Fishing Monthly Magazine | January 2021 by Fishing Monthly

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Twitchin’ for bass • Tilapia: Curse of rec fishing • Give your lures a tune • Getting the jump on jacks •

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Toby Grundy is twitchin’ for bass

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CONTENTS

OUR COVER January 2021, Vol. 1 No.9 TAS

QUEENSLAND Gold Coast 14 Southern Bay 16 Brisbane 18 Northern Bay 20 Noosa 22 Hervey Bay 26 Gladstone 31 Bundaberg 28 Mackay 32 Whitsundays 34 Townsville 35 Lucinda 36 Hinchinbrook 38 Cairns 40 Port Douglas 40 Cape York 41 Freshwater 42 NEW SOUTH WALES Pittwater 48 Sydney North 49 Sydney Rock 50 Sydney South 52 Ballina 54 Coffs Harbour 56 Hastings 58 Forster 59 Port Stephens 60 Swansea 60 Central Coast 61 Illawarra 62 Batemans Bay 63 Bermagui 64 Tathra 64 New England Rivers 68 Hunter Valley 68 Lithgow/Oberon 69 Albury/Wodonga 70 Batlow 71 Canberra 72 VICTORIA West Coast 74 Warrnambool 75 Cobden 74 Apollo Bay 75 Geelong 76 Port Phillip East 78 Port Phillip West 80 Western Port 82 Phillip Island 84 Lakes Entrance 87 Gippsland Lakes 86 Bemm River 86 Marlo 88 Mallacoota 88 Robinvale 90 Bendigo 90 Ballarat 91 Wangaratta 92 Shepparton 94 Crater Lakes 95 Eildon 96 West/South Gippsland 95 TASMANIA Hobart 97 6

JANUARY 2021

From the editor’s Desk...

Rodney Winkleman with a 1m+ coral trout he caught while fishing at Swains Reef on board MV Capricorn Star charter. A Troy Clarke image. Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance 102 Augusta 103 Bunbury 104 Mandurah 105 Metro 106 Lancelin 108 Geraldton 109 Kalbarri 109 Broome 110 Karratha 110 Freshwater 112

CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? I don’t want to start 2021 on a negative note, but I had a few facepalm moments in the lead-up to the print deadline for this magazine. I’ll give you a few of the details, but all of them could have been solved by a little communication, some common sense and by just being nice to each other. BRIDGE CHAMPION Most savvy anglers know that bridges can be a stalking ground for predators - doesn’t matter if it’s a mulloway in the Yarra, a Central Coast kingie or a Brisbane River threadfin, fish like to hang around the light lines at night and the structure in the day. We were recently throwing lures along a light line on a bridge and a fellow angler decided to anchor in the exact spot where the lures were splashing down. If fact, given the current and the darkness, he did bloody well to get it so precise. After the facepalm, we decided to check out the other structure on the bridge and then found good fish as well. But seriously, use your brain and don’t anchor in the exact position where people are casting. YOUTUBE LEGENDS Some BARRA Tour anglers sent me this one

15 22

REGULAR FEATURES Twitchin’ for bass 8 Tilapia: Curse of rec fishing 10 Starlo’s back to basics 12 Kayaking: Getting the jump on jacks 44 What’s New Fishing 73 WIRF 98 Sheik of the Creek 97 4WD: Nissan Navara ST-X 100 Recfishwest 114 Tournaments 116 Track my Fish 124 Trades and Services 126 Boat Test: Anglapro Sniper 554 Elite 128 Tide page 130 COMPS AND OFFERS Find the logo Sub page Fun page

116 ABT Barra Tour

after a ridiculously successful iteration of the event on Peter Faust Dam. A self-proclaimed YouTube professional took delight in belittling the event anglers because they didn’t catch the fish the same way he was. Here’s a hint: tournament anglers have matured to a point where they’re very accepting of every angler on a public waterway. We all share the waters. We all fish because we love it and none of us are in the position to criticise how others catch fish. We fish amongst trollers, live bait anglers and kids with a handline on the bank. Let’s let them all do it without ridicule. Unless they’re breaking the law, of course, then give them a nudge. KEYBOARD WARRIORS As part of our job here, we publish plenty of tests and reviews on YouTube. Man … you do need a thick skin to do that. There’s plenty of opinions out there and ours is just one of them. But take it or leave it, Y’all are grown ups. Some of the comments are priceless. One viewer imparted some wonderful business advice – that a manufacturer would sell lots more boats if they were $5,000 to $10,000 and not the $60,000 that they were asking. Others really do play the man and not the ball. Here’s a tip for the keyboard warriors: a closed mouth gathers no feet. We really do enjoy the feedback – positive and negative – but coming in swinging is the best way to get your input blocked. So here’s my advice for 2021: just be nice to each other. You can be cranky and abusive in the other parts of your life, but fishing is fun. Let’s keep it that way.

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BASS

Twitchin’ for bass CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

I spend a lot of time walking the edges of South Coast rivers and creeks in search of one of my favourite freshwater sport fish, Australian bass. These fish captured my imagination very

below is everything you need to know to get started. THE METHOD Up until stumbling across this technique, I used to work big, clear pools (with limited flow) quite slowly and would spend a lot of time crawling my plastic along the bottom. I caught fish by doing this, but I always had more luck

another bass picked up the lure. I ended up with five fish from the pool and moved to the next deep pool with similar results. The trick with this method is to start with a walk-the-dog, which is twitching the rod tip up and down while winding at the same time. This is a short, sharp retrieve and

Twitching along a likely area.

A light spin outfit with plenty of power is crucial. early on in my angling career because I live in Canberra and the idea of crystal clear water,

in shallower runs with more snags. However, on my last trip, my plastic became

kicks the lure from side to side. Then once the lure nears the bank, pause the lure for several seconds. Bass are built for speed and therefore this retrieve appeals to their natural inclination to run down prey. By killing the lure near the bank, it makes it a no brainer for the fish as they can then simply pick up what they think is not only a fleeing bait but also a wounded bait. The other real bonus with this twitch, aside from the visual aspect of watching a bass chase down

the lure at a furious pace, is that the lure comes back relatively weed and debris free despite the fact that this is a technique centred on fishing the bottom of a pool. This is because the lure is being retrieved at such a speed that anything the jighead does pick up tends to come off as the lure rips through the water. LURES I use soft plastics for this method because they are suitably ambiguous for the situation. I like plastics that can mimic more than one piece of forage because if the bass aren’t keen on baitfish, they are usually keen on worms or small crustaceans. Therefore, I use Dragon Maggot 2” plastics in natural colours. These are a particularly tough plastic that look like a small baitfish in profile but have a unique tail that when worked resembles a free-swimming worm in the water. I mention tough

because the plastic has to stay attached to the jighead and not slip despite the fast retrieve. The lure is going to hit a lot of rocks, sticks and weeds on the way back so needs to be hardy. I recommend testing out a few brands to find the one that suits the tough conditions. Also, it is important to check out the

Plastics need to imitate more than one food item.

The author caught this fish in fast water. surface explosions and screaming drags was a long way from my reality of targeting golden perch in turbid urban lakes. Nowadays, I am willing to go to great lengths to find new spots and ways of targeting bass and it was on one of these recent trips out in the middle of nowhere that I stumbled across a new way (well, new for me at least) of working particular types of soft plastics to elicit a strike from skittish bass in clear water pools. I like to think of it as a mix of ‘walk-the-dog’ and ‘burn-and-kill’ but for this article I’ll refer to it as ‘twitching’. Outlined 8

JANUARY 2021

snagged on the bottom and, instinctually, I yanked the lure off the snag (and thinking it was covered in weed), started ripping the lure back to my position while using a walk-the-dog retrieve, which is often used with surface lures. Just before the lure reached my feet, I saw a bass chasing and I killed (stopped) the retrieve, the bass scoffed the lure and bolted back to the middle of the pool. I ended up landing the bass and then I cast out again and repeated the process. This time I started ripping the lure back using a walkthe-dog retrieve but I killed the lure halfway back and

way the plastic moves in the water, as the plastic should dart from side to side on the retrieve. Not all plastics have the capability to move in this manner. LOCATION This method will elicit a strike wherever a hungry bass is holding, but is particularly effective when fishing the wider slower

Bass are built for speed so it is important to appeal to their instincts.

pools along a likely stretch of river. The twitch draws bass in because they sense the intruder through their lateral line and will go into a frenzy. The twitch also covers a lot of deep water, which is often skipped by anglers looking for mid water and surface feeding bass. So, in high traffic areas, with deep pools, this method really comes into its own. I have also had a lot of success with the twitch in really fast water. Where a surface lure or diver can be hard to fish in these situations, the twitch works well. The plastic perfectly mimics a baitfish running the rapids and by holding the rod tip low and performing the retrieve, it is possible to keep the lure deep. When the lure is paused in the rapid, the tail keeps moving in the current

BASS providing extra incentive for the bass to hit. TACKLE I use a 7’ fast action light spin rod matched to a 2000 sized spin reel spooled with 6lb braid and 8lb leader. I recommend a rod with a stiffer blank because the twitch is all about getting the plastic to jerk from side to side and this is better accomplished with a fast action stick.

GEAR UP The rivers and creeks that run through areas of the South Coast provide exciting sport fishing but are also a haven for a variety of animals, some of which can be problematic. I always carry a snake bite kit, wear long pants and long sleeve shirts and pack plenty of water, along with mosquito repellent. The other thing to

remember is to pack a lot of plastics and extra jigheads, as overhangs, submerged logs and even large bass will claim the odd lure or two. I think the most important item in my bass fishing arsenal (aside from rod, reel, line and lure) are my sunglasses. A good set of polaroids is a must when fishing for bass, especially when the bass chase the lure

This bass picked up the plastic halfway back to the bank.

Speed is the key to success.

CONCLUSION Twitchin for bass in the deeper, slower pools of a likely creek or river has very quickly become one of my favourite methods to use when targeting bronze brawlers. This technique triggers an aggressive response from

in and you can see the fish and watch how it reacts. I use Spotters Grit with gold leaf lenses because they are designed for peering through snags during high glare periods, but really any polaroids will do provided you can see a metre or so into the water column.

the fish because the lure is travelling at speed and the plastic resembles several prey items high on the bass’ list of favourite foods. It is a retrieve that brings the fish to the angler and it is possible to catch several fish in a likely pool, which makes it a must try!

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Tilapia: Curse of rec fishing QUEENSLAND

Rod Cheetham

Hopefully for many of us, with COVID 19 restrictions beginning to lift, there are extra reasons to holiday locally, so you may want to dust off the cobwebs, get out the inland fishing gear, and head into the great outdoors. For those of us in eastern Australia, the

drought, water allocations, land use change, resources being used for other than intended uses. These and other threats all mean our wonderful and unique river system is under pressure, but there is one lurking not far away that I would like to discuss further. Tilapia – a noxious fish pest. Considered one of the top 100 invasive pest species in the world, there is no argument on this score.

I will mention these later. See Fig.1 for a list of Queensland catchments that are infested with the pest fish tilapia. If your geography is up to speed then you will notice none of these catchments are within the Murray Darling Basin, which is fantastic. However, those marked with * lie adjacent to the Queensland MDB. A couple of others lie very close, so the risk of physical transfer is still high, most likely

If tilapia find their way into the Murray Darling Basin then the eastern Australian freshwater fish would be greatly impacted. Murray-Darling Basin River system provides a huge portion of our eastern mainland population a chance to tangle with an incredibly unique selection of native freshwater fish species, culminating in the king of them all, the mighty Murray cod. Of course there are other favourite targets as well. The golden perch, yellowbelly or callop, depending on what state you are from, are what many a junior or new fisher have gained their first freshwater native fishing experience. It’s perhaps here they discover that love of the slow moving waters with the overhanging red gums, sandy beaches or steep muddy banks, with a chance at tangling with one of these iconic freshwater fish species. We fishos in the slightly more mature age bracket still enjoy trying to outwit ‘old yella’ and we still sometimes get just as frustrated as a new chum. But with all the hype and expectation, what else might lie beneath that slow moving turbid water? Indeed, is there water there in the first place? Our Murray Darling Basin (MDB) is under threat from all sorts of pressures. Climate, 10

JANUARY 2021

In coastal Queensland we are rueing the day these fish found their way into some of our systems and, at the time of writing, it appears there is no magic bullet to eradicate this pest. Now I would like to point out that currently the Murray-Darling Basin is thankfully free of the pest fish species tilapia. The Murray Darling Basin Authority continues to fund a public program to educate the community of the risk the tilapia pest poses and how to identify this villainous fish. Educational materials are available, and

through human actions. This is a huge concern as all the catchments listed contain selfsustaining populations of tilapia pests; specifically the Mozambique mouth brooder (Oreochromis mossambicus). As mentioned earlier, on a global perspective this is a fish NOT to have infesting your waterways. This fish is native to the African continent, from the lower Zambezi River, south towards the eastern Cape. A study of a world atlas indicates these latitudes sit pretty much in the southern

Queensland and NSW areas. So, no wonder then it is thriving in the rivers it has invaded here. This individual species of fish seems to prefer the slower moving parts of a river system. FishBase tells us that this tilapia species: “Inhabits reservoirs, rivers, creeks, drains, swamps and tidal creeks; commonly over mud bottoms, often in wellvegetated areas. Also found in warm weedy pools of sluggish streams, canals, and ponds. Most common in blind estuaries and coastal lakes, but usually absent from permanently open estuaries and open sea and from fast-flowing waters. Normally not found at high altitudes. Able to survive extreme reduction of temporary water bodies. Highly euryhaline, that is it grows and reproduces in fresh, brackish and seawater.” Tilapia are able to tolerate higher salinities than most native freshwater fish, even greater than seawater, low levels of dissolved oxygen, and when conditions become even more unfavourable, will stunt (sexually mature and breed at a smaller size than usual). It has been reported to estivate and survive living in mud when waterholes dry out. Tilapia have all the negative impacts of European carp on native fish and also actively predate on the smaller native fish. Increased nutrients in the water from an increased tilapia biomass will reduce water quality and increase algal blooms, such as the toxic blue green algae. Consequently, preventing tilapia from spreading into the Murray Darling Basin to protect our iconic native fish is a huge priority for all anglers. I am sincerely hoping all thinking anglers play their part to prevent the spread.

FIG.1. List of Queensland catchments infested with tilapia pests: Baffle Creek Barron River Black River Brisbane River* Brunswick River (NSW) Burdekin River Burnett River* Burrum River Calliope River Don River Endeavour River Fitzroy River* Haughton River Herbert River Kolan River Logan-Albert Rivers* Maroochy River Mary River Noosa River Pine River Pioneer River Ross River South Coast • Source: Biosecurity Queensland Fisheries authorities have already seen what pest fish species will do to native fish. Outside of Australia, this tilapia species has been implicated in the decline of native fish. For example, a small rainbow fish species in Papua New Guinea (PNG), particularly in Lake Wanam. The Lake Wanam fasciata (Chilatherina fasciata) was once common, but is now considered rare. In PNG and Fiji, native fish species have been affected by the introduction of the Mozambique mouth brooder tilapia. Stream networks in Fiji with established populations of tilapia have on average 11 fewer native fish species. Within Australia, there is evidence that tilapia impacts the food resources of many of our smaller fish species. It also competes with the Tandanus catfish species for breeding space. Male tilapia are particularly aggressive when guarding the conical shaped breeding nests it constructs. In some cases, these nests have covered over 80% of the shallow water habitats.

Tilapia have all the negative impacts of European carp on native fish and actively predate on the smaller native fish.

Tilapia make up most of the fish biomass in their native African habitats, this aggression and adaptability combined make this a species with potential to just out compete many of our fine native fish. Hutchison et.al. (2011) suggests that perhaps native MDB fish species will be directly threatened by a population of tilapia being present in the same waters. Competition for food, space and breeding areas plus tilapia dominance of drought refuge waterholes by this pest fish species. Coupled with this, other smaller species are probably more threatened directly by the tilapia pest through predation. Other feeding habits of this species have been reported to actually promote bluegreen algae blooms. As has been already experienced in other countries, reduction in biodiversity is not conducive to good recreational fishing. The bottom line is – the pest tilapia is not a desirable fish species to have in any of our waterways. Should tilapia find their way into the Murray Darling Basin then the eastern Australian freshwater fishing enthusiast are probably in for a huge change in our native fishery, and the natural biodiversity. There will be nothing but detrimental effects. There are no positives. We already know what sort of impact pest fish, such as carp have had on the aquatic ecosystem and fishery. Let’s not stress the Murray Darling Basin further by allowing yet another high level invasive pest species encroach on our unique Murray Darling system. How do we achieve this? Most of you would have heard the old saying ‘prevention is better than

a cure’. In the case of all pests and pest fish this is certainly the case. The best way we as a community can help is to remain vigilant. Watch your local areas. If you can, take time to observe fish from the bank or boat. Do they look different? Learn how to identify tilapia from native fish. There is some material here. More can be found on the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) website. NSW Primary Industries also have tilapia

information. You can use the links and contacts listed below. Basically the easiest way to pick a tilapia from one of our native fish, particularly the larger ones like cod and golden perch, is to check the dorsal fin of the tilapia. The dorsal fin is a continuous fin from front to rear. On natives such as golden perch the dorsal fin is divided around the centre (See Fig. 2) It is illegal to keep the Mozambique mouth brooder in some States and

some other tilapia species. The DAF and DPIE Biosecurity websites has further information about tilapia as well as other pest fish species. The female Mozambique mouth brooder keeps the eggs and juvenile fish in the mouth until the young are able to fend for themselves. This parental care provides a huge advantage for the fish. As mentioned earlier, under harsh environmental conditions, these fish will stunt, and mature at a much smaller than normal size,

providing a huge advantage over other fish species when or if conditions improve. WHAT TO DO IF YOU CATCH A TILAPIA If you suspect you have caught a tilapia, particularly from within the Murray Darling Basin, then please report it to the appropriate state authority – do not wait. If you are within the Murray Darling Basin in any state, keep the fish and freeze it. Label it with the date and location caught and any other useful information.

