway still cruising around the pens and Bird Sit rock in front of VMR. For the rock hoppers all along the cliffs are the go for big pink snapper and baldies, but care is needed while trying to get to the hot spots.

Try Pot Ally and even around the point at Red Bluff.

Tailor have been quiet but it’s always worth trying poppers at Oyster and Chinamans.

Early morning and late afternoon are the best times. Some choppers have been hooked from town jetty but the average size is small and they should be released to grow.

Remember to always check fish sizes with the latest regulations.

The best bait is whitebait or whole river prawn to tempt the

passing scaleys.

North past the Sand Patch has produced longtail tuna and spotted mackerel in recent weeks, so it’s possible that Spanish mackerel are around too.

A bit of work around the reefs may produce the odd big fat fish for those putting in the effort.

With big swells running, some boats have had a scary ride through the river mouth of late so make sure all your equipment is up to date and meets current DOT requirements as boats are being checked at the launch ramps.

If your gear is not correct you will be stopped from going to sea until all your gear is OK. Safety is of concern to all as those people on shore have to come and get you if you have problems.

FUN PAGE AND COMPETITIONS THINGS FISH DO WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO UNHOOK THEM

BITE CHOMP CUT DROP ESCAPE FALL FLICK FLIP GNAW GRUNT

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SQUIRM STAB STRUGGLE THRASH TURN TWIRL TWIST WRIGGLE WRITHE

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SEND ENTRIES TO: FMM Find-a-word Competition, PO box 3172, Loganholme Qld 4129

FMM NOVEMBER 2020

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P/Code:

GEORGE & NEV by Michael Hardy

Complete the Find the Word and go in the draw to win a Fishing Monthly Prize Pack containing a limited edition neck scarf and a Fishing Monthly environmentally-friendly tote bag.

SPOT THE

10 DIFFERENCES

ORIGINAL

The Find-a-Word winner for September’s issue is J Chubb of Canningbah South NSW, who won a Fishing Monthly prize pack.

Prizes delivery can take up to 8 weeks. – FMM

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE

The subscriber prize winner for September was D Goldsworthy of Drouin VIC, who won a 13 Fishing Concept Z SLD valued at $439.

Prizes delivery can take up to 8 weeks. – FMM

FIND THE BAIT JUNKIE LOGO

The Find the Bait Junkie prize winners for September were: C Carey of Bentley, S Ayre of Denmam, T Mathews of Eudunda, J Brumby of Nirranda South, J Chandler of Sunshine Bay, A Scott of Proserpine, H Siesmaa of Ferntree Gully,P Carrington of Deception Bay, P Shephard of Waratah, V Maniscalco of Schofields, D Reeves of Windsor, K Andrews of Kalgan, W Gossow of Crows Nest, D Parry of Stawell, R

& J Barns of Euroa, S Mitchell of Buderim, K Aldridge of Rockville, R Davis of Sarina, J Rogers of Tambo, R Collis of River Heads, C Renz of Crestmead, S Cook of Seven Hill, L Betts of Kendall, M Baker of Gorokan, A Svaikauskas of Grasstree Beach, M Blandthorn of Murtoa, D Larkin of Shoalhaven Heads, C Wilson of Lake Albert, G Higgins of Eaton, J Nitschke of Horsham, F Hutchins of Sunbury, C Roberts of North Ryde, G Anderson of Emu Park, J Goody of Mt Berryman, B Pitt of Yakamia, T Ferrari of Deception Bay, S

Stewart of Ballan, W Forbes of Nambucca Heads, M Maley of West Ryde, A Bird of Singleton.

Prizes delivery can take up to 8 weeks. – FMM NEW FIND THE

LOGO COMPETITION SEE INSIDE

The answers to September’s Find the Bait Junkie Logo were: 8, 15, 20, 22, 33, 38, 43, 50, 59, 64, 72, 81, 90, 106, 119. – FMM

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This month’s Guess the Reel Answer: Shimano Calcutta B 200 Baitcaster Reel

FIND-A-WORD

Answer: NOVEMBER 2020

109

North Coast

WA

Get some holiday therapy on the barramundi BROOME

Troy Honey

It’s all go in Broome with every fishing charter, hotel room and hire car booked out, and the creeks and Roebuck Bay getting a thorough workout. West Australians are making the most of the locked borders and deciding to see parts of the state they have never visited before instead of the standard routine of a dreary Bali trip.

Many people start making annual pilgrimages to Australia’s last wilderness frontier after they witness first-hand the sheer beauty of Broome, and also because catching

that it leaves you feeling like the only person who has ever experienced that moment in time.

Barra fishing is the perfect way to escape from day-to-day life, and 2020 sure has been a year when we’re grateful to the mighty barramundi for being where and who they are.

Barra reports have been coming in one after another, with more than a few being over the 1m mark which further highlights the quality of the barramundi fishery in Broome. The La Niña weather pattern will continue well into the wet season of 2020–21, and more than half the forecast models predict a strong event with wetter than average rainfall. If

Will Burns had an epic day out in Dampier Creek, which is adjacent to Broome Town, landing a superb 76cm silver slab of barramundi.

Barra reports have been coming in thick and fast. the almighty barramundi for the first time becomes a gripping addiction like no other! First there’s the elusive hunt, then the ear deafening crack as the barra’s digestive implosion sucks in everything around it including your lure, the first rod-deforming run that has you swearing you have hooked a marlin, the aerobatics an Olympic gold medal winning gymnast could only dream of, and the panic setting in as you challenge one of the smartest fish in the world while trying to outfox the monster crocs of their lunch for the day.

Add to this a backdrop so prehistoric and breathtaking 110

NOVEMBER 2020

this occurs, the outlook for barra stocks in Broome will be set up for many years to come, so now is the time to start planning your Christmas getaway for both this year and next.

Barra captures are all over the place right now; it’s hard to go wrong, and the best part is you don’t need to travel far from your hotel room. Dampier, Crab, Willie, and Barred creeks are all fishing well in terms of numbers and size. The Fingers to the south of Crab Creek are producing barra as well as huge numbers of threadfin salmon and the occasional northern jewfish.

Barra continue to delight anglers working the

pylons both day and night under the Broome Jetty, with nights being more productive. Bright coloured minnow lures and soft vibes are the go-to lure for the barra here, as can be seen either at night or when the strong tides stir the water up. You need to be on your game around the pylons as the barra have seen it all before and will have you wrapped before you can decide which way they are headed. Having a fishing buddy with a landing net is recommended as it is a challenging location to land any fish, let alone a barra. Watch out for the big resident GTs who are always lurking around these pylons in search of an easy feed at night on the tide changes.

The GTs have no problem taking the same lures that the barra do, but don’t get too excited because if you are not geared up with much heavier tackle you won’t stand a chance against them.

Without a doubt the tide changes, either low or high, are the best times to target barra in Broome. That goes for just about all species of fish, particularly inshore, near-shore, and pelagic species. Tides changes, predominately the lead up to high tide on the springs, is also the best time for threadfin salmon. These superb fighting and eating fish used to be considered a barra by-catch, but they’re now a sought-after creek and bay species in their own right.

Threadfin fishing in Broome is accelerating in both angler participation and fish stocks, which highlights all the hard work done by several organisations to bring it

back to what it is today.

Without a doubt, Broome and the greater Kimberley region is the pinnacle of threadfin fishing locations on the west coast. To travel to this region and not have a fish for threadfin is an opportunity missed, and the next few months of wet season in Broome is the ideal time to enjoy a few hours of targeting them because, like barramundi, threadies are more active in the warmer waters.

If you’re after a threadfin salmon, try all along the coastline of Roebuck Bay and associated creeks for them, especially where the dirty tidal waters meet the clear. This colour line and extending into the dirty water is where you will find them fossicking with their whiskers for crustaceans along the muddy banks. It is here that you want to be trolling your lures from the tinny or casting from the banks. Threadfin love eating the local prawns, and will be eager to take a bait over a lure provided it is some type of crustacean, such a prawn, small rock crab or hermit crab. Any of these can be cooked (ensure they are Australian and not imported) to seduce a threadfin strike even further as the cooked colour stands out considerably more in the muddy water. If you’re using baits, try a quality made thin 10/0 hook with prawn and (depending on the tide strength) either a size 2 or 3 running been sinker with leader in the 60-100lb range. Threadfin can be caught in less than 30cm of water, so you don’t need to cast out from the bank too far.

With the water

temperature on the rise the demersal species are starting to wander in search of cooler water down deep. If you are looking for some nice reds, rankins and bluelines, which are all commonly caught in Broome waters, you need to pick the right days of lower tides and less wind, enabling you to reach these spots with ease. A trick for getting down to the bottom on larger tides is to use thinner braid, which

creates less drag. However, this brings its own problems at this time of year because the sharks become more active in the warmer waters, and it’s more challenging to bring your fish to the surface at speed to beat the sharks with lighter braid. That is the art of fishing though.

Pelagics start to fire up in the warmer waters and there are plenty of goodsize queenfish being caught in Broome and right up the Dampier Peninsula.

Working both the low and high tide changes with lures and stickbaits retrieved at speed is enough to get the queenies in a feeding frenzy, especially over broken ground in places like James Price Point.

Fly fishers have been enjoying a good run on the permit, which are a trophy fish for these anglers.

Permit can be found in Roebuck Bay and all along Cable and Reddell beaches in the shallows as they hunt for food. This is quite an art on fly, and a very rewarding one.

There’s action aplenty as the wet season bears down upon us, with a range of iconic fish species coming into their prime season. Drink plenty of fluids to offset the water loss from the humidity, and watch out for the irukandji that will start to appear, especially when the winds are onshore. Have fun!

Catching permit on fly is one of the fastest growing types of fishing in the North West. It takes plenty of practise, and that has been paying off for Josh Meeuwissen, who landed this beautiful permit in the Broome region last month.

WA

North Coast

Time to wander out yonder to the creeks DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

Fishing the creeks and rivers in the Karratha region is a favoured pastime by many a local in search for mud crabs and mangrove jacks.

However, what’s less well known is that it’s also a great place to catch iconic

the mouth is prevented by hundreds of metres of mud flats.

Some of the creeks can be accessed by a 4WD towing a tinny in, although many drivers have pushed the limits here and become stuck on the salt pans, which are merciless to anyone trying to overcome them, especially after rain or when big tides have

hours later.

Other popular spots can easily be accessed from Point Sampson and Cossack where you will find great creeks and rivers that hold barra, jacks, threadfin, cod, trevally, queenfish, bream and mud crabs.

Back Beach boat ramp in Karratha will give you access to all the creeks that lead from Nickol Bay and

the water level is high enough again.

This also helps with fishing the now visible drains from the mangroves and less water in the creek itself, which isolates the fish in certain areas.

Many locals have reliable success here, and none more so than Mick Day who is well known for finding barra and threadies when most other anglers don’t.

That even includes the cooler months of the year when these species tend to slow down.

Mick uses a range of lures to tempt barra, including Jackall Transams, slow sinking 125 Flick Prawns and Castaic Jerky J swims in 5” on TTs Headlockz fitted to 14oz, 6/0 castings and Lucky Craft Pointer DD100s, Duo Fangbait in 100DR and Smith Cherryblood 90s for trolling and casting.

Other lures he uses are Tiemco Sumari 90

them well. He knows the right tides to access them and when the right bite times are from his years of fishing these.

He predominantly fishes the Nickol Bay systems because they are close and contain pressured fish. He actively avoids school barra scenarios, because catching school barra is like eating lollies to Mick – great fun but no good for developing skills.

He left the barra numbers game a long time ago.

For Mick, now it is all about improving his knowledge of barra behaviour and conditions as there are groups of fish out there, he still has not got a handle on.

All systems and areas within those systems he fishes have their own idiosyncrasies, and the fish behaviour adjusts accordingly with flow, bait delivery, water temp variability (which is counterintuitive at times)

place to start is having a troll around Hammersley Shoal, Miller Rooks and Sailfish Reef in the Dampier Archipelago on the high tide change, which all can be found easily on your sounder amp. The Spaniards have been caught in good numbers through October and will continue for many months yet.

