Fishing Monthly Magazine | October 2022

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Features

Urban bassing • Spinning for trout • Are estuary stocks sustainable?

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Technique Spotlight

Bob Thornton takes us awesome urban bassing

Tested

Boat Test: Whittley CR2180 • Boat Test: Stessl 660 Seahawk •

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CONTENTS

OUR COVER October 2022, Vol. 3 No.6 VIC

TAS

QUEENSLAND The Tweed Gold Coast Jumpinpin Southern Bay Brisbane Northern Bay Noosa Bundaberg Mackay Townsville Hinchinbrook Cairns Port Douglas Cooktown Cape York Freshwater

16 18 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 37 38 38 39 42 46

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

54 56 57 58 60 62 64 65 66 68 69 70 71 72 72 74 74 75 76 77

VICTORIA Portland Warrnambool Cobden Geelong Port Phillip West Port Phillip Marlo Bemm River Gippsland Lakes Port Albert Mallacoota Robinvale Yarrawonga Wangaratta Bendigo Shepparton Ballarat Gippsland Freshwater Crater Lakes Eildon

78 79 78 80 82 84 88 88 86 87 87 90 90 91 92 92 94 96 96 98

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OCTOBER 2022

From the Editor’s Desk...

WA

Brett Howie with a beautiful example of a Central Coast greenback tailor, taken from the sand on a recent camping trip.

A JJ Edwards image.

Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.

TASMANIA Hobart

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance Bunbury Augusta Lancelin Metro Exmouth Kalbarri Mandurah Karratha Freshwater

105 105 106 107 108 110 110 111 112 114

REGULAR FEATURES Urban basssing Starlo: Spinning for trout Sheik of the Creek Sustainability of estuary species Fun page WIRF What’s New Tournament Calendar Tournaments Trades and Services/Tide page Stessl 660 Seahawk Boat Test: Whittley CR2380

8 12 45 50 113 100 122 104 102 116 118 120

COMPS AND OFFERS Find the logo Subscriber Page

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WIRF

Firstly, a big shout-out to the team who are back in Brisbane finishing this magazine while I’m off running ABT events in Central Queensland. We get a lot done with a lot fewer people than we used to pre-COVID, with both Fishing Monthly and ABT, so I thank them for adapting to the new-normal.

We’ve also got new neighbours in the building. Rapala VMC Australia have taken all of the available space to run their sales, marketing and advertising divisions. It’s becoming a real fishy hub, with Fishing Monthly, ABT, Infofish Australia (who do lots of tagging, surveying and mapping work) and now Rapala sharing space.

When you’re running into Mick Horn or Timmy Morgan in the hallways, you know that there’ll be plenty of ideas bouncing around.

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CARL MAKES CLASSIC Since the last issue, the news that Toowoomba’s Carl Jocumsen has qualified for the prestigious Bassmaster Classic in 2023 is a real milestone. The gun Aussie angler has become a real crowd favourite – both stateside and in Australia – and next March there’ll be an army of fans cheering him on.

Interestingly, he’s not the first Australian to fish the event. Ex-columnist Kim Bain qualified once through the Women’s Tour over there and fished it.

Carl is headed back to Australia in November to see family and fish the BARRA Tour with Canadian pro Jeff Gustafson. Let’s see if he remembers how to catch a barra…

BOAT TESTING RETURNING It’s been a tough couple of years to get boat tests done. Firstly, the COVID restrictions shut it down and then after that, the massive demand for boats left a lot of companies short of demo stock.

Supply seems to be catching up with demand, though, and we’re gradually finding it easier to get hold of boats to run through their paces.

We get a lot of readers and viewers (on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel) reach out for boat advice. After all, buying a boat is now more than ever a big financial decision, and often you don’t even get to ride in the boat you’re buying before you sign on the dotted line.

We help where we can. I haven’t ridden in everything, but if our experience can help then we are happy to do so.

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Awesome urban bassing BRISBANE

Bob Thornton

Bass fishing takes anglers to some absolutely breathtaking locations.

Whether they’re grand boulder-strewn valleys with torrents of clear mountain water gushing through or little spring-fed trickles meandering through a paddock, the location becomes as much a part of the experience as the fishing itself.

With our busy lives and ever-changing world, though, finding the time and money to get to these places can be a huge challenge. Many bass fishing heartlands lie hundreds of kilometres from any major population centres.

Even stocked impoundments

set of challenges, though. So, let’s take a look at these environments and the wily little bass that live in them!

THE BIG SMOKE Bass can be found in many freshwater bodies these days. Where once naturally occurring populations were doomed to disappear with rapid development, stocking efforts, research, conservation work and closed seasons have ensured there are, once again, plenty of bass to be caught in our cities and towns.

Weirs, culverts and other impassable barriers built along natural watercourses were a major damaging factor to bass stocks. So too were many construction and farming practices, which due to a lack of research at the time, didn’t consider the

involved to do it.

ARE THERE BASS HERE? This is the first question you need to ask yourself, because there are some very appealing creeks around that just don’t have bass in them.

Despite all the conservation efforts, things like pollution, artificial barriers and other environmental damage are still a factor.

If you can’t find any information on bass stocking for your local system, or there is no stocked dam or weir to provide ‘escapee’ fish, there’s still always a chance of a natural population.

The first thing I consider is access to saltwater, which bass need to breed. Bass are able to navigate rapids and some small waterfalls when flow is sufficient and will

The urban creeks that flow below major dams have recently received an injection of escapees with the recent rain. Fish topple over the spillways in search of flowing water, which is why this fish looks a little knocked around.

Photo courtesy of Peter Jung.

There are some truly magical little streams in the heart of suburbia. Unsurprisingly, the author could hear a lawnmower cranking while snapping this shot! with good bass fisheries are often located outside the city limits that many of us live in.

While we as anglers strive to get away from the crowds, good bass fishing certainly isn’t limited to areas completely free of human activity. In fact, some fantastic bassing can be found right under our noses, sometimes in the heart of the urban and suburban jungles of our major cities!

What’s more, restorative efforts from forwardthinking State governments and research groups have brought back many of these fragile environments from the brink.

Modern anglers can enjoy great bass fishing in places that have you wondering whether to grab the rod or the camera first, while not worrying about taking days off work or spending precious savings on fuel.

Bass fishing in our cities and major regional centres isn’t without its own unique 8

OCTOBER 2022

wildlife in the area. With more modern weir and bridge designs to facilitate migratory breeding behaviour, as well as environmental groups to keep agricultural activities in check, things are looking up.

We now know how fragile these important ecosystems can be, and while the management of our riparian and marine environments isn’t perfect, it’s come a long, long way.

Being able to not only preserve natural stocks, but also reintroduce them to areas where they were once common has ensured there’s plenty to go around, even in the big smoke.

Urban bass fishing is no walk in the park though… well, if you’re walking through a park to get to a piece of public water it is, but you know what I mean!

Difficulties can arise when chasing our much-loved battlers in the cities, but these challenges can make each fish more special and well worth the planning

often migrate back upstream with the first floodwaters of the season following their spawning. Weirs, dams,

barrages and causeways may block this migration path for our little friends.

A great way to assess

the ‘navigability’ of such structures is if you notice schools of mullet in the system above these barriers, as these fish also require access to the salt to complete their life cycle. My rule of thumb is that if mullet can do it, bass can do it. Don’t underestimate a bass’s will to swim upstream!

Secondly, there needs to be sufficient real estate for them. Bass will live in some pretty skinny creeks, but they require shade from undercut banks, snags, boulders, overhanging trees, or artificial structures like bridge pylons, pipes, concrete slabs and retaining walls. Unlike the mullet and herring that swim out in the open (making them easy to spot), bass will almost always keep themselves hidden during daylight hours, only venturing out to snaffle passing prey. It’s worth remembering that bass will happily live in very shallow water, so long as they can get their head under

Josh Dunn likes to fish the rivers and creeks around the Gold Coast, and manages to find fish like this 50cm urban brawler!

Photo courtesy of Josh Dunn.

something. A creek with year-round flow is certainly preferable, but not necessary, so long as there are a few permeant pools that hold a bit of depth and structure.

Lastly, footprints and other items left behind by anglers are a dead giveaway.

I can remember once when visiting a creek for the first time, I noticed a small popper with treble hooks hanging from a tree over a deep, shaded pool. I got a confidence boost just by seeing this, and my suspicions were soon confirmed when I landed a bass.

I certainly don’t condone leaving rubbish behind, as these are things that damage the environment, and in more public waterways, could result in anglers getting kicked out! If you can, leave only your footprints and take only photos.

ACCESS Accessing bass water in the concrete jungles is something of a challenge, just as it is in the real jungle. Out in more regional and remote areas, the main challenges stem from geography. High banks, thick scrub and long walks are an accepted part of the package for intrepid creek crawlers like myself and many others. In the city however, creeks wind their way through suburbia and form the border between many peoples’ properties.

There are sections of public land such as parks and walkways adjacent to these waterways, and these provide great access points.

In a lot of creeks though, the good habitat sits amongst private property.

Getting access to such areas can be tricky, however if you can get down to the creek legally (via a bridge, park or some other public land), that’s a good start.

Traversing along the creek, or indeed in it if you choose to wade – like I often do – is a

great way to find productive water. Having a quick glance at the Land Act 1994, the only thing on it clear enough for my blue collar brain to understand is that non-tidal watercourses are property of the State.

By this logic, fishing from a kayak or other small vessel is fair game.

It’s less clear about the riparian zones, which are the areas (usually thick with vegetation) on the water’s edge. Walking or wading in this zone, well below a high floodwater mark, certainly seems harmless enough, but not everyone feels this way.

Some bass anglers (including myself!) have been warned

off at gunpoint, although this is more of a problem in the backcountry. In most if not all instances, the landowner was in the wrong.

My advice is to stay in the creekbed where possible, without compromising your safety. Most creeks will allow you to wade in ankle to shin deep water as you

Concrete slabs, broken bricks and pipes aren’t a classic feature of a bass creek, but the fish don’t seem to mind! venture along casting to likely hidey holes. It’s always good to call in and request permission if you plan to fish firmly from the bank.

LURKING IN THE SHADOWS It’s no surprise that to be a good bass angler you need to be quiet and discreet, almost blending in with the environment. Bass diehards learn to stay hidden from not only fish, but other wildlife

Peter Jung loves exploring the bushy creeks that wind through Brisbane’s suburbs, with decent fish like this not uncommon at all.

Photo courtesy of Peter Jung.

that may ‘spook’ a pool, like water dragons, turtles or ducks. They also learn to stay hidden from people, partly for the reasons mentioned above, but also to keep their fishing spots close to their chest. With this sort of covert training, I’m surprised the special forces don’t recruit more city bass anglers!

Urban bass generally experience a higher degree of human activity, so it’s just

a fact that they will be a little more weary and better educated than their rural and remote counterparts. This just reinforces the idea that success comes to those who are stealthy.

Over years of fishing these places, I’ve come to notice that I get more interest from fish when I take extra care not to disturb the environment I’m in. Little To page 10

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From page 9

things like walking down to a pool slowly, wading without splashing, and even standing a few meters back from the edge of the pool to make a cast should become habit.

You won’t be able to totally mask your presence all the time, and a turtle diving off a log or a water dragon tearing off through the scrub isn’t going to completely foil your operation.

Once you start fishing, you’ll find these city slickers

fare put you in with a better chance. The sharp hooks that come standard with these lures are invaluable as well; you might only raise a few fish in a short session before or after work, and you want them to stick.

Anglers from trout backgrounds and those used to fishing for sooties and jungle perch up north will find this is all second nature to them. As I have said in my articles before, creek fishing for bass is a highly transferable skill, and it’s no different in the cities.

often told it is!

The conservational efforts of governments and research groups mentioned at the beginning of this article have seen a lot of endangered wildlife returning to these sites. My local creek gets its name from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘water lizard’, and it’s refreshing to see so many of these reptiles on the water’s edge.

In these same places I’ve managed to stumble upon echidnas, platypus, koalas, wallabies, black cockatoos, and a stack of rare native

Small poppers and other topwater presentations are highly effective in shaded pools. interest in keeping our freshwater creeks healthy, and heck… these fish almost certainly wouldn’t have received any consideration if it weren’t for anglers reminding policymakers of their existence!

I believe anglers should always try to be active in the role of environmentalism, and even picking up a few pieces of rubbish or letting the local council know if you see something suss will contribute to sustainable

urban bass fishery.

So next time you drive over a little freshwater creek in the middle of suburbia, don’t pass it off as another metropolitan ‘drain’, think about how many bass might be in there!

Water like this should get any bass anglers excited. To city slickers, the house and mowed lawn in the top right isn’t a deterrent. are just like bass anywhere.

Small presentations that imitate insects, crustaceans and fish will work well.

Paying attention to what forage species abound where you’re fishing is a good idea. Bass are not known to be super fussy, but a creek full of bass that see anglers on a weekly basis know a trick when they see it. Good quality lures that closely resemble the local

10

OCTOBER 2022

A UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT It might seem that by fishing close to major business districts you miss out on the ‘wilderness’ factor that’s associated with wild river bass fishing. It’s true that human activity and influence is virtually inescapable in the cities, even right down in the bottom of a generously vegetated creekbed. But it’s far from the wasteland we’re

plants. All this within a 10-15 minutes drive of the CBD! Afterwards I can go grab a soy flat white and not be late for work. Yes, just like the bass I chase, I too have become urbanised!

As anglers we have a responsibility to keep these places as wild and wonderful as they ever were, and I believe fishing for bass in the city promotes this idea.

Bass anglers have a vested

If you can see mullet swimming around in a freshwater creek, it’s a good indication that there are also bass hiding away in the shadows.

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All in a spin about trout NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Springtime is prime trout time across a sizeable slice of the southern part of our nation, and casting lures is a great way to target these fish in both flowing streams and still waters.

of NSW, Victoria, SA and WA, as well as throughout Tasmania. They live in both flowing streams and various dams or natural lakes, although they tend to struggle if the water temperature rises above 24-25°C for more than a couple of days in a row, and are much happier in cooler, well-oxygenated waters.

There are a few different

You can also fly fish for them with a huge range of cunning little fur and feather creations. But probably the most popular method is to either cast and retrieve or troll a range of lures on relatively light tackle.

Casting or ‘spinning’ for trout is very popular, especially in creeks and rivers, but you can also do it in dams and lakes, either from a boat, a kayak, or off the shore.

The same sort of gear you’d use to fish for bream, whiting or flathead in the salt is perfect for trout fishing; ideally a 1000-3000 size spinning reel, spooled

The floating F5 Rapala Original in the RT (rainbow trout) pattern has been Starlo’s favourite trout lure for almost 40 years! scare these flighty, nervous and sharp-eyed fish. Trout will spend the bulk of their time facing upstream into the current, so they’re best

bringing your lure back slightly faster than the flow to give it a seductive action.

Once hooked, trout are energetic fighters that

A considerably younger Starlo with a lovely brown trout taken on a Squidgy soft plastic while spinning in a Tasmanian lake.

If you live anywhere near waters that hold trout, or you’re willing to travel to reach them, it’s definitely time right now to start thinking seriously about chasing these speckled

ways to target trout. You can bait fish for them (where it’s allowed) using offerings such as garden worms, grubs, mudeyes (dragonfly larvae), little yabbies or even artificial putty-style baits.

There’s just something about chasing a few trout in the Aussie bush and then cooking one up on the campfire! immigrants! The new season opened in Tasmania in early August, throughout Victoria at the beginning of September, and opens in NSW on the October long weekend. In WA you can chase them all year!

Trout were first introduced to Australia way back in 1864 and they’ve done quite well in some of our cooler waters. Brown trout, rainbow trout and even a few brook char and tiger and leopard hybrids are now found across parts of the Australian mainland states 12

OCTOBER 2022

American rainbows (top) and European browns (bottom) dominate Australian trout waters. with fine 2-4kg line (mono or braid) and matched to a sensitive, lightweight 6-8ft (1.8-2.5m) rod with a reasonably fine, whippy tip that will help flick out those light lures.

So many different lures will catch trout, but some of the time-proven favourites include little inline spinners, spoons, small jigs, soft plastics, plus various minnows and plugs.

The best offerings tend to measure between about 4-7cm in length and weigh anywhere from a gram or two up to about 7g.

When spinning in smaller streams, it pays to dress in drab colours that match the bank-side vegetation and to move slowly so as not to

approached from behind, by walking or wading slowly upstream and casting ahead of your position — up and across the current — before

frequently jump well clear of the water and throw the lure back at you, but enough should stick to provide heaps of fun, and a lovely meal

centres. We’d arguably be poorer without them, in very many ways.

If you’d like to learn more about spinning for trout and take a deep dive into the finer details of tackle selection, rigging, presentation strategies and reading the water to find these sometimes challenging targets, scan the QR code with this column to go to my video masterclass on the subject, or simply go to my Starlo’s Fishotopia page on Facebook and you’ll also find direct links to the new Trout Spinning Masterclass.

Trout have become a rich and colourful part of Australia’s freshwater fishing tradition and folklore across the century and a half that has passed since their arrival on our shores. If you’ve only ever daydreamed about chasing a few, why not make this the year you finally give it a go? Our past couple of mild, wet summers have suited these fish rather nicely, and there are plenty out there just waiting for your lure!

Got ‘im on! The author hooks up on light spin gear along the lower Eucumbene River ‘back in the day’. Not much has changed, apart from your columnist’s hairline and the colour of his beard!

Four beautiful river rainbows destined for the fish smoker.

or two, either fresh-cooked or smoked.

These days, some people question the continued stocking of an introduced or ‘exotic’ fish like trout into our waterways, but the fact remains that in many of the colder, higher altitude areas where trout do best, there are no longer viable populations of catch-able native fish. In some, there may never have been. In these locations trout provide excellent sport and a valuable addition to both the social and economic wellbeing of many regional

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Southern

OLD

Warm currents are here THE TWEED

Leon McClymont

Warm currents are kicking in and bringing the pelagics with them. Let’s hope the rain stays away this season, even though the predictions are for a La Niña. A La Niña event will push the warmer water closer to the coast and bring the big fish with it, and so long as we miss the rain on the Tweed Coast (and the water

flood after the multiple catastrophic floods in the last few seasons.

Topwater yellowfin is what all the talk is about at the moment. Big yellowfin turn up at this time of year out on the canyons off Kingscliff and further north to Southport. These grounds are your best bet for a ticket to the show.

The depth range can be anywhere from 250-2500m, so finding them can be very difficult and time-

Troll big skirted lures, covering ground until one of the following happens: you spot the fish working the surface, birds working, you sound a pod of fish up on the sounder, or the drag on the reel starts screaming off as you run past a random few fish. Once you have found the fish, and the area they seem to be hanging in, then you can change your technique to get one on topwater.

If you have two or more on board and you’re confident in your fishing, casting a popper or stickbait whilst your fellow angler is tight to a tuna is your best bet at a hook up. The other tuna will be excited and following their fellow mate around, wondering what all the commotion is. Then they’ll see your popper or stickbait offering, and it’s an easy meal they can’t resist.

This method can put quick kilos on the boat when the yellowfin are fired up, so

Bodenn Shipmann with a 60cm flathead taken on a Tweed Bait whitebait on 6lb line. only take what you need and remember to practice catch and release.

The mahimahi are also turning up in numbers,

multiple snip-offs. You’ve just got to love it and, as they say, you’ve got to take the good with the bad.

There are still plenty

David McAndrew with a solid mulloway taken on a cut bait while fishing a beach gutter. offshore remains blue) we should see a good season and a good run of fish.

With a bit of luck the rain events will either go west or south of the catchment areas in our region. I’m not sure if the anglers and the residents of the Tweed could handle another deluge/

consuming, chewing fuel in the relentless search. A few things you want to be on the look out for are bait balls, birds working or upwellings of cold water (you’ll need an app like RipCharts or similar for this). These are all good zones to be focusing your time around.

Benny and Tyi bagged out on the Spanish mackerel while trolling skirted pilchards.

The author with a whopping 1.5kg buck.

16

OCTOBER 2022

and some big bull models are hanging around at the moment. Drifting pilchards or livies out the back with a bit of a berley trail is my favourite way to target the dolphinfish.

Plenty of pearlies and snapper are still getting caught on the 24s and 36s.

Slow-pitch jigging is very effective for these species at these depths.

The Spanish mackerel and longtail tuna are turning up, and no baitfish is safe in the coming months. Spanish fishing can either be the best day on the water you’ve ever had, with screaming drags, double hook-ups and insane high flying aerobatic performances. Or it can be the most frustrating day you’ve ever had, with several missed hook-ups, countless sharkings and

tailor and mulloway off the beaches, break walls and headlands. Spotting the gutters on low tide and returning on the incoming tide and fishing the last quarter of the incoming tide will produce jew and big tailor. Fresh cut baits are the go-to bait for targeting big jew and tailor in my opinion.

The tailor are thick in the Tweed River at the point of writing. We fished the back of Stotts Island some weeks ago, trolling hardbodies, and managed a few nice tailor and dropped a big lizard.

During the last hour of the run-in tide I switched it up and threw whitebait out on small longshank hooks whilst flicking lures, and I couldn’t get a cast in with the lure – every few minutes the whitebait rod was bent

over and line peeling off.

We caught seven flathead in the space of an hour, all on Tweed Bait whitebait. We kept four flatties for a feed and let the others go. It was a great action-packed arvo on the river that I hadn’t had in a while.

On the way back I lifted two crab pots and pulled a couple of good bucks, one going 1.5kg. It was a perfect ingredient to my coconut chilli mud crab that night. If that sounds tasty to you and you’re keen for a feed of muddies, be sure to get those pots in and get yourself a feed. Just be mindful that the Fishery patrols are out and about checking everyone is above board, so here are a few things they will be checking: your fishing license is valid, your crab pots are correctly marked, and your catch is within the size and bag limits. Be sure to check the guidelines in your region; being so close to the border it can get confusing. Remember that in Queensland female mud crabs are prohibited and must be returned back to the water, but here on the Tweed in NSW we can keep a female mud crab as long as it’s not bearing eggs. If the crab is carrying eggs it must be returned to the water immediately.

Everyone has their favourite bait for crabbing, and mine is mullet or fish frames from previous sessions. There’s no need to get too fancy in my opinion.

This time of year leading into Christmas/New Year is your peak season for mud crabs here on the Tweed.

The upper reaches of the Tweed have been firing with huge numbers of bass, big eye trevally, GTs and little tailor feeding on little baitfish and schools of prawns.

Until next month, soak ‘em long.

Southern

OLD

Hit the estuaries and offshore GOLD COAST

David Green

The offshore grounds have maintained a good water temperature around 22°C throughout August and September, and blue and striped marlin have been caught throughout the winter. In October there should be a few blue, black and striped marlin out wide and it is generally a good month to chase yellowfin tuna on the 1000m line. The Gold Coast is one of the few regions in Australia where you can catch marlin every month of the year. As I write this

I’ve just returned from a trip where we caught a 300lb blue marlin on the 250m line east of South Stradbroke Island.

The 50 fathom reef has been fishing well for snapper and pearl perch, and there were excellent catches after the season reopened. This month the snapper will drop off in numbers as most of the fish have spawned. There should also be plenty of amberjacks, samsonfish and yellowtail kingfish on the northeast 50 fathom grounds on the higher pinnacles. This year there have been quite a few black marlin on the snapper grounds, with big fish over 80kg being caught

Anglers have been getting good catches of pearl perch.

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on drifted live baits, or eating hooked fish as they are brought up from the bottom.

The grounds in 120-150m have been producing some big pearl perch and bar cod.

Deep dropping has become increasingly popular, and this month should produce bar cod, flame snapper and nannygai. The current picks up towards the end of the month and this makes things more difficult.

In closer to shore there should still be a few snapper on the 36 fathom line and it has been a very good season for Venus tuskfish. These are excellent eating and respond well to a simple paternoster rig with fresh squid as bait.

Later in the month the current usually starts to run from the north and fishing gets more difficult with the increased run. The 24 fathom reef should produce some nice cobia on live baits this month, and these fish should also start to show on the close reefs from Palm Beach out to the 18 fathom line. Plenty of berley is the key to attracting cobia to your boat. On light tackle a big cobia can take over an hour to land and they are one of the toughest fighting fish around. During the fight they often come up close to the surface and are easily mistaken for sharks due to their brown colouration.

If the westerly winds continue, tailor are a good option. These can be caught spinning with metal lures or stickbaits just out the back of the surf line. It has been an excellent year for tailor and quite a few over 3kg have been caught in the gutters at the top end of South Stradbroke Island. You need to be careful to keep your boat in deep water and watch out for increasing swell. The Zerek Zappelin has been a

great lure for big tailor and casts like a rocket.

At night there should still be a few mulloway on the close reefs and around the artificial reefs found in 23m to the north east of the Seaway. Live baits fished just after dark is the best method, and if you can catch a few pike you are in with an excellent chance of catching a decent mulloway.

ESTUARIES AND RIVERS The Gold Coast Sportfishing club’s Flathead Classic is being held in the last few days of September, and with all the winter rain it has been an excellent flathead season. In mid winter, catches of 40+ fish per session were common but in recent weeks things have quietened down a bit.

When you find a decent patch of fish they are often quite shy, and ultra-slow retrieves have been the best method. Small soft plastics worked ever so slowly through weedy patches is often the best approach.

At high tide there have been some bigger fish in the shallows, and working shallow hardbodies and big plastics has produced some great fish well over 80cm long at times. As soon as the tide turns the fish seem to leave these spots, returning to deeper water. In October the deep water often comes into its own, and working large soft plastics, big soft vibes and large curl-tailed grubs can be a very effective method. I’m not a big fan of fishing the deep water for big breeding fish, but if you want to specifically target big flathead this method works

October is a great time to target flathead. well on the run-in tide. It is important to handle these big fish carefully as they are in the process of spawning.

Whiting should start to show up in numbers as the water warms up. Casting unweighted yabbies on the first push of a rising tide can be very productive, and if there are small prawns around, poppers and small stickbaits can be very effective. The flats around the back of Wavebreak Island are a good spot to try, and this area also holds a lot of very big flathead.

The ideal water depth is around 30cm, and as the tide pushes up the whiting schools are generally quite easy to spot. Ultra-light line is the key to catching these

sharp-eyed fish.

Drifting live baits through the main channel in the Seaway on the run-in tide will produce trevally, mulloway and big flathead.

Small baits such as herring are also very effective for big bream and smaller flathead.

Spinning with small metal lures and soft plastics can produce tailor, tarpon and queenfish when the water is clear. This fishing is at its best when there are white pilchards moving into the Broadwater, and hopefully they will move in this month.

Overall, October is prime time for flathead on the Gold Coast, but there are plenty of good options to try both in the estuaries and on the offshore grounds.

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Southern

OLD

Time for big flatties JUMPINPIN

Bo Sawyer

G’day everyone, I hope you’ve had a great month and caught plenty of fish.

It was another successful King of the Pin for 2022 and there were some great fish brought in.

been catching as many fish as they usually do. So if you’re struggling with bigger baits or lures, don’t be afraid to downsize.

Coming into October we should see the water temperatures climb again and the warmer water species spark back up. Let’s hope the weather is kind to us!

fish as well. I have learned that using a glove will cause the fish a lot less stress. Areas that should produce good fish are Kalinga Bank, Pin bar, Gold Bank, Crusoe Island, North Lagoon and Millionaires Row. Pilchards would be my choice if you’re using dead bait, otherwise live mullet, gar, herring and prawns are great options as well. For anglers using soft plastics, smaller sizes have been producing better at the time of writing, but I will be looking to use 4-5” minimum plastics throughout October.

Whiting have been on the chew around sand

Daniel scored this solid mulloway on a soft vibe. this past month. Tailor are best caught on small metal spinners or pilchards – just look for birds working and the tailor shouldn’t be

too far behind. The tailor fishing hasn’t taken much of a break this year so I won’t be surprised if we still get some decent ones

Marco got this beast 88cm flatty onboard Capn’s Charters.

Well done to everyone who gave it a crack.

At the time of writing it’s been very windy, which has discoloured the water in a lot of the muddier areas.

However, the water in the channels and out around the Pin is quite clean. Most of the bait feeding through the system has been fairly small, and I’ve noticed my normal size lures haven’t

I can’t think of a better species to start on this month than the mighty flathead. October is a great time to target these fish in the Pin area, and we should see some monsters being pulled in. Just remember to treat the big girls with care and support their body weight around their belly and not just their head. Lip grips can damage bigger

Dani Milligan with a stonker bream that got her 1st in the King of the Pin. 22

OCTOBER 2022

Laurence with a quality flathead. and yabby banks. You can try fishing for them using yabbies or worms along the North Lagoon, Gold Bank and the mouth of the Logan River. Use a long trace of light fluorocarbon (4lb is ideal) and just remember to spit on your knot before tightening it because fluorocarbon can get friction burn and weaken the knot.

We weren’t wrong about having a great jewfish (mulloway) season this winter, but the bigger models will most likely be in fewer numbers as the temperatures rise. If you’re still keen to target them, use big live baits or plastics/vibes in the Pin bar and along Kalinga Bank.

Deeper holes will also hold fish looking for deeper water, so it’s always a good idea to scan these areas with your sounder if you’re driving past any.

There have been plenty of bream and tailor terrorising the whitebait balls in the deeper water

A nice flatty out in the deep.

Brett was out-fished by his wife who scored this wonderful bream. Don’t worry mate, it happens to all of us.

in the warmer months.

You can target bream using whitebait or lightlyweighted 2.5-3” plastics.

I’ve been sounding plenty of them up along Kalinga but any deeper channel holding bait will produce well. There are millions of them up on the flats eating yabbies, however the size isn’t worth chasing.

Well that’s it for me this month guys, you’ll see me out there hitting the flathead pretty hard this month before turning my sights onto the local jacks and threadfin salmon.

Don’t forget to jump in and see Brett at Jacobs Well Bait and Tackle for your bait and tackle needs.

Also, Ryan from Capn’s Charters has some charters available if you’d like to catch some monster flatties in the coming weeks. Until next month, tight lines and stay safe out there.

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

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OCTOBER 2022

23

Southern

OLD

The fish are on the move MORETON BAY

Spero Kartanos

In recent weeks we have seen the school mackerel start to move into the bay.

They have been in plaque proportions in August in the Rainbow Channel and in the gutters leading into the Rainbow, with lots of big tailor as well. However, as the month ended, as in the past, the move has started.

At the time of writing, the schoolies have been moving into the Rous channel and all through the bay around the Hope Banks and on the western side of the bay, just wide east of Green Island. Wellington Point and Ormiston. The only trouble is finding the big fish, as there are thousands of babies in that 40cm to 50cm range in close. However, if you

Spoons have been catching plenty of schoolies, but larger jigs have been catching bigger specimens. follow reports of the past years, the big fish can sometimes be found in the deeper water.

At the moment the schoolies are eating whitebait, so spoons with a yellow stripe seem to catch

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the greatest numbers of fish.

However, smaller spoons will pick up lots of little ones, so bigger Smith jigs are much better at the moment.

The school mackerel will now stay through the bay, and this month the small ones will be nice, big fish, so we are looking at a great season ahead, all going well.

The whiting are in the

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same boat; they are moving from the Amity Banks and Maroon Gutter and hole into the offshoots of the Rous.

Fisherman Gutter has good whiting, and also the small boat channel. They will stay there all through October.

Fishing for snapper/ squire has been fantastic since the season reopened in August, especially around the shallow reefs around the bay islands and all our artificial reefs. Grassy sweetlip are due as well, so there’s nice mixed bag of table fish available in the shallows.

The cuttlefish and arrow

squid have slowed quite dramatically, but warmer conditions in October will see the tiger squid will start to arrive.

All in all, there’s plenty of fresh seafood out there for us. We just need calm weather, fresh baits and a day on the bay.

• Spero Kartanos posts weekly fishing reports – sometimes daily reports!

– on the Fishing Monthly website. To see what fish Spero has been catching, and find out where he’s been catching them, go to wp.fishingmonthly.com.au and click on ‘Reports’.

Top month for flatties SOUTHERN BAY

Nick Whyte

Big flathead, jacks and summer whiting will all be part of what’s on offer this month.

October is the best month to catch large flathead. The fish will be in big numbers towards all the bar entrances and river mouths. Within sight of the South Passage, Pin Bar or Seaway will see you in with a good chance. Cast large soft plastics and vibration baits like the Zerek Fish Trap in the deeper water and large hardbodies or swim baits like the Zerek Affinity up on the flats. You’re not going to catch heaps of fish using large lures, but the fish size is definitely going to be up there. Look for areas with clean water and lots of bait and the big flatties won’t be too far away.

If you are targeting large flathead, remember these fish are a no-take species over the 75cm size. Take care of all fish that are to be released by using a fish-friendly net, make sure you have cameras ready to grab that great pic, and not keep the fish out of the water too long. Use

gloves or Bogagrips and always support the body weight of the fish.

There have been a few threadies being caught around the port of late.

There haven’t been massive schools but for those doing the hard yards and spending the time to sound out fish, there have been a few gold nuggets as reward. The Zerek Fishtrap has been the most consistent for lure fishers, but the live baiters have been having good success also.

There’s also the odd jew getting around in there at the moment. If you are planning to release these fish, please do it as quickly as possible as they tend to suffer from lactic build up after the big fight. They usually don’t need to be vented if you work fast.

Mangrove jack will be active enough again to annoy lure fishers. They can be a frustrating fish, with big hits and big bust offs.

There’ll be long hours with no action, then a jolting bite and crazy couple of seconds that follow, and that’s what keeps us going back. Look for areas with good current flow and keep your lure or

bait as close as possible to the structure. Weedless 3.5” and 5” Flat Shads work well around the rock bars and sunken timber, or you can jighead rig them to swim down the sides of pontoons and boat hulls.

Try to work your lures reasonably fast to trigger a reaction strike. These fish will hit a reasonably big bait so don’t be scared to run big 7-8” plastics and swimbaits.

Summer whiting are in good numbers at the moment. Good areas include the Logan River around Ageston Sands, the mouth of the Pimpama River, Coombabah Creek and up the Nerang River on the inside bends throughout. Good fresh worms or large stick bait poppers around 70-90mm are the go. Look for the shallow banks that have a little bit of run over them and some reasonably clean water, and keep the poppers moving fast across the top.

• If you have a great capture from the Southern Bay you would like to share, email a pic to nick@ techfishing.com.au.

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Southern

OLD

October’s opulent offerings BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

Warmer air and water temperatures have done wonders for the variety of fishing options, making those early morning starts a lot more enjoyable.

Warmer water temperatures heighten baitfish presence, which is fortunate for fishers because the metabolism of many species is also peaking, resulting in aggressive feeding behaviour.

Throughout Moreton Bay and the waterways feeding it, a broad array of demersal and pelagic species will be on offer for anglers during October. Let’s get stuck into a few of these opulent October offerings!

MACKEREL For the last few months, school mackerel numbers have been exceptionally healthy throughout Moreton Bay. The channels (Rainbow, Pearl, Kianga and Rous) have held great numbers of fish at certain times. The larger tides often produce the better action, with mackerel really coming on the chew at the start of the falling tide in many areas.

Anglers can target them in these zones by spinning chrome slugs and slices, drifting pilchards or trolling lures. As the tide starts to fall, mackerel will troll the edges of these channels preying on food sources such as squid, baitfish and crustaceans forced off the flats with the receding water and strong current. Casting lures into this zone can offer

some quality fishing action, resulting in aggressive strikes and screaming reels.

Drifting pilchards along the edges of these channels is a relaxing way to score a few and is ideal for the less experienced anglers.

Anchoring in this zone will also pay and is probably the best ploy when numerous boats are in the same area.

Pilchards are commonly fished on ganged hook rigs.

If the pilchard is rigged nice and straight with the hooks buried along the back of the bait and the leading

hook placed centrally down through the head, it can be cast out, allowed to sink and then slowly retrieved.

This will induce the most aggressive strikes and will often produce when other approaches don’t. Mackerel are clean fighters and can be caught on relatively light line with ease.

Trolling is a good a good technique when the mackerel are a little scattered and you need to cover ground to find fish. This can be done with deep diving minnow lures to around 120mm in length

School mackerel numbers have been great in recent weeks and it has been easy to score a few of these tasty critters for the table.

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or with spoons behind paravanes.

Halco’s Barra Drones and Kimberly Spoons in 3 or 4” are available at decent tackle stores and will work a treat when trolled 4-5m behind the paravane and rigged with a ball-bearing snap swivel.

During October, mackerel may even be found around the shipping channel beacons in the middle and northern part of the bay. These zones can be fished by drifting pilchards or vertically spinning chrome slugs and slices.

Having a pilchard deployed while fishing around the bay islands and artificial reefs or drifting the flats for whiting could also produce a mackerel or two.

We will see decent numbers of school mackerel for the next six months or so, and you have plenty of time for some sportfishing fun or to secure some tasty white fillets.

SNAPPER The last few months have been awesome for anglers targeting snapper, with good numbers of quality fish to be caught. Scoring a full bag of snapper has been relatively easy for most, with quality fish coming from all corners of the bay.

The artificial reefs, bay wrecks and island surrounds offer some great areas for anglers to get amongst the snapper action. These areas hold baitfish, crustaceans and cephalopods, so snapper are usually in attendance.

While early morning and late afternoon sessions often produce a flurry of hot bites, snapper can be caught right throughout the day. I believe the biggest deterrent to catching fish is noise, especially in the shallow areas. Fishing when boat traffic is minimal will improve chances, regardless the time of day or tidal stage. The larger tides commonly provide the best action, especially for those using lures.

Lures can include soft vibes, soft plastics, minnow lures, blades, micro jigs and many more. Presenting the lure to likely areas and fishing it well is more important than the lure type, brand or colour most of the time. Casting vibration lures and soft plastics up current or across current and then working them back to the boat with a serious of lifts, hops or with intermittent pauses will generally work well.

The biggest mistake many make when fishing plastics is that they work them too fast. While this can work on occasion, generally a slower retrieve is the best bet.

Quality baits will work exceptionally well, often producing best results around the change of the tide when current flow lessens and they

Chris Deeks with another quality snapper from a session casting lures around the bay islands. present more naturally. Whole fish baits such as pilchards, yakkas, slimy mackerel, gar, pike, herring and mullet will all work well.

Live offerings of the same are even more likely to produce, especially when presented lightly weighted and drifted around the bay island margins, artificial reefs and wrecks. Anchoring in these areas is also worthwhile and a lot easier when the currents or wind are high.

In this situation it is best to cast baits up current and out to the side of the boat, before letting them sink naturally as they travel back with the flow.

Once aft they can be freespooled so they travel further back as they sink. Once they have settled to the bottom for 10-15 minutes, wind them back in, check the bait, replace if necessary and then repeat the process. With water quality gradually improving due to infrequent westerly winds, anglers are best to fish relatively finesse rigs. This will include minimal sinker weights, lighter fluorocarbon leaders and hooks well hidden in baits with just the point proud.

Good numbers of snapper will be around for several months yet, with October and November often producing some of the better quality specimens in Moreton Bay. THREADFIN SALMON Octobers offers anglers great opportunity to target threadfin salmon in the larger river systems such as Brisbane, Logan, Caboolture and Pine. The Brisbane River is always the most reliable and large numbers of threadfin salmon can be found in certain zones at times. The lower reaches often hold some exceptional specimens with 120cm plus threadies caught on occasion every year. Any fish up around the magic metre mark will give you a great fight however

careful handling needs to be employed to increase survival rates in released fish. There is nothing wrong with keeping a threadfin for a feed however subsequent fish should be given the best chances for survival by not removing them from the water, removing hooks quickly and swimming them in the current until they are strong enough to swim away in an upright position. Some use release weights and vent the air bladder to get them back to the bottom.

The swing zone and other areas around the wharves and jetties on the southern bank plus the cruise ship terminal, oil pipeline and wharves on the northern side can all hold creditable numbers of threadfin salmon. They will often school in these areas especially once the prawns start moving down river as the water temperatures rise or rainfall lowers salinity further up. However, when the threadies are set on prawns they are often hard to tempt on other offerings.

Repetitive casts with varied offerings will regularly go unrewarded. Sometimes a tidal change may get them to chew yet sometimes you may need to resort to live baits to get connected. Individual fish wide of the main school or in other isolated locations are often easier to tempt than those amongst a large congregation of fish.

As the water temperatures warm, threadfin will become hungrier and more aggressive.

They will commonly be found in the lower reaches of the river systems right throughout the warmer months.

MANGROVE JACK AND COD As water temperatures rise, many fish’s metabolism will increase dramatically.

This makes them hungrier and more aggressive. For us anglers, this is a good thing,

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as it is likely to increase our chances of getting a bite.

Mangrove jack are aggressive predators most of the time, however warm water temperatures will make them exceptionally aggressive and they will travel well away from the structure they call home to hit a lure or bait.

A rising barometer will increase your chances even more, with their aggressiveness rising another peg or two during these times.

Lures cast close to prominent structure with nearby current to bring food is a recipe for success. Bridge pylons, pontoons, mangroves, rock walls, concrete canal walls, moored boats and all forms of other structures can hold mangrove jack, which are likely to hover just out of the main current flow and then dart out to engulf any food source when the opportunity arises.

The Brisbane River produces very few mangrove jacks, but virtually all other creeks, harbours and canal developments throughout the Moreton Bay area can be productive. Many choose to travel further afield to the Gold or Sunshine coasts to target jacks due to the broader array of structure and waterways.

However, those fishing their home waters around Moreton Bay can be pleasantly surprised to be able to score jacks of good quality. The

canal developments probably offer the best opportunity, with Raby Bay, Sovereign Waters, Aquatic Paradise, Newport Waterways and several others producing the goods.

The closer you cast to potential structure, the greater the chance of getting hit.

Minnow lures, soft plastics (paddle-tail shads, prawn profiles and T-Tails), baitfishprofiled flies, swimbaits, glide baits, topwater offerings and vibration baits can all work well.

Live baits of mullet, banana prawns, herring, pike and biddies will all work a treat when presented close to the structure. Many will fish around the bridges and rock walls with such baits. Many bridges are lit at night and this attracts baitfish to the area.

Setting a live bait while you cast around a few lures is a good approach. But make sure your bait rod is well secured, as jacks hit exceptionally hard and run straight for structure.

As the tidal flow slows around the change of tide, jacks will move wide of the structure, and this is often when the live baits work exceptionally well. When the current is running hard, try and place your live baits in the eddies and adjacent to current-altering structure.

Estuary cod inhabit much the same locales as jacks and respond to many

With warmer water temperatures, greater numbers of threadfin will be found in the lower reaches of the Brisbane River over the coming months. of the same techniques.

However, they will reside in a lot more areas and can be caught around the bay island shallows, shipping channel beacons, artificial reefs, the rock walls at the mouth of the Brisbane River and the eastern side of Mud Island.

They are a very underrated table fish, possessing tasty, white, chunky fillets.

FLATHEAD October is a great month for those chasing flathead.

Plenty of large females are in the middle of, or just finished, their breeding cycle. These

larger females are usually surrounded by numbers of smaller males, therefore working over successful spots with successive casts is highly advisable.

Working the tops of the flats on the high tide and the edges on the falling tide will generally produce the easiest opportunity for lure fishers.

Soft plastics, minnow lures, swimbaits, soft vibes and many other offerings can be hopped, slow rolled or trolled along the edges of the flats.

The largest fish commonly take up the best ambush

locations.

Visiting areas at low tide will allow you to determine the lowest section of the flat.

This will be where the last of the water will flow from the flat. These areas will often hold the larger fish, however every flat system can work a little different, depending on the terrain.

Bait fishers can also work these areas over. A good approach is to anchor on the edge of these flats and then cast your lightly weighted baits up onto the flats and let the tide wash

them off and into the adjacent channel. Small whole fish baits (whitebait, hardiheads, frogmouth pilchards, bluebait, herring etc.) work exceptionally well, but worms, yabbies, mullet fillet and even thin strips of chicken fillet can produce.

If your bait is wafting along and stops, count to three and strike.

Drifting baits on top of the flats on the high tide and in the channels on the low will likely reward.

Trolling minnow lures along the edges of flats and banks on a falling tide will allow you to cover a good area of productive ground in your search.

Flathead can be taken all year round but September and October are two of the better months to target them.

CONCLUSION In addition to the few prime October targets highlighted, there are some serious other species also on offer. Add into the mix species such as mulloway, sweetlip, tuskfish, tailor, sand crabs, longtail tuna, mud crabs, squid, bream and numerous others and you are really spoilt for choice.

October weather is usually fairly good, with lovely warm days and evenings, so get out onto the water soon to chase some of October’s opulent offerings!

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Snapper on the cards NORTHERN BAY

Tackle World Lawnton

Haven’t we had some great fishing this past month!

With snapper season back on the cards there have been some great catches reported; it’s probably one of the better years we have seen for snapper in a while.

In the estuaries, flathead have also been on the chew, with excellent numbers and some good average sizes hitting the decks as well.

Trevally have also been a common catch among the normal bread-and-butter species with juvenile GT’s regularly caught in the creeks and rivers.

For those fishing the beaches, tailor have been

around good numbers, with the better-sized fish being caught further north.

On the freshwater front it’s been pretty slow over the last few months. However, recent reports indicate that the fish are starting to bite again, so let’s hope not too many bass went over the dam walls during the flood earlier in the year, and we can start seeing some good fish caught.

ESTUARIES As we enter the mid-spring period and the water warms up, we should see a few changes in the estuaries and it’s going to be interesting to see how the floods earlier in the year have had an effect on the normal cycles the estuaries have.

We should continue to see

excellent catches of flathead in the in the rivers and creeks.

The larger females we start to become more active as well. Its always fun trying to catch a good-size flatty and this time of the year is the best time to give it a crack! Flathead readily take lures of all shapes and sizes as well, so if you’re keen to give lures a go, then they are a great species to target.

You can’t really go wrong with soft plastics – just make sure your jighead is weighted correctly so the plastic gets to the bottom!

Warmer weather means mangrove jacks will become more active. They love the warmer weather and take most baits. For best results, a livebait in distress (like a poddy mullet) works

Adam Latham with a nice diamond trevally.

Bikrant was straight back into some quality snapper when the season opened. exceptionally well. Get ready and be prepared, because when a jack hits that bait, they hit hard and fast.

We should also see summer whiting numbers increase in the shallows.

They are great fun to catch and are excellent eating.

The most popular rig for summer whiting is a running ball sinker to a swivel, then a leader running to a long shank hook. Beachworms and bloodworms great baits to use, and whiting also love a live yabby. If you want to mix it up a bit, try catching a whiting in the shallows on a surface lure.

Talk to your local tackle store and see which lures are working best at the time, but a good starting point is the Bassday Sugapen or MMD Splash Prawn.

OFFSHORE Snapper continue to be in good numbers for those fishing offshore, and this should continue into October, all being well.

Grassy sweetlip and grunter will also be around those same inshore rubble grounds and wrecks where you would target snapper.

In the coming weeks we should also start to see the pelagic numbers start to increase as the water temperature drops.

Zane Austin with a bream caught on an Atomic 38 Crank.

There have been some XL Spanish mackerel being caught for those putting in the hard work off the tip of Moreton, and hopefully these fish should become more regular as we head into the summer months.

DAMS As mentioned before, the dams have finally started to

Flathead love a prawn imitation soft plastic.

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OCTOBER 2022

produce some more regular catches of bass. Normally we would have an excellent winter school bite, but the floods earlier in the year have made it hard. As the weather warms up we should see numbers of fish move towards the edges. Chasing them on spinnerbaits and chatterbaits will be a great way to target them. Also suspending hardbody lures with big pauses between jerks, to bring those inquisitive bass out to play.

Hopefully we will see some saratoga being caught with the warmer weather as well.

Time will tell, but the best way to find out is to get out there and have a go!

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Spring snapper surge NOOSA

Peter Wells

With the lead up to the full moon we will see plenty of snapper come on the chew, with reefs like North, Double Island and Sunshine reefs all reporting good fish.

Also on offer are a good mix of other reef species including pearlies, jewfish, sweetlip, cobia and tuskies.

Using a bait jig to get some fresh slimy mackerel or yakkas has proved to be worthwhile, as live baits seem to be getting inhaled

have also been working well, and this is a great way to get among the bigger fish without your bait being picked to pieces. Dropped to the bottom and ripped up at speed or allowed to fall slowly, These jigs have turned up some monster fish.

To the south, snapper number still seem to be strong, with better than average-sized fish coming from the Gneerings, Murphys and Coolum reefs. Plenty of anglers picked up fish over the 70cm mark and then had to release even larger fish.

The key to catching good fish is using larger baits, like

Andy Macdonald landed this 73cm flathead in the Maroochy River. as soon as they get to the bottom. Large strip baits have also been popular, with fresh mullet and hussar working well. When fishing bait, a consistent stream of berley will really help the cause.

Those with larger craft have done the run to the outer reefs like the Hards and the Barwon Banks where there is plenty on offer, with some big amberjack, snapper, pearl perch, cobia and cod climbing on any live bait close to the reefs.

Slow fall and knife jigs

big strip baits of mullet, bonito, pilchards and whole squid. Using bigger baits has meant that there are still baits for when the bigger fish come along after the pickers have had a feed.

Another tip is to use plastics on a paternoster rig with a bait on one hook and a plastic on the other.

Cobia numbers have also been good, and they just seem to be getting bigger.

Plenty of angler have been shocked by the size of some of these fish.

Sweetlip are also in good numbers with the warming waters. The well-known grounds just off Mooloolaba have been producing some good fish.

BEACH FISHING On the Beaches, good schools of tailor are really starting to show up in numbers, and using gang hooks with fresh mullet strips, bonito fillet and whole pilchard baits has been best.

Fishing along the Noosa North Shore has been very popular, with the Double Island end seeing some bigger fish on the morning and afternoon tides. Jewfish are also about and love a feed of tailor, so if you get a legal chopper, take the sides off it and send it out the back!

There is still a strong presence of whiting in most of the close gutters, so make sure you call into the shops and check out the range of Whiting Whacker rigs from Black Magic. These rigs are dynamite on the whiting, and when loaded with worms or squid tentacles they work a treat.