If you are unable to keep it and freeze it, then at least take a photograph for report accuracy. Our freshwater fisheries contain unique fish assemblages found nowhere else in the world. Let’s do our collective best to keep it that way and stop the spread. You can report a finding in Queensland at the DAF hotline on 132523; in Victoria call 13FISH (133474); SA call Fishwatch Hotline on 1800 065 522; and in NSW, Tasmania and Western Australia head to

the Fisheries website for more information. • Sources: Hutchinson,M., Sarac,Z. and Norris,A. 2011. ‘Mozambique tilapia: The Potential for Mozambique tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus to Invade the Murray-Darling Basin and the Likely Impacts. A Review of Existing Information.’ Murray-Darling Basin Authority. ‘Stop the Spread. Tilapia Training Package.’ 2011. Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation. Queensland.

Fig.2. Unlike our native fish, the dorsal fin is a continuous fin from front to rear on the tilapia. The left illustration is a bass and the right is a tilapia.

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Time to give your lures a tune up for summer the opposite direction, before test swimming the lure again, re-adjusting it and so on until it’s perfect. Remember, tiny adjustments of much less than a millimetre can have quite dramatic results, especially on smaller minnows, so take it easy! It’s also worth noting that there are scenarios in which a lure might be deliberately de-tuned to achieve a specific result, such as causing it to swim under the edge of a jetty, oyster rack, pontoon or overhanging snag. Bear

NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Just like a car or a guitar, lures do their best work when they’re in tune and on song. It’s possible for almost any style of lure to go ‘out of tune’ and not swim properly. Sadly, some are even to be sold that way in the first place. This is an especially common problem with bibbed minnows and plugs, especially the floating/ diving varieties. An out-of-tune lure will simply not perform properly and, in extreme cases, may refuse to swim, instead spinning, rolling and blowing or jumping out of the water at any sort of speed. More commonly it will lay over to one side when retrieved or trolled.

a pair of lines from a relatively small craft like a car-topper, kayak or canoe, it can sometimes be an advantage to run two lures that are marginally de-tuned in opposite directions, thus widening their effective spread in the water and reducing linecross overs and tangles when manoeuvring. If you’d like to see a short explainer video demonstrating exactly how to tune your hard-bodied lures, scan the QR code accompanying this column or go to my ‘Starlo Gets

Powerful fish like barramundi can bend the hardware on lures and render them ‘out of tune’. damage to the lure’s body (particularly if that damage allows water to leak into a hollow-bodied lure) can all cause problems, and should always be checked for when a lure misbehaves. Often, it’s possible to get a lure that isn’t too badly damaged swimming again by carefully tweaking the towing eyelet with a pair of long-nosed pliers. Basically, it’s a matter of watching the lure

Big fish like this crocodile-sized flathead can easily damage a lure.

Hardbodied lures can either go out of tune during use or may not be in tune when first purchased. And not dive as deeply as it should. Most often, these ‘tuning’ issues are caused by a mis-alignment of the towing point and/or the bib, but things such as bent or distorted hooks and rings, missing hooks, oversized hardware and even QR CODE

Many hardbodies have a split ring on the tow point to enhance their action. If you remove this, be sure to use a loop knot or round-radius clip to attach the lure to your leader.

Scan the QR code for more tips. 12

JANUARY 2021

It’s really important to use a loop knot on smaller lures like this little RTBroughton Shimmey.

in the water and closely observing the direction in which it swims off track before rolling or losing stability, then bending the eyelet slightly in

this little trick in mind if you find yourself facing a particularly challenging piece of fish-holding structure. Also, when trolling

Reel’ channel on YouTube and look for the Two Minute Tip video on the subject. Until next time, may your lures swim straight and your lines always be tight.

JANUARY 2021

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Fast currents and quick catches GOLD COAST

David Green

The warm water of the East Australian Current has arrived off the Gold Coast and the current is running fast. At the time of writing, the current lies well offshore around the 36 fathom line. Hopefully with a few southeasterlies

it will push well inshore and bring the fish with it. Excellent catches of mahimahi were made through early December around the FADs and this month should see juvenile black marlin, wahoo, Spanish mackerel, mahimahi and yellowfin tuna turning up. January is the best month of the year for light tackle lure

trolling off the Gold Coast, and when the big schools of pilchards and slimy mackerel start to hold up on the bait grounds they attract plenty of predators. By the reports coming from Hervey Bay in early December it looks like we should have a reasonable run of small black marlin off the Gold Coast this month. As a general

A nice black marlin jumping. There will be quite a few opportunities for catching them this month.

rule these fish arrive in our waters in mid to late December. When targeting inshore black marlin I like to work the area around the Cotton Reef, Sullies and the Sea Dragon east and north of the Jumpinpin Bar when the wind is forecast to be from the north, and I like the Gravel Patch east of Burleigh Heads in a southerly. Lure trolling is a very effective strategy this month as it allows you to cover plenty of water, which is a great way to get a good feed of mahimahi and wahoo, as well as catching marlin. I troll a spread of five lures when fishing light tackle. These are usually a mix of Black Snacks, Pakulas and Meridians. In general the lures are about 15-20cm long and I mix up the colours. Pink and purple, lumo green and white, silver and gold and pink are all effective colour combinations. On lights tackle I rig these on 100lb mono and use Gamakatsu SL12 10/0 hooks. I fish these lures on about 1.5kg of strike drag. Out on the wider grounds east of the continental shelf there

January is an excellent month to target spanner crab. should be plenty of big blue marlin this month. They seem to be at their best on the days where the current has dropped off a bit. Trolling lures on 37g game tackle is the most effective strategy, and the average Gold Coast blue marlin is about 140kg. Good areas to troll include Jims Mountain, the Riv Grounds and Tweed Canyons and the Kink.

The current generally runs at around 2-3 knots this month, which makes bottom fishing very hard. Most of the winter species, such as snapper seem to disappear from the offshore reefs on the 36 and 50 fathom line. A few rosy jobfish, pigfish, samsonfish and amberjack can still be caught on the days the current slows. Deep water jigging with knife jigs still

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produces a few fish and can be effective in a moderate current. Last week the current was the fastest I have ever seen, running at over 4 knots. On the inshore grounds there should be some excellent fishing for spotted mackerel on Palm Beach and Mermaid Reefs

and the upstream sections have been fishing very well for mangrove jack and decent whiting. It has been an excellent whiting season so far, with a lot of fish over 40cm turning up. January is a good month to target whiting on poppers and small stick baits. This is a very enjoyable way to catch

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morning and at dusk is another effective strategy and the bites can be quite spectacular. As well as mangrove jack, these methods produce estuary cod and a few giant and big eyed trevally. Canals in the south arm of the Coomera have been quite productive at the time

There have been excellent catches of mahimahi throughout December. this month. A bit of berley helps. Floating pilchards and spinning metal lures are the most effective strategies. This will also produce mackerel tuna and a few Spanish mackerel. I expect that now the borders are open we will see plenty of interstate boats fishing Gold Coast grounds this month. It is also a good month to try

a feed of tasty whiting, and I wish I had started doing this earlier. My favourite lure is the Bassday Sugapen. Casting over shallow sand flats and retrieving quickly seems to be the key to success. It always amazes me how aggressive whiting are in their pursuit of the lure. I find adding an extra split ring to the back hook helps me get a better hook up rate when chasing whiting on

of writing. January is a great month for crabbing in the Gold Coast estuaries. If there is a good flush of rain a lot of mud crabs move into the deeper holes and crabbing can be very productive. For sand crabs this month try the edges of the eel grass beds around Crab Island and the Aldershots, and for mud crabs I like the Pimpama

It has been a great whiting season so far, with a lot of fish over 40cm turning up. for spanner crabs on the 40-50m line. RIVERS AND ESTUARIES Estuary fishing on the Gold Coast in January is greatly affected by the amount of rain we receive throughout December. It has been quite a dry year so far and clean salty water has pushed right up into the headwaters of the Nerang and Coomera rivers

lures. The flats in the central Broadwater have been fishing well lately. Mangrove jack fishing should be on the chew this month with plenty of big ones in the 50-60cm bracket starting to turn up. Cast paddle-tail soft plastics worked around the leading edges of floating pontoons accounts for a lot of fish. Poppers fished in the early

River and Coombabah Creek. Fresh fish frames are the best bait for sand crabs but for muddies I like tougher baits such as mackerel heads and chicken frames. We definitely need a bit of rain at present and the whole estuary system needs a good flush. Good fishing to everyone this month. After a tough 2020 we all look forward to a better year in 2021. JANUARY 2021

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May the mulloway be on fire The Brisbane River has been producing some nice threadfin salmon of late. The fish haven’t

when targeting threadies. Hot weather is here and the fishing is heating up as well. Mangrove jack are in full swing and terrorising baitfish up and down the coast. All bridges, pontoons, snag piles and

artificial reefs, the Peel Island artificials, the spit beacon at Peel and the western side of Mud Island. You don’t need to use massive plastics or baits for these fish as small 4” McArthy paddle-tails and

Nabeel Issa with a nice Moreton Bay mulloway. been schooled up in big numbers as of yet, but January is when those congregations of fish really come together. Put the effort in with your sounder and spend the time searching will help put multiple fish in the boat. Best techniques for threadies are live baiting, or using soft vibe lures to get their attention. My favourites are the Zerek Fish Trap in the 95mm size. There have also been a few good mulloway getting around the Port and the odd little whisper of barra being boated as well. Try to fish that little bit heavier leader to keep you connected to the bigger fish. I use 30lb minimum

rock bars will be holding fish at certain parts of the tides. Look for areas with a lot of tidal run in the middle of the flow and then target these areas as the tide slows. Low light conditions are ideal – early mornings are my favourite for lure fishing and late into the hot balmy nights when live baiting. Sovereign Islands, Aquatic Paradise and Raby Bay canals have been giving up some good numbers of late. Summer is my favourite for big bay snapper with not as many numbers but the quality usually lifts. You want to try and target these bigger fish in the deeper sections 10m+. Places worth having a look are the Harry Attkinson

Zerek Flash Wrigglys will match the hatch with what they feed on. Using your sounder to locate these fish is the key. You may need to be patient, but you won’t find them if you don’t go looking. Flathead are littered up on the flats at the moment. There are plenty of pan size fish getting caught around all the Islands. The flats south of Coochie and the area around the W has been fishing well. The bigger models have been a little harder to tempt of late. If trying to target big flatties in the shallows, throw big baits. Big hardbody lures designed for barramundi are a great starting point. I love fishing large swim baits for them as well. Fishing these big lures slow in shallow clear waters makes for some insane visuals. Don’t be scared to try big lures as I’ve had great success on the Zerek Affinity, which measures in at 220mm long.

The Zerek 3.5” Flat Shads are flathead lollies. When fishing these types of lures fishing slow with lots of stalls and pauses will entice the bite. Summer whiting are in

Richard Lucker with a decent Brisbane River ghost.

great numbers throughout the Logan River and sand banks close to the Pin bar. Up in the super shallow water you can target these big fish using long skinny poppers. This is an awesome visual technique that really gets the heart pumping and these little guys punch above their weight. It’s great to hop out of the boat and walk the bank and fish that shallow water near the top part of the tide on the last of the run in over the yabby banks. There has been a lot of sharks down towards the mouth and some large models have been caught. If you enjoy catching sharks now’s the time toboats be bassco out there. If you have a great capture from the southern bay you would like to share email them through to nick@techfishing.com. au. So until next month Tech-it-easy.

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January’s summer smorgasbord BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

We are technically halfway through summer although the heat will hopefully continue for several months yet. This time of the year can bring fluctuating barometric pressure and numerous late afternoon storms. This will heighten activity from many different species with hot bite periods often experienced

better numbers of prawns however keen cast-netters can often locate them in the inshore bays and also out from the river mouths in healthy numbers. Prawns are usually targeted during daylight hours, however night-time sojourns will often reward in many areas, such as the Brisbane River. Big, red-legged banana prawns are the target but the smaller greasies and larger brown and black tigers will also be caught. A quality top-pocket

leads shuffling across the bottom, which scares the prawns up into the net. You should aim to have the net leads meet on the bottom before the net is fully lifted off the bottom and retrieved. I have been using a Pro Throw 12ft top pocket net for several seasons now and will be using it again this year. They are definitely the best quality of the readily available nets on the market and most decent tackle stores should have them in stock.

Hot weather means big, solid Brisbane River threadies in the lower reaches. This one succumbed to a live bait recently. as the barometer rises rapidly with an impending thunderstorm. A great array of species will be abundant throughout Moreton Bay and the surrounding estuaries over the coming months. The addition of crustaceans such as mud, sand and blue swimmer crabs, plus banana prawns will add to the summer smorgasbord. These are a few of your prime targets during January and the forthcoming months. PRAWNS Infrequent storms have produced sporadic runs of prawns over the last few months, however their availability should increase. The Pine, Logan, Brisbane and Caboolture rivers have been prime areas to look for these tasty morsels and prawners regularly score their full 10L bucket of bananas during a session. Around tidal changes is commonly when the prawns will lift out of the mud and bottom silt and then become obvious on many sounders as blue or green haze across the bottom. Creeks and rivers commonly hold the 18

JANUARY 2021

only cast net of 10ft or 12ft drop is ideal for this pursuit. Without bottom pockets, your prawning will be a lot more efficient as you aren’t spending time cleaning all the shell grit and debris out of the net after every cast. Commonly the prawns will flick up into the top pocket of the net and be held there. Top pocket nets can easily be opened at the top and the prawns simply shaken out into the esky or bucket. You can prawn with almost any cast net, however, you will spend a lot more time retrieving the prawns and cleaning debris out of it. Additionally, a well-made net with quality mesh will sink flatter and will cover more area when it lands on the bottom. Cheaper nets with springy or puffy mesh will close up more as they sink and therefore cover less area once on the bottom. As prawns are often lying right on the bottom, often semisubmerged in the silt or mud, the more area your net covers when it comes to rest on the bottom, the greater your yield will be. Small shakes or tugs on the net will have the net

MANGROVE JACK Mangrove jack are one species that really get aggressive when barometric pressure rises, especially when it peaks over 1020hpa. Late afternoon storms can produce fairly spectacular jack fishing with very aggressive bites from multiple fish at times.

When they are aggressive, jacks will generally move further from their structure to hit a lure, which can greatly turn the odds of a successful outcome in the angler’s favour. Lures such as diving minnows, especially suspending models, can be cranked down to depth and worked with varied, yet fairly slow speeds. Jacks will commonly hit on the pause, especially with suspending lures. Soft vibes, blades, swimbaits and a broad array of jighead rigged soft plastics (especially prawn profiles and paddle-tail shads) can be put to good use on jacks. By-catch can commonly include estuary cod, trevally, flathead, bream, mulloway and occasional other species. The closer you place your lure to prominent structure, the greater your chance of a hook up. Live baits of mullet, herring, banana prawns, pike, silver biddies and other small baitfish will also tempt quality jacks, often being responsible for some of the larger specimens. These baits are best fished adjacent to larger submerged mangrove trees, bridge pylons, pontoons, jetties and rock walls. Any current altering structure can hold jacks as they like to lie in ambush and await a passing morsel. The next few months will likely produce some awesome jack fishing opportunity for anglers in the rivers, creeks, canals and many land-locked lakes. MACKEREL Hopefully we will see some decent numbers of mackerel continue over the next month or so. School mackerel have been plentiful all year round and

Sand crabs have been plentiful of late. These five keepers were caught in one pot set for a couple of hours and baited with mackerel heads. at the time of writing there had been a few reports of spotted mackerel from the northern bay. Hopefully these will have increased dramatically in numbers and ferocity by the time you read his. Spotted mackerel will commonly be located due to the surface mayhem they create as they slash through the bait. Often, birds will be diving as they also feed on the corralled baitfish that the mackerel have pushed to the surface. This surface disturbance can often be sighted from quite some distance away, even in less favourable conditions. Even if you get to the sight of the melee and the action has subsided, it is still worth having a few casts because the mackerel are often still in the area. High speed retrieves are paramount for success. If the mackerel are following your lure and not hitting it then you aren’t retrieving fast enough. Reels that can return over a metre of line to the reel with a single revolution of the handle are highly desirable. Quality graphite rods in the 2.1m to 2.4m, which can cast weights at least up to 40g

School mackerel have been plentiful in the bay all year, yet have been deeper in the water column. Anglers should find surface action for spotted and school mackerel as baitfish numbers increase over the warmer months.