Bluebone are one demersal fish species that prefer the warmer waters, and they are being caught all around the rocky outcrops of the islands in the archipelago as well as the mainland coastline right now. Along with the bluebone you will find coral trout, Spanish flag and the odd blueline emperor. These fish can all be found in less than 10m of water at the moment so even the smaller vessels can access their grounds when the wind permits.

Divers who are now donning full protection to avoid the dreaded

Local barra enthusiast Mick Day with a solid example of a Karratha barra. species such as threadfin salmon and barramundi.

Don’t underestimate how good this fishery is for the mighty barra and tasty thready.

The biggest tides in the region can reach 6m, and the majority of the systems become locked in or out on the low spring tides, and any chance of entering or escaping by boat through

soaked the pan. A good area to start is at Cleaverville where there is a well maintained road and dirt boat ramp leading straight into the creek that is not so tide dependent.

Still, like most creeks, if you are upstream at low tide you will most likely be locked in until the tide returns six or more

all these creeks hold fish and crabs.

Both Point Sampson and Karratha Back Beach boat ramps will run dry in the low tides, and the way to use these is to exit the ramps during high tide and return during high tide.

Head to the creek of your choice and lock yourself in for the low tide, and exit the creek when

This barra was caught in one of the Karratha region creek systems at low tide.

Mick Day with a barramundi caught on a paddle-tail plastic.

deeps, ZipBaits Rigged 90 deeps, Jackall Squirrel 79 Hank Tune, Killalure Terminators, and various Classic Barra models.

Mick’s success comes from studying how a barra population behaves, and he has spent the better part of 14 years doing it.

A lot of people will travel to the region on their holidays and become frustrated when they have no luck on their first trip.

Make no mistake, this is why barramundi are such a prized fish to catch. If it were easy, it would not be the trophy fish that it is.

Mick fishes all the creek and river systems between Nickol Bay and Port Hedland and knows

and the most significant ones: wind strength and direction.

Mick considers more than 20 factors and combinations/permutations of different priorities which can drive or deny a bite, and his thoroughness certainly shows in his results. Time and effort is key to becoming a successful barramundi angler, and even the best among us will never stop learning.

Outside of the creeks in Karratha, the air and water temps are also rising rapidly, and the switch from demersals to pelagics is rising with it. Spanish mackerel are starting to really fire up. A good

irukandji are finding plenty of tropical crayfish in the shallow reefs and bommies from 40 mile camp ground right up to Point Sampson, which is very timely for the upcoming festive season BBQs. If you are wanting to enjoy a summer break in the region and wanting to learn more about how to access the creeks or catch a crayfish, or are worried you will come unstuck, don’t hesitate to drop in to the local tackle shop or yacht club and ask around with the locals. Spend a bit of money while you are there to help the local businesses out during the challenging times, and you’ll have a win-win situation.

NOVEMBER 2020

111

freshwater

WA

Seeking out cooler water FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

With the warmer weather setting in, our north dams normally heat up through November, sending trout to deeper water. This is not the case in our rivers though, particularly the ones further down the bottom of the state or those fed by cold irrigation flows out of our dams.

There can be a big difference between the first part of the month as opposed to the latter part, with temperatures getting into the

Hayden Fragomeni with a silver perch caught using a olive green Woolly Bugger. Hopefully one day all WA anglers will have an opportunity to land these hard fighting sportfish.

The stocking of Austin Lake near Mandurah was a success, with lots of families turning up for the event.

Around 500 rainbow trout were released over the long weekend in September.

These fish were grown in a Perth facility from eyed

a kilo, so it shows how fast trout can grow if provided the right food and suitable water conditions over summer.

The other event was the Drakesbrook Weir Troutfest held at the beginning of October. Again, lots of families turned out to witness the release of various size trout grown by the Pemberton Trout Hatchery.

There were other activities like fly casting lessons and stalls set up by WA Trout and Freshwater Angling Association, Fisheries WA and others to showcase trout in WA. The Harvey Bash was also on in October, with nearly 100 anglers taking part this year.

AUSSIE NATIVES As stated earlier this is the month when natives become more active, with surface activity being more prolific, especially towards the evening and into the dark.

Ed Kubiac travels five hours from the saltwater Mecca of Jurien Bay to fish inland. Although he tackles many huge species offshore, his true love lies in fishing for trout and redfin in the picturesque SW freshwater.

Wendy Jane with a superb rainbow caught on a 20g Tassie Devil trolled at a low speed.

Image courtesy of Dallas Brennan from Collie Yak.

high 30s being the norm in all but the cooler years. It’s important to monitor water temperature as I’ve recorded surface water as high as 26°C yet a couple of metres down it may only be around 22°C. I find those dams like Harvey tend to heat up quickly as they are only around 80m above sea level.

This can result in shutting the trout fishing down, so moving to a higher dam like

as Harvey Dam it’s fed by very cold water let out of Waroona Dam for irrigation, so it tends to remain cooler.

Redfin are generally less likely to be affected by rising temperatures, and any Aussie natives just love that warmer water at this time of the year. It pays to keep an eye on water temperatures, and I know a few successful freshwater anglers who carry a thermometer with them and

Silver perch are more active in late spring and they happily coexist with trout. Unfortunately trout perish in the shallow lakes, but silvers thrive through summer in WA.

Russell Handley, President of WA Trout Foundation (L) and Andrew Beer, Senior Management of the Pemberton Trout Hatchery (R) at this year’s Troutfest at Drakesbrook Weir. There are exciting times ahead with larger size trout planned for the future.

Waroona or Logues, which sit at over 200m, can result in the trout being very active.

Although Drakesbrook Weir is at roughly the same altitude 112

NOVEMBER 2020

adjust their technique to suit the prevailing conditions, with temperatures below 23°C being prepared for our WA trout.

ova (eggs with visible eyes) obtained at the Pemberton trout hatchery. The released fish were only just over a year old and weighed up to

Unfortunately, we don’t have a government stocking program but there’s a small band of dedicated anglers that are at work trying to change this situation. Most find it unfair that Western Australians have to pay $50 for a freshwater licence to fish a season that generally lasts for a couple of months for trout in the northern areas. Yes, we have redfin that are active all year, but getting through the tiny ones to get to the occasional larger specimen can be frustrating at times.

Looking through the other states area reports just reminds me of how good they have it over there, and all that world class fishing for only around $35 per year! We do have a few waters that offer a limited scope for chasing natives, but these locations are kept secret for all the obvious reasons. A number of projects are underway,

however information is not made available at this stage.

DAMS Waroona Dam I fished this water a few times through the season with mixed results.

Unfortunately, with the suspension of lakeside camping still in place I

haven’t been able to fly fish at night time, which is when I have had the most success in the past.

Day trips have turned up some of the broods, with five fish trolled up in 30 minutes on one occasion. They fell to a cheap hardbody lure trolled at around 5km/h.

The size of the yearlings were of concern, with most only going 20cm. I would say most will end up being taken by redfin and small cormorants.

Redfin have slowed up, and no browns were seen. I have noticed a lack of speed boats on the water although the amount of 4x4 vehicles churning up the banks was alarming. They even drove down the main creek in the rock arm when we were casting to a group of trout trying to get up the waterfall, and the tyres turned the water to a muddy brown colour. A couple of big rocks placed in the stream bed would fix this problem.

There should be around 500 brood rainbows and 100 brood browns stocked by November so it’s still worth getting there this month.

Redfin predate heavily on marron in our dams. It’s possible that introducing East Coast native species could help marron numbers by controlling redfin.

WA

Drakesbrook Weir A lot of complaints have come my way by those who have had no luck fishing this waterway. I can confirm the fishing has been tough lately; I spent one day on the water trolling and dropshotting plastics for no result. I can’t remember never catching even a redfin here before.

This water will have had around 300 brood rainbows and 50 brood brown trout by now, so it should fish OK until Christmas. The yearlings are only of standard size and not worth mentioning this year, although they may stock larger yearlings for Troutfest.

Logue Brook Dam Not a lot of reports but I had some good fishing through the season. There were around 700 yearlings released this year and they are doing OK with the lack of redfin in this water. The increase of ski boats will be a concern to those anglers who troll from boats.

Harvey Dam Water is very low at

1200 brown yearlings were stocked so it should fish well up until Christmas.

Lefroy Brook This time of the year is a favourite for many trout fishers in WA, especially those who wave a fly rod, with this brook being the pick of the bunch. If WA had a blue ribbon trout stream

however it seems the SFIS has come up with egg on its face with some of its claims. For more information go to Save the Donnelly Facebook group.

Some nice trout have been caught in this river of late. Around 1000 standard yearlings and 700 brown yearlings have been stocked

Some of the author’s hand-tied flies that he uses in WA waters. showing up has been encouraging. Around 300 yearlings between 31-35cm were released in September.

These fish were grown at the UWA facility as a experiment and then released for all to enjoy. At this size they offer great fighting abilities – sometimes fighting as hard as the broods – and are less likely to be eaten by redfin.

sportfish is stocked in this underutilised impoundment.

Glen Mervyn Dam A few redfin have been caught recently by both landbased and kayak anglers.

Only 200 advanced yearlings were stocked this year.

Big Brook Dam A number of big browns have been caught recently however these were from the

One of the yearlings grown in a facility in Perth and later released into Austin Lake as part of the Recfishwest Fish in the ‘Burbs program. under 50% capacity as of early October. Low numbers of rainbow broods were coming to the net even by those in boats and kayaks.

Some nice big browns have turned up, however quite a few of them were killed so most anglers will miss out catching one of these beautiful looking trout. It’s a pity they are not declared a catch and release species as only around 250 broods and 250 2-year-old browns become available each year for the whole of the state.

On a positive note, the quality of yearlings

freshwater

It serves as a benchmark for our hatchery to produce yearlings this size in the future. However, although they were in excellent condition, a couple that were taken revealed stomach contents of sticks and stones.

Due to the low water levels, only around 1000 brood rainbows will be released this year. Redfin are being caught but mostly only small in size.

Wellington Dam Not a lot of reports coming through, with redfin being unreliable at times.

This will change if a suitable

PREDICTED DAM LEVELS Lower than average winter rainfall has resulted in our irrigation dams being about 12% lower than this time last year. Harvey, Glen Mervyn and Wellington dams are well down on last year’s levels, which is a concern for the fishing next autumn.

WAROONA DAM 76%

DRAKESBROOK WEIR 90%

LOGUE BROOK DAM 72%

HARVEY DAM 51%

WELLINGTON DAM 55%

GLEN MERVYN DAM 77%

BIG BROOK DAM 100%

50 broods stocked by the hatchery. This water received 200 brood rainbows and a healthy 1200 yearlings also this year, so it should fish well up until Christmas and beyond.

RIVERS Murray River A few yearlings are turning up in the usual spots around Dwellingup by those fly fishing the faster water. Around 1400 standard yearlings and for the first time 200 advanced yearlings were stocked this year. Redfin are still getting caught through the system on soft plastics.

Northern Jarrah streams A few reports came through of nice size trout spotted in the bigger pools, although they proved hard to entice. Lower water levels will make things tough in November.

Collie River above Wellington Dam Only redfin are available, mainly in around the town itself. Reports

have been slow although that’s not to say they are not getting caught. Try casting hardbodies and Celta style spinners in all the likely looking areas.

Collie River below Wellington Dam This is the month the river really fires with the increase of irrigation water being released. Watch water levels as it can be too high. Try using large heavy lures and flies to get down close to the bottom.

This water received 1000 rainbow yearlings, 1400 brown yearlings and 50 large browns as well.

Blackwood River This river receives a large stocking yet gets overlooked by those anglers choosing to fish further south. Good spots are available between Bridgetown and Nannup, with success coming to those who keep moving until they find fish. Good redfin are still coming out of the upstream section.

Around 2100 rainbow yearlings have been stocked this year.