Dart are there in numbers, with the top of the tide the most productive time. Pipis, yabbies and worms have been the better baits on bait keeper style hook. These hooks give the bait longevity while it’s being washed around in the surf. Most of the closer gutter will hold fish and are an easy cast for the kids.

NOOSA RIVER In the Noosa River we have seen a solid run of flathead from Makepeace Island all the way down to the river mouth. These have been caught on a wide range of baits, from livies to frogmouth pilchards, and of course soft plastics.

This area has also been good for trevally. Fish in the

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Maria Rothenborg got this nice 74cm snapper fishing around North Reef. Photo courtesy of Fishing Noosa. mid-50s are not unusual, so it’s important to upsize your leaders when the trevally are around, as they can get through some gear if the leader is too light. The bigger fish are falling to a range of trolled hardbodies, surface lures and fresh strip baits fished on small gang hooks. Surface lures to use include the popular Lucky Craft G-Splash and the Bassday Sugapens.

Beach worms have been accounting for quality bream and whiting in the lower estuary when rigged with lighter leaders and worm hooks. Fishing areas like the dog beach, Frying Pan and Woods Bays has produced great results.

Upstream and around structure there have been good reports of mangrove jacks. The jacks have been very active, with anglers having positive results on both lures and bait. The best results have been seen after dark, with jacks up to 55cm taking live baits and bigger lures.

Fishing areas like Noosa Waters, the back of the sound, and around the bridges has accounted for most of the action. These fish are quick, extremely aggressive and require heavier gear if you want to stop them. Running quality fluorocarbon leader around 25lb with 20lb braid certainly helps in landing these beautiful fish.

With plenty of showers moving through we must talk about the crabs. Mud crabs will be up and walking, looking for deeper holes with

Joe Tomic hooked and released this stunning billfish offshore from Noosa. more saline water in them.

Try to position your pots in those deeper holes near mangroves if possible. Don’t forget to mark your pots with an ID tag and yhave our float no smaller than 150mm in diameter. Another good tip is to have a proper crab measurer for both mud and sand crabs.

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

The knowledgeable teams

at Tackle World Noosa and Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola can provide you with the right equipment, bait and advice to ensure success!

• For all the latest information log onto www. fishingnoosa.com.au for up to date bar and fishing reports. Drop into Davo’s Tackle world Noosa or Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola to find out where the fish are biting, and remember tight lines and bent spines!

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Learning from the pros BUNDABERG

Luke Truant

The fishing over the past month has continued to be amazing – it’s as good as I’ve seen in my lifetime. On most trips, we have been catching more large fish on average than I’ve seen in all the years I have been fishing here. You might think we have been targeting remote or little-known areas to get these big fish, but that hasn’t really been necessary.

Lately we have been fishing fairly well-known areas, and they have been holding lots of fish most of the time.

The standout species are still coral trout and red emperor, with a bycatch of big gold-spot cod.

When it comes to red emperor, we have been catching a lot of fish in the 65-67cm range, which have been making up the majority of our legal-size ones. Mixed in with these fish are the occasional bigger specimens in the high 70s, weighing in at around 8-10kg.

We’re still getting one or two grassy sweetlip (grass emperor) per day, with fish up around 5kg, which is big for a grassy. They have been coming from 35-45m of water, alongside the reds and the cod.

The average size of the trout lately has been around 60-65cm, but we have been regularly getting 80cm fish (typically the 80cm ones are bar-cheek trout). The smallest trout I have caught in the last three months was about 43cm – we almost definitely never

see undersize trout.

We have been catching plenty of coral trout in some unexpected areas – locations which, in the past 20 years of offshore fishing, I have never caught them. The shoaly areas off the top of Fraser, or in between Fraser and Lady Elliott Island for example, have become trout hot spots.

There are areas here where we used to consistently catch 10kg+ nannies every single time we’d go out, and now you’re lucky to catch just one legal fish. I’m not sure whether the trout were always there, and we just didn’t catch them because the nannygai were taking our baits. Or maybe the trout weren’t there before, and only moved in when the nannygai were gone.

The reason for the lack of nannygai could be that they’ve have been overfished in these particular spots. The problem with nannies is that they congregate in large schools, and when they feed, they feed hard – and this can be their

There are still a few big grassy sweetlip around.

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downfall. At such times, the nannies are vulnerable to being smashed by anglers looking to take home a feed of these tasty fish.

Having the right bait is key to consistent catches of large reef fish. At the present time, if you’re not fishing with live yellowtail scad, you may as well go home! Hopefully we’ll keep getting the scad through until the end of October, but it’s more likely that they’ll taper off around mid-October. After that, they won’t return until around May. True, there are other live baits that you can use instead, but it’s difficult because there are minimum size limits on some other species.

Even after the big schools of yellowtail scad have gone, it’s still worth poking around the bait grounds to see what’s left. At this time of year they tend to hang in smaller patches, and on the sounder they’ll look like a show down low as opposed to a big ball up high, like you’d get earlier

in the season. These small, late-season schools resemble variegated emperor or small whiptails on the bottom. Once you start fishing for the scad, you might only get one or two per drop, rather than the five or six per drop you’d get earlier in the season. Still, it’s very worthwhile making the time to collect them.

While you’re fishing with livies, it’s good to drop down at least one dead bait, typically a strip of mullet, hussar or iodine bream. These smelly dead baits get interest from picker fish, which in turn arouses the interest of larger fish, who may move in and spot one of the enticing livies nearby. Strip baits will also catch their share of red emperor and other target species.

The sharks will start ramping up in October, so practice your fast retrieve!

The ‘pump and wind’ approach is not the fastest way to bring in a medium size fish – you just want to crank it straight up. Pumping and winding may make you look like a YouTube fishing

star, but it’s not so good for maintaining momentum. Of course, if you get really big fish then yes, you will need to pump and wind.

THE PROFESSIONAL APPROACH To minimise shark biteoffs, a lot of professional fishers in the north move up to the shallows and change to handline fishing. When you retrieve with a handline you can maintain constant momentum, which is more effective at keeping the hooked fish away from sharks. If you watch some YouTube videos of professional coral trout fishers, you’ll see how they bring the line in continually in one motion, without jerking.

The other good thing about handlining is that it’s easy to let a bit more line out when you know a bigger fish is interested. When you get some taps from a bigger fish, you don’t want to strike because it could put the fish off. It’s much better to let a bit of line out, to encourage the fish to have another go.

This is easy with a handline, but a bit fiddly with a reel.

While you’re flipping over the bail arm or adjusting the drag lever, you could miss a strike.

If you want to try handlining for trout, I recommend starting with 80lb mono. The brand doesn’t matter much, but you do want a line that is relatively supple.

Some monos feel really wiry, and these can be very slippery, making it hard to stop the fish.

When handlining, you want to be fishing in less than 30m of water. If it’s deeper, you’ll end up with too much line on the bottom of your boat. You also need a nice clean, clear deck.

You might think you’d need to hold the handline spool while fishing, but that’s not true. The spool should stay sitting on the deck – there is no need to pick it up while you’re fishing. Some people make the risky move of picking up a handline when they hook a fish, but a large fish’s run makes the handline spin really quickly, and if you don’t hold it tight enough, it can be very dangerous. It can break your finger or recoil onto your face. Stay safe and leave it on the deck until it’s time to pack up and go home.

You will need to protect your index finger while handlining for large fish, and there are a few options available for you to use as a protective finger stall. The most well-known is a bike tube over your pointer finger, but a better option when you’re starting out is probably a SureCatch Finger Protection Guard. The SureCatch Guard is made of leather with an elastic backing so it stays on your finger, and it’s not too tight or too loose. This last feature is useful because

Not all trout are created equal! This one was taken close to Bundy recently. your finger will swell after a successful day’s handlining, so what fit you on the first day won’t fit you on the second day – at least when you’re new to this kind of fishing.

If you can’t find a tube or finger stall to fit, you can buy some strapping tape (the kind the physio uses) and wrap it around your index finger.

This kind of tape tends to hold better in the water, and you can usually go most of the day without having to dry off and stick fresh tape on. I personally love using strapping tape, and I use the 50mm wide version.

The tip of your finger can poke out, but you make sure the first and second knuckles are covered.

And that’s pretty much all you need to know to get started.

If you find yourself struggling a bit, don’t be discouraged – it does take some getting used to. You will get better after a bit of practice. Remember, you will absolutely catch more fish in shallow water when you use a handline. That’s why the pros do it.

OCTOBER FISHING This month you should keep using livies to target red emperor and trout. If the sharks are a problem, you can either go deeper and more remote, to try to get away from them, or go shallower so you can beat them to the surface.

Try to keep away from reef edges, ledges and drop-offs, because sharks are more likely to congregate in those areas.

Spanish mackerel have still been in good numbers in close to Bundaberg, within

a few miles of shore, and the average size is around the 20kg mark. We have been catching them on really large live baits, rather than lures.

The best approach with livies has been to troll them super slowly at idle. A good thing about live baits is that you can troll almost in a circle, and if you find fish on the sounder you can target them effectively.

At the time of writing, the estuary is still very quiet, due to the floodwater in the system. They have been releasing water in the Burnett, so we’ve been seeing quite large amounts of freshwater coming though. This means the fishing isn’t what we would hope for at this time of year. Things will improve though, and I should have more to report on that front in the next issue.

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We can expect good catches of red emperor this month.

Central

OLD

Scratching the barra itch before closure MACKAY

Cameron Christian

October means the waters will be warming up, and this is the best time to chase some chrome before the closure on 1 November.

Plenty of barramundi are available in the Pioneer River, and the best spots are those where the bait is holding or left vulnerable. Places where currents converge and funnel bait or around the adjacent hole where they may school are usually productive.

Similarly, look for breaks in the retaining walls where bait can be funnelled through as the tide moves. During the night, flicking along the shadow lines from the

Alligator, Sandy and Rocky Dam creeks can all provide good barra fishing when bashing this sort of structure.

Neap tides are usually the most productive times and are best worked by gathering live bait on the outgoing tide, using the bottom of the tide to find the feeding fish, and then hopefully using the bite time around the tide change to catch quality fish.

Live baits typically work best around Mackay, with live herring, mullet and prawn all great options.

Lures will also work for persistent anglers, and hardbodies diving to 3-4m, poppers, soft and hard vibes and paddle-tail soft plastics are all essentials.

The onset of spring and the northerly winds

Back in the creeks, barramundi won’t be the only fish chewing.

The warmer weather, calm days and afternoon storms will see the estuary species like jacks, cod, bream and golden snapper (fingermark) spring into action. All these species are often by-catch while barra fishing, and they can really make creek bashing with lures a great time.

Whiting, flathead, oyster crackers (also known as permit or snubnosed dart) and trevally can be targeted on the beaches, particularly on the higher tides. Smaller baits like yabbies and prawns can be a good option, while small soft plastics, divers and vibes are the best lures for these species.

In the dams, the Seth Price with a great Teemburra barra caught using a Berkley Powerbait 5” Hollowbelly.

There should be plenty of jacks available alongside the barra during October.

Adison scored this one on a ZMman 5” DieZel MinnowZ in opening night colour. streetlights on the bridges can produce barra as they patrol the shadows as well.

In the shorter systems like Reliance, Murray and Eimeo creeks and those around Seaforth, barra can normally be found around creek junctions, side gullies and drains as the tide falls and bait is funnelled out. Rock bars and deep holes, like those found in Constant Creek, are also great spots to try.

Barra are typically caught around the edges of these holes, and floating live baits or working surface lures over them can is most effective.

Other st r u c t u r e like drop-offs, fallen mangroves and mangrove roots are also great barra territory, and the southern systems including Bakers, 34

OCTOBER 2022

prevalent during this time of year usually sees large bait schools pushed inshore, leading to plenty of pelagic species like mackerel, tuna, trevally, queenfish, cobia and plenty of sharks getting around.

The harbour walls are a very popular spot to capitalise on these bait schools and target some pelagic species.

The southern wall is a wellknown land-based spot, as currents will swirl past the tip and push bait in close to the rocks.

Many anglers favour live baits like herring rigged with a stinger, or pilchards on a gang rig.

Popular lures include poppers, metal slugs, spoons, soft plastics and hardbody divers like Rapalas.

barramundi action will really be firing up with the warmer weather, and the results of the barra competitions will really be worth paying attention to if you want to find the best lures and techniques.

All the dam levels, except for Proserpine, are high at the moment, and if we get more rain Teemburra will begin overflowing.

The rise in dam levels over winter usually kills back the weeds quite a bit and sees the lilies becoming the prominent structure along the points, edges and coves.

Just like in the salt, the consistent northerly winds can dictate where the bait schools move in the dams, and so following the winds is almost always the first step in finding where the barra are holding. Finding congregations of barra using down and side

imaging technology, and staying on them until the bite time – whenever that might be – can be a great technique.

It is important, however, to pay close attention to the way these barra are moving through on your sounder. Observing to see if they are moving from deeper water to the shallows, or to structure, rather than away from it, and of course identifying the presence of bait will help paint a picture of whether you are holding on a highway or a restaurant.

Once the restaurant is found, varying retrieves and lures are essential to figuring out the feeding pattern and having a great barra session. During the warmer weather, barra can be more inclined to take larger lures, so big soft plastics like Molix 140s, 130mm Squidgy Slick Rigs

or Zerek Flat Shads are all worth keeping around.

The Mackay Area Fish Stocking Association recently released 200 tagged barra ranging from 300-360mm into Kinchant, the first ever tagged barra release for Mackay dams.

It will be exciting to see the growth rate data from these fish, with results expected within six months when they reach a catchable size.

Sooty grunter will also be on the chew over the spring and summer months, and with plenty of rain they will be looking to breed and become more aggravated than usual. The MAFSA hatchery is currently being prepared and MAFSA members will soon be aiming to catch some quality broodstock for it.

By now there may even be new hatchlings growing in the hatchery for release in Mackay dams soon!

Brendan Pollard caught this lovely barra from Murray Creek on a Berkley Powerbait 6” Hollowbelly.

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35

OLD

Go deeper for keepers TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

Leading up to the end of barra season, it’s amazing to think about how different this season has been to the previous half a dozen.

Two of our favourite creeks have been absolutely

environment, and it’s hard to predict what’s going to hit your lure next.

What has been a surprise is how many small GTs and queenfish have been smashing lures, and they’re right up in the snags where you’re expecting to jacks. We’ve been hit by GTs up to 10kg and a few decent queenfish,

bit of extra insurance gives you confidence when the unexpected happens.

INSHORE WATERS Fingermark Once considered a warm weather species, fingermark have featured heavily in catches this last month or two, and even though live squid are widely regarded as the number one bait for chasing them at any time of year, there has been a lot of fish taken while trolling larger 125mm Halco RMG Scorpions.

And they’re bloody good fish!

Britney has been cleaning up recently trolling lures in 10-15m of water, with her biggest going 88cm and numerous 70cm plus models. Trolled at around the 3-knot mark, plenty of mackerel are smashing her offerings as well.

Since her telling customers about this technique and how to do it,

The author and talented angler Mick Rennie with a double header from a deeper school. need for total transparency to legitimise any potential true concerns that may arise concerning any part of the fishery will be scrutinised by recreational and commercial sectors as well.

Fishers are now realising just how powerful a united voice can be, and they deserve to have a voice given that they are considerable contributors to the economy. I have not met one recreational

Britney Leroy with a typical golden snapper (fingermark) taken trolling a 125mm Halco RMG Scorpion. hammered by the commercial sector, and the fishing results have reflected this. The majority of the captured fish have been undersized, and actually finding legal fish has been difficult.

More frequent rain and crappy weather during winter did make it difficult to get consistent water temperatures, as they dropped and rose according to the wind. Now with spring upon us there should be less cool weather and more of those stinking hot days that knock you around by lunchtime. The prediction of another La Niña event has everyone including anglers, farmers and residents of NQ on edge.

This last couple of months the jacks were a lot less active than you’d expect, and it’s only after we had several days in a row of warmer weather that we had a few good session on them. We chased them down deeper this season most of the time, and I think that’s because of the surface wind chill factor, which is a fairly typical scenario when the waters are cooler.

The plus has been the amount of golden snapper (fingermark) that we have intercepted accidentally while doing this. Small vibes, weedless plastics and the Halco Whiptails Jigs are working well in this sort of 36

OCTOBER 2022

and that’s pretty unusual, but it generally doesn’t last long when this happens. Poppers like the 80mm Halco Rooster Popper will definitely get you a bent rod.

If you’re teaching someone to use lures you can expect some action packed sessions at the moment, especially with smaller plastics. While they’re no good on the plate, they do fight really hard and pass a bit of time between more desirable species.

Grunter have also been quite active in the creeks and on the flats, and plenty of people are getting them dialled in on lures. Maybe it’s their timing, and it may also be the lures that people are experimenting with, but there has been an increase in people catching grunter on lures.

Smaller vibes and plastics have always been well accepted by grunter, and one of our favourites is the Atomic Semi HardZ Vib 50. These are usually thrown on our lightest outfits around drain mouths and drop-off areas. Other lures that get their share of action are the Halco 4” Paddle Prawns and the Atomic 3” Prongs rigged on the 1/6-1/4oz jigheads with a no. 1 hook in the heavy wire. The reason for the heavier hook is the regular accidental hook-ups on decent barra, and that

Natural colours like this pumpkin with red fleck Atomic Prong are hard to beat when the waters clear up. Fished on a 1/3oz jighead they’re hard for most fish to refuse. she’s helped many anglers catch their PBs. Running 30lb braid and 40lb leader helps them to get down that extra bit in the deeper water.

The liquid lime green and Purple Stripes has been her ‘go-to’ colours.

Mackerel It’s no wonder there was a backflip on the controversial mackerel proposals on bag limits recently, as the ‘supposed’ results from claimed research was proven to be far from accurate.

First there was the claims on shark numbers being decimated, which proved to be totally false, and now the mackerel debacle.

Isn’t it becoming more and more obvious that those ‘scientists’ are totally discrediting any future claims that they may decide to propose? Anglers have had enough of being used as scapegoats for those with personal agendas, and the

angler yet who disagrees with a closed season on the Spanish mackerel during the actual spawn time, and a short closure can only be a good thing.

Mackerel catches around Townsville have been fantastic this season, with fish of all sizes being taken on lures and trolled bait such as wolf herring and gar. It’s a confidence thing, and if you have confidence in what you’re using you’ll usually succeed with it.

Plenty of Billfish have been getting involved in recent weeks for those trolling for Spanish, so be prepared for your fish to take to the air on hook-up! Some people believe the hook-up ratio to be much better if the trebles are swapped out for big singles when chasing billies, but I’ll leave that one up to you to decide!

Anyway, let’s see what eventuates over the next couple of weeks, and if the weather gods are kind, we may all get some extra time on the water.

When the jacks are tough to find it can be worth going heavier. This Paddle Prawn rigged on a 1/3oz jighead is good for exploring the depths.

OLD

Closure is creeping up HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

After enduring one of the coldest and longest winters for a very long time in Hinchinbrook, I’m hoping the ocean

can keep you on your toes when fishing a very short leash. They too will pick up in numbers in the coming months, as they are one species that loves the heat.

Those hot, humid and still days in summer are the best time to go target them up the creeks.

Any shift to a more northerly wind direction will open up some other favourite spots of mine, which I usually love to fish from February onwards. I have been getting my clients casting the Holt Productions Swimprawns in 4 and 5” sizes, and there is one scenario where we have

A 91cm barra like this always puts a smile on a client’s face.

Fishing in shallow water turns up great numbers of barramundi, especially if there’s dirty water nearby.

Gone! The Holt Productions Swimprawn looked too good for this barramundi. way up into the timber on the mid to high tides.

They can be hit and miss with hook-ups, with lots of fish bricking anglers in the snags. Mangrove jacks are very often encountered when fishing this style and

This month I anticipate that action will be erratic if these windy weather patterns continue. Making the most of areas in the early morning before the wind jumps up will be the key to success, and this is what I will be doing.

With colours like this, it’s not hard to see why fingermark are often called golden snapper! This model went 84cm.

in early to secure a booking for this year or for the 2023 season. To book a charter, you can email us at info@ ianmoodysportfishing. com. You can also find more information at www. ianmoodysportfishing.com.

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water temperature warms quickly coming into the last month for the barra season.

Typically we get fantastic barra fishing in October, as aggregations accumulate in greater numbers readying themselves for the spawning season ahead. After starting September off with chilly 21-22°C water temperatures, here’s hoping for 26°C water by the end of the season.

We have been finding some good numbers of barramundi throughout the channel, but most are suffering from stubborn lockjaw due to the cold and unstable weather patterns.

Most anglers are still picking off those 60 and 70cm models from out of the snags, with success coming on weedless frogs and other plastics cast

as quite often if you cast your lure close to the same area where one occurred, there is a high chance there is a barra still very close to the spot.

October also sees the tides increase in size, which I find makes for more enjoyable lure fishing. I much prefer the larger tides at Hinchy, as quite often it helps us find the larger fish travelling out on the flats, or those seeking shelter in backwaters and current lines.

If you’re looking to try your luck at ticking that metre plus barramundi off your bucket list, it is best to get in and book early for 2023, as the good tides often get snapped up by my regular clients! February, March, April and May are also prime times for large barra at Hinchinbrook.

Hopefully this year from November onwards I will have my new offshore vessel up and running for reef charters. Keep an eye on my Facebook page for updates on that! 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.

• Barra season closes midnight 31 October, so get

AVAILABLE FROM:

Spring was a little chilly at the start, but it didn’t stop anglers getting into solid barra like this 90cm fish.

found some great success in tough times lately. Slowly retrieving them in deep water or holes where there is a concentration of dirty water (or dirty water lines) in the shallows has been outperforming even live baits!

Retrieving the Swimprawns similar to the way I would with a hardbody lure has been producing some nice fish.

This month I’d be keeping an eye out for surface feeding ‘boofs’, even during the day,

OCTOBER 2022

37

OLD

Action peaks in creeks CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

October is a cracking time of year to be fishing the Trinity Net Free Zone. With warm water temperatures and a typically calm offshore, October usually sees perfect conditions for fishing.

The perfect target species for this time of year is mangrove jack. All systems including the Barron River, Thomatis Creek, Half Moon Bay and the Trinity Inlet will be firing with jacks, and paddle-tail soft plastics and suspending hardbodies flicked tight to snags will see the best results.

Plastics have been braining the jacks lately, and some standouts have been

Jacks are pure predators and when fired up will chase down a fast-moving lure.

These fish get very in spring, so having a tight drag, a tough leader and strong terminal tackle is a must.

With the calmer water, the coastal areas will open up to anglers in the Trinity Net Free Zone. The warmer waters will bring in the bait schools, which should see an early run of threadfin salmon in the usual spots between Machans and Yorkeys Knob.

This early run usually sees the best fish, so anything caught should be of excellent size.

One good indication that

Barramundi will be on the bite both in the creeks and on the coastal headlands.

Suspending hardbodies like the Molix Jerk will be a good weapon in the creeks through October.

Calm offshore conditions make for perfect fishing in the creeks and rivers, as it allows the inshore waters to clear up, which in turn sees clear water in the creeks.

When chasing fish on lures clean water makes it so much easier, as the fish can see your lures so much better.

the Biwaa Submission and the ZMan Hercules. Both these paddle-tail plastics have an awesome rolling action that jacks just love.

There is no need to slow down your retrieve at this time of year, as a medium to fast retrieve will get the fish biting.

The ZMan Hercules are a solid option for jacks at this time of year.

these fish are around is the presence of their smaller cousin, the blue salmon.

These two species usually follow each other around chasing the same type of bait. Threadfin will take all types of lures, but the best are vibes or soft plastics.

Last season these fish bit well on the Molix Shad 140s, but the new 120s will be perfect for chasing these fish.

Last but not least is the mighty barramundi, which will also be hunting around. Good catches have already been reported in the Cairns Inlet, which is now thriving thanks to the Net Free conditions. In the inlet, try to fish around jetties and pylons, as well as in any deeper bends and hidden structure. Drains are also ideal on the bigger tides, especially when they are pumping out water.

Next month these conditions will continue, but with much more hot, humid days that will see the fishing fire up even further.

Go offshore in October PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

We are anticipating exciting fishing times in the area.

We’ve probably just experienced the windiest period in recent memory and hope the weather pattern settle enough to make all forms of fishing comfortable.

We’ve rarely seen a day under 10 knots for months, so we’re looking forward to better days at sea.

News on the front line is that the heavy tackle marlin season will be an extremely busy one, with all game fishing hubs from Townsville all the way to Cooktown being inundated with bookings. This is not surprising considering the 38

OCTOBER 2022

restrictions from Covid in the last two years. There’s going to be a strong involvement from private and commercial vessels right along the continental shelf, with everyone looking to hook into some big fish, and hopefully, a 1000lb black marlin.

On the reef itself we anticipate we’ll be hooking into a lot more largemouth nannygai fishing deeper waters. Given the windy conditions they have had a good rest, but with better conditions they will be a prime target.

In saying this, coral trout have probably had their best season in many years and the red emperor have shown some real form as well. Add to this a mixed bag with the likes of Spanish mackerel, goldspot trevally and a plethora of other emperor species

and you are more than likely in for a treat.

If the river or estuary is your choice, then we are coming into the most settled period for the entire year. Good tides and little influence from offshore weather have already seen barramundi get active, but you still have to be a reasonable angler to deal with their antics. Along with barra, golden snapper, queenfish, trevally and mangrove jack will be just part of the package you can expect.

Night fishing is also a great way to experience some great fishing, especially if the conditions are safe along the coast. As the days get a bit warmer, often the main activity of the fish in the tropics can occur under the cover of darkness. Be wise with your choices if heading

The coral trout have been on fire in the last 12 months, and this action should continue into October. offshore. Pay attention to the weather forecast and don’t take risks.

• With Port Douglas

already bursting at the seams with enthusiastic anglers and general visitors, be sure to book ahead if you

are looking at a charter and you’ll find everything you need to get started at www. fishingportdouglas.com.au

OLD

Barra are busting up COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

The weather has been crazy, with rain and near cyclonic winds becoming common. The winds are standard at this time of year, but the rain is unusual. It is meant to clear this month, though.

I can’t remember the last time I went reef fishing – it seems like a decade

normally at this time of the year, which might have something to do with it. The water levels have allowed fish to move around a little more, and having hungry fish moving through a system betters the chances of encountering these awesome sportfish.

Lure fishing the snags and deep edges of the creeks has seen explosion after explosion of hungry barramundi, followed by

but they can also go the wrong way and continue wrapping your line up as it tries to get free.

One fish recently managed to wrap itself around a branch so tightly that the braid then snapped, but the fish was left tied to the snag. This is a problem with land-based fishing, as if I was in a boat I could have netted it. I wasn’t going to risk swimming out from the

This 75cm specimen from the author is nothing to be sniffed at.

Always make sure you exercise croc safety when fishing landbased in these areas, and if possible fish with locals.

September and October, so checking out the wharf is a good idea. Once activity increases in this area, space on the wharf will be limited.

October is also the best for barramundi fishing off the wharf, but it will be interesting to see how it goes this year, as the

coral trout, red emperor and large mouth nannygai can commence. The reef fishing should be great, as the fish have had a long break due to the windy weather over the last few months. I can’t wait to check some of my hot spots and see what’s waiting below.

Tidal run can be intense around full moon, and the outgoing out tides can produce great current lines where bait schools get hammered. If you’re after speedsters, it pays to watch the current lines and activity to determine the best places to berley up some pelagics.

Col Jackson landed this lovely 89cm barra fishing land-based in the scrub. ago! With little chance of heading to the reef, the lure fishing in the rivers has been firing up. I don’t know if it’s the run-off from the constant rain or what, but the barramundi fishing has been next level. I don’t think it has been this good for a while.

The water levels are higher than they are

their usual leaping into the air trying to flick the lure from their massive mouths.

The biggest obstacle to landing your fish is the snag you’re fishing. I have had a few wrap me around the snags and once the braid is cutting into the timber, it’s hard to get it free. The fish can help sometimes by swimming the right way,

land. I felt bad to see it stuck there, but hopefully the hooks straightened and it got away.

The local wharf has not seen much action, but the mackerel aren’t far away, and if bait schools start showing up in numbers, it’s a good sign for the toothy critters. The mackerel are usually very active in

The author believes the unseasonal rain is to blame for the heightened barramundi activity early on in spring.

Jonathan struggling under the weight of his barra!

unusual rain and weather conditions may have an effect on things.

The first day of November marks the start of the closed season for barramundi, which reopens on 1 February. It will be interesting to see how the lead up goes. It has probably been one of the best winter fishing seasons for barramundi that I have seen, so hopefully this continues in the lead up to summer.

The best thing to hope for this month is for the winds to drop off so that reef fishing opens up and the bountiful catches of

Night time red emperor fishing should also be firing, and certainly beats standing out in the sun. I have found, though, that fishing on the full moon is a waste of time. The fish will still be there, and the full moon is great for lighting up the night, but every time I’ve done it the sharks are always in a frenzy. Most of your fish don’t make it to the boat and you spend a lot of time re-rigging.

I’ve learned to avoid this situation, and it’s better to stay home or use the night to travel to an outer island or reef and fish the morning run.

Throwing a popper or two at the bait schools can also be productive, but also arm-wrenching.

Shallow trout fishing is also at its best with the strong runs, as bait and berley spread quickly and hungry fish will travel.

There’s lots of options, and as they say, “no run no fun”. Generally though, the best fishing comes either side of the new and full moons, which usually see average run in the tide.

Hopefully some reef fish photos come in next month, but who can complain when the barramundi fishing has been so good!

OCTOBER 2022

39

How we tell the age of a fish otoliths (fish ear bones)

Our Fishery Monitoring team use otoliths (fish ear bones) to estimate age.

Check out this barramundi otolith caught in the Southern Gulf of Carpentaria late last year. It is the oldest out of 11 913 barramundi aged from this region over the 22-year duration of the monitoring program!

Look how clear the otolith growth bands are— scientists count these bands to estimate fish age. By counting them, we estimate this fish was 23 years old.

At 108 cm, a barramundi of this length is typically only nine years old, so this fish was a very slow grower!

For more information on how we estimate fish age visit fisheries.qld.gov.au and search ‘estimating fish age’.

Biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility.

If you suspect it, report it.

Ever wondered what to do when you catch a freshwater pest fish?

If you land a known invasive fish – like tilapia – there are a few simple ways you can help protect our native species and waterways: • humanely kill the fish • do not return it to the water – bury it above the water line or dispose of it in the nearest bin • do not eat it • do not use it for bait.

If seeing or catching a pest fish is unusual in your area, please report it to Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23, and take a photo to assist with identification. Together we can limit their spread in Queensland.

Download the free ‘Qld Fishing 2.0’ app from the App Store or Google Play DAF1776 09/2022

Fishing fin-atic Nicole loves spending quality time with her family, and fishing is an activity they all enjoy.

“I love fishing for the places and the destinations we get to explore, not to mention the thrill of the unknown catch at the end of line. On the water and at the beach is where I’m most happy,” Nicole said.

Nicole is a proud leader of the Women in Recreational Fishing Leadership Program and a member of the Women in Recreational Fishing Network Qld Facebook group.

“Fishing challenges me to learn new things continually. I’m keen to help develop a community of women that makes other women comfortable asking any fishing questions they want.”

I also want to encourage more junior anglers and encourage everyone to only take what they need and to fish sustainably.”

The Women in Recreational Fishing Network Qld Facebook group has been established as a place for women to pick up handy fishing tips, share and trawl through impressive catch pics, and hook into leadership opportunities and events for women in fishing. While the group is primarily for women living in Queensland, you are welcome to join the discussion if you’re from another part of the world too.

Search Facebook for ‘Women in Recreational Fishing Network Qld’ to find out more.

Women in recreational fishing network

Faces of fisheries Kyle is a member of our stock assessment team. Originally from Bundaberg, Kyle has worked with us for the last five years while completing his PhD thesis at James Cook University in Townsville. During his thesis, Kyle investigated age-based variations in the growth, reproduction, and mortality of saddletail snapper (Lutjanus malabaricus) and red emperor (Lutjanus sebae) along the Queensland coast. This research had direct relevance to fishery management. Our fishery monitoring team and recreational anglers across Queensland helped by providing fish samples for Kyle’s research.

Towards the end of his thesis, Kyle was also a project team member and co-author for the stock assessments of saddletail snapper, crimson snapper and red emperor.

Kyle brings significant biological and fishery knowledge to his role on the stock assessment modelling team and is excited to help deliver the Queensland Sustainable Fisheries Strategy: 2017–2027.

Contact us fisheries.qld.gov.au 13 25 23 FisheriesQueensland FisheriesQld DAFQld

OLD

On the lookout for gaps CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

Too often we fishos get overexcited at the beginning of spring, in the mistaken belief that the few days of calm weather mean

One of the best sources for basic wind, tide and all round weather information is the Weather Bureau’s Met Eye (www.bom.gov. au/australia/meteye). Other people use Windy and other apps. These days, apps also provide information about expected bite times and all

access will be at its easiest whilst the rapidly warming temperatures can bring sweetwater fish on the chew.

Sooty grunter or black bream can be targeted in most west-flowing systems, and despite water quality dropping off at this time of year, bait will always bring in

A lovely GT taken from a remote Cape York cay.

A big croc roars down a tiny beach creek. there’s glamour weather ahead. Then we find out she still blows pretty well in September and October!

As anglers we try and become weather forecasters because the generic info we get on Cape York can be well off the mark.

manner of useful info for planning fishing excursions.

As we move later into the dry season, October will provide a very distinct inland advantage to travellers in Cape York. The amount of ground and surface water has started to shrink, and

these voracious scavengers.

The lack of flowing clean water might slow them down a little on lures. Try small surface presentations later

Many of these places are not accessible by sea, and require access overland.

Amongst the tree-lined pools making their way out into the Gulf, many lifetimes’ worth of fishing awaits eager campers and walkers.

Please remember that a closed season for barramundi applies to the west coast of Cape York from 7 October to 31 January. Over on the east coast, barra can continue to be caught until 1 November.

So with that short window, adventurous anglers will be making a last ditch attempt

A late dry season saratoga taken on a surface lure.

A muddy plucked from its coral-bone home.

Tom Preston with a brace of Spanish mackerel caught off Bowen last October.

Both were taken on a Halco Laser Pro.

42

OCTOBER 2022

in the day.

Saratoga will be much the same as black bream. In the coming weeks they will swim up and down an everdwindling domain. As pools, lagoons and billabongs begin to shrink at this time of year, try focusing on cleaner water out in the middle.

Mid morning and mid-late afternoon will bring the togas out, patrolling the middle stretches, and the warmer water temperatures will see them chasing down surface lures with gusto.

The most obvious freshwater target will be barramundi, wherever their movement remains unrestricted. As many anglers will know, those systems flowing west are massive, both in length and in fish-holding mass.

to fish the multitude of systems flowing into the Gulf, many of which will be firing in early October.

Over on the eastern side of the Cape, areas such as Lakefield National Park can be fished right throughout October for barra. Just watch out for snakes, which start becoming far more active this time of year. You need to be particularly careful when crossing tiny rivulets and walking past small bodies

of water. You might be surprised to discover where crocodiles made it during the previous wet season.

Also, dust and flies will begin to make their presence felt, and the warmth turns to heat very quickly around about now!

Still, in spite of that, October is a great time to explore Cape York. Roads will generally be accessible, albeit a little more corrugated.

This tannin-stained creek produced plenty of little barra.

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A nation of nitpickers INTUITIVE CONTROL BRISBANE

The Sheik of the Creek

I’m afraid we’re devolving into a nation of nitpickers.

The resilient people we once were have morphed into a society that rewards safety and a no risk brand of security that rewards a life lived between a set of rules that are narrowing all the time, crushing us week by week and year by year.

QLD MERCURY DEALERS

really petty stuff.

On the first occasion I was told my lifejacket was dirty.

What!?

I’m not sure whether dirty lifejackets sink or what the problem is. Maybe the reflective tape gets less reflective, but seriously it wasn’t covered with mud, nor did it have frayed straps or anything serious. Just dirty.

You get that when you’re stored under the front hatch!

The next time old

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where they are if me or the very occasional co-pilot that comes fishing with me needed them in a hurry.

Where else would they be? In a rod holder? In the livetank? Stowed behind the fishfinder!?

I know it’s easy to criticise, and I’m often told I should try come up with a solution, but in this case, I don’t think the solution I was tempted to suggest to old mate would have been practical.

MELBOURNE MELBOURNE MARINE CENTRE 393-399 South Gippsland Hwy Dandenong South P: (03) 9703 2003 E: info@melbournemarine.com.au W: melbournemarine.com.au MORNINGTON PENINSULA MY MARINE Cnr Nepean Highway & Ponderosa Place Dromana P: (03) 5987 0900 W: mymarine.com.au

MELBOURNE BL MARINE I’m not612talking about told me I had MORNINGTON no Anyway, the lifejacket PENINSULA 614 Plenty Roadmate Preston the last twoP:years of covid the wouldn’t MARINEhave fit inside the (03) 9478 1420 sign indicating where NAUTICAL rules either, although that lifejackets are stored. Bear place I wanted to suggest, 141 Hotham F: (03) plays a part, for 9470 sure. 4638 That in mind, it’s a 4m tinny with and heRoad would have had to Sorrento W: blmarine.com.au government response, which one hatch, so it’s not exactly wear a small plastic sign on was to basically put us under rocket science to work P:out his backside!

(03) 5984 1666 house arrestSHEPPARTON was put in place E: info@nauticalmarine.com.au to protect vulnerable people, BOATS AND MORE W: nauticalmarine.com.au especially the so I’m 207elderly, Numurkah Road Shepparton in two minds about that.

P: (03)about 5822 2108 TOORADIN I’m more the F: (03) 5821 2908 P&J MARINE SERVICE CENTRE P/L government interference in everyday life is slowly W: that boatsandmore.com.au 101 Tooradin Station Road Tooradin strangling us. Add to that the P: (03) 5998 3107 overlying threat of insurance MORWELL E: pjmarine_services@bigpond.com and legal action and it’s a CRAWFORD MARINE wonder we bother getting out 71-77 Chickerell of bed. Except there’s probablyStreet Morwell P: (03) 5134 6522 MELBOURNE a rule now about that too…

Why do F: we(03) have to insure 5134 6455 TRIPLE M MARINE everything W:for example? crawfordmarine.com.au 117 Northgate Drive Thomastown Every part of our lives has to P: (03) 9465 8787 be scrutinised and covered in ECHUCA F: (03) 9466 1418 case something goes wrong, EADES XTREME MARINE which of course is producing W: triplemmarine.com.au Sturt Street Echuca a timidity, a 24 lack of initiative, a fear of something P: (03) 5482going 2333 wrong and F:being unable to (03) 5482 2133 have enough money to get us W: we xtrememarine.net.au back to where were.

And that control over our BRAESIDE lives has moved strongly into JVbe MARINE WORLD what used to a relatively open area, 878 namely fishing Springvale Road Braeside and boating.P:You be (03) used 9798 to 8883 able to get out and enjoy F: (03)from…

9798 7554 some time away life!

W: jvmarine.com.au But no more.

The last two times I’ve taken the boat out the johnny hoppers have pulled me over. Now they’ve been polite and I can’t complain; they’re only doing what the Seb loves catching prawns in SEQ, Government has told them and he knows just how to do it. to do, but on both occasions they’ve pulled me up for OCTOBER 2022

45

OLD

Golden perch and barramundi are waking up TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

It’s not your usual start to the spring months. I never thought I’d whinge about rain but it has made the impoundment fishing ridiculously tough this year. The bass should be schooled up and firing but

it isn’t the case on most lakes. Edge fishing has played a big role this year as dirtier water has kept the fish shallower. The golden perch and barra will start to wake up with the longer and warmer days, and this gives us something to look forward to.

It has been sad to see the loss of fish over the winter months. Bass have escaped

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST The fish have been hard to find at Cressbrook but this is the time of year to have a crack at them. They should be schooled together, and if you can find these wellhidden schools you are in for some fun.

With so much more water to explore, the fish are a lot harder to track down this year. Often they would be out in deep water but this year the slightly coloured water should keep them a bit shallower. Try your luck in around 7-11m.

The flats out in front of the shallow boat ramp and across to the buoyline are a hot spot at all dam levels.

The major points will be your next port of call.

Be sure to explore them well and search different depths on each one. Cressy fish are sometimes very fussy about the depth they favour. If you are a metre out in depth, you could miss them. Bigger bass are likely to sit a little shallower than the smaller fish, which will even suspend in deeper water at times.

If you are lucky enough to find these fish, it will be hard to beat the Raptor Jig or Gang Banger spoon. Mix it up by working the lures with hops and winds. The bass will let you know which lure size they prefer.

If schools are too hard to find, you will need to settle for a

different approach just to produce a fish or two.

Working the edges of the dam with lures should get a few bites, but they are often few and far between.

Lure choices would include blade baits, silent TN60 Jackalls or other similarly weight lipless crankbaits, standard crankbaits and Spectre Vibration Jigs. If you are on the water early, a suspending jerkbait might get a look in.

• Fish’n’Bits in Toowoomba has all the gear and tips on how to chase the Cressy

our lakes, and barra have died due to the severe cold snaps. It really makes you appreciate the tireless work of our stocking groups who keep at it regardless of the setbacks. Without them, we wouldn’t have our magnificent fisheries so support them where you can.

Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel. fish. They are an excellent store specialising in all freshwater lures and tackle. The dam is on longer hours for the rest of the year so the gates will be open from 6am to 8pm.

SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY Somerset has been fishing quite well. It’s not your usual double-figure days or cricket scores coming out of the lake, but there’s enough to keep it interesting. The deep water schooling bass just haven’t happened this year.

3201 6232

217 Pine Mountain Road, BRASSALL OCTOBER 2022

Constant rain and inflows have kept the dam dirty.

At the time of writing, the dam has about 70cm visibility at The Spit,

Niki Sticklen loves catching Somerset’s big bass. This year has been very different, with most fish coming from the lake’s edges. This one ate a TN60 Jackall.

Gary’s Marine Centre

46

Blade baits have been effective in the dirtier water. They pump out heaps of vibration and flash, and fool plenty of bass and golden perch.

40cm at Pelican Point and about 60cm at the start of the Kirkleagh 6-knot zone in the timber. The coloured water may be what is keeping the fish away from their usual habitat.

Schooling fish in 8-15m of water are the norm for this time of year but I can only imagine the dirty water is preventing sufficient light from penetrating to these depths.

The fish have remained quite scattered throughout the dam. A lot are patrolling the lake’s edges, with only a few scattered fish out deeper on the flats

or suspending in the middle.

This means that anyone willing to have a crack at them stands a chance. Even without prior knowledge of the lake you are in with a good shot due to the bass being so spread out from one end to the other.

There are still some more productive spots which take a bit of finding, but they all seem to have some key features in common. Water weed, timber laydowns, rocks and a medium taper to the bank have all been present when I have caught multiple fish from an area.

Last month lipless crankbaits (like the TN60), 3/8oz blades (Little Max), suspending jerkbaits (Halco TB55 and Jackall Squirrel 67) and 3m diving crankbaits accounted for most of the fish. I would expect these lures to keep producing, but you may need to fish a little deeper if the water clears up more. Morning and afternoon sessions will see the fish up shallower, but as it heats up they will move deeper. Keep an eye on the sounder because once they retreat from the edges they will be easier to see.

Once they push out to deeper water, casting spinnerbaits and Spectre Vibration Jigs will get the bites. Trolling 3-5m diving lures around the shoreline will also be a good option. If you are working this zone, expect bass but also quite a few golden perch, as they will be starting to fire up with the warming water.

If the rain and inflows stop for long enough I imagine the schools will reform in places like Pelican Point, Queen Street Flats and Kirkleagh Flats. Schools can be targeted with blade baits, 20g spoons and tail spinners.

Redclaw crayfish will be on the move and in good numbers this season. Opera house pots baited with

rockmelon, part boiled potato or cat food will lure them in. Be sure to mark your pots and floats as per the Fisheries standards.

Working different depths and frequent moves will help you locate the best areas for redclaw. They are not a fast-moving creature, so move the pots to them and check every few hours.

MAROON CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, RATHDOWNEY I have a feeling Marron will be a red hot spot this month. The bass were schooling really well through winter but remained tight lipped for the majority of the time. They were in excellent numbers and the water looks clean and healthy. Weed beds had died back a bit but the warming weather and longer days will see them reform quickly. The healthy weed edges will hold good numbers of fish, especially early and late in the day.

This would be the time to throw some surface lures and suspending jerkbaits.

As the sun brightens, fish a bit deeper with beetle spins, small spinnerbaits and Spectre vibration jigs. The deeper weed edges may still hold fish but some will move out into deeper water until the weed really thickens up.

Bait fishers using live shrimp can have a lot of fun on the schooling bass.

Take the time to find the fish on the sounder and you will have a ball. The most productive depth to find them will be around the 5-7m range.

• The lads at Charltons Fishing at Redbank are all over the fish activity at Maroon and Moogerah.

Call in and grab your supplies and hit them up for tips on where the fish are biting.

OLD

golden perch will still be catchable but don’t expect big numbers. A mixture of trolling, casting and jigging lures will get the bites. If you are able to pinpoint fish on the sounder and jig blades or slow wind Jackalls, you are likely to have much better success.

Live baiting with shrimp is almost guaranteed to

produce the goods. Try dropping them in around 6-8m of water.

The weed beds will probably start to flourish over spring and summer.

Once these have nicely defined edges in around 4m, the golden perch will return to them and hide in the deeper weed. Finding deeper patches where the weed is starting to grow on the bottom before forming

however, and the fish headed for deeper water. Fishing points that are close to the main river is a good way to hedge your bets. You are still able to roll your lures off the weed edges but can then monitor the deep water to see if that’s where the fish are actually cruising out deeper. As the fish get bigger, they may start to stay in the weed longer throughout the warmer parts of the year. It would be good to see the days of Awoonga frogging sessions back. The best way to work the fish out is with time on the water and experimentation. I like to string a few days together when I do a trip, and almost write the first one off as an experimental day to work out what they want and where I need to be.

If you are headed to the lake consider tossing some weedless plastics over the weed or weighted plastics around the weed edges during the day. Suspending hardbodies are worth a shot around any areas with staging

fish or fish passing through.

Swimbaits and soft plastics should produce in dirty water bays of an afternoon and windy points at night.

• Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing (0429 223 550) and Lake Awoonga Barra Charters (0404 151 844) run guided trips on the lake. Both cater to the needs of the angler and can do fly or conventional tackle trips to target the lake’s barramundi. It is hard to beat time on the water and a guided trip is a great way to learn more about this lake and its fish.

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 AND GRANITE BELT COOBY CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS, TOOWOOMBA Cooby had a quiet period at the end of winter and start of spring. This is pretty common for this lake and it doesn’t really fire right up until November or December.

In the meantime, the CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE We started to see reasonable numbers of barramundi caught last month, which is a good sign after the fish kill over the winter months. Don’t let the sad news about some fish dying due to the cold put you off a trip to the lake. There are plenty of fish left, and the warmer weather is now much more suited to catching them.

Barra aren’t as easy to catch when there are a lot of rain events around, and the rest of this year sounds like we will see some.

It could very well be a repeat of last year’s patterns. At the start of spring, the fish can be a bit easier to find as they warm up and leave the shallows. Anglers find them patrolling the edges and they will frequent the windblown points after dark. This pattern was quick to change last year,

big towers can also be a good spot to try your luck.

Murray cod have been slow, with only the occasional one being caught. You never know when one will turn up so I always like to fish with slightly heavier leader just in case.

LESLIE CLOSEST TOWN: WARWICK Leslie Dam golden

perch should start to fire up now the water is getting warmer. Trolling around the 4-6m mark will put you in the zone. Bibbed hardbodies will catch a few but the goldens will probably prefer a slow trolled TN60 Jackall being towed with electric power.

The fish are still a bit lazy so the slower approach seems to produce better results. Jigging ZX40

blades or 95mm soft vibes should also lure a few fish.

The vertical hop seems to do well with the blades, while the soft vibes can be cast out and hopped back.

• The local blokes at Warwick Outdoor and Sport in Palmerin Street can point in you in the right direction and hook you up with the good gear and bait to catch the fish at Leslie.

Dirty water bays are barra hunting grounds in the afternoons at Awoonga Dam. The wind stirs up lake edges and creates the perfect ambush scenario for big predators.

CALLIDE CLOSEST TOWN: BILOELA Callide suffered a pretty big barra kill over the cold winter months. It will be

some time before the dam recovers. Warming water temperatures will see the remaining barra more active, and we can hopefully gauge how well the dam will fish

within the next month or two. It would be worth packing some gear for the lake’s golden perch just in case the barra are too hard to find and tempt.

FISHING NEWS

Win prizes with the wetlands photo competition

Want to share your passion for photography and our beautiful wetlands with the world? The Wetlands Photo Competition is your chance to do just that, providing a platform for you to showcase your passion and talents, and win prizes, too.

Wetlands are often perceived as muddy, mosquito-ridden swamps, but as you know, they are so much more than that.

Through this competition, and with your help, Conservation Volunteers Australia hopes to bring

the focus onto these areas of supreme natural beauty and the wildlife who live there, and change the lens on Australian wetlands for the world.

Wetlands provide an important range of social, cultural, and economic benefits. Many wetlands are areas of great natural beauty, an oasis and escape from the metropolitan areas in which they are situated near, and popular tourism and recreational areas for the surrounding community.

Wetlands reduce the impacts of floods, filter toxins

and improve water quality, as well as being home for a wide variety of native animals, fish and plants.

Your challenge is to capture your local wetlands in a new light. This could be by heading down at a certain time of day, to a lesser-known spot or perhaps capturing a special moment up-close with wildlife – let your creativity be your guide.

By entering the photo competition, you’ll be contributing to conservation efforts by increasing awareness of the diversity and abundance of native flora and fauna who call the wetlands home, bringing the natural glory of our wetlands to people who may not have had (or will never have) the chance to see them with their own eyes. You’ll also have the chance to flex your photography muscles, gain national exposure for your work and win one of the following excellent prizes: a Fujifilm Instax mini 40 Instant Camera (Youth prize), GoPro HERO8 valued at $450 (adult amateur prize), a nd GoPro HERO8 valued at $450 (adult

professional prize).