will allow you to present a chromed slug, jighead rigged jerkshad plastic or small stickbait over a greater distance. Jigging beacons with chromed slugs and slices is another great way to score a few mackerel, especially schoolies. The chrome slug or slice (preferably rear weighted) is allowed to sink to the bottom close to the beacon before being retrieved vertically back to the boat as fast as possible. Usually the strike will come within the first five revolutions of the handle. Drifting pilchards adjacent the beacon will also reward, especially around the turn of the tide. The Measured Mile is a popular and productive area for anglers at this time of the year. Many will anchor in the vicinity and drift out unweighed or lightly weighted pilchards. You are sometimes met with a flurry of bites with every rod buckling as a school of mackerel moves into the zone. A small berley trail in the form of chopped pilchard pieces will often keep the mackerel around for longer. LONGTAILS A few quality longtails will be on the cards over the coming month or two. Occasionally we see a few large schools of these sashimi torpedoes at this time of the year, however mostly the longtails will be in smaller groups of less than ten fish. They will attack small patches of bait and be moving on quickly, therefore you need to be johnny-on-the-spot to have a decent chance of hooking them. The sand hills area is a good chance on a falling tide however longtails can be found almost anywhere at any time. If you can cast to surface feeding mayhem then a huge array of lures including chromed slugs and slices, jighead rigged jerk shads, small stickbaits, pencil poppers and baitfish profiled flies can all work a treat. If you get to the

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area of the bust up and the fish have dispersed then it is still worth a few casts because longtails may still be in the area rounding up the dispersed baitfish back into a ball. In this situation I prefer to use stickbaits, mainly slow sinking types, and work them with long sweeps and pauses or a slow, constant retrieve. A small baitfish profiled fly, such as a surf candy, bay bait, polar fibre minnow or jelly minnow can be cast out on an intermediate (slow sinking) fly line and simply be allowed to sink like a wounded baitfish. Often it will get slurped up by a cruising longtail, and a solid strip-strike will have you into the action. Live baits fished around the shipping channel beacons and Comboyuro Ledge are likely to score the odd big longie with by-catch such as cobia, golden trevally, yellowtail kingfish, sharks and several other species likely. While their numbers will improve over the coming months, anglers transiting the bay will still encounter the occasional bust up of longtails in the coming weeks. THREADFIN January can be a very productive month for threadfin salmon,

especially in the lower reaches of the Brisbane River. Threadfin will often school in large numbers and can be easily located with a quality sounder. However, getting them to bite can often be difficult, especially after rain that has flushed prawn schools down river into this basin. With large numbers of prawns on offer, the threadies will sometimes not be interested in much else. However, good

lures to try can include soft vibes, jighead rigged plastics, slow pitch microjigs and blades. Obviously a prawn-profiled plastic such as an Atomic Prong or a Chasebaits Flick Prawn would be a sensible option that may get the bite. Live banana prawns presented close to the bottom with a minimum of lead are a prime choice. If you can’t get one large prawn then put two smaller ones on the hook. Put the hook through

the base of each tail with the two prawns back to back or belly-to-belly so they flick against each other. Thin octopus (beak) style hooks are popular but I prefer a kahle patterned hook that has the point in line with the eye. Slowly drifting along, or anchoring up current and deploying the bait back to the zone are both successful approaches. Threadfin can be found right along the river, and

Zane recently scored this solid Moreton Bay tuskfish while targeting them with crab as bait.

the area from New Farm park to the mouth will hold better numbers during the warmer months. TUSKFISH A prime Moreton Bay target is the tuskfish. These are a lot more readily available than you would think but few quality fish are caught. This is either because anglers aren’t using crabs for bait (tuskies numero uno favourite food source) or they aren’t using heavy enough tackle and are getting busted off. Most of the areas where you catch snapper such as wrecks, artificial reefs, coffee rock ledges and other structure, will hold tuskfish of one species or another. Crabs of any species offer great baits (adhere to size and bag limits where applicable). These are best presented live but even deceased fresh offerings will produce. I am yet to score a sizeable bay tusky but am learning new things about targeting them all the time and will put some more time into the pursuit over the summer months. Most anglers use 80-150lb line either fished on a heavy overhead or handcaster (with gloves). Heavy monofilament leaders to over 200lb are sometimes used yet anglers

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still get rubbed of on the XOS specimens when they head into their cave or hole. Smaller specimens are more commonly landed and these will eat an array of different baits at times. Additionally these can be handled on much lighter tackle. However, the larger specimens need a more heavy-duty and specialised approach to have any chance of success. CONCLUSION Anglers will have a lot of options during January. As well as the species highlighted throughout this article there will be options such as snapper, sharks, flathead, cod, bream, whiting, sweetlip and a vast array of others. Crabbing for sand, blue swimmer and mud crabs will be great. A few good downpours will definitely get the muddies stirred up. Hot days will require extra prevention to avoid heat fatigue and sunburn, however early morning and evening sessions will be awesome times to be out on the water. I recommend you make the most of the quality January fishing before it is time to return to work and before the kids are back at school. A summer smorgasbord awaits you.

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Jacks are out and about NORTHERN BAY

Steve Nash

Hope you all have survived the festive season and are now sitting back relaxing enjoying what hopefully

time to do just that! RIVERS Whiting are a focus this month with most anglers with quality fish being caught up through the passage and along the beaches of Beachmere and

also take your dead baits like prawns, worms or even squid. Live worms or yabbies wriggling around on your hook would be even better to distinctly attract whiting. Flathead have now finished their spawning run. But some of the big girls will still be hanging around in the deeper channels of the estuaries. Amongst some of the average size models, you’ll still be bound to finds some of the bigger one amongst them. With all that in mind, the main focus for many fishos is the finding mangrove jack, which the season is now in full swing! The lead up to the peak of summer will bring hot humid weather, which also means a hot bite. Our experienced jack fishos have already been out smashing these awesome red dogs in the past month and the

Summertime means jack time. good results are bound to continue! Warm waters are set in, which is the peak time to find jacks. Fish for them

Tyron Marsh filling the esky with some flathead fillets. will be a better year than the last one. Christmas might have seen us fishos landing a few tackle shop vouchers that have already been spent on some new gear and are itching to get out and use it all. Now is the

the bottom of Bribe Island out to Gillian Island. Typical lure fishos will stick to the usual small profile lures like your Atomic Hardz Shinners or Bassday Sugapens top water lures to snag a whiting or three. But whiting will

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early as the sun rises and late afternoons as the sun sets. Keep your eyes peeled on upcoming storms and a rise in the barometer. These particular conditions have the tendency to turn these fish into a feeding frenzy. Jackall Squirrels or ZMan 5” SwimmerZ paired with a heavy 3/8-1/2 jighead, are awesome lures throw deep into snags or rockwalls where jacks populate. Cast precision is essential to be on point! Getting your lure as close to structure as possible will mean the difference between hooking a Jack or nothing at all. Your gear outfit will be the most important thing. A 4-7kg to 6-10kg rod paired with a 3000 to 4000 reel paired with around 30lb braid and a similar size leader will help you pull that fish out of their snag with your drag locked! Our local waterways here in Brisbane can and do produce some nice quality jacks. But the best areas to find and target them are in the creeks and estuaries between Bribie and Coochin.

Yes, this does cover quite a vast area. But in these cases, Google Maps is ideal to help you decide where to explore the many creeks and inlets that flow in from the Pumicestone Channel. Branch out and locate the different boat ramp and launch points in the area. You may even find yourself a go-to honey hole in your explorations. BAY There are good whiting on the shallower banks throughout Deception Bay and along the bottom end of Bribie. For those that are venturing out into the bay there has been plenty little mac tuna between the bottom of Bribie and Moreton islands these are great to target on light gear. They’re at that size that are perfect for kids to catch while on holidays and you got some prime flesh bait for the next trip. Mackerel are still getting around. The best indication is when you wind in your bait jig and there’s no rig as it’s been sniped. If you do manage to get a live bait send it back down on some heavier gear. DAMS North Pine Dam bass catches have been a bit slow with the month past. A combination of the hot

weather and lack of rain seems to have been put on a temporary lull with fishing numbers being slower than our peak periods. However, persistent anglers are still finding their way and pulling the odd 50cm from scattered schools around the dam. Lake Kurwongbah is fishing rather similarly. The best pick will be to get there early in the mornings or late afternoons as dusk approaches with your top water lures and hit the edges deep into the lily pads for your chance of bass or even for a rare saratoga. Keep in mind too that this lake is a shared space between the local rowing club and high powered boats towing water-skiers, so awareness is essential to safety. The waters will still be busy as we approach the peak period of the holidays. This does put a lot of pressure on our local waters. However this doesn’t mean that the fishing will ultimately shut down. Once again, it is always worth noting that safety is paramount when making the decision to enter our waterways. Conducting all necessary safety checks on your vessels and safety gear like PFD’s and also keeping check on your surroundings along with the wind and weather.

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Southern

OLD

Pelagic action offshore! NOOSA

Peter Wells

With the promise of some good pelagic action, offshore anglers will be out in force. Anglers will not be disappointed with the pelagics really starting to fire up. There has been plenty of bait in the water around, Halls Reef, Jew Sholes and Sunshine Reef, this in turn has seen reports of good sized spotted and Spanish mackerel, mahimahi and tuna (mac and yellowfin). Trolled lures that have been working well have been the Halco Laser Pro in the pilchard colour, the Nomad DTX minnows in the ghost

shad colour and the Rapala Magnum Dive bait in the blue sardine. I am sure if you ran these three in a spread you would get a hit. Another option is to keep an eye out for bird activity, feeding birds are a dead giveaway for the location of bait schools that the pelagics will be feeding on. Slugs and Stick baits cast to the edges of the schools and retrieved at speed may also see you hit up. For the bait anglers, live baits, pilchard and yakka floaters have all worked well. Good numbers of coral trout have also come from Sunshine Reef with live bait fished hard to the bottom the most productive. Other options from Sunshine off

the bottom are sweetlip, Maori cod, mulloway, snapper and cobia on the drop. Sunshine is one of those great reefs if you are into slow fall jigging. Jigs of between 30-50g are ideal with the pink colour seeming to be the most productive. We are still seeing good-sized snapper coming from the Barwon banks and the Hards, with quality pearl perch also in the mix. Mackerel, wahoo and mahimahi have also been in good numbers. Chardons Reef has seen juvenile black marlin smacking larger bait like whole bonito. For those that did the run up to Double Island Reefs were well rewarded with large pelagics, and a great range of reef

Leaon Walker with a perfect example of a jack taken from the Kawana Waters area.

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species, including snapper, sweetlip, pearl perch, mulloway, cobia, Maori cod, red emperor, and nannygai. Spanner crabs continue to be taken around that 35m depth, so why not drop a few pots while you have a fish? NOOSA RIVER In the Noosa River, quality whiting have been great fun on surface lures. Weyba Creek, the Frying Pan and Dog Beach have been the best areas to chase them on lures. The MMD Splash Prawn have been dynamite with their realistic shape capturing plenty of quality elbow-slappers. Surface lures fished early and late afternoon around the Woods bays have been accounting for big eye trevally, golden trevally, giant trevally and tailor. Casting small micro jigs and retrieving them at speed has also excited most of these species into a bite. Give the Jigpara Micro jigs in the 10g size from Major Craft a go. These jigs are also ideal if you are casting from the bank as the extra weight will

Stan Anderson with a pretty mahimahi from the FAD just out of Mooloolaba. give you the cast distance. Don’t forget to uprate your leader as those tailor will bite you off. The area just off the Tewantin boat ramp has also seen lots of big eye trevally and giant trevally throughout the night. For the bait angler’s prawn, mullet, bonito strips and whitebait have all been prime baits. Good flathead continue to be caught from the sandbanks around the river mouth on soft plastics and drifted baits. The run-out tide is prime time so cast your plastic upstream and work them back with the tide. Anglers that have been fishing after dark have been rewarded with mangrove jack, which are well and truly on the bite. Live baits and big strip baits fished in the deeper holes upriver have been doing the damage. Remember to have your drag set at the right level not too tight to pull hooks but not too loose to lose fish. Paddle tail soft plastics around 4” are also perfect for targeting jacks and the Keitech Easy Shiners are one of the best option.

Crabbers have been getting good catches. There have been blue swimmers down towards the mouth and mud crabs a little further upriver. Make sure your pots are marked on both the pot and the float. Remember 150mm across the carapace and you can only keep the bucks if you are after mud crabs. BEACH On the beach, good whiting have been coming from the gutters along the eastern beaches, Noosa North Shore and north to Teewah. Live beach worms and pipis being the most successful baits. Most of these gutters are in close and are ideal for younger anglers, as you don’t have to cast far to catch a fish. Dart and flathead are also inhabiting the same gutters. Casting light Arma Metallic and Halco slugs into the wash around the protected points of Noosa, Sunshine and down towards Coolum has been producing tailor and smaller trevally. The tailor are still making their way back from Fraser Island and it is at this time of

the year where we see those monster 10lb buckerlist fish. ROCK HOPPERS For the rock hoppers, casting bigger stick baits towards feeding birds is sure to help raise a mackerel or tuna. Try the Rocksliders from Shimano, they have plenty of cast weight to get them out. FRESHWATER In the freshwater, surface lures around the edges of Lake Borumba has proving successful on the bass. Plastics fished amongst the weed on the edges of Lake McDonald are accounting for some quality specimens. In the deeper water, small Bassman spinnerbaits are working well, also try 2.5-3.5” plastics including ZMan Slim SwimZ or Squidgy Wrigglers on 1/8oz jigheads. • Don’t forget to check in to www.fishingnoosa.com.au for all the latest up to date info on fishing and bar crossings. The knowledgeable teams at Davo’s Tackle World Noosa and Davo’s Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola can provide you with the right equipment, bait and advice to ensure success!

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Central

OLD

Gearing up for topwater action HERVEY BAY

Dane Radosevic

The fishing options this time of year are very weather dependent, with the chance of prolonged winds, rain and isolated storms that can very quickly turn a very calm bay into a washing machine.

overpriced handcrafted timber poppers and stickbaits will try their luck at places like the Spit Bommie and the Shoals. It’s a lot of fun to battle with one of many brute GTs or high-flying Spanish mackerel that hunt the waters in these areas. Currents and bait, especially fusiliers, play a massive part in the success of a day’s topwater fishing.

it can sometimes just be a case of venturing out there and finding out what you are dealt on the day. Trolling around these areas can also result in a number of species including Spanish mackerel, mahimahi (dolphinfish) and yellowfin if the bait is in the area. The yellowfin in particular are quite a prized and very tasty sportfish. They typically

Christie Green managed to do battle with this solid bay longtail, and beat the sharks on this occasion. The more experienced anglers with larger vessels will be looking to push wide of Breaksea and search for topwater action, which is usually good at this time of year. Anglers geared up with the highest quality heavy spin tackle and some

Typically the current is roaring this time of year, in excess of 3-4 knots out on the shelf, however occasionally this same current won’t be hitting the ideal areas you wish to fish. Preparation can be done via analysing SST charts available online, or

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migrate through our waters just after Christmas, and work our northern bay waters from out west around the Gutters and east towards Porpoise Shoals. These speedsters are not massive – mostly school fish with few that would exceed 20kg – however on the appropriate medium-sized spin tackle they are fantastic sport. Casting metal slugs, jerkshad-style soft plastics and sinking stickbaits are all techniques that will account for bites, and it pays to have a variety tied on to be prepared on the given day. Identify the tuna’s food source and match the hatch with your offering to give yourself the best chance of success.

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Moving inshore, Platypus Bay is typically still teeming with pelagic activity and is the perfect location for the adrenaline junkie angler at this time of year. Tuna will be the predominant target species, with big schools of mac tuna often present, although the big numbers of longtail tuna shouldn’t be too far away. A big south-easterly blow is all it may take to bring them in a littler earlier than usual. Spotted mackerel should still be found in numbers but because we are a stopover spot on their migration south, their numbers and presence will start to dwindle – and how long they linger is dictated by their food supply. If you missed out on the fun you can try your luck on tracking them down off Tin Can Bay/ Double Island Point, which is their next port of call, and where anglers typically catch some exceptionally large specimens. The main focus is shifting to the more prized sportfish our waters are so renowned for – longtail tuna – as they make their annual migration into our waters to school and feed up on the bait balls. These predators are on the hunt 24/7, constantly searching for food, so be prepared to move around to find and catch good numbers. Use the birds to your advantage to try to stay ahead of the longtails in preparation for them popping up before all chaos breaks loose on the surface. Make your casts

Jacks are suckers for a fast-retrieved hardbody tight to structure. In this instance the author cast his lure and used the current to sweep it in behind the structure before working it back out. The strike came as the lure hit the last part of the structure. up the bait balls right on the beach before devouring them. This can make for some exceptional visual action as you can sight cast to free swimming fish in less than a metre of water at times. The same lure profiles and techniques that work on yellowfin will work on longtails. The most crucial element is to match the hatch and offer something that resembles what they are feeding on. Be prepared to stalk them out and not rush in with a ‘run and gun’ approach because this can often spook them and push them deeper. It can be hard to tear

leftovers sinking through the water column. Be prepared to drop your metal slug, soft plastic or even have a slow fall jig ready for this scenario, and work your offering rather erratically and at pace to entice a reaction bite. Something I haven’t mentioned yet, and which is monotonous to write about, is the sharks. They are going to be an unavoidable issue at this time of year, especially around so much fish life. Try your best to avoid them by targeting smaller schools of fish and increasing your tackle in order to break the fish early, reducing the fight times.