Warren River The WA Trout and

The author with a brown trout caught drifting a full sinking fly line on a warm day. These fish are rare in our dams and should be released whenever possible as they feed on the tiny redfin. reserved for fly fishing then the section known as Thompsons Flat would be it. It might not be quite on par with some of the streams over the east coast of Australia, but it offers one of the only open country fishing opportunities, being clear of dense timber.

Casting a buoyant dry fly to a large trout sitting hard up against a little run and watching it come up and engulf it is a sight I never tire of, especially on a cold morning with the warming sun breaking over the horizon.

This little brook, which meanders its way past the hatchery, received 1000 standard rainbow yearlings, 600 advanced yearlings, 750 brown yearlings and

so hopefully we’ll get a mild summer, as the water levels have gotten low in recent years.

There should be a reduced fry stocking this year with preference given to growing more yearlings.

Around 350,000 fry will be available for stocking this year, however these will only be released into waters that don’t dry up by Christmas and have low or no redfin present.

With the new direction shown by local government to improve our freshwater fishery it should be interesting times ahead. An inland freshwater licence is required to fish our SW waters, but the rewards are worth the cost. Take only what you need and

One of the large yearlings caught at Harvey Dam. This is the minimum size that should be stocked in our redfin dams to avoid predation.

Freshwater Angling Association had its annual Fish-a-Fest at its club accommodation in Pemberton over the long weekend, and reports have indicated that the Warren was fishing well. Around 2100 rainbow yearlings and

50 large browns all through the system, so it will fish well even through the summer period.

Donnelly River This water has come up on the radar this year all for the wrong reasons.

The debate is continuing,

if you are lucky enough to land one of those beautiful big brown trout, try experiencing the joy of watching it swim away.

Be mindful that snakes are very active next to water, and fires are a risk heading into summer.

NOVEMBER 2020

113

BASS Series presented by

BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN

abt

Pryce still Spring Master in Hunter Lakes Dane Pryce certainly had a spring in his step when he cashed a $15,000 cheque from ABT after winning the Sufix BASS Pro Grand Final in 2019. Fast forward a year and with a slight move up-valley, Pryce found himself in a battle for the COVID-Created Rapala NSW BASS Open.

A battle which ultimately he won by 10g over last year’s Australian Open runner-up, Braden Schuch.

Although the ’19 Grand Final was on Lake St Clair and the NSW BASS Open event was on Lake Glenbawn, the result was

the same – Pryce driving his 1/2oz brown and black jig through structure to get the bites he needed to win.

Pryce started fishing on Saturday on the island in Big House Bay, but after that headed upstream into the 8 knot zone to upgrade. At the end of the Saturday session, he bagged vital upgrades in Boat Harbour.

He started with a mix of chatterbaits and jigs, but landed on the fact that the jigs were getting the bigger bites.

On the Sunday, he started in the same place and also ended up upgrading in Dane Pryce has proved that he’s the one to beat in a springtime jig bite on the Hunter Valley lakes.

Dane made a vital final upgrade in Boat Harbour on waters he’d already fished just hours before.

Boat Harbour.

Importantly, though, he chose to do a second lap of the place and bagged the winning fish while doing so, his biggest bass of the weekend.

Here’s what he used.

Pryce threw a Vex 1/2ox skirted jig in brown/black on a MillerodsSwitchFreak UL, Daiwa Tatula reel with Daiwa braid and 10lb Sunline fluorocarbon leader.

“I was fishing the jig really slow this weekend and that heavier weight allowed me to keep contact with the bottom,” he said.

“I’ll use any sort of trailer but Gulp! … because

everyone uses that,” he continued.

Generally, Pryce uses more subtle trailers in winter and trailers with more movement in summer.

You can hear his full interview by scanning the QR code hereby.

BRADEN A SCHUCH-IN FOR SECOND For the second big event in a row on Glenbawn, Daiwa’s Braden Schuch donned the bridesmaid’s skirt. This time by the narrowest of margins.

He used a two-pronged approach, filling a bag early on Cemetery Point before moving to a skirted jig for the remainder of the session.

“There was a line of ‘good’ weed in about 15ft of water – mirroring the old water level before the recent rise,” Braden said. He used this area and a soft plastic approach to fill out an early limit of fatter bass before he tried upgrading on the jig.

His plastic gear included a 2 1/2” Daiwa BaitJunkie minnow in mud blood colour on a 1/6oz jighead and he

fished it over the top of the weed on a TD Commander Ocelot rod, 2000 Daiwa Sol reel, 6lb J-Braid Grand line and a 6lb J-Thread leader.

He also fished two jig patterns across the remainder of his fishing time. One was on main lake humps in 20-40ft of water and another was under weed and debris that had blown into corners.

Braden fished a 1/2oz Pro’s Factory OP Football jig in a brown/maroon colour (125) and a Berkley Craw trailer. In the open water he fished 10lb Sunline Sniper FC straight through on a TD Zero 722MB rod and Tatula reel while the heavy cover application called for a TC Commander Basilik and a Steez-A with 14lb line of the same make.

“Losing by 10g hurts a bit more than last year, but it’s great to be able to get out and tournament fish,” Braden concluded. You can see lots of his weekend captured on a Daiwa video filmed on the weekend. Keep an eye on their socials for more.

BIG BASS GETS A 13 REEL

Is Braden Schuch the new BASS bridesmaid?

RESULTS Place Angler 1 Dane Pryce 2 Braden Schuch 3 Tom Slater 4 Jayson DeForrest-Haddleton 5 Ben Hay 6 Robert Tilley 7 Graham Ford 8 Liam Carruthers 9 Steve Muldoon 10 Vince Polimeni 114

NOVEMBER 2020

Full results at abt.org.au

Bag 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10

Weight(kg) Payout 8.89kg $6,000 8.88kg $3,500 8.41kg $2,000 8.20kg $1,500 8.16kg $1,000 8.11kg 7.89kg 7.76kg 7.72kg 7.71kg

The event’s Big Bass prize was a 13 Fishing Concept 2 baitcast reel that was won by Macoy Hansen with a 1.11kg fish that he landed on the first day of competition.

The event’s Big Bass prize was a 13 Fishing Concept 2 baitcast reel that was

won by Macoy Hansen with a 1.11kg fish that he landed on the first day of competition.

Dizzy Gets it Done in Gladstone BREAM Anyone who thought that Darren ‘Dizzy’ Borg’s days were over as a competitive BREAM angler sat up to take notice when he shot up the live leaderboard on the first day of the Mercury sponsored event in Gladstone, Queensland.

Registering a 3.414kg bag through the ABT Tournament Series App, Dizzy took the lead on day one and never looked like relinquishing it. Another 2.949kg on the Sunday gave him the two biggest bags of the event and a 1.3kg winning margin over South Australia’s Tom Deer.

Fishing both artificial

Borg said, “and I’d lead cast the fish by a couple of metres and bring the bait back towards them to get the bite.”

After that, it was a tug-of-war (you can watch

Queensland during the COVID lockdowns and enjoyed several months of fairly uninterrupted tournament fishing in the Sunshine State. His second

Scan the QR code to watch Day 1 Highlights

examples of it in the highlights by scanning the QR code hereby) which was won sometimes by the angler and other times by the fish.

Dizzy also proved that

Scan the QR code to watch Darren Borg Winner’s Interview

you don’t need a big, fast boat to win a BREAM event.

Fishing from his homemodified glass boat – one of the smallest in the field – he didn’t venture very far from the start line to get the job done. Of course, it was powered by an older Mercury outboard, letting Borg benefit from the Karma that using a sponsor’s product brings. This was the Mercury sponsored event, after all.

SOUTH AUSSIE SECOND Tom Deer strategically stranded himself in

BOATER RESULTS Place Angler 1 Darren Borg 2 Tom Deer 3 Jamie McKeown 4 Steve Morgan 5 Mickael Slade 6 Denis Metzdorf 7 Peter Cashman 8 Steve Wilson 9 Scott Sandilands 10 Blake O’Grady

Scan the QR code to watch Day 2 Highlights

placing at Gladstone was unexpected after reasonably poor pre-fishes just weeks before, “The first time I came here I struggled to catch a legal bream and the last prefish I had yielded some promising patterns, but all of that changed come event time and I had to work them out on the run,” Deer said.

That he did, bagging a pigeon pair of limits in the 2.5kg class, focussing

Borg and Sam Peck were paired together on Day 2 and they each won their respective divisions with fish like these.

All bream caught and photographed during the event contributed towards monitoring the health of Gladstone’s harbour through the Healthy Harbour Partnership.

Place Angler 1 Sam Peck 2 Jacob Kelly 3 Wade Walker 4 Kurt Hutchby 5 Gavin Atkin 6 Bernard Kong

Bag 10/10 9/10 7/10 7/10 3/10 2/10

with Michael Thompson on Day 1 and Darren Borg on Day 2, the pair knew that they had the win in the bag as they idled back to the finish, thanks to the live scoreboards.

“I’ve learned so much in the time I’ve been doing these events, it’s the best way to get better quickly,” Sam said during the presentation.

Sam’s been accumulating Scan the QR code to watch Sam Peck Winner’s Interview

Sam Peck took the non-boater trophy in only his 5th ABT event from the back of the boat. mainly on flats and throwing his sponsors’ bait, an Atomic Mid 38.

Both yellowfin and pikey bream made up his limits, with the pikey bream weighing slightly heavier on the app’s length/ weight curves.

PECK TAKES HIS FIRST NB TROPHY Relatively new onto the BREAMing scene at the back of the boat, Brisbane’s Sam Peck took home his first bit of ABT hardware in just his 5th event. Fishing

some quality gear and he used a bloodworm coloured Z-Man Grub on a TT Finesse head (painted with Tempt powder paint) on a Millerods Grub Freak, Daiwa Freams reel spooled with 4lb braid and 4 and 6lb leaders. He also used Slim Swims of the same brand.

“I think I used a whole bottle of ProCure scent this weekend,” Sam said, “I love the stuff. I also now smell like it!”

DIZZY’S DAIWA J-BRAID BIG BREAM

Full results at abt.org.au

Bag 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 7/10 9/10 10/10 9/10

NON- BOATER RESULTS

BREAM SERIES

abt

Using a Mercury outboard added another $250 to Borg’s haul that also included $1,000 for the win and $500 for Big Bream, J-Braid line and a pair of Costa sunglasses. walls and natural mangrove areas in the northern part of Gladstone Harbour, Borg used a Berkley Gulp! 4” minnow on a 12lb leader and 12lb braid to muscle both big pikey and yellowfin bream from their homes.

“Lots of the fish I could sight cast to on the first day,”

BREAM OPEN presented by

Weight(kg) Payout 6.363 $1,750 + Costa 5.030 $700 4.696 $625 4.428 $75 Prolure 4.350 Samaki Pack 3.935 Ecogear Pack 3.414 Keitech Pack 3.395 Fish-Tec Pack 3.329 2.397 Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) Payout 3.751 Costa + Prolure Pack 2.946 Daiwa Pack 2.603 Sufix/VMC Pack 1.472 EJ Todds Pack 0.706 TT Prize Pack 0.688 Cranka Pack

Darren Borg landed the event’s Daiwa J-Braid Big Bream of 1.07kg. It earned him $500 and plenty of spools of Daiwa J-Braid.

Borg landed the event’s Big Bream on the first day of the event. It was a 36.5cm yellowfin that translated to

a 1.07kg weight. It ate a Gulp! Minnow. It earned him an extra $500 and a pile of Daiwa J-Braid.

NOVEMBER 2020

115

BARRA Series presented by

BARRA AUSTRALIAN OPEN

abt

Practise makes perfect at BARRA Open

When Liam Robinson and James Wilson fished the 2019 Venom BARRA Australian Open, they finished 5th last. Some would call it a top-10 (as there were only 14 teams in the inaugural Open), but Liam in particular, who was then living in Rockhampton, found the less than desirable result motivating.

So much so, that he spent the rest of the full moons over summer going back to Lake Awoonga and trying to work

off a fast finish from Team Imakatsu (Quintin Maclean/ Colin Brett) in the process: Day 1, 5/5 fish, 34.40kg; Day 2, 4/5 fish, 28.43kg; Day 3, 5/5 fish, 45.48kg.