Whether you’re an amateur or a pro, young or not-as-young, you’re welcome to submit your chosen photo into one of the following

categories: Youth (5-15 years old), adult amateur (you’ve been taking photos for less than a year), or adult professional.

This competition closes on 11 November 2022 at

AWOONGA GATEWAY LODGE

“ Right on Awoonga’s doorstep.

All set up for fishos, with tranquil surroundings. “

5pm EST. The winners will be announced on the 18 November, 2022. For more information, visit conservationvolunteers. com.au. - CVA

k pin a a rr ch Cat ed Ba 00! g tag in $20 to w

• Minimum 3 night stay • BBQ areas • Saltwater pool www.awongagatewaylodge.com awoongagateway@bigpond.com OCTOBER 2022

47

Product Profile

2022 Daiwa releases Daiwa has released a host of new products this year, and the following is a snapshot of some of the innovative products that have been launched in 2022.

Infeet Spike 44SP MR/EXDR The Spike legend continues to grow, with the release of the smaller Spike 44. The ultimate shad size crankbait, the Spike 44 features an impressive swimming action, even at the slowest of speeds. This

is an essential element for when the fishing gets tough, and the fish are timid and lure shy.

Available in two sizes, a MR (6 feet) and EXDR (12 feet) version, the Spike 44 has you covered for all depth ranges. Careful internal weight placement and a slender shape ensures the Spike 44 flies straight and true, and it’s tuned for maximum casting distance and performance.

Bib design is equally

considered and optimised, with its blunt nose lip design aiding in deflection, and maximising lure action to convert follows into bites.

Fitted with high-quality split rings and BKK hooks, the Spike 44 is ready to fish straight from the package.

TD Sol MQ The TD Sol reputation continues to grow with the release of the TD Sol MQ. A fan favourite for over a decade, the newest reel to

J-Thread FC X-Link

TD Sol MQ

carry the famous Sol name has received the Monocoque Body treatment to elevate it to a new level of design, performance, and strength.

The orange Sol has never looked or performed so good, with its new Monocoque Body (MQ) technology delivering all the benefits that anglers have enjoyed in higher-end reels such as Exist, Certate and Saltiga.

Monocoque Body (MQ) is the single biggest revolution in spinning reel design from Daiwa, eliminating the traditional two-piece body construction.

MQ design allows the use of larger internal gearing and eliminates the use of side plates and features a screwless body design eliminating potential entry points for water and grime, and significantly enhancing overall body strength and rigidity.

Partnering the TD Sol’s new body design is a new body material. Daiwa’s high carbon

composite Zaion V material results in a reel body that is incredibly strong and rigid, and impervious to corrosion from the harsh saltwater angling environment.

Rotor and bail arm design takes a leap forward as well, with a Zaion Air Rotor and seamless one-piece Airbail construction usually reserved for reels like Exist and Certate, now elevating the TD Sol’s strength and performance.

The TD Sol MQ’s rollcall of features doesn’t end there, and includes Magseal Body and Line Roller, Tough Digigear, Longcast ABS spool, ATD, CRBB, Finesse Drag, and Twistbuster II. If you’re looking for a feature-packed small spinning reel capable of tussling with a host of fresh and saltwater predators, look no further than the eye-catching TD Sol MQ. J-Thread FC X-Link Daiwa introduces a leap forward in leader material

design and performance with the release of the new J-Thread FC X-Link (Cross Link).

Made in Japan, J-Thread FC X-Link is a revolutionary fluorocarbon line developed exclusively by Daiwa, and is made with a process that alters the molecular structure of the line itself and bonds individual particles on a chemical level.

This change in the chemical composition results in a line that is significantly stronger for its given diameter, and is incredibly limp and supple, resulting in a more manageable line with higher knot strength and performance.

J-Thread FC X-Link sets a new benchmark for leader material in Australia, and is available in 4-20lb breaking strains in 70m and 50m spools.

For more information on these and other new releases from Daiwa, visit www. daiwafishing.com.au. - SG

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Sustainability of popular estuary stocks MELBOURNE

Ross Winstanley

During 2019, teams of fisheries scientists around the country conducted the fifth in a series of assessments of major Australian fish stocks.

Among those covered in the Status of Australian Fish Stocks 2020 report were species taken by commercial and recreational fishers in two or more states.

These included assessments of popular inshore and estuary species: • Luderick Girella tricuspidata • Mulloway Argyrosomus japonicus • Southern Garfish Hyporhamphus melanochir • Yelloweye Mullet Aldrichetta forsteri These four species are among a large range of species

Australian is sustainable.

Luderick are taken by state-managed fisheries, and are assessed at that level.

QUEENSLAND Commercial catches are confined to southern latitudes where they have fallen from an average of 12 tonnes annually, to four tonnes in 2019. While the lack of data on recreational catches makes classification difficult, there are no concerns about the stock in Queensland waters.

NEW SOUTH WALES Successive periods of fishing effort reduction have led to commercial catches falling from the 1989 peak of nearly 800 tonnes, to under 400 tonnes in 2004, and ‘stabilising’ at around the 2019 level, 268 tonnes. Most of the catch comes from the estuaries and is taken by gillnets and haul seines.

The recreational catch was estimated at about 50,000

and declined from 41 tonnes in 2007, to three tonnes in 2019. The recreational catch is unknown. Because of difficulties in interpreting catch rate trends, it is not possible to classify the stock status in Victoria. It is doubtful that fishing pressure had significant or lasting impacts on the adult stock.

TASMANIA With luderick being a low-level byproduct of net fishing, Tasmania’s negligible commercial and recreational catches suggest that neither stock size nor spawning success have suffered from fishing.

Across the four eastern states, with 97% of the combined commercial and recreational catches taken in NSW, all the evidence indicates that, at current levels of fishing, this stock is sustainable.

MULLOWAY Mulloway occur in

Luderick have a strong following among anglers in the eastern states. Photo courtesy of Geoff Wilson. taken in inshore, bay and inlet waters around southern Australia. Several other species (eg. snapper) and species groups (eg. bream, trevally, and whiting) also taken in these waters, have been described in previous articles. A number of others are of more localised interest, including eastern sea garfish, greenback flounder, and sea mullet. Details for many of these and other species are available at https://www.fish. gov.au/reports LUDERICK Occurring in estuaries and shallow coastal waters, luderick range from southern Queensland, around to South Australia, including northern Tasmania. Tagging studies show that they can travel between estuaries via coastal waters. While the stock structure is unknown, luderick are believed to belong to a single stock.

Fishery statistics show that, overall, the stock off eastern 50

OCTOBER 2022

fish or 30 tonnes in 2017/18, down from about 100,000 fish in 2013/14, during a period of high abundance.

Because of the combination of recreational catch limits, reduced commercial fishing pressure, and their high level of post-release survival, the NSW part of the stock is unlikely to face reduced spawning success.

VICTORIA Since the assessments shown in the SAFS 2020 report, commercial net fishing has ceased in the Gippsland Lakes where luderick were a by-product in the black bream fishery.

Commercial net fishing ceased in Port Phillip Bay in March 2022. As a result, commercial landings of luderick in Victoria are now reduced to by-catch in the one remaining estuary net fishery, in Corner Inlet. In the previous 20 years, Victoria’s main luderick catches came from the Gippsland Lakes,

sub-tropical and temperate coastal and estuary waters in every mainland state. Based on separate assessments of the fisheries in each state, the status of the mulloway stock is sustainable in WA and SA, depleted in NSW and undefined in Queensland.

Queensland Recreational fishers account for most of the mulloway catch from Queensland inshore and inlet waters. The 2013/14 catch was estimated to be 98 tonnes, while the state-wide commercial catch was nine tonnes in 2019.

New South Wales After peaking at 400 tonnes in the mid-70s, the commercial estuary (net) and coastal (line) catches of mulloway have been less than 100 tonnes since the mid-90s; the 2019 catch was 48 tonnes. In 2017/18, the estimated recreational catch was 90 tonnes, compared to the commercial catch of 72

Mulloway are the largest popular fish in inshore and estuary waters around Australia. Photo courtesy of Geoff Wilson. tonnes in that year.

With the commercial fishery based largely on juveniles, and average sizes declining, remedial action was taken in 2013. To restore the heavily-fished stock, these measures included an increase in the minimum size, to 70 cm (the average length at maturity for females), and tighter catch limits for both sectors. Imposing these measures is expected to reduce fishing pressure sufficiently to “allow the stock to recover from its recruitment impaired state”.

The available evidence points to mulloway in NSW waters being a depleted stock.

South Australia SA’s 2018/19 commercial catch, 117 tonnes, was the third highest ever recorded there. Most (93%) was taken from the Lakes and Coorong fishery which accounts for most of the landings each year. The state’s recreational catch was estimated at 60 tonnes in 2013/14.

In the Coorong, the presence of 2-8 year old juveniles in 2019/20 reflected years of successful recruitment, with mulloway spawned in 2015/16 and 2016/17 the most abundant.

The lack of older fish is attributed to their movement into adjacent coastal waters, plus the effects of fishing.

In 2019/20, mulloway sampled from commercial and recreational catches in coastal waters, ranged in age from five to 24 years, although the species can live to 41 years in SA waters.

The lack of older fish was attributed to the impacts of the Millennium Drought on recruitment, and on the effects of fishing.

On the basis of the recent evidence relating to stock size, recruitment and fishing pressure, mulloway in SA waters are classified as a sustainable stock.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Over the past decade, about 70-80% of WA’s annual mulloway catch has been taken by commercial fishers. Reductions in commercial fishing effort in the West Coast and Gascoyne demersal fisheries have seen catches decrease, to settle at 11-28 tonnes since 2007/08; the state-wide catch totalled 13 tonnes in 2019.

Boat-based recreational and charter catches have remained low, at <10 tonnes annually, coming mainly from the same regions. In 2017/18, these combined catches totalled four tonnes.

The available evidence indicates that the stock is “unlikely to be depleted” or “recruitment impaired”.

Hence, mulloway in WA are classified as a sustainable stock.

SOUTHERN GARFISH Ranging between Lancelin, WA, to Eden, NSW, of the 10 recognised temperate garfish stocks, six are rated as sustainable, two as depleted and two as recovering.

Victoria Past estimates of the combined recreational

catch of ‘garfish species’ in Victoria were 25 tonnes in 2000-01 and 21 tonnes in 2005/06. However, there are no recent or specific estimates of recreational catches of southern garfish.

The recent closures of commercial net fishing in Port Phillip Bay and the Gippsland Lakes leave Corner Inlet as the last significant commercial fishery for garfish in the State. In 2020/21, all but one of the 33 tonnes of southern garfish reported statewide, were taken in Corner Inlet.

They are taken mainly by seine nets, with some also taken in gillnets.

With recent catch rates stable, and recruitment apparently healthy, and major bay/inlet fisheries closed, all indications point to southern garfish in Victorian waters as a sustainable stock.

Tasmania Following a sharp decline in commercial catches, a seasonal closure was introduced in 2009 to protect spawning fish. By 2012, increased numbers of size classes and of larger fish indicated a stock recovery, with catches totalling 40-60 tonnes. However, catches

Garfish are a popular on light gear in bays and inlets.

REGULATIONS State Queensland • garfish • luderick • mullet • mulloway

Size limit

Daily bag limit

– 30cm – 75cm

50 10 50 1

NSW • luderick • mulloway

27cm 70cm

10 1

Victoria • garfish • luderick • mulloway • mullet (all species)

– 23cm 60cm –

40 10 5 40

Tasmania • garfish • mullet

25cm 25cm

15 15

SA • mullet 21cm • mulloway 46cm Coorong 46-82cm Other waters, • southern garfish 23cm

60 10 2 30

Note: additional fishing restrictions apply in some states. subsequently declined, reaching seven tonnes in 2028/19 – the lowest ever recorded in the State.

Record low catches, despite the closure, suggest that the stock cannot support current fishing pressure, and that “recruitment is likely to be impaired”. All indications support the classification of southern garfish in Tasmania as a depleted stock.

South Australia Southern garfish are rated as a “primary species” in SA’s commercial multispecies, multi-method Marine Scale Fishery. Of the six stocks recognised in SA waters, four are classified as sustainable, one as recovering and one as depleted.

The statewide recreational catch was last estimated at 79 tonnes, in 2013/14.

Gulf St Vincent Separate stocks occur in the northern and southern Gulf St Vincent.

From a peak of 221 tonnes in 2000, the annual commercial catch from the northern stock declined, reaching 73 tonnes in 2018.

Following management action taken to reduce fishing pressure during the peak winter season, targeted catch rates by haul nets have increased since 2015.

Biomass and egg production estimates suggest that the stock is depleted and that recruitment is impaired.

The evidence points to southern garfish here being a depleted stock.

In contrast, in the much smaller commercial fishery based on the southern stock, hauling nets were removed in 2005, and the remaining fishing effort declined to

the lowest levels recorded, in the past three years.

Under low fishing pressure, and with catch rates remaining high, this garfish species in the southern Gulf St Vincent is rated as a sustainable stock.

Northern Spencer Gulf Separate stocks also occur in the northern and southern Spencer Gulf.

Historically, SA’s most productive commercial southern garfish region in the northern gulf, annual catches have declined from 271 tonnes in 1990, to an all-time low, averaging 86 tonnes from 2016 to 2018.

While estimates of biomass and annual egg production indicate a depleted stock size, with depressed recruitment, there have been improvements in catch rates and stock size since the mid-2000s.

The evidence points to southern garfish in the northern Spencer Gulf being a recovering stock.

With much of the southern Spencer Gulf closed to haul nets since 2005, the fishery is now largely based on dip nets.

This has seen the catch fall from 71 tonnes in 1998, to less than 15 tonnes since 2009. As catch rates by targeted fishing remain stable, the indications point to southern garfish in the southern Spencer Gulf being a sustainable stock.

Other SA Regions Between them, commercial fisheries of the West Coast and South East Coast stocks are lightly fished, producing less than 10 tonnes annually. All evidence points to southern garfish in both regions being sustainable stocks.

YELLOWEYE MULLET Occurring in inshore waters, bays and inlets, from southern WA to southern NSW, it is uncertain whether yelloweye mullet form more than a single stock.

Assessed at state levels, yelloweye mullet stocks are classified as “sustainable” in Tasmanian, SA and WA waters, and “recovering” in Victorian waters.

Victoria While there are no estimates of the recreational catch, yelloweye mullet are rarely targeted by anglers.

Taken across bay and inlet commercial fisheries, catch rate data from recent decades indicated stock depletion of yelloweye mullet. However, as the result of net fishing restrictions, closures of commercial inlet fisheries and focussing on highervalue species, both fishing pressure and commercial catches have declined from a peak in the 1980s to 13 tonnes in 2020/21.

On the basis of recent evidence indicating improvements to both biomass and recruitment, the yelloweye mullet in Victorian waters is rated as a recovering stock.

Tasmania Using gillnets and beach seines permitted in Tasmania, recreational fishers target yelloweye mullet in inshore waters. The estimated recreational catch in 2016/17 was 4.6 tonnes, down from the peak of 30 tonnes in 2000/01. Netting restrictions

Mullet species are not commonly targeted by anglers and are not rated highly commercially. in inlets affords considerable protection to the stock, and commercial catches have declined to negligible levels in recent years.

South Australia With 70% of yelloweye mullet taken by recreational fishers, on lines and in gillnets, the total retained catch from SA was estimated at 18 tonnes in 2013/14.

Since 2007, about 90% of the commercial catch has come from the Lakes and Coorong Fishery. After peaking at 519 tonnes in 1989/90, commercial catches declined as the result of licence buy-backs and low market prices.

Since the 2000s, with increased targeted gillnet fishing and high catch rates, catches have stabilised, with 301 tonnes recorded in 2018/19.

Western Australia Fishing pressure on yelloweye mullet is so low that there is no estimate of the recreational catch.

After exceeding 500 tonnes annually in the 1970s and 1980s, low market demand has resulted in recent commercial catches varying between 10 and 30 tonnes.

NATIONAL REPORTING The Status of Australian

Fish Stock reports are a series of assessments of the biological sustainability of a broad range of wildcaught fish stocks against a nationally agreed reporting framework. The two-yearly reports examine whether the abundance of fish and the level of harvest from each stock is sustainable. Definitions of “sustainability” and quoted passages in this article are taken from the SAFS 2020 Reports.

More details about the status of Australian fish stocks are available at – https://www.fish.gov. au/reports

FISHING NEWS

Snapper beating barotrauma Snapper are one of the most popular oceanic sport and table fish in Australia, however, many fishos now choose to release larger reddies to give the breeding stock a helping hand.

Up until fairly recently, it was assumed that snapper weren’t a particularly good catch and release option as they can display symptoms of barotrauma when caught from water over 10m.

However, research by NSW DPI and other Fisheries agencies around Australia has revealed that snapper are actually very resilient to barotrauma impacts, provided they can get back to depth.

If you wish to give your released snapper the best chances of survival, ensure you release the fish ASAP to minimise barotrauma effects. If the fish is displaying significant barotrauma symptoms (such as an inflated abdomen, distended intestines and even the stomach pushed outside the mouth) and is clearly unable to submerge by itself, a release

weight should be used to re-pressurise the fish back to depth. A release weight is essentially a large sinker attached to a barbless hook, which pulls fish down to the depths when they can’t get

down there by themselves.

To see a video on how a release weight works, go to YouTube and search for ‘maximising snapper survival’.

Venting snapper

– ie, piercing the fish to release trapped gas – is not recommended as a normal response to barotrauma symptoms, due to the inherent risk of further injury or infection. Also, please note that slowing down the retrieval of fish to the surface has been found to not help with the severity of barotrauma.

Keeping fish in live wells after they have been caught from deep water can increase the effects of barotrauma. As detailed above, it is best to release the fish as quickly as possible after being caught, particularly from water over 10m deep.

To find out more about best practice catch and release fishing, barotrauma info, and to find out how to make your own release weight, Google ‘DPI release weight’.

If you love fishing for reds, do your bit to help ensure that those fish you release have the best chance of survival - carry a release weight on your boat and get to know those catch and release tips! – NSW DPI OCTOBER 2022

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Fish responding to warmer water temps PITTWATER

Narrabeen Bait & Tackle

In recent weeks we have seen some changes in the water temperature along the northern beaches. The result of this is more fish in close along our rock shores, beaches and our harbours and estuaries.

Conditions haven’t been very favourable, but those anglers who have persisted have been rewarded with some excellent catches of quality fish, including good size snapper, kingfish, trevally flathead, and large size bream.

Some excellent size snapper up to 4kg have been taken from the Long Reef area, in around the 15-40m mark. The best baits are fresh local squid and large strips of

mullet, with a heavy berley trail to keep the fish in the area.

Most of the snapper have been caught at anchor, with some snapper also being caught on the drift in around 15-20m of water off Dee Why headland and Long Reef headland. Soft plastics in the 5-7” size range have been catching their share as well, such as Bite Science Mad Minnows and Atomic Plazos Jerk Minnows.

Some nice size flathead have been caught on the drift off Mona Vale Hospital, Palm Beach Surf Club and Collaroy Surf Club in the 40m mark.

Most fish have been taken on the drift using fish strips, pilchards or squid baits.

Some good size yellowfin tuna up to 10kg have been taken at Broken Bay wide, and around the FADs. Pittwater area has been producing some nice bags of

sand flathead, also good size flounder on the drift between Barrenjoey Head and Mackerel Beach. Some solid bream have been taken on soft and hard vibes, particularly the Daiwa Steez vibes, which have been taking most fish of late.

Once again, the spots to try are around Mackerel Beach, Portuguese Beach and Elvina Bay up on the shallows in 3-5m of water.

Alternately, you can try Browns Bay and McCarrs Creek Reserve for small to medium size kingfish early in the morning or on dusk.

Anglers using small soft plastics in the minnow pattern, or bait fishing with squid strips, have been accounting for nearly all fish caught.

Most beaches have been providing good size bags of bream, tailor and salmon, with good results coming from Dee

t

Boa Featured

Ewan landed this great snapper on a squid bait at this time last year.

Marc Ternen with a tasty gemfish.

Why Beach, Collaroy and North Narrabeen in front of the lake’s entrance. Most fish have been caught on pilchards or fresh beach worms. Some of the bream have been well over a kilo in size; we have had some really good winter bream this year. The majority of the tailor and salmon have been caught in the afternoon or just on dark.

In recent weeks there have been several reports of jewfish from Palm Beach, Freshwater and Manly Beach, with the best one going 7kg. Again, most fish have been taken on fresh squid. The best time to target them is during the late afternoon or evening.

Moving our focus to Narrabeen Lakes, most of the water is starting to come alive now. With the water temperatures rising slowly, some nice flathead are being taken from the Ocean Street bridge, and also from the Narrabeen Street bridge area on the western side. Worms and fresh Hawkesbury prawns have been the pick of the baits. Some nice size bream

are being taken from the Jameson Park area early in the morning on small soft plastics, especially curl tail grubs (e.g.

3” Bloodworm Nemesis, PowerBait Crawdad). For bait fishos, beach worms have accounted for the most fish.

At the time of writing, it has been too dangerous to fish off the rocks. There were a couple of guys who went to Avalon at the back at the pool and got some nice size drummer and some good blackfish, but there haven’t been many other reports. Fortunately, the wind typically drops off in October, which should provide much better conditions, especially from the beach and rocks. We can expect good rock fishing in the coming weeks, especially for bream and drummer, along with some good size trevally.

They’re moving out of the estuary and along the rocks, and with the right conditions they should be biting well, taking peeled prawns (or you can use bread for the drummer). Remember, it’s very important to berley all the time – just throw in a handful

every five minutes. A simple mixture of bread, sand and chicken pellets will do the job.

Whiting will start to appear on the beaches later in the month, and beach worms are a must if you want to catch a good feed of these tasty fish. If you start to fish a little bit lighter, you should get the results you are after.

• If you need fishing gear, quality bait or a chat about what’s biting, head to Narrabeen Bait and Tackle.

Owner Mark, his son Marc and long-time staff member Chris have been local fishermen for 30 years – so there’s not much they don’t know about Pittwater or Northern Beaches fishing, and they are happy to answer any questions you may have. The store stocks an extensive range of tackle, and their live and fresh bait range is renowned as one of the best in Sydney. It is sourced locally and includes live beach worms and nippers.

Drop on and see them at 1469 Pittwater Rd, North Narrabeen boats or phone (02) 9970 bassco 6204.

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LOGO DESIGN

Recreational Fishing Update Releasing Reds!

RAP Report Shines Spotlight on Mulloway!

The latest edition of the “RAP Report” (DPI’s Research Angler Program newsletter) has been released and focuses at all things mulloway. Ageing, growth rates, tagging and even some exceptional recaptures are all covered in the latest edition. You can also find out about great catches from the monthly winners, as well as some important program updates.

The RAP report is produced from information provided by everyday fishos like you. Your fishing successes help us to learn about fish growth and movements.

If you’re interested in learning more, including the location of your closest drop-off points, check out the DPI website and search ‘Research Angler Program’. Be sure to donate frames from your mulloway, snapper, kingfish, pearl perch, dusky and blue spotted flathead, Spanish and spotted mackerel catches to be in for a chance to win some great prizes including RAP merchandise or $50 gift vouchers.

More Surprise Catches!

Keen angler Rod Bursill (pictured) submitted this interesting catch!

This rainbow runner (Elagatis bipinnulata) was recently caught offshore of the Illawarra region south of Sydney NSW. Rod got quite the surprise when this rainbow runner ate a lure that was intended for a dolphinfish. Rainbow runner, like other carangids such as yellowtail kingfish, are attracted to inshore islands, reefs and offshore floating objects like FADs and fish trap floats.

Rainbow Runner are quite common in northern Australia and are often taken as by catch while targeting other species like kingfish, spanish mackerel and cobia.

They are a highly pelagic fish that are easily identified by their two striking blue stripes that run the length of their body. The Australian Museum reports that rainbow runner have been recorded as far south as Montague Island, however, they are not a common catch south of Port Stephens, NSW. We are always interested to hear about your catches! Let us know if you have encountered any weird or interesting fish lately and send us photos via the DPI Facebook page!

Thank you Rod for sharing.

Open Season Has Officially Begun For Popular Sportfish!

Anglers are now once again able to take Australian Bass and Estuary Perch in rivers below impoundments and estuaries from Thursday, September 1, following the end of the annual spawning closure.

When fishing in these waters after this time, total bag limit of two (one or more species) per person and a total possession limit of four applies (one or more species), with only one fish over 35cm in length permitted.

The four-month zero bag limit protects schools of fish during spawning season in estuaries, with the opening marking the period after which most Australian Bass and Estuary Perch will have returned to feeding grounds higher in the catchment.

Fishing laws are designed to protect, conserve and improve our fisheries resources for future generations.

Information on freshwater fishing rules can be found online on the DPI website.

Any suspected illegal fishing activity can be reported through the FishSmart app, the Fishers Watch phone line on 1800 043 536 or via the online report form on the DPI website.

Snapper are one of the most popular oceanic sport and table fish targeted by anglers in NSW. However, many fishos now choose to release larger reddies to give the breeding stock a helping hand.

Up until recently, it was assumed that Snapper weren’t a particularly good catch & release option as they can display symptoms of barotrauma when caught from water over 10m.

However, research by NSW DPI and other fisheries agencies around Australia has revealed that Snapper are very resilient to barotrauma impacts, provided they can get back to depth.

If you wish to give your released Snapper the best chances of survival, ensure you release the fish ASAP to minimise barotrauma effects. If the fish is displaying significant barotrauma symptoms (such as an inflated abdomen, distended intestines and even the stomach pushed outside the mouth) and is clearly unable to submerge by itself, a release weight should be used to re-pressurise the fish back to depth.

Check Youtube and search ‘maximising fish survival’ for how a release weight works.

Due to the inherent risk of further injury or infection, venting – ie, piercing the fish to release trapped gas - is not recommended as a normal response to barotrauma symptoms in fish.

Also, please note that slowing down the retrieval of fish to the surface has been found to not help with the severity of barotrauma.

It is important to understand that keeping fish in live wells after they have been caught from deep water can increase the effects of barotrauma.

As detailed above, it is best to release the fish as quickly as possible after being caught, particularly from water over 10m deep, to maximise survival.

If you love fishing for reds, do your bit to help ensure that those fish you release have the best chance of survival - carry a release weight on your boat and get to know those catch and release tips!

This is all part of ‘Fish for life – Building a healthy fishing future’.

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au OCTOBER 2022

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Getting your arms stretched in October SYD ROCK & BEACH

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com.au

We are always looking for the best sea and weather conditions whenever we go fishing, and thankfully in spring there are often more stable days to your liking. Spring and autumn generally have the most stable weather conditions on average (but not always)!

consumer of a variety of weeds, and their favourite is green weed, which grows mostly above the tide line.

The only way these fish can get a feed is to scrape a bit off on a high tide submerged ledge or wait in a white water wash when the weed is deposited into the ocean after a wave has ripped some off from the rock ledge or boulder.

When these bits of weed wash into the ocean, they are quickly spotted by

55cm or even larger. There have been some reports of fish up to that size, although most have been in the 1.3-2.2kg size range, which is the optimum size for eating quality. Big luderick up to 1.3kg are

bream up to 1.3kg have been caught off the rocks of late. The month there will be even larger fish on offer.

For the rock blackfish and groper, I recommend that you fish Barrenjoey Head, North Whale, Long

Robert Pedini was astonished to catch this 78cm blue groper. His first one was a 40cm brown, and he thought that was great until he caught this monster. He released it to fight another day.

Ali Seraidar with a nice tailor. These fish are out of season but there are some turning up on the surf beaches well after dark.

A beautiful blue groper caught by the author.

It was released after a few photos. The author prefers the smaller ones for a feed.

October can bring the arrival of some migratory species, especially after mid-October. However, this can vary from year to year as fish species – especially the migrating species – don’t run by the calendar.

Water temperature, food sources and nutrient levels can determine if, for example, that the kings will turn up earlier or if the whiting run starts in October rather than November.

Now let’s look at what’s biting at the moment, and what we can likely expect in the weeks ahead.

ROCK FISHING The green weed is flourishing on most ocean rocks, thanks to the daytime temperatures being not too hot, and the water temp in the shallow ponds not too cold. You will notice a green carpet of cabbage weed in a lot of areas.

It’s well known that rock blackfish are a high 56

OCTOBER 2022

the waiting hungry rock blackfish, luderick, rock cale and so forth.

Cabbage weed is a good bait for rock blackfish and luderick. You can fish a float rig and set the float stopper or slide the fixed float at variable depths according to how deep the area is. For example, if the rock spot you are fishing is roughly 2m deep, set the float stopper at 1.5-1.7m.

Berley up with cabbage weed as well. I have a YouTube video where I caught a nice rock blackfish and luderick fishing with cabbage weed baits. Other fish were caught the more conventional way, with peeled prawn baits and bread berley. This demonstrates the value of bringing a variety of baits when fishing for the pugnacious species, just in case the results are no so good on the weed baits.

This month there should be some stud pigs up to

also in the mix.

Some big groper are being caught as well, including a blue groper of 78cm and another of 68cm taken in recent weeks. Red crabs caught in the red weed are amongst the best baits. The crabs that you see under the cracks above the high tide mark are also great to use. A few smaller brown groper heading towards 60cm have been caught as well.

On my guiding/fishing trips I have a policy that the 70cm+ groper are to be released. This is a small part that I can play to contribute to stocks lasting for longer periods. Big blue groper over about 8-9kg are probably 20+ years old.

Trevally and snapper are often found together in the same areas, with a few bream thrown in when you’re fishing the sudsy white water off the rocks.

When using berley it can get quite expensive if you’re using pilchard cubes, as you would need a substantial amount throughout the outing. For this reason, I recommend adding bread into the mix. It is cheaper, adds as a ‘fill’ and volume, and it’s about 70% of the total amount of burley. This enables you to berley up frequently, every couple of minutes or so. Trevally to 0.8kg, snapper to 0.9kg and

Reef and Bluefish. For the snapper, trevally and bream, try North Whale, Bangally Head, and Bluefish’s eastern front.

BEACH FISHING Fishing for Aussie

salmon and tailor you may need to fish after dark.

They’re still available off the beach throughout the day but are more prolific after dark. Having a pair of surf booties will make it more comfortable standing on the cool sand after dark.

The biggest salmon caught lately have been around 3.5kg, providing

On a recent trip Gayle Robyn caught this hard-pulling tarwhine and a swag of whiting.

anglers with a lot of fun.

Interestingly, we are also seeing some really small salmon, just 600-700g. It is quite unusual to see salmon this small on this part of the coast. If you go to the far south coast its way more common to catch small salmon from 0.5-1.5kg. I hope this is not going to be a regular occurrence!

There are some tailor around but they seem to be biting well after dark.

They’re just above the small chopper size up to 42cm. In my opinion, that’s the best size for the plate.

Fishing the traditional 3-hook gangs in the 3/0 to 4/0 size (which is generally suitable for a 150-170mm size pilchard) is working well, as usual. Replacing the gang hooks with a single hook can work fine as well – although there’s a chance that a tailor may end up biting you off with its razor-sharp teeth. The advantage with having a single hook is when you have bream or trevally biting your half pilchard, you have a much better chance of hooking them on your 2/0 hook. For the salmon it works well, and you don’t have to be so concerned about getting bitten off. Salmon have a padded mouth, which will not damage your line as badly as a tailor’s teeth will.

A few big tarwhine up to 40cm are available for the early season whiting anglers. The vast majority To page 56

NSW

Sydney

The washes are on fire SYDNEY NTH

Steve Winser

With water temps at around 16-18°C, as per usual at this time of year, the reliable wintertime standbys have been producing well.

The bottom bash brigade are doing well on the near-shore reefs, with good numbers of mid-size

snapper, morwong, flathead etc guaranteeing a feed literally minutes from the heads. Just a standard paternoster rig with cubes of pillies and prawns will ensure dinner.

The harbour kings are still present in reasonable numbers, although their diet is changing a little as they get ready to do their offshore spawn. They are showing a preference for those little

harbour cuttlefish over squid at the moment, and some days they are very picky indeed.

The washes as usual at this time of year are on fire, with black drummer and blue groper in numbers on all the ocean washes – provided conditions allow you access. Extreme caution is to be exercised if you are new to this type of fishing from a boat. Things can

Eric with a ‘squirey’ size red.

Aleco with a nice harbour blackfish.

From page 55

of tarwhine off the beach are caught on pink nippers, beach worms and prawns. They don’t mind a squid strip as well.

Unlike bream, they are only occasionally caught on a fish bait. Tarwhine fight harder than a bream for their size; when you encounter them over 35cm you will notice their pulling power.

Residential whiting up to 34cm are on selected beaches. It seems there have been several beaches this winter/spring that have had some residential whiting available. Manly, Dee Why, Mona Vale and Mid Palm beach are good spots for the whiting.

There are salmon also on these beaches, but the tailor are harder to find.

It’s still pretty early in the season for all of the above species, but getting towards the end of October may see the beginning of the whiting run. The salmon will also increase in numbers off the beaches.

Enjoy your October and stay safe.

• For rock and beach

Kiwi angler Vern Hines has ticked another fish off the bucket list. He was impressed by the pulling power of this species and the superb eating quality. 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.

go pear-shaped quickly if you are not observant at all times, and there are no second chances. Stay away from the shallow water unless you are very familiar with the region, and be very wary on a dropping tide as the sets can stand up sharply as they come in.

When we fish the ocean washes, we use 15kg braid with a 15kg mono leader, a 2/0 hook and lightly weighted prawn baits.

The winter harbour standards of bream and blackfish are guaranteeing a feed every trip. The blackfish have been the best I can recall for many seasons, with numbers in the 20+ range a regular occurence.

Just about any ribbon weed bank in the harbour is holding profusions of these at the moment.

Next month should see a continuation of the excellent run of the abovementioned wintertime regulars. At some point the kingfish will head offshore for a couple of weeks to do their spawn thing, and then they will return ready to eat. Predicting exactly when this will happen is not easy and will depend a lot on conditions, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Tight lines all.

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Damien Gough with a giant hairtail measuring 1.81m long that he caught at South West Rocks.

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Longer and warmer days out on the water SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Hopefully October will see the return of much fairer and warmer weather than we have been experiencing over the past few months.

With the increase in warmer and longer days, you will see a big upsurge in people getting out on the water, which will in turn increase the numbers of reports that come in from those catching fish.

The water temperature will also start to rise, with the currents coming from the north linking up with the southern currents, bring the likes of dolphinfish, pearl perch and so on.

With all this starting to happen it’s a great time to get out there and try for a feed of fish.

Offshore you could try for sand and tiger flathead in the 30-50m depth off the northern entrance of Botany Bay to out off the Wedding Cake Island at Coogee. The best baits are half pilchards, strips of fresh squid, slimy mackerel and mullet.

Snapper, morwong, trevally, tarwhine and leatherjackets can be encountered while drifting

Pick a bay in the Port Hacking and start working those lures in and around the pontoons and poles for bream and trevally.

one of the bridges in the coming weeks.

The Port Hacking has had a huge school of salmon take up residence there for the last couple of months.

Hopefully there will be a few of the salmon still there this month, because they make great fun and eating. Small metal lures and plastics worked slowly across the surface should get you hooked up to a few of these hard-pulling sportfish.

If you are after a few bream and trevally, I would recommend working the rocky edges, pontoons, poles and drop-offs. There are many places in the Port Hacking that you can do this, so I will leave it up to you to find which one

bays, keep an eye out for any surface action as kingfish, salmon and tailor will also be following the baitfish schools.

Bream, drummer, trevally, salmon and tailor should be feeding along the coastal rocks from Jibbon Point and down to Stanwell Park Beach. To find them you are going to have to do a bit of exploring. I am not sure when Garie and Wattamolla beaches are going to be open. It would be great to be able to get down there and fish them again, as it has been months that they have been closed.

I am going to contact the National Parks and try to find out when they will be opened up again, and I will

off the close reefs in the same area. Drifting with bait and soft plastics should do the trick. If you’re at anchor, I would suggest that you lay out a berley trail and float down a few half and whole pilchards and strips of squid.

The beaches north of the entrance to Botany Bay would be worth a shot for whiting, bream and dart. Live beach worms, whitebait, half pilchards and pipis would be my choice of baits.

This month, the

If you don’t like coming home smelling of bait, try using soft plastics for flathead.

This month, try slowly trolling live yellowtail along the ocean rocks north and south of the entrance to Botany Bay. 58

OCTOBER 2022

northern end of Bondi Beach would be worth a shot for bream, trevally and drummer using peeled prawns. You can use a small ball sinker run down onto the bait, or alternatively a bobby cork rig to keep the bait off the bottom.

Botany Bay will start to see an increase in the kingfish numbers at Bare Island, Trevally Alley, the end of the third runway, The Drums, the Oil Wharf and wide off Towra Pont.

Try either live baiting for them or trolling a few lures around these areas as long as it’s not too crowded.

Bream, trevally and whiting will be feeding over the flats from Towra to Silver Beach. If you are bait fishing, I would suggest that you anchor up, berley and use either half pilchard, fillets of pilchard, peeled prawns or beach and tube worms.

For those of you who prefer to use lures – either hardbodied lures, soft plastics or blades – try drifting the

same area and once you have located the fish, just keep working that same spot.

Further upstream you could try for mulloway, bream and flathead at any

works the best for you.

Don’t forget that the fish do move about a fair bit.

Find the bait schools and you will find the predators.

While working these

report back when I find out.

That’s it for this month.

Don’t forget to keep those reports and photos coming into gbrown1@ iprimus.com.au.

This nice feed of fish was caught by a couple of Scotty Lyon’s customers while fishing close in off Dolls Pont.

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It’s the right time in the Richmond River BALLINA

Joe Allan

With the Aussie bass season now open and in full swing, this is my favourite time to get out and chase these feisty fish. They will be on the move to the upper reaches of the creeks, however don’t overlook the main river stretches.

gold wolf.

As the weather warms up and the bugs move around the surface action will heat up, but it probably won’t hit ita peak for a little while yet. Any surface crawlers should work well once the cicadas start to sing, and cricket scores are possible when conditions are suitable.

Close in reefs will still

some live baits such as yakkas and slimy mackerel and throwing these around the FADs is always a good move. Gamakatsu Live Bait HD hooks are a good choice of hook on these brutes.

The beaches are fishing well, and the dart have started to come on nicely.

The metal slugs are a great lure to use for these guys.

You may still get the odd tailer off the beach, but they will still start to become scarcer.

You will pick up the odd big sea run bream and flathead in the gutters as by-catch, and the big bream can really give you some curry on light gear.

The lower reaches of the Richmond River should see mud crabs firing up as the warmer weather brings them in. Emigrant and North creeks are the spots to start looking for these tasty crustaceans. The best baits are blackfish frames and any mullet frames left over from your bait fishing trips.

If you are after a feed of

Bass are on the move and are aggressive at this time of year.

Try targeting the shallow flats as the water moves up with the incoming tide.

The best lure to try is the Bassday Sugapen. It is my personal favourite and every year I look forward to this

time of year to get into these tasty critters. Retro fitting Atomic Trick Bitz Assist Hooks onto them can turn an average day in to a really good one if you’re missing a lot of strikes.

Taj Latimer with a solid flathead he caught fishing with his dad in the lower reaches of the Richmond River.

The river has many, produce good snapper, many new snags left behind although towards the end of by the floods at the start of the month they will start to the year. This will bring move out to the 32-fathom many new opportunities to region. This is where I’d cast at these fish. Generally be looking when the wind at this time of year the and current allows. The fish are always hungry northeasterly winds that following their spawning, will start over the next few so try big spinnerbaits and months will make fishing lipless crankbaits with the deeper reefs harder. rattles. I like the Atomic As the water does wn favourite Pramy Blade warm, the cobia and mahi baand m vibes a Y s “ colours for bass are black ”mahi should start to move beauty, rock crab and onto the close reefs. Getting

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Bill Latimer with a nice bream caught on an Atomic Plazos 3” Prong in avocado. flathead, now is a great time to get out in the Richmond River and get among them.

The deep water right in front of the Porpoise Wall, the channel in front of the RSL Club and the deep hole upriver from the Burns Point Ferry are some good places to start looking.

Big bright soft plastics with tails that push a good amount of water are key. Also, live bait are irresistible to these big girls and as the water warms up you can come across some large mangrove jacks as • Stocking all major brands by-catch. By-catch like that • Experienced local knowledge is awesome!

• Tournament bream gear in stock Over the flats around • Snorkelling gear in stock the town stretch of the river, the whiting should start to come on the bite for those using surface lures.

Drop in to see Mick & Kelly

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OCTOBER 2022

Vinnie Bleakley found some topwater bream in the middle of the day fishing the canals.

OCTOBER 2022

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The bottom bashers are really kicking goals COFFS COAST

Rob Taylor

We’re finally starting to defrost and dry out here on the Coffs Coast as we move out of winter and intro spring proper.

For those chasing a feed, it’s been a bumper season for bottom fishing, with plenty of pearl perch, trag, mulloway and snapper coming over the side.

Pearlies in particular have been schooling in solid numbers from in close out to the 100m line, and everywhere in between.

With them have been goodsized trag, which has made for some very tasty outings.

Some big, bruising snapper are still falling to plastics in close, with some epic fish being taken in relatively shallow water.

The usual presentations from Gulp, ZMan and Squidgies have been doing the damage. Keep jigheads light, cast your plastics forward and let them sink

down to the bottom third of the water column. You should find some reds!

Bass season has opened with a bang! Many of the local rivers as well as the bigger systems produced some astonishing fishing for those willing to get off the beaten track and be in position for the opening bell. Some hot bites were recorded, and hopefully this all bodes well for a great 22-23 season!

While historically October can tend to fish a bit on the quiet side, let’s take a look at what should be on the chew.

CREEKS, RIVERS AND ESTUARIES As mentioned, it’s all systems go in the freshwater with the opening of Australian bass season.

With the weather warming, there’ll be plenty of red-hot bass fishing on offer in all of the local creeks and rivers. Systems such as the Bellinger and Clarence will be well worth a prospect on foot or in kayaks and

Fishing with his good mate Rick Mocket, local angler Carl Perry tempted this fine mulloway in 85m of water with a live slimy.

Laurie Banks with a solid king that fell to a plastic out around the islands.

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and big seas, then there’s a good chance of solid silver ghosts around the local rock walls chasing big lures and plastics. Sadly, drummer numbers have started to thin, although there will be more than enough fun in the suds with bream, tailor and salmon all there for the taking.

This month is always a fun time to be walking beach gutters at low tide flicking either soft plastics or lightly-weighted live yabbies in search of flathead, bream and whiting. This is a surefire way to bag a decent feed. We should start to see some dart also moving into the beach gutters as the water warms.

ILAB

FINAN AI

ROCKS AND BEACHES The local rocks and beaches will still produce good catches of tailor in the white water for those keen on some fish for the smoker. I like to work the local headlands at this time of year and spin for choppers. If you don’t fancy eating them, they make a great troll bait for the upcoming Spanish mackerel run. Plenty of big Spanish fall to slow-trolled dead tailor.

Plenty of mulloway are also still on offer for those throwing baits or lures around. Now is the time to find them in good numbers before the warmer summer water makes them harder going. If we get some rain

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canoes. There’s a plethora of lures to chase bass with, so get down to your local tackle store and chat to the sales people for the best options.

By the end of this month we should start to see the first mangrove jacks turning up on the social media pages, so keep an eye on the water temperature if you’re looking to get among the red devils.

Small GTs will start working the bait throughout the systems, so always keep an eye out for surface activity and have a suitable lure at the ready. Flathead and early summer whiting will start to increase in numbers as the bream and luderick fall away.

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OFFSHORE This month we will continue to see some solid snapper in close, so make the most of it while the big models are in town. A

around places like South and North Solitary. Some very big greenbacks patrol the island washes at this time, so they are always worth a prospect with metal

action right along the 100m line for those willing to put the time in pulling lures.

There may still be the odd yellowfin getting about, but these are always

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The islands will also be fishing well, and now is the peak time to chase yellowtail kings and tailor

lures. The kings will be easy to find, just look for the pros doing laps and that will be bang on where the kings are holding up!

We should also see the start of our game fishing season this month. Striped marlin are usually the first to arrive and there should be some good billfish

hit and miss and hard to predict. If you’re keen to lock horns with one, I’d head to at least the 200m line and start cubing.

While not the hottest month for fishing on the Coffs Coast, October can still produce some good catches, so get out there and get into it!

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The author kicked off the new bass season with a bang!

OCTOBER 2022

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Surface season in the rivers THE HASTINGS

Mark Saxon castawayestuarycharters@bigpond.com

October is probably the month when I start to make a serious attempt with surface lures in our local river. Yes, sure you can catch fish on surface all year, but October you can really be confident in chasing quite a few species such as bream, bass, whiting, flathead and trevally. Let’s look at reasons and scenarios that will get the ball rolling, and a few techniques for those starting out.

Whiting are a very entertaining fish to chase on surface lures, and places to try in the Hastings are Pelican Island, Limeburners Creek, the Maria River mouth, Freemans Bay and Big Bay. By the end of September, the water temperatures should be starting to rise, and I have always enjoyed whiting fishing with the temperature around 24°C, which seems to switch them on to a surface bite.

The other thing is the appearance of prawn

activity, and this month it usually starts to increase.

Find a sand flat with some weed patches and you have a good starting point.

What to use? You can cast poppers and walk-

the-dog style surface lures, but if there is a better or more consistent lure than the Bassday Sugapen I’m yet to find it! Sure, there are days for others, but if you’re keen, grab this lure

your catch rate. The smaller 70mm model works, but bigger can be better for casting.

For best results, cast your lure out and commence a constant, splashy retrieve.

Mary Anne and Michael with a great bag of whiting, all caught on surface lures. craze over the last couple of seasons, and surface fishing for these is right up there in the adrenalin

Andrew Death loves chasing mega flatties on surface lures!

Who doesn’t like a feed of whiting?

and start casting the flats!

Looking at retrieves, firstly if there is any breeze, get it blowing from behind you, because in most cases the longer you can cast, the more ground you will cover and the more fish you will catch. Why? Because whiting can follow a fair way on certain days and miss your lure a few times before hooking up, so long casts catch more fish on the flats.

In recent years I’ve been using the 95mm model Sugapen, as it has more weight and does not lower

My advice for beginners is do not stop your retrieve, keep it going, even when fish are splashing on it.

You will catch fish! Now before all the YouTube gurus say you can catch them on the pause, yes, you can, and we have been for many years. However, it seems to be only on certain days when this happens, whereas a lot of time if you stop the lure, the fish following will depart to the depths. You will have to experiment with that one. Remember too that sometimes if bream are on the flat and following your lure, stopping your retrieve will see them climb all over it!

Flathead have been the

The author with a great bream taken on the surface.

Seven happy anglers with a nice haul of snapper caught on a trip with Port Macquarie Fishing Charters.

A big bent minnow style lure with another victim.

64

OCTOBER 2022

stakes. Firstly, keep in mind that you can catch some great flatties with your whiting lures in the

places already mentioned, but if you want a big girl to explode on your lure more regularly, you should use a big bent minnow style lure, which is a proven performer on big flathead.

The retrieve can vary, but I like to land it down loud in the shallows, meaning less than knee deep, and then I swim it out with a few jerky rod movements, pausing the lure intermittently.

Beware the commotion a big flathead makes when coming up to eat lures off the top; it can make the heart race!

Bass and bream can be unreal fun, and are often caught in big numbers this To page 65

NSW

Lunker lizards cruising around the shallows FORSTER

Luke Austin

Fishing in October on the Mid North Coast of NSW can be a frustrating affair, as we often experience some rather unsettled weather, however if the weather behaves itself and we can get a decent shot at getting out for a fish there are plenty of options both inshore and out at sea.

The water in Wallis Lake is slowly warming up, and

for anglers this is fantastic news, because as a coldblooded animal like a fish warms up, their metabolism also increases and in turn they need more food. So, for anglers, the fish become easier to fool!

Flathead have become particularly active now and can be caught easily throughout most of the estuary, particularly on a run-out tide. These fish are loving prawn imitation soft plastics. The better results have been coming from areas

Chasing snapper can be awesome in October if the weather plays the game.

such as The Cut, Tern Island, The Paddock and in around Jonnel Park. There have been a few really solid fish getting about, and it’s definitely time to start hunting for that trophy fish!

The seasonal favourite that is the trumpeter whiting has really turned it on, with most anglers hitting their limits each morning. The usual spots are fishing well with the step up at Lanis proving to be particularly productive. Please fish for these tasty little fish responsibly; don’t take home any more than you need.

Sand whiting are slowly waking from their winter slumber and becoming more active by the day. Anglers are starting to test the waters with surface lures and reports have been the same across the board. The fish are happy to get up and chase the lures but are not really hitting them with too much intent just yet.

It’s still awesome fun though, and the bream and flathead by-catch make it worth it!

The best way to chase some early season whiting is to fish the sand flats on the top of the tide with some freshly collected yabbies or worms.

Luderick should continue to fish well for the first couple of weeks of this month down around the bridge and rock walls, however you may find that the number of bigger fish within the schools may diminish as the fish start to spread back out. Moving up to areas around Wallis Island

Curtis Chalker with a cracking springtime flathead. or up Breckenridge Channel may be worth it, as the fish will often move up to these areas once they vacate the lower reaches of the system.

The local beach anglers have been enjoying what can be a fairly tough time of the year. The biggest positive at the moment is the amount of school mulloway that seem to be cruising the gutters (along with the odd proper one!). It’s been a few years since I have heard of so many small fish about, and hopefully this is a sign that anglers and their practices have turned a corner and changed for a brighter, more sustainable future.

Seven Mile Beach has been fishing relatively well for mixed bags of bream, dart, flathead, salmon and the odd tailor, however whiting reports are yet to start trickling in.

Fishing the rocks

successfully in October can be a hard ask. Most headlands and ledges do have monster kingfish cruising along them, but you will have to put in huge days just trying to get them to commit to a lure or bait. Once you get one hooked up, you have the unbelievably difficult task of trying to get it in!