Owen Howe with a typical sized bay yellowfin tuna that ate a 5” ZMan bubble gum StreakZ worked through the school. When bled and iced down straight away and eaten fresh, there are few fish nicer than a yellowfin. quick and accurate to get your lure in amongst them whilst it’s a feeding frenzy. Not only can the longtails be caught out wide in depths of 15-20m, they can also be found herding

your eyes away from all the surface activity but it pays to keep a close eye on your electronics because schools of trevally, queenfish and mackerel species can often be found scavenging on the

Inshore the pelagic activity does not stop and can potentially be an easy early morning or afternoon mission in between the weather. Queenfish will be prolific throughout

OLD

our waters over the flats, around the islands and basically anywhere there is a decent food supply, be it hardiheads up in the shallows or the annual pencil squid migration down deeper. An observant angler can often distinguish and locate the predators as showers of fleeing baitfish followed by fast moving fish break the surface giving off their location. Pencil-style poppers are hands down the most exciting way to target this species and can provide for some highflying sessions. Be prepared though as this time of year is also when large numbers of GT move into our waters and are often angry and hungry. It also pays to carry the big gear at this time of year and put in the casts with a larger popper or stickbait to try and entice one to bite. The pressure edges created by the points on the islands and arti’s throughout the bay

to convert them into fillets. Coral bream will become one of the main target species for many anglers over the coming months, with short dawn or dusk missions often very rewarding to secure a feed from the shallower reefs. The shallower rocky outcrops and reefs don’t generally produce many larger sweeties compared to the deeper wrecks, ledges, or areas such as Boges Hole, but they do make up for it in numbers and the big advantage is less shark activity. Lightly weighted fresh pencil squid, banana prawns and hardiheads are the preferred baits as they can withstand the pickers. Another species that is abundant over our reefs and wrecks this time of year is the highly sought-after coral trout, although the men in grey suits can often sniff them out just as quickly as you can hook them. Again, the wider wrecks and ledges generally produce

Central

told by a very experienced older fisherman that had lived in the bay his entire life that there would almost be a bluey for every rock there was in the bay. How true that is nowadays I don’t know, however each year our waters continue to produce some great fish that are regularly in excess of 10kg. Reporting on our rivers and creeks at this time of year can be a little hit and miss, because it is really dependant on the rainfall. Being in a La Niña cycle one would think we are going to receive plenty of rainfall, which is needed to give the rivers and creeks a much-needed flush. A long drought period, combined with added angling pressure due to COVID, has created tougher than normal fishing conditions. If the estuary conditions improve then mangrove jack will be a highly sought-after species, particularly on a muggy afternoon or evening The original Concept Z rocked the industry with its groundbreaking CZB technology. Pushing the edge of design, engineering, and materials forward is what the Z SLD is all about. The NEW Concept Z SLD doesn’t disappoint, it starts with the new SLIDE magnetic cast control system located in the perfect place for anglers to adjust without missing a single cast. Control casting downwind and then upwind on alternating casts with a flick of the thumb. Pitch, flip, or just let it fly by combining or isolating the Low-Friction Centrifugal braking with the magnetic SLIDE braking. Zero Corrosion CZB Bearings and an Advanced Polymer drag system are placed within the new rock-solid Cast Iron Carbon frame and side plates. This design sets the new bar for material innovation.

The author with a solid Breaksea GT he caught on a floating stickbait while working a tightly packed fusilier school bunched up along a pressure edge. will all hold fish and are well worth a prospect. As mentioned above, the pencil squid move into our bay waters this time of year and can be caught in quite large numbers throughout the deeper channels. Areas such as the Urangan channel, wider artificial grounds and down the Channel Hole are all worth prospecting until you find them. Remember that there is a possession limit of 50 per person imposed on them nowadays. Good numbers can be caught throughout the daylight hours using a paternoster style dropper rig to get your small 1.5-1.8 size jigs down to the bottom. Anglers who prefer to target them under the cover of darkness should use a high-powered light to draw them in closer. These scrumptious cephalopods are well worth the effort as they are fantastic chewing and are equally as good to drop back down in an effort

the better-quality fish but can be pointless fishing due to the shark activity. Thus, the shallower fringing reef edges are where you may need to resort back to. Coral trout can be caught using a variety of techniques, from trolling hardbodies along the ledges and over structure to drifting these same areas and tea bagging soft plastics, or simply dropping down a live bait. They are quite an aggressive fish so be prepared for close quarter fishing, as even a small trout has some go in it close to structure. Blueys are another highly sought-after reef dweller that requires a little more persistence, skill and just a little luck to go your way, especially when targeting the large models. The preparation to gather fresh crab is crucial to your success, as is finding the right location and anchoring up appropriately. I was once

with a build-up to a storm. This can really fire them up and create a very intense bite. For better results your efforts should be focused on the Burrum River and its tributaries, however equally good catches can also be caught from the many creeks on the western side of Fraser Island south of Moon Point – just don’t forget the insect repellent. Live baits or fresh mullet strips will undoubtedly account for the better numbers of fish, especially from those anglers willing to put the effort in and fish under the cover of darkness on an ebbing tide. A persistent and accurate lure angler will also be able to entice their fair share of fish from tight cover, targeting rock bars, undercut banks, lay-down logs and snag piles. Jacks don’t like the harsh light so look for shaded pockets to target them.

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Central

OLD

You’ll need to move around to find the fish BUNDABERG

Luke Truant

In recent weeks, we’ve seen a complete reversal in which areas have been firing. Areas of 10km2 that fished amazingly at this time last year have fully shut down. There have been bait shows and fish shows, but they haven’t been biting. I have found that the areas

that have been firing are the ones with the current running strong, and which you can fish only during the neap tides. My theory is that the fish are still fully roed up; you’ll pull up a hussar and find the stomach is 2.5 times the width of the shoulder of the fish. Perhaps this leaves no room for food. They should have spawned earlier, but for some reason they are late this

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January is a good month for targeting trout. year. In any case, by the time you read this they should have spawned. In recent weeks we have had some really tough days and some amazing days. On the tough days, you have to do the miles to find the fish, and have a number of back-up honey holes to visit when the other spots are shut down. You may need to up and move 10 miles to get onto the fish, or even further. We’ve had some really spectacular sessions lately, especially on red emperor. However, the bite windows can be short, showing the importance of being in the right place at the right time. An example of this came on a recent trip, where we fished a close-in mark I’ve done well on in the past. We got

quiet for pelagics unless you love trevally. We haven’t had cobia show up yet but hopefully they’ll show up in January. The wrecks are an easy place to target them using live baits, float lining or jigging. You’d be surprised at how well they respond to a jig. January is definitely a trout month, especially for the common (leopard) trout, and other reef species will be biting too. If you get sharked, don’t stick around; they’ll just call in their mates and you

The bite window for reds can be short, fast and furious. also good yellowfin inshore, and you can catch them by casting slugs (I like Halco Twistys for this) or trolling a paravane. I like to run a decent length of mono leader between the paravane and the spoon, at least 5m long. When it comes to sharks, they have been in similar numbers to last year, not worse as I had feared.

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there at 9am, got only one good fish and dropped two more solid specimens. We left and travelled 20 miles for a couple of reds, a nannygai and plenty of hussar – around a dozen fish in total. Then, I headed back to the first spot and we fished it again at 2:30pm. As soon as we dropped down it was on for young and old for 30 minutes. We got five reds from 4.5-8.5kg. Just like every other time there’s a hot red bite, they’ll take anything, whether that’s mullet fillet, squid heads or pilchards. You just have to have a bait down. The trout have been patchy in the shallows; they have been biting in some

A quality largemouth nannygai destined for the plate. JANUARY FISHING All up, January is a banging month, so get out whenever the weather is good. You can fish the tides and fish the moon, but the important thing is simply having a line in the water. Some of our best sessions have been at times that weren’t ideal. January is typically

boat), which includes all gear, fuel, bait, ice, chilled water/ soft drinks and laughs! You’re welcome to bring your own reef fishing gear if you prefer. Other charter options include half-day reef trips, half day river trips and private guiding. To find out more visit www.truansea.com.au, or you can Like them on Facebook or call Luke on 0423 015 490.

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Dylan Christie

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Hopefully everyone has had a safe and merry Christmas enjoying time with friends and family. Now let’s look ahead to the kind of fishing we can enjoy in the New Year. First off the bat, if you have not fished Lake Awoonga you will want to get out there ASAP, because the fishing at the moment is on fire. Most people are staying with the mainstream style of fishing on the points, where many of the fish are sitting deeper and can be quite easily targeted with a weighted soft plastic. However, with that being the case, some nights there isn’t even a car park left so The author with a quality jack taken that means most points are on a ZMan paddle-tail. already occupied. ALBERTON MELBOURNE This is when having a with some of the best we fish. We know how much ALBERTON MARINE CENTRE not peopleMARINE around here love quality side-imaging sounder have heard of, and it’sMELBOURNE 39 into Johnson Hallam South Road really comes play.Street One Alberton uncommon for people in92the targeting them. Hallam thing we haven’t noticed In the creeks it’s all about P: (03) 5183 many 2344 know to get upwards ofP: 10 (03) 9703 2003 people doing the fish in a session, with reports the crabs at the moment, and F: is (03)sounding 5183 2219 W: melbournemarine.com.au old riverbed and fishing the of over 20 still being quite what better time to grab the W: albertonmarine.com.au kids and go run some pots? flats around it, and even some regular occurrence. MORNINGTON PENINSULA of the old timber lines. Over The offshore opportunities The numbers seem to be MYatMARINE BENDIGO the years these areas have been are few and far between building up with some really Highway & them. At BENDIGO MARINE & OUTDOORS meNepean solid crab amongst proven time and time again this time of year but letCnr you, if you can getPonderosa out this time year it’s easier to to hold fish, if youHighway roll tell PlaceofDromana 160soMidland Epsom in 5987 crab 0900 the big tides and push into your favourite point3988 one there with a small break P: (03) 5448 P: (03) afternoon and there are already the weather, it’s on! With the your pots right to the back of W: bendigomarine.com.au W: mymarine.com.au boats all over it, it’s not time good days we got throughout the drains where they are out to pack up – it’s time to start December the reports were of sight, out of mind and the PENINSULA hear crabbing is generally better. doing someMELBOURNE more searching. exceptional and you oftenMORNINGTON NAUTICAL MARINE BL MARINE Big fish are often found in people say when you can get Speaking of getting the in summer, the fishing kids out of the house, there these areas throughout the lake 141 Hotham Road 612- 614 Plenty Roadout Preston and that means as always seems to be better.Sorrento are also some nice breadP: (03)that 9478not 1420 many people can fish this style Out wide it has been all and-butter species appearing F: (03) 9470 4638 P: (03) 5984 1666 because they do not have the about the red fish, with great around the local beaches W: blmarine.com.au E: info@nauticalmarine.com.au and river mouths where correct electronics to be able numbers of red emperor, nauticalmarine.com.au largemouth nannygai W: and sandworms and fresh yabbies to pick it up in detail. We areSHEPPARTON also starting to coral trout. Anglers have are hard to beat. If it’s yabbies of you’re after, they can be hear reportsBOATS of people ANDfishing MORE also been catching plenty TOORADIN tuskfish and red-throat pumped quiteCENTRE easily P/L in Wild topwater lures the shallow P&J MARINE SERVICE 207inNumurkah Road quality Shepparton bays early in the morning and emperor (red-throat sweetlip). Cattle Creek at Tannum Sands P: (03) 5822 2108 101 Tooradin Station Road Tooradin even during the night, along Inshore around the front where you can drive your car (03) 5821 2908 P: (03) 5998 3107 not too far from where they are. with burningF: frogs across the side of Curtis and Facing W: boatsandmore.com.au E: pjmarine_services@bigpond.com weed beds that sit just below island the pelagics have made Mangrove jack have their way in. The numbers of really fired up again this year the surface. Callide MORWELL is fishing well, spotty and doggy mackerel which is no surprise, and GEELONG with anglersCRAWFORD from all over the are some of the best we have more and more people seem MARINE PORTSIDE CENTRE be targeting them which country coming to tussle with heard for a while, and there to MARINE 71-77 Chickerell Street Morwell 36-38 Geelong Road versatile our the mighty barra of arguably are also plenty of longtail just shows howPortarlington (03) barra 5134 6522 (03) 5259 fishery1110 really is. two of the P:best lakes tuna and mac tuna, whichP:are F: (03) 5134is6455 Don’t forget that saltwater in the country. Callide fast a lot of fun to catch. There E: info@portsidemarinecentre.com.au barramundi season also kicks getting renowned for its big are even a few good Spanish W: crawfordmarine.com.au W: portsidemarinecentre.com.au fish however the numbers mackerel poking around. It is in at the start of February, hey which is very exciting for don’t seemECHUCA to be as good very late for them but MELBOURNE as Awoonga. At Awoonga, – we will never say no to many keen local barra anglers. EADES XTREME MARINE THE MARINE SHOP My recommendation is to get the numbers are up there one of Gladstone’s favourite 24 Sturt Street Echuca 6 Holland Drive Melton yourself into those net-free P: (03) 5482 2333 zones0588 around the top end of P: (03) 9747 the Narrows F: (03) 5482 2133 F: (03) 9747 3999 or in and around the harbour, and you should be W: xtrememarine.net.au W: themarineshop.com.au in with a bloody good shot.

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Michael Guest from Reel Action TV with one of the barra taken on a recent trip with Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing.

• For all the latest info on MELBOURNE what’s biting and where, drop TRIPLE M MARINE into Pat’s Tackle World at 23 Lord Street, Gladstone or 117 Northgate Drive Thomastown give them P: (03) 9465 8787 a call on (07) 4972 3692. The team have their F: (03) 9466 finger1418 to the pulse to what is W: triplemmarine.com.au happening in the area, and are sure to point you in the right direction. You can also find news, catch photos and special deals on their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ PatsTackleworldGladstone) or check them out on Instagram (@patstackleworld). JANUARY 2021

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Fish galore, time to explore MACKAY

Keith Day habdays@bigpond.net.au

Happy New Year to all our readers, let’s hope that 2021 pans out a bit better than 2020 and the shadow of COVID-19 is less of an issue and has less impact on our lifestyle. Now is the time to get on the water and try out all that super new gear that the ‘big fella in red’ delivered for Christmas. Of course here and elsewhere in the north our on water January activities will be governed by when the wet

being forwarded to Mackay Regional Council to support the case for developing a camping facility there. If dam levels drop from drawdown over the next few weeks, there will be more weed beds killed off and this will mean less cover particularly in Kinchant Dam, however with the ‘structure’ introduced about 12 months ago, this drawdown will not cause as many hassles as previously experienced. GPS co-ordinates of the structures are displayed at the dam or on Mackay Regional Council website, and while there check out the ‘Hooked on Mackay’

lure size/type. There are so many good barra lures around now, and the best advice is to talk to the local tackle guys who know what is ‘hot’. Try to buy Aussie-made lures where you can and support our local lure makers. While big plastics and hardbody minnows catch plenty of fish, don’t forget the topwater for maximum fun on barra. The hits and misses are really something and often happen boatside, which is really heart in mouth stuff. For topwater, I do have a couple of favourites, Ziggies, Reidy’s J Walkers and Tango Dancers all have a spot in my tackle box

rocks and snags as the sooties will head up there looking to breed and some epic fishing can be had. Sooties, bless ‘em, aren’t usually really fussy – just get your lure close and it is a good chance of getting monstered. Spinnerbaits, minnows, vibes, plastics, poppers will all catch sootie, as will a variety of flies. The INDT 2021 World Sooty Championship will be held (COVID permitting) on 1-2 May and nominations open online on Australia Day. After the cancellation of the 2020 event, there has been a lot of interest in this year, so again numbers are limited so get in early. Go to MAFSA Facebook page for the up to date info on nominations etc. Ok we have dealt with the freshwater, but there will also be plenty of action in the saltwater particularly the estuaries. Naturally the results will depend on rainfall and if the creeks are flooded or not. Presuming that the creeks are still running clear then two of the main targets will be flathead and king threadies,

Matty Richardson enjoys flyfishing the upper reaches of Cattle Creek and was rewarded when this solid stream sooty nailed his Felty’s bass bug. metre-plus fish and live baits are proving the most reliable. Some are being taken with strip baits, and on the lure front the soft vibes are definitely top of the pile. Threadies are in numbers, in Reliance, Constant, Murray and Blackrock creek areas to the north and Rocky Dam creek near Koumala south of Sarina. The common factor with all these systems is the predominately muddy banks and creek bottom. Flathead, while sometimes

most regularly used being a green over white clouser tied on a size 1 or 1/0 hook. Crabbing in January is usually pretty good but if we are in flood then muddies will be off the menu for a while. On the bigger tides, look for the crabs to move onto flats at creek mouths and into the bays, and muddies should all be full of meat at this time of year. Offshore fishing in January is very wind dependant, and if there has been local flooding, the dirty freshwater plume

Calm days, with hot humid weather means heading offshore early. Jake Lach scored this neat golden working a 6” worm on a jighead to fish spotted on the sounder. season hits and whether or not there is any cyclone activity. Historically, Mackay usually stays relatively dry in January with most of our wet season rain coming in February and March. But we have had floods mid January, so predicting the start of the wet is really a guessing game. One thing for sure, it will be hot and humid, conditions which really suit a number of species including barra but closed season applies to all but the SIP impoundments. The dams have been fishing exceptionally well for a couple of months and the ABT events at Kinchant and Teemburra dams at the end of November highlighted the success of MAFSA’s stocking programme and the top ups released in all three of our dams will have almost a full summer of growth. Catch statistics from MAFSA’s survey/data collection for November (latest available at time of report preparation) show that Teemburra dam is the most popular impoundment with 46% and Kinchant and Eungella at 26.5% and 13% respectively. While this is early days for the App, the results so far clearly show Teemburra way in front in terms of angler usage, and this information is 32

JANUARY 2021

web page for some great pics, general info and videos. Teemburra always fishes well on the points in the open basin or on any of the islands that emerge as water levels drop. Depending on wind direction and strength the side bays and inlets can also fish very well. Remember the dam barra tend to be in small schools up to around mid 70cm so if you score one up to that size, chances are good that there are more in the vicinity, so keep working the same area, maybe with a change in

and are all proven performers so don’t hit the dams without them. Night time surface fishing for barra is about as much excitement as you can get chasing barra, try it and the first smash will have you hooked as well. Eungella Dam will quieten down after the Christmas crowds return home, and January is a good month to get onto some great sooty fishing. If there is some rain during the month, head on up Broken River past Buggy Bend and work the

Fishing the mud banks at low tide turned up trumps for Peter Wise when he scored this awesome thready in very shallow water. which have been around in good numbers leading up to Christmas. Some of the threadies being caught are awesome

Local angler Shane Hultgrwn nailed this beaut 95cm Teemburra barra on a Lively Lures Ziggy SD110 fishing around some light timber areas with Paul Dolan.

caught off mud banks, much prefer the cleaner sandier bottoms usually towards the lower parts of the creeks/ estuaries. They are a frequent catch on the sand banks in the Pioneer River right in the heart of Mackay, and the sand stretches up past the hospital area before turning muddier up towards Dumbleton Weir. Yabbies can be found through all these areas and are probably the number one bait for flathead. Live small fish and strip baits will also catch plenty of lizards. Lure anglers have an almost unlimited choice when chasing flatties, with small shallow diving minnows and plastics being the most popular. Poppers will work right up in the shallows, and clear bodied examples can be worked to resemble a fleeing prawn. Similarly, for the fly tosser there is a multitude of patterns to choose from with one of the

can extend quite a distance offshore. If there is clean water, and light winds the mackerel, tuna, queenfish and trevally will all still be working bait schools close inshore. Reef anglers will probably get a few good days to get way offshore and pick up reds, sweetlip, and trout. Generally during January the deeper waters fish best, but as always, fish are where you find them. The closer in islands fish reasonably well and any substantial ledge or drop off, especially in “the middle of nowhere” should be checked out thoroughly. January is always hot but we are so lucky that most of our fishing is also red hot from the rainforest streams and freshwater dams, through the mangrove creeks and estuaries out to the reef, we have options galore! Why not come and sample of a piece of paradise? See you at the ramp.