Liam said that there were several spots that he’d Scan the QR code to see the interview with Liam Robinson and James Wilson

straight out of the packet.

“We did work out that the barra liked a presentation with a lighter leader,” James said, “and by light we mean 50lb and not 80lb.”

“I wasn’t a believer that leader size ever made a difference, but I am a convert now. I’ll be using 50lb a lot from now on,” said Liam after seeing the difference in catch rates.

To James, the key was to catch a fish or two during the daytime, which made it easier to fill a limit by the 10pm finish time.

“That was the difference on day two where we were one fish short of a bag,” James said, “We didn’t land a fish during the day on the Wednesday.”

Come 5.30pm, the team would move to their night spot and start experimenting with lure colours and retrieve styles.

“We could see the fish

Attention all good barra anglers in small boats!

Here’s proof that you don’t need a $100,000 boat to win an ABT event. Liam and James fished from a 4.2m Renegade and a 40hp outboard for the win. off-water banter with on water performance and the Open was no different for them. Dropping the event’s biggest bag on the final night (48.05kg for 5 fish) they made it to within a couple of kilograms of the leaders.

If not for a bag on Day

7” Castaic Jerky Js, using a slow roll when activity was high and a more aggressive retrieve when the fishing was slower to draw their bites.

Using Edge spin and baitcast rods paired with Toray braid and 50lb fluorocarbon leader, they left the event with

A sneaky daytime fish or two was key to success, according to James Wilson. out the patterns that he’d need to improve their result when the Open came around again.

Paired with his Brisbane team-mate James Wilson, the pair again came together to compete for the trophy amongst a 30-team field. The result was as good as they could have possibly imagined,

identified as consistently having barra and he quickly checked them at the start of practice to confirm that there were still fish there.

Broadly, the boys had two, distinct patterns. The fished timbered bays in the daytime to catch their ‘bonus’ fish, but the real meat was at

Liam Robinson’s determination to work out these Awoonga fish paid big dividends. pocketing $6,000 and the custody of the perennial trophy for the next year.

And they did it from one of the smallest boats in the field.

This is how it went down for team Anita Barra, raising the event record winning weight from 37.87kg to 108.31kg and fending

dusk and afterwards, where they fished windy points to load up on bigger, feeding fish.

“James and I would fish the points with a variety of colours to see what the fish preferred on the day,’ Liam said.

And those lures were all black. And they were all Zerek 110mm Fish Traps, fished

Black Jack

Here’s some of the Open winning baits: Zerek 1/0 Fish Traps in Black Jack and Sunset. coming through on the Humminbird sounder and would try to match the retrieve with what we saw.

The most popular retrieve for fish close to the bottom was a tiny, double hop off the bottom. If the fish were higher up, it’d be a long, high lift and drop back down,” Liam explained.

The Fish Traps they used were Sunset, Red Devil and Black Jack.

To maximise casting distance and range, they had several identical outfits: and Abu Garcia Villain 2.0 rod (8-14lb, 7’) matched with a Shimano Stradic 4000 reel, 30lb FINS braid and a 50lb leader.

“We always wanted to have the ability to cast a long way from the boat to target fish that didn’t know we were there,” Liam concluded.

IMAKATSU A FAST FINISHING SECOND ABT BARRA stalwarts, Quintin Maclean and Colin Brett always match their

RESULTS Place Team 1 Anita Barra 2 Imakatsu 3 MoTackle 4 Schwerin Concreting 5 Stitched Up 6 Donuts 7 SC Marine Electrical Doctor 8 Part Time Hookers 9 LJ’s Compleat Angler 10 Garmin Marine 116

NOVEMBER 2020

Sunset

1, two fish short of the limit, the result may well have been inverted.

The pair chose to spend their time anchored at productive spots and waiting for the fish to come to them.

They had two spots that they gambled on.

They predominantly threw 130mm Slick Rigs and

$3,000 and a desire to go one better in 2021.

BIG BARRA The event’s Big Barra bagged $500 in cash and was caught by Aaron Beck from Part Time Hookers. What did it eat? A black and gold Slick Rig. It went 19.96kg (113cm) and was 16cm longer than the next biggest landed.

If anyone has a pic of Colin Brett with his tongue not out, officials would like to see it.

Full results at abt.org.au

Anglers Liam Robertson/James Wilson Quintin Maclean/Colin Brett Geoff Newby/Dean Silvester Jake and John Schwerin Scott McAuley/Stephen Chatterton Matt Callow/Wade Dossel Rob and Tommy Wood Aaron Beck/Jamie Brady Liam Jones/Leon Mittelheuser Matthew Mott/David Nelson

Fish 14/15 13/15 11/15 11/15 11/15 8/15 9/15 5/15 6/15 5/15

Weight(kg) Payout 108.31 $6,000 105.64 $3,000 77.18 $2,500 76.58 $2,000 62.67 $1,000 58.80 Venom rods 43.04 Venom rods 38.59 Big Barra: 36.98 Aaron Beck, 19.96kg.

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Women’s competition performance SUNTAG

Stefan Sawynok

I have always been a sports tragic. From a very early age I was collecting stats in a scrapbook and trying to understand how you could capture the difference in performance between competitors.

Having played indoor cricket, both men’s and mixed, and mixed indoor netball in my early 20s, I developed an interest in comparing and understanding the difference between men’s and women’s sport.

Men’s and women’s sports are different and, while there is plenty of space for both, they need to be assessed differently in terms of objectives and success. This is as true for fishing as it is for any other sport.

This article explores the dynamics and state of women’s competitive fishing.

HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED IN WOMEN’S FISHING? Women in sport fishing

Secret Women’s Business Barratoga Event.

3 year Comparison of Catch Rates

magazines and TV shows were the major information delivery networks, and they provided full editorial control. They produced high quality content but left the ‘induction’ of most fishers to come through the club system. Early on, the internet led to a boost in club membership and

IGFA saw a big increase in participation and world records around this time.

However, this didn’t last as the internet democratised both access to and publishing of information, a problem for clubs and magazines alike.

Fishers were able to share information on bulletin boards and other mediums, and the first-time fisher had constant direct access to other fishers outside their local club. This didn’t change women’s fishing immediately, but the ready availability of information that could be consumed in private has helped women to develop their skills without having to turn to men.

The next impact on women fishing was social media. The rise of the female ‘influencer’ has helped normalise women as anglers, although it has not been without some controversy. Women influencers fishing in bikinis was a hot topic in particular, with accusations that they didn’t have the skills or weren’t really dedicated to the sport.

Controversies aside, the rise of women influencers laid the foundations for more women to be exposed to fishing and to be taken more seriously in the sport.

The last influence in the rise of women in fishing is fishing tackle.

Over the past 20 years braid and other abrasion resistant lines, lighter rods and a proliferation of lures, particularly soft plastics, and knowledge of

how to work them have all combined to make competitive fishing much more accessible.

WOMEN’S DIVISIONS VS WOMEN’S EVENTS It’s important to understand the difference between women competing in a division versus women competing in their own right.

Competing in open/ mixed events has competitors exposed to more techniques and allows newbies to hone their skills, gather knowledge and become better fishers.

For example in cricket, top-ranked female players often spend time in the men’s club game to hone their skills, which they then bring to the professional women’s arena.

Women’s only events, as with other sports, is where women are at their most competitive, and will be much more aggressive and focus on results. If women’s competitive fishing is to progress to the next level, there needs to be more women-only events.

A LOOK AT SOME DATA I don’t want to just inject my opinions and observations into the affair, I want to cover some realworld examples with data and provide useful lessons to take away.

Exmouth GameX – Event Design Matters Game fishing events have evolved over the years, and GameX is no exception. They have a slots approach to deciding the winner, with the option to

3 year Submissions by Class

Fig.1 Comparison of women’s contributions in the SCF Australia 2018-2020. have had a different path from women participating in other sports, like cricket or soccer. Like their male counterparts, there is no professional pathway, only amateur events. That is not to say we don’t have professional competition anglers (we do) but there are no consistent standards.

Competitors don’t receive salaries and for the most part fund their own attendance. In real terms, fishing as a sport is somewhere between cricket circa 1900 and soccer circa 2000.

In the 1970s/1980s there were a small number 118

NOVEMBER 2020

of women who competed in the local monthly ANSA Club competitions, along with a small number of girls. In that era dominated

by ANSA/IGFA, there were women who developed their skills and competed at high levels, here and internationally, but they received only limited recognition in comparison

to the men despite their achievements or capabilities. This remained the status quo largely through to the mid 2010s.

I believe three big influences changed women’s fishing, and only one of them had anything to do with fishing itself.

The first was the rise of the internet. Up until then,

Fig.2 Class division of contributions in the SCF Australia 2018 – 2020. go for more species, more Table 2. NZ Lure Master results line classes or both. While Class Species Avg. Length Max.Length No.Caught Fishers Fish/Fisher size of the fish matters, Senior Male kahawai 498.3 590 520 581 0.90 it’s more important to fill Senior Female kahawai 507.8 590 51 38 1.34 slots. It’s not enough just Senior Male snapper 442.3 885 2994 581 5.15 to be able to catch many Senior Female snapper 421.0 780 245 38 6.45 or big fish.

Senior Male yellowtail kingfish 897.3 1210 80 581 0.14 Another feature of Senior Female yellowtail kingfish 906.9 1135 8 38 0.21 the GameX event is the

some work comparing it to equivalent events that I had data for. This event was hugely competitive and from all reports the ladies held their own in the after celebrations as well.

In all, 38 barramundi, 263 saratoga and 64

Comparison Men vs Women NZ Lure Masters

comparable elite events targeting barramundi (the possible exception being the Tinaroo Barra Bash – primarily a community event). As is clear on most measures, the event is comparable to maledominated elite events.

and establish a ranking among their peers, not in the shadow of the men. As with the professional sports who have worked out that the women’s competition needs to be established as a separate medium, my view is fishing will need to take

Comparison Catch Rates Men vs Women NZ Lure Masters

Fig.3 Compares the average and maximum fish size across the species during the NZ Lure Masters diversity of categories, 32 this year. The champion team is the most prized category, and it’s not uncommon for there to be a single fisher supported by a team aiming to take out the prize.

This year, two female focused teams (one an old hand, another a teenager) were tied on the last night for first place.

It’s easy to look at the winners to find high achievers, but a more useful comparison of performance

difference focus can make, and Fig. 2 shows how the women’s contribution increased in 2020.

NZ Lure Masters The SCF definitely matches up on catch rates but how about sizes? It’s assumed that women will be slightly behind the men, but a recent event provides

three species, that’s 0.7% up on average size and 6% down on maximum (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4).

SWB BARRATOGA BASH The Secret Womens Business (SWB) Barratoga Bash is the only all-women’s event on the list. At the time, I did

Fig.4 Compares the catch rates across the species during the NZ Lure Masters. tarpon were caught by the competitors, a great result especially for saratoga.

Table 3 summarise

Table 1. Exmouth GameX results for individual anglers

Champion Female Champion Male

Average Points 1759 1394

No. Competitors 10 89

Table 3. Comparison in fishing event results according to entry classification.

Team SWB NATS 2018 (Best 2 days) WTF 2018 WTF 2019 ABT KINCHANT 2019 ABT PROSERPINE 2019 BARRA BASH HINCHINBROOK 2020 is to look at the average performance of the men and women given they are all competing under same rules and tackle. When comparing the results of the senior women and men alone, the average point score in the championship went in favour of the women (see Table 1).

SCF Australia I had an odd experience at the SCF Research and Sustainability event this year. Participating in the briefing as I do most years I had a direct message to the women – lift your game.

Dean chipped me for it and said I was being harsh, but I wanted to be clear that I thought they could do a lot better.

The results speak for themselves. From almost no contribution, women lifted the event from an ordinary year due to weather conditions to a 1000+ fish event, collecting the best catch rate of the three classes on the way. Fig.1 shows what a

Event Fish/Team Womens 6.80 Mixed 5.75 Womens 2.80 Womens 1.60 Mixed 2.20 Mixed 3.60 Mixed 9.70

an insight that the gap can be closed.