There have been some great groper sessions reported from the stones down south, and there is still the odd nice bream, luderick and drummer mixed in.

Heading offshore this month can be very tricky.

The snapper up north have been incredibly tough to find in decent numbers and the average size is definitely on the small side. Boats are having to do a lot of kilometres to get a decent feed.

The southern grounds are fishing much more

consistently, and there seems to be a better patch of water from Pacific Palms south.

You will still have to move about a bit though, and the box of fish will end up being a mixed bag of snapper, trag, pearl perch, pigfish, nannygai and morwong. Thankfully the local flathead grounds have been there to save the day for most anglers on the way home, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a feed of flatty tails!

• Luke is the owner of Great Lakes Tackle, your ‘local’ bait and tackle store. We only sell the best brands and offer sound, friendly advice on where you can go to land your next trophy fish while visiting the wonderful Great Lakes region! Open seven days in the main street of Tuncurry.

Call (02) 6554 9541 or find us on Facebook to see what we have been up to!

Need tackle? Need a new boat?

Give Kris a call for a quote!

There is no shortage of mulloway available in the estuaries this month.

From page 64

month and into summer.

The Maria iver, Wilson and Hastings rivers all have opportunities.

Prawns start appearing around the edges, which makes for a good bream bite, and to be honest you can find them in most locations in the

mentioned systems.

The other thing that has been missing in the last couple of years is the cicada bite. Sure, you can still catch them on this style of lure when the actual cicadas are not around, but holy moly, if the cicadas are in full swing it’s game

on! This is where good casters usually excel, as sometimes you have to put your lure right up on an edge or even in under overhanging trees to draw a bite, but that’s all part of the fun. Get that lure in there, pause, give it a twitch, and hang on!

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A wide array of species on offer PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

October is a great month to be fishing the waters of Port Stephens as it offers a wide range of species, regardless of whether you’re fishing from a boat or from the shore.

Inside the Port there are still luderick being caught in from the Nelson Bay rock wall, but they are getting harder to catch as

they are spoilt on trawler scraps and see plenty of hooks and lines everyday.

For that reason, light leaders around 4-6lb are a must. Unweighted prawns or nippers are the best baits to use when fishing here, and it helps to throw in a handful of bread/tuna oil mix to slowly sink down alongside your bait.

Dusky flathead are turning on in the Karuah and Tilligerry Systems, with some good fish to

the run-out tide.

A little tip when chasing these fish: don’t stay in one spot too long. The more ground you cover fishing for flathead, the more you will catch.

There have been reports of mulloway to the magic metre mark coming from both bridges on the Karuah River, with tide changes the key to success. Soft vibe-style lures or 130mm plastics rigged on 3/8oz jigheads are accounting for

the rock walls and oyster racks with small, lightlyweighted soft plastics or small hardbody crank-style lures is very productive at this time of year. Focus your efforts around the bottom end of the system from Tahlee through to Tea Gardens.

BEACHES School mulloway to 10kg are being caught from Fingal, Samurai and Stockton beaches, with the majority of jewies taken by anglers fishing after dark. While some dedicated anglers will pull all night fishing sessions in a desperate effort to catch a mulloway, you are far better off with a more targeted approach. You will find that 95% of fish caught will come within a couple of hours of a tide change.

There have been some big tailor caught along Fingal Spit, with dusk periods accounting for some nice greenbacks up to 3kg along with a few salmon mixed in.

Whiting will start to be become more prevalent on the ocean beaches this month. Most of the gutters fished on the high tide will produce a few, along with some bream, especially for those anglers using live worms or pipis.

OCEAN ROCKS Now is not the greatest time to fish the stones, as the winter species like drummer and luderick are a bit of hard work. However, it’s still not a total waste of time if you put the effort in.

Whiting will get better over the coming months.

The best option this month from the rocks would be some light tackle spinning from Box Beach, Fingal Head or Sunny Corner for a few tailor. With a bit of luck, you may come across a school of rat kings or early season bonito.

OFFSHORE There have been

reports of trag, snapper and the odd mulloway coming from the offshore reefs such as 21,Vee and Gibber.

The most productive way to fish these areas is by drifting with a good old-fashioned double paternoster rig, baited with a tough bait like squid or mullet fillets.

Some nice dusky flathead are starting to get around. the water warms up.

The ever-reliable Nelson Bay Marina holds some mammoth bream as well as some of the biggest silver trevally you’ll find anywhere in NSW. These fish can be extremely fickle, especially during the day, as

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80cm being reported. The last hour of the run-up to the first two hours of the run-out is the best time to fish up in the shallows for flathead. Then it’s time to slip back to the dropoffs and mouths of feeder creeks for the remainder of

most of the fish. Feeding back a live bait around the bridge pylons will also do the trick; just about any livie is worth putting out, including herring, trumpeter whiting, tailor, yellowtail and mullet.

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Cody displaying some ripper rock wall bream.

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Flathead fire up with rising temperatures times, particularly around the channel mouth and adjacent beach.

Speaking of the beach, we should see the usual salmon and tailor along most beaches this month. I’m very sure there has been a lot less salmon around this year. I’ve encountered a few most times I’ve fished the surf since about early June, but those really big mobs don’t seem to have shown up like they used to. One afternoon I witnessed a big mass of sambos move into a gutter further up from where I was fishing. I walked the 100m to that gutter, got one around 2kg straight away, released it, and then went back to catching the bream in

CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

Spring may have officially begun last month, but October is more like the true start of a new season as far as our local fishing goes. This is the month when we normally see a real change, with noticeable improvements.

It’s always about temperature at this time of year, and although I’m referring to water temperatures, what happens below the surface is largely influenced by atmospheric temperature and how much sun or rain we end up with.

The more cloud and rain around, the slower our waters are to warm. The faster it warms up, the faster the fishing improves. So the more sun and less rain, the better.

The lakes tend to warm up a bit quicker than Brisbane Waters, although if we get some decent, sunny weather it’s going to help kick our bream, flathead and whiting into gear in the coming

Decent flathead like this can be expected in Brisbane Waters and Lake Macquarie this month, while numbers of smaller fish should be increasing around Tuggerah Lakes. weeks. As I touched on last month, flathead are probably the top target at this time of year. I’ve only just bought myself a new rod, reel and line and a few packets of soft plastics, specifically for flathead, which I intend on using a lot for the remainder of the year.

So what does the author buy when it comes to softies

month. However, I’d still be concentrating more on the traditional winter species like luderick, bream and drummer.

If the seas are very calm and clear, then it becomes easier to gather a few crabs for bait and target groper. Alternatively, pilchards fished on ganged hooks are likely to score salmon and tailor.

Offshore anglers will probably find the weather becoming a bit friendlier for picking a decent day to get out there. However, October is very much an in between month for offshore fishing along our stretch of coast.

It’s similar to rock or beach fishing in that we still have mainly cold currents at this

for local lizards? A few 100 and 120mm Squidgy Wrigglers in the white and drop bear colour were the ones I recently purchased.

However, I’d still rate pretty much all of the Wrigglers from 80-120mm for flathead, as well as plenty of other soft plastics in that size range.

I also definitely favour the lighter colours like white,

The moored boats and other structure around Woy Woy Channel are worthy of investigation for flathead this month. Woy Woy is one of our most reliable and convenient places to score a few flathead for fun or food at this time of year.

Bream fishing will gradually be picking up as the weather and water temperatures continue to warm up in the coming weeks.

pearl, pin and chartreuse, but if the water is quite clear or shallow then watermelon, wasabi, bloodworm and the like are also top performers.

For Tuggerah Lakes flathead, I’ll mainly use 4kg fluorocarbon leader, but in Brisbane Waters or Lake Macquarie it makes more sense to use a bit heavier leader like 6kg, because bigger flathead are more common in those waterways. Having said that, the occasional flathead over 70cm still shows up around The Entrance at

Stocking

the other gutter. But that’s the only time I saw what I would call a big patch of them.

Last October I remember catching a nice mulloway one morning while chasing salmon. Mulloway, along with bream and tailor often start to show up a bit more at this time of year. Another good thing is that beach fishing becomes more comfortable from now on, especially for those anglers who don’t like wearing waders.

Rock fishing may also start to pick up a bit this

time of year, and to my way of thinking it makes more sense to fish as you would in winter, with species like snapper, morwong, silver trevally and leatherjacket in mind.

Overall, this is by no means a great month for fishing, but historically, it’s normally a lot better than the previous few months.

My pick of the target species would be flathead and salmon if you simply want success, but others like bream, whiting or luderick are certainly worth considering.

Stocking

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NSW

Encouraging signs for the season ahead SWANSEA

Jason Nunn

Lately we have started to see some better-quality water out wide, with a bit more bait and more life in it. It’s a sign that we may be in for a good start to the spring game season, which would be very welcome, following on from the deplorable season last year. Of course, we can’t be sure, but the way it’s stacking up, it’s definitely encouraging. We could do with some encouragement!

In recent weeks we’ve been seeing small yellowfin around 25-30kg being caught off the shelf out around the 500-fathom line.

At the time of writing this report, the current is a tad wider than that, but over the next few weeks the big upwelling that’s currently to the north will hopefully start to push down and will find itself well placed off Swansea.

I have also had a couple of reports of striped marlin being spotted tailing, and one of the guys recently lost one on the shelf.

In the deeper reefs such as The Farm and down towards Texas, there have still been some good kingfish and some really nice snapper and longfin perch getting caught in that deeper water, when the weather has permitted. Unfortunately, we have seen a little bit of barracouta trouble lately.

These unwelcome southern visitors have been a bit problematic down on that deeper water, and sometimes even on some of the inshore reefs. In some areas they are thick, while in other areas they’re not too bad.

If you run into them, you’ll need to move at least 500m from that location to try to shake them.

Interestingly, we have had a few northern visitors come down as well over the past month or so. A big pearl perch was caught by a lucky angler, and someone even speared a coral trout off Sydney! Last year, when the water was particularly hot, there were reports of spotted and Spanish mackerel. It goes to show that you just never know what might turn up.

On our inshore reefs we have had a really good run of small snapper, which has been very well received.

There have been fish caught up to around 60cm, with most fish being around that 1.5-2kg mark. I suspect the reason the inshore snapper fishing has been so good is that there’s no real commercial trapping on the inshore reefs anymore.

It’s because the commercial

A feisty salmon caught around this time last year. value of snapper has declined due to the market being flooded with NZ snapper and the like. It’s a good example of what can happen to fish stocks when commercial pressure eases.

While on the subject of snapper stocks, it’s possible that a slot limit would benefit them as well. A lot of the bigger fish are caught on the inshore reefs, often on soft plastics in just 15-20m of water, and these fish are likely to release well. There is a lot of fishing pressure on snapper in NSW and Victoria, and we can’t risk having the fishery collapse like it did in South Australia.

In SA, the 2019 collapse of snapper stocks was sudden and unexpected, and the result was a 3-year ban. If we are sensible with bag limits and other regulations to preserve the good fishery that we have, we can avoid that fate.

The inshore snapper fishing should continue into October as the water warms up. There are also plenty of trevally and quite a lot of blue-spot flathead, which are a typical catch at this time of year. Bluespot flathead are a beautiful, great-eating fish, and you can catch them in around 30-40m of water on the drift.

They can certainly range in size –sometimes you’ll can catch lots of undersize ones, while on other trips you’ll be pulling in nice 50cm fish.

The fishing from the beaches and rocks has been just a little bit patchy. We’ve

had a cracking salmon run, but that is tapering off now, as you would expect. There have been a few snapper being caught off the rocks around this way, but this month the focus will be on drummer and luderick. Both species seem to like the change in season.

Black drummer (aka rock blackfish) hit like a steam train and they’re very good eating, particularly the smaller ones, i.e. fish around that 1-2kg mark.

A lot of people assume that black drummer taste like luderick, but they actually have a completely different flavour.

If you want to catch a drummer, all you need is a small ball sinker straight to the hook on 15-30lb (7-15kg) line, depending on how big the fish are. You will lose a few, but you’ll catch more than you would with heavier line.

While chasing drummer you’ll want to use berley to keep them in the area, whether it be bread or laying pellets. I prefer to fish on the rising tide because the drummer tend to go up onto those shallower ledges that are exposed on low tide.

The preferred baits are peeled prawns and cunje, or even just bread. Peeled prawns are probably the number one bait because they are durable, and it’s best to use Australian prawns because we don’t want more whitespot outbreaks. You can also use crabs, which can attract a

bycatch of groper.

Finally, when you’re fishing off the rocks, remember to wear a lifejacket and ideally fish with someone else.

Moving to the estuaries, we’re seeing tailor build in fairly good numbers, and they should start to move out of the estuary as we head into October. We should see a splash of them along the beaches as they move away.

We should see an increase in mulloway in the lake itself in the coming weeks. We are also starting to see flathead, which have been in the deeper bays,

now start to spread out.

Those fish are moving into warmer, shallower water in the 2-5m depth range, after spending most of winter in deeper water around the 9m mark. We will also see more baitfish for them in the shallows, and a few more whiting there as well. That should gain momentum this month and beyond. Prawns will also start to resurface in the warmer, shallow waters.

A few blue swimmer crabs have been getting caught in recent weeks.

We saw great catches last year in late spring and early summer, and the way it’s stacking up at the moment it’s looking like we’ll get another good NovemberDecember for blue swimmers. Naturally, that will depend on whether we get rid of that rain and get more sunshine.

Whiting will start to build in numbers in estuaries in the coming weeks, and the best bait to use for them is live tube worms. We usually fish with a running ball sinker from 1-3 size, onto a swivel (use black instead of brass to reduce glint), a size 8 swivel, 3kg mainline, and fluorocarbon leader from 2-3kg. It must be fluorocarbon, not mono leader. Hook size is generally no. 8 to no. 6. No. 6 is preferred because gape is bigger.

The best reel for this, in my opinion, is the Baitrunner. It’s perfectly suited to fishing for whiting in the estuaries. The estuary whiting bite differently from the beach whiting.

The beach whiting will bite like bream (i.e. abruptly) whereas the estuary whiting are very timid and will tend to play with the bait a bit longer, often picking it up and dropping it. These

wary fish can get spooked by someone who is fishing in gear, which is why the Baitrunner is so useful.

The EPA has released its findings regarding the fish kill in the southern end of Lake Macquarie. Hundreds of fish died, including flathead, bream, mullet, trevally and tailor, plus a couple of 60-70kg eagle rays. Many people suspected that the power station was the culprit, but the EPA said it couldn’t find any supporting evidence of that.

Their conclusion was that the fish kill was probably caused by a combination of rain, temperature changes and wind shift rolling the water over, exposing deoxygenated water. Many anglers remain unconvinced of the EPA’s verdict, because these conditions have occurred before without resulting in a fish kill. In any case, hopefully it won’t happen again anytime soon.

Next issue I should have more information on tailor, bream, whiting and the prawn run, and also flathead in shallower water.

• Fisherman’s Warehouse Tackle World has a large range fresh and frozen bait as well as a huge range of rods, reels, lures and accessories.

They also sell and service outboard motors, and have a competitively-priced selection of new and secondhand boats. The friendly staff are all experienced local anglers, and they’re always happy to share their knowledge, whether you’re a novice or experienced angler. Drop in for a chat at 804 Pacific Highway, Marks Point, or give them a call on (02) 4945 2152.

You can also find them on Facebook, or check out their website at www.fishermans warehouse.com.au.

Kane Fairchild holds up a beautifully marked cod.

OCTOBER 2022

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Warmer days kick-starting the food chain ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke

We get a few warmer and even hot days during October, and these days heat up the estuaries and really kick-start the movement of juvenile baitfish and prawns in the shallows. This in turn gets the larger predators excited and hungry after the quiet times of winter.

While the water moving into the estuaries may not be summertime warm yet, the water moving out on the tide will often be several degrees hotter, thus stimulating larger fish into feeding.

Flathead will be moving into the shallows along with the first of the whiting, but not all the whiting will be keeper size. Flathead just love small whiting for dinner too, so casting to the edges of sand banks that drop into deeper water from the shallows is always a good way to start looking.

Rocky areas are also good spots to look for flatties, as the darker rocks hold the heat just a little better than the sand, so they will sit on the rocks on the edge of the current to stay warm and pick off any passing food.

Bream will be getting about the edges of the weed beds looking for the first small crabs and prawns that emerge from hiding or hatching as the water warms.

The area out from Primbee to Windang would be a good spot to look. Alternatively, the lake’s feeder streams will still have some big bream on the fallen tree snags, but you will need live prawns for any real results. If you want live prawns, head down to the lake after dark, as they will start to move this month on the dark moon. Fishing them live on light line right into the snags is a great technique.

You lose a few, but the hook-ups are exciting.

Offshore is not affected as much by the air temperature, but the first fingers of the warmer water will be starting to tumble down the coast later this month, kick starting the fishing action. The first of the warmer water often produces some of the biggest mahimahi of the year on the leading edge of the current.

A few spearfish will be in the mix, with October always a good time for yellowfin on the cooler edge of the first warmer waters. Sometimes they come in close too, and most of the bigger yellowfin over the past few months have been south of Jervis Bay, but that may change this month.

Albacore are usually about too, but like the yellowfin it all depends on the current, so a small skirt or two in the spread will entice them and a few handfuls of pillies pieces thrown in during the fight can bring the whole school up under the boat for hours of fun!

The striped marlin shouldn’t be far behind, but they are fickle with the currents, as some are nutrient-rich and hold heaps of food, while others can be dead eddies, void of nutrients with very little life. Let’s hope we get a good one this year!

The current shouldn’t be too strong this month, so a bit of deep dropping around the Kiama Canyons should still pay with gemfish, ling and maybe some bar cod or hapuka. You just never know what might come up from the depths.

Closer in the snapper are mostly in the 30-60m depth range, with plastics and jigs getting results and squid baits fished in a berley trail a great options too if the current allows.

Kingfish are around in the usual spots as mentioned

A few better kingies will be getting around over the deeper reefs this month.

This one looks like the seals have been nibbling its tail! last month, with live yellowtail or mackerel fished closer to the bottom working over the deeper reefs, while jigging and downrigging the best options in the closer, shallower spots.

A few schools of salmon have been working baitfish along the backs of the beaches and off the headlands. There have been a few trevally hanging under these schools, so if you don’t like sambos, fish with smaller soft plastics under the salmon. There are plenty of barracouta about too, so be prepared to lose a few jigs and plastics if you run into a school of them. If they become a problem, the only way to get around them is to move.

Flathead have started to make a move this month, but so have the leatherjackets, and they will strip your bait and probably bite your gear off in short time. You can

Drummer will be in the washes, and a prawn under a bobby cork is a good way to get them.

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OCTOBER 2022

only beat them in the same manner as the barracouta; move to another spot and hope there aren’t any there!

A few smaller snapper are over most of the inshore reefs, along with the pigfish and mowies at this time of year, and plenty of trevally and the odd early samsonfish can be found nearby too.

The beaches are just starting to kick into gear. It was slow at first, but now we are seeing quite a few whiting moving along most beaches, and this should get even better as we head into summer. The same can be said for the flathead, which are also improving every week.

Salmon are about but are moving in schools from beach to beach, and are more prevalent on the southern Illawarra beaches and Kiama. During the evenings there are some solid tailor up to 2kg hitting fresh pilchards just after dark and few jewies are starting to show as well.

There haven’t been any big fish as yet, but a few schoolies to keep you interested if you invest the time.

Throw in a few bream and the beaches are starting to be worth a look for more species, plus you don’t freeze your toes off after dark!

The rocks are also on the up and up, with the cooler water fish like drummer

and trevally still about in reasonable numbers in the north around the Seacliff Bridge area and down around Bombo and Cathedral Rocks.

A bit of bread for berley always helps things along, then you can use prawns for bait under a bobby cork.

Bream and salmon are in the washes around the deeper ledges, along with a few kings out in the deeper water and even the odd mac tuna, which seem to come past at this time of year for some strange reason. Even a few early bonito could show up for the lure tossers!

Things are looking positive for October, so good luck!

Matt Fraser living the dream, chasing Spaniards up north on an offshore trip out from Townsville.

NSW

From yellowfin tuna to yellowfin bream BATEMANS BAY

Anthony Stokman

As the weather starts to heat things up, the estuary fishing starts to heat up also. After a spectacular tuna season, it’s time to hang up the stickbait rods and pick up the flats rods. Note that I said ‘flats rods’ and not ‘flats rod’, because it takes more than one rod to catch one species. If your garage doesn’t look like a fishing tackle store, you are not doing it right!

We won’t rule out tuna altogether just yet, as springtime often brings on juvenile school fish. We can have a good run of albacore, jellybean yellowfin and, in the last couple of years, jellybean bluefin during the months of October and November. In fact, we have already seen quite a lot of juvenile bluefin off the south coast. You never know for sure what you are going to get in the springtime. Last year we had big yellowfin show up in our snapper grounds, just 5km offshore, with a lot of juveniles mixed in from the snapper grounds and beyond.

Each week was different last spring. One week would have a solid run of albacore, then jumbo yellowfin would show up, and then the odd big bluefin mixed in with lots of juvenile bluefin. Nearly every week last spring had anglers feeling an excited anticipation, due to not knowing what tuna or how many tuna you were going to come across in what depth of water. It was a great end of tuna season, the season that kept giving. It would be great to see the tuna action roll on into November this year also.

Sometimes the yellowfin doesn’t always leave, it’s just that when the marlin come down the continental shelf, we focus on them instead.

Years ago, the odd yellowfin would be caught on a trolled lure when targeting marlin.

However, that became less common (or completely absent) for a couple of decades. In the last few years though, we have seen a change, with more yellowfin tuna activity throughout the year. We can only hope they will stay and/or continue to grow in numbers.

Now let’s move on from tuna fishing to bream fishing.

It is the estuaries’ turn to shine, as spring has sprung and the rivers and lakes are coming to life. The good year of rain we have had

the estuaries should provide some very good fishing this month. We have already seen signs of good things to come, with bream, flathead, mulloway, trevally and tailor on the chew.

Mulloway numbers are good, but majority have been on the smaller side over the last couple of years. The last couple of months have seen some bigger fish on the move, and it’s this time of the year where we can have good to great runs of larger fish. Fresh squid and live baitfish have always been the best baits. Lure fishos have also had good success

Keiran has been catching some nice sickles. could be a great ingredient for the warmer months (so long as it doesn’t rain too much and keep on raining).

We could see a good run of prawns, crabs and fish this season, or the best could be yet to come – maybe it could really fire next summer when we find more balance in the weather. Either way,

on a medium set-up, casting 4-5” paddle tails. You can go wild with what set-up you prefer, what lure to cast, with what leader and so on. I recommend trying a range of different approaches, and this is what makes your personal tackle shop, aka garage, look the part. If we see mulloway show up in good numbers, I

Harry Young from Offshore Adventures with a typical spring juvenile school yellowfin.

will get deeper into set-ups next month.

One of the estuary favourites is the Aussie flathead. It’s pretty much synonymous with Australian estuary fishing, and it’s a good sportfish with great eating qualities.

I’m sure that many offshore anglers may accept that flatties are good to eat, but wouldn’t consider them a sportfish. However, if you have never tried flathead fishing, you may be surprised at how much fun it is. True, they are no yellowfin tuna, but this time of the year is when estuary fishos get all excited and whip out medium/heavy sticks and swimbait rods, tie on stickbaits, glidebaits, Slug-Gos, massive jerkshads or paddle-tail plastics with three hooks running down them, having a ball while trying to catch a ‘metery’.

If you don’t know what a metery is, well, you probably haven’t been using whole chooks for berley either!

A metery is a metre-long flathead, and it’s the crown jewel of the estuary. Once you crack the metre mark, you will join the special metre long club.

This is the time of the year when big flatties come out of hibernation, and the keenest flathead fishos also.

The only thing in the way of these determined fishos chucking the kitchen sink at these meteries is the tailor. We had a heavy run of tailor throughout winter on our beaches and into the estuaries, and they were thick. Towards the end of winter they traditionally slow down on the beaches and push in and out of the estuaries. If plenty of bait builds in the estuaries then the tailor will stay in good numbers, and chop off plenty of lures in the process. That’s probably why I have been selling so much knottable wire this year.

The other species coming on now that we all love on the table is the whiting. They love a good surface lure, along with bait such as worms and nippers.

Surface lures get chased by whiting from this time of the year onwards. You can use a cheaper clear popper to do the job, but many keen anglers amass a huge collection of expensive lures. Bassday Sugapens are probably the top dog, along with OSP Bent Minnows and Daiwa Slippery Dogs. With tailor in good numbers, you can’t buy enough.

Another popular target species, which comes to life upstream from the estuary at this time of the year, is the bass. If you are tired of losing lures to tailor, I recommend that you go

Rusty has been getting good results on Sea Falcon Suary lures. upstream and fight big, angry bass in short quarters and see how that goes. These hard hitters and fighters are another Aussie favourite, and with all the rain we have had we should see them coming to life this season. We have seen some good purposebuilt bass rods come out this year; Ian Miller has made some crackers in his range, Shimano have their Expride range and 13 Fishing have also put some onto the market, in 6’0”, 6’4” and 6’6” lengths.

And just when you thought that spring fishing couldn’t get any better, the

snapper are also in great numbers in the depths at this time of the year. Also, the prawns are coming on, mud crabs are coming on, squid are on – it’s all on! The tuna may be slowing down, and we are still waiting for marlin, but there is so much in between that makes spring a great time to hit the water.

• For more up-to-the-minute information on what’s biting where, drop into Compleat Angler Batemans Bay and have a chat to Anthony or one of the other friendly staff. They’re located at 65A Orient St, Batemans Bay (02 4472 2559).

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NSW

Wallaga Lake closed BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

It never ceases to amaze me how conditions within the environment will change. For instance, over the past 12 months we have seen some of the largest amounts of rainfall on record, yet with all the water about

leading into the summer months? For starters, fresh stocks of fish will not be able to access the lake, so anglers will be forced to fish for what is trapped within the lake.

There is still plenty of food on offer for these fish, so they should retain good growth rates. With no tidal influence the fish will be foraging for food and keeping on the move to find

like to lure or fly fish.

Walking the western banks, you can often sight cast to these fish as they patrol the shoreline, similar to a trout in a high country lake.

There are also lots of flats within Wallaga that host plenty of nipper and worm beds that are exposed on the low tides. These organisms don’t go away when covered with water, however they themselves still have to feed and do their housekeeping in cleaning their burrows, and that is when they become vulnerable to predators. For us anglers, this is an area you can target with bait of the same kind at anchor over the flats. Casting baits in random directions is all that

Two bream taken at the same time fishing hard up against the bank. is needed to gain a bite.

Even though there are negatives when the lake

A crystal-clear morning over the flats in Wallaga, and another bream in the net. places like Wallaga Lake and other lakes along the coast have now closed to the ocean.

Yes, last month the Wallaga mouth closed to the sea again, so what does this mean for the fishing in the later part of spring and

their prey.

As water levels within the lake start to rise, you may find a lot of fish like bream, whiting and flathead up hard against the banks in order to find a meal. This can lead to some interesting angling, particularly for those who

Trevally will grow fast with the amount of food available in Wallaga.

closes, there are also some positives, and one of them is prawns. If the lake remains closed, there is a fair chance we may see a good run of these tasty crustaceans this season. Wallaga and most other lakes along the coast were open at the right time for the prawn stock to enter from the ocean.

For the rivers and lakes that have not closed, it should be business as usual, with plenty of fish stocks migrating back into them. In fact with certain lakes closed, it may cause more fish than usual to enter those systems that are open to the ocean.

While after a two-year forced lay off, the Brogo

Bass Bash is back on again this December. This is a fundraising and fun event intended to keep the stocking program happening for Brogo Dam. All through the lockdown, stockings of bass and estuary perch continued in the dam, which is now primed for a great comp!

This is a fun weekend for all the family to enjoy, with many raffles and festivities happening nightly along with the fishing. It is also the only time you can camp at the dam.

The BBB will be held the first weekend on 2-4 December.

For more information contact the FSCBSA on 0427 934 857 or email fscbsa_ brogobassbash@hotmil.com.

Bronze Brogo battlers TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

Over the last 25 years a lot of effort has gone into stocking Brogo Dam with Australian bass, and it’s been a great success.

These fish have also filtered out of the dam into the Brogo and Bega

Brogo Dam itself may still be a little cold, although on those warm spring evenings there is likely to be an evening bite. It has also been four years since the first stocking of estuary perch into the dam, and two years since the second. There is keen interest to see how these fish have survived and if they will be a regular catch for anglers in the future.

Anglers should be aware

The quality of the bass in the Bega River is superb at the moment. river systems below the dam, creating a wild river fishery. Some of these wild fish are reaching mega sizes, with some fish pushing close to 60cm, and spring is the time to focus on them!

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that there have been some changes at the dam, some for the good and some not so, mainly due to people doing the wrong things. The good news is that the boat ramp at the dam has had a big revamp, with a new

ramp and pontoon. The not so good news is that the area below the dam wall has now been restricted and fenced, making it a non-accessible area, so access may only be acquired by public access areas or with permission from private land holders.

Downstream of the dam in the Brogo and Bega rivers, bass are on the move after the breeding season, travelling back up the systems.

Following a few good years of rainfall, there is plenty of water in the rivers where lots of decent holes have been created, along with plenty of structure on offer from the flood debris. Lures and flies worked around the snags should create some action, and if you can combine it with a nice hot or stormy evening, you will more than likely see some thrilling bass fishing.

Down in the brackish water of the Bega River is where you are likely to find the estuary perch. There is a healthy population of wild stock in the Bega River, which will also be starting to feed more intensely following good rains.

Once again there is plenty of structure created from the floods along with the rocky areas that anglers can focus on.

There are just so many bass on offer throughout the Brogo and Bega river systems.

Once found, if you get them to chew you are likely to catch several in that area before they spook. Mixing in with the estuary perch further down in the salt are black and yellowfin bream, which will also take a liking to a well-placed lure or bait.

Most other estuary species are also starting to gain momentum in the river, with flathead starting to get active along with tailor, salmon, the odd mulloway, whiting and luderick all on offer.

While after a two-year forced lay off, Brogo Bass Bash is back on again this December. This is a fundraising and fun event intended keep the stocking program happening for Brogo Dam. All through the lockdown, stockings of bass and estuary perch continued

in the dam, which is now primed for a great comp.

This is a fun weekend for all the family to enjoy with many raffles and festivities happening nightly along with the fishing, it is also the only time you can camp

at the dam. The BBB will be held the first weekend from 2-4 December.

For more information contact the FSCBSA on 0427 934 857 or email fscbsa_brogobassbash@ hotmil.com.

The good news for Brogo Dam is the new and improved boat ramp.

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NSW

October gold digging in the sunshine!

ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

October traditionally marks the time of year where our days start to get a tad longer, and we can peel off the layers and start to enjoy the comfort of the beautiful springtime temperatures.

The water temperatures on our local Lake Hume also start to rise alongside the warmer and longer days. For yellowbelly fishing, water temperatures often play the biggest part in how they will

feed and react, ultimately determining success for anglers. Typically, in the lead up to October catching good numbers of yellowbelly can tend to be on the slow side, so coming into October with the water temperatures rising, the success of catching these fish usually increases, especially into the end of October and throughout November.

While November is my personal favourite time to chase yellowbelly in Lake Hume, October is the time that I really start searching for them and figuring out

what they are doing. Good technology in the boat can aid with this, however it’s not needed to find active fish if you do not have technology. I personally do not.

to come across active fish, because these lures can be worked relatively quickly while in search of fish.

While searching for fish it’s important to not get too

You don’t always need a boat to have success. Fish stacked up on banks can be accessible on foot.

Sometimes tree hopping can be the best way to find schooled up yellowbelly.

Once you have found the yellowbelly, you can start to dial into what they are doing.

In previous years when the Lake has been full, edge bites have been common, with fish making the most of the higher water, feeding in grassy flats or muddy shelf edges. Working these banks with lipless crankbaits and blades is often the best way

caught up in just one area.

Instead, move around and try different banks and depths until you do eventually find fish. Yellowbelly will move around a lot to suit feeding patterns, and as it really warms up they can start to stack up for spawning. If

banks aren’t producing, it can pay off to fish trees in deeper water (just don’t get too caught up on the one tree). Blades and crankbaits can also be used vertically up the side of trees, but soft plastics slow rolled seem to be the best lure for doing this technique. Slow rolling a plastic is very familiar to almost any angler who has fished for yellowbelly, and that’s because this approach just works time and time again. It’s probably not the most exciting technique, but it does put fish in the boat!

Redfin fishing on Lake

Hume has not slowed down for the past year – even throughout winter it still produced some massive numbers to many anglers. So, if you fancy the taste of these fish, it’s still a great time to be out searching for them.

As for trout fishing on the lake, some decent fish have been coming out however it didn’t seem to fire as much as it did at this time last year.

Still, with some effort they can definitely still be found throughout the lake!

Best of luck to all getting out there for this month.

Tight lines!

Tuning in to trout HUNTER VALLEY

Nick Price

This month I will start to look at spring fishing.

October is traditionally a transition month from plastics to spinnerbaits, and I am predicting great fishing this spring.

The fish are big, fat and mean, and I will be using heavier than normal leader to try and save a bit of gear.

Trout season also opens this month, and with the extremely wet winter in the Barrington Tops, the trout season will be phenomenal.

When fishing plastics this month, keep fishing school fish. Find the fish on the sounder and then slow wind your plastic through the fish. Use a 7g jighead as

it’s easier to keep the plastic at the correct depth where the fish are. Match hook size to plastic size. As a general rule, use no. 2 hooks on 2” plastics and no. 1 hooks on 3” plastics.

As the water warms in October I find that the bass in both Glenbawn and St Clair start to hit reaction baits.

Chatterbaits, lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits can all be used. I like to fish in deeper water this time of year, and traditionally find the bass in tops of submerged trees.

For this reason I love using spinnerbaits. I cast the lure out, let it sink to the required depth and bring it back through the submerged branches.

Although other lures can be used, spinnerbaits are more snag resistant and less prone to getting hung up in a tree branch. There’s nothing worse

than having to drive the boat into a snag of active fish to retrieve a lure. I like to use a spinnerbait with a single Colorado, wind it slow and let the blade slowly pump, doing all the work. As far as colours go, it’s similar to plastics – try natural and UV colours. I have a preference for natural green, black, purple and white.

This technique of fishing the submerged treetops also works well for square

Fly fishing in the Barrington Tops is as good as life gets.

Bass are big and fat and going hard.

It’s good to practice catch and release and look after the fishery.

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bill crankbaits. These are commonly used overseas and slowly being used more and more at Glenbawn and St Clair. We have a big selection of colours and sizes in the shop at Aberdeen. The square bill crankbait bounces off

snags and is more resistant to getting hung up than other lures. I also believe that when it bounces off a snag it often entices a bite. The sediment flying off the branch and noise gets the fish’s attention and induces a strike.

October is also the opening of trout season, and it’s a time to remind everyone to take only what you need.

Last season there were many reports of people taking excess trout and even leaving them dead on the bank. The trout are released by local fishing clubs for the enjoyment of all, so please be considerate of others and only take what you need and practice catch and release. If you do see someone breaking the law, please report this to the NSW Fisheries hotline.

There are both brown and rainbows in the Barrington Tops. They both love chasing lures and fly, and there are some big fish this season. I will go through different techniques in a later issue, but remember to fish upstream, cast at 45° and bring your lure back with the current. Celta-

style spinners work well in running water, and Rapalatype minnows in the pools.

Fly fishing for trout is easier than it looks, and is about as good as life gets.

Next month I will start to look at fishing with rising water temperatures.

November is traditionally the month when I start fishing lipless crankbaits such as Jackall TN60s, and I am predicting great fishing this spring. Trout season is also in full swing, with insect hatches and great fly fishing.

Remember, if you’re heading up to the Barrington, Glenbawn or St Clair, please drop into the shop at the turnoff to Glenbawn in Aberdeen and ask about the different techniques and what they are biting on. We stock all the quality tackle that you need.

NSW

Get out the trout gear BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

The greater Batlow area (and most of NSW) has been lucky enough to receive great rain and even snow falls all winter long. Some say it’s been the wettest in a decade, while others say it’s the

themselves in the food-rich shallows around the lake.

GOLDEN PERCH Golden perch are at their most active this month as they feed up and start thinking about spawning.

The goldens that aren’t thinking of spawning just yet are the fish you want to target, because once these fish get focused on spawning they can be very

walls, and at Blowering in particular around the Islands area as well. The huge schools of fish around the wall areas are almost completely fixated on spawning, and can be very difficult to catch at times. However, persistent casting or trolling in this area will often result in fish, and if you’re on the water when they decide to start biting, you will often catch plenty of fish.

As for tactics, in the shallows I’d suggest light lipless crankbaits 60mm or less, shallow running hardbodies (especially suspending models), small lightly-weighted blades, small profile spinnerbaits or soft plastics rigged on 1/16oz to 1/4oz jigheads.

In the deeper water around the wall and Island, the best lures are heavy lipless crankbaits, rubber vibes and blades that will get

The trout season is back open in our creeks and rivers, and the fish will be hungry. Dust off your gear and go get amongst them. season will finally be under way come the beginning of October. When it comes to what level the river will

on the flow. Casting down and across stream with sinking hardbodies is a super deadly technique in

Hopping lures like this Insanity Tackle Yab blade along the bottom, imitating yabbies, will account for crazy golden perch numbers this month. wettest on record. Either way it’s clear to see just how much rain we’ve had, as Blowering Dam seems to stay at capacity.

As the water temperatures around the margins of the dams start to rise quite quickly this month, so too do the catch rates of both trout and golden perch, which are arguably the flavours of the month. A boat is not essential at this time of year (although it can be helpful).

Fishing from the bank is a good way of targeting both species, as they both like to take advantage of these conditions by gorging

hard to entice, no matter what you throw at them.

The most active fish will be sitting in the shallows, picking off frogs, yabbies and insects. These fish can be targeted with bait, lures or flies either from the bank or from a boat. The key to this form of fishing is keeping quiet and putting in long casts so as to not spook the shallowholding fish. If you keep quiet it’s not uncommon to see your target before you even put a cast in.

Alternatively, you can target the massive schools of golden perch that congregate along the dam

Find the female and there should be a bunch of males around, which can result in lots of double hook-ups. you down quickly and hold you down there. Heavilyweighted soft plastics are also a good option.

TUMUT RIVER After quite a long wait for some people, the trout

Spring is trophy golden perch season.

be flowing at, it’s anyone’s guess. However, whether the flow is low or high, there will be plenty of anglers out getting their first trout fix for the year.

You will need your heavy trout gear to give yourself a fighting chance if the river is in high flow, but if the flow is low (under 1000 megs) then I recommend you go as light as you dare.

Lure fishing with the local favourite, the Tassie Devil, can still be very productive in the high flows but it’s always good to try something different to increase your chances of catching those big, educated trout.

Lipless crankbaits in trout colours work well in the high flows, as do paddle-tail soft plastics like the Squidgy Fish range and the Ecogear Grass Minnows rigged on fairly heavy jigheads around the 1/4oz to 1/2oz mark, depending

of the river is the most consistent technique, but bait drifted along under a float can also be deadly on Tumut River trout.

Fly fishos can get good results from weighted nymphs fished under a big dry fly, and glow bugs also have their moments this early in the season.

All of the above mentioned techniques will also work in the low flows, however if the river is in low flow it is hard to beat casting with small spinners such as the Rooster Tails, Cocktails and Bling Spins to name but a few. To achieve the best results with these lures it’s best to jump in the river and walk upstream, casting ahead of yourself the whole way.

It’s worth noting that regardless of the flow, the Tumut River fishes really well at the beginning of the season. At this time of year, most fish have just finished spawning and will

During spring, the physical proportions of golden perch is next level. Look at that tail wrist. the high flows, and makes for quite easy fishing.

Bait drifters can have good results in the high flows also. Rigging your bait so that it is slowly drifting along the bottom

be out gorging themselves on anything that fits in their mouths as they attempt to put some weight back on. So, dust off the trout gear and go get amongst them. I know I will be.

OCTOBER 2022

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NSW

Native fish populations bouncing back NEW ENGLAND RIVERS

Adam Townsend

There’s plenty to be excited about this month, with trout season opening back up on the long weekend, as well as some warm weather perch fishing. With talks of another very wet spring (as a third La Niña weather event has been predicted), rivers have been flowing

been hard to fish because of the heavy flows, the local impoundments such as Copeton and Pindari dams have been thriving from it.

With water levels sitting well up, and even over full capacity, the native fish population seems to have bounced back after the massive fish kill the area suffered from only a few seasons back. There is now an abundant amount of fish in both dams being caught, and

spawn, especially when the wattle is out in full bloom.

I find casting small lipless crankbaits such as Mazzy Vibes tight up into the wattle bushes, or slowly working small soft plastics throughout the bushes and shrubs, can be very effective and a very fun type of fishing at this time of year. Trolling the Mazzy Vibes and other types of lipless crankbaits out a bit wider in the water column can

This is how Pindari Dam looked three years ago (left) and a recent photo of Pindari Dam sitting high at full capacity – a massive difference from how it looked in 2018.

The rivers have had some solid flushes, which should create some awesome fishing opportunities in the months to come when water levels recede back to normal. hard from the consistent heavy rainfalls in recent weeks. This has made the New England area look the best it has in many seasons now. It’s amazing to think that just a few years ago the whole area was in severe drought.

Although the rivers have

very healthy fish at that. It’s very good to see. At the time of writing, Copeton Dam is at 99% and Pindari Dam is at 100%.

Copeton Dam always fishes well at this time of year as the water temperatures start warming and the golden perch also start schooling up for the

Time to go! Trout season opens back up this October long weekend.

also be very productive, and can sometimes bring a big XL Copeton cod unstuck during the warmer months as well.

On that same note, targeting cod in Copeton Dam is accepted all year round.

If you are actively targeting the cod in the next couple of months and intend to look after them, I would suggest some type of release weight, as Murray cod are known to suffer from barotrauma quite easily in the warmer months when they are hooked in deeper water.

Pindari Dam fishes much the same as Copeton as we head in to the warmer months. With so much bait life abundant at this time of year, it really gets the natives fired up and willing to feed. However, with so many trees and rocky outcrops hidden underwater at full capacity, it can be

FISHING NEWS

Get set for a big fine DPI Fisheries Officers in the state’s North West have been busy on the Barwon!

Two groups of fishermen were apprehended recently in the state’s North West using illegal set lines to catch golden perch. In the first incident, four men aged in their late 60s were found to be using 13 unattended set lines in the Barwon River upstream of Collarenebri, NSW. Fisheries officers carried out an inspection at their campsite and discovered 17 golden perch that had been caught using the illegally set lines. Both the set lines and fish were seized and

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penalties issued.

In a separate incident, also on the Barwon, two men were apprehended using a total of 11 unattended set lines. They were also in possession of mutilated golden perch and were using an illegal opera house yabby trap. Opera house yabby traps are prohibited in all NSW waters.

In NSW inland waters, two handheld lines are permitted per person.

Handheld lines must be attended at all times – you must be within 50m of the handheld line, and it must be in your line of sight. You must not mutilate (alter the length of the fish) of any

restricted species of fish in, on or adjacent to NSW waters. Golden perch are a restricted species in NSW, and you must keep the fish intact while you’re in, on, or adjacent to the waters where you’re fishing, so that Fisheries offices can confirm the measurements of the fish.

Refer to the DPI website (www.dpi.nsw.gov.au) or the Fishsmart App for detailed information.

Members of the public can report suspected illegal fishing activity to the Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536 or online at www.dpi.nsw.gov. au/fishing/compliance. – NSW DPI Fisheries

hard working out a pattern on feeding natives such as golden perch. Sometimes you just have to risk losing tackle in this waterway just to find a consistent bite pattern. Some of the best techniques for Pindari also include trolling Mazzy Vibes across the

treetops, as well as slowly hopping vibes and blades across the bottom, working from the shallower sections along the edges, to further out in the deep.

The moon phases can also play a big role. Around this time last year, a couple of

mates and I experienced some awesome fishing trips around the full moon as the golden perch were getting ready to spawn up. This is not the case for all fish species, of course, but some species certainly do rely on moon phases to spawn and even feed, and Australian

Perch species such as redfin are fun to target during the warmer months. Walking small creeks for big redfin is one of the author’s favourite types of spring fishing. natives such as perch and cod definitely seem to make the most of the bigger phases.

The full moon will be above on the 9th of this month, with the new moon falling later in the month, on 25 October.

Just a reminder, Murray cod season remains closed for the spawning period up until 1 December. Anyone caught targeting cod during the months of September, October and November (except Copeton Dam) could get slapped with a hefty fine and have all their fishing gear confiscated. Please do the right thing and leave the cod alone as there are plenty of other fish species to target in the area in the meantime.

Good luck to all getting out on the water this month, enjoy the warmer weather and some awesome spring fishing.

NSW

The October bass bite CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

The weather is warming up here in the ACT and that can only mean one thing for us Aussie bass tragics: it is time to head to the South Coast and walk the creeks that flow into the Clyde River.

LOCAL LAKES The fishing on Lake Burley Griffin has been a bit hit-and-miss over the last few weeks. While there have been some great yellas caught right around Kurrajong Point, there have only been a few good-sized redfin landed, and most of these fish were caught along the edges of the concrete

Although there have been plenty of carp caught by bait anglers using bread and corn, and also by lure fishos using grub-tail plastics around the edges at Greenway, there haven’t been too many golden perch caught. Those who have caught yellas have either been fishing the deeper areas of the lake or targeting the pylons at the bridge. Small spinnerbaits are the best lure to use in this location at this time of year, but vibes and blades are also worth a crack, especially when slow rolled deep along the edges of the spillway. The Ecogear ZX blade is always worth casting if everything else fails. By using a hop-andpause retrieve, sometimes it is possible to coax a reddie

Bass season has started. is a good way to trigger a reaction bite from a chasing golden perch or redfin.

SURROUNDS At the time of writing, Googong Dam is at 100% capacity and has been full for a while now. This means that the dam has settled, the water is clear and the fishing is good. There are redfin hunting along the shallow margins of the dam near the entrance to Shannon’s Inlet, and golden

perch are hitting lures off the points near Bradleys. The middle of the dam is providing excellent deepwater jigging opportunities for huge yellas, but the redfin are yet to hit surface lures. Once this starts happening, the dam will go into overdrive and golden perch will hit lures with abandon.

Lake Ginninderra is starting to fish well.

I’ve been chasing bass for many years now and always look forward to the October bass bite. While the fishing is not always as red hot as it is in the summer months, I tend to catch bigger fish and more often than not, I don’t see another angler for days at a time. The recent weather events will play a part but I’m hoping this bass season will be a truly memorable one, and if you are a Canberra fisho who has always wanted to chase bass, now is the time. Pack a few small divers, surface lures and plastics, and head up into one of the creeks along the Clyde River and get casting.

walls behind the yacht club.

We have had a lot of rain and this has meant that the lake hasn’t properly settled for some time. If we get a run of warm days with little or no rain, LBG should really start to fire up, and there will be plenty of action in close for shore-based anglers. TN50s worked slow around the edges on windy days will be go-to lure over the coming weeks, and once the really hot weather sets in, I’ll switch to small grub-tail plastics and focus my attention on the deeper drop-offs near Lady Denman Drive.

The action on Lake Tuggeranong has been slow.

The golden perch are active at night on LBG.

Now is the time to start targeting golden perch with vibes and blades. school into feeding.

Lake Ginninderra is on the improve. It had been a pretty slow start to spring on the lake but the larger golden perch are starting to hit lures.

A wriggler-style plastic in the 65-80mm size range rigged on a 1/8oz jighead is the best choice if you’re fishing the edge of the weed. There are also plenty of redfin on the chew around the edges, and the concrete wall near the college is one of best spots to cast for a reddie in the late afternoon sun. For those with a yak or boat, head towards the dam wall and cast towards the rocks and work a small diver along the middle of the water column.

Yerrabi Pond is worth a mention as the yellas are hitting lures right now.

Small shallow-running divers in darker colours are the best choice, as these lures swim along the top 60cm or so of the water column, thus avoiding the weed. A short quick wind followed by a long pause

Lots of anglers focus their efforts around the drains at the top of the pond, but there are plenty of other spots to try like the pylons under the bridge.

Googong goldens love a plastic beetlespin presentation.

The bass will start hitting surface lures over the coming weeks.

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Time to get some serious fishing done PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

With spring now in full swing, let’s hope the weather gods are on our side and we can get some serious fishing done.

We have finally seen some barrel tuna hit town and they have certainly fired up the boat ramps.

caught, exceeding 150kg.

It’s important to make sure these big fish are well looked after by bleeding and icing them ASAP for best results. Please only take what’s needed to feed your family and friends. Catch and release is certainly a rewarding way of having a go at these great fish.

Portland is renowned for great tuna fishing and we

We have started to see numbers of squid off the breakwater, with most anglers using pin jigs under floats using silver whiting or pilchards as bait. You can also entice the squid with squid jigs of different weights and colours, depending on the weather and depth. Squid are also being taken under the tower area on the town reef in the shallows. Reef and weed beds are the best options, and should see numbers increase in the coming weeks.

Salmon numbers have still been good off the breakwater and surf beaches around the bay, and they certainly put up a good fight. I love catching salmon on light gear with lures, but bait also does the job. With the squid off the breakwater, this is generally a good sign that other good table fish off the lee are not far away, especially if we get some big swells from time to time. This will entice the snapper to move in, and as the water warms up there may also be the

Crew from Bag Out Charters with a pair of tuna.

Lenny and Acco with a 96kg tuna, which was Lenny’s first big tuna.

We have seen quite a few mid-size tuna, around 60-100kg, along with some big boys ranging from 100kg to nearly 140kg.

There have also been some reports of larger tuna

want people of all ages to have a chance of catching fish in the future.

We could certainly see the big tuna around for a bit longer, so keep an eye on our Facebook page.

Macauley Fisher with a ripper estuary perch from the Glenelg River.

odd kingfish caught before the summer months roll in.

Shark fishing is generally high on the list at this time of year, with some gummies, schoolies etc turning up off the breakwater, and also around the bay off the surf.

Boat fishing has fired up, and it should only get better as the season progresses.