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Balmy days and top catches enjoying reading about what’s going on in other states and learning a little about other species that to date I have yet to put a hook in front of myself. We are so spoilt in Australia to have so much diversity in our various sport fisheries, it doesn’t matter where you go in Oz there’s a fish to be caught somewhere. Back to the Whitsundays now and life hasn’t been too bad in paradise recently. The

WHITSUNDAYS

Mick Underwood

I hope you all had a great Christmas and welcome to another year. I hope that 2021 runs a little smoother than the last 12 months and that there aren’t quite so many mountains to have to conquer in 2021. Well done to all the Fishing Monthly crew for staying determined and pushing

Up in the shallows it’s been coral trout after coral trout, and out in the deep the large mouth nannygai population has been on fire. Up in the estuaries mangrove jack and grunter are in abundance and along the beaches locating schools of squid and whiting hasn’t provided too many challenges. The only thing that hasn’t been super consistent has been the pelagics, but they have still been around when the

anglers will be focusing their attention on the outer reef and the shoal country in the shipping channels. Once we start to get a cyclone or two moving through, these areas can clam up for a bit, so there’s rarely a shortage of anglers wanting to get a stock of fillets in the freezer first. At the outer reef, the primary targets for most anglers will be red throat emperor and coral trout. These aren’t two of my personal favourite sport fishing species but as far as bringing something home for dinner is concerned, it doesn’t get much better. If you intend on heading out to the reef this month don’t just pack the pilchards and squid, put a heavy spin stick and bag full of various surface lures in there as well. Everyone thinks that surface lures at the reef are just for

Catching coral trout can be child’s play in the tropics! Back inshore a little and onto the shoals, there should be action aplenty around these areas. Red emperor and large mouth nannygai should be a having a good go at it this month but there are a few other surprises that can be pulled from this deep rubble country – Robinsons sea bream and fingermark to name just a couple. Most of anglers who regularly fish this country

The pelagics have been a bit scarce this month but there have still been a few decent goldies around to keep anglers amused. ahead to make sure the country still has a quality read on the newsagent shelves keeping us up to date with the latest and greatest in the tackle and boating industry along with what’s biting around this expansive country. I am particularly

pesky nor-westers that can be a right pain in the backside at this time of the year have largely left us alone and there have been very few days lost to the weather. The fishing has been rolling along nicely, especially for reef species.

Whitsundays

bait schools have been. Unfortunately, when the bait schools have been hanging inshore so have the sharks and there have been some monsters in amongst them. Let’s chat now about January and what we can hopefully expect to be happening on the water in the northern Whitsundays. With regards to the weather for this month, January is a bit of an iffy one. Maybe we’ll get rain, maybe we won’t. Maybe we’ll get a cyclone, maybe we won’t, who knows? One thing will be for sure, it’ll be hot, real hot. If we get any nice calm balmy days, and January normally spits a few of these, I’m sure a lot of

Chasing coral trout up in the shallows has provided a lot of fun this month. This one held up by Jaydan was kept by his family for the centre piece of their Christmas dinner. monster GTs, sure they will be around but you will be surprised at what else will eat them. For a start, most of the quality table species that people go out there to target will also smash them. Make sure that you take a bit of tackle with you, as lure casting at the outer reef can be a quick way to thin out your tackle supply.

ED! T N A W uides IFIED •

• QUAL

Fishing

Call Mick 0413 882 153 34

JANUARY 2021

Young Hamish the ‘Trout Slayer’. It’s been cool to see kids getting right amongst the action recently.

are dedicated bait fishers and that’s fine, if that’s what blows your hair back. For those that know me, it’s not a secret that I am a bit of a jigging nut, and out of all the variety of jigs that we have available to us the good old micro jig is my go-to style of lure out on the shoals. Not only because they get the bites, but more so because of their narrow profile and their ability to get to the bottom fast when fishing in the deep. I’ve experienced too many times where I have got my lure down into the strike zone before that bait angler next to me, I’ve hooked up and are grimacing and straining going to work on a good fish before that angler has flipped their bail arm over and engaged the reel. This does peeve a few people off but it also opens the door for me to introduce people to this style of fishing and I do really enjoy that. Back inshore now and

around the islands and it’s going to be a similar story to the offshore fishing as it’s going to be more about the reef fish than the pelagics. Black jew will be back on the take list again and I will be after them trying to make sure that I get my share before the commercial quota is caught and they become off limits again. Our best jew fish bite locally is on the deeper rubble country found out around the outer edges of the islands. Jewies shouldn’t be the only quality species to be found out there through January. Grunter fingermark and nannygai should hopefully show their faces as well. The inner islands will be all about coral trout and sweetlip this month and this will be good news for the local tinny brigade. You only need a few cups of fuel to get out and catch the family a tasty feed or two. This is good news as it means you don’t have to take out a second mortgage to get the family on the water for a week or so over the holiday period and enjoy some quality time together on the water. Have a great holiday season everyone, enjoy your break and make sure that you spend as much time of it as you can dangling a line and lapping it up. Before you know we’ll be back at the grind and doing whatever we have to do to makes ends meet and get ourselves through another busy year. • Reel Addiction Sport Fishing Charters specialises in light tackle fishing for all tropical sportfishing species on fly, lures and bait. Reel Addiction operates from the beautiful Cape Gloucester Beach Resort, 40 minutes’ drive north of Airlie Beach. Combined fishing charter and accommodation packages are available. For more information, contact Mick Underwood on 0413 882 153 or email mick@reeladdiction. com.au. Resort enquiries can be directed to Julie Houston on (07) 4945 7242 or at info@capeg.com.au. To stay in touch with what’s biting, check out the Reel Addiction Sport Fishing Whitsundays page on Facebook.

OLD

Tricky problems, smart solutions TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

Seasonally speaking, things have been on track for a decent wet, and if all the forecasts are anything to go

can be quite aggressive. Speaking of unseasonal, we recently spotted big schools of massive whiting up in a foot of water on a sandy creek mouth. Southern readers will no doubt be thinking, ‘That’s not too

sharks are, and have been for a long time, almost unbeatable. There have been patches of reef and shoals that have been manageable until a few fish are caught, but once the sharks have found you, it’s all over and you may as well move because you’ll never beat them with a conventional rod and reel. Bent butt rods mounted with electric reels spooled with 80lb braid have turned out to be the saving grace for many an offshore fisho. It’s no longer about

the opportunity to turn their head and fight, but come to the surface in a zig-zagging fashion. It’s sad that it’s come to this, but many people have expensive boats and spend a lot on fuel to get to the reef, and have to make it worth the money. The most popular electric reels at the store have been the Daiwa Tanacom 750, Shimano Beast Master and Shimano Force Master, but others will do the job too. Grey mackerel have been around in really good

Some exceptional catches of flathead have been reported this last month, so if you’re anywhere near some shallow sand bars it’s always worth a cast.

When the water is this clear, jacks will travel metres to smash a lure – you just have to be ready for them. This fish took a 5” Paddle Prawn rigged weedless. by then we should be in for a cracker. By the time you read this I’d say that we’re getting dumped on and all the barra have done their thing and spawned. Barra have been impossible to avoid over recent weeks. Even when skipping a plastic into the deepest, darkest holes of the mangroves in search of jacks, silver slabs have been racing out to smash it. Yes, they’re fun to fight, but try not to deliberately target them for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Fisheries will nail you for it, and second of all, it’s been proven that when a roed up barra is fought on a line it re-absorbs its eggs and doesn’t spawn. Considering that a single fish can punch out upwards of 2 million eggs, that’s a lot of harm that can be done unintentionally by an angler. A few months of targeting other species isn’t too much to ask. Unusually clear water for this time of year has made for some spectacular time on the water, and watching big grunter swim out from snags chasing our lures in 2-3m was really spectacular on a recent trip. They never found the hook, but boy did it get the adrenalin pumping to be able to see them clearly chasing. For the bait fishos that are having a go of a night time, the grunter have been very co-operative with plenty of fishing going over the 60cm mark. Just be sure to flash that head lamp around every now and then to look for beady red eyes at this time of year, as the crocs are in wet season mode and

unusual’, but when the water is 30°C in North Queensland it is. To top it off, I was talking to a customer at work today who was telling of an incredible session he and his mates had with 40cm+ whiting one after another in a creek many miles away from where we spotted them, so it’s apparently a widespread phenomenon. Flathead too have seemed to have gotten used

When barra season opens, remember to stay safe as the crocs will be in full swing. You’re going into their turf, so respect them. No fish is worth dying for. numbers and are hopefully still there when you read this. Tried and true tactics are to troll medium hardbodied divers. Obviously the good old spoon will still cop a run with consistency. JACKS HAMMERING For us the jacks are the prime target at this and most

other times of year, and the effort is usually worth it. Most days double figures aren’t a problem to achieve, with the odd exceptional day landing over 30. We release almost all of our jacks, with just the odd one kept for the table. The most successful lures have been 5-6” soft plastic prawn imitations rigged on 5/0 weedless jigheads. Tide timing is everything if you’re to make the best of the skipping thing. On days when the water is a little cooler, the jacks will be up in that really shallow stuff, but if it’s a stinker, then maybe look a little deeper if they’re hard to find. You’ll find quite a few videos on YouTube these days based around catching jacks in the sticks, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that frogging the flats is THE only way to catch jacks and barra. It is important to remember though, there are times when the hook-up ratio on the surface is less than perfect, and sometimes presenting something just

under the surface will deliver better results. Still, it’s true that even if the jacks don’t connect with the hook, getting smashed on the surface is the most exciting way to get a bite. Hopefully by the time you read this there’ll a deafening roar of rain on your roof, and you’ll be dusting off the barra gear for a belt at the barra on 1 February. Good luck and good fishing to you all. • Anyone who spends time looking at YouTube fishing videos would have seen some of the amazing footage taken by people like Matt from Pelagic Pursuit, catching species like GTs and impoundment barra. Camera work has become a real art for many YouTubers, and the slo-mo stuff is incredible. People like Matt are inspiring anglers with this footage, and if you haven’t seen what he does I’d suggest having a quick look at his videos. His teaching skills are easy for inexperienced anglers to understand.

Plenty of golden snapper will be caught inshore in the coming months. As the wet starts you may need to go a bit further out to find them though. to bath temperature water, as the first week of December saw ridiculous numbers of flatties getting caught south of Townsville, all on lures too. OFFSHORE There are plenty of reef fishing biting at the moment, but hooking them and landing them are two different things, because the

sport for some anglers, it’s about getting enough fish in the esky to make it worth the considerable expense of doing a reef trip and bring at least some fish home. The reason the electric combos have been more productive is not only due to the 130-170m per minute retrieve speed, but also that many of the fish aren’t given

Tannhym Hodge has his own unweighted weedless presentation that he relies on when things are tough. This fish ate a white Atomic 4” Prong. JANUARY 2021

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Here’s to another year fishing at Hinchinbrook LUCINDA

Jeff Wilton jeffwilton83@hotmail.com

The silly season continues and just like that we welcome in another year. No need to give anyone a run down on 2020, so here’s to hoping everything is normal or as close to normal as we can live life now. From a fishing perspective, 2020 was a great year with all fish playing the game and some absolute ripper sessions were had by most. The only aspect that wasn’t quite to plan was the wind with a pretty blowy year that hurts the feelings. On a positive note, the motors didn’t get many hours put on them on the reef boats. This year is set to be another cracker and we are really lucky to call Lucinda home with its seemingly endless fishing locations. The main factor that dictates the fishing in January is the rain, there is a lot of talk

about an earlier wet season and a big one. If this actually happens or not, only time will tell, but you can bet we will be getting some good rain falls that occur every year and this can make the fishing challenging. HINCHINBROOK CHANNEL We can only hope the rain has been falling and the creeks have been getting some solid flushes. This all helps with the breeding cycle of the barramundi and there is no doubt that the bigger and longer the wet season the better the barra fishing will be for the following years. Mangrove jack fishing has been red hot the last few months and double figure sessions are very common. Tossing around lures and soft plastics near snags and drains will see you tangling with the red devils in no time. If you are new to the jack fishing game I would suggest researching a little about gear first, as this will assist you in targeting them effectively. Being able to make very

Hinchinbrook is a great jack fishery. accurate casts is the number one factor in getting fish or not, matched with correct lure or plastic presentation. The bigger snags that get the most current on any corner or stretch or creek

Hopefully the water looks like this in January.

or the entrance to any small feeder creek are prime spots to make a few casts. Fish will be sitting on the up current side of the structure meaning your lure needs to be cast in front of the snag and retrieved back with the current. If a jack is sitting there they normally won’t hesitate to race out and smash your offering and as quickly they will be back in their snag. You need to be on your game and when they hit, you need to not give them an inch and turn their heads leaving them disorientated. If a jack gets back into its home you will struggle to get them back out, normally resulting in a lost lure. Lots of grunter have also been cruising around on the flats. Chasing them on light gear on those perfect windless mornings can be a lot of fun. You will also have the chance of running into trevally species and queenfish that are feeding over the sand flats. Light spin gear matched to small lures and making long casts to fish is the secret here. If the fish can see you then

they normally won’t bother chasing your lure, so try and be stealthy using the current and sun to your advantage. The other standout species is fingermark bream. There have been some massive fish caught recently, all of which were caught at night using live baits. All the good fingermark fishers here use live or very fresh bait and their results speak for themselves. Live herring, sardines, or, if they’re around, squid are the gun baits. The number of times I have sat about using older bait before switching over to something live and getting a good fish almost straight away is all the proof I need. JETTY, ISLANDS AND REEF The jetty is always dishing out some fun and games of some sort. In the hot summer months, anglers are normally chasing trevally from the pylons or fingermark bream from the isolated bait balls and structure. For those that want to get stuck into some sports fishing, dropping soft plastics down between

pylons and ripping them up with speed should see fish attempting to rip the rod from your hands. Using soft plastics, like ZMan 5” jerk shad styles rigged on 1/2-3/8oz jigheads, depending on the current flow, are perfect. They can be hopped along the bottom or burnt at speed meaning you can cover the entire water column depending on the situation. Keeping your eyes on the sounder at all times will help you find where the bait is schooled up, and where the predatory fish are hanging around close by. Sneaking over to the islands for a fish and a swim is a very popular past time for locals here, as January is normally hot and humid. Just a reminder that it is stinger season and you should be cautious when swimming. Stinger suites are a great idea in the tropics! Every boat should also have a few litres of white vinegar on board at all times just in case as well. Remember that stingers can also get caught up on fishing lines or anchor ropes and sting you when retrieving them so keep and eye out always. The reef fishing will be great and, if the weather allows, it is a popular spot to be as a quick swim and some fishing is always enjoyable out there. The standout species has been the coral trout of late and these fish have been hungry and filling the eskies of most lucky to get out there. Dropping baits into around 30m on the current side of the reef and allowing the bait to be washed in towards big bommies will see rods getting bent. It is normally best to move spots after a few fish have been pulled from a spot, as the fish will normally get a little cautious after that. As with most species, good current is necessary to get them actively feeding.

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Jacks are suckers for surface lures.