The New Zealand Lure Masters is the biggest event on our calendar. COVID be dammed, the event scored over 4000 fish, 3285 of them snapper, in two days (see Table 2).

There were far more men than women in the event and the women competitors involved were notably more experienced/ skilled than the ordinary fisher. Nevertheless, all competitors fished in the same area and for exactly the same species and methods, so it’s a useful indicator.

In this case when comparing average sizes, on kahawai the women were 2% ahead on average, snapper 5% down and on yellowtail king 1% up.

That’s not exactly getting blown out of the water. It’s a little different on maximum size, 0% difference on kahawai, 12% down on snapper and 6% down on yellowtail king. Across the

Total 363 514 78 58 40 83 533

Barra Avg. (mm) 634 565 605 600 898 902

LESSONS FROM 2020 There is significant evidence looking at the events from this year that women have progressed to the point as fishers where there is now a critical mass of female competitors that have developed the skills needed to compete at a high level. In other words, the coming decade is the time to start taking women’s competitive fishing seriously.

Event organisers need to consider how to provide the coming generation of female competitors the opportunity to strut their stuff, to gain recognition

that road over time.

I am a great believer in letting things happen organically rather than by force. As more women achieve success it’s inevitable more events and focus on women-only events will eventuate.

2020 may have been a pretty crap year on most fronts but I think it marks a critical turning point. The fishing world has grown this year, let’s hope we as an industry turn what has been a year of adversity into a coming decade where our sport reaches new heights for both men and women.

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New South Wales Tide Times

Victorian Tide Times

2020 2020 2020 2020 33° 151° 144° 14’ E37’ ETimes ONG 151° 14’ Eand Heights of High and LowLAT LAT51’ 38°S18’ SLONG LONG Times Waters Local andTime Heights of High and Low Waters

EY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALES POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA (FORT – NEW SOUTH WALES – NEW LAT SOUTH POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA 33° 51’WALES SSYDNEY LONG 151° 14’ EDENISON) LAT 38° 18’ S LONG 144° 37’ E

Times andLocal Heights of High and LocalLocal TimeTime JULY gh and Low Waters Time Times andJULY Heights of High and Waters Low Waters JUNE AUGUST JUNE MAYLow AUGUST MAY JUNE JULY NOVEMBER DECEMBER me m Time m Time Time m NOVEMBER Time mDECEMBER Time Time m SEPTEMBER m TimeTime m m Time m OCTOBER TimeTime m m Time m

me 327 010 217 630 830 214 435 046 423 053 300 715 915 312 528 136 513 343 131 001 755 622 229 001 427 557 049 207 718 830 323 045 513 637 139 241 816 905

m 1.50 0.62 0.16 1.37 1.71 0.83 0.22 1.82 1.49 0.60 0.15 1.45 1.81 0.77 0.16 1.76 1.49 0.19 0.57 1.88 1.53 0.15 1.66 0.70 0.26 1.49 1.90 0.55 0.18 1.61 1.53 0.63 0.37 1.49 1.87 0.54 0.25 1.68

125 019 717 600 313 231 938 920 203 121 756 654 345 328 012 029 242 231 836 757 418 432 047 140

0.57 1.39 1.48 0.49 0.55 1.80 1.75 0.33 0.53 1.27 1.46 0.60 0.56 1.70 1.80 0.41 0.49 1.20 1.44 0.69 0.58 1.61 1.84 0.47

321 347 917 909 455 544 125 245 403 458 001 025 533 653 205 341

0.47 1.18 1.41 0.73 0.60 1.53 1.85 0.49 0.47 1.21 1.38 0.73 0.64 1.50 1.84 0.48

448 553 048 131 616 752 249

m Time m m Time Time m Time m Time m Time Time Time m Time m Time m m Time m Time

m

Time Time m

m m Time Time

m

Time Time m

m m Time Time

m

0423 1.39 1.36 0.40 06230013 0049 0346 1.66 0430 1.48 04520437 1.41 1.25 0557 0041 1.40 0.49 0046 0.69 0034 0.51 1 10304 16 1 16 16 1 16 16 1038 1031 0.62 1148 0.55 0735 0148 1.30 1.53 1 0630 1018 0.42 1036 0.461 1041 0.38 1158 0.58 1.23 0735 0327 1.50 0.47 0013 0.491.47 0423 1.39 04370603 1.25 0041 0.40 0155 1.63 0346 1.66 0430 1.481.30 0313 0.29 0.60 0338 0.43 0302 0.51 0454 0.43 0245 0432 0.56 0111 1.64 0151 1.7116 0748 0406 0.47 0.57 0136 1.45 16 1 1711 1 0630 1 0857 16 1SA10361204 16 16 16 1MO0926 1709 1710 1.58 1900 1245 0.80 16 1641 1.75 1748 1.58 1.54 0.56 161.54 1 1145 16 161137 1 0728 161245 11.61 11.500718 1010 0.621 1.37 0603 1.230.75 0.60 1031 0.62 1.30 0.56 TU 1018 0.42 0.460.52 0940 1.99 1013 2.01 0932 1.77 1.67 WE FR TH1038 SA MO SU TU 1029 1149 1.38 0642 0.67 0717 0.73 TH 1257 0.76WE 1122 1.43 1.37 0.67 1904 2351 0.63 1935 0.52 1.44 1922 1843 2244 0.60 0.501658 2319 0.74 1928 1630 1.37 1609 2343 1137 0.561.54 1709 1.54 1.58 1.72 1204 1508 1.29 16152328 1641 1711 1.751.83 17101812 0.15 0.73 0.20 0.39 1.61 1546 0.40

SA WE 1537 MO TH FR TU 1643 MO 0.83 TU 0.85 0.83 1.28 0.78 2215 1.52 2215 2204 2244 1.33 2145 2038 1.42 2301 1.31 2214 0515 1.38 0449 1.65 0533 1117 1107 0.40 0423 1.49 0.47 0306 1.65 0359 0449 0.37 0.59 0337 1127 0.54 0334 0.46 0515 0.46 0403 1750 1733 1.74 1053 0.60 1.42 0959 0.50WE 1107 1029 1.99 1.62 1009 1.78 0958 1.69 1220 1.47 1131 TU TH 1804 1.45 1.39 2348 0.50 0.17 1648 0.38 0.40 1753 0.75 SU 1715 SA 1614 TU 1733 TU 1709 WE 0.74 MO 1624 WE TH 1654 FR 0.77 1.37 1.43 2332 2245 2348 1.30 2222 2154 1.37 0.71 2311 2312 0018 0.65 0547 1.64 0044 0513 1.49 0.44 0414 1.71 0447 0547 0.45 1.37 0415 0633 0.57 0405 0.50 0603 1155 0.39 0005 1.35 0519 1131 0.57 1.50 1053 0.42 TH 1155 1118 1.94 0.58 1047 1.78 1031 1.70 1156 1823 1.86 0612 0.44 1225 WE FR 1217 1755 1.53 1.52 1823 0.24 1730 0.40 0.42 1829 1.51 1758 MO SU 1710 WE 1855 WE 1805 TH 0.59 TU 1702 TH 1308 FR1.70 SA 0.60 0.66 2301 2300 1.32 1848 2329 1.27 0102 0.58 0048 0.41 0138 0001 0.70 1.50 0514 1.76 0007 0048 1.34 1.37 0457 0730 0.60 0439 0.55 0101 1.40 0037 0648 0645 1.61 0557 1.49 0.41 1143 0.35 FR 0645 0537 0.55 0.57 1129 1.75 1108 1.69 0700 0.43 0623 1233 1242 0.40 TH SA 1306 1207 0.55 1800 1.66 1242 1.85 1815 0.42 0.45 1348 1.54 1313 TU MO TH 1944 TH 1210 FR 1.56 WE 1745 1907 1912 1.95 FR SA1.77 SU 1.61 0.44 1912 2344 1.27 1932 1903 0.32 1851 0.58 1830 0143 0.51 0145 0.34 0229 0045 0.63 1.62 0000 0.48 0106 0145 1.27 1.38 0015 0821 1.25 0515 0.61 0150 1.45 0135 0731 0740 1.56 0637 1.49 0.40 0609 1.79 SA 0740 0631 0.63 0.57 0542 0.64 1147 1.65 0743 0.44 0716 1311 1329 0.44 FR SU 1354 1241 0.54 0.31 1329 1.74 1213 1.71 0.48 1421 1.55 1357 WE TU 1230 FR 2030 FR 1302 SA 1.61 TH 1830 SA SU1.84 MO 1945 2000 2.01 1.68 0.30 1847 2010 1.79 2003 0.40 1940 1903 2000 0.44 0.51 1905 0238 0.30 0224 0.46 0315 0125 0.57 1.71 0058 0.38 0208 0238 1.23 1.38 0107 0911 1.24 0030 1.21 0231 1.49 0228 0834 1.51 0815 0717 1.48 0702 1.78 0834 0730 0.71 0634 0.67 0558 0.66 0820 0.46 0805 0.41 1415 0.49 1350 0.57 1440 SA SU 1313 0.55 MO 1415 1315 0.30 1.61 1302 1.67 1.61 1450 1.55 1438 TH WE SA 2115 SA 1359 SU 1.63 FR 1231 SU MO1.88 TU 2048 2.03 2024 1.75 0.20 1.91 2103 0.47 2028 1957 2048 0.45 1922 1934 0.52 2045 0.45 1938 0330 0.31 0305 0.42 0400 0203 0.53 1.75 0330 0153 0.30 0313 0205 0957 1.25 0124 1.18 1.22 1.37 0308 1.52 0318 0928 1.45 0859 0756 1.46 0928 0756 1.74 0734 0.69 0649 0.71 0836 0.75 0855 0.49 0852 0.44 0.55 MO 1432 0.57 SU 1501 TU 1525 1345 0.56 1501 0.33 1358 1.62 1.56 1.51 1518 1.54 1518 FR SU 2158 TH 1359 MO 1.63 SA 1323 SU 1500 MO TU1.91 WE 2135 2.00 2105 1.80 0.14 1.98 2159 0.51 2115 2053 2135 0.44 2023 2021 0.53 2117 0.41 2012 0421 0.34 0348 0.39 0442 0.27 0415 0242 0.49 1.74 0229 0247 1.17 0343 1.25 0407 0308 0421 1.30 1.53 1020 1.40 0945 1.37 1041 1.66 0946 0836 1.44 0.49 0753 0849 0.74 0928 0.76 0937 0842 1020 0.69 0.53 0.61 1516 0.58 1609 MO 1548 TU WE 1548 0.39 1418 0.58 1.54 1.44 1500 1.58 1546 1.53 1559 MO 2238 FR 1443 SA SU 1424 MO 1604 TU 1.60 TU WE1.92 TH 2221 1.93 2149 2.02 2249 1.84 0.14 2128 2109 0.51 2149 0.53 2200 2149 2221 0.42 0.39 2047 0511 0.40 0434 0511 0342 0.28 0509 0.47 1.69 1.31 0.39 0339 1.20 0410 0523 1.38 0416 1.53 0321 0457 1111 1.35 1034 1.37 1111 1.56 1055 1.41 0.54 0.74 1021 0907 0944 0.73 1002 0955 1125 0.66 0.58 0917 1635 0.68 1604 0.60 1653 TH 0.48 0.60 1704 1.40 1532 1.54 1607 1.55 1616 1.50 1640 TU 1635 SA 1528 SU 1455 TUWE MOTU WE 1.55 WE FR TH1.89 2307 1.83 2235 2317 2.00 2334 1.85 0.18 0.52 2246 2230 2156 0.46 2221 2243 2307 0.39 0.38 2125 0601 0.47 0522 0601 0436 0.32 0556 0403 0.47 1.61 0445 1.29 1.39 0.39 0507 0603 1.50 0548 0452 1.51 1201 1.31 1125 1201 1038 1.46 1156 1001 1.38 0.60 1022 0.67 0.69 1.37 1108 1208 0.58 1105 1036 0.63 1723 0.74 1657 0.62 WE FR 1723 0.57 1533 0.64 1642 1.58 1757 1.38 1714 1.53 1724 1648 1.47 WE 1739 SU 1614 MO TU WE TH TH 1.48 FR TH SA 2352 1.73 2324 2352 2245 1.94 0.38 2205 1.85 1.84 0.25 2324 0.38 2334 2357 0.36 2332 2253 SU