Lately we have seen some very good feeds from the shelf when the weather has permitted. Blue-eye, pink ling, gemfish and blue grenadier are high on the list. Fishing the back of the

rock has been productive, turning up bigger snapper, sharks, nannygai and so on, whether you’re drifting or you take the option to anchor and berley up. If you are looking for a feed of flathead and the seas are calm, a trip to Bridgewater is always a great option and generally very productive.

The bay should only get better also, with whiting, flathead and pinkie snapper, just to name a few.

Remember when fishing Portland waters there is always a chance of grabbing To page 79

Hopkins bream are hungry and on the chew COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

The Hopkins has been quiet for a while, but just recently some thumper blue-nosed bream to over 1kg have been taken on bait and lure in the lower reaches not far from the mouth. Mixed in amongst the bruisers have been plenty of fish in the low 30s. Fishing the edge of the channel in front of Lyndoch or working the flats opposite has seen some reasonable bream taken, along with plenty of sizeable estuary perch.

The mulloway bite in the Hopkins has tapered off somewhat. That’s not to say that the fish have left the estuary, but with the barometer staying, by and large, on the low side, the 78

OCTOBER 2022

fish are simply not biting as they would if a high pressure system was sitting over us.

More often than not, the barometer and weather has been against the angler.

Offshore has seen a few good days where towable vessels to 8m have gone out deep in search of southern bluefin tuna. In depths of 200m+, specimens up to and over 100kg have been hooked and landed. Skirted lures trolled close to feeding schools has worked well.

Those anglers who have not found surface-feeding tuna have bottom bounced baits and have picked up some excellent blue-eye trevalla, school shark and hapuka; all excellent table fare. Squid baits have been the go.

Closer inshore around 40m depth over rubbly ground has seen some excellent gummy shark captures to

17kg. Leatherjackets to 1.3kg have been the by-catch. Again, fresh squid has been the go.

At the time of submitting this report, the snapper have come on the bite with fish to 2.5kg being taken along with smaller pinkies. The odd nannygai and flathead has also been taken off the bottom with tough baits the go.

This season looks to be possibly turning into a great Australian salmon season.

Salmon schools containing fish to 2.5kg+ have already been prowling our many surf beaches from Cape Otway through to Killarney Beach past Warrnambool. Metal slugs, poppers, pilchard and squid baits have accounted for many fish, and working the waters just beyond the break has seen some incredible hook-ups. The introduction of berley into the wash has increased captures.

The shallower flats around the lower reaches of the Hopkins have been yielding some reasonable bream on both bait and lures.

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Reeling in run-off trout WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

What has been the best big tuna season for many a year has continued recently. The focus on barrel fishing moved from Port MacDonnell back east, with fish coming from around Portland as far across as Port Fairy again.

A wide range of fish from 60-120kg have been on offer, with trolling again becoming the

preferred technique to find the more well spread fish.

With the season being so long and the fish spread out, it means if you find the fish you can often have them all to yourself, something that’s often quite rare in a hot barrel bite. October is usually the end of the big tuna season but given what’s happened so far this season I’m sure there will be some around still.

The offshore action hasn’t just been about tuna though. There will be plenty of gummies and snapper on

offer in the coming weeks, with the fish being more available in closer in the 35-40m range, as opposed to further offshore where most good bags have been taken recently. Some exceptional captures of quality snapper were taken offshore in the 120m range recently, with some fish to 7kg taken using a variety of jigging techniques.

Warrnambool boat ramp remains closed at this stage, so for those wanting to access offshore fishing it’s best to use Port Fairy ramp.

October is often a good

Some bigger trout have been showing up as the rivers rise.

From page 78

a feed, whether it’s the tuna, deep bottom fish species, or some tasty table fish from the bay. And for those anglers without a boat, there are some great land-based opportunities.

Plus, we are only a short drive away from some great estuary fishing from the Surry, Fitzroy and the mighty Glenelg River.

If you are local or

looking at making a trip to Portland, be sure to call into the store and say g’day to the team.

We certainly have all your bait and fishing needs covered. You will find us at 61 Bentinck St, Portland, next door to the Gordon Hotel. You can also contact us on 03 5521 1844 or follow us on Facebook.

Happy fishing!

month to start fishing the surf. As the weather warms up you can get some nice, flat evenings, and with it being too early for kings and the crayfish season still closed, targeting a gummy in the surf is a great option.

After fairly minimal rainfall, particularly compared to the rest of the state, the rivers finally came up and followed hard in late August /September. This produced the run-off fishing that many trout anglers were waiting for. Some seriously big browns to 3kg have been taken by anglers using large lures, such as the 95mm Daiwa Presso Minnow and Gancraft Claw swimbait. It looks as though some of the freshwater rivers might be the perfect height and clarity and still fishing well during October. Just be careful of snakes, because long bushes along overgrown stream areas can be risky at this warmer time of the year.

As is often the case in the cooler months, the estuary section of the Hopkins River has been hit-and-miss during early spring. When we finally did get some decent rainfall and the waters dirtied up, the fishing did improve. Good schools of bream and estuary perch started marking up in the lower sections of the river, and bit well on the

This winter has been excellent for big tuna.

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Crew from Sharkmen Fishing Charters with two nice tuna.

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OCTOBER 2022

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Superb springtime saltwater sessions GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

Breaking out of a very wet winter and early spring has seen the local lakes at capacity and rivers running high and brown. The Barwon in Geelong has been brown for what seems like ages, which makes lure fishing difficult.

Carp and redfin should fire up this October, and bait fishing for them will be your best bet. Worms, sweet corn kernels and bread are the go for carp while worms, shrimp and live minnow are prime bait for redfin. A few more insects on top of the water could bring on a surface bite from the local estuary perch so pack a few small surface lures and flick them about. If the water does clear up a bit, try single-tailed soft plastic grubs or minnow lures for redfin and estuary perch.

Wurdee Buloc Reservoir near Moriac has seen a few solid brown trout caught by fly fishos on the south bank, and bait anglers on the wall. The water here is slightly discoloured but it’s still worth throwing lures about for trout and redfin. A few redfin are always being caught here, mostly on heavy spoons that a) keep close to the bottom on retrieve and b) can cover some distance when casting.

Stony Creek Reservoir near Anakie remains clear and near capacity. There can be some trout working

the surface here dawn and dusk, so it’s worth throwing a few flies about. Stony also has some XXL redfin, so I recommend that you pack a few lures that run deep, such as soft plastics and heavy spoons.

October is regarded as opening month for snapper

OCTOBER 2022

David Le has been fishing around St Leonards, both from his kayak and the pier, and doing well on the calamari. David has been using jigs that are quite large – 3.5 to 4.5 sizes – and fishing both the incoming and outgoing tide as the squid have been quite unpredictable.

Works were finally completed on both Portarlington and Queenscliff boat ramps at the end of August. Just going by pics, they look fantastic and finished well in time for the warmer weather. For more info, head over to the Better Boating Vic website.

Barwon River estuary has been flowing high and brown for a while due to all the rain we’ve had lately.

However, clean salt water does inundate the estuary during the run-in and the first part of the run-out tide, which the saltwater species prefer.

Twelve-year-old Mitchell Neiwand fished with his dad

Bruno and his mates Luke and Leigh with a ripper tuna that weighed in at 141kg, caught out off Anglesea.

David has been doing well on the calamari around St Leonards lately.

Mitchell gave his dad a lesson, catching most of their fish in a session on the Barwon recently.

80

fishos, as snapper invade Port Phillip and Corio Bay. There have been some ripper captures down Victoria’s west coast, so let’s hope that translates to another great season. However, this winter has been a cold one and bay water temperatures are a full degree lower than

the same time last year (at the time of writing). Plenty can change of course, but I wouldn’t mind betting they come into the bays a little later than normal.

Having said that, if you’re keen on making the news instead of reading it, try lobbing a pilchard out on the edge of the shipping channel in Corio Bay during a tide change and see if any show up. Dawn and dusk are prime times also. If a tide change falls around first and last light, then definitely give it a go.

Late September saw an influx of XOS calamari from Point Lonsdale to St Leonards. These larger models will take most squid jigs but they can be a little more canny than your average-sized inker on occasions. If you find them but cannot get a bite, try a skewer-style jig baited with silver whiting, garfish, small (but legal length) salmon, mullet or tommy rough.

This sort of presentation will often tempt even the fussiest calamari. Keep your jigs just above the weed, and drift around until you find a few.

Nathan and his mates have been catching some solid silver trevally from the Barwon River estuary.

Mark from the jetty near the mouth and caught seven salmon, a whiting and a nice trevally around 35cm. Mark says they pilfered some of mum’s chicken breast from the fridge and cut that into strips for bait. Mark says that he and Mitchell are new to fishing and don’t always know what they’re doing other than having a ball together.

Nathan Wright has also been fishing the Barwon River estuary from his kayak and catching some whopper silver trevally. Nathan wasn’t certain of the size of the bigger specimens, but estimated them to be around 50cm, which is a cracking silver. Nathan said one of his mates kept one that measured in at a staggering

57cm! Nathan says he caught all of his silvers casting soft plastics, vibes and hard bodied lures. These fish go like stink, so they’d be a great light tackle target.

Out in Bass Strait there has been a solid showing of gummy and school sharks around the 8kg mark. Drifting in 40m or anchoring over the shallower reef areas has always been best tactic when chasing these sharks.

Tuna turn up randomly along the Surf Coast to the Rip at this time of year, and Bruno Lombardo managed to boat a ripper that pulled the scales down to 141kg when fishing with Luke Slater (no relation) and Leigh Cherry out off Anglesea recently. Bruno

says they worked hard to find fish from Barwon Heads to where they found a bait ball being worked over by dolphins in around 50m off Anglesea. They were trolling nearby when their Nomad 200 lure was taken, peeling 300m of 24kg line from their Talica reel on the first run. After an hour and a half fight, they had the beast subdued boatside.

Bruno says they managed to drag the big tuna through the rear door of their boat, but it was only when the beast was on the deck that they all celebrated!

The Lorne Aquatic Club commodore, Keith Miller, says the club had its August whiting competition where there were good numbers of boat and pier-based entrants.

The comp was dominated by pier-based anglers, which apparently is becoming commonplace!

Keith reports that other captures off Lorne include gummy and school sharks, flathead, trevally and pinkie snapper. The occasional blue morwong and nannygai have also been caught. The Lorne pier has been producing good catches of salmon, trevally, snapper, grass whiting, warehou and the odd King George whiting.

Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterfish@gmail.com with “FMG” in the subject field or give me a call on 0408 997348. Please include where (without giving away your secret spot!), when, what on and who caught the fish.

Pictures are always great, but please make sure they are at least 1MB (file size).

Fish HARD – die happy!

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OCTOBER 2022

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A trip to stonker city PPB WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

We have arrived at the part of the fishing calendar that I am always the most excited by. The dreaded cold, windy and wet winter grind is now behind us, and spring is settling in, and the outdoor temperature as well as the water temperatures are starting to rise. This means more pleasant days on the water, no more freezing cold mornings and most importantly, lots of productive fishing.

With this increase in water temperature, we will start to welcome back our beloved bread and butter species into Port Phillip Bay, including snapper and whiting. We will also see flathead fishing improve.

It’s usually around the Melbourne Cup weekend that I consider

snapper season back and in full swing and we’re almost there, which is super exciting.

Now before we get completely submerged into snapper fishing over the coming months, it has been an awesome month working alongside the Victorian Fisheries Authority on the Stonker Stocking programs in many of the family fishing lakes around Melbourne and Victoria. This year 1,000 rainbow trout around 5kg have been stocked in Albert Park Lake, Berwick Springs Estate Lake, Casey Fields Lake, Caulfield Racecourse Lake, Don Lake, Emerald Lake, Ferntree Gully Quarry, Garfield Lake, Karkarook Lake, Lilliput Lane Reserve, Lilydale Lake, Navan Park Lake, Pakenham Lake, Rowville Lakes, Roxburgh Park Lakes, Spavin Lake Sunbury and Yarrambat Lake.

This is an amazing

initiative to encourage family fishing around Melbourne and to help grow fishing by welcoming beginners. True, there will always be a few people who will complain that these fish are not wild, and that it’s equivalent to targeting fish from a fish farm. However, you try and wipe the smile off a young kid or beginner’s face who has just landed their first 5kg rainbow trout for the first time.

Sure, these fish don’t fight real hard (they are often likened to fighting a wet sock), but their sheer size and weight is amazing.

I have caught hundreds of trout in my time, but I was still thrilled to land a few of these huge fish. Let’s face it, there are not many areas around Melbourne where you can target a prized species like a trout of this size, so let’s focus on the positives.

I had a few productive

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Taya with a giant trout stocked by VFA. sessions targeting these massive trout fishing at Yarrambat Lake and Spavin Lake. On the first occasion at Yarrambat Lake, I managed to land a beast of a rainbow trout.

It’s arguably the biggest and girthiest trout I’ve ever seen stocked. I landed it while fishing with my daughter, and I was thrilled to watch her struggling to lift this massive fish.

We spent that session creating some video content for beginners on the basics of trout fishing, covering

the gear you should fish with, which in our case was 7ft, 2-4kg rods paired with 2500 size reels and 10lb braid. On second thought, this may have even been a tad light for these giant fish!

We also went through the right bait choices for trout and how to rig them correctly. Our bait choices included PowerBait, particularly the bright orange salmon egg colour, mudeyes pined in the wings and suspended under a float, maggots, scrubworms and corn. We always make

sure to have full hook exposure.

We also walked through the endless choices of lure options. For us this is mainly spoons between 7-12g in shiny and bright colours, shallow-diving hardbody lures between 50-75mm, spinners, and soft plastics, ideally in black and gold colours like 2.5” paddletails and curl-tails. It’s an information-heavy video, so make sure you head to the FishingMad YouTube channel to check it out.

I went out the following

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The author enjoys targeting salmon on light gear in the Port Phillip region.

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day with my good mate Michael Smith, who landed another awesome trout while flicking an 8g metal spoon in a trout pattern. It was a pleasure filming this catch, as he landed it on his 1-4kg Daiwa Infeet rod and Luvias 2000 reel with only a 4lb leader. Talk about turning it into a challenge!

It was lots of fun and it’s been great to see so

many pictures sent to me by families out and about fishing around Melbourne.

There have been lots of smiles and lots of kids holding huge stonker size trout. That’s what it’s all about!

Don’t forget that trout season opening in the majority of rivers and streams around Victoria is here, and places like Lake

Eildon will light up with their own trout stocking and events. It’s a special time of year for trout fishing, so make sure you get amongst the action.

As I mentioned at the start of the article, October is here and this is generally the very start of snapper season. The water temperature from this point will rise rapidly, and once

The author with a genuine stonker trout caught in Yarrambat Lake.

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Michael Smith was very pleased with this huge trout taken in a local lake.

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it starts reaching 15°C the fishing will only go from strength to strength.

The snapper will start to come into the bay and seek warm water and clear water conditions. They will move around, and we will be trying to find them as often as possible. I love fishing from October through to April, as it’s warm and comfortable and you can catch some amazing

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fish. No doubt I will be covering snapper fishing in great detail in the coming articles, so make sure you keep an eye out for that.

Until next time, good fishing everyone. Please feel free to contact me directly to share your fishing experiences, photos and catches around Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay and beyond, and they might feature in next month’s article!

You can contact me by email at alan@fishingmad. com.au. Please consider becoming a FishingMad member at www.fishingmad. com.au/member for fishing workshops, podcasts, detailed reports and exciting monthly giveaways. Also, don’t forget to follow my fishing adventures on the FishingMad YouTube channel and on social media.

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VIC

Sunny spring weather and great fishing PORT PHILLIP

Gerry Morsman

With the warmer weather starting to settle in, the snapper and whiting are staring to come into the bay in big numbers.

Although the gummies and squid hang around all year, spring is definitely a much nicer time to target these species. The warmer weather makes it very pleasant to stay out on the water for much longer.

past, especially around the Mornington area.

If you want to chase the bigger models then head straight down to the southern end of the bay, where things are much more tidal. The smaller squid generally find it a bit tough in the fasterflowing waters, but the bigger ones have no problem at all. Finding structure is easy as you will generally see the bottom in anywhere from 3m to 6m of water.

SNAPPER One of Melbourne’s

Scott humbles with a nice sized gummy shark.

Even for the land based fishers it’s much nicer to get out now, with snapper coming in close, giving everybody a chance at catching a good fish. All you need is a a 12ft rod with a nice, firm bait like squid or octopus. The end of Mornington Pier is a very popular location as you’re casting into about 10m of water, and Mt Martha rocks also produces good results.

At this time of year from the pier there are also still plenty of garfish, squid, and decent schools of Australian salmon.

SQUID The calamari are starting to come back in big numbers, especially around the Safety Beach area and all the way through to Mount Martha. Although these aren’t usually very big in size. they are very big in numbers. Casting 2.5 sized jigs has been the better option, with the red and gold foil jigs doing most of the damage. Green is also a hard colour to go 84

OCTOBER 2022

most popular fish to target is definitely snapper, and why not when you get to target a hard-fighting and good eating species. As per usual at this time of year, there are plenty of fish being caught around Altona and Black Rock in depths spreading out between 12m to 18m. Speak to your local tackle shop to see exactly where they are, as snapper can move around quite a bit but still linger in the general area.

The water temperature is generally a little warmer north of the bay at the start of the season, and as the season progresses the fish spread out, as do the temperatures throughout the bay. Carrum is seeing a few fish being caught in around 18m of water, with silver whiting and fresh squid being the best baits at this time of year.

You’ll find that the key to firing up Port Phillip Bay snapper is often chopping up pilchards into small cubes, and continually throwing them into the water a little bit at a time. It isn’t very tidal so the cubes will hang around your general area, firing the snapper up.

GUMMY SHARK Sorrento through to Portsea has been fishing very well for gummies first thing in the morning through the south channel, using fresh fish baits like salmon or silver trevally. These are very oily baits, and with the heavy tidal flow through this area it will carry the scent a long way, allowing the gummy sharks to hunt your bait out.

When heading offshore it’s hard to know where to start with gummies, as there aren’t many places

Amy with a quality snapper. There will be plenty of them around this month. offshore where you don’t have the chance of catching one. There are so many techniques and areas to try, but by all the reports I have received the most effective are as follows.

First, Barwon Heads in around 45m of water over reef has been a huge stand-out in recent weeks. As per usual, the best technique has been anchoring up.

When anchoring offshore, make sure you let plenty of rope out, especially when it is a bit choppy or there is a large, rolling swell. This will give you the best chance at holding anchor, and therefore landing more

fish. The stand-out bait has been freshly-caught parrotfish during the day or freshlycaught squid during the night.

The reason squid works better at night is because picker fish aren’t as much of a problem at night-time. All the little

if recent reports are anything to go by. These fish love to come in close at night to hunt down their dinner, so fishing land based is a great option as well. Using a 9ft rod with a nice, sensitive tip is a great option if you are

Squid strips and pipi baits are dynamite on the whiting.

Squid have been taking 2.5 sized jigs in red and gold foil colours.

pickers such as parrotfish, Barbers perch and any other small reef fish will hide in their caves to avoid any attention from hungry predators, mainly sharks, which love to feed at night.

A few other areas that have been fishing very well for big gummy sharks have been Cape Schanck in around 30m of water, and Flinders in around the same depth. Drifting along the sandy ground out the front of Woolami has proven to be quite successful as well.

WHITING Getting in close over the sand flats around Dromana and Safety Beach at night is sure to see you getting on to a few King George whiting,

looking at purchasing a new rod to target these fish.

Fishing squid strips off the beach is a much safer option than using soft baits like pipis, because a pipi can fall off on the cast and you won’t even know because it’s dark.

Getting down to places like Portsea has been quite productive also, in water depths of anything up to 8m in the sand holes.

Sorrento in between the boat moorings has been seeing a lot of reports lately also, with squid strips and pipis being the pick of the baits. Late evening or early morning will see you giving yourself the best chance of success around this area.

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Trophy bass in the Gippy Lakes GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

For this report I’m going to update you on the local bass, but be prepared because the numbers will impress you, and one fish in particular is the biggest bass I’ve heard of in these parts.

It’s fair to say the bass stocking here in Gippsland has been a huge success story, but it’s also interesting that a few much bigger and older fish that have been around since before stocking are also showing up.

BRUISER BASS For the last decade bass have become a major focus for anglers, particularly in locations like Lake Glenmaggie, and the upper reaches of rivers including the Macalister, Latrobe, Nicholson, Tambo, Avon, Thomson and especially the Mitchell.

With two years of increased stream flows it seems the bass have responded in a big way.

While chasing bream and perch I’ve been so excited to see bass turn up in sizes that shocked me. Over the last few months, I’ve even beat my PB twice with a 51cm fish and then soon after with a 52cm fish!

These are stunning fish that I never thought I’d ever catch, especially in areas where historically I only caught estuarine species.

Other anglers fishing local streams have also recently returned bass from 36-48cm and every one of those fish have been in absolutely incredible condition. I don’t just mean fat and round, but you can tell they are fast growing fish with a tiny head attached to robust, muscular

bodies. They look almost weird, but it proves they are living in a very healthy environment. This brings me to the biggest local bass I’ve ever heard of, that actually came in as a by-catch!

COMMERCIAL CARP ZAPPERS Peter Ingram lives in Sale and is our local legend when it comes to harvesting pesky introduced fish. He hauls in European carp using an electrified net that stuns the fish from the platform of his 9m aluminium punt.

The stunned fish are placed into bins of oxygenated water and then packed into an ice slurry. Peter sells fresh carp to the Sydney and Melbourne fish markets and even turns some of them into an amazing fish sauce. He has harvested the pests from many local areas, including the Tambo River and even near Hollands Landing, but lately has had his best success in the Latrobe.

His workmate Wayne Dredge has been taking some ripper photos and sending them to me. I’ve followed the boys while they work the river edges for a few hours at a time fishing from my kayak and it’s an amazing process.

Every so often a native fish like perch, bream or bass will briefly come to the surface before it’s quickly released.

Over the last few years Peter says bass have increased in huge numbers across the Gippy Lakes and recently some recordbreaking fish have appeared.

He showed me pictures of an incredible 62cm bass that left me dumbstruck and speechless. To think these fish live just 10 minutes from my doorstep has caused me many sleepless nights.

Oh sure, I’ve caught them here at 46-47cm and just recently a healthy 43cm

bass, but nowhere near 60cm, or god forbid any bigger!

I looked up the biggest Aussie bass and found a 57cm fish at 4.45kg from Lake Somerset in Qld caught

by Dan McCoy. Wikipedia tells me the maximum size in rivers appears to be

Declan Betts is not just a gun bream angler, and managed to land a cracker Lake Wellington bass to prove it.

Is this the biggest bass ever from the Gippy Lakes?

Peter Ingram holds up a 62cm bass just before release, which was probably close to 5kg in weight! around 2.5 kg and 55 cm in Southern NSW waters, and around 3kg and 60–65cm in northern waters. At any rate, this beast from the Latrobe is up there with the best bass in the country, and possibly over 30 years old.

What’s more, just a few days later Wayne sent me pictures of Peter holding up a Latrobe River yellowbelly that also looked every bit of 60cm long and about 5kg.

Yes, you read that correctly, golden perch right here in the Gippy Lakes, and he has caught them a lot bigger!

This is definitely far away from their native range of the Murray-Darling system, but I’m quite sure they have

Thumping yellowbelly in the Latrobe River? You better believe it! With plenty of small fish also being reported, it seems the escapee golden perch are breeding in big numbers.

86

OCTOBER 2022

escaped stocked dams over the last 30 years or so.

Of most interest to me is that Peter says these days there are big numbers of much smaller golden perch, and so they are now breeding in the local area. I know of just a few gun anglers who

have caught them on rod and reel and eventually I hope to bump into one.

LOOKING AHEAD After so much rain and high stream flows again this spring, get ready for yet another bumper spawning run for our bream. I noticed back in mid-August that bream were already spawning, and that was extremely early for these parts.

That tells me the bream

will probably have two breeding runs this year, and further bolster our growing bream stocks.

Expect big schools of bream in the upper Mitchell and Nicho rivers over the next few months.

Right now the dusky flathead will be waking up and moving down towards the Metung area where you will also find truckloads of whiting waiting for you.

Tyers switches on LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

The bluegreen algae grasp over the Gippsland lakes has continued to grow in strength, with an algae warning along the 90 Mile Beach and throughout the Gippsland lakes. Everyone has been encouraged to reduced contact with our local waterways, and unfortunately this has had a major impact to the town in recent times.

Hopefully it won’t be long and the algae will clear up and everyone can return to fishing and enjoying the Gippsland lakes.

LAKES ENTRANCE With the current algae situation the local fishing scene has been pretty quiet.

Some anglers have ventured out though, and the Metung Yacht Club has been a popular spot for bream lately. Anglers have had great results fishing metal blades around the base of the jetty. A good sounder has been very handy as the bream have been moving up and down the wharfs, so locating them can be one of the hardest tasks. Once you have located these schools, dropping a metal blade close to the structure or school, and slowly working it back to the boat has been a deadly approach.

Silver trevally have been a common by-catch lately, and these fish find it very hard to say no to a wellworked blade.

Bream have been biting well on hardbodies and soft plastics.

LAKE TYERS The lake seems to be getting better and better lately.

At the time of writing the water temp has dropped down to 13°C but masses of bream remain on the flats and have been destroying minnow-style hardbodies and soft plastics.

It’s the most consistent I reckon I’ve seen the bottom lake fish, with most days seeing me land 20+ bream with the majority ranging from 35-40cm.

After a few red hot sessions lately I’ve found myself going back to the same couple of lures each time.

The Atomic Shiner 45 and Atomic Jerk Minnows have been highly productive, along with the old Squidgy Flick Baits or Ecogear Aqua fished very lightly weighted and

cast up into the shallows, or cast towards any active fish you can see.

With the water temps getting colder and colder it’s hard to say how long this brilliant edge and flats bite will remain. Personally, I haven’t been fishing anything deeper than 1.5m lately; some fish have even been coming out of 20cm water on clear sand flats, or sight fished as they grub around on the bottom.

HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING? If you have been out for fish lately and have a great pic, please send it to stevenprykefishing@gmail. com with a short description, and you could be featured in an upcoming edition of Fishing Monthly.

VIC

East Coast

Salmon, whiting and perch: a nice trifecta PORT ALBERT

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

It’s always so windy at this time of year, making it hard to get out fishing at times. The fish are always willing to bite in early spring though, so if there’s a window of even half a day to wet a line, then I take it. The results have been pretty good for all anglers and the months ahead should be even better.

SUPER SALMON To target big schooling salmon you have to get your tides right, and you need to do a lot of searching.

Usually the last three hours of the incoming tide is the best, particularly around the entrance at Port Albert and especially McLoughlins and Manns.

As if on cue they have been fishing really well over the last four weeks and should be good for another month. To get the best out of salmon, once you find them, try to entice them to the top with surface lures.

Sometimes I make a heap of noise and a splashy wake to stir them up, and often work the lure fairly fast with very short pauses.

They won’t always rise to poppers, so I then go to bent minnow styles that will sit just below the surface and they rarely refuse these deadly lures.

After an hour of doing

battle with big salmon, I often do something a bit weird. I take the hooks off my surface lures just to get the good sport of watching three or four salmon at a time chasing and slashing at my lure, and even jump clean out of the water.

You’ll be amazed how long they hang onto a lure without hooks, with a fully bent rod and even pulling drag! It’s such a hoot and avoids long drawn-out battles or sore arms, and it’s kinder to the fish.

One day I reckon salmon will be recognised by more people as good table fare.

I never prepare them like other fish that I eat, which

are usually pan-fried with breadcrumbs or fried in batter. We only ever turn salmon into fish patties, but I swear by them! We add a heap of fresh herbs, spices and curry paste, garlic and ginger, even crushed nuts or pineapple, and mix with egg, flour and a few breadcrumbs. Their strongflavoured flesh is still mildly apparent, but it really adds to all the other aromatic flavours when prepared in this way.

KING GEORGE WHITING Just like last year the whiting have arrived and their size have not disappointed. It’s fair to say about 80% of them are

Jason Deenan knows where the big Welshpool perch like this 53cm truck live.

like peas in a pod around 32cm, but when a few over 40cm turn up they fight like little demons.

I’ve been able to get a few on blade lures and those with smallish trailing stinger hooks tend to pin more whiting, especially if all those bits are red or orange in colour.

As for bait, you can’t beat pipi or mussel on a small circle hook, and for some reason strips of squid does not work as well in this area as it does in Western Port or Port Phillip Bay. If you can pump your own nippers, then you will have the best live bait ever for whiting, but you need a low tide to access the shallow waters they live in. It also adds a good hour or more to your day, so you need to carefully plan things and be aware of suitable tides.

Welshpool has been firing for whiting over the last two months, but they have also moved into Manns and Port Albert areas over the last four weeks. Even land-based anglers fishing the local jetties have been getting fair numbers of medium sized fish.

ESTUARY PERCH It’s always nice to see the perch turn up for another spring and summer.

Their numbers can fluctuate dramatically year to year, and sometimes they just don’t turn up at all. It’s just impossible to predict where or when they’ll decide to make an appearance, and

Salmon are such great sport on surface lures, and the author can spend hours fishing in this way.

I’m sure it’s because they are such a mobile fish.

There is always a concern they are heavily netted because this area is the last place in the whole of Victoria where they can be commercially targeted.

So far they have survived decades of being caught for market and I hope they survive into the future.

So far they have been a little elusive this spring, but I joined Jason Deenan at Welshpool and we got lucky. The perch can live far out in the open estuary waters where the dropping tide exposes channels and gutters in certain areas.

The trick is to find out where they are hiding, and that can change with nearly every trip. We landed about 20 big perch each and Jason scored a real trophy at 53cm. We used soft plastics for most of the session, but eventually the perch would only take small hardbody lures twitched very slowly.

I hear Will Thompson from Allways Angling has also scored big numbers of cracker perch early this season, and his fish were caught on fly!

So looking ahead I hope the EPs will arrive in big numbers this spring and turn up extra hungry!

The town and estuaries liven up MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

Finally we leave behind us, and spring weather into summer, the

A good-size tailor that scoffed the lot.

winter as the merges fishing

will start to fire up.

The offshore water temperature is just under 16°C, and as we get closer to Christmas it will only keep getting warmer. With the good weather we will once again see the town liven up, with visitors taking advantage of all the fishing options coming to life in the lake, the beach and offshore.

The past month has seen some great fishing in the lake and all the local estuaries. The fishing for black bream has been good in the upper reaches.

These fish usually present a challenge. On the odd day they can be easy to catch, but that is unusual.

These fish are there for spawning, and you need to find the area with the best concentration of fish and which lure appeals to them on the day. If it all works out you can have a memorable day’s fishing.

This is the time the flathead start to shake off

their winter lethargy. Try fishing the northern-facing bays and banks, and take advantage of the fact that dark mud warms up quicker than white sand does. These northern-facing areas can hold plenty of fish at this time, with fish moving out of these areas once the water gets too warm.

Good-size silver trevally and tailor are still being caught, with Harrisons Channel and the bottom lake being good places to fish. The key is to find the bait using the sounder, and the bigger fish won’t be hard to find.

Yellowfin bream and sand whiting are being caught in the Bottom Lake, and with the entrance flowing nicely this is good news as it allows good movement of fish in and out of the lake. As the ocean warms, the fish will once again move along the ocean beaches and headland, entering the favourable estuaries for the summer months.

Mikey Vucic with a great Mallacoota bream.

The warming day temperatures will see the bass fishing come to life, and with the good rainfall over the past few years, the rivers and creeks have had a good flush. This should lead to some good fishing for this species over the summer months.

As usual, the fishing on the local beaches has been all about salmon,

along with the odd tailor.

As the warm water makes its way down the coast, this will only improve the fishing on the local beaches, adding a bit more variety. The warmer water will fire things up for the offshore fishers, adding more variety to the catch, and assuring that most outings will be rewarded with a feed of fish.

OCTOBER 2022

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Bream anglers battling trying conditions MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

The weather is still wet and the BOM seems to think La Niña is here for another year, so we will have to get used to fishing in wet conditions.

An upside is that when

the sun does come out, its rays are a lot warmer, making it very pleasant and gives you that happy fishing feeling.

Just recently a bream competition was held at Marlo in very trying conditions. There was heavy rain and strong wind on the Saturday, and it was only a little better on the

Sunday. The end result was understandable; many anglers were unable to get their bag of five bream.

However, full credit to these resolute anglers, as they all

on structure in both rivers. At the time of writing, the best results have been coming on lures, as it is a bit early for live prawns.

Salmon and tailor can

Dave Shanahan with a 43cm bream.

There are some good bream getting around at the moment.

Local anglers David Shanahan and Allan Lavell did well in a recent bream tournament.

persevered on both days with amazing results.

Estuary perch are starting to appear in better numbers, and are schooling

be found down close to the entrance as they are coming in on the incoming tide.

Most fish have been taken by anglers spinning or

trolling metal lures.

There have been no reports of luderick being caught, suggesting it might still be a bit early for them to appear. However, they’re probably not far away from entering the system in big schools.

Estuary flathead are still on the sand flats, but by all reports they’re in smaller numbers and are mixed throughout the entire system, waiting for the prawns to appear. When this happens, the flatties will move down onto the sand flats.

The surf beaches are fishing well as usual, with

plenty of salmon, tailor, flathead, bream, mullet, and shark. The best approach for salmon has been spinning metal lures, with reports by most anglers of a salmon on nearly cast.

Offshore from Cape Conran, the fishing has been a bit hit-and-miss, with flathead either in good numbers or awfully hard to find. It’s just the luck of the draw on the day.

Finally, remember that the boat ramp at Cape is closed for an upgrade until 10 December. It will be a bit of a nuisance but it will be a lot better when completed.

Fruitful fishing for flathead BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

With warmer weather on the way in the coming weeks, October should

deliver some fruitful fishing for those venturing out on the water.

A view of the Bemm River entrance taken in early September

MARLO

OCEAN VIEWS CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK

www.marlocamping.com.au OCTOBER 2022

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88

21 Marine Parade MARLO VIC

At the time of writing, the entrance remains open and the water level in the lake is very low. If you follow the marker buoys and head to the channel you will have lots of fun catching salmon and tailor, especially on light gear.

The bream have been plentiful in recent weeks, with the best spots being the entrance to Mud Lake and back up towards Siberia and around Pelican Point.

Reports of the river have been sketchy lately, as access is difficult with the water level being low. Lure anglers have been hooking the odd perch and flathead, with a couple of good reports of some big flathead up to 70cm being caught and released. It would be advisable to check bait availability in the town prior to your arrival.

When the weather has permitted, all surf beaches have been producing salmon and tailor with the odd trevally in the mix.

If you want to plan a holiday here, and enjoy the fishing opportunities in the area, give us a call to secure your bookings. And before you set out, remember to to a safety check – e.g. get your

There are some quality flathead getting around at the moment. wheel bearings checked, lifejackets, and check the dates on your flares.

• 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.

TO FIND YOUR LOCAL DEALER VISIT WWW.ANGLAPRO.COM.AU OCTOBER 2022

89

VIC

Golden perch fever hitting its straps YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

Unfortunately, the targeting of Murray cod here in Lake Mulwala is banned from 1 September through to 30 November inclusive. This is the time of year anglers are sitting on their hands waiting for a bit of warm weather to get the yellas fired up again.

Traditionally, the top end of the lake and backwaters around the Bundalong area are more productive than the open waters of the lake itself.

When they do fire, the ‘old faithful’ lipless crankbaits are your best option. Hardbodied lures up to 70mm and smallerprofiled spinnerbaits will also account for their fair share. For anyone who does

encounter a cod over the next couple of months, it should be release unharmed as quickly as possible.

It will be interesting to see how the lake and waters around the Bundalong region do fish, as inflows from further upstream are huge! The backwaters in the top end of the lake tend to be swollen and the back lagoons completely flooded.

Anglers must keep in mind that the Murray River below Yarrawonga and downstream through the Cobram area to the Tocumwal traffic bridge it totally closed to all forms of fishing from 1 September through to 30 November.

Overall, the 2021-22 season for big cod was massive, with record numbers being reported.

Once again, Lake Mulwala proved why it’s Australia’s

number one cod fishing location and known as the home of the Murray cod.

The incredible amount of metre fish was driven primarily by those using live scope technology with their sounders. Love it or hate it, call it fishing or not, those who chose to scope put cricket scores of big cod in the boat.

In the past few years, we have seen trends of surface fishing, then swimbaits pushed by the super keen who seem to catch a majority of the big fish. Again, this brigade has taken to using live scope and their results have improved immensely.

I would have to give the ‘scoper of the year’ (sorry I can’t call it fishing) to Ryan McMaster. For the season he landed 58 that measured in excess of the magical one-meter mark. Imagine if he could fish!

Coming up on 22 October is the popular Golden Dollar$ fishing competition, an event designed to specifically target golden perch. Based at Bundalong, the one-day event will see anglers vying for some serious cash.

Entry forms and invites are now available for this.

Organisation for the 23rd annual Cod Classic is well under way. Five boating packages, a chance to spend 30 seconds in a cash grab machine along with $100K+ of prizes makes this one event not to be missed. Enter online at www.codclassic.com.au.

• For more information on the Cod Classic, the upcoming Golden Dollar$ or anything else relating to fishing Mulwala, feel free to give us a call at Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski on 0357 443133. Until next edition, happy fishing.

Lachie McDonald nailed this 50cm yella from a back lagoon above Bundalong.

Weirs the logic?

ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

With high flows in most of our rivers, the golden perch are on the chew, as is the norm for the seasonal spring bite. Anglers fishing close to the snags with bait are catching a feed without much trouble, and small cod are about in good numbers

struggle to see the logic in, especially in a day and age when so much focus is placed on preserving fish stocks for the future.

There is nothing better in angling terms than a red-hot bite. It’s always welcome and epitomizes angling at its best.

As we enjoy the warmth of spring, golden perch will come out of hiding and embrace the activity that enables them to secure an easy meal. Fat and round, their glutinous appetites

the migratory habits of these fish make them an easy and plentiful target as they congregate below the many weirs, locks and regulators that govern the flows along the Murray Darling Basin. And when it comes to hot bites, it doesn’t get much hotter than the spring run of goldens that stack and wait their turn to move upstream.

Even though many of these manmade blockages are fitted with fish ladders,

Gavin Hann with a chunky spring run golden caught on bait. as they too welcome the warming flows. In truth, most sections of the Murray and its adjoining rivers fish well in spring, and catching a few perch for a feed or just for fun is generally not that hard.

But then there is the downside of the spring run: the decimation of vulnerable schooled fish, with no suitable protection measures from Fisheries. This lack of oversight is something I still 90

OCTOBER 2022

are matched only by the need to breed, and they will cluster in large croups and vigorously compete the right to produce the next generation.

Golden perch are not so lucky as to fall under the same blanket closures that enable Murray cod to propagate undisturbed. Instead, goldens have to rely on a little luck and the support in weight of numbers to ensure that future generations remain selfsustainable. Unfortunately,

the schooling numbers make the golden perch an easy target on rod and reel. As the saying goes, it’s a little like shooting fish in a barrel. The free-for-all is open to anyone with the mind to cast a line, and the catches can be easy, whether you’re fishing with bait or lures.

I wonder how long it will take before Fisheries has the good sense to increase the ‘no fish’ zones below the many lochs, weirs and regulators

Anglers line the banks near weirs and regulators to catch the plentiful golden perch that stack at these locations. that these fish congregate to during increased flows and the height of breeding season. At the moment it’s a free-for-all, and many of the anglers are meat gatherers returning day after day, with the goal of ensuring a well-stocked freezer to last until the next run. The wanton greed and pillaging of numerous numbers of spawning fish seems to fuel a blood lust that a sustainable fishery can do without.

While this practice may not be deemed as ‘sporting’ in the eyes of many, it is, however, well within the angler’s right to do so as long as they abide by size and bag limits.

It always amazes me how long it takes those in regulatory power to move on the most obvious of problems that are, oddly enough, often the most detrimental to our fisheries. As it stands, most of the current no fish zones below these structures average less than 150m on the downstream side.

Why not extend these out to double that (or more), to ensure the vulnerability of these fish is less impacted at times of high concentration? This, in turn, would supply our native fish a sanctuary that’s void of lines,

where they could go about their business of propagation and migratory movement without risk of being caught. These same fish, when done, would disperse throughout the river and still be available to anglers, just in a less concentrated form.

It would no doubt be a win for future fish numbers, which is something we are constantly propping up with hatchery-

reared fish.

On another note, the yabbies are on the move, and with all the water about the bite should only get better. Remember to get up to speed on all the rules and regulations pertaining to the capture of these tasty crustaceans, and enjoy the great spring weather and the excellent angling it provides.

With high flows, the yabby run will only get better.

Why not get out and get yourself a feed?

VIC

Trout, reds and yellas: spring’s best sellers WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

October is a fantastic time of the year to go fishing in North East Victoria, one of the best times, in fact. The days are warm, the water is cool and there’s usually plenty of fish biting.

MURRAY COD Murray cod season is currently closed and will be all spring. If you really want to get a Murray cod fix, you can head down south to

shrimp in October and others we can’t. It all depends on the season, but if you can catch them, they are a dynamite yellowbelly bait.

Any deep pool or slow backwater in the river is worth a try, with sunrise and sunset being my preferred time of the day.

You may even catch a small Murray cod or Macquarie perch as by-catch while targeting yellowbelly with these small baits. Both must be released, as the Murray cod season is closed

find the region’s best redfin fisheries, Lake William Hovell and Lake Buffalo, usually fish poorly for redfin at this time of the year. They tend to fish best in the late summer.

In contrast, many of the smaller waterways fish best in October, such as Lake Sambell and the many other old dredge holes and mining dams that litter the region.

Some of the smaller creeks also fish well for redfin in October. The slower and murkier lower reaches of many of the region’s trout

A large October brown trout caught on a Strike Tiger nymph soft plastic. water starts to warm up, but I will go more into that next month.

Any and all of your favourite trout streams will be worth fishing now, and all of your favourite techniques will work.

they will make excellent bait.

All small lures whether they be plastics, minnows or spinners will work well in October.

The main trout fisheries in the region are the Ovens River upstream of Bright,

also offer great trout fishing.

OTHER SPECIES October can be a great time of the year to try and catch a feed of yabbies, especially in the second half of the month when things are really starting to warm

A spring redfin caught as a by-catch while targeting carp with worms in a flooded backwater.

Lake Eildon where there is no closed season.

YELLOWBELLY October is the second best month of the year to target yellowbelly in the Wangaratta area.

Wangaratta itself isn’t the greatest spot to target yellowbelly, however thanks to fish stocking we now have a healthy population of yellowbelly in the Ovens River that are starting to

and Macquarie perch are a totally protected species in this waterway.

For more reliable yellowbelly fishing, I would suggest you head to Lake Nillahcootie, which is on the Midland Highway between Benalla and Mansfield, and is around one hour from Wangaratta, or slightly under if you get a good run with traffic.

If you want to target the larger yellowbelly, I suggest

streams contain redfin, some of which are very large, and October is a great time to fish them.

Despite these creeks emptying into the Ovens and King rivers, redfin are rarely seen in either of them. My guess is that the extremely healthy population of Murray cod and trout cod make them disappear pretty quickly.

TROUT October is one of the

This nice yellowbelly came from Broken Creek. Catches of yellowbelly will become more frequent during October.

Having had such a wet winter, I dare say that drifting worms will still be a great option for bait anglers, especially early in the month. As the days warm up, depending on the weather, grasshoppers may be present and if they are,

anywhere along the Buckland River, the Buffalo River upstream of Lake Buffalo and the King River upstream of Lake William Hovell.

These are the main trout rivers, but there are many smaller creeks and rivers feeding these waterways that

up. There are also plenty of carp in North East Victoria that are usually quite active in October. Most of the lagoons along the Ovens River have carp in them and Lake Moodemere is teaming with carp for those interested in targeting them… like me!

Yellowbelly numbers are on the rise in the Ovens River and October is a great time to catch them. Worms are a great bait, especially when the river is high and dirty. turn up more and more frequently, with many of them now starting to reach 35cm or larger.

Bait fishing is the best way to target yellowbelly in the Ovens River with baits of worms, small yabbies and live shrimp being the best.

Some years we can catch

you head to Lake Hume, which is also an hour away.

It’s located near Albury, and is a well-known and respected ‘big yellowbelly’ waterway, and October is a great time to go there.

REDFIN The redfin fishing can be hit and miss in October. I

best months of the year to go trout fishing in North East Victoria. The streams are still flowing really well, the water is still cold and the insects have come to life. Trout feed very well in October in these perfect conditions.

Later in November, things change a bit as the

Worms will be a great trout bait in October if it keeps raining the way it has been.

OCTOBER 2022

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VIC

High water gets the golden perch active SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

Both local rivers are running high around Shepparton, with recent rain and smaller creeks feeding the levels.

This made it hard in August and September for those who wanted to get out for a last-minute cod session, with the closed season now upon us.

There is still fish feeding up on the edges where you can find flooded banks or pockets of water where it isn’t

A relocated yellowbelly rescued from Greens Lake.

flowing as hard. Floating scrubworms or yabbies works well for yellowbelly in the spring months, with small spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits being the pick of the lures in the rivers.

KIALLA LAKES The main lake at Kialla is now fishing reasonably consistently, with reports of 2-3 fish being caught most days at the start of spring.

Casting soft plastics has been great these past few weeks, with local Kaleb Oxley catching plenty of fish in this way. Slow rolling for 3-4 turns of the handle followed by a 3-4 second pause has been a great technique for soft plastics and small blades.

Bait fishing around the sand bars in the evenings has also produced a few yellowbelly, with worms being the best baits.

WARANGA BASIN The basin has been hit and miss lately, with some reporting good numbers of fish where others report doughnuts.

Trolling the white Trellys RMGs has been great around Harrimans and the rock wall.

Bait fishing and using soft plastics while drifting near the caravan park has also been effective.

Those fishing from the bank have caught fish on

Josh Dohnt with a beautifully-marked irrigation channel yellowbelly. small shallow divers and jerkbaits like the Rapala X-Rap 6 or by floating worms about 40cm under a float.

SHEPPARTON LAKE As the weather warms up the fishing will also get better in Shepparton Lake.

We should start seeing more

redfin, yellowbelly and silver perch being caught in the warmer months.

The key to catching these species on lures is rigging them weedless. This could be soft plastics on a weedless jig head or lipless cranks with single hooks.

Small divers can work great as well by running doubles, or cutting your forward-facing part of the treble off.

There still will be plenty of trout active through spring, with the trout bite usually staying consistent

Building up for a springtime golden race BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

With spring well upon us, we are now in a time period where fishing conditions can change very quickly. This is due to the unpredictability that you often get with spring weather. The water conditions can be quite good at a location one week, only for you to return the next week to discover that the water clarity has reduced significantly.

The water catchments are currently very saturated, and recent rainfall is now producing some very good inflows into local creeks, rivers and into our water catchments. This is very encouraging, and the current conditions are leaning towards a very productive season of fishing ahead.

LAKE EPPALOCK How great is it to see good inflows again running into Lake Eppalock! At the time of writing this report, Lake 92

OCTOBER 2022

Eppalock was at 59% of capacity. With the recent rainfall, this has produced further inflows running into the Lake Eppalock, and I predict the lake’s water level should increase.

The lake’s water level is currently 8% higher than it was at this time last year.

Lake Eppalock is receiving these good inflows because the three impoundments south of Lake Eppalock are now at near capacity or overcapacity, therefore increased volumes of water are running into the lake.

If the trend of aboveaverage rainfall continues over the spring months there is a very good chance Lake Eppalock’s water levels will reach some high levels this season. This will be terrific for the fishing.

Once the water levels start coming over the high water mark from last season, there will be an increased amount of vegetation and food sources for the fish, and this in turn significantly helps the productivity in the fishing.

With the current inflows into the lake, the water clarity is mixed. Water clarity is the poorest at the Twin Rivers

This golden perch was caught in the Campaspe River on a Cod Hunter Flathead.

This chrome colour was the most productive on the day. and Mount Ida sections of the lake. The clarity is currently the best in the Kimbolton section of the lake.

Redfin continue to make up the majority of

anglers’ captures. Catch rates of golden perch have been low, but this will change during this month.

With the rising water levels combined with increasing

water temperatures, we should start to see a good increase in the numbers of golden perch being caught.

CAMPASPE RIVER The water conditions

are now very variable in the Campaspe River, and these varying conditions will more than likely continue over the rest To page 93

VIC

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Small soft plastics, spinners and baits such as worms and PowerBait will all work this spring.

IRRIGATION CHANNELS Yellowbelly have been very active since the irrigation channels have filled back up.

The water clarity has gotten better as the weeks have gone by, and we would expect the fishing to only get better as the weather warms up.

Bridges and drop bars have again been the hotspots, with fish generally holding

Compacts or Shorties have worked well, especially in white patterns.

TN60 JackalLs in brown dog and peacock have also been great lures in past seasons.

GREENS LAKE The VFA were recently back at Greens Lake near Corop, salvaging native fish to be relocated. And what a salvage it was, a record one, in fact!

Keith Bell, the contractor capturing the fish, said it was the most native fish he’s

The record effort was made up of 92 yellowbelly between 1-4kg, and two Murray cod, both measuring 95cm.

Local Undera Fishing Club and Women’s Recreational Fishing League members were in attendance to support the relocation works, which saw, 50 yellowbelly released into Waranga Basin, and 42 yellowbelly and two cod finding new homes in the Goulburn River at Nagambie.

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Tullaroop trout are on the chew BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

What a start to the trout season around the Ballarat and the Central Highlands!

All our lakes and reservoirs are overflowing after excellent early spring

to the huge influx of water, in some areas of the lake the water has become very discoloured and in other areas unfishable, with mud leaching from out of the ground. I don’t think this will worry the fish though, it’s only us anglers that it will worry. I have been fishing different areas all over

Declan Downes decided to give Tullaroop Reservoir a go, and he wasn’t disappointed, landing this ripper brown trout on a Bent Minnow. Image courtesy of Declan Downes. rains. There is plenty of newly-flooded ground for the hungry trout to forage through, eating whatever aquatic and non-aquatic insects they can find.