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Good weather breaks HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

I hope you all have had an awesome start to the New Year and made all those New Year’s resolutions

of fingermark, around the 35cm mark. While they are a very slow growing fish it is great to see recruitment in large numbers on the way. My personal best during a charter a few years back was a 95cm model that was caught with a vibe

night, which is not a bad thing during these humid months. Areas around Otter, Kennedy Shoal and Bramble Reefs have been producing well. With only another month to go for the barramundi season to

Golden snapper have been the prime target during the neap tides.

Large schools of the next generation of fingermark. while contemplating how you’re going to work off all that extra padding you have put on thanks to those Christmas hams and other goodies from last month. I have, and boy don’t I know it! I also hope that loved ones have bought you many good fishing gadgets and knickknacks for Christmas presents. Being in the quieter period with charters I have only heard a handful of reports from inshore that have been patchy. I guess a lot of us have been targeting the golden snapper (fingermark) inshore lately during the neap tides. I have found plenty of large schools showing up in the channel of quite small sized specimens, which appear to be the next generation

JANUARY 2021

on a ledge in the middle of the Hinchinbrook Channel itself. Don’t see many that size in the channel these days but here’s hoping to a good return in numbers soon. There have been plenty of decent large mouth nannygai and coral trout while fishing a little wider out the front lately, but it has been quite frustrating with so many anglers losing good fish to sharks. On some spots I’ve found that one day you can pull up quite a few good fish no problem at all, then upon returning the next day, everything gets pounded by a large number of very large bull sharks. Once you lose a fish or two, it’s time to move. A few locals in the region have been telling me they are doing better at

reopen, anglers should now be dusting off their gear and servicing reels and stocking up on lures in readiness for the opening of the season,

especially if the weather is not that great, then it’s a good time to visit your local tackle shop. For many years, I have been

A tasty fingermark is on the menu.

running Finn-Nor lethal 40s on my spin rods, but am now changing them up to Quantum Cabo 40 PTS. They are a fantastic reel with a very smooth waterproof drag system and very enjoyable to use. Looking forward to kicking off barra charters next month. I hope it was as good as last February before COVID started. Might be a little harder this year if this La-Nina weather pattern really kicks in. But however if we get a week or two of stable weather in between rain periods then the Barra fishing could really go off its head. • If your looking to do a Barra charter with us for the 2021 Barra season, Bookings are filling up quick so now is a good time to get in and get your name down on some good dates. For bookings please email us at info@ ianmoodysportfishing.com or phone myself directly on 0402339459.

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Hotting up in the NFZ CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

With a month to go before the barramundi open season, Trinity NFZ anglers will be biting at the bit to get

the snags that are submerged all tide. These all tide snags will attract jacks as they offer refuge and protection as well as awesome ambush spots to smash bait fish or, in this case, your lure! The more obvious snags are on the banks of creeks,

Some big threadfin will be out and about in January as you can see here on the Humminbird Mega. to 1 February and tangle with old bucket mouth. In the meantime, they will have to make do with the many other awesome species that thankfully will be hard on the bite in all creeks and rivers. The most obvious target will be the mighty mangrove jack and the good news is they will be chewing hard with the warmer temperatures. Whether you are chasing them in the Trinity Inlet, Thomatis and Barron River or Moon Creek they will be in abundance. One good rule of thumb if you are lure fishing for jacks is to concentrate on the in-coming tide by pressuring

however the better structure are those underwater that you can’t see. Here is where a side imaging sounder really helps as you can see any hidden timber, which is off the bank. I have been finding plenty of jacks on these underwater snags of late and it’s probably because they offer more structure and deeper water, which is a little cooler. The heat can play a huge role in where the fish are this time of year and so they will often seek deeper spots. If you miss the run in, you can still snare a few big jacks by targeting them off the snags and under the overhanging mangroves using weedless plastics or frogs. This is the best time of year to be using this technique as the fish are seeking the overhanging shade to get relief from the summer sun. It’s also the best way to fish for them as there is not much better to do in summertime than catch jacks

There is no better time to target jacks on surface than in summer. on surface. If inshore waters are calm enough, a quick look around the mouth of the Barron River is always a great idea in January, especially if we have had some rain. If we get a good flush the prawns will be moving, and this will bring the threadfin salmon into

play. I have been keeping a keen eye on the usual spots and the fish are there but very scattered at the

summer so let’s hope for a bit of rain to get them moving. Next month it will all be about the barramundi and

This is the perfect presentation to skip under those mangroves.

Jacks will be a likely target in January, especially in shaded areas.

moment. There is not much bait around either and this is what we need to congregate them and make them easier to target. It’s been a dry start to the

I can’t wait to target some of the good schools of fish we have in the NFZ. Much of their movements will be based on the weather so stay tuned for some updates.

Let’s hope for a fresh start this summer PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

With the re-opening of the QLD borders we are all on tender hooks that this will remain moving forward. After an absolute horror year for all businesses in FNQ, the Christmas trade is a bandaid to help stop the severe bleeding. Overall, hospitality and the recreational fishing sector have been taken to with a sledgehammer in 2020. We are all looking to brighter days ahead, as will most in QLD. Importantly, the fishing has remained positive on all fronts. The reef fishing can be a bit finicky at times in the warmer weather but generally quite productive, and the rivers and creeks relish on the right tides and time of day. We’ve started to see a bit more precipitation 40

JANUARY 2021

around, not excessive, and seas have been very kind in regards to the wind factor. On the reef we have been seeing the whole deck of cards dealt with a real

variety of fish being taken on most days. Coral trout, nannygai and red emperor may take the limelight but they’ve been matched with the likes of reef mangrove

jack, big spangled emperor, long nose emperor, Maori bream, Moses perch, sweetlip, stripeys, trevally and cobia. There’s also been some

There have been quality Spaniards around.

good Spanish mackerel floating around to really add value on certain days. The sharks have been also a bit frisky in the warmer weather but our operators know where to steer clear of the problem areas. For those into their sportfishing the GT popper fishing is great this time of year with mostly calmer conditions on offer, which helps to identify the pooling bait on reef pressure points. Our average size is around 12-18kg but there’s always a few bigger ready to pull your arms off. As mentioned the river fishing has been going great guns and will remain so unless we experience a lot of rain. The moderate amount we have been seeing has only stirred the hornet’s nest bringing them on the bite. Our major rivers have seen a good run on big, quality fingermark, mangrove jack are always nattering away and there’s a great run of

river trevally and at times tarpon for more light gear sportfishing. People always ask about barra, which we are not supposed to target during the closure, but there’s always incidental catches and they must be released. Mornings before the heat kicks in has been best with the afternoons doing best when there’s a bit of cloud cover. Looking ahead, it is always a big question time on the wet season approaching. Going on previous logs over the years and local knowledge I suspect the near future is going to be fine. However, I’m never one to put my head on the chopping block when it comes to that crystal ball. Yet we look forward to some much needed activity and check us out on the website for the best fleet of boats whether it be river, reef or game angling.

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Finding beasts from the deep COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

The weather is so good at this time of the year and, with glass out conditions, it’s such a joy to be out on the water. The conditions are so good for venturing out further a field to chase the monsters of the deep! I love fishing deep

never look back. I tried an old spot of mine recently that was impressive when I first found it and over the years has produced some very large species. I think the structure is such that as you take fish from it, more fish move in. I think it’s a little like the best house on the block becoming vacant and it doesn’t take long for someone to move back in.

Fishing spots are the same and areas that produce will produce again. However, they may take some tine to recover and leaving them alone for a while gives it the best chance that a new monster will move in. The local wharf has also been inundated with very large schools of herring, which are easily caught. I recently went down there

Thanks to calm weather, plenty of anglers are getting out further afield for captures like this spangled emperor. structure, and having a spot lock electric motor makes it so easy. No more pulling over 50m of anchor rope attached to 6m of chain with a mighty plough anchor attached. I think my back muscles ached more from this than pulling in large fish from this depth. So glad those days are over. Even the ability to move quickly, if not right on the spot, increases the productive time on the reef. Those small marks on a sounder are so much more attractive to try knowing you’re not going to have to try to anchor on such a small area. The spot lock electric motor has changed the way we fish forever; the only losers are the fish. If you didn’t get one under the Christmas tree this year then see if the sales are still available, as it will change the way you fish and you will

to get some bait for a reef trip the following day – it only took one cast and I had enough herring. It was even difficult to lift the net back on the wharf as it was so full of herring. With herring schools so thick, the predators are making easy work of picking off the fish as they school together. The wharf is producing some nice mackerel and queenfish and the odd big trevally, so there is plenty on offer at the wharf. The key to success here is not the bait as it is so easy to get, but the presentation of it. As mentioned before if you are chasing mackerel I use a small length of trace and let the herring fly out into the current and therefore getting the attention of the incoming predators as they come into feed on the herring schools. A lone herring twitching away must be almost impossible for a passing predator to pass up. Be prepared as the run can be intense to start with, and we do get some very large mackerel come into our river month. Most escape, as land-based fishing from a wharf when a large fish gets

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Fingermark are a great target in summer.

A tasty beast from the deep, a delicious coral trout.

on, can be a challenge. I have seen people spooled on the wharf! How great is it that you can drive your car up to this spot and get amongst some quality fish? The month ahead should be much the same with more amazing days to head out to enjoy the reef. However, the rains will be on the way and the rivers will become brown with the amount of freshwater flowing down through the river systems. This will be a great time for chasing mud crabs as they move around escaping the increase in freshwater in the river and head out to sea. There’ll be so many good fishing trips ahead and some great meals of lovely seafood.

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Big barramundi dam special TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

Hopefully everyone is ready to tackle another year and see what it brings. Covid gave us a kick in the guts last year but there are plenty of positives on the freshwater fishing front. The weatherman predicted a wetter end to last year and at the time of writing, it’s as dry as a chip. While a bit of rain would be lovely to green things up and top up our waterways, I fear for the big impoundment barra being lost over the spillways if the dams flood. I know it is only a matter of time until this happens but

wouldn’t it be great to see metre-plus sized fish the new average size? Believe it or not, we are only a year or two away from this, with plenty of sub metre fish being caught and a few that already make it over the magic mark. My son Blake and I headed north to enjoy the barra fishing on a road trip. At the latter part of last year, we managed to fish Awoonga, Callide, Eungella, Teemburra, Kinchant, Faust and Tinaroo. We had barra encounters on every lake and the only one we couldn’t convert the bites into fish was Eungella. This didn’t bother us too much as we were chasing sooty grunter there. When you do that much barra fishing, you are bound to

witness some unreal sessions. We made some incredible barra memories that will live with us forever. Callide Dam produced the biggest fish of the trip. It measured 125cm and was one of the fattest and heaviest fish I have ever seen. We knew that Callide experience was going to take some beating. We couldn’t top that barra for size but more metre-plus fish coming in double hook-ups etched a place in our memory banks over the course of the trip. Barra fishing isn’t always easy though and we had our share of tough fishless sessions. It is the hard and trying times that make you appreciate the good bites you experience. Our

impoundment barramundi fishing is next level. If you haven’t done it before or it has been way to long since your last trip, I encourage you to have a crack at it. There are so many lakes throughout the state offering trophy-sized fish. If you aren’t lucky enough to have a boat or kayak to reach these fish, a guided trip may be an option. Fishing guides operate on a lot of these lakes and they have a great understanding of the fish and their movements. There’s no guessing what my favourite freshwater fish is. Let’s make 2021 the Year of the Barra! Until next month, buckled rods from The Colonel.

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST Cressbrook water level is pretty low but you can still launch from the gravel ramp below the long, shallow concrete ramp. Take care when putting boats in as it does tend to shallow up a bit as you reverse into the water. Keep your car wheels on top of the gravel and drop the trailer off to one side if you need a bit more depth for launching and retrieval. The main basin of the lake in front of the ramp and across to the pump tower will hold plenty of fish. This section of the dam is deeper and with the lower water levels, you won’t need to fish too far up the lake. With the bass and golden perch so close to the launch site,

kayaks are also a good option to access them. The summer months tend to break the schools of fish up and see the fish scatter and suspend throughout the lake. Occasionally, you will spot a school on a point in around 10m of water but most will be roaming the deep water. The spread out nature of these fish makes them ideal targets for lure trolling. The trick is to present lures as close as possible to the fish. As the thermocline moves over the summer months, the fish will change the depth they are holding. This can even happen over the course of a day. Pay close attention to your sounder to pinpoint the most productive depths and choose lures accordingly. Trolling hardbodies is the most common approach. Lures like Blitz Bagas, RMG

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The bass will be keen on reaction baits this month. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits excel over summer and it’s hard to beat the Spectre Vibration Jig. Crazy Deep Poltergeists, Little Rippas and Golden Childs are always worth a run. If trolled hardbodies aren’t producing, you can mix things up and try lipless crankbaits, tail spinners, blades and spinnerbaits. If you are using these sinking lures,

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you need to work them at the correct speed to allow them to reach the right depth. More golden perch have been making an appearance. These fish have been quiet over the last couple of years. Anglers casting lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits around the weedy points have scored a few of these fish. Bait fishers will also stand a good chance of scoring goldens if they drop live shrimp off the basin points in 7-10m of water. The quality bass will prefer shrimp suspended at the right depth under the boat in deep water. • For all your fishing supplies and the latest reports on the surrounding dams, call in to see Fish’n’Bits in Alderley

Impoundment barra seem to love soft and hard swimbaits. The Barambah Bony Shad claims its share. Street. They have a great range of lures and fishing gear. The boys can sort you out with the right gear and give you some tips on where to find them. The gates to the boat ramp are now open from 6am to 8pm. SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY It has been a slow summer so far but by the time you read this, I am making a prediction things will have stepped up a notch. Lure trollers will be able to work the scattered bass schools in the Pelican Point to Queen Street area. Deep diving lures are ideal for this and you should run no more than 8lb braid to ensure they get down and reach your target. There are plenty of well-known lures for Somerset and most have the ability to reach 10m deep. The RMG Poltergeist Crazy Deep can be easily sourced. Timber lures are also popular. I love the Little Rippa but these are hard to find outside the Toowoomba and Gatton area. Somerset Tackle has worked to source a big range of successful timber divers over the last year or two. Call in to their store at Kirkleigh to check them out and get the latest information. When trolling, work the edges of the drop off to the old riverbed. You will pick up a few fish around the shoreline but if you are after numbers, they will be wandering through the

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Golden perch will chase down lures in the warmer water this month. This Cooby Dam fish was keen on a Hot Bite Chatterbait. It was meant to entice one of his green speckled mates.

open parts of the lake. Once the word gets out over the school holidays, it won’t be too hard to see where the fish are being caught. Lure casters can find it very tough over the summer months. The best option will be to cast 5/8oz Spectre Vibration Jigs or 5/8oz spinnerbaits. A few other suitable chatterbaits have also found their place at Somerset and account for plenty of fish. When working these lures, you will get a few fish from a stationary boat but can increase numbers by wind drifting over them or trolling at 1.5km/h and winding 5-6 times before dropping the lure back to bottom. This half troll, half wind technique is very deadly on the fish and keeps a school biting for longer than when you sit still on them. • Somerset Fishing has their store based at the area above the day use boat ramp. The store is open over holidays and otherwise from Thursday to Sunday. Orders can also be made online via the website www.somersetfishing.com. au . They have an excellent range of gear suited to fishing for bass and golden perch. BORUMBA CLOSEST TOWNS: IMBIL, NOOSA Borumba Dam has been fishing extremely well. The bass are chewing jigs fished down the steeper edges. I have heard of plenty caught on Brooksy’s Jigs over the last few weeks. Later in the day, the schooling fish will stack up in the deeper water and can be targeted with all types of reaction style lures. Big spoons and metal jigs will get a few but lures like lipless crankbaits, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits could be a better option. • Davos at Noosaville has all the gear you’ll need to tackle the fish at Borumba and Lake MacDonald. The store caters well for fresh and saltwater anglers. They can be found in the Homemaker Centre on the corner of Mary and Thomas Streets.