1734 SA TU FR 1720 0.58 WE SU 1324 1.35 TH MO 1300 1.45 WE 0.65 0.63 0.17 0.60 2257 2328 2343 1927 0.50 0.40 2351 1856 1.38 0.73 0.74 0.34 00430058 1.44 05340533 1.38 1.26 0023 0130 0.65 0.39 0721 1117 0.601.43 0656 1.29 0.470428 1121 0.42 1.40 1.30 0515 1.38 05330650 1.26 1.65 0533 1.441.33 0.49 0207 1.76 0000 1.33 0020 0216 1.54 0735 1254 1755 1.67 1231 0.65 1.85 1836 1.52 0.68 0.49 0.59 11171226 0.60 0.40 1127 0.470.50 1100 1.95 0739 0.64 0555 0.55 0556 0.56 0759 0.64 SU FR1117 SU MO WE SA TU 1256 1.62 1.44 1755 1.67 1.74 1804 1.851.86 1930 1947 1.44 1.51 1.82 0.25 1351 1.49 1232 1.40 1400 1.38 SU WE 1750 FR 1959 TH TH 1748 TU1858 SA 1245 MO 0.50 2348 1948 0.09 1824 0.56 1.34 1828 0.42 2002 0.34 0.75 0.31 01440140 0.42 00010039 0.75 0.55 0116 0214 0.59 0.29 0018 0.65 00390735 0.55 1.64 0044 0.421.35 0.55 0807 0808 1.26 0624 1.281.58 1.420517 0628 1.34 1.44 1.37 0300 1.83 0053 1.41 0126 0251 1.61 0858 1.37 0624 1.28 0.39 0633 1.420.49 1148 1.86 1341 1321 0.75 1201 0.58 0.48 1209 0.48 0.78 0.42 0829 0.60 0643 0.53 0704 0.53 0834 0.62 1402 MO MO TU 1314 SA0603 TH SU WE 0.58 1201 0.58 1.86 1217 0.481.86 0.32 2014 2036 1.38 1838 1.751.50 1.92 1930 1.47 1.48 1.91 1441 1.52 1310 1.43 1336 1433 1.41 MO TH 1156 SA 2058 FR FR 1838 WE1943 SU TU 1.70 0.27 1855 2036 1.75 0.06 1.92 0.29 1838 2038 1902 0.47 1829 1922 0.75 0.31 02520221 0.35 00520122 0.74 0.46 0220 0254 0.51 0.21 0102 0.58 01220820 0.46 0.41 0138 0.351.37 1.30 0348 1.84 0137 1.49 0223 0323 1.66 1014 0711 1.311.71 0922 1.27 1.410040 0735 1.33 1.53 1.44 0849 1.37 07111401 1.31 1.61 0730 1.410.49 0607 0.61 0915 0.57 0823 0.53 0800 0.51 0908 0.61 1245 0.54 1422 0.83 0.50 1307 0.57 0.85 0.35 1424 SU0648 TU FR MO TH 1517 TU WE 0.57 1245 0.54 0.40 1306 0.501.83 1.74 1528 1.53 1442 1.46 1424 1508 1.43 FR 1233 SU 2200 SA TU SA 1235 1921 1.841.55 2126 1.35 1.96 2031 1.44 1.48 1.96 2054 TH2029 MO WE 1.95 1927 1.96 0.27 1921 2127 1.77 0.15 1944 2109 1.84 0.08 0.41 2013 2037 0.40 1907 0.71 0.33 04020304 0.70 0.38 0330 0331 0.43 0.16 0.32 01570204 0143 0.51 02040905 0.38 0.34 0229 0.321.37 1.27 0435 1.80 0314 1.55 0315 0356 1.68 1122 0756 1.351.80 1030 1.32 0900 1.35 1.64 1.50 1.400131 0929 1.38 0756 1.35 1.56 0821 1.400.50 0700 0.68 1000 0.56 0859 0.53 0848 0.50 0942 0.60 1330 0.51 1539 0.89 1418 0.66 0.88 0.32 0.51 1504 MO0731 WE SA TU FR 1636 WE TH 1451 0.57 1330 0.51 0.44 1354 0.511.78 1.62 1613 1.51 1512 1.48 1508 1543 1.43 SA 1311 MO 2300 WE SU SU 1322 FR2115 TU TH 2004 1.901.58 2215 1.35 2137 1.43 1.50 1.96 1.96 2131 1.84 0.09 2030 2142 1.90 0.14 2.01 2015 1.96 0.27 2004 2215 0.48 2101 2110 0.35 1945 0.64 0.36 05070346 0.62 0.32 0432 0406 0.31 03130245 0.34 0.15 0.30 0224 0.46 0315 0.311.38 02450952 0.32 1.27 0520 1.73 0346 1.60 0404 0430 1.67 1224 1129 1.40 1025 1.44 1007 1.380224 0841 1.381.83 1.74 1.56 1.51 0815 1.38 0911 1.38 0841 1.38 0755 0.73 1045 0931 0.54 0934 0.51 1015 0.60 1656 0.90 1541 0.72 1544 0.53 1542 0.31 0.54 1415 0.48 1746 0.86 WE TU1350 0.57 TH TH FR 0.48 0.55 SA 1415 SU 0.49 1440 0.541.71 1659 1.46 1542 1.48 1551 1618 1.42 TH SU MO TU 2359 MO 1411 SA2202 WE FR 2304 1.36 22401.49 1.46 2207 1.93 2048 1.951.58 1.52 1.90 2.03 2101 1.88 0.08 2115 2214 1.93 0.28 2048 2300 1.95 0.23 0.53 2149 2142 0.32 2024 0.57 0.40 06040430 0.34 04280329 0.28 0.18 0.49 0.27 0522 0441 0.31 0305 0.42 0400 0.341.38 03291040 0.27 1.29 0418 1.62 0451 0505 1.64 1320 0605 1.64 1218 1.50 1045 1.360318 0927 1.411.80 1.81 1.59 1138 1.57 1.45 0859 1.37 0957 1.360.57 09271636 1.41 0857 0.77 1004 0.55 1018 0.52 1049 0.62 1130 0.56 1755 0.89 1624 0.57 1503 0.46 1844 0.82 0.34 1703 0.73 FR FR SA WE SU MO TH 0.55 1432 0.57 1525 0.571.62 0.46 1.78 1.39 1613 1.48 1634 1654 1.39 1746 1.39 FR MO TU WE 1503 TU 1504 TH SA SU2251 2350 1.38 2243 1.87 2133 1.961.56 2339 1.50 2.00 2147 1.91 0.11 2158 2245 1.87 0.30 2133 2345 1.96 0.33 0.56 2236 2214 0.31 2105 0.39 05330414 0.37 0.26 0603 0514 1.55 0.24 0.50 0.44 00530515 0.34 0413 0348 0.39 1.73 0442 0543 0.39 1.59 0414 0651 0.26 1.54 1.33 0538 0451 1.61 1122 1.38 1130 1.35 1242 1015 1.71 1.43 0657 0.25 1.61 1300 1.60 1.40 1004 0945 1.37 0.55 1041 1123 1.35 0.64 1015 1216 1.43 0.78 1102 1038 0.58 0.57 1706 0.61 1734 0.62 1813 1553 0.72 0.46 1411 1.84 0.39 1840 0.86 SA SU FR TH MO TU SA 0.61 0.58 1.50 0.62 1.35 1553 0.46 1.32 1645 1.46 1731 1839 1.32 TU 1516 WE 1609 TH 1934 SA WE 1603 FR 1717 SU MO2344 2318 1.52 1.63 1.79 2220 1.93 0.78 1.93 2233 1.92 0.19 2238 2317 1.79 0.33 2220 1.93 0.57 2322 2245 0.31 2149 0547 0.440505 0459 0.26 0033 01440600 1.56 0.34 00321.40 1.54 1.42 0.40 0.39 0.440.49 0.26 0526 1.59 0434 0627 1.63 0523 0623 1.53 0459 0030 0.44 1203 1.38 1223 1.33 1105 1.46 0746 0.26 1.61 0629 0.26 0642 0.44 1.35 1114 1.37 0.58 1125 1159 1.33 0.66 1105 0738 1.46 0.75 1146 1112 0.61 1034 1.45 1752 0.66 1837 0.45 0.66 1646 0.48 1459 1.84 1338 1.81 1339 1.68 SU MO FR TU WE SA SU 0.68 0.60 1.43 0.66 1.31 0.48 0.59 1.28 1718 1.42 1803 1812 WE 1604 TH 1653 FR 1646 SU TH 1705 SA MO TU 1305 1.69 2308 1.85 2022 0.75 2358 1.42 1908 0.70 1919 0.83 1.83 2318 2317 2355 1.69 0.37 2308 1942 1.85 1.24 0.57 1.89 2316 0.33 2235 0.490552 0545 0.290.29 0624 1.55 1.46 0123 1.58 0115 1.45 0.47 0522 0.39 0603 0.490.54 05450040 0.29 1.47 0708 1.46 0230 0115 0.55 0008 0604 1.54 1.321217 1157 1.481.52 1247 0.30 0.44 0720 0.20 0718 0.39 1.31 1125 1.37 1208 1.321.38 11570650 1.48 0.69 1237 0.66 0833 0827 1.38 0717 1145 0.66 0.71 1744 0.52 1846 0.70 1544 1321 1.80 1.60 1430 1.87 1416 1.73 SA1657 TU TH 0.74 0.62MO 1739 0.71 WE 0.52 0.61 1802 1.26 1902 1.27 1400 1231 0.62 1753 1.38 MO TH FRMO SA 1744 FRSU TU WE SU 1957 0.68 1.59 0.35 21071950 0.72 0.51 1957 1.73 2324 1.85 1.35 23570.80 1.59 2058 1.20 1855 2347 0044 0.540001 0000 1.740.40 1.52 1.31 0209 1.59 0156 1.47 0.54 0613 0.40 0643 0.541.32 00000145 1.74 0.56 0206 0.66 0646 1.48 0054 0041 0.44 0315 0705 1.330636 0634 0.341.42 0.36 0.53 0809 0.19 0755 0.37 1.29 1219 1.38 1254 1.330.58 06340745 0.34 1.55 0916 1.32 1220 0.70 0813 0759 1.41 0918 1337 1.39 0.76 1251 1.51 1625 1.74 1517 1.87 1454 1.76 1425 1.60 SU1753 TH FR MO 0.79 0.65 TU 1829 0.76 0.65 1251 1.51 0.61 1311 0.61 1831 1.33 0.67 TU FR SATU SU WE SA TH 1502 MO 1321 WE 1324 2033 1950 0.78 1845 0.561.26 0.71 0.53 20431.27 0.67 18452111 0.56 1855 2212 1.21 1958 20060.73 1.25 2152

TU 1843 0135 0842 0130 1336 0721 1254 2019 WE 1930 0230 0214 0945 0807 1438 1341 2108 TH 2014 0329 0254 1044 0849 1550 1424 2200 FR 2054 0426 0331 1137 0929 1701 1504 SA 2255 2131 0516 0406 1225 1007 1758 1544 SU 2349 2207 0601 0441 1310 1045 1844 1624 MO 2243 0040 0514 0644 1122 1352 1706 TU 1926 2318