Tullaroop Reservoir has been the talk of the town for those anglers who love to chase trout. The reservoir is at its highest water levels for many years, and it’s anticipated to overflow. I myself have been fishing Tullaroop for approximately 35 years and cannot remember the reservoir reaching such levels. I have been fishing Tullaroop on average 2-3 times a week in the past few months, all landbased fly fishing and casting surface lures (Bent Minnows).

I’m amazed that every day that I head up to the reservoir, the water levels continue to rise.

The amount of food being flushed out of the ground is unbelievable – grubs, beetles, worms and more. It’s floating around everywhere, and I would suggest the trout are gorging themselves on these newly found food sources, as the old saying goes “Making hay while the sun shines” There has been a downside

OCTOBER 2022

colours, and it measured once again at 55cm. After a quick few photos, he was released also.

The next week we went to fish the same area. The water was too discoloured for my liking, so we fished another area. The fishing wasn’t as good as the previous weeks, but we still managed to catch a couple of good trout around the 55cm mark.

Declan Downes has been monitoring the fishing reports through social media platforms and decided to make the trip up to Tullaroop and give it a crack. He wasn’t disappointed, landing some magnificent brown and rainbow trout on Bent Minnow lures.

Declan said he found some nice clean water, and the weather conditions were

A magnificently coloured brown trout caught from Tullaroop Reservoir by the author on a T26 Bent Minnow.

“I definitely knew I had her hooked!” he said. “After a good tussle she was landed, and after a couple of quick photos she was released.”

Steve Angee has been out on Wendouree casting Bents out of a drifting boat, with excellent results. Steve said

Peter Cole has been fly fishing the flooded margins of Moorabool Reservoir, catching some nice brown trout using a Shrek fly pattern. Image courtesy of Peter Cole.

Steve Angee was casting Bent Minnow surface lures on Wendouree for trout when this 42cm tank of a Redfin nailed his Bent. Image courtesy of Steve Angee. the reservoir searching for the clearer water, which I prefer to fish with excellent results.

As mentioned, I have been fishing Tullaroop a lot recently with my on Maxi, fly fishing and casting lures.

On our recent trips the fishing

Max Stevens with his new PB brown trout, measuring in at 60cm, from Tullaroop Reservoir.

94

has been excellent, with some magnificent brown trout between 55-60cm. We have been fishing the shallower areas, which are mainly on the western side of the reservoir.

We generally leave home around about 8am and make the 40-minute drive up to Tullaroop. We then have a look at the wind direction before we choose a spot to fish. I have been looking for the clearer water to fish. One trip we fished in a bay where the very back end of the bay was a very muddy colour, and we started fishing where the clean water started. It wasn’t long before Maxi latched onto a feisty brown on a gold Bent Minnow, and I moved down the bay a bit further and started prospecting with a T26 Bent. It wasn’t long before I was into a ripper of a brown, measuring in at 55cm after a good tussle, and she was released.

We continued to fish the clean water, and I landed a nice rainbow a bit over a kilo on a Hammill’s Killer fly pattern

and lost another one very quickly after. Soon after that, I nailed a ripping 60cm brown on a Bent Minnow again.

The next week we went to fish the same bay, but was unable to due to the water clarity, which proved to be a bonus for us as we fished another bay. Maxi and I both started prospecting the slightly discoloured water with bents, when Maxi ripped into his new PB 60cm Brown on a Gold Bent, he handled this beast like an expert, we took some photos, and he was released on his way. We continued to fish the bay when my lure was hit by a fish without hooking up, and then a big 55cm brown nailed my Bent. After a couple of photos he was on his way.

While fishing the same bay, my Bent was once again slammed by another brown trout. This one was beautifully marked and had bright golden

excellent: a bit of breeze and overcast skies. Perfect conditions in anyone’s book for trout fishing.

“I had just stared prospecting an area and it was game on,” he said. “I can’t wait to get back up there.”

I expect the excellent fishing in Tullaroop to continue, especially when the weather warms up a little and we get some insect activity, which will bring the trout into the shallows to feed on them.

The only thing that could hamper this is if the reservoir becomes totally discoloured.

Hopefully this won’t happen.

Lake Wendouree has come out of its winter slumber, with some excellent catches of both brown and rainbow trout, along with redfin. Trev Holmes recently ripped into his new PB on Wendouree with the biggest rainbow trout that I have ever seen come out of there. It measured in at 65cm and weighed 7lb, 11oz. It was caught on a large hardbodied lure, 110mm to be precise. Trev said he’d had a couple of lookers at Bents when he decided to try something different. He tied on this big hardbody, cast it out near some weeds and started his retrieve. Trev said he had a couple of taps then this big ‘bow nailed it.

on one trip he went out the fish were everywhere.

“I only landed four for the session, including a ripper brown trout weighing in at 5lb,” he said. “I also had plenty of lookers and grabs.”

Steve said the weather was good, with wind and cloudy skies.

On another trip, Steve and his son Nathan ventured out, and once again the weather conditions were good for fishing Wendouree. The trout were out and about, with Nathan landing a nice brown of around 2lb. Not to be outdone, Steve cast

his Bent Minnow around when it was slammed by a magnificent 42cm redfin, which gave Steve a run for his money.

At Lake Wendouree the fishing will only get better as the weather warms up, like all other waters around Ballarat.

The insect activity will increase, and we will see the start of the much-anticipated mayflies start to hatch. This is something that fly fishers from all over the district are looking forward to.

Moorabool Reservoir, like all our fisheries, is full and overflowing. The fishing has been steady, with brown and rainbow trout being caught on flies, lures and bait. Angler numbers have been steady over the past few months, but this will increase once the mayfly start to hatch. Anglers will be making Moorabool very high on their priority list, given the excellent fishing during the mayfly hatches in autumn and spring last year, and the trophy brown trout the reservoir produced.

Ballarat Fly fishers Club member has been fishing Moorabool around the flooded margins, landing some lovely-sized brown trout on a Shrek fly pattern.

Hepburn Lagoon and Newlyn Reservoir are both overflowing currently. I’d suggest that the trout are mooching around in the shallows, feeding up while they can. I haven’t heard of many reports of fish being caught over the past month, but I’m sure those who are fishing these waters have been rewarded for their efforts.

Trev Holmes with his new PB rainbow trout for Lake Wendouree. It measured 65cm and weighed 7lb 11oz.

Photo Courtesy Wayne Rigg

Better fishing and boating It’s done! The State Government’s $35 million Go Fishing Victoria plan has been delivered to get more people fishing, in more places, more often.

Scrap parking and launching fees at all Victorian public boat ramps Stock Melbourne metro lakes with native Murray cod, golden perch and silver perch Phase out commercial netting in the Gippsland Lakes through a compulsory buy out Stock eastern king prawns into Lake Tyers Deliver the Fishing for All initiative and continue the successful Vic Fish Kids Program Build a new $7 million native fish hatchery in northern Victoria Increase stocking to 10 million fish by 2022 Develop a fishing tourism ‘destination’ plan to boost regional visitation and business opportunities Invest $600,000 in new fishing platforms and cleaning tables in Port Phillip Bay Open inland reservoirs to kayaks, canoes and tinnies with electric motors Mandate access to Crown land river frontage covered by grazing licences for recreational fishing and camping Invest $2.5 million in reef development in Port Phillip Bay to improve fish habitat.

Learn more at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/gofishingvic

Go Fishing Victoria More people fishing, more often

VIC

Hot weather provides hot action WEST/SOUTH GIPPSLAND

Billy Auldist

The trout season is underway and fishos in our region have made the most of it. The weather is warmer and the rivers will soon be in pristine condition, making it a perfect time to be an

successful trips reported.

All the usual presentations such as hardbodies, spinners and soft plastics did the trick, but it was those who drifted a bait who were rewarded the most. Countless trout were caught by anglers who fished an unweighted worm cast upstream and slowly retrieved.

The fishing pressure will play a big role in coming months, so it will be about accessing those hard-toreach stretches or finding new water entirely, with tributaries and feeder streams are a good place to start.

I headed out on opening morning with my brother Cal and fished a local river that was high and dirty, but still fishable. We found fish using hardbodies and spinners, collecting four trout to open our accounts.

Local estate dams have been fishing well for reddies, with a few reports coming in, and as the weather heats up so will the reddy fishing.

Casting lures like spinners and soft plastics will bring rewards, and often when you find one there will be more, so it is important to work areas over thoroughly. The bigger reddies tend to come

from spots that have the least fishing pressure, so it is all about finding new water.

It is important to note that the river blackfish season is now closed and fishing for them is not permitted until 31 December. It is critical that we let them rest during the spawning season and give them the best chance at recruitment possible.

Blue Rock Reservoir is starting to turn on as anglers report catches of bass, reddies, trout and carp. As with most waterways in our region, the fishing will only heat up from here on, so there is a good few months to look forward to.

Bass and reddies are being caught on soft plastics and hardbodies, while trout are taking winged lures such as Tassie Devils. With the weather coming good, we will start thinking about

Cal Auldist with his account opener for the new season.

A local estate dam dwelling redfin that ate a spinner. angler in South West Gippsland.

Many anglers headed out on trout opening morning, battling conditions to try and open the account for the new season. Most rivers and creeks were flowing pretty high and dirty, making it more challenging for fishers, however there was still plenty of

Noojee was a hotspot, as many anglers walked the banks of either the Latrobe, Loch or Toorongo rivers in search of trout. The Tarago and Bunyip rivers also had their share of attention.

The trout fishing from here on in should continue to get better and anglers will find it much easier when the conditions are favourable.

A typical South West Gippsland trout caught on opening morning.

throwing surface lures for bass in Blue Rock soon, and this could be anything from a cicada imitation, a jitterbug or even a simple popper. When the weather is hot so is the bass fishing.

Carp with take just about any bait you put in front of them, so I’m sure there won’t be too much guidance needed in that sense.

Heading into October, things are only looking up. It is an exciting to be an angler in South West Gippsland, and with the weather turning good and the conditions ripening, it will be a good few months fishing in our region.

Taking on the tigers CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Recently my good friend and freshwater charter boat operator Michael Evans landed his personal best brown trout at Lake Purrumbete, and here’s how it happened.

After his last charter, Michael decided to postpone heading home for a few hours and have a personal fish. The weather was inclement to say the least, with very windy weather mixed in with the odd shower.

This made things difficult when it came to casting lures around the lake’s fringes working the weed beds in hope of a fish.

Early on in the session, a Chinook salmon approximately 60cm in length took a Bent Minnow lure cast close to the weed, but unfortunately spat the lure almost boatside.

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OCTOBER 2022

Another two hours was spent for zilch working the edges but then the ‘golden hour’ occurred (sunset to last light) and everything changed.

Mick hooked up to what felt like a leviathan fish, and eventually it turned out to be the case. What felt like hours carefully playing the now identified brown, in between runs, the fish was finally landed. It measured a whopping 77cm, and back on shore pulled the club room scales down to a whopping 5.2kg.

The fish was promptly put on ice and taken back home with Mick as it now has a date with the taxidermist.

Another fishing buddy, Shane Stevens from Ballarat, has been hitting Lake Bullen Merri hard chasing the tiger trout that now seem to be the dominant catch of late.

Fish to 5lb in the old scale have been regularly hooked and boated by Shane and

one or more of his boys in recent times. Again, casting the Bent Minnow hardbody up close to the bank and working it over the drop-off has seen some fabulous tigers come on board.

The north shore has been hot, especially north of the old boat ramp where there are drop-offs against the low but cliff faced bank.

Anglers in the know are still working the upper Hopkins River in the fresh around the Framlingham indigenous reserve.

Plenty of bushland meets the river here, providing an insight into what our rivers must have been like before white man turned up nearly two centuries ago and began to clear the land. This snag-ridden stretch of water provides the perfect cover for trout to grow large, with fish approaching and breaching 3kg not unheard of. They are mainly browns, with a few rainbows to boot, ready for an avid angler to walk the banks and even wade whilst

Shane with a Bullen Merri tiger. Image courtesy of Shane Stevens. casting lures and plastics as they go. Some believe that occasionally some spawning must happen

here along with stocking, therefore a catch and release (after appropriate photos are taken) is highly

recommended in an attempt to keep this valuable Western District fishery alive for future use.

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Taking in new sights EILDON

Peter Burtchell

Now that temperatures are rising, smaller Murray cod, yellowbelly and redfin will begin to return to feeding, and this will greatly increase your chance of landing one of them.

great footage filming for Garmin as they put their Livescopes to great use, landing and releasing 13 Murray cod. Nine of the cod were over 90cm, six were over a metre and Brendon landed a 119cm specimen in what was one of the wettest and coldest weekends of late winter.

Higher than average

only a full lake can provide.

The rivers flowing into the lake will produce some great yellowbelly, redfin and trout catches. If you are fishing in the headwaters of Lake Eildon, any flowing water is classed as a river, and no Murray cod can be targeted in those areas. These include Big River, Howqua, Delatite and Goulburn.

Float Boats, Houseboats, Boatels, Guided Fishing tours or simply swagging it, Lake Eildon comes alive during spring.

Daniel from the Pilbara enjoying a great fishing session on the pondage on one of the sunnier days for the season.

During late winter, it is predominantly the larger Murray cod that remain active, and only the keenest of anglers rug up for the hunt and endure the chilly conditions. Two local guides braved the late winter cold and rain to produce some

rainfall has been predicted for October, and this should see the lake at full capacity by the end of spring. With Eildon being open season for Murray cod all year round, this spring will be a great time to fish Lake Eildon and take in the new sights that

Trout will remain active this spring, and if you would like to know more about trout fishing on Lake Eildon, or the many rivers within the district, give Brenda Gailey a call on 0477 000 324 or contact her via her website, at msguidedff.com.au.

Brenda is a fly fishing guide with around 35 years of experience in the sport. She

Local guide Brenda Gailey showing how to care for catch and release trout.

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Kate with a fine Lake Eildon specimen enticed with a Magdraft.

is a member of the Australian Professional Fishing Instructors and Guides Association, is licensed to operate a commercial vessel in inland waters and has internationally recognised qualifications in guiding, casting and swift water rescue. Traversing the great Goulburn River from Eildon to Alexandra, fly fishing with Brenda, is an experience to remember. Brenda is also a devoted committee member and volunteer for a Victorian organisation called Mending Casts, which is an umbrella body for Casting For Recovery (a group focused on women with breast cancer) and Reel Recovery (a group for men who have any form of cancer).

For more information on fishing Lake Eildon you can contact the Jerusalem Creek Marina & Holiday Park, a friendly, familyorientated annuals cabin park and Houseboat Marina, which makes the perfect home away from home. If you’re visiting Lake Eildon you can opt to stay in one of the floating apartments (Boatels), hire a houseboat or fishing vessel, visit the Megabass Elite Pro Store, or book a Megabass Elite Pro Fishing Tour with one of the many leading Australian fishing guides operating from Jerusalem Creek.

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Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Fit and hungry trout HOBART

Andrew Large

Anglers have been spared the cold fronts and unseasonal low-pressure cells of recent months, and mild weather in the last few weeks has been increasing fishing opportunities state-wide.

Saltwater has seen sand flathead starting move in some areas. The water temperatures are still down, but some action has been seen throughout Storm Bay. As late spring temperatures

and up the channel.

Meanwhile, sand whiting have been encountered around Lewisham in the south, while good runs of King George whiting have been experienced along the northern coastline and northeast of the state.

In deeper waters off the east coast, tiger flathead are still very quiet. Some fish have been caught around Marion Bay, undoubtedly due to milder water temperatures.

In the south, on the edges of Storm Bay, snapper have been taken recently near

and will continue to attract anglers to the southeast.

Good captures of school sized SBT, some to 40kg, have been experienced in Pirates Bay itself, and further down the coastline to Tasman Island. Most fish have been around the 18kg mark.

Estuary fishing has been on fire. The heavy rains we have received have been bittersweet, but estuaries like the Derwent and Huon have cleared quickly, allowing bream and sea trout to feed well in the shallow margins.

In the south, sea trout have been busy chasing

Sea-run trout have been hitting whitebait-style flies readily of late.

Lower to mid reaches of estuary systems are probably the go-to zones as fish haven’t pushed all the way through to upper reaches just yet.

Freshwater areas are fishing particularly well so far this year, again due to

high water levels for the third straight year! As a result, trout are in superb condition, having been able to feed up after spawning a few months back.

Bronte Lagoon is without doubt the number one water in the state so

All the fish coming out of Penstock have been super fat. continue to rise, flathead will move into the shallows and start hitting soft plastics and deep diving lures.

Runs of Australian salmon have been sighted off Kingston Beach in large numbers. Cremorne and Pipeclay lagoons are experiencing a limited run of good fish to 0.9kg. The action has been a bit patchy, but the rewards are there for persistent anglers. The lower Huon region is also experiencing a good run of smaller salmon from Dover

Lauderdale and Betsy Island.

Calamari have just started to run along the east and southeast coasts.

Patches of fish can be found after a little searching over broken and seagrass bottom.

Adventure Bay, Nubeena and Marion bays have seen reasonable captures.

Northern and southern closures for calamari are now in effect.

Southern bluefin tuna are still taking lures readily on the Tasman Peninsula.

October is ‘jumbo month’,

whitebait and smashing lures and flies.

The River Derwent has been fishing well since early August, and shows no sign of slowing for the moment, particularly with annual whitebait runs beginning to build. The Huon and further south have been a little slow but are producing fish. The slowness is due to high river levels in recent weeks as a result of increased rain in the Pedder catchment.

Bream action is increasing as bait increases.

Many of the lakes have been filling up after all the rain.

Flathead have made a reappearance for the season.

This one was caught on a Berkley Nemesis while simply spinning a sand flat while on a beach walk. far this season. The fish are fitter than they were last season, and are eager to hit a lure or fly. All methods are working well – spin, troll and fly. Both land-based and boat-based anglers have been catching fish.

Slightly lower in elevation, Four Springs in the north is probably only second to Bronte by a smidge, and has seen rainbow trout to 7lb landed so far this season.

There have been rumours of good mayfly action on this lake already.

Sitting atop the eastern tiers, Lake Leake has dropped back a little in tempo from last season but is still producing good brown and rainbow trout. Again, all methods are working well. At the time of writing,

the lake is spilling and will continue to do so for a while.

Mysterious Arthurs Lake is producing good numbers of short, fat fish around the 1.1kg mark. Fish have been found around the edges all over the lake, with both fly and spin anglers all reporting good bags.

Great Lake has been fishing well again this month.

We are putting this down to snowmelt and the many inflows attracting trout. This, combined with warmer water temperatures for October, has seen a flurry of feeding action as trout mop up galaxia and terrestrial food items around the shorelines.

One again, the standout lure is the 13g Tasmanian Devil in S12 sunburst, BR bloody ripper and 102 Bengal tiger.

Woods Lake is now providing spin fishers drifting the edges from a boat with some truly amazing action.

Anglers have taken quality fish to 1.8kg to 3.3kg. Fly activity will increase now that ambient temperatures are on the rise.

Fly only, Penstock Lagoon has been fishing well and has offered a little bit more shelter on those blustery days. Fish started off in close around a month ago, and have recently started to hit flies on sinking lines out wide in the mid reaches.

Little Pine Lagoon, another fly-only water, has been fishing well since the start of the season in August.

Lower alpine temperatures have not been limiting fish activity this year. Shreks and Woolly Buggers have been working well on this water of late.

Good breaks in the weather should persist and increase over the following month, while some of our more popular species will continue to come online for the imminent summer season make the most of this hiatus of activity in coming weeks.

OCTOBER 2022

99

Get to know your WIRF network leaders This month’s WIRF report focuses on WIRF leaders for 2022 – Allison Smith, Jamie De Agnoi, Jo Fyfe, Kelsi Gull, Lauren Yann, and Leanne Ngo.

WIRF LEADER Name: Allison Smith Region: Carnegie in Melbourne and sometimes Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula Profession: non-executive director for some government services Speciality: mainly saltwater What’s your fishing style?

My style is a bit random, less technical than most, but passionate. I talk a lot to the fish!

Favourite species to fish for?

You can’t beat a flathead – the best cooking fish in Port Phillip Bay. Most memorable catch?

I’ve caught two gummy shark this year while targeting flathead. I though they would both get away because of the speed that that they took off, but patience won the day.

What do you hope to bring to the WIRF Leadership team?

My experience as a ‘wannabe’ (I still am one!) will help tap into the motivations of women lacking the confidence or knowledge on how to get into fishing.

My passion for the mental health benefits of fishing should also help us communicate additional benefits of getting out into nature.

Highlight of AFTA 2022?

Simply WOW! My head is still spinning. So much knowledge, such a passion to communicate skills and approaches, and such a welcoming community.

If you could take a celebrity fishing, who would you choose?

Oh I reckon it would be the Dalai Lama – I think he’d teach me a thing or two about the philosophical approach to fishing.

What’s the best fishing advice you’ve been given?

Ask questions, ask for help, repeat.

Tell us an interesting or fun fact about yourself!

My friends call me ‘7 layer Allison’. I hate the cold so much that I look like the Michelin Man when I go fishing in winter.

WIRF LEADER If you were a fish, what species best describes you?

I think I’m a leatherjacket.

WIRF LEADER Name: Jamie De Agnoi Age: 41 Region: Gippsland Profession: corporate leadership Speciality: salt and freshwater What’s your fishing style?

A bit of everything really. Mainly saltwater bait fishing, but I do get out a few times a year in the estuaries and streams.

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OCTOBER 2022

Favourite species to fish for?

Hard choice, I’d have to say kingfish and snapper.

Most memorable catch?

That would have to be my first tuna on a fishing trip in Bermagui.

What do you hope to bring to the WIRF Leadership team?

I’d like to bring my passion for fishing to others, and encourage more families to actively participate in the local community angling clubs.

Highlight of AFTA 2022?

Networking for sure, speaking with and listening to the best of the best in the industry, and getting to see a whole other side of tackle and gear that is out there and available.

If you could take a celebrity fishing, who would you choose?

That’s a hard one. I’d love to fish with Merv Hughes, he’s my kind of person and I love watching his show.

What’s the best fishing advice you’ve been given?

When I was 16 my now husband told me if I wanted to fish I needed to learn how to rig, bait and cast myself. It was the best thing I ever did, because when I out-fish him he can’t say its because he helped me. It’s the most satisfying feeling when you land that big one, knowing you did it all yourself.

Tell us an interesting or fun fact about yourself!

Fun fact about myself that’s fishing-related – I’m the first female president of my local angling club.

If you were a fish, what species best describes you?

A dolphinfish – I’d like to say I have a bright and colourful personality, and I’m always up for fun times.

WIRF LEADER Name: Jo Fyfe Region: Langwarrin Profession: events and visitor experience Speciality: saltwater

What’s your fishing style?

I mainly fish with bait in Westernport Bay, but I am more than happy flicking a plastic around an estuary to look for a big flatty.

Favourite species to fish for?

I love to fish for snapper, gummy shark and King George whiting.

Most memorable catch?

Definitely my first snapper! My friend and I desperately wanted to catch a snapper. We ventured out in Westernport Bay following a friend who was familiar with the sand banks and channels. We ended up landing two 7kg fish.

What do you hope to bring to the WIRF Leadership team?

Anything and everything that could help empower more women to give this sport a try. I happy to put my hand up to lend a hand planning or running events, workshops or giving advice for first-time fishers.

Highlight of AFTA 2022?

Meeting and networking with so many keen and knowledgeable fishos. There is a powerful network of passionate people out there willing to work together to empower more women in the sport.

If you could take a celebrity fishing, who would you choose?

Ellen DeGeneres…? See – you’re already laughing!

An amazing day on the water doesn’t always have to be about catching the biggest fish! Always make sure you have fun doing it with maybe even a little bit of daggy dancing when things are quiet.

What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given?

Plan your day around the tides and the weather… did I mention the tides?

Tell us an interesting or fun fact about yourself!

I don’t eat any fish or seafood. I’m happy to catch, prepare and cook for others, but as much as I try I don’t like the taste.

If you were a fish, what species best describes you?

I found this question hard so I asked my bestie.

This is what she said: “Flounder – you lay low and are happy blending into the crowd, camouflaging in the sand. You know how to handle yourself, you’re patient, the quiet achiever. But when the time is right, you are up and about, stealth, precise and always bang on! Plus, you’re ‘kinda’ weird looking!”

Haha!

WIRF LEADER Name: Kelsi Gull Region: Ballarat Profession: Production worker Speciality: A bit of everything

What’s your fishing style?

I love any type of fishing but I am pretty fanatical about lure fishing, in particular surface fishing for any species.

Favourite species to fish for?

That’s an impossible question! I love my estuary fishing in Southwest Vic so I’m going to go with estuary perch. They are just an awesome native fish.

Most memorable catch?

I recently caught a 20kg school shark off the surf.

The first run after I set the hook was absolutely epic!

What do you hope to bring to the WIRF Leadership team?

I hope to inspire women and girls a like to take their fishing to that next step to being independent whether it be in the form of writing articles, that first boat or getting into some tournaments.

Highlight of AFTA 2022?

The whole event it was great to network and meet so many wonderful people from all sectors of the industry.

If you could take a celebrity fishing, who would you choose?

Paul Worsteling chasing Estuary perch on surface.

What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given?

When bait fishing, remember to ALWAYS loosen the drag. It is generally a mistake only made once.

Tell us an interesting or fun fact about yourself!

Last cod opening, a massive thunderstorm was approaching and as it got closer there was lots of lightning. Retrieving my lure whist thinking ‘I better be out of here’, I heard a strange ticking noise, then got zapped straight through the rod. Fair to say I left pretty quick!

If you were a fish, what species best describes you?

I’m known for having bit of an appetite and I’m not picky so basically, I’m a walking Redfin except during lockdown where I evolved into a Flathead lying in wait for the unsuspecting Uber driver.

WIRF LEADER Name: Lauren Yann Age: 44 Region: Wonthaggi, Bass Coast Profession: Registered midwife/nurse Speciality: saltwater

What’s your fishing style?

Usually bait fishing, but love trying soft plastics too.

Favourite species to fish for?

Whiting and squid.

Most memorable catch?

55cm Flathead on soft plastics.

What do you hope to bring to the WIRF Leadership team?

Enthusiasm for fishing. Willingness to share my own limited fishing knowledge and experience to other women in fishing, encouraging more women in fishing.

Highlight of AFTA 2022?

Getting to meet other WIRF leaders and mentors.

If you could take a celebrity fishing, who would you choose?

Hey Michelle Brittain, want to go fishing? Fellow WIRF member Michelle looks like she’d be fun to fish with!

What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given?

Keep casting!

Tell us an interesting or fun fact about yourself!

I love to fish, but allergic to fish. I can’t eat any fish I catch, but squid is delicious.

If you were a fish, what species best describes you?

Australian salmon, can put up a bit of a fight when required.

WIRF LEADER Name: Leanne Ngo Age: 40 Region: Mornington Peninsula & Bayside Profession: Associate Professor, Online Learning & Technology Speciality: saltwater What’s your fishing style?

I’m an ‘eging’ angler and a fan of lure fishing.

Favourite species to fish for?

Southern calamari, Australian salmon and snapper.

Most memorable catch?

I caught a 45cm (1.5kg) hooded southern calamari off Rye pier on my second cast. I almost lost my rod as it was pulling so hard. As I was reeling it in, I lost it, but it came back and hooked on again just by the tip of its tentacle. I didn’t have a gaff or net with me, nor did I want to break my egi rod, so I laid down as close to the edge of the pier as possible and reached out to pull up the squid. Yep, the Kraken squirted its ink all over the place!

What do you hope to bring to the WIRF Leadership team?

Share my fishing passion for healthy and sustainable living. Fishing affords many benefits, such as being outdoors, supporting our wellbeing and mental health, and simply having a nutritious meal from freshly cooking your own catch. In addition, I would like to empower all women and families in our diverse communities to give fishing a go, build confidence in their abilities and finetune their angling skills through education and fun social activities.

Highlight of AFTA 2022?

The Speed Dating Networking session with the fishing industry’s ‘shakers and movers’ was one of the highlights of AFTA 2022. New WIRF leaders had the opportunity to chat, connect and learn from a diverse range of leaders in the fishing industry.

If you could take a celebrity fishing, who would you choose?

Lewis Howe (School of Greatness podcast) – half a day with him, you will have all sorts of exciting and empowering conversations!

What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given?

Head out just when the sun rises or sets and tides change. Then, if the fish aren’t biting, you get to take in the mesmerising view!

Tell us an interesting or fun fact about yourself!

I’m the founder of a small volunteer group called Boomerang Bags Clayton South. We make reusable tote bags from donated fabric for use in our local community. We aim to raise awareness about reducing plastic bag use and textile waste.

Together we have sewn just over 1000 bags, volunteered 450+ hours and deflected 150kg+ of textile from the landfill!

If you were a fish, what species best describes you?

Atlantic Salmon. Despite the long and complex path to reach its destination, it remains a focused and thriving fish, traversing across oceans, battling uphill fresh river streams, and defying all odds to reach its goal! * The Australian Fishing Trade Association’s annual tackle show, where members of the tackle trade meet to do business, networking, and evaluate new products.

This network has been created to encourage females to participate in the fishing activity with the family (not just to observe). It is linked to the Target One Million drive to increase participation to get one million Victorians fishing. Our aim is to establish an interactive facebook group for women to enable them to talk, gain and share knowledge to engage in recreational fishing activities in a comfortable manner. Female anglers of all levels will be encouraged to join, post and learn from one another. https://www.facebook.com/ groups/womeninrecfishing

FISHING NEWS

Nesting boxes deployed Spring is in the air and that means one thing: breeding time for Murray cod and trout cod!

At VFA’s Snobs Creek hatchery near Eildon, staff have been busy preparing nesting boxes in which cod broodfish will lay their eggs over the coming months. The boxes mimic hollow logs in lakes and rivers, where cod do their thing! The inside surface of each nesting box is wrapped in ‘egg-screen’, similar to fly wire on a porch door, which provides a grippy surface upon which the eggs can attach.

With 20 brood ponds at Snobs, this shed is chock-full of nesting boxes, which have now been deployed.

Stephen Vidler explains how the process is carried out.

“Each year, between September and November, nesting boxes are placed in urban ponds, where large broodfish are kept yearround,” he explained. “These mature fish range in size from 70-100cm, which is the optimal breeding size.”

The cod lay thousands of small, white eggs in the nesting boxes, and the sticky eggs adhere to the mesh lining.

This lining is then cut into segments and transferred to incubation tanks.

Temperature controlled and oxygenated water is pumped through the tanks to maximise the number that hatch into

larvae, which happens around 8-9 days later. The larvae are transferred into rearing tanks and are fed on a steady diet of sea monkeys, which are grown on site.

After two weeks the larvae are transferred to special outdoor ponds, full of more live food, and remain there for up to three months. The water temp and oxygenation is monitored, along with the health of the fish.

When the cod reach fingerling size, they are moved to tanks inside the hatchery for 24 hours, where they are cleaned of microorganisms.

Finally, the cod fingerlings are ready for release into lakes and rivers, typically growing to catchable size in 4-5 years. - VFA OCTOBER 2022

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BASS SERIES presented by

BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN

abt

Second time’s the charm for Mick Johnson If you had the pleasure of following the action at home via the LIVE scoreboard on the ABT tournament app or our social media, then you wouldn’t have missed the epic battle between 1st place Mick Johnson and 2nd place Tommy Wood that unfolded at the 2022 Rapala BASS Australian Open.

The inaugural event this year took us to Somerset Dam in Southeast Queensland.

Renowned across the country as one of the premier big bass dams, it lived up to its reputation as Mick Johnson brought almost 10kg to the scales on day one, throwing down the gauntlet and giving the rest of the field something to chase on day two.

MICK JOHNSON – 1ST PLACE 9/10 FISH FOR 13.27KG A slip on the boat and

fish are homed in on jerkbaits.

Mick fished the bottom of Bay 13 on day one, where he had a bank with a good variety of rock and weed to fish a jerkbait around.

The areas he targeted were shallow, typically less than 6ft of water, and the fish seemed to come off any standing timber sticking out of the water about 12-15ft off the bank. Using his Garmin LiveScope, Mick was able to target the trees holding fish while skipping past the trees with no fish, to maximise his chances of a bite.

Six of Mick’s seven fish on day one came on a Jackall Squirrel 67 in ghost minnow Scan the QR code to watch the Winner Interview

Biggun! This 51cm model at nearly 3kg secured Mick the Big Bass prize for Day 1 - a 13 Fishing Baitcast rod and reel combo. sitting a little deeper, so I threw the 79 Squirrel to get a bit deeper and straight away got my kicker fish,” Mick explained.

That fish won Saturday’s Big Bass prize of a 13 Fishing Omen Black rod and 13 Fishing Concept baitcast reel.

As the jerkbait bite died on day two, Mick was

overtaken on the scoreboard

by Tommy Wood heading into the blackout period, and was struggling to find the Squirrelcrushing fish he was on the day before.

Changing to a noike gill coloured Jackall TN60, Mick deflected his lipless crankbait over the gravel and rock with a slow roll to fill a 4/5 fish limit

Fish like this brute are what kept Tommy Wood right in the hunt after the first session. He was able to snatch back the lead heading into the blackout period, which made for an exciting reveal. a few sore ribs had Mick Retire hurt from his innings at Somerset two weeks prior, so you could say the dam owed him one. Well, it paid him back 6000 times over as the lake handed him a staggering day one bag of 9.857kg, his smallest fish being 42cm to the fork and his largest 51cm, which had him leading the event after the first session.

In a pleasant change from the usual deep-water techniques that Somerset is known for, Mick found a consistent jerkbait bite on the edges of Bay 13 that he knew would be hard to beat. This theory was quickly re-assured on the second cast of the first session, when he landed a 48 fork fish to kick his bag off.

“It’s not often you get a jerkbait bite in Somerset but when you do, they’re usually quality fish,” he said, adding that he was happy to beat a lot of fellow anglers who are usually hard to beat when the 102

OCTOBER 2022

rigged on an ultralight 2-6lb Samurai Infinite, which Mick explained is crucial for lightly tapping the jerkbait and not imparting too much action.

He paired this up with a 2004 size Daiwa Freams, spooled with 10lb Sunline braid and 10lb Sunline V-hard leader.

“Sunline make great line, I don’t think I broke a line all weekend fishing around structure like weed and rocks,” Mick said.

The 7th fish? Well, at a

Scan the QR code to watch the Runner-up Interview

stonking 51cm and 2.668kg, it fell to the 67 Squirrel’s big brother, the 79 Squirrel, in the same colour, only it came from deeper water than the rest of the bag.

“I could see some really nice fish on the sounder

RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Angler Mick Johnson Tommy Wood Tom Slater Matt Johnson Braden Schuch Mark Reinbott Steve Morgan Jake Schwerin Steve Kanowski Nick Anderson

After a 2nd place finish in 2021, Mick Was over the moon to get it done in 2022.

Full results at abt.org.au

Fish 9/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 8/10 10/10 9/10 10/10

Weight(kg) 13.270 kg 12.403 kg 12.207 kg 10.670 kg 10.064 kg 8.870kg 8.676kg 8.614kg 8.549kg 8.513kg

Payout $6000 $3000 $2000 $1000

BASS SERIES presented by to finish the session, which was all he needed to take back the lead after an epic battle with the young gun.

SUNDAY BIG BASS PRIZE Mitch Petty from the naming sponsor Rapala won Sunday’s big bass prize with the biggest bass for the weekend at 52cm and 2.842kg. He, too, won a 13 Fishing Omen Black rod and 13 Fishing Concept baitcast reel.

TOMMY WOOD - 2ND PLACE 10/10 FISH FOR 12.403KG Feared among barra anglers for his skills with a jerkbait, Tommy Wood Scan the QR code to watch the Day 1 Highlights

The winning set-ups Mick Johnson used to whack ‘em all weekend.

lure and any fish following on the sounder. A combination of 16lb Olltolos Zone Finesse braid and 8lb fluorocarbon leader was enough to stop all his fish without any breakages.

Having found the same fish in the same area as Mick Johnson, the pair were neck-and-neck heading into a very different day two, where the jerkbait bite almost completely disappeared and Tommy was able to snatch the lead back going into the blackout period.

Adaptability is the cornerstone to tournament success, so when the jerkbait bite died on day two Tommy picked up his second Samaki C12 combo, this time a 6-12lb model spooled with 16lb X-Braid Upgrade Pentagram braid rigged up with a 3/8oz Evergreen Little Max blade.

He chose the blade due to its subtlety in comparison to

BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN

abt

Sunday’s Big Bass prize of a 13 Fishing baitcast combo went to Mitch Petty with the biggest bass weighed for the whole event at 51cm and 2.8kg! It ate a Rapala DT08 in smash colour on a shallow edge.

Matt Johnson took advantage of the edge bite on jerk baits and lipless crank baits perfectly translated the same skills into the bass world for a second place in his first event as a boater.

Of course, the jerkbait is only one half of the skill set, and in the modern tournament landscape utilising your electronics to their maximum capabilities is pivotal to success.

Tommy knows this all too well, and as a supplier of Garmin electronics, he knows how to get the most out of his 8416 Garmin Livescope set-up to catch more fish.

“With the new LVS34 Transducer in forward mode I was seeing bass clear as day following my jerkbait from over 50ft away in as shallow as 2ft of water,” he said. “They would only eat it if there was a pack of them fighting for the lure, and I had to watch to make sure I didn’t pull it away from them

too fast or they would spook.

It’s pretty much exactly how I fish for barra.”

With his 7ft, 4-8 lb Samaki C12/Shimano Vanford combo, the key was

to cast his jerkbait – a Jackall Squirrel 67 in purple gill - up as shallow as possible around the grassy edges and give it a twitch and pause retrieve back to the boat, watching the

Keeghan Painter hit an early lead on the live scoreboards and kept it for half the session.

Scan the QR code to watch the Day 2 Highlights

the lipless crankbaits that a lot of the field were using.

This allowed him to fish water where anglers had already been through with lipless cranks, and still catch fish.

He rigged his blade with double hooks facing backwards so he could slow roll the blade over rock like a lipless crankbait, deflecting off structure without getting snagged like a treble hook would.

Tommy Wood has already won from the back of the boat, and he makes up one half of the 2021 Barra Tour Team of The Year so we’re very sure this is only the beginning of an illustrious career as a boater for him. Mick Johnson won this event after a 2nd place the year before, so who knows? Perhaps there is a pattern there and we’ll see Tommy atop the podium at this time next year.

OCTOBER 2022

103

Spotters Peninsula Snapper Challenge The Peninsula Snapper Challenge is on again for 2022, with plans for a bumper event. It will be pilchards down from 12:01am on Saturday 29 October, and the last fish needs to be entered by noon

Hinchinbrook Adventure.

Our lucky winner and a mate will experience five days of barra fishing with Westo from Wild Hinchinbrook Adventures, plus five nights’ accommodation, airport transfers and a $1000 Flight

The 9-day fishing window gives you the opportunity to fish around your favourite tides, moon phases, and family/work commitments while avoiding unsuitable weather. When you land a snapper, you simply send a

Savwinch anchor winch, Wilson rod and reels, lures, rigs, fishing trips, experiences, accommodation packages, clothing, tackle shop vouchers and more.

There’s also an early bird prize, available to all Open entrants who sign up prior to 15 October. One lucky entrant will win the opportunity to fish the Challenge with Matt Cini from Reel Time Fishing TV on Melbourne Cup Day. Matt will share his tips and tricks while the cameras roll for his upcoming series on 7Mate. The Reel Time crew will also be out and about during the Challenge, filming lots of entrants, their stories and their snapper for the show.

Junior entrants can also win random door prizes, including Wilson tackle bags,

Hunter Blackford took out the 2021 Junior Division with this 90cm beauty.

Zerek lure and Wilson rod and reel packages.

For more info or to get your ticket (from 1 October), visit www.

peninsulsnapperchallenge. com or the Facebook page.

The Open and Kayak divisions are $80 and junior tickets are $30. – PSC

Can you beat reigning Challenge Champ Ryan Smith? on Sunday 6 November, prior to the presentation at the Frankston Bombers Football & Netball Club.

Entrants will fish Port Phillip Bay and Westernport as many days as they wish, in an effort to land the longest snapper in the Open, Kayak or Junior divisions – or maybe score a random lucky draw prize.

The Open or Kayak entrant who catches the largest snapper will win a Wild

Centre voucher.

There are plenty of other prizes, too. The longest fish captured in both Port Phillip Bay and Westernport will each earn a $750 voucher from Compleat Angler Dandenong.

Each of the top ten longest snapper entered will win a pair of Spotters sunglasses and an accessory pack valued at around $400. All in all, the best anglers in the Challenge will share in over $12,000 in trophies and prizes.

smartphone photo of the fish on a brag mat, alongside a code word (sent daily via SMS), to the judges. This system allows the easy release of snapper (should you choose), and you retain the ability to upsize your entry later in the comp.

If you land a bigger one, just send another photo.

For entrants not lucky enough to land a trophy snapper, there’s a range of lucky door prizes, including a Humminbird Helix 7,

The Challenge Champion will win five days’ fishing with Wild Hinchinbrook Adventures.

Tournament Calendar 2022 Date OCTOBER 3-4 Oct 5 Oct 8-9 Oct 9 Oct 15-18 Oct 20-22 Oct 22-23 Oct 23 Oct 23 Oct 29 Oct

Tournament

Location

State

Contact

BARRA Lake Tinaroo BARRA Tinaroo (all night) Vic Bream Classics R5 East Coast Bream Series R1 BASS Elec Grand Final 2022 Cardwell Barra Bonanza BASS Grand Final WA Bream Classics Boat R3 WA Bream Classics Kayak R3 Carp/Tilapia Eradication Comp

Yungaburra Yungaburra Warnambool Sydney Harbour Wivenhoe Dam Cardwell Clarence River Swan River Swan River Wyaralong Dam

QLD QLD VIC NSW QLD QLD NSW WA WA QLD

www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.vicbreamclassics.com.au wsbreambass@gmail.com www.abt.org.au cardwellsportfishingclub.com.au www.abt.org.au watournamentanglers.com.au watournamentanglers.com.au John Cumberland, 0426266303

NOVEMBER 4 Nov 5 Nov 7 Nov 8-9 Nov 18-20 Nov 19-20 Nov 25-27 Nov

BARRA Teemburra Dam BARRA Kinchant Dam BARRA Faust (all night) BARRA Faust Vic Bream Classics GF WA Bream Classics kayak GF BREAM Grand Final

Pinnacle Kinchant Proserpine Proserpine Metung Albany Mallacoota

QLD QLD QLD QLD VIC WA VIC

www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.vicbreamclassics.com.au watournamentanglers.com.au www.abt.org.au

DECEMBER 3-4 Dec 3-4 Dec

WA Bream Classics Boat GF Yamaha Cod Classic

Blackwood River Lake Mulwala

WA VIC

watournamentanglers.com.au Tony Bennett 0439441667

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au Just supply a date, venue, tournament name, telephone number and contact name.

104

OCTOBER 2022

WA

South Coast

A variety of species on offer this month ESPERANCE

Murray Johnson

Sunny skies, less wind and better conditions have been creating great opportunities to head out wider in search of good catches, chasing the variety of species that are around at this time of year.

Beach fishing has been producing good numbers of salmon, with ideal camping conditions meaning that a weekend out there is an enjoyable way to target them. You can get good results with a simple pilchard on a gang hooks, or metal slices – anything that’s shiny and has enough weight to get out there.

Many guys use a 6-8ft rod to throw 40-50g lures.

Plenty of fish are being caught at Roses, Munglunup, in town around Stockyards, and Fourth Beach. Heading east, Thomas River, Poison Creek, and Alexander Bay

have also been producing plenty of salmon.

Another species to target is the gummy shark, which tend to come in closer to the shoreline at this time of year. The best beaches are 14 Mile and Thomas River. Gummies are normally caught on a standard paternoster rig with a star sinker, and 5/0 gang hooks baited with pilchards. Some anglers run a separate dropper with a single 4/0 or 5/0 with a piece of squid or fish fillet.

You can also target them with crabs, if you’re lucky enough to spot a crab.

Gummies can also be caught with a traditional mulloway set-up with a live bait or a strip of herring.

This month you can also still catch plenty of herring, smaller skippy and reasonable flathead. We are also seeing the occasional mulloway, which tend to be at the same beaches where the gummy sharks are seen.

Jetty fishing in town

is still producing the occasional squid, plenty of herring, some garfish and small skippy. Bandy Creek boat harbour is still yielding plenty of small King George whiting, the occasional flounder, smaller flathead, and even the odd squid as well.

Other spots to try this month are down in the bream lakes like Woody Lake and Wheatfield Lake.

We are still seeing plenty of bream around the 30-35cm mark, but with the higher water levels you need to search to find the fish.

Later on in the year the water will drop and they’ll be more concentrated. The bream haven’t been too fussy, and have been readily taking prawns on a standard whiting rig. If you prefer to fish with lures, don’t let the lure hit the bottom because it will stir the mud and the bream don’t like that. Cast into the middle of the lake and commence a medium to fast retrieve, and don’t

impart as much action as you normally would. Paddle tails are good, and a stand-out is still the 3” Slim SwimZ in mood ring colour, and also the 2.5” Bait Junkie Minnow in wakasagi. Jigheads tend to be 1/12oz and no. 4 hook, such as the Berkley Nitro Bream Pro. The boat fishing in the bay continues to produce some squid, and there are plenty of sand whiting around as well. Gishing around the closer islands is also producing plenty of samsonfish, which continue to hang inshore at this time of year, along with the odd yellowtail kingfish.

This month there’s a greater opportunity to head out wide, and anglers have been catching plenty of nannygai around the 45cm mark, with the occasional 55cm fish mixed in. There are also some good-sized breaksea, the occasional harlequin, and still plenty of samsonfish out wide, with some samples going 40kg.

Samsons can be caught on bait bottom fishing, but if you want to specifically target them, you can get good results on a knife jig or slow pitch jig. The weight of your jig is based on the conditions, but the average is around 150-200g jig.

We are also seeing occasional schools of bluefin tuna turning up out wide, and they can be caught by throwing stickbaits (e.g. the Halco Slidog 125 in pilchard colour), or just a standard chrome slice. After you have spotted feeding birds above a tuna bust-up, you should try to work out the direction the tuna are heading for. Then make your approach stealthily, so they don’t get spooked.

At the start of the season the tuna are easily spooked; they’re typically less flighty later on in the season.

OCTOBER FISHING In the coming weeks we should see more tuna start to cruise around, plus the continuation of the sambos

in close, so there are plenty of opportunities for the boat guys. Beach anglers should see the salmon schooling up more, along with the bronze whalers that prey on them.

We should also start to see a few more flathead getting caught. If you want to catch a flatty, look for drop-offs rather than big, open channels. The flathead like to hang off ledges to wait for the current to bring food items. Certain beaches tend to fish better, e.g. beaches that have more gutters near reefs which have more water movement, such as 10 Mile.

• 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.

Land-based options open up BUNBURY

Whiteys Tackle and Camping

With the warmer weather upon us anglers are finding the Bunbury area has been fishing quite well, with land-based anglers reporting some excellent captures.

The finer weather has made for some ripping flats fishing in the estuary with the water being super clean and crystal clear. Chasing

yellowfin whiting is still all the rage, with baits and lures working extremely well.

If you’re going to stick to bait then bloodworms on a no. 6 long shank hook is the go. Just remember that while though the whiting love bait, so do the blowfish! If the blowies are too dominant, switching to a lure will help target the whiting specifically and greatly reduce your blowie by-catch.

The estuary has also been producing some

exceptional tailor sessions on the inside of the Cut, and casting or trolling small metal lures or hardbodies is definitely proving to be the more effective method.

Mixed through the tailor is some chunky herring, and these aggressive speedsters are feeding on the abundant

have had a couple of reports of metre plus mulloway.

Fishing for the mulloway can be very time consuming, but patience does eventually pay off. Setting a live bait in a gutter or near a small patch of reef just after dark will give you the best chance.

Bunbury Back Beach

A quality haul of King George whiting from the Bunbury area.

Whiting will be a popular target in the estuaries throughout spring.

Bream will readily take vibes this month.

baitfish and will hit most lures with full force and are great fun on the light gear.

The local beaches have also been steadily producing.

Belvidere and Buffalo Beach have produced great numbers of tailor. There hasn’t been any of those northern monsters, but they’re in big numbers.

Further north towards Binningup and Myalup, we

and Dalyellup beaches have been producing some good herring. A constant berley stream is the key to attracting them to you, and more importantly keeps them there and feeding. Just a small amount at a time will also ensure you’re not over feeding the fish and leaving them uninterested in the baits you’re presenting.

The warmer weather also

means great things for our river bream fishery, and by that I mean surface action!

Fishing for bream using topwater lures has to be my favourite technique to target them, with bent minnow styles lures and stickbaits being my go-to lures. Fishing the shallow banks at first light should see some unbelievable adrenalin-pumping action to drop your jaw.

With the worst of the weather finally getting behind us, the boaters have been reporting large numbers of dhufish and pink snapper in and outside the bay. Fishing the 30m patch south of Bunbury is

likely to produce.

Finding small, isolated grounds is key to a successful trip. Many boaters have turned to using artificials such as slow pitch jigs and soft plastics. A local favourite is the Evergreen Caprice Edge jig and Lamble Bait Haolis in pink/glow and orange/glow. A slow pitch jigging technique is sure to get results.

• Call into the shop at 1/143 Grand Entrance, Australind for the latest fishing reports and what’s biting, or simply to have a yarn. Until next time, tight lines and screaming drags!

OCTOBER 2022

105

South Coast

WA

Spring saviours on the chew AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

Last month the recreational fishing scene in the West Coast zone of WA was in turmoil. The current Fisheries Minister is contemplating a 9-month ban for demersal recreational fishing over a massive section of the coastline stretching from Kalbarri about 600km north of Perth to Black Point around 300km south.

now been reduced with the removal of restrictions.