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are too high. Hopefully it stays open over the holiday period as it is the best time to fish the lake. The golden perch go mental during the hot weather. Finding a good patch of fish is the tricky part. Often they will sit on the shallow weed edges close to the deeper water

of the creek channels. To find these fish I rely on both down image and normal sonar. Between the two, you can spot them in the open or separate them from the weed beds if they are hiding in them. I love to cast for these fish and use lures like TN60 Jackalls and Zerek Fish Traps. If they are stubborn and under

the boat, I will switch to ZX40 blade baits. Trolling medium diving lures is a great way to locate fish. Scattered fish will be found from the humps near the buoy line all the way back to the launch area and into the start of the northern arm. One of my favourite lures is the 3m RMG Poltergeist in bloodnut colour (and

that’s not because I’m a redhead). Other small black or dark coloured lures work well too. If the water has that green algae tint to it, you can be a bit more adventurous with colour selection as the fish won’t be as fussy. Lures that dive to 3-4m are perfect around the weed edges. Out in the creek channels you can opt

for a 5-6m diver. Trolling TN60 Jackalls slowly on the electric motor can also do the trick. Cooby is an electric motor only dam. You will need to launch from a gravel road and the road to it can powder up when it sees a lot of traffic and no rain. A 2WD will do the job but don’t expect it to come home clean.

water and oxygen created by the wave action may not hold bulk fish but they can be the right ones. By this I mean they are there to feed. Soft plastics are accounting for most of the fish. The 6” Berkley Hollow Belly and 7” Castaic are great options. Both have a good action right through the speed range making them ideal for both slow and fast presentations. Jigheads around 1/2oz are a good starting point but you may choose to go heavier and

speed up the retrieve. These lures are a cheaper alternative to some of the other swimbaits that are very effective but sometimes hard to get a hold of. The Molix Shad 140 and Zerek Live Mullet 5.5” are deadly on the fish in this lake. I like the Molix for water over 3m deep and the Zerek for 2-4m if the fish are off the bottom a bit. • Justin Nye from Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing runs fishing charters on the lake. He caters to the needs of the angler and can do fly or conventional tackle

trips to target the lake’s barramundi. He successfully guides clients onto fish right through the year and has a good understanding of fish movements. It is hard to beat time on the water and this is a great way to learn more about this lake and its fish. You can contact him on 0429 223 550 or visit the website gladstoneflyandsportfishing .com.au. • Mark from Awoonga Gateway Lodge always has a few productive secret spots to share. The Gateway lodge is on the way in to the dam after turning off at Benaraby. The accommodation is great with plenty of boat parking space right beside the comfortable air conditioned, self-contained cabins each with its own veranda. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 49750033. CALLIDE CLOSEST TOWN: BILOELA The big barra in Callide can really mess with people’s minds. We are all used to staking out good looking points and wind-blown shorelines. The Callide fish aren’t too fussed by this and make their own rules. The

deepest part of the main basin, down near the dam wall buoy line, hold heaps of bait. The barra are quite happy to spend most of their time down there roaming the open water and feeding whenever they feel like it. I find this great as we can go out and catch a barra any time they are there. If it isn’t a bite time, we work a bit harder for them but if you strike the bite windows, you will catch a lot more. Night and the first few hours in the morning have been best on my last few trips. This has been regardless of moon phase. By 8 or 9am the fish tend to break up and move out into the basin of the lake where they are then harder to find and catch. Trolling hardbodies would usually suit these fish but we have found the subtle approach of a Zerek 5.5” Live Mullet way better. Most morning sessions have produced 5-10 bites when we troll these lures at 2.5-3km/h. As soon as we spot a good patch of fish, we pull up and start casting to them for about ten minutes. If we haven’t had a bite we go trolling and searching again. The open water fish are quite mobile

so the last thing you want to be doing is casting at nothing. You could compare this style of fishing to pulling a needle from a haystack. The more needles there are, the better your chance of finding one. Pay close attention to your sounder and you’ll even have a good idea of where those needles are. The size of the fish has been very impressive. Most are over 90cm with quite a few metre plus fish mixed in. Fish as big as 120cm are not uncommon but you will need to work for them. I was lucky enough to hook and land a freak fish that went 125cm and could have possibly weighed close to 40kg. If there was one in there, there’s bound to be more. • You can stay close to the dam at Lake Callide Retreat. The park has basic camping, powered sites for camping and vans and also selfcontained cabins. There is a well-equipped camp kitchen and toilets and showers up in the main part of the park near the office. Make sure you bring all of your fishing tackle. The kiosk has a limited amount of fishing gear but it is well suited to the lake.

managed to land 18 fish during this time and Blake worked out some mind blowing stats. In the this bite period, we hooked a fish every 3.5 minutes. Kinchant was one of the few lakes we visited where we saw fish all over the place. Just about every

spot we pulled up in had at least a fish in it. When it comes in to that feeding time, the place can go off. We heard of several other boats whacking fish at different times throughout the afternoon and night all over the lake. Our standout lure was

the Molix Shad 140 rolled deep through broken weed. We played around with other lures too and hooked fish on Slick Rigs, Zerek Live Mullets, Barambah Bony Shads and Jackall Squirrels. I miss this place already and wish it was closer.

DARLING DOWNS REGION COOBY CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS, TOOWOOMBA Cooby reopened around a month ago after a closure due to high levels of algae. The bacteria present is monitored closely by the local council and they are quick to act if the levels CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE It has been a lot slower than 12 months ago. The barra are either getting smarter or conditions just aren’t right for them to chew like crazy. Anglers are still catching fish with the majority of the better ones being taken late in the afternoon and into the night. The points in the basin have been popular but you may need to have a backup plan. Boats usually stake these out and wait for the fish to arrive. If they don’t show, you will need to make the call and move hoping they don’t arrive as soon as you leave. I now scout the weed edges nearby on my electric motor prior to leaving. We have found that sometimes bulk fish are only 50-100m away from where we were fishing. If nothing shows I move on to plan B or C. While the basin point have been good at night, the bays and banks leading into them can be better in the afternoons. The wind-blown shoreline is nearly always best for this style of fishing. The dirty

A 125cm of big fat Callide barramundi brought a smile to the author’s face. The barra just keep getting bigger in the southern lakes.

keep you guessing where the fish are hiding. The usual offerings will do the trick here with plenty of fish caught late in the afternoon and at night outside the weed edges on paddle-tailed plastics. Surface walkers also perform well here. Blake and I had a few top water bites early in the afternoon from smaller fish around the lilies. I also witnessed the biggest top water explosion I have ever seen from any barra. Matt Taylor was fishing nearby one night when a big barra decided it liked his surface

lure right beside their boat. It sent the lure flying through the air and left Matt shaking. KINCHANT CLOSEST TOWNS: MARIAN, MACKAY The barramundi fishing in Kinchant has been exceptional. The fish can be hard to find in the right spot at the right time. As they move around the dam, they bite in different areas at different times. Our night session started at 6pm but we didn’t experience good action until 11pm. Once the fish moved in to the point we were on, the bite continued for 1 hour and 40 minutes. We

the timber too. The hotter water will see the fish rolling a bit deeper and wider of the weed edges at times. You can use heavier plastics for these fish to ensure you are reaching them and spending more time in their face. We used the Molix Shad 180 and a similar sized Berkley pre-rigged Ripple Shad to burn off the bottom and drop back to get most of our bites. You could add extra weight to any of your other plastics

by running a split ring in the attachment point and then a ball sinker in the underside of your loop knot. It’s the small things like this that will keep you in the zone longer and catching more fish when they are holding deeper. • For supplies and more information on the dam, call in to see Lindsay and the team at Barra World. The store is located on the Bruce Highway in Proserpine. Between the tackle shop and other stores in town, you’ll find everything you need.

MACKAY REGION TEEMBURRA CLOSEST TOWNS: PINNACLE, MACKAY Teemburra has become famous for its big barramundi. Fish over 120cm can be found in this lake but they are well mixed in with all the other size classes. This is great to see and shows it has been very well stocked by MASFA. At close to full capacity, it is a beautiful lake with so much to offer in fish holding habitat. Weedy margins fringed with lilies and timbered points and bays up the creeks will WHITSUNDAY REGION PROSERPINE CLOSEST TOWNS: PROSERPINE, AIRLIE BEACH Lake Proserpine really turns it on at this time of year. The fish should be moving well late in the afternoons and into the night. Proserpine Point is always popular and good numbers of barra should be found on the flats well outside the weed edge. A similar situation should occur on the points inside

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Getting the jump on jacks BRISBANE

Troy Brown

It’s that time of year again… the jacks are on the prowl, with scores of hopeful kayak fishers ignoring all other species in an attempt to brawl with these mighty fish. If you’ve only just started chasing mangrove jack from your kayak, welcome to the obsession. If you’re yet to taste success, prepare for the

at the Gold Coast. Saltwater has a reputation for offering up some exceptional fish, including some trophy-sized jacks. It’s always tough when fishing a new system, as the first few trips can be spent searching for likely areas, rather than focussing on your target species. Continually changing locations is not as productive as fishing an area I know intimately, but it keeps my fishing fresh and increases my enjoyment exponentially.

combination of rock walls, undercut banks, fallen timber and man-made structure. Knowing the potential of the area, I decided to attack the jacks with light tackle, using my go-to bream and flathead outfits. Chasing jacks with 6-10lb is like facing-off against a tiger with a BB gun, but I was confident I’d manage at least a few modest wins. Before you can get to these fish, you need to choose a launch location. My

aggressive predators. Light gear adds a huge excitement factor, but also increases your losses dramatically. Lines and leaders will vary according to the size of the fish in the area, plus the nature of the structure hiding them. Oyster-encrusted pylons and hard-edged rocks are the most dangerous for your leaders, while natural structure such as fallen trees can often be negotiated with patience and smart angling. You have a chance of a jack moving off that timber snag, whereas the jagged edge of a rock wall or oyster typically means the game is lost. With many anglers preferring 30-60lb leaders and a minimum 20-30lb braid to target jacks, it’s a daunting prospect casting 6lb leaders on rods rated for 1-3kg. My ‘heavy’ outfit with 10lb provides more

Finding jacks was the easy part, but landing them proved more challenging. Perhaps the festive headwear helped land this fish. in boating only one modest jack. Fishing light may be fun, but it is also unforgiving. While my ability to land a jack in Saltwater Creek is at best questionable, hooking up has not been an issue. While everyone has their own idea on how to attract these fish, I’ve found that subtle lure

hook-up rate with mangrove jack, because if they hit your lure there is no doubt the hook will be exposed. Don’t expect the tentative inquiries you’ll receive from lesser fish, as a jack is either totally disinterested or 100% ready to destroy! On that trip I had a vicious

The inland reaches of the creek are extremely tranquil. Most days, you’ll have the water to yourself. rush of a screaming drag, the jubilation of capture, or the gutting misery of defeat. Jacks have been out in force for the past couple of months, but the numbers have peaked and so has the horde of anglers chasing them. Unlike boaters, kayak fishers lack the ability to move long distances quickly, but the stealth and mobility of a kayak more than compensates for the lack of speed. When you are sitting in mere inches above the water, the strike of a large fish provides unparalleled excitement. With jacks on my mind, I decided to spend a few weeks discovering Saltwater Creek

I also believe I have an advantage in the kayak, as my inability to travel longer distances forces me to absorb more of the opportunities which I would literally leave in my wake from my boat. Saltwater Creek is a location which needs to be explored slowly, as it offers a plethora of fishing opportunities within moments of leaving your launch site. It’s a relatively short section of fishable waterway, as the saltwater section terminates in a small weir, with further navigation and launching increasing in difficulty. The creek is an ideal location to target jacks, with a complex

Moments away from defeat… This was a fearsome strike, but the fish was lost in a heartbeat. The author’s drag barely had time to provide some relief to the line before the line was severed. 44

JANUARY 2021

suggestion is to pay close attention to tides, as this will make a significant difference to the ease of your launch. If you prefer fishing the mouth of the creek, Jabiru Island offers a well-maintained ramp, parking and facilities. It is a relatively short paddle to the mouth of Saltwater Creek and due to the relatively short length of the system, you can cover a good portion of the most fishable areas on the incoming tide. If you time this well, you can have a comfortable drift inland, then ride the tide back to your launch. If you prefer to push deep into the creek, launching from the ‘ramp’ at Condamine Crescent in Helensvale is a good option. Those with larger kayaks (like my Hobie PA14, which invariably is loaded with the kitchen sink) should avoid launching or retrieving at this site on low tide. Even on mid-tide, the mud can be difficult to negotiate, as it’s like quicksand unless you move quickly. Otherwise, this is an ideal launch if you wish to explore either end of the creek, as it places you in the middle of some prime fishing spots. Both directions feature fallen timber, pontoons, the occasional rock wall and frequent depth changes. Essentially, it is nirvana for the jack addict. Speaking to anglers who regularly target mangrove jack, you will receive conflicting opinions on the gear required to extract these

Launching from Jabiru Island provides a longer paddle if you’re exploring deep into the creek, but it’s a comfortable trip on an incoming tide and a simple launch. confidence, but still looks light in comparison to what others are using. My first jack was caught on 20lb, and while that mid-40s specimen was my most satisfying, in pure angling terms I’ve had more fun catching smaller fish on light line. For those anglers chasing bigger fish, my tactics are not recommended! I’ve landed some nice fish on modest gear, but I’ve lost many more and have also had some nervous moments with some very frayed leaders. Having sampled the fish on offer in Saltwater Creek, I look back and question my own sanity, as my equipment was not even close to being suitable for the task. My expectations when researching a new area are quite low, but were even lower at Saltwater Creek because I was using some prototype soft plastics of my own design. I’d never cast them for a mangrove jack and in fact had barely been able to swim test them prior to my first visit. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried about the effectiveness of my design, as my 4” paddle-tail soft plastic proved to be a magnet for big jacks. The hits were frequent and violent enough to maintain my optimism, but three consecutive trips resulted

movements work best. While at times more active lure presentations may work, jacks are typically very aggressive and if you put a lure in front of them, they’ll strike and strike hard. There are no half measures with a jack,

reminder of how a subtle presentation can invite a strike. While re-rigging another rod and simply dragging a lure behind my drifting kayak, I skirted the edge of some fallen timber. I quickly cast aside the unrigged rod, as my reel started

Trevally push deep into the system and are extreme fun on light gear. This fish decided it wanted to play dirty, wrapping itself around multiple trees in a skinny section of water near the weir. so don’t expect a lot of halfhearted hits prior to setting the hook. There is usually no need for lifts, drops, stalls and speed changes. Slowly roll a plastic or hardbody lure in the face of a jack and get ready for the rush. Weedless rigs will result in less tackle lost to snags and will barely affect your

whining and the line started a beeline for heavy timber. Luckily, I reacted quickly and had pressure on the fish before it made cover, and moments later I had a modest jack on-board. I’d only left the lure floating with the intention of possibly interesting a flathead while I re-rigged, so was not expecting to be fighting a jack

shortly afterwards. Giving heed to a call of nature, I let go of the rod, not considering that Murphy’s Law dictated that a huge fish would immediately smash my tiny bream outfit. I cast the lure behind the kayak, letting it sink slowly to the bottom, then placed the rod in the holder and got to work with my other task. Suddenly, my poor bream reel developed a high pitched squeal, with my line disappearing at speed while my lure headed for the nearest snag. Even when fishing light gear, you still have a chance of stopping the most determined mangrove jack. Often it only requires you to steer them gently away from their preferred destination, as once you put some pressure onto the fish and steer them into open water, they become confused and the fight is mostly won. My reaction time was not the best, partly because my hands were otherwise engaged and partly because I my body does not cope well with early starts. If I had the rod in hand faster, I still doubt I could have stopped a fish of that size on 6lb line. Watching my line entangle several sunken

badly for me. The fish was lost, but I fancied that if a jack was that aggressive, it wouldn’t object to me offering a second lure. I turned my back on the pontoon, having decided that catching a jack on light tackle was secondary to landing an incredible fish. With my Power Pole planted in the mud to stop me drifting too far from the fish, I commenced the task of increasing my leader to a robust 40lb. This was clearly a big fish, as the strike was the biggest I’d ever received from a jack. This was a trophy fish which had a distinct liking for my lure, so practicality won over ego. Discarding the light rod, I started tying 40lb leader onto my baitcaster and prepared for battle. As I turned my kayak to have another run at the pontoon, a boater slipped into the position I had been fishing, possibly having noted the big strike I had just experienced. Armed with gear which looked like it could stop a marlin, the boater flicked a hunk of chicken breast to the pontoon and was nearly immediately fighting the jack which I had just hooked. With heavy gear and

instead disappeared inside the angler’s icebox. Fate and fishing can be cruel, but seeing that magnificent fish going into the icebox broke my spirit for the day. Some people question how you can know a strike is from a jack when you don’t actually land the fish. Unlike other species (which I call incorrectly with monotonous regularity), it doesn’t take long to differentiate a jack strike from any other species. They are unique, nearly always darting out to grab your lure, then immediately turning with immense strength and moving quickly back to their lair. Cod

Ray Hawes always manages a handful of species each trip. Saltwater Creek delivered his usual bag, including this feisty grunter.

The flash of colour, a silvery flash in the water and you are thinking it may be a PB bream… wrong again!

Lucas Mulligan targets Saltwater Creek jacks with hardbodies. Looking at the results, it seems to be effective! tree limbs and the braid disappearing quickly from my reel, I knew the fight was lost. I suffered multiple similar incidents over three weeks of fishing Saltwater Creek, but the worst was the most recent. Having seen a jack lurking below a pontoon the week before, I rigged my home-made soft plastic on a SnakelockZ jighead, flicked it towards the bank and angled it to perfectly intersect the front face of the pontoon. While engaging in a friendly chat with the home owner who was working on the pontoon, my lure was struck with such ferocity that I barely had time to acknowledge it before my line broke. Despite having well adjusted drag, the hit was so obscenely strong that my drag barely had time to release from the massive strike, so my line was destroyed in a heartbeat. With 10lb mainline and leader, the size of the fish ensured the encounter ended

dead bait, the jack I wanted to claim as my own was pulled from under the pontoon. At 59cm, this jack was special and clearly ready for its next phase of life by moving to the offshore reefs. Sadly, it

and some other species can provide a similar strike, but there is never any doubt when a jack is on the line. With an intent to chase only jacks, I had multiple bustoffs accompanied by some solid swearing afterwards. By-catch was minimal, as I was very intentional with my lures, techniques and the location of my casts. Despite this, there were still some solid trevally, grunter, flathead and bream boated. On the few occasions I got disheartened with the failed attempts to land a jack, other species were relatively prolific and helped lift my mood. Timing is crucial here. This is one location which clearly fishes well early and late, with the midday sun acting like an off-switch for most species. Strangely, the biggest hits all happened during the middle of the day,

so the jacks seem unfazed by the whims of lesser species. One of my many losses was what I believed to be a massive cod or grouper, with my kayak forcibly pulled to the opposite side of the creek, only to be hauled back to the other side before the giant slipped below a section of rock. Patiently loosening my drag in hope

don’t fall your way. Despite the lost lures and my injured pride, Saltwater Creek has been added to my favourites list. Sadly, my tendency to bounce through locations will probably mean I won’t have another visit for a while, but this is one spot worthy of breaking my routine. There are some big

that. It may fill your cooler, but the satisfaction of the catch is diminished. For newcomers to the area, I suggest at least a few visits before deciding if you’ll add Saltwater Creek to your regular fishing spots. Fishing can be fickle anywhere, with periods of tough bites, poor tides or weather. It’s an old cliché, but the fact is there is no substitute for time on the water. Spend time exploring this or any spot so you can gain a better understanding of the best method to fish it. Don’t ask fellow anglers for their ‘spot X’. It is almost offensive to do so, as most kayak fishers have spent many hours finding productive areas and will take such a request badly. Instead, understand that if you continually work over an area, you’ll discover your own ‘spot X’. A good system will have many great opportunities, so focusing too intently on someone’s

This isn’t the largest mulloway Ray has caught, but it’s another example of the variety available in this waterway.