1316 1.83 1928 0.68 1.32 0.34 0225 0.89 1.33 0807 0.50 1.40 1358 1.86 2005 0.65 0.31 1.36 0300 1.35 0.96 0843 0.49 1.37 1439 1.86 2041 0.61 0.31 0335 1.42 1.37 0919 1.00 0.49 1518 1.36 1.83 2115 0.56 0.33 0412 1.51 1.37 0955 1.00 0.50 1558 1.37 1.78 2148 0.50 0.36 0449 1.59 1.38 1030 0.96 0.53 1637 1.39 1.71 2222 0.44 0.40 0527 1.66 1.38 1106 0.92 0.57 1716 1.62 2259 1.43 0.44 0605 0.40 1.38 1144 1.72 0.61 1801 0.87 1.52 2340 1.46 0.49 0645 0.37 1.38 1225 1.75 0.66 1854 0.82 1.42

1.31 SU WE 1324 1.43 1.72 0.11 0.32 1812 1930 0130 0.47 0849 0.391.50 1.61 0058 0244 1.76 1345 0650 1.300.85 0.72TH 0811 0.67 0.491.50 2023 1.35 1418 1.46 MO 1226 TH 1.82 0.11 0.28 1858 2022 0230 0.43 0.291.55 0958 1.66 0140 0333 1.77 0735 1.370.92 1453 0.69FR 0900 0.61 0.421.47 2124 1.38 1509 1.47 TU 1314 FR 1.91 0.13 0.26 1943 2111 0338 0.39 0.211.61 1.68 0221 0420 1.75 1103 0820 1.440.94 0.65SA 0947 0.57 1608 0.351.46 1.39 1558 1.46 WE 1401 2229 SA 1.96 0.19 0.25 2029 2159 0445 0.36 0.161.67 1.68 0304 0503 1.70 1205 0905 1.500.92 0.63SU 1034 0.53 1720 0.321.47 1.39 1645 1.43 TH 1451 SU 2331 1.96 0.27 0.26 2115 2244 0545 0.33 0.151.72 1.66 0346 0545 1.63 1301 0952 1.560.87 0.62MO 1822 1119 0.51 0.31 1.38 1.38 FR 1542 MO 1732 1.90 0.36 0.28 2202 2326 0030 1.49 0.180.31 1.62 0430 0623 1.56 0639 1040 1.591.75 0.60TU 1203 0.50 1353 0.340.81 1.35 1822 1.32 SA 1636 TU 1915 0.32 2251 1.78 0123 1.50 0.24 0.46 1.57 0515 0006 0729 1.610.33 0.58 1130 0700 1.49 1440 WE 0.391.75 1.33 1247 0.50 SU 1734 WE 2005 0.75 1.63 1.27 0.38 2344 1918 0213 0.341.50 1.52 0600 0046 0.56 0815 1.610.36 0.55 1223 0737 1.42 1522 1.73 TH 0.45 0.50 1.31 1330 MO 1837 TH 2052 0.71 2023 1.23 0259 1.461.49 0130 0.67 0.47 0040 0859 0.440.41 0815 1.35 1.46 0650 1600 1.70 1321 1.60 0.50 1416 0.51 TUFR FR 2136 0.510.67 2129 1.23 1.31 1950 0343 1.311.46 0220 0.77 0.57 0145 0939 0.530.47 0857 1.29 1.41 0745 1633 1.66 1425 1.60 0.49 0.46 WESA SA 1508 2217 0.530.64 2231 1.26 1.33 2111

17 217

17 0133 0848

18 318

18 0223 0949

19 419

19 0320 1050

20 520

20 0422 1147

21 621

21 0520 1240

22 722

22 0010 0611

23 823

23 0105 0659

24 924

24 0157 0745

10 2525 25

0214 0028 1.48 0.54 25 1025 0804 0.36 25 10 0624 10 1247 1.38 0730 1515 1.76

25 0246 0831

11 2626 26

26 11 11

26 0335 0918

17 17 2 2 22 2 2 171717 17 2 22 2 17217 17 2

217 17 17

172 2

18 18 18 3 3 3 33 3 3 181818 18 3 33 3 18318

318 18 18

183 3

19 19 19 4 4 4 44 4 4 191919 19 4 44 4 19419

419 19 19

194 4

20 20 20 5 5 5 55 5 5 202020 20 5 55 5 20520

520 20 20

205 5

21 21 21 6 6 6 66 6 6 212121 21 6 66 6 21621

621 21 21

216 6

22 22 22 7 7 7 77 7 7 222222 22 7 77 7 22722

722 22 22

227 7

23 23 23 8 8 8 88 8 8 232323 23 8 88 8 23823

823 23 23

238 8

24 24 24 9 9 9 99 9 9 242424 24 9 99 9 24924

924 24 24

0128 249 0547 0724 9 1203 1434

1010 10 252525 25 10 10 25 25 25101010 1025 10 10 25 10

0.49 1.28 1.34 0.68 0.68 1.50 1.82

0650 0.54 0613 0532 0.39 0014 0650 0448 0.49 1.51 1.41 0.50 0.40 0601 0643 1.64 0532 1.47 0644 110540 26 11 26 26 26111111 1126 1253 1.29 1219 1.38 1254 11 11 26 26 11 11 11 26 11 26 1133 1.37 1253 1048 1.34 1130 0.57 0637 1.47 1216 0.48 1112 0.69 1150 0.67 TH 1815 0.79 FR 1753 0.65 SA 1829

538 026 139 637 705 229 337 840

0.50 0.46 1.32 1.36 0.72 0.62 1.78 1.50

0040 1.62 0016 1.490043 1.48 1.21 0343 0226 1.49 0.68 0303 0426 0254 1.58 0236 1.48 0055 1.600.51 0140 0425 0630 0.47 0049 0040 1.62 0016 1.77 1.491.23 0538 0.50 0.35 00550303 1.60 1.23 1.211.43 0.49 1.77 0.55 0.31 0024 0040 0.34 0023 0308 0.75 0140 0319 0.85 0145 0136 0.52 0400 0617 1.43 0020 0.38 120013 27 12 12 27 120849 120716 271.35 27 120040 12 27 12 12 27 27 12 0738 0.58 0705 0.42 0724 0.57 1000 0.44 0.59 0929 0.40 27 1016 0856 0.21 0830 0.36 0724 0.40 0753 0849 27 27 12 12 27 27 12 27 27 12 12 12 1230 1.30 0738 0.58 0705 0.42 0724 0.570.63 1139 1.32 0724 0.40 0753 0.63 0.590.54 0715 1.55 1.62 0630 1.56 0652 1.77 1007 1.27 0945 1.2527 1006 0911 0857 1.3627 0915 1.38 1148 0.75 0744 1.42 0735 1.41 1346 1.30 1.35 1.68 1.61 1634 1.42 1.71 1704 1603 1.82 1.75 1349 1.54 1433 1752 0.76 SA 1346 1.41 1344 1.351.42 1705 0.72 1320 1349 1.54 1534 1.611.61 MO 1652 13341317 0.56 1.41 1356 0.53 1231 0.45 0.37 1.30 FR SU 1344 FR 1704 SA 1433 SU TU WE 1532 MO1317 WE TH 1534

632 103 236 715 802 315 921

0.51 0.44 1.31 1.44 0.75 0.56 1.50

0338 1.55 0315 1.48 0158 1.460.61 0248 0519 0130 1.53 0114 1.390122 1.42 1.18 0430 0338 1.49 0.77 0423 0510 0025 1.73 0123 0632 0.51 0.44 1.181.40 0130 1.53 0114 1.69 1.391.17 01580423 1.46 1.17 0.48 1.69 0.55 0.25 0112 0130 0.34 0106 0423 0.81 0248 0431 0.90 0245 0245 0.61 0446 0000 0.41 0115 0.42 130756 281.30 130059 28 13 28 130130 13 28 130958 13 28 28 13 0849 13 0808 28 13 13 28 13 28 0942 0.28 0906 0.37 0817 0.46 0849 0958 0825 0.61 0758 0.43 0.60 1042 0.52 0.61 1014 0.46 28 1053 28 28 13 28 13 28 13 13 0730 0.55 1236 1.31 0.610.62 0825 0.61 0758 0.43 0808 0.600.65 0817 0.46 0.65 0749 1.62 1.69 0717 1.70 0743 1.89 1058 1.25 1039 1.2328 1053 1009 1000 1.3528 1017 1.36 0710 1.38 0845 1.36 0831 1.36 1.75 1.59 1611 1532 1.73 1.46 17431641 1730 1441 1.33 1417 1.47 1436 1.39 16471450 1.61 1.64 1714 1.68 1735 1.56

137 031 750 730 356 339 959 907

0.42 1.73 1.51 0.51 0.50 1.33 1.50 0.76

0122 1.62 0156 0031 1.73 0.52 03090531 1.35 1.15 1.211.37 0228 1.46 0216 1.61 0229 1.321.15 0.48 1.61 0.54 0.23 0200 0229 0.36 0200 0421 1.50 0355 1.46 0309 1.350.68 0403 0620 0228 1.46 0216 1.320200 1.37 1.21 0521 0459 1.47 0.80 0531 0558 0017 1.35 0403 0026 1.39 0400 0405 0.68 0534 0043 0.43 0221 0.47 14 29 14 0855 29 14 29 14 0948 29 29 14 14 1.33 14 29 140143 29 14 29 14 14 29 14 29 29 14 29 29 14 14 14 0828 0.60 0730 0.51 0914 0.51 0.65 1101 0.580.70 0911 0.62 0851 0.44 0855 0.610.65 0824 1.69 0833 1.76 0804 1.83 0833 1.97 1025 0.36 0943 0.39 0914 0.51 0948 1101 0911 0.62 0851 0.44 0.61 1120 0.61 0.58 1101 0.54 29 1131 0541 0.82 0546 0.8929 1141 1106 1.29 1102 1.3629 1121 1.37 0811 1.35 0949 0937 1.33 1436 1.26 1339 1.33 1553 1.64 1630 1.53 1740 1.68 1534 1.38 1517 1.55 1530 1.44

207 133 823 830 433 444 033 020

0.41 1.70 1.57 0.49 0.46 1.39 1.48 0.75

04220030 1.30 1.18 0.390.59 0224 1.54 0229 0133 1.70 0.57 0327 1.41 0324 1.53 0333 1.271.18 0.25 0.49 1.53 0249 0333 0.39 0311 0.53 0520 0136 0.46 0340 0.53 0007 1.49 0001 0107 1.45 0509 0114 1.47 0422 1.300.70 0509 0018 0327 1.41 0324 1.270239 0507 1.43 0437 1.44 0.70 0.39 0622 0053 1.46 1.62 0030 0010 15 30 30 15 1045 15 0944 30 15 15 30 15 1.34 30 30 15 30 15 15 30 15 30 1012 0.53 0.62 0624 1.271.35 0921 0.62 0830 0.49 0956 0.61 0944 0.45 0944 0.620.62 150228 30 15 15 30 30 15 15 30 15 0852 1.93 0858 1.74 0923 2.01 0912 1.80 1159 1.29 0919 1.34 1050 1045 1.34 0530 0.7030 0642 0.80 0615 0.78 0648 0.8630 0726 1012 0.53 1045 0624 0956 0.61 0944 0.45 0.62 1107 0.45 1023 0.43 0630 1.32 1.27 1151 0.64 30 0650 1654 1.71 1723 1.62 1158 0.54 1622 1.51 1519 1537 0.17 1.30 1531 1444 0.41 1.39 1606 1624 0.18 1.46 1554 1615 0.37 1.65

236 240 854 925 510 545 109 134

0.41 1.67 1.62 0.46 0.42 1.48 1.46 0.69

0.67 0.68 1.63 0.63 1816 1.52 1.42 MO 1700 TH 1815 TU 1616 WE 1744 TH 1249 FR 1.40 FR 1722 SA 1814 SU 2333 2326 1.84 1844 1.38 1.82 0.39 2249

TH

1752 WE 2007 2358

1846 0.70 TH 1312 2047 0.77 1959 0258 0122 1.49 0044 1.32 0845 0819 0.37 0705 0.58 1556 1337 1.39 1406 FR 1.74 2129 2117 0.72 1950 0.73