With the possibility of hijacking this article to create a political statement, I will refrain from saying too much other than simply voicing my disagreement with the minister. We already have a 2-month ban on demersal fishing in place in this zone, and it is certainly required to ensure a healthy fishery, however, speaking specifically of the Augusta fishery, I have no doubt that it is in a healthy position when

in a huge decline in tourist numbers and consequently have massive implications for small coastal towns such as Augusta that rely on the recreational fishing sector to survive.

Getting back to actual fishing, spring weather has arrived, and the associated clear skies brought people out of the woodwork like skinks soaking up the early season sun. With the change into spring, the fishing has continued to be strong in all sectors.

This is what you want the esky to look like at the end of a fishing trip, and this is a common sight for the local dhufish whisperer Jason Morgan.

This is in response to the belief that although demersal species such as dhufish and pink snapper numbers are recovering, they are not recovering quick enough for the date of 2030 set 12 years ago. There seems to be no scientific evidence involved in this reasoning, and it doesn’t take into account the increased fishing activity that was created by the state government closing the borders for two years during the COVID emergency period. This pressure has

compared to some other areas.

With large numbers of juvenile dhufish and pink snapper easily observable throughout our bays, a rational management plan needs to be in place, not a blanket ban on the 100 demersal species found throughout this massive section of coastline.

Having already imposed marine sanctuary areas throughout the West Zoast zone as well as the two month ban, the state government now wants to impose further restrictions. This will result

Jigging over a large lump of coral near St Alouarn Island resulted in this thickshouldered 6kg samson fish.

106

OCTOBER 2022

The Blackwood River continues to flow strongly out to sea via Hardy Inlet, with recent rainfall throughout the area ensuring the tanninstained waters are continually competing with the incoming salty tidal inflow. This has resulted in large changes to the system and poses a navigation risk to those not paying attention to the channel locations.

Several very large sand bars now appear at each low water. These are located from East Augusta through into the Dead Water, and this means that there are large areas of shallow water flats that will be perfect for surface fishing for yellowfin whiting.

Boaties need to remain alert in these areas to prevent accidents, however.

Currently the King George whiting numbers in the Hardy Inlet and Dead Water are very high and with the average size having increased significantly in recent months, most fish landed are above the legal size. Not only are they well known for their edibility, but they also put up an excellent fight on light lines for their size. Their gut contents show they are currently feeding on small crustaceans such as crabs and glass shrimps, and therefore baits of river prawns are very successful.

Black bream numbers right throughout the system are also very good, and when not specifically targeted give the angler an unexpected run for their money. Good numbers of bream above 30cm can be found around any feature that

provides an ambush position for them to lay in wait. There are hundreds of submerged trees and rocks lining the river banks and channels from Sues Bridge right through to the Colourpatch, and fish can be found around many of them.

Whether bank walking or using watercraft, it is possible to locate bream throughout the waterways without too much effort. The hard bit comes in when landing them, as they are experts at finding the sharpest snags in their territory. The main thing to remember is to fish an area over with a few casts and then if there is no action, move on and repeat.

When hooked up, keep the pressure on or you are destined to re-rig shortly after.

While kayak fishing recently it was almost impossible to not locate a bream of worthwhile size. They have been taking small soft plastics and hardbodies, but have been especially aggressive toward river prawns drifted down to the bottom and then slowly wound past their haunt.

Surface stickbaits continue to be an absolute winner. They are dynamite on black bream, flathead, flounder and all species of whiting and herring.

Jetty fishing continues to be very good, especially early morning and late at night.

There are plenty of whiting on the bottom, while herring and tailor haunt the top level.

This Flinders Bay dhufish was taken jet ski fishing by Blake Gillam on a 6” Berkley Gulp Jerk Shad with a Nitro Elevator jig head. with a couple of days each week that have been perfect for getting out into the deeper waters. Dhufish and pink snapper have made up most of the demersal catches, with the odd breaksea cod and bight redfish also joining the party.

Bait fishing has been pretty good, with whole squid and herring baits working very well. Soft plastics also produce good results, and hybrids like the Vexed Bottom Meat have continued to top the catches list.

Soft plastics have been decimated by horseshoe leatherjackets biting them to pieces, so if this is happening, drop a bait down to see if you can land a couple. They are delicious and despite people claiming they are difficult to process, they skin easily in a few seconds and are well worth the effort.

the winter seaweed banks due to the massive amount of maggots, it has created a natural berley, bringing fish from far and wide.

Herring, skippy and whiting have been amassing in the slick of wrigglers while on the bottom the leatherjackets are busily munching anything that comes their way. A good rig to use is an unweighted bait on a long shank hook, as this will prevent bite-offs by the guillotine-like teeth of the leather jackets if the bait makes it through the breadand-butter species.

Rock fishing is dangerous at times, and careful consideration of where and when you fish must be done.

Unpredictable weather can quickly affect the fishing conditions and slippery rocks are a recipe for disaster. Please remain vigilant when rock

A typical Hardy Inlet mixed bag taken by the author while kayak fishing.

Lately there have been octopus and squid on the move as well, so it always pays to keep a jig ready to go.

When the lights are on at the Ellis Street Jetty, keep an eye on the lumps on the bottom between the shore and the western side of the jetty; recently there have been black bream lurking nearby waiting to pounce. As usual glass shrimps, river prawns and cockles are the go-to for most of the fish, while small metal slices work well for herring and tailor.

Boat fishing in Flinders and Hamelin bays remains productive and the latest weather has been very kind,

Beach fishing around the district has been good for herring, tarwhine as well as King George and sand whiting. Some nice fish have been caught from the sand at the northern end of Junes Beach, and the small beaches south of the marina and west of Elephant Rock. Mulie pieces and squid baits will score plenty of fish, along with shelled coral prawn pieces.

Long strips of squid have worked well on the whiting and herring, especially.

Rock fishing has been the go lately, with the warming weather and lower swells making for safer fishing.

With the breaking down of

fishing; wear a life jacket and tie off to something solid.

• You can hire a life jacket for free from Augusta Xtreme Outdoor Sports at 66 Blackwood Avenue, Augusta, the local tackle shop and font of all local fishing knowledge.

Look for the big green sign on the roof, it’s right next to the BP Service Station in the centre of town.

• The locations mentioned are all well-known and are marked on most vehicle GPS units, especially if they have HEMA maps or a list of locations can be obtained from the local tackle store, Augusta X-Treme Outdoor Sports.

WA

West Coast

Lancelin lunkers lurking just offshore LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

October and November would be my favourite fishing period for the year in Lancelin. We have crystal-clear water in the bay, tailor and tuna are going off, mulloway are still around and the weather is usually fantastic.

the boats leaving the bay target them. Recreational fishers have been asked to reduce the take on demersal species by a further 50%.

GPS technology become popular with recreational and commercial fishers, and this led to dhufish and other demersal fish being more efficiently targeted. Boats can now go straight to the best spots without spending

whether they be recreational, charter or professional. The larvae resulting from these protected areas can then disperse on the currents.

Instead, fisheries minister Don Punch has proposed an unacceptable 8-9 month ban on fishing for demersal species.

We ‘the recreational fishing community’ were offered an 8-9 month ban as our supposed ‘consultation’ to have ‘our say’ on how the restrictions will affect our lifestyles. Reductions need to happen, but DPIRD can be more concerned about cost and convenience of compliance rather than the

Local fishing identity Scott Mcdonald has been catching and releasing a few sambos off the jetty. their speed and agility.

Samson fish have been featuring in a lot of the catches while chasing demersal species around structure in the 15-30m depths, but most the fish are not huge at around 5-10kg.

Baitfish have been finding

sharks and the odd mulloway have been caught casting larger baits in the evening along the beaches.

Tailor have been active until mid-morning and late afternoon, with fish around 50cm common. Gutters and reef breaks are holding larger

You don’t need to be too far out to find dhufish, as Chris is able to prove fishing out of his Hobie.

The fun factor can be through the roof, with lots of opportunity to chase fish on lures. I would rather rate the days’ fishing on the fun factor than with the kilograms of meat in the freezer. Some people seem to get caught up in the fillets and wanting to stock the freezer before the demersal ban kicks in on 15 October, and then stop fishing when the freezer is full. During the ban, there is still plenty of fun to be had. It’s hard to beat some fresh whiting or squid for a feed, or the mountains of tuna lurking offshore for a bit of fun, or even pulling lobster pots!

Demersal species are of prominence at Lancelin, and probably 80-90% of

time looking for fish.

Recreational boats have also greatly increased their range and reliability with 4-stroke outboards. So even far offshore, the fish have nowhere of safe refuge.

In the past two decades, all the spots have been found, and while not everyone has all the spots wired, combined efforts have seen all the places fish congregate found and marked. This has affected the dhufish’s ability to behave normally, and to aggregate in big schools for breeding purposes.

A long-term solution would be protection for dhufish to aggregate and breed undisturbed by fishers using GPS. A series of no-take areas excluded to all fishers,

Chris Hartanto with a nice snapper taken 150m off the beach using a drone.

After popping up some tailor earlier in the morning, Huxley pulled this odd-looking snapper off a 150m drone drop. enjoyment of our pastime and cost to small businesses.

With 2030 set as the benchmark for a recovery, what’s the plan after that? We will have another 500,000 new West Australians and an older population with more time to spend fishing mid-week. A 9-month ban is no long-term solution; in 2030 we will still be in the same boat with increasing fishing efficiency of the recreational fleet, more people on the water and more people for the professional fishing industry. Most likely the increasing pressure on stocks will lead to further bans until the demersal fishery is much like the abalone fishery, which is just a few scant, mad days per year.

Pink snapper breeding aggregations were given significant protection, which is a long-term solution for this species! We are already seeing the benefits, with many fishers along the coast reporting good numbers and so many small fish they are a pest.

Dhufish and breaksea cod have been caught inside the white bank where smaller boats even kayaks can target them. While further offshore, baldchin groper have been more predominant in the

catches out from the 30s.

In the next few months crays will be close to the shore until late November when the white migration sees them heading out deep again. Now is prime time to dust off the dive gear and have a look under some ledges or drop a few pots from the tinny.

Tuna can provide some

It’s prime time to be casting lures off the beach, and Huxley Taylor managed this nice one on a Halco Roosta Popper.

There’s plenty of baldies on the flats out from 30m. insane fishing sessions at this time of year, and though they’re not overly large along our coast, there is normally pretty good numbers about.

Matching the gear to the size of the fish lets them show

refuge under the jetty at night and in the early mornings the sambos often come in to maraud the bait schools and can be caught on live baits, stickbaits and poppers.

Plenty of small whaler

fish to 80cm. Beach fishers should make the most of conditions now, as floating weed tends to become more of a problem late this month.

Drone fishers had a dream pink snapper season, but once the ban starts you can try drone fishing for King George whiting. The first thing to do is establish an area of broken weed and sand holes, which could be anywhere from 2-300m from shore. The depth only needs to be 2-4m.

Once you identify the ‘drop zone’, keep dropping berley pellets in dissolving mesh, or you can add a berley cage to the rig. Try a three-hook paternoster using with no. 1 circle hooks, as they tend to hold better in the jaw for the longer retrieves.

It’s hard to go past squid for bait, though prawns with shell on generally won’t fail either.

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Plenty of options without chasing demersals METRO

Jacob Crispe

The demersal fishing ban comes into place from the 15th of October, and will run through until the 15th of December. This annual closure ensures that our demersal species have the

opportunity to spawn in peace, ensuring we have good fishing well into the future.

Having said that, there are plenty of other fishing options, to give you an excuse to go and wet a line.

Swan River As we move closer to the warmer months

of the year, the shallow flats of the Swan come alive with fish, and with anglers targeting them.

The three main species to be caught in this shallow water (ankle to waist deep)

speedsters of our waterways.

Other options this month are tailor and of course mulloway.

Rock walls and beaches October for me is all about squid. Their numbers

Jake Walker taming one of the Swan’s ghosts of the darkness. This beautiful mulloway measured 125cm.

Paul Coelho has been catching a lot of nice squid from the rocks around Freo lately.

Dom Magoo from Doms Fishing adventures with an absolute steam train of a samsonfish!

Check out his ‘Doms Fishing Adventures’ on YouTube to see him in action.

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are flathead, bream and yellowfin whiting.

Flathead are by far the most popular of the three that I have mentioned. They push out of the deep water up onto the flats, feeding up on prawns and small baitfish. Although they can be targeted using bait, most keen flathead anglers will use small hardbody lures or blades. Baits tend to get cleaned up by the many toadfish in the river before any flathead gets a chance to see them, and using lures allows you to avoid them so you can actively fish an area until you find a concentration of fish, and then focus on that area.

Targeting yellowfin whiting using surface lures tends to also kick in around October. It is something this author loves getting out and doing, but I have found the Swan whiting can be very challenging to catch using this method. For me, the better option has always been to head over to Mandurah and target them there, but I know plenty of anglers who say the opposite. All I know is that it is great fun to do.

If we happen to get an extended run of warmer weather, giant herring are also on the cards. For many anglers they are the unicorn of the Swan, i.e. impossible to catch there. However, giant herring are definitely there to be caught. Small metals and stickbaits are the lures of choice. One thing is for certain, you will know when you have hooked one, they are one of the true

will increase (not all big, but plenty of them) and most of our rock walls are viable options to try and catch one.

If you are unsure if they can be caught where you are

Harley Jarosz with a pigeon pair of pinks.

These fish were caught in a 1-hour session between Harley and his mate. fishing, there is always that tell-tale sign to keep an eye out for: the ink stain left behind on the rocks after

Dom Magoo aka ‘The Fish Tucker Man’, with a couple of cracking shallow water pinks!

a successful capture. Find those ink stains and you are in with a fighting chance.

Other bread and butter options are King George whiting, skippy and the everpresent herring. As always, berley is a very important component of targeting these species. Get a good berley trail going, use fresh baits and you will be one step closer to taking a feed home of these tasty fish.

Tailor have been prolific along all of our beaches, and this is set to continue through October. They are well worth targeting because the average size has been between 40cm and 50cm, with the odd larger model in amongst the smaller fish in the schools. Remember where there are tailor, the mulloway will not be too far away. It can pay to have a fresh (legal-sized) tailor fillet out in the gutter you are fishing, because you never know when a mulloway may come along.

Small sharks (black tips and gummies) can also be attracted to these schools of feeding fish. Mullaloo or Cottesloe beaches are great beach fishing options.

Remember there is no shark fishing allowed at Cottesloe beach.

Inshore A bit like the rock walls, squid and King George whiting will be the mainstay targets for the month of October. Squid will be found in shallower water, around 2m to 6m. Look for broken,

WA

West Coast

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…

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King George whiting can be found in similar water, just a little deeper, between 4m and 10m. You can get good results fishing the sand patches amongst the weed using fresh baits (squid is a fantastic bait). If you are having no success you can either berley up or keep moving until you find an area with more fish.

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Corey Hill with a thumping 53cm King George whiting he caught land-based while casting a whole squid on snelled hooks.

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Springtime sundowners KALBARRI

Stephen Wiseman

Winter months are always hard times for fishos, as storms and rain shift the concentration of fishing shifts from ocean to river and back by the week. We are fortunate in Kalbarri to have the Murchison River and the mouth of the river meeting the Indian Ocean.

Recently I was lucky enough to be invited out on Micky’s river barge for a crack at the black bream he has been getting stuck into.

We snuck upriver to one of his spots, and the area looked very fishy and we soon had the baits out. My choice was pieces of mulie and Mick’s choice was squid, so out they went.

Mick hooked up within minutes, and I didn’t get a sniff. Half hour later saw me fish-less, and Mick with fish in the box, so I suggested a move to look for bigger fish. That didn’t work either.

That’s fishing!

Two nights earlier a young fella fishing off the town jetty landed a beautiful mulloway that was measured at 1500mm, and that would beat my PB. More mulloway have come from the sand spit and Chinamans, but you have to cart your gear because the road to the point is not open yet for cars. The mulloway are still on the move due to all the rain we have had, which (at the time of writing) is still causing dirty water at the mouth on the outgoing tide.

Offshore anglers are

getting into some good pink snapper, and they appear to be like piranhas, biting anything that gets put on a hook. One local uses only soft plastics for pink snapper, and he has been getting a good feed on most trips.

I haven’t received any reports of good tailor action as yet, but that may change with the next storm due, so I will be able to update on that next issue. In the meantime, you can try a sundown fish anywhere from Chinamans round the sand spit and up to the jetty. Use mulies or mullet strip salted, and give it a go.

Lately we have seen a big presence of DPI Fisheries and the Department of Transport, so be sure to check all your gear and keep safe, follow the rules, and safe fishing.

Frank Zanatta with a 670 pinky.

Get in before the winds arrive EXMOUTH

Barry Taylor

This month’s report has been supplied by James Fitzgerald The weather over the past month has been really good for fishing, with plenty of opportunities

unstuck. Lately, the grey nomads have been having a good time on them.

There’s still a lot of nice trout turning up inside gulf for those dropping baits and jigs. Trout will generally hang out over reefs and will be quite hungry this month.

Heading out of the gulf and to the west side, there

mackerel, and anyone trolling lures or baits is likely to run into a few decent Spaniards.

Any keen lure caster flicking their presentations into the reef on the west side can expect a decent range of hard-fighting reef fish. Spangled and blueline emperor are the real prizes of the shallow

blue marlin, which follow the warm water into the area each year.

The only thing that will phase out as it gets warmer is squid fishing. Squid in Exmouth tend to follow the cold water, so the good amounts we have been experiencing in the past few months will start to disappear from the shallow waters and head out into the depths.

• 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.

Josh Cheong releases a GT back into the depths. Image courtesy of @indepthangler_josh.

This gorgeous mahimahi weighed in at 11kg. Image courtesy of @yimtaro. to get out into the gulf and out on the west side.

This should continue for the next few weeks until November arrives.

Generally, November brings strong wind, which is why locals often call it ‘blowvember’.

In the gulf side waters, a lot of whiting have just turned up. This is standard for this time of year, with most shallow sand flats holding good numbers of these tasty little fighters.

A mixture of live and dead baits, as well as soft plastics and topwater lures will bring these fish 110

OCTOBER 2022

has been great numbers of sailfish and mahimahi. Locals trolling Soft Oscars and Soft Grassies from Richter Lures have managed to pull in 3-4 mahimahis a day. Anywhere from 40-300m seems to holding good numbers of both species.

Jigging for goldband snapper is going off at the moment. These are a popular food fish in the area, and this month there seems to be plenty of them to go around!

Anglers jigging grounds in 100-200m are having the best luck.

Near the islands there have been plagues of big

reefs, but queenfish and trevally will keep the action flowing as well.

For anyone chasing pearl perch, they are still available in the area, however you may need to fish deeper in the 250m+ range to be in with a chance.

OCTOBER FISHING With the water continuing to warm, anglers can expect fishing from across the board to ramp up and just get better.

Finding windows to fish between big blows is the key to success.

Adding to the already great range of options at the moment will be big tuna and

Chad Langford was happy with this big Spanish mackerel caught on a trip with Josh Cheong.

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West Coast

Take a trip out before the ban MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

In October there is a lot to do in terms of fishing locally, and fine weather and beautiful temperatures

tuna are definitely around, and there is a chance of a few stray Spaniards showing up too. When chasing pelagic fish locally, a shallow diving lure or a small skirt will interest fish, even when they are fussy and not as willing

and meeting the size profile of the baitfish will dramatically enhance your odds if there is some hungry fish in the area.

Estuary fishing action is starting to pick up, with plenty of herring, salmon trout and yellowfin whiting starting

Black bream are a lot of fun, especially when you are in a boat and able to access a range of different areas. definitely aid in motivating many to set out on a mission.

With less rain posing an obstacle to our favourite outdoor activity, boating, beach and inshore fishing are all a viable option for anglers around Mandurah.

Boat anglers will be keen to make the most of the first section of the month, with the demersal ban taking place from 15 October. That being noted, dhufish are worth targeting out to 60m and pink snapper are prolific in waters from 5-40m. If chasing demersal finfish on baits, well presented squid or octopus will not go astray, though fish baits can and will produce well too.

Be sure to keep an eye out for surfacing bait balls when heading out to your bottom fishing spots, as schooling

to take offerings. Though you can run bigger presentations to target these fish, a lot of these pelagics are typically chasing quite small baitfish

to get around. If fishing for variety, lures are a great option and will allow you to cover ground to find fish that are willing to feed.

Yellowfin whiting fishing will only improve as the warmer temperatures become more prevalent, though it is worthwhile targeting these fish from now until the warmer weather subsides in a few months.

Fishing up both rivers will yield results, with mid-stream being a good general starting option to begin your hunt.

If fishing mid-stream is producing no results, covering ground in a different direction will be the key and will tell you if you are heading towards or away from the numbers of fish. Though moving can be difficult when fishing landbased, one move can often be the difference between catching fish or not.

Prospecting the inland bodies of water is a great option if you are looking for some serenity and a good chance at catching some freshwater fish. The dams are a good pick, as the trout are beginning to show themselves on the surface, which can make targeting them a lot easier.

Redfin are proving prolific. As usual, the presentations for freshwater fishing are not complicated and a brightly-coloured spinner or diving minnow will

Often once you find these smaller ‘soapies’, you will find the larger model mulloway nearby, so it pays to keep on plugging! turn up plenty of fish.

Expect the local beaches to have residual patches of seaweed washing around with the tides, though the water

Chunky pink snapper can be found in quite shallow water, so don’t discount unweighted baits drifted back slowly!

Simple trout lures will give anglers plenty of good options when targeting both trout and redfin perch in October.

will have some good quality fish if you are able to get past or around it. Though scarce in numbers, there is some good size mulloway and pink snapper lurking around, but they may take some convincing.

If you are after a bit of fun on one of the local beaches, there is also good numbers of herring, sand whiting and tarwhine getting around.

For these smaller fish, small cubes of prawn or squid will work well when paired with lightly-weighted sinkers and smaller hooks.

If you are looking to chase some bigger specimens, set baiting with a whole fish like herring, mullet or whiting will work well and can always be turned into a fillet or butterfly bait if you need to mix things up.

Nikki Hunt caught this nice pinkie snapper on a Catch Fishing Livies soft plastic.

OCTOBER 2022

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End of the dry sees a flood of species BROOME

Troy Honey

September has been a phenomenal month for fishing in Karratha, and everything from demersal, pelagic and nearshore species plus crustaceans and cephalopods have all been found in great numbers.

This is a demonstration of just how good the marine stocks are in the region and how well the current bag limits imposed by Fisheries WA are working.

BOTTOM FISHING Looking at demersal species first, red emperor has been the primary focus for anglers fishing the region by boat, and they have not been

of being on the water when the window presents itself.

Rankin cod, saddletails and coral trout have all been coming in with the red emperor, along with a few spangled emperor and bluelines. The 40m mark and beyond has been the most productive depth for the larger demersals, but there are quite a few coming in as shallow as 20m around good structure such as a coral bottom, and the old faithful channel markers off Dampier and Point Samson.

Bluebone have been showing up all around the islands, and some of these fish have been exceeding the 70cm mark! I prefer to release the larger bluebone over 65cm to assist with maintaining

Samson, 40-Mile, the islands out from Onslow to the south of Karratha. This latter area is known as the ‘Mackerel Islands’, and for good reason.

Lures trolled between 5-8 knots are all that’s needed out the back of the boat and it won’t be long until the strikes come in. Larger spring tides have been producing more fish than the smaller neap tides, so try and focus your efforts around the springs tides. Fish sunrise, sunset, and each tide change for best results.

Father’s Day saw ideal conditions in waters off Dampier, and there were some fantastic reports of families enjoying fishing the bays for nearshore species and cooking up a barbeque of

There were some huge coral trout being caught off Karratha this dry season. The author caught this 73cm specimen in 40m of water behind the islands last month.

Golden trevally are in abundance from the outer rim of the archipelago and further out up to 50m. They fight hard and taste great, especially as sashimi, which is how one of these two were served up by the author. disappointed. Not only are there picture-perfect weather conditions to get out to the hotspots, anglers are also finding great numbers of fish.

Both baits and jigs have been doing the damage on the reds. Swapping between the two when bites go cold is recommended to try and turn them back on if they switch off. If you are seeing fish on the sounder and they are not biting, it can often be because of the tide. In this case, try running a few different offerings, and fish various parts of the tide changes. More often than not, there will be a window when the reds switch on, and this window can last for a couple of hours or as little as half an hour. It’s just a matter 112

OCTOBER 2022

the regular breeding cycles.

Additionally, I find the eating quality starts to drop right off when they get up to this size.

The 45-60cm bluebone are by far the best eating size, with the flesh being very sweet.

Also, the size and thickness of fillets are ideal for serving and cooking purposes.

Bluebone release very well, so I always recommend taking a few photos with the larger models and then release them. Keep the smaller females if you want a few fillets, as these smaller fish are in huge numbers around the archipelago.

MACKEREL Spanish mackerel continue to be the dominant pelagic species caught throughout the archipelago, off Point

fresh fillets to enjoy for lunch.

You don’t have to travel far anywhere in the region to find ground holding big numbers of nearshore species such as Spanish flag, Moses perch, darktail snapper or the old faithful whiting.

LAND-BASED FISHING Many species of nearshore fish around the region can easily be caught land-based.

There are many spots along the Dampier and Point Samson foreshores that present quality fishing. Alternatively, you can head out and try 40-Mile and Cleaverville campgrounds, where you will find some great fishing for these and other species such as bluebone, mangrove jack, flathead plus the odd mackerel and queenfish, the

latter of which are known to work the coastline hunting baitfish.

Flicking small to medium-sized lures, preferably suspending lures, is an easy way to get amongst some great nearshore species fishing. Most species will strike at just about any lure if it is worked past them. Try different retrieves and then repeat the action of what is enticing the strikes. I always enjoy a session of casting suspending lures off the rocks around Karratha, as you never know what will take it. It is like a lucky dip at the Royal Show.

CRABS AND CRAYFISH The blue swimmer crab season is finally coming to a close, and October will see the last of them being scooped up by the commercial trawlers.

With that being said, there will always be a few stragglers around. I don’t normally share this, but if you look for the deeper holes inside and outside of the creek mouths along the coastline, you can find some very big blue swimmer crabs sitting on the bottom all through the wet season months. The water is much cooler down there, and they tend to hide out in clans to see the season out and wait for the cooler water above to return.

The crustacean focus with the weather warming the waters will now turn to mud crabs and ornate crayfish. We are still a couple of months away from the risks of irukandji, so now is the perfect time to either have a dive or walk the rocky outcrops during low spring tides to try and find some crayfish. Nearly all of the coral covered areas around

the archipelago hold crayfish, so you don’t have to dive deep to find them. Even walking the pools at low tide and looking under the ledges can produce them.

SQUID Squid are everywhere right now, and that will remain the same for another month or so until the water temperature rises. After that

they will start to move out of the archipelago into deeper waters of 20m or more and hunt the reefs for food, or become food themselves, which is more often the case.

November and December are the best months in Karratha to use squid as bait, as this is the natural food being eaten by demersal species during these months.

The last of the blue swimmer crabs are being pulled up in October, so get out there quickly if you want a feed. The author caught some rippers in September in Nickol Bay using chicken wings as bait.

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OCTOBER 2022

113

WA

Time to hit the water before the heat sets in FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

With the weather warming nicely throughout this month, freshwater anglers should find

gigalitres), Windemere (369 gigalitres) and Wyangala Dam (1200 gigaliters).

The largest I visited was Lake Eucumbene, which has a whopping capacity of 4700 gigalitres, although the lake was only half full

that surprised me was the behaviour of the campers, both young and old, with a whole night’s sleep possible without being woken by rowdy music and wheelspinning hoons like we have here in the wild west.

Good water levels in our streams and rivers should result in reasonable trout fishing through until Christmas. many opportunities to locate trout and redfin in our waters.

LESSONS FROM THE EAST COAST I actually haven’t fished Western Australian freshwater for some time because I spend a good part of August and September chasing Aussie natives on the east coast of Australia.

Now, I’m no stranger to fishing this part of the country because my first visit was way back in the spring of 1980, chasing trout in the high country.

Back then, fishing for native species was less desirable as not a lot of stocking took place, so targeting natives was a bit hit-and-miss. The one thing that astounded me was the size of the impoundments they have compared to ours.

Just a quick comparison of the water they have is that the whole lot of our dams in the southwest of WA only hold around 1000 gigalitres when full – and this is including our drinking water catchments that are off limits to fishing.

Some of the ones I visited over on the east coast were Glenbawn Dam (749

Some nice brown trout can be caught on occasions near Pemberton. John Gavin was happy with this excellent specimen from a nearby stream.

You don’t need to be too fussy when selecting a lure to use in our dams. Just keep changing the profile and size until you find what is working on the day. when I visited. Looking at these numbers, it just goes to show that we lack any real adequate recreational water for our population, as Harvey Dam is only 56 gigalitres when full.

Another thing I noticed was the well-catered camping facilities they have, with both paid and free sites available right on the water. Another thing

PREDICTED DAM LEVELS FOR SOUTH WEST The overall storage in our dams that allow public access and recreational activities is currently 73.9%, as of the end of August. This is up from 72.8% at the same time last year. With good rain falling over August, the dams have come up more than predicted, which is great news after a slow start to the season.

WAROONA DAM DRAKESBROOK WEIR LOGUE BROOK DAM HARVEY DAM WELLINGTON DAM GLEN MERVYN DAM BIG BROOK DAM 114

OCTOBER 2022

DAMS Waroona Dam At Waroona a few ex-brood trout are being caught throughout the day, with the shallow bays holding some nice fish of an evening. Anglers casting small lures or throwing a fly around have had success on occasions.

Redfin numbers have varied, with a few still coming from the deeper sections. Casting lures or plastics from a boat is the preferred method, although trolling is still popular with some anglers.

Drakesbrook Weir Local angler Jonah Chiera has filled me in on the latest conditions of this little water, and reports that it’s overflowing nicely. The fishing has been slow, with only a few rainbow trout and some nice redfin turning up occasionally. Still, there will be some good stocking at this year’s Troutfest in early October, and it should fish well until the heat sets

77 % 100 % 84 % 95 % 85 % 90 % 100 %

The level of fish stocking was also impressive, and I take my hat off to their Fisheries departments for providing such a diverse range of species to fish for. In one dam we had six stocked species to fish for, including trout, Murray cod and golden perch (yellowbelly), with redfin and carp also available.

To finish on the subject, I’m not sure where to go with our freshwater fishery over here. With the short season we have due to high water temperatures in summer, and now the tough situation of restricting our demersal saltwater fishery to just a couple of months of the year, it’s tough for local anglers.

It’s almost gotten to the point where resettlement to the east coast could be a serious option for serious WA anglers.

in around November.

Logue Brook Dam Unfortunately this water will be full of ski boat and jet-ski activity as the water warms this month, making fishing hazardous if you are fishing from a kayak or boat. Some quiet bays are your best bet, but I choose to fish other waters at this time of the year.

Harvey Dam The fishing at Harvey Dam has been very disappointing lately, according to some reports coming through. A lot of fish were taken up the main

creek by some individuals that chose to fish illegally, which is disappointing.

Fisheries have stepped up patrols, but they can’t be there all the time so it’s up to all of us to keep an eye on it and call Fishwatch (1800 815 507) if we see any suspicious-looking activity.

You can also report it online by going to www.wa.gov.au and typing ‘illegal fishing’ in the search box.

The decision to close some of the access and enforce the no-camping policy by Watercorp has angered many anglers, with

Wendy with a redfin caught trolling a deep diving lure in Waroona Dam. These species are the only option if you are a yearround freshwater angler fishing our northern dams.

WA

most choosing to fish other areas. The refusal to issue a 1-night camping permit for the Harvey Bash organisers is a big loss to the local community, and resulted in the cancellation of the biggest freshwater fishing competition in the state.

Wellington Dam By all reports, trout have been hard to locate at Wellington Dam, which is disappointing. That said, not a lot of Perth people are willing to drive so far to fish, and the locals tend to keep tight-lipped about captures.

Redfin seem to have multiplied compared to recent years, with some anglers bagging up to 50 in one day. Long days and lots of legwork is required by those using kayaks, and using deep diving lures is preferred. If you happen to have an electric motor on your vessel, it will make light work of getting around this larger water.

casting a array of lures or weighted flies. If the flow is hard, I recommend getting your gear down deep into the water. Conversely, if it’s flowing slow, then fish lighter.

Lefroy Brook October is one of the best months to fish this little stream. Whether you’re fishing from the mouth downstream or up near Big Brook Dam, there are always nice rainbow trout and brown trout there for the taking.

If you are into fly fishing, this is the stream for you. Casting small dry flies into the gentle rapids is a fun way to catch these spirited fighters.

A Harvey Dam ex-brood rainbow caught flicking lures in a quiet bay.

These stocked fish offer reasonable fishing for a short time in spring before the heat sets in around mid-November on most years.

One of the hundreds of free camping spots on the banks of an east coast dam. This storage is not only used for irrigation but is also used for drinking water for local towns.

Glen Mervyn Dam Not many trout are being caught at Glen Mervyn, so do we need to look at lifting the stocking rate as only 200 yearlings go in annually.

Redfin are still showing up, with some nice ones getting caught on all the popular methods.

Big Brook Dam Some of the boys from WATFAA fished this little scenic water just out of Pemberton, and reported some nice trout coming out recently. This is not surprising as it gets a large stocking per acre of water compared to other WA dams. You might happen to land a few nice redfin, with the dam wall being a good place to start using small plastics and spinners on a light rod.

RIVERS Murray River The Murray River has

to keep it. Whilst you are perfectly entitled to keep brown trout, they seem to prey on the redfin that have somehow found their way into the system.

A few rainbows are showing up well upstream so it’s worth a look if you happen to be in the area.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE As can be seen, we have a limited trout fishery over here compared to other states, but the redfin fishing can compare on occasions.

The introduction of a number of east coast native freshwater species would improve the scope of our fishery ten-fold, and with

been a bit high in recent months, but October is the time to explore this river as the water is at a better level.

Some redfin are still coming out of the slower pools that dot this largish river.

Northern Jarrah streams Some nice trout came out through winter by those anglers putting in long days and suffering leg pain for their efforts. Most of the trout have retreated back to the dams, although some residents still remain.

A stealthy approach is required for success on these fish.

Collie River below Wellington Dam Not many reports, however this water kicks off when the irrigation season starts in late spring.

Collie River above Wellington Dam There have been

rumours circulating of some trout being caught just above the dam, but I can’t confirm this. I would imagine they were up there on a spawning run, if that was the case.

Good redfin are coming from the area around the town, and things should get better throughout this month.

Blackwood River It has been very hard to get constant reports from Blackwood River because most anglers drive past on their way to the Pemberton area. Perhaps we should we re-examine why so many fish are stocked into this water if anglers avoid the area.

Warren River This is the month that this river really starts to fire. The trout move into the faster runs and are more vulnerable to anglers

East coast anglers have an array of freshwater species in their impoundments. Introducing bass like this one, caught fly-fishing at Glenbawn Dam in NSW, would cater to fly anglers throughout our hot summer, when trout are less active.

Lure casters are best off using small spinners or floating hardbodied lures, but soft plastics are a good way to entice these fish as well.

Donnelly River I have heard a report of a large brown trout being caught by a local in the Donnelly River, which is encouraging, but unfortunately he decided

the current situation we have where the government is trying to implement a 9-month ban on saltwater demersal species, then they should compensate with a loosening of the translocation laws that prohibit these great sportfish from being stocked into some of our dams, which are already infested with redfin perch.

A good brown from the Donnelly caught by WATFAA member Steve Roberts. It fell to a small nymph on the drift.

OCTOBER 2022

115

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Directory

New South Wales Tide Times

Victorian Tide Times

POINT LONSDALE – VICT SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALES 38° 18’ S LONG 144° 3 LAT 33° 51’ S LONG 151° 14’ E –LAT POINT LONSDALE VICTORIA SYDNEY DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALES PROVEN(FORT WORLD LEADING SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALES POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA

2

MARINE ACCESSORIES

20212021 2022 2022

Times––and Heights ofWALES High and LowLONSDALE Waters Times and Heights of High and Low POINT POINT LONSDALE ––37’ VICTORIA VICTORIA SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) DENISON) NEW NEW SOUTH SOUTH WALES LAT 18’ S LONG 144° E LAT 33°SYDNEY 51’ S (FORT LONG 151° 14’ LAT 33° 51’E S LONG 151°38° 14’ E LAT 38° 18’ S LAT LAT38° 38°18’ 18’SS LONG LONG 144° 144°LONG 37’ 37’ EE 144° 37’ E JULY JUNE MAY AU MAY JUNE LAT LAT 33° 33° 51’ 51’ S S LONG LONG 151° 151° 14’ 14’ E E Times and Heights of HighTimes and Low Waters Times Heights of High andLocal Low Time Waters and Heights of High and and Low Waters Local Times and Heights of High and Time Low Waters Times Times and and Heights Heights of of High High and and Low Low Waters Waters m Time Time m ofofHigh Time m Time Time Time m Time m Power Times Time m Times and andHeights Heights High and andLow LowWaters Waters Local LocalTime Time m m Time mTime mTime The SARCA EXCEL and SUPER SARCA are certified type approved Super High Holding JULY m JUNE JULY MAY JUNE AUGUST MAY JUNE JULY JUNE AUGUST MAY MAY JULY SEPTEMBER OCTOBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER OCTOBER 0037 1.78SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER NOVEMBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER DECEMBER 0006 NOVEMBER 1.68 0519 OCTOBER 0.58 0633 0.53 0150 1.

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ANCHOR DESIGNS

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1 16 1 1 16 16 1 1 16 16 1 161 16 1 16 16 1 1 16 1 16 1 16 161 11 16 16 11 16 16 16 16 111 11 16 16 1 1616 1 11 1616161 16111 16 23191207 0.741.25 1.54 2 0835 21.290828 171928 17 2 170.42 2 1.440.58 2 21922 0724 0.52 0858 1.42 0.2 0733 17 0.450842 17 20.54 17 17 2 2 17 171935 2 17 22 1300 1.31 17 17 2 1.32 0656 1121 0735 1.40 1335 1.34 1726 0.80 1542 1.

1447 1.35 1451 1.41 1359 1.49 1825 0.74 TH MO MO WE FR SA SU 0608 0.61 0030 1.68 0255 1.18 0138 1.66 0148 1.47 0100 1.58 0301 1.25 0.43 17 17 17 17 17 17 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA 1336 0133 0.89 0.57 1231 0.65 0.68 1836 0043 1.52 0.65 1256 0130 0.68 0.47 17 1720023 17 17 170534 222 0835 0.54 221.38 SU WE SA0.82 TU 0.74 19060.45 0.77 20135 2227 0.T 2019 20450.65 0.8117 0853 19570.56 0.672022 17 0724 0.52 0858 0828 0.58 0733 1.31 17 1207 1.25 1.40 1.37 LAT 38°2 18’0735 S LONG 144° 37’0842 E 1.44 1.51 1.50 2019 17 17 0848 2 1121 0.42 17FR065614511.29 21538 1.32 1959 1.40 1947 0849 1542 1.47 1.35 TH 1335 1.34 1.41andSA 1359 1.49 1.64 Local Time 0.74 MO 1726 0.80 MOWaters WE 1447 TU Times Heights of High and Low 18 18 18 3 3 3 1336 0.89 1347 1231 0.65 1836 1.52 1256 0.68 1345 0.85 0000 1.66 0406 0.95 1.

0239 1.56 0245 1.37 0200 1.48 0100 1.77 0126 1.63 WE FR 0.65 SA 1906 0.77 TU 1957 TH2230 3 18 18 3 SU 1947 3 1.51 182019 332019 18 2227 0.72 0144 0.8218 2045 0.810001 0.67 0116 0.50 0.75 0.75 0.59 0230 3 18 3 1.40 2009 1.38 1.4430.57 1959 2023 1.50 0953 0.3 0925 0911 0.61 0825 0.47 0809 0.49 18 0702 0.62 0815 0.50 MARCH JANUARY FEBRUARY APRIL 3 181.41080833 SA1.26 18 3 0858SU0422 1.34 1.44 18 18 TU1.36 31.40 30628 FR0200 18 18 181.46 33 1.22 33MO0239 18 181.28 TU0126 33 1.631.24 18 18 TH0245 1303 1637 33 1.

15441.37 154318 1458 1.570945 14141.56 14331.48 0000 1.66 0406 1.16 1.77 1209 0.48 0.78 132130230 0.75 0.96 MO SU0.81 WE TH 1438 0223 0116 0.75 0.65 0001 0.75 0144 0230 0.43 1822 0.83 3 2330 0.55 0.F 2129 2155 0.791402 21140.57 0.64 19340.57 0.8018 20150.59 0.75 18 3 18 0953 0.66 1001 0925 0911 0.61 0825 0.47 0.49 18 0702 0.62 0815 0.50 19 19 19 4 4 1930 1.47 2058 1.48 2036 1.384 1.36 2108 1.37 1.40 16 1 1 16 1 16 1 16 18 18 18 3 3 3 0628 1.34 0858 1.44 0958 1.55 0808 1.26 0945 0949 19 4 19 4 4 19 4 19 MARINE MECHANICS 1.52 WE 1645 1.72 1.40 FR 1433 1.41 1.46 SU 1458 1.57 1.28 TU 1303 1.24 TU 1637 TH 1544 SA 1543 0056 1.62 0513 1.01 1.

0339 1.49WE 1402 0344 1.31 FR2341 03100.41 1.41 SA 1449 02090.81 1.68 02280.78 1.59 TH 0.48 1453 0.92 0.75 1438 0.96 MO 1321 SU 1209 1822 0.83 2330 0.65 2129 2155 0.79 2114 0.64 0.80 2015 0.75 0220 0.75 0.61 0052 0.74 0.51 19 4 4 4 19 4 19 19 19 4 4 19 19 4 4 40735 2058 1046 1.35 0.

0.59 0954 0.620252 0919 0.490329 0.53 19300800 09051.48 0.48 44 2108 19 19 19 19 4 4 19 4 44 0914 1.470.61 19 2124 1.47 20361009 1.384 1.37 2102 19 19 4 1.33 1014 1.53 0922 SU 1.27 1.42 1407 1.26 17 FR 1728 1.4 16331.31 1.47 16321.17 1.52 1558 1.661044 15251.49 1.30 WE 1530 1.52 WE MO TU SA 0056 1.62 0513 0534 1.25 0339 0228 1.59 0344 0310 1.41 1.68 17 2 2 2 17 2 17 20S 519 0252 5 0.61 5 0320 1307 0.57 0.85 1422 0.83 1.00 0.53 2234 0.78 2300 0.741517 22300.54 0.56 1929 0.84 20500.59 0.82 2128 0.70 TU FR 1550 MO TH 5 201106 20 5 4 20 5 20 20 20190052 0220 0.75 0329 0.74 0.51 0338 0.39 4 19 45 1009 1046 0.66 0905 0.48 0954 0.62 0919 0.49 0.53 19 0800 0.61 2031 1.44 2200 1.48 2126 1.35 2200 1.36 19 19 19 4 4 4 0735 1103 1.80 1.61 0922 1044 1050 1.46 1728 1.42 1.58 1746 1.47 SA 1530 1.33 1.52 16321.27 1.52 MO 1014 1558 1.53 1.66 1.30 WE 1407 1.26 FR 1633 SU 0020 1.02 0433 1.45 03330.85 1.56 WE 0442 1.28 TH 1608 0422 1.3620 03200.78 1.62 1307 0158 1.61 20 20 550.1.

20 5 20 5 5 5 0.57 1517 0.94 1422 0.83 1550 1.00 1600 20 5 20 20 20 5 5 20 5 55 52234 2300 0.74 2230 0.56 1929 0.84 2128 0.70 0.82 TU FR SU MO20 TH SA 5 5 20 5 20 0330 0.71 0426 0.56 0157 0.70 0402 0.43 0607 0.59 0956 0.46 1038 0.62 1016 0.50 1012 0.55 20310858 18 3 18 31.440.58 1821261049 3 3 18 2200 21 1.48 2229 20 1.46 6 1.355 6 22006 1.365 2203 1.34 1136 21 0.5 1718 1.54 1626 1.64 17170.57 1.591122 16580.32 1.771137TH1.51 16261.45 1.36 15121.56 1.33 1030 1.32 0900 SU 1.35 1.64 6 21 6 6 20 21MO 21 6 0433 21 21 TH0333 SA TU WE 0020 0039 1.62 0442 1.28 0422 1.36 0158 1.61 2331 22400.43 0.61 2357 0.681636 23421.31 0.46 22030.59 0.7920 1814 0.48 1.S 2043 0.81 5 153950426 0.89 1418 0.66 0.88 1.00 20 5 1049 20 WE SA 1701 0422 TU0.73 FR 0607 1.20 0633 0.55 20 0858 0.58 0956 0.46 1038 0.62 1016 0.50 0330 0.71 0.56 0157 0.70 0402 0445 0.36 2215 1.35 2137 1.43 2300 1.50 2255 1.37 20 20 20 5 5 5 1136 0.63 1206 0.49 1.36 1718 1.54 1626 1.64 1717 1.59 1658 1.77 1030 1.32 0900 1.35 1122 1.64 1137 1.51 1147 1.52 1205 1.67 21 21 6 6 21 21 6 6 21 21 6 6 6 6 TH FR SA SU MO TU TH 1512 1.33 211.59 1418 6460.66 21 2357 66 2331 19 4 7 1636 19 41701 19 4 1.87 19 1709 0102 22 0.

05220.68 1.42 0438 1.54 0536 1.27 22 0531 1.35 7 042321 0304 1.62 21 0.79 2240 0.61 2342 0.46 1814 1.65 2043 0.81 22 7 1.00 0.89 0.59 0.88 1720 0.92 WE 1539 SA MO6 TU21 FR SU1842 6 6 21 21 0652 0.99 1.

1127 1046 0.44 1121 0.620507 1115 22 0.490516 0.55 0950 0.52 7 76 11000.73 7 22 7 22 22 0432 0.64 0313 0.62 0.34 0.50 22151758 1.3561.61 1.431.44 2300 1.50 2255 1.37 2308 2331 1.47 1221 1.35 0.6 1719 1.78 1800 1.65 17550.25 1.871225FR 17161.42 1.44 2137 1609 21 6 21 SU WE TH FR 1129 TU 1.40 1025MO 1.44 1224 1.74 1.59 0102 0.49 0129 0522 0536 1.27 0531 1.35 0438 1.54 1.59 0304 1.62 1856 1.

23070.59 0.7421 2154 0.74 2346 0.50 6 21 6 6 21 0652 1.24 0724 1.37 1127 1121 0.62 1115 0.49 1046 0.44 0.55 21 0950 0.52 1656 0.90 1541 0.72 1746 0.86 1758 0.96 5 20 20 5 20 5 5 20 TH WE SA SU 22 M 0432 0.64 0.62 0507 0.34 0516 0.50 0545 0.33 0520 0.43 22 22 22 7 7 22 22 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 22 22 77 22 22 6MO0313 8 23 8 23 8 23 1221 0.59 1300 0.43 1.61 1800 1.65 1755 1.87 1719 1.78 1.44 2240 1.46 2304 1.36 2359 1.52 2349 1.39 21 6 21 6 21 FR SA SU 1758 TU WE FR 1609 1.44 1129 1.40 1025 1.44 1224 1.74 1225 1.59 1301 1.72 1240 1.59 0141 0.

0516 1.57 0021 0.67 0540 1.52 0043 0.60 0044 0.35 0407 1.65 8 23 8 0.44 SU 231758 87 1142 0.54 23 23 1856 0.96 1.72 8MO 0.74 2154 0.74 1931 1.91 2346 0.72 0.50 0.90 1.40 SA 1541 1746 1822 1807 7 22 7 22 WE22 TU7 0732 0.93 1.

0607 11360.86 0626 1.280604 0635 0.87 1.370601 1039 0.45TH 1656 0522 0.57 0428 0.49 0.28 0.44 MINN REPAIRS & SERVICING 2240 1.46 2304 1.36 2359 1.52 2349 1.39 21 6 21 6 21 6 6 21 1303 0.7 1759 1.52 1202 0.59 1812 1.90 1202 0.62 1212 0.48 1700 1.57 FR MO TH SA 0141 0.42 0021 0.67 0540 1.52 0043 0.60 0044 0.35 1218 WE 1.57 0407 1.65 0213 7 7 22 1.50 1320 1.81 0.22 1310SA1.66 1138 TU 1.57 22 23 81703 23 24 23SU 88 1.42 881.T 18351.28 1840 1.711844 1850 1.9623 2259 0.63 23 1935 24 22electric 22 23 8789 0607 1.40 23 2324220428 880.49 2370522 81.68 8870601 23 922 0604 9 0.44 240810 9 0010 0732 1.29 0626 0635 1.37 0.54• All 1039motor 0.45 brands 1136 0.44 0.89 0.82 0.92 0.73 FR 1755 TH MO 1844 0.57 0.28 0030 1.49 1.39 9 9 24 24 9 24 1303 0.54 1202 0.59 1202 0.62 1212 0.48 1.52• Australia 1.57 1812 1.90 1349 0.40 SA MO TU WE TH SA 1700 SU 2350 1.38 2339 1.50 22221218 wide freight 1.50 0.61 7 1320 1.66 0639 0104 0124 0.54 72017 01391.90 0.27 22 0611 00001.68 0.687 11380505 00471.81 0.3922 1310 1.67 0216 0.38 0.

1935 1.79 1.71 1850 1.96 2259 0.63 22 7 0.31 22 81329 71.57 7 SU 22 81840 8 23 81835 1755 0.89 1844 0.92 17031125 0.730.40FR 1353 1.75 0649 1.39 0711 1.29 23 0732 1.39 WE 0601 1.55 06410.82 1.50 MO71844 0811 1.65 1.

• Quick turn around TH23 TU 0533 0.37 0053 1915 1.55 0040 1856 1.43 0603 0.50 2350 1.38 1.50 0.81 1237 0.59 124224 0.61 1306 0.4610 12170.61 0.53 2339 1228 0.44 1748 1.72 24 1344 0.85 0.8 10 10 25 25 25 TU TH FR SA WE SU SU 0104 0124 0.54 0139 0.27 0047 0.39 0.68• Authorised 0505 Minn 1.67Kota/Watersnake 0254 0.22 0216 0.37 repairer 24 9 24 9 9 9 9 9 24 24 24 24 9 9 24 9 9 9 9 24 8 8 23 23 1242 1.71 0657 0.25 1300 1.60 1910 1.74 19191.33 1.77 19441.45 2.010644 0.40 18361.39 1.59 19031.39 2.01 2015 1.