261126

FR 1347 2009

SA 1449 2102

SU 1600 2203

MO 1709 2308

TU 1807

WE 1329 1856

TH 1414 1942

FR 1456 2027

SA 1535 2113

SU 1614 2159

TU SA 1800 FR MO 1259 SA TU 1421 0.70 SU TH 1423 0.62 WE SU 1240 MO FR 1610 0.57 WE SA 1509 0.39 TH SU 1606 0.47 FR 1.36 SU 0.74 SA 0.73 19121.67 0.84 0.791942 0.70 0.50 2212 2237 0.66 1.41 2230 2256 2127 0.67 2110 0.76 1956 0.591.21 2105 1912 0.84 1856 0.67 1928 0.790.73 2337 1.78 1.32 19562230 0.59 0.73 0.500.62 19261856 1.38 0.67 1.28 1840 1916 1928 1.51 1917 2318 1.27 2105 2330 1.32 2115 2127 1.27 2235 1913 1.28

2245

1.26 0.75 1641 1.64 0.44 TU 1.33 1.47 TH 1436 1.39 0.54 1.59 0.52 1.46 0.32 1415 0.50 1437 0.46 1329 0.33 1418 0.27 0.70 0.81 0.77 WE TU1417 FR SA MO SA SU WE 1331 TH 1802 FRMO SA 1441 SU MOTH TU 1450 TH 1532 SA SU MO FR SU 0.78 SA 1712 MO 1707 WE 1539 FR 1534 SU 1619 SU 1228 MO 1340 TU 1345 1849 0.83 2006 0.450.60 2016 0.85 2005 0.68 2035 0.800.68 21142337 0.59 0.68 2209 0.67 2146 0.75 2114 0.591.21 2219 2331 2016 0.85 2005 0.802026 0.70 0.45 2219 2257 2348 0.61 1.51 2337 2332 1.37 0.68 1.29 1933 1.68 2014 2035 1.49 2018 2234 2252 1.36 2318 1844 1.31 2025 1.25 1.24

1454 0.44 1515 1425 1514 0.20 1731 1.67 1650 1.69 1553 1.64 1630 1534 1.38 1517 1.44 1.55 1.68 1.63 0.23 1806 1146 1.26 11361.51 1.23 WE 1813 1659 0.65 16491.53 0.43 1316 0.87 1500 0.76 TH 0.23 FR WE 1819 FR 1754 SATUTU SU 1530 MO TU SUMO TUTH SA MO 0.79 FR WE 0.41 FR SA SA SU TU SU MO SU1740 TH MO 1729 MO TU1.55 WE 1446 1956 0.86 2045 1907 0.76 1.23 0.55 0.45 2322 2125 0.84 2120 0.65 2147 0.780.60 2231 1803 1.36 0.65 1.30 2027 1.66 2110 2147 1.46 2136 2252 0.69 2225 0.74 2231 0.551.26 2322 2125 0.84 2120 0.782107 2344 0.60 0.56 1802 0.39 2345 1940 1.27 2144 1.24

1801 0.57 1420 0.89 1627 12031.62 1.40 1232 1.28 12320.79 1.25 TH 1230 TH 1200 SA 1838 SUWEWE FR TU SA MO 1622 TU WE 1.71 1723 1.46 1615 1.51 1815 1.58 1731 1.64 0.70 0.54 1.58 1.39 1212 SU MO TU TU 0.74 WEFR0.70 FR WE1.65 TH 1602 MO1158 TU 1225 TH 1654 SA SU SU MO 1624 WE SA MO TU 23421830 0.48 1.721.47 2106 0.86 2124 2020 0.75 1.26 2230 0.79 2234 0.59 22540.72 0.72 0.29 1857 2121 1.60 1.35 0.59 2204 2254 1.42 2303 1.31 2052 1.25 2256 1.30 1757 1847 0.38 1832 0.16 1830 1852 0.33 2342 0.48 2305 1900 2230 0.79 2234 0.722147 2336 0.71 1.49 1.72 1842

31 0240 0925

1.67 0.46 SU 1545 1.48 2134 0.69

05300046 1.281.35 31 0318 31 0951 1.84 31 0.53 310.690526 11100628 0.54 1107

1.42 0.49 1.32 TH 1633 1751 1.78 1815 1.59 SA 1245 FR 0.34 SU 2229 1.32 1848 0.48 2351 0.69

05300114 1.28 0.34 3131 11100709 0.54 1.33 FR 1751 1.78

MO 1246 0.49 1915 1.74

0.34 31 0114 31 0157 0709 1.33 0736

1.54 0110 0.80 0832 0.49 1.29 FR 1324 MO 1246 TH 1324 1915 1935 1.74 0.29 1954

31

© Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2019, Bureau of Meteorology reau of Meteorology © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2019, Bureau of Meteorology monwealth of Australia 2019, Bureau of Meteorology © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2019, Bureau of Meteorology Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide ns is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Times are in local standard time +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) whenwhen inor effect daylight savings time Times (UTC +11:00) when insavings effect(UTC are local standard time (UTC +10:00) orindaylight savings time +11:00) in effect savings time (UTC +11:00 standard time (UTC +10:00) orindaylight time (UTC Times +11:00) are local when standard in effect time(UTC (UTC +10:00) daylight Moon Phase Symbols New Moon First Quarter Full Moon LastQuarter Quarter First Quarter Last Quarter Full Moon New Moon First Quarter Last Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon First Quarter New LastMoon Quarter First ols Moon Phase Full Moon Symbols Full M 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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640F

TACKLE THE WEEKEND HEAD ON IT H

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BEST IN THE INDUSTRY CA R BO

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KEVLAR

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BEST IN THE INDUSTRY

BEST IN THE INDUSTRY

hainessignature.com.au NOVEMBER 2020

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Haines Signature 640F with Suzuki 200hp 4-Stroke - SC

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Main: The new Haines Signature 640F is shown here with its optional “Stealth pack”, including powder coated stainless steel tubework , black bumper rails and matching cosmetics.

Above: The test boat was pretty nippy with the Suzuki 200HP fitted, hitting 70km/h, but it is rated to a 225HP outboard.

With a simple, fold-down rear lounge, easy access transom door and plenty of custom X-Deck, the cockpit is roomy and functional.

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The full windscreens offer magnificent visibility, but will the lack of a sliding side window be an issue in the warmer months? It appeared not on the test day.

DE FOR EX

Fibreglass hulls evolve over time. Sometimes it’s within brands and sometimes moulds get sold between companies and get re-branded. The new Haines Signature 640F has had a long evolution within the Haines Signature family. Its most recent iteration being the 602F, the current version boasts some hull modifications to the planing surface, but more importantly, major changes in the top deck design to make this the boat (that Haines Signature says) that can do it all.

CO

s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

R

Steve Morgan

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We got to go for a ride with Haines Signature Sales Manager Chris Thompson on a glamour day in Moreton Bay – the type we always seem to get while boat testing, but never when we go fishing!

Chris ran us through the changes.

“There’s been a big redesign of the floor, which lets us fit 226L of fuel under it as well as a spacious kill tank. The cabin has been redesigned and now features plenty of room and a sliding, lockable door. There’s also plenty of storage in there,” he said.

“The side pockets have been totally re-designed.

We’ve got rid of the inserts

All of the tube work (including the rocket launcher) was black powder coated. It looks sharp.

There’s a significant redesign of the bowsprit, adding strength, anchoring options and a longer length rating.

The twin-axled Dunbier trailer with electric over hydraulic brakes made driving on and off easy.

Deadrise drops from 33 degrees at the bow to 21 degrees at the transom.

The cabin is spacious, lockable and will keep any shade-loving family member happy.

and gone back to an open side pocket design that has lots of space and is easily accessible.”

“Also the bowsprit has been redesigned for much more strength in that part of the boat. Part of that

The 200HP Suzuki is an inline 4-cylinder 2.9L option. But you can order it with a 225HP.

process allowed this hull to measure in at 6.4m instead of 6.02m,” Chris explained.

The rig was also treated to the Haines Signature ‘Stealth Package’, which matches black bump rails To page 126

SPECIFICATIONS Length Overall.........................................6.62m Beam........................................................2.43m Deadrise ..................................... 21-33 degrees Fuel ............................................................226L Max .........................................................225hp Max Outboard ......................................... 290kg Hull Weight ........................................... 1,285kg Approx. tow weight...................................2.35t BMT Length..............................................7.54m BMT Height .............................................3.05m Capacity ............................................ 8 persons

You can see the hard top vent hatch from above to provide air movement in the cabin.

You’ll have option with seat bases - this one was designed to hold a cooler underneath.

Marine radios and a sound system are also standard in this rig.

Haines Signature have ditched the moulded gunwale inserts and reverted to a large, open side pocket.

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Passenger accessories are well catered for - there’s room for wallets, keys and phones and a place to charge them.

From page 125

with black powder coated, stainless steel tube work on all rails and rocket launchers. Indeed, it will turn heads at the ramp.

The boat is powered by an in-line, 4-cylinder 200hp 4-stroke Suzuki outboard (DF200APX) which delivered best economy around 4,000rpm of around 1.8km/L. Drop the throttle and you’ll scoot along at 70km/h, but use nearly twice the fuel getting there (1km/L at 6,300rpm).

The test rig was supplied on a twin axle Dunbier trailer with electric over hydraulic brakes.

You’ll need a minimum 3.0t towing capacity to haul this.

Most modern twin-cab utes will do it with ease.

One of the features I loved on this rig (which will soon be available on many Haines Signature models) is the drop-down dash. It gives

We love the fact that the fold-away dash can flush mount a 16” Simrad.

The helm is neat and accessible. easy access to your wiring and electronics and clips back up neatly when you’re done.

It’s one of those changes that you wonder why hasn’t been done that way for years.

From the helm, we

PERFORMANCE RPM.........Speed.(km/h)....... Economy.(km/L) 640 ..............................4 .......................... 3.50 1000 ............................8 .......................... 2.80 2000.......................... 12 .......................... 1.70 3000.......................... 16 .......................... 1.20 3500 .......................... 33 .......................... 1.80 3750 .......................... 35 .......................... 1.80 4000.......................... 39 .......................... 1.80 4270 .......................... 43 .......................... 1.80 4500 .......................... 48 .......................... 1.75 5000.......................... 57 .......................... 1.50 6000.......................... 67 .......................... 1.20 6300 .......................... 70 .......................... 1.00

There was a broad rev range the delivered nest economy - anywhere between 3,500rpm and 4,250rpm was the sweet spot.

Thompson says the the powder coated rails don’t hold the salt as bad as uncoated stainless.

At least the world’s calmest day on Moreton Bay allowed us to take some nice images.

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noticed no sliding side window on the windscreen.

This is unusual. Haines have instead opted for a pop-up hard top hatch top channel air into the cabin. It felt good on a spring test day on the bay, but a steamy midsummer ride will test it more.

There wasn’t an inch of the floor that wasn’t covered in custom X-Deck, which makes it easy of the barefooted angler or family member.

Also of interest to the serious offshore angler was the pocket to mount your large, offshore transducers and ensure maximum connectivity to the water.

Rigged as tested, this Haines Signature 640F looked great and came in at just under $120,000,

Nowadays it’s fairly standard to have a clear, perspex livewell lid to see how your live baits are holding up. although packages start as low as $89,000.

There’s no doubting that this, Brisbane-built boat looks the part on the trailer and performs the part on the water. I suppose the question

will be, how long it takes to get one with the COVID boating boom in full swing?

For more information, visit www.hainessignature. com.au or your local Haines Signature dealer.

There’s no better combination that a locally made boat on a locally made trailer.

The 630F made a cameo appearance at the launch of the SCBX boats by Haines Signature.

There’s plenty of room for excess rods up and out of the way in the rocket launcher holders.

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FISHING JUST GOT EASIER...

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We’ve spent recent seasons with a renewed look at everything through the mind’s eye of the fisherman, and we’ve quietly dedicated ourselves to creating the most durable, reliable and easiest- to-use trolling motors ever. Because we believe a trolling motor should do more than simply move a boat forward.

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