10 25230533 25 10 10 25 10 25 8 0649 8 23 23 8 0711 1.29 0732 0641 1.50 1.55 23 1125 0.40 0852 0811 0.72 1411 0123 1.84 1.72 1.44 0.86 1.43 FR81813 0053 MO TU 1352 W SA 1840 80040 1.55 1.50 0603 0.50 23 8 0.39 23 23 23 0105 1237 0.59 WE 122880.37 0.61 1306 0.46 0.44 0.53 SU 1748Minn 1.72 1435 0.50 TU TH 1242 FR MO SU 1344 Repairs & Servicing 1934 0.78 1926 0.87 8 23 8 23 8 23 0144 0.56 0202 0.48 0145 0.30 0045 0.63 0000 0.51 0230 0.22 0253 0.35 0.

1242 1.71 0657 0.25 0644 0.40 0729 0.33 0659 1300 1.60 1910 1.74 1919 1.77 1944 2.01 1903 2.01 1.59 2100 1.85 2015 1.84 9 0730 91.4211 241411 24 1.38 0752 1.31 WE 0740 1.48 TU 1352 0642 1.53 0826 1.75 1.4111TH9 0849 1.70 1.

11 261440 26 26 18130600 0.721.68SA 1840 1.84 1.72 0.86 Call Troy 0412 605 080 – W:9 minnrepairs.com FR24 MO 25 25 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 25 25 25 25 MO1414 25 25 10 10 10 10 25 25 0144 1.56 1.46 0032 1.54 0033 1311 0.60 1322 0.60 1319 0.45 1249 0.53 1210 0.37 1359 0.450128 142510 0.

11 11 26 11 26 11 26 26 WE FR TH SU MO SA 1934 0.78 1926 0.87 2005 0.75 1942 0.76 0144 0.56 0145 0.30 0202 0.48 0.63 0000 minnrepairsservicing 0.51 0331 0.25 0253 0.32 0230 0.22 91.79 9 0746 24 24 0.26 0.26 06429 9 1.48 9 0.44 24 90629 24 9 1.47 24 0.37 19451.31 19571.37 1.81 1956 2.07 19111.38 1.6624 0740 1836 1.86 24 2033 2.020724 2053 1.9 9 9 24 24 0730 0752 1.53 24 0600 1.68 0933 0849 0826 1.41 1.84 0.41 1.75 1.49 1.81 1.56 1.68 TU 1459 WE 1434 0157 T SA 1338 SU 1339 0213 1.50 0032 0033 E: minnrepairs@gmail.com 0.60 TH 1319 1.54 0.45 13221.42 0.60 0.53 MO 1210 0.37 1519 1425 1.46 0.46 1359 0.45 WE 1311 FR TU MO0128 SA 0144 12 12 27 27 27 01251.79 0.589 0629 0057 0.40 03181.76 0.2212 0330 0.34 0.

0221 0.52 0241 0.24 0241 0.442022 1919 0.83 0.75 2007 0.82 1908 0.70 9 24 9 24 24 0746 0.26 0724 0.37 0815 0.36 0745 0.26 0642 0.44 1945 1956 2.07 1957 1.81 1.66 1836 1.86 2141 2053 1.86 2033 2.02 10 071926261.51 25 11 10 092911 251459 10 25 11 11 2625 11 11 11 26 26 11 11 26 26 0656 1.67SU 0915 27 1.4226 1.

1.36 TU 08371.84 1.46 WE 0832 1.32 11 11 111.8112 26 2610 27 12 27 12 12 27 1434 1.75 1.73 1.73 13390812 1.68 TH 1522 FR 1456 SA 1338 10 25 10 25 10 25 10 0230 1.55 0214 1.48 0123 1.58 0115 1.45 1320 0.54 1256 0.37 1449 0.45 1509 0.

1345 0.62 1411 0.48 1401 0.59 MO TU SU TU TH FR SA 0.58 0057 0.40 0330 0.82 0.29 0407 0.31 0318 0.75 0.22 0221 0.52 0241 0.70 0.24 02410.83 0.44 1919 2022 2007 2052 0.71 2027 0.67 1908 10 25 10 25 19431.36 1.7125 0837 19241.46 1.98 10 0832 21211.47 1.980804 0.36 2133 10 1.

2019 1.82 2047 2.09 20351.41 1.840833 0.30 0720 0.20 0718 0.39 10 25 25 10 1.51 25 0656 1.67 0929 1013 0915 1.42 0812 1.32 BOATS WANTED 28 13 0.45 281602 1.80 0.46 1515 0246 1.76 1.53 1430 1.87 28 1.73 WE 1544 TH 13 F SU13 MO 1416 0.54 1509 1.48 1449 0.45 0.62 FR 1411 1.58 0.48 14011.45 0.59 0230 1.55 0214 0259 1.49 0123 0115 TU 1256 0.37 TU WE SU TH 1345 SA 02021.82 0.55 040712 0.

0259 0.50 03341.98 0.23 031827 0.42 0403 0.252047 0153 0.31 28 13 13 28 13 28 13 28 11 11 1.65 26 11 26 26 11 26 12 12 12 12 27 27 27 12 27 2107 0.72 0.77 1957 0.68 1957 0.80 12 12 12 12 12 12 27 27 27 27 27 10 25 10 25 10 25 1.71 1924 1.98 2133 1.85 2218 2121 2047 2.09 2035 1.84 0833 0.30 0804 0.36 0859 0.41 0831 0.35 0720 0.20 0718 0.39 112019 11 11 26 11 26 26 0757 1.48 1011 1.

0852 1.35 0932 1.44 0912 1.33 1002 1.42 0751 1.63 1515 1.76 1600 1.70 1535 14301343 1.870.40 1.73 0.64WE 1544 TH SU FR SA SU WE MO 1416 13490.50 0.56 1554 1.73 0.

1422 15031.80 0.51 1442 0.580315 15390.38 0.480258 TU WE FR SA MO 1.52 1.49 0209 1.59 0156 1.47 0.55 0441 0407 0.28 0153 0.31 0259 0334 0.23 0318 0.42 0403 0.25 2107 0.72 2047 0.77 2136 0.67 2113 1957 0.68 1957 0.80 14 29 14 29 14 29 20151.35 1.7626 0932 2215 0.58 1.

2056 1.83 2139 2.07 21151.45 1.850918 22071.47 1.900845 0.37 20131.44 2.06 11 0912 11 26 11 11 26 26 11 26 0.36 0809 0.19 0755 0.37 1.48 26 0751 1.63 11 0852 1051 1011 1.33 1002 1.42 121517 27 0335 12 27 27 1.52 120258 27 12 0.52 29 14 29 14 29 14 29 14 0.56 WE 1343 0.40 1645 1554 1.49 0.45 0.64 1503 0.51 1442 0.58 1539 0.48 1625 1.74 1556 1.74 13 1.87 1454 1.76 13 13 13 13 13 28 28 28 28 TH WE FR 1422 SA SU MO TH FR MO TU 0209 1.59 0315 0343 1.46 1.55 0156 1.47 13 13 28 13 13 13 13 28 28 28 28 28 04461.52 0.312129 0.72 0446 0.S 03381.85 0.49 04281.90 0.27 03571.80 0.412152 2255 02391.83 0.52 02492.07 0.26 1.76 2215 2013 2.06 2139 2115 2207 0.71 2043 0.67 2033 0.78 11 11 26 11 26 26 0809 0.19 0918 0.36 0845 0.37 0939 0.47 0918 0755 0.37 12 12 27 12 27 122056 27 1048 1.41 1055 0.40 1.

0932 1.33 1027 1.41 0953 1.34 0834 1.44 0848 1.57 15 30 30 15 30 15 1517 1.870.45TU 1454 1625 1.74 1556 1.74 1633 1.66 1614 1.76 0.66 MO TH FR SA SU 1627 0.53 1644 1.71 0.

1500 1557 0.56 1523 0.58 1419 0.58 1430 TU TH SA SU MO WE TH 0512 0.45 0343 0446 0.29 0338 0.49 0428 0.27 0357 0.41 0446 0.31 0236 0.52 0249 0.26 13 28 13 28 28 13 28 13 0254 1.58 0400 1.48 1.49 1.48 2043 0.67 2152 0.71 2129 0.72 2217 0.64 2159 0.50 2033 0.78 2250 1.78 2300 2133 1.83 2229 1.99 2154 1.84 20461.33 1.78 2102 2.10 12 30 30 15 30 15 15 15 30 12 27 27 27 1130 1.46 1055 1.48 0932 1027 1.41 0953 1.34 1048 1.41 1.44 27 0848 1.57 12 12 27 12 12 27 0.21 0.44 14 14 0.58 0929 14 141.

14TH 0.36 29 1000 29 29 0.40 140856 29 0.53 0830 14 14 14 14 14 14 0.56 29 29 29 29 29 29 0254 1730 1644 0.47 0.66 SU 1557 1.58 1523 0.58 1627 0.58 FR SA 1500 MO TU TH 1430 0.45 1603 1.82 1704 1.68 1634 1.71 1532 1.75 TU0.50 FR SA WE 0343 1.49 0426 1.43 02360417 1.48 0425 0527 1.56 0.S 05191.48 0.32 0437 0.40 05281.39 0.38 03451.99 0.25 03161.83 0.51 2332 2300 1.72 2229 21540.36 1.84 2250 1.78 1.78 2102 2.10 31 31 2127 0.67 0.70 0.66 2110 0.76 12280400 271413 12 1228 272913 27 13 28 132133 1000 0929 0.40 1016 0856 0.211.50 0830 1006 1142 0.47 1.

1015 14 1.32 11200.44 1.39 1036 1.352235 1133 1.402212 0945 0913 1.41 29 14 29 14 0.54 1704 1634 1.71 1704 1.61 1.82 1.75 1652 1737 1.68 0.

1540 0.68 FRMO 16491.68 0.61 SA 1608 0.59 SU 17150.52 0.59 MOFR 1521 0.51 14500.50 0.62 TU 1603 WE 1532 31 31 31 SU TU WE FR TH 0544 0527 0.33 0417 0519 0.32 0437 0.40 0528 0.38 0.51 0345 0.25 0338 1.55 0315 1.48 0446 1.42 0430 1.49 15 15 30 30 15 15 15 15 30 30 15 15 30 30 2235 0.70 2212 0.66 2256 0.62 0.76 2245 0.43 2347 1.

2213 1.81 2318 1.87 2235 1.81 2331 1.64 2154 2.08 30 21191.32 15 150.67 302110 15 15 1015 30 301.79282127 28 13 13 28 1210 1.45 1142 1.51 1120 1.39 1036 1.35 1133 1.40 1.41 28 0945 1.50 13 13150942 0.28 28 0906 0.37 13 1042 0.52 28 1014 0.46 13 1820 0.64 1737 0.50 0.68 MO 1649 0.61 1608 0.59 1715 0.59 0.62 © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2019, Bureau of Meteorology SA FR SU 1540 TU WE FR 1521 0.51 15 30 15 30 15 30 1647 0446 1.75 1611 0430 1.73 1.61 1.68 WE TH SA SU 1714 0519 M 0606 1.40 0.45 0609 1.55 0.

0443 0.28 0500 0.51 06101.42 0.40 0518 0.411743 0510 03551.81 0.52 0338 1.55 0315 1.48 1.49 2347 1.60 2213 2318 1.87 2235 1.81 2331 1.64 1.79 2154 2.08 Datum of 1213 Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide 14 29 29 14 29 14 14 2209 0.67 2146 0.75 0.70 0.61 13 28 13 28 13 28 1218 0.62 1.402257 1232 0.55 1.

1059 1.30 1.37 1122 1.362318 0952 1.37 09421044 0.28 0906 0.37 1053 1042 0.52 1014 0.46 1053 © Copyright Commonwealth of1.43 Australia 2020, Bureau of Meteorology TimesTU are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savingsSA (UTC 1804 0.66 1838 0.+ 0.59 1622 0.71 1744 0.67 1656 0.61 1524 0.66 1.75 1611 1.73 1730 1.63 1.61 1714 1.68 1735 1.56 TH SA MO FR 31 0015 1.28 0609 0.38 0500 0610 0.40 0518 0.41 0606 0.45 0.52 0443 0.28 WE 1647 TH TU time SA 1743 SUWE MO Datum of 0.51 Predictions is1614 Lowest Astronomical Tide 31 31 31 0421 1.50 0355 1.46 0534 1.37 0521 1.47 New Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols 2246 2.01 14 2254 1.7829 2318 2319 1.7629 0619 21551.30 1.7829 14+11:00) 2209 0.67 0.75 2331 0.39 0.70 2257 0.61 2332 0.59 0.60 312146 31 1232 1.54 1059 1213 1.37 1122 1.36 1218 29 1.40 1.37 29 1044 1.43 14 Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight time 0943 (UTC when in effect 14 14 29 1025 savings 0.36 0.66 0.39 1120 0.61 1.43 1101 0.54 14 1254 1838 0.55 1622 0.71 1744 0.67 1656 0.61 1804 0.66 SU SA MO TU WE TH SA 1614 0.59 First0534 Quarter Last Quarter Moon0435 Phase0.54 Symbols Full Moon 0041 1.53 1.T 0013 1.50 0.34 Moon 0545 00071.37 1.74 0601 0.421819 1919 1731 1.67 1650 0521 1.69 1.55 1754 0620 1.63 TH0.53 FR SU MO 04210542 1.50New 0355 1.46 1.47 0558 1.37 0.69 2254 1.78 2319 1.76 1.78 2246 2.01 15 30 30 15 30 15 15 0657 0.65 0.

0645 0.70 0.522344 1143 1.38 1146 1.29 06580.61 0.47 1211 1.3914 1033 1.32 2252 0.69 2225 0.74 0.56 14 29 29 14 29 1025 0.36 0943 0.39 1141 1120 1101 0.54 1131 ©© Copyright Copyright2021, Commonwealth Commonwealth ofofAustralia Australia 2021, 2021,0.64 Bureau BureauofofMeteorology Meteorology ©©Copyright Copyright Commonwealth of1709 of© Australia Australia 2021, 2021, Bureau Bureau ofofMeteorology Meteorology Copyright Commonwealth of Australia Bureau of Meteorology 1328 1.58 1.

13041.17 1.40 WESU 0.66 1710 0.73 1305 1.36 1749 1600Commonwealth 0.71 FR SU TU WE TH SA 0041 1.46 0545 0.53 0007 1.74 0601 0.42 0013 1.50 0.54 0542 0.34 0106 1.67 1.69 1813 1819 1.55 1754 1.63 1806 1.51 TH 1731 FR 1650 SU MO TU Datum Datum ofofPredictions Predictions isis0.73 Lowest Lowest Astronomical Astronomical Tide Tide 0001 0507 1.43 0437 1.44 0.70 Datum Datum of ofPredictions Predictions isisLowest Lowest Astronomical Astronomical Tide Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide0.52 1948 0.

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2305 0.72is supplied in1857 1.49 1842 1.47 1.52 All material good faith and is believed to be correct.

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Predictions Use Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide m Sarca Excel

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0316 0323 0323 0.20 0.200.51 0245 0245 0345 0.29 0.29 0913 0930 0930 1.61 1.611.41 0857 0857 0945 1.61 1.61 1450 FR 1521 TH 1530 1530 0.31 0.310.62 1501 0.34 0.34 MO MO TU TU1501 2119 2144 2144 1.71 1.711.79 2110 2110 2154 1.63 1.63 0355 0.52 0400 0400 0.28 0.28 0318 0318 0443 0.31 0.31 1044 0952 1.37 1012 1012 1.62 1.620.66 0934 0934 1614 1.66 1.66 1524 SA FR 1618 0.37 0.371.78 1546 0.34 0.34 TU TU1618 WE WE1546 2246 2155 2227 2227 1.56 1.56 2151 2151 1.55 1.55 0435 0.54

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0601 0601 1.48 1.48 0512 0512 1.57 1.57 FR SU SA 0410 1.16 1.16 0445 1.12 1.12 0602 1.42 1.42 0538 0538 1.34 1.34 2343 1.50 1808 0.24 1.44 1838 2126 0.43 2031 0.840934 2234 1003 0.78 2300 0.74 0.70 1122 1122 0.70 1045 1045 0.66 0.66 1127 1127 0.70 0934 0.67 0.67 1003 0.79 0.79 21281153 1153 0.56 0.56 0043 1.40 0142 1.40 0447 0.89 0131 1.54 1731 1731 1.39 1.39 1658 1658 1.51 1.51 0330 0157 0.70 MO MO SU SU 1.45 1.45 1616 1.62 1.62 1632 1.42 1.42 FR 1809 1.62 1.62 SA TU TU1616 WE WE1632 FR1809 SA 0442 0433 1.45 1.56 1.28 1.61 0559 0.90 0333 0727 0.39 0.79 1059 1.33 0654 0.77 1.35 0900 1030 2344 2344 0.39 2303 2303 0.29 0.29 2357 2357 0.47 0.47 2320 2320 0.41 0.41 2330 2330 0.56 0.56 1049 0.46 0.62 0.58 1147 1.21 0956 1315 1.23 1306 1.36 0.66 MO 0.59 TH1038 SU 1712 0.22 WE TU 1418 1539 WE 1.64 1717 1.59 1.33 1816 0.38 1931 0.40 1917 0.21 SA 1718 1.54 SU 16260600 MO 2137 1.430619 2215 0600 1.53 1.53 0645 0645 1.40 1.40 0619 1.46 1.46 0526 1.23 0526 1.23 0544 0544 1.20 1.20 0036 0036 0.34 0.34 2331 0.73 2240 0.61 2357 0.68 0.81 1127 1127 0.73 0.73 1200 1200 0.76 0.76 02240.61 1.46 0049 1.59 0131 1.45 0229 1.53 1.60 1222 0.61 1054 0.62 0.62 1054 1112 1112 0.73 0.73 0650 0650 1.53 0432 0313 0.621222 08141.47 0.69 0604 0.86 0700 0.85 0438 0800 0.66 SU 1736 1736 1.47 1.47 1810 1810 1.33 1.33 MO MO TU TU 1821 1.47 1730 1.67 1.67 1733 1.47 1.47 1252 0.48 0.48 0522 1.42 1.54 0536 1.27 1.62 SU1821 WE WE1730 TH TH1733 SA SA1252 1129 1025 1.44 1410 1.30 1210 1.35 1245 1.23 1411 1.42 FR MO TU TH 2345 2345 0.30 0.30 1127 0.59 10461900 0.44 1121 0.62 0.52 1900 1.60 1.60 1656 1541 0.72 TH 0.38 0.16 1908 0.35 1719WE 2016 0.21 2015 1758 1.61 1.78 1.65 1.44 1822SU MO TU 1800 2304 2240 1.46 0023 0023 0.45 0.45 0656 0656 1.47 1.47 0019 0.34 0.34 0015 0015 0.50 0.50 0117 0.33 0.33 0035 0035 0.42 0.50 0.740019 0149 1.66 0215 1.50 23460117 0319 1.64 03010.42 1.52 0734 0734 1.33 1.33 1210 1210 0.79 0.79 0522 0428 0625 0625 1.33 1.33 0628 0628 1.29 1.29 0733 0733 1.63 1.63 0659 1.58 0711 0.79 0750 0.79 0857 0.54 0.490659 08531.58 0.59 0021 0.67 0540 1.52 0043 0.60 1.65 1242 1242 0.82 0.82 1821 1821 1.42 1.42 1138 1218 1318 1.40 1338 1.26 SU 1510 1.48 1.57 14590.51 1.38 WE WE TU TU 1202 0.53 0.53 FR 1208 0.65 0.65 1345 0.41 0.41 1312 0.51 TU WE FR1345 SA1312 TH TH1202 FR1208 SU MO MO 0607 1.40 1136 0.44 0626 1.28 0.451830 1703 1755 1926 0.12 1954 0.32 2109 0.23 0.731908 2054 0.37 1855 1855 1.26 1.26 FR1.49 TH 1830 1.73 1.73 1822 1822 1.52 1.52 1947 1947 1.57 1.57 1908 1.49 1202 0.59 1812 1.90 1202 0.62 1.57 2339 WE 1.50 2350 MO TU 0245 1.71 0252 1.54 0403 1.66 0337 1.56 1835 1.68 1840 1.71 0.630109 0107 0107 0.51 0.51 0033 0033 0.32 0.32 0112 0.39 0155 0.35 0109 0.27 0.27 0053 0053 0.44 0.44 0155 0.35 0809 0.70 0834 0.72 0947 0.43 0.370112 09290.39 0.49 0533 0603 0833 0833 1.28 1.28 0802 0802 1.42 1.42 0737 0737 1.71 1.71 0814 1.70 0714 0714 1.44 1.44 0704 0704 1.38 1.38 0814 1.70 1426 1.31 0047 1.51 1.71 1544 1300 1.46 WE 1418 1.45 TH 0.61 SA 1604 SU0124 0104 0.54 0.39 1.67 1242 1333 1333 0.87 0.87 1300 1300 0.85 0.85 TH TH WE WE 1400 1400 0.41 0.41 1433 0.37 1300 1300 0.43 0.43 1255 1255 0.56 0.56 1433 0.37 2023 0.12 2033 0.30 2156 0.28 2131 0.38 TU TU 0711 FR FR SA SA 1.39 MO MO FR1.50 0649 1.29 0641 0.40 1813 0.72 1840 SA1.20 1955 1.20 1919 1919 1.36 1.36 1955 1.49 1.49 2032 1.51 1922 1922 1.77 1.77 1903 1903 1.57 1.57 2032 1.51 1237 0.59 1242 0.61 1228 0.44 1.72 0336 TU TH WE 0411 1.58 1.73 0329 1.58 0444 1.66 1910 1.74 1919 1.77 2.01 10020.38 0.40 0903 0.61 0914 0.65 19030230 1033 0.35 0202 0202 0.56 0.56 0131 0131 0.37 0.37 0152 0152 0.23 0.23 0127 0127 0.38 0.38 0150 0.38 0230 0.38 0.38 0032 1.540150 0033 1627 1.26 1.51 1656 1.52 MO TH 1515 1.48 FR 1511 1.35 SU0852 0938 0938 1.26 0916 0916 1.39 1.39 0852 1.76 1.76 0758 1.54 1.54 0739 0739 1.49 1.49 0818 0818 1.82 1.82 0629 0.26 0642 0144 0.56 0145 0.30 0202 0.48 0.510758 2209 0.41 2116 0.14 2110 0.31 2239 0.35 1442 1442 0.89 0.89 1407 1407 0.89 0.89 1338 1.81 1339 FR FR TH TH 1518 1518 0.35 0.35 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0437 1.61 WE 0553 1.57 SU SU1443 MO MO1420 WE TH TH 1957 0.682230 1957 1345 2023 0.62 0.48 1401 0.59 0.372054 FR 14112156 2230 1.20 1.20 2206 2206 1.33 1.33 11151.45 0.25 1046 0.46 1025 0.52 1153 0.29 SA 2135 1.37 2156 1.37 2135 1.45 2054TH 1.72 1.72 2023 1.60 1.60 2019 2.09 1.47 WE2035 1.84 1.98 1.56 1635 1.40 2047 SA 1701 1.47 SU 1.82 TU 1832 0209 1.59 1753 0156 0444 0444 0.60 0.60 0418 0418 0.42 0.42 2330 0.52 2254 0.29 2219 0.36 2356 0.52 0335 0.49 0.49 0.190315 0308 0.25 0.25 0308 0231 0231 0.32 0.32 03340335 0315 0.41 0.41 0809 0755 0259 0.50 0.23 0318 0.42 0.31 1135 1135 1.33 1.33 1134 1134 1.45 1.45 1005 1005 1.78 1.78 0920 1.68 0920 1.68 0849 0849 1.69 1.69 0947 0947 1.97 1.97 1517 1.87 1454 MO TU 0509 1.60 0932 0624 1.51 0549 1.33 1.53 1.63 0549 1.65 0852 1.35 1.44 0912 1735 1735 0.75 0.75 1702 1702 0.75 0.75 SU SU SA SA 2043 2033 1641 0.38 0.38 1530FR 0.30 0.30 1503 0.33 0.33 1630 0.21 TH TH1641 MO MO1530 TU TU1503 FR FR1630 1134 0.41 1100 0.45 1229 0.30 0.67 11520.21 0.22 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0134 1.47 SA 0545 0.56 SU 1323 0.68 0.68 1343 0.65 0.65 0426 0.56 0445 0.36 FR FR 1343 SA 1323 SU11 0.57 0039 0.32 0730 0.50 1234 1.49 1205 1.67 1137 1.51 1959 1959 1.18 1.18 22 2026 2026 1.28 1.28 1.20 0633 1.31 1405 1.51 1816 0.70 SA 1.00 1720 0.92 MO 1701 SUSU 0.63 1206 0.49 1954 0.54 FR 2331 1.47 22550207 1.37 0128 0128 0.64 0.64 00 0207 0.54 0.54 1.65 1842 1.87 0838 0838 1.32 1.32 00 0929 0929 1.37 02201.37 1.51 0038 1.45 05161458 0.50 0545 0.33 0630 0.43 MO 07160.63 0.39 1415 0.66 0.66 0.63 SU SU 1415 MO11 SA SA 1458 0.49 0129 0.25 1225 1.59 1301 1.72 1327 1.63 13591.29 1.60 SU 2115 2115 1.19 1.19 22 2200 2200 1.24 0724 MO 1.37 1758 0.961.29 1906 0.87 0.67 TU 0.54MO 1822 0.59 1940 SA 1300 0.43 2349 1.39 0322 0322 0.64 0.64 0226 0226 0.73 0.73 0 0 1.72 0159 1.53 1931 1.91 0122 1.50 1030 1.35 1.35 0932 0932 1.29 1.29 11 06011030 0.44 0030 1.49 0756 0.32 0714 0.31 0.42 0213 0.22 1621 1621 0.56 0.56 1515 1515 0.61 0.61 1310 1.66 0639 0.31 1444 1.66 1415 1.74 TU SU SU MO MOTU TU11 MO 1.29 0810 1.42 1844 0.92 1353 1.75 2019 0.56 1950 0.66 WE 2318 2318 1.36 1.36 2235 1.26 1.26 TU 2235 0.54 SU 1349 1915 0.40 0.81 02330.69 1.53 0203 1.53 1.79 2017 0338 1.90 0338 0.81 0.81 00 0445 0445 0.69 0832 0.28 0757 1.50 0.23 00401128 1.43 0123 1030 1030 1.28 1.28 00 1128 1.36 1.36 1.69 1500 0.33 1.80 TU 1522 WE 0.37 0254 0.22 0644 0.40 0729 1623 0.53 0.53 1731 1731 0.46 0.46 TU TU 1623 WE11 MO MO 2032 0.65 WE 1.33 2055 0852 1.45 1352 1.72 0.58 1440 1.75 WE 2345 TH 2345 1.37 1.37 11 0.50 0305 1435 2005 0.39 1926 0.87 MO 1.51 0244 0.75 1.55 1.84 2100 1.85 0841 0.18 0907 0.27 0502 0502 0.84 0.84 0027 1.47 1.47 00 01280027 1.46 0213 1.50 1545 1.81 1557 1.68 TH WE 0602 0602 0.70 0.70 00 1126 1.30 1.30 0724 0.37 0815 0331 1126 0.25 0.32 2115 0.36 0.66 2129 0.60 1221 1.38 1.38 1726 0.41 0.41 1434 1.75 1522 1.73 TH WE WE 1726 TU TU 1221 TH 0933 1.47 1.37 TH FR11 1827 1827 0.36 0.36 11 2007 0.82 0336 1.49 0324 0.71 1.55 1519 2052 0.41 0.46 TU 0927 0.18 2141 1.76 1.86 0942 0.29 0214 1.48 0259 1.49 1630 1.77 1629 1.64 FR 0125 0125 1.58 1.58 0046 0046 1.51 1.51 00 TH 0804 0.36 0859 0.41 2157 0.67 2202 0.63 0407 0618 0.31 0.29 0704 0704 0.68 0.68 0618 0.82 0.82 00 1515 1.76 1600 1.70 SA11 FR 1013 1.47 1.41 1310 1310 1.40 1.40 1221 1221 1.33 1.33 WE WE TH TH FR FR 0407 1.47 0405 1.53 2047 0.77 2136 0.67 1602 1821 0.46 0.45 WE 1913 1913 0.28 0.28 1821 0.30 0.30 11 1015 0.31 1012 0.22 2218 1.65 1.85 1715 1.46 1.69 FR 1700 0258 1.49 1.60 SA 0343 0215 0215 1.67 1.67 00 0140 0140 1.64 1.64 2236 0.66 2240 0.69 0845 0.37 0939 0.47 0441 0715 0.38 0.28 0751 0751 0.66 0.66 00 0715 0.78 0.78 1556 1.74 1633 1.66 SA SU 0450 1.49 0440 1.43 1051 1314 1.47 1.45 1353 1353 1.42 1.42 11 1314 1.37 1.37 TH TH SA SA FR FR 2129 0.72 2217 0.64 1058 0.28 1048 0.35 1645 0.52 0.45 TH 1954 1954 0.23 22 1912 1912 0.20 0.20 1806 1.60 17350.23 1.53 SA 2255 SU 1.52 1.80 0343 1.49 0426 1.43 2325 0.71 2311 0.71 0929 0.40 1016 0.54 0258 0258 1.72 1.72 0229 1.73 1.73 00 0.29 0512 0229 0.45 16340830 1.71 1704 1.61 0541 1.43 MO00 0515 1.38SU 0802 0.64 0.64 0802 0.73 0.73 1.480830 1130 1.46 1145 0.38 1122 0.40 2212 0.66 2256 0.62 1431FR 1.43 1.43 1404 1.42 1.42 FR FR 1431 SA SA 1404 SU11 0.47 1730 0.58 1902 1.52 SU 1815 1.47 MO SU 2032 2032 0.21 0.21 2000 0.13 0.13 22 1.72 2332 2000 1.39 0430 1.49 0510 1.40 2346 0.76 1014 0.46 1053 0.62 0335 0335 1.73 1.73 0316 1.78 1.78 0544 0316 0.52 0.33 0552 1.32 0015 0.74 TU00 1714 1.68 1.56 MO 1735 1210 1.45 1.51 1156 0.45 0642 1.36 0906 0906 0.62 0.62 0846 0846 0.68 0.68 00 2257 0.61 2332 0.60 1900 1.40 1238 0.49 MO 1820 0.64 0.50 MO 1508 1508 1.44 1.44 1452 1452 1.46 1.46 SA SA SA SU SUTU MO11 2004 1.45 1.60 0521 1.47 0558 1.37 2110 2110 0.22 0.22 2048 2048 0.11 0.11 22 1101 0024 0.54 0.81 1131 0117 0.70 0.75 0015 1.28 0.38 17540409 1.63 1806 1.51 0409 1.71 1.71 0402 1.78 1.78 TU 0402 0803 1.31 WE00 0637 1.26 0619 0930 0.59 1.54 2344 0.56 0942 0942 0.62 0.62 00 0930 0.64 0.64 1341 0.60 1234 0.52 WE TU 1254 1.43 0.55 SU 2106 1.41 TU 11 1954 1.34MO 1544 1.43 1.43 1539 1.48 1.48 SU SU 1544 MO 1539 0622 1.46 1919 0010 0.69 0.59 TU 2146 0.25 0.25 22 2137 2137 0.12 0.12 11512146 0.64 0650 0239 1.35 0.73 0110 0.84 1.46 0735 0106 1.17 0932 1.32 1838 1.58 1.21 1212 0.79 WE 0447 TH00 0440 0440 1.66 1.66 0447 1.74 1.74 0.45 0703 TH 0.65 1458 0.69 1842 1.47 WE 1322 0.59 1016 1016 0.62 0.62 1015 0.60 0.60 11 2206 1.40 2056 1.31 1.56 1346 1015 1.42 MO 1618 1618 1.41 1.41 1626 1.47 1.47 WE MO MO TU TU 1626 WE11 0.57 2030 0.70 0400 0.66 2226 2226 0.17 0.17 1049 1.38 0852 1.19 0213 1.10 1620 0.74 14241.61 0.66 TH 0513 0513 1.61 0533 0533 1.68 1.68 0800 FR 0.70 2303 1.42 2200 1.31 02110.29 0.85 2222 2222 0.29

22

FR

00 1448 1101 1.42 1052 1052TU 0.63 0.63 11 1101 0.57 0.57 2148 0.68 1654 1.37 1715 1.44 1.44 0507 0.56 TH 03271.37 0.80 TU TU 1654 TH11 WE WE 1715 1156 1.49 10210.46 1.27 10170.34 1.23 2257 2257 0.34 22 2155 2155 0.14 0.14 2315 2315 0.25 0.25 2137 2137 0.46

WE 1616 0.52 23391.73 1.37 0459 0459 1.73

0401 0401 1.47 1.47 1030 1030 0.61 0.61 1005 1005 0.67 05140.67 0.74 1638 1638 1.48 1.48 11481.38 1.30 MO MO 1606 1.38 SA SA1606 17450.51 0.55 2239 2239 0.17 0.17 TH 2226 2226 0.51

FR 1542 0.71 2300 1.34

SA 1734 0.75 2355 1.44

1815 will1.59 of theseoftide predictions be deemed to include acceptance of the above conditions.

FR 1324 0.84 SU pyright Commonwealth of Australia 2020, Bureau Meteorology 1.47 2351(UTC 0.69+10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in1954 Times are in local standard time effect © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2019, Bureau OCTOBER 2022 of 117 Met m of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon First Quarter of Predictions iseffect Lowest Astronomical Tide s are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings timeDatum (UTC +11:00) when in

Stessl 660 Seahawk powered by Yamaha 250hp - SC

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It was pretty cool getting to ride with Bob James in the camera boat while filming this Seahawk 666 for Stessl.

“It rides just as I imagined it,” he said.

Bob has been designing boats for 30 years, and still gets excited when he sees the final product performing as it was meant to. We enjoyed interviewing Bob for Horizon Boats’ 30th anniversary celebrations, and you can see this interview by searching the Fishing Monthly channel on YouTube.

Stessl has launched two new, larger sizes in its Platerix2

Main: The Stessl 660 Seahawk is a big, open, solid, plate offshore rig with plenty of room and plenty of beam.

Above: Recommended horsepower for this hull is 175, but the test rig was fitted with Yamaha’s 250HP DES unit, complete with HelmMaster and joystick.

The most economical cruising speed is at 3,000rpm and 35km/h where it gets 1.5km/L. This gives a theoretical range of nearly 400km on the standard 250L tank. range: 6.6m and 7.3m. We have already published the test on the Mad Hueys’ 7.3m Coastmaster, and now we’ll be focussing on the other rig present on the test day – the 660 Seahawk.

Stessl’s Mark Johnson explained the two new hulls.

“These boats are the maximum beam allowable to be towed easily, and that beam runs right down to the waterline,” Mark said. “The wider reverse chines add stability at rest, and we think 118

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that they improve the ride over the previous Platerix hulls.”

The 660 Seahawk tested was rigged with the state-ofthe-art Yamaha 250hp DES 4-stroke. This is the maximum horsepower allowed on this rig, and it plugs in seamlessly to Yamaha’s HelmMaster system.

It was pretty cool having this motor with all of the fruit.

In fact, this was Bob’s first time using a joystick and he found it easy to get used to. He mastered it in about 30 seconds – significantly

longer than most kids!

The test boat was destined to be a demo boat for a dealer in Rockhampton. We felt sure that its life would consist of long trips to the inner islands or outer reef, and it is in these situations where the large workspace and abundant power would shine.

Admittedly, this isn’t the prettiest herd top I’ve tested over the years, but it is one of the most practical. A huge expanse of checkerplate aluminium self-drains to

provide an awesome area to get to work.

The helm seat bases are simple. The helm is broad and holds all of your electronics and gauges, and the cabin is simple and effective.

Don’t think that this is a walkaround style hull. It isn’t. You can shuffle around to the front outside the cabin, but that is definitely not an easy task. You can access the

anchor through a hatch in the top of the cabin, but I assume most purchasers will install an electronic anchor winch.

Of course, as well as the HelmMaster joystick, the test boat was fitted with the standard bait tank, bait station and transom door.

There’s room for eight outfits in the rocket launchers above the hard top.

Surprisingly, this won’t be a difficult boat to tow with a standard twin-cab ute. With the whole weight of just under 1000kg, the full rig would weigh in at just over 2t. It was supplied on a twin axle trailer.

The more I test these sort of boats, the more I realise that large cabin infrastructure affects fuel economy. The most economical speed

was 3000rpm, where the rig achieved 35km/h and 1.5km/L burned. However, I have always known that if you run the rig at full throttle, you pay more at the bowser.

6000rpm yielded at 78km/h at 0.9km/L. Pretty standard for a rig of this size.

You can watch a video test of this boat on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel. You can access this by scanning the QR code on the main picture.

As tested, this rig was around $170,000 on water, while the package prices start from just over $140,000.

For more information go to www.stessl.com.au to find your nearest dealer and to see the full lists of inclusions and options.

PERFORMANCE RPM ............Speed (km/h) ...... Economy (L/h) 1000 .............................. 10 ......................... 4.9 2000.............................. 15 ....................... 13.7 3000.............................. 39 ....................... 22.6 3500 .............................. 45 ....................... 28.4 4000.............................. 51 ....................... 41.9 4500 .............................. 57 ....................... 52.6 5000.............................. 63 ....................... 62.0 6000.............................. 81 ....................... 95.0

SPECIFICATIONS Length (overall)...........6.7m Length (bow-transom).. 6.6m Beam .......................2.5m Depth .......................1.5m Bottom sheet ........ 5mm Side sheet .............. 4mm Transom .............XL (25”) Hull weight............960kg Rec hp ....................... 175 Max hp ......................250 Capacity......... 7 persons

The 660 hull is 2.5m wide at the waterline, giving great stability and a big cockpit.

Top: The 660 carries its beam a long way forward, hence the big dash and the wide ledge to keep your stuff in order. We like the ability to flush mount big MFDs. Above: It’s an aluminium hard top, the same as the plate alloy construction of the hull.

The helm is custom designed for the HelmMaster system, and we like the step to rest your feet on while driving.

Top: Like all Platerix2 hulls, it has a beefy set of stairs and wide, reverse chines. Above: You can store eight rods up here and out of the way. Just remember to take them down while trailering.

The helm seats are basic and you can slide a cooler underneath them.

That’s a serious work space. The 660 is really a delivery system for this cockpit!

Left: There are some basic bunks up front and a hatch to get to the anchor well. Top Right: There are no frills with the bait board.

You use it, you wash it and you get on with fishing. Bottom Right: A small live bait well is plumbed into the port side transom.

Left: DES means Digital Electric Steering on Yamaha outboards. This one plugs and plays with the HelmMaster system installed. Top Right: Each side of the transom, the small duckboards are rubber coated. Bottom Right: Here’s a good idea – rails along the underside of the hard top to hold onto when it’s not smooth.

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Whittley CR2180 powered by Mercury 135hp - SC

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The CR2180 was the second of the Whittley cruisers that we got to test recently on the Gold Coast. It was an ordinary, showery and cool sort of day – by Gold Coast standards at least – so it was nice to be in an enclosed rig rather than an open centre console or the like.

In fact, as I age, I appreciate a little comfort on the water after decades of being beaten by the sun and wind. I turned 50 this year, so maybe that’s what happens when you reach the halfcentury. Your eyesight goes downhill and you start to like comfortable boats?

Main: Whittley’s CR2180 is the second smallest cruiser in their range.

Above: The Mercury 135hp, 3.0L 4-stroke keeps the costs down, but maximum horsepower is 150, provided by the same configuration engine.

The 135hp Mercury delivered 1.7km/L at the optimum cruising speed of 3500rpm and 42km/h.

The Whittley CR 2180 (CR stands for Cruiser) is the second smallest cruiser in the Whittley range. In short, it’s perfect for people to take their friends on a trip for the day but equally as comfortable for a couple to spend a night on the water. If you want to do that with more space for you and your family, you’ll probably want to look at the CR 2380 that we ran a few months ago, which offers an extra double bed 120

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and a lockable cabin door as an option.

According to Whittley staffer, Gary Honeychurch, who chaperoned us on the test drive “The CR 2180 is the perfect mid-sized cruiser for the bay, rivers and lakes with comfortable seating in the spacious cockpit. It comes standard with a sink, shower and toilet. There’s room for a cooler in the test rig which has also had optional 12 volt outlets fitted to power it.

The other advantage of this

boat is that you can tow it with nearly any car with a 2.5t towing capacity or any standard twin-cab ute once you load it with all of your stuff, water and fuel for a weekend away it would be the perfect match” he said.

There’s a privacy curtain for sleeping and using the loo, and offers high headspace in the cabin with a plush headlining fabric and cabin light. There is also room to install a small screen TV and aerial for those perfect overnighters for couples or day trips with the family.

We did like the clipin, washable synthetic flooring. Whittley seem to be finding a balance between functionality and price in these rigs. Their proprietary rubber flooring is still fixed to the duckboards, but there’s a definitely a horses-forcourses approach.

As is standard on

Whittley cruisers, the seating is well designed for serving a meal or chatting socially.

There’s a table in front of the outboard well, and the built-in seating pairs with gunwale seats add to the atmosphere.

In the case of overnighting in this boat, it was fitted with a full canopy, which keeps the warmth in and the bugs out at night, whether you’re on water or land.

When running with full canopies, this rig is noticeably less efficient than a low-profile hull of the same length. Still, if you drive it economically (the Merc achieved 1.7km/L at the optimum cruising speed of 3500rpm and 42km/h) you’ll get more range out of the small-ish 110L underfloor fuel tank than if you drive around like a maniac

(5000rpm have 61km/h and 1.4km/L). However, the gap isn’t as pronounced as in other craft where you can easily double range by going easy on the stick.

There are definitely plenty of features packed into a Whittley. I can understand why people love them and make these boats a major part of their life.

Packages with this hull start at $126,405.00 and comes standard with a Mercury 135 XL (mechanical) 4 stroke engine and Mackay dual axle trailer. (Also available as a sterndrive with a Volvo Penta V6 200hp engine) For more information, visit your local Whittley dealership or search www. whittley.com.au.

PERFORMANCE RPM ............Speed (km/h) ... Economy (km/L) 1000 ................................ 8 ......................... 0.1 2000.............................. 15 ......................... 0.4 3000.............................. 30 ......................... 1.4 3500 .............................. 42 ......................... 1.7 4000.............................. 51 ......................... 1.5 4800 .............................. 54 ......................... 1.4 WOT .............................. 61 ......................... 1.4

SPECIFICATIONS Hull length............ 6.32m Beam .................... 2.35m Height on trailer .. 2.45m Width on trailer ... 2.35m Transom deadrise.....19° Max HP.................150HP Fuel .......................... 110L Water .........................40L Capacity......... 6 persons

The 110L tank gives a maximum theoretical range of nearly 200km.

Top: Entry to the boat is easy while on the trailer, with the folding rear boarding ladder.

Above: Access to the bow is through the front hatch, although most cruisers will be ordered with an anchor winch fitted.

Whittley’s Cruiser dashes are neat and can fit all of the electronics you need.

Social seating options are a Whittley Cruiser highlight. The 2150 has a fold-up table and gunwale seating.

There’s no lockable, sliding door. A curtain separates the cockpit from the cabin and offers privacy when using the loo.

Here’s the Cruiser set up for entertaining. This rig is ideal for a couple of people.

Left: Whittley’s clip-on flooring runs right through to the front of the cabin.

Top Right: Although there’s no fridge in this model, there is room for cooler storage. Bottom Right: With the infill fitted, the cabin is big enough to berth two people in relative comfort.

Left: Passenger seating swivels around so that the occupant can be part of the conversation. Top Right: The windlass fits neatly in this compartment. Bottom Right: Only the rear duckboards have the custom Whittley rubber-style stick-on decking.

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PRODUCT GUIDE

FISHCRAFT B-CRANKY

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Get your target species enticed with B-Cranky lures from the newly released FishCraft. These fish lollies are 38mm in length, weigh 3.9g, are a floating lure and come in two diving depths (0.6m and 1.8m+), getting you to target that edge perfectly no matter where your fishing.

The B-Cranky comes in a tasty range of fish-satisfying colours, including matte black and pearl shrimp, plus some fresh new concepts in the form of running prawn camo, brown prawn, spotted herring and more.

FishCraft lures are built tough, with supersharp trebles in #12 and ultra-hard external coatings for longevity against those nasty teeth.

For more information on the FishCraft range, and all the details on what’s to come, check out their website or follow @ fishcraftfishing on Instagram and Facebook. www.fishcraft.com.au

VENOM TARGET SERIES

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Accurate casting has become increasingly important in hard-fished waters and, with the use of live sonar technology on the increase, casting accuracy in lakes and dams has never been so important.

Taking feedback from anglers, the Australianmade Venom Target rods are designed with a hand and a half butt arrangement to allow for easy underhand casting if anglers are pitching lures ‘on the scope’, or flinging them underneath overhanging mangroves. The butt also allows for 2-handed overhand casting.

The Target series features a full EVA rear grip. This butt design allows scoping anglers to place the rod in their scope poles while dealing with the beast they just landed, and also lets trollers use this rod in metal rod holders without damaging the blank. The full rear grip also differentiates this series from the spilt rear grip models.

There are three models in the Target range – the RLFVT1 (10-30lb), RLFVT2 (2040lb) and RLFVT3 (30-60lb), all 6’5” long. The RLFVT1 has a 10-40g casting range, making it ideal for heavy jighead-rigged plastic fishing and perfect for throwing the 95mm Zerek Fish Trap. The RLFVT2 is designed for casting 30-100g, putting this rod squarely in the medium to large swimbait category, while the RLFVT3 can cast lures up to 200g! www.wilsonfishing.com

TONIC BLAQ

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Tonic Eyewear has released their classy new Blaq model, which has been designed in Australia and manufactured in Japan.

These new sunglasses feature a black anodised lightweight metal frame, internal spring hinges and non-slip silicone nose pads. The most popular lens option is Tonic’s Slice Polarised Photochromic glass lenses, which adjust to the prevailing light conditions. They also boast an antireflective coating to absorb reflective glare, and they deliver superior accuracy and depth, so you can survey your surroundings with outstanding clarity.

And like all Tonic glass lenses, they are extremely scratch resistant.

To view all the models and lenses in the Tonic range, check out their website or look them up on Facebook. www.toniceyewear.com

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OCTOBER 2022

SUFIX RECYCLINE

WHAT’S NEW FISHING

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

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Sufix has created the world’s first 100% recycled fishing line. Sufix Recycline Monofilament is made from 100% Econyl, which is regenerated nylon made of recycled fishing waste, such as fishing nets and old fishing line, pulled straight out of the world’s oceans and turned into a dependable monofilament fishing line.

Recycline is a premium grade monofilament fishing line and has been tested in a wide range of environments with great results. It has very good abrasion and knot strength and is a great option for anyone looking for a new monofilament fishing line.

As a part of a fully recyclable product system, the spool is also made of fully recycled plastic, reducing the impact on the environment. As the packaging is constructed with recycled paper and plastic, the entire packaging can be recycled again and again, contributing to preserving our resources and environment.

Recycline is available in 300m spools from 6lb-30lb, to suit a wide range of fishing conditions.

Price: SRP $15.95 – $23.95 facebook.com/rapalaaustralia

TOADFISH FILLET SYSTEM

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The Toadfish Stowaway Fillet System combines both the Folding Fillet Knife and Folding Cutting Board, in a neoprene case that is designed for easy and safe transportation. All items are available individually or as a Stowaway Fillet System in two sizes, a 7” knife and standard board, or 8.5” knife and XL board.

The Stowaway Folding Fillet Knife combines the high-end performance and ergonomics of a full-length fixed knife, with the safety and versatility of a folding knife. Features include a full-length ergonomic handle, salt-tough titanium corrosion-resistant components, titanium coated salt-tough blade, non-slip raised rubber grip and stowaway carabiner.

The Stowaway Cutting Board fits easily into kitchen drawers, boat boxes, tackle bags, or travel packs and it’s constructed from solid, non-porous, high-density polyethylene material for safe food handling. It also features a built-in, 2-stage knife sharpener (carbide section and ceramic section) and anti-skid bottom.

You can check out the Stowaway Fillet System and other innovative products, including seafood tools, non-tipping drinkware and more, at the Toadfish website. www.toadfish.com.au

DAIWA HEADWEAR

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Look the part this summer with the new Daiwa headwear range. Featuring new and classic inspired models Daiwa’s new ripple jersey design features in the Daiwa hat range with curved and flat bill models in navy, moss and grey colour schemes.

The classic DVEC curve bill range welcomes two new colours with black peak/black bill, and grey peak/navy bill designs, added to the Daiwa hat line-up.

Anglers looking for more all-round protection are catered for with the new navy coloured Boonie styled bucket hat delivering you the 360-degree sun protection that’s so important in the harsh Australian outdoors. www.daiwafishing.com.au

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visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS!

SCAN THE QR CODE!

OCTOBER 2022

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A POWERFUL PACKAGE 40-60HP FOURSTROKE PERFORMANCE

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY

• SmartCraft Technology – Keeps you informed about your engine’s performance • The Most Intuitive Tiller – Feature packed for unmatched comfort and usability • Troll Control – Dial in precise troll control speeds on all Tiller models in 10RPM increments

PROVEN RELIABILITY

• EFI Reliable Turnkey Starting – Starts first time and every time • 3 + 3 = 6 Year Warranty – For real peace of mind • 18 amp Alternator – Built to handle the demands of marine electronics

POWERFUL PERFORMANCE

• High Displacement – For power and efficiency • Command Thrust Gearcase – For improved acceleration and maneuverability The Mercury 40-60hp FourStroke range ticks all the boxes, so see your nearest Mercury dealer to find out more. www.mercurymarine.com.au