If you launch from the ‘ramp’ at Helensvale, avoid low tide and don’t stand still for too long, as the mud is like quicksand.

the fish would reappear, I was quickly rewarded as it lumbered out of its hide, only to commence a new bout of foul language as my leader was shredded on the rock. The tirade would have made most people pale, as I used every bad word I knew, then invented a few others because the first spray was not adequate. Sometimes, the chips just

fish here. Light line may not be the smartest way to extract them, but if you want a true challenge and the satisfaction of landing a trophy fish on tackle designed for chasing bream, you will exponentially increase your enjoyment. Of course, you could just tie on a piece of chicken and float it under a pontoon with heavy leaders, but there’s no fun in

favourite spot will often reduce your catch rate. Drift the creek, put in the hours and miles, as fish are constantly moving through the system and every section can hold the promise of a stellar catch. Regardless of whether you visit Saltwater Creek once, or if you go every weekend and regard it as your ‘local’, you won’t be disappointed. JANUARY 2021

Recreational Fishing Update Charges Over Massive Illegal Cockle Haul

Four people are potentially facing charges in court after being caught late last year with nearly 2500 cockles on the NSW South Coast. NSW DPI fisheries officers responded to information from a member of the public and intercepted two vehicles containing four adults and a child, with one of the vehicles towing a boat. A search located three eskies containing 2447 cockles. The adults were interviewed and a majority of the cockles seized and returned live to the waters of nearby St Georges Basin. At that time, the daily

bag/possession limit for cockles was 50 (it is now 20) so the seizure represented about 10 times the daily limit for the four adults allegedly involved with the offences. Three men and one woman from Sydney are expected to be issued court attendance notices to face charges of exceeding possession limits, which carries a maximum penalty of $22,000 and/or six months imprisonment. Members of the public are urged to report suspected illegal fishing activity by calling the NSW DPI Fishers Watch service on 1800 043 536.

Have Your Say On Harvest Strategies

NSW DPI is developing harvest strategies for a number of priority fisheries in NSW. We’ve launched draft policy and guidelines to provide practical guidance to fishery managers, fishery scientists, fishers and other key stakeholders as

JANUARY 2021

they prepare our harvest strategies. To have your say, visit https://www.dpi.nsw.gov. au/harvest-strategies

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

Crazy Kingie Growth Rate!

Many keen kingie fishos might be surprised at just how old (or young!) their catches could be. Samples donated to the Research Angler Program (RAP) have shown the age of a just legal fish (65cm) can range from one to four years. This is because growth rates are variable; however, most fish sampled grow relatively quickly and reach 65cm between the ages of two and three years old. But some fish can grow very big very fast! Keen RAP participant Kurt (pictured) recently donated the frame from his 130cm kingfish. The trophy-sized fish was estimated to be five years old. This fish is the fastest-growing five-year-old kingie we have had donated to the program and shows that in optimal conditions kingies can indeed grow at a very fast rate. Search “Research Angler Program” on the DPI website for more info. The RAP is another great example of your fishing fees at work!

Do The Right Thing At Walsh Bay!

If you enjoy fishing at the iconic Walsh Bay piers in Sydney Harbour, then DPI needs your help to ensure continued access to this highly popular shared location. Access to Walsh Bay is way too good to lose, which is why are doing all we can to maintain your fishing access to these great locations by organising police and fisheries patrols, extra cleaning and advisory visits to promote responsible fishing. But we need YOUR help as well. Positive things you can do if you’re out at Walsh Bay include always fishing responsibly, picking up all rubbish (even if it’s not yours), keeping the noise down (especially at night) and treating other users (including people who work in nearby offices, restaurants and cafes) with respect and courtesy. If you see people doing the wrong thing, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

... thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what the NSW DPI FADs program is all about!

NSW DPI installs 30 fish aggregating devices (FADs) off popular fishing ports along the NSW coast from September to June. FADs attract fast growing pelagic fish such as Mahi Mahi (Dolphinfish), Wahoo and Marlin and create an alternative fishing location for recreational sport and game fishers. FADs are deployed in NSW by DPI using funds from the Recreational Fishing Trust. Visit the FADs webpage for GPS coordinates of your nearest FAD, FADs distance off the coast and the best access point. www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/recreational

dpi.nsw.gov.au

Sydney

NSW

Fun summer fishing PITTWATER

Peter Le Blang plfishfingers@bigpond.com

January is normally a great month to target pelagic species all up and down our coast as well as in our rivers and harbour. Some of the pelagic species that can be encountered are kingfish, tailor, samsonfish, and tuna species such as

far the most successful way to target and capture some of these species. The better bait has been live squid or garfish and both can be caught towards the mouth of the river at West Head and also Barrenjoey Head. First thing in the morning look for working seagulls and seabirds as they are showing you where to target some kingfish that are lurking on the surface. Most of these kingfish are

are quite easy to catch in most bays, just make sure you do have a few different colours to find what is working the best on the day. Last charter the best colour to use was fluorescent pink in the 2g size. I quite often get asked what brand of squid jigs are the better ones to use and my answer is always the same: Yo-Zuri or Yamashita jigs. They sink horizontally, and have a great range of colours as well as sizes. These two jigs are worth the extra money for those three reasons alone. The better areas to catch squid at the moment are once again towards the mouth of the river, with Palm Beach weed beds, Mackerel Beach and the Careel Bay area seeing most of our captures are squid. For those wanting to target some bottomdwelling species such as flathead, the drop-off between Palm Beach and Mackerel Beach is a great area to try, especially with soft plastics. Use heavy jigheads so your lure stays in contact with the bottom in the

Your first kingfish is a great moment to remember. deeper water of around 50ft, and drift up into the shallows towards the weed beds. If you are going to target the weedy areas, go as light as you can and work the edges of the weed. Another great drift at the moment is between Patonga and Lion Island where you can drift using

Be ready to cast lures. The author got this one while trying to catch squid. bonito just to name a few. If we are really lucky, some years the warmer water also brings a few northern species such as cobia and mackerel. At the moment along Pittwater we have got kingfish as well as some bonito and tailor to catch but there is the odd report of samsonfish being caught as well. The better places to target along Pittwater at the moment seem to be The Supermarket, Aisle 10 and the eastern side of Pittwater amongst the moorings. Downrigging is been by

actively taking lures. The best lure to use seems to be 6â&#x20AC;? white Slug-Gos but 25g metal lures are catching quite a few fish as well. The best area to start to search for these hardfighting fish is towards the mouth of the river and on Broken Bay. Scotland Island is also seeing a fair bit of activity but these fish seem to be moving around the island and not staying in one area for too long. Once again, downrigging live squid or slimy mackerel should see you finding a few fish. Squid at the moment

SEASON

The kings are fat fish this year.

IS HERE!

Every Saturday 5.00pm on 48

JANUARY 2021

baits and catch quite a few fish. Also try around the edge of the reef at Flint and Steel as there are a lot of baitfish around this area at the moment, and flathead should be at the edge of the hard reef. This area at Flint and Steel is also seeing some mulloway being caught

around the change of tides. Fresh caught squid and butterflied yellowtail are seeing most being caught. When fishing this area remember that these fish are lazy and will move away from the hard ground of the reef to eat on the change the tide. When using berley in this area try to berley up baitfish close to your boat and this will give you a better chance at snaring a mulloway. Along our coasts kingfish are showing themselves around most headlands and shallower reefs, with Newport Reef and Long Reef both seeing a lot of activity from fish as well as anglers. Water depths of around 60m have been seeing some nice flathead being caught as well as the odd snapper. If you are going to target snapper try first thing in the morning and you will see some action in areas where there is kelp whilst you are floating baits down unweighted. As the sun gets higher in the sky the action will taper off but there is also a lot of activity in the last couple of hours as the sun goes down. So as you can see there are a lot of different species to be caught, so grab a mate and enjoy our part of the coastline.

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Warm water species consistently on the bite NTH SYDNEY

Luke Winser

The school fish in the harbour – salmon, kingfish and tailor – have been very consistent, from west of the bridge through to the head. The kingfish have started to move back into the harbour with some nice fish to a metre amongst them; most have been taken in the lower

harbour. Live squid and squid strips have been the most productive, with a few fish taken on live yellowtail and live slimy mackerel. Bream, blackfish and trevally have once again been extremely consistent. To give yourself the best chance of success, focus you efforts at high tide close into the shoreline with a bread and prawn bait under a bobby cork in a bread berley trail.

Squidding has been consistent on all grounds, with the bigger squid being over the kelp. With the water temp staying low, the drummer and groper have still been consistent. Again, we have been getting good results on prawn baits fished under a float in a bread berley trail. Some large whiting have started to appear around the shallow sand bank areas of Rose Bay, taking surface

lures. The Bassday Sugapen and other walk-the-dog style lures are working well. JANUARY FISHING With the rising water temperatures in the harbour we should start to see the arrival of some mulloway from the back end of the harbour. The run of school-size kingfish should begin then. These fish are less fussy so they’ll be taking live baits and lures.

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atmosphere at competitive rates. There are some excellent fishing spots that can be accessed straight off Sydney, and we will show you where. We offer harbour, wash and offshore fishing for species ranging from kingfish and mulloway through to snapper and mahimahi. For more info go to www.fishingsydneytours. com.au, call 0481 120 600 or look up ‘Fishing Sydney Tours’ on Facebook.

FISHING NEWS

Reef balls – from zero to hero In a 2020 study, researchers from UNSW installed six constructed reefs in estuaries with little natural reef, and found overall fish abundance increased up to 20 times in each reef across a two-year period. The installed reefs were each made up of 30 commercially made concrete domes with holes, and were positioned on bare sand. Fish populations were monitored for three months before the reefs were installed, and then at one year and two years afterwards. Numbers of snapper, bream and tarwhine increased up to five times and, compared

to the bare sand habitat before the reefs were installed, there were up to 20 times more fish overall. In addition, there was no evidence of decline in abundance at the nearby natural reefs, where fish abundance also went up two to five times. The artificial reefs appear to create additional rocky habitat for the juvenile fish coming into the estuaries from the ocean, enabling more fish to survive. Study co-author Dr Hayden Schilling, SIMS researcher and Conjoint Associate Lecturer at UNSW, said the study was part of a larger investigation into the use of artificial reefs for recreational

fisheries improvement in estuaries along Australia’s southeast coast. “The artificial reefs create ideal rocky habitat for juveniles – so, the fish reproduce in the ocean and then the juveniles come into the estuaries, where there is now more habitat than there used to be, enabling more fish to survive,” he said. “Our results validate NSW Fisheries’ artificial reef program to enhance recreational fishing, which includes artificial reefs in estuarine and offshore locations.” You can read the full study in the Journal of Applied Ecology or UNSW websites. – Fish Habitat Network.

4 MONTHS

The artificial reefs four months after installation. (Image courtesy of UNSW Science) 18 MONTHS

Fisheries Patrols uncover serious offences Targeted patrols in South West NSW have clamped down on illegal fishing, with more than $13,000 in infringement notices issued for offences related to native species. Patrols on the Murray River during their annual three-month breeding closure uncovered six incidences of Murray cod being taken illegally. Fisheries officers seized 12 Murray cod under the Fisheries Management Act 1994, 11 of which were under the prohibited size.

In one instance two men near Nangiloc were found in possession of five Murray cod outside the legal size limit and were fined $2,200, and a man who was found with a 50cm Murray cod near Barmah was issued with fines of $1,000. NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Acting Director of Fisheries Compliance Dr Andrew Moriarty stressed the importance of observing breeding closures. “It is imperative that annual fishing closures are respected in order to protect their breeding season for

native fish,” Dr Moriarty said. “Any fish accidentally caught while a closure is in place for that species should immediately be returned to the water.” Other offences detected included: • Taking a protected trout cod near Barmah, for which a 24-year-old Victorian man was issued a $2,500 fine; • Six instances involving five individuals exceeding the daily golden perch limit of five near Mildura, with fines of $500 issued for each incident; and

The artificial reefs 18 months after installation. (Image courtesy of UNSW Science) • Two men each fined $500 for joint possession of seven vulnerable silver perch near Mildura. “Our Fisheries Officers will continue to patrol weirs and locks to target bag limit offences of congregating golden perch, and fisheries targeting Murray cod before the end of the fishing closure on 1 December,” Dr Moriarty said. To report illegal fishing, call the Fishers Watch phone line on 1800 043 536 or report online via the FishSmart NSW app or at www.dpi. nsw.gov.au. – NSWDPI

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Whiting on the chew SYD ROCK & BEACH

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com.au

Happy New Year to all! We’ve all had a tough year, and some people have had it a lot tougher than others. If you are one of these people I hope you are recovering and you’re well. Fishing is a pastime that can help you reflect and

outing, see their confidence levels grow exponentially and the result is having more independence as an angler. Rather than saying “I am going out for a fish”, they say “I am going out to target this species”. That’s just one of the reasons why I love my job! BEACH FISHING Whiting were running a little late this year but they are now well and truly on the chew with some

This father-son team caught a great bag of whiting on this session. clear your head, and even help you regenerate and reboot your mind and body. When I take my clients out I see them growing as an angler throughout the

great fish to near 42cm and plenty of 32-38cm fish. Unfortunately, beach worms are more scarce this season compared to other years; some of the

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beaches that normally produce worms in Sydney are not producing as many. Anglers are divided as to why this is. Some anglers say that there are too many people worming, but this is not necessarily the case. We need to remember that a lot of the beaches need to recover from the winter/spring sand erosion, which has made a lot of the beaches steep, therefore the sand is much grittier and the beach worming nowhere near as good in specific areas of the beach. Smart beach wormers will not go to at the same beach or section of beach time after time. Instead, they will look for flatter areas of beach with finer sand, to get better results. If you’re having trouble finding worms, move to the other side or several hundred metres towards the opposite section where you usually go worming, or go to another beach. You may be very surprised at the results. On a more positive note, most of the sections of beach which are still suffering erosion will recover, and the beach worms and pipis will recover in these areas as well. Beach worms grow quite quickly, especially throughout the warmer months. Even though the water temp has been a fairly consistent 21°C off the local beaches of late, Aussie salmon are still available. Some are being caught on beach worms meant for a bream or whiting. On light gear they are specular fun, and they’re a great way to learn how to land a fish. If you hook them on a light 3-4kg outfit and the salmon is above 2kg they will rip line off the reel in burst. You should allow the fish to run

Anglers usually give rock blackfish a wide berth in January, preferring to target summer species like kings, bonito, bream or snapper. However, rock blackfish are pretty reliable and are a good back-up. – don’t tighten the drag on your spinning reel outfit, or don’t palm your Alvey too hard when the fish is running because you will get busted off by applying too much pressure. The line will just clean snap. Salmon teach you to learn how to pump and wind, and when to hold a fish during a ‘stalemate’, i.e. when it’s not taking line. When the fish is running, taking line under pressure, it should be 50-60% of the line poundage max. Then, when the fish relents a little, it’s time to start the pump and wind. Lower the rod slightly, winding at the same time, and then lift the rod back up and repeat the process. Eventually the fish will tire, and you’ll be able to get it up to just past the shore break and wash the fish up on the sand. Try not to make a huge spectacle of the fight by running up and down the beach. Keep your composure and focus and you should have a much

better outcome. Tailor numbers have been good on most beaches of late. Ganged pilchards on a set of 3 x 3/0 to 4/0 hooks will give you great results. The choppers are in the 30-38cm range, which is a great size for bait and tasty on the plate. When mulloway fishing in the evenings you may get hammered by bronze and dusky whaler sharks. Make sure before you go fishing to have half a dozen or more rigs ready made, as this saves you rigging up on the beach. If there are too many sharks in one gutter, move to another. You may find that the sharks are pretty thick in one gutter but not so many in another, allowing a mulloway to take your bait. Although I have had plenty of outings where I have caught several sharks amongst jewfish, it’s better to avoid the razor gang when they get too numerous. The smaller live tailor

between 30-32cm make a big mulloway bait. Have a go for tailor for bait just before dark for a live bait or fillet or butterfly bait. Big beach worms work well for a mulloway too, along with squid, live yellowtail and mullet of course. Being January it is damn crowded! The usual beach spots like North Narrabeen are like Pitt Street. Try mid Narrabeen, Mona Vale Beach and mid Palm Beach for all of the species mentioned to get away from a lot of the summer surfers and swimmers. Also try to avoid Manly beaches, and the South Steyne section of the beach at night unless you want to have a long conversation with a drunk. ROCK FISHING Rock blackfish (aka black drummer or pigs) aren’t a popular target at this time of year. Anglers are more inclined to chase pelagics like kings or bonito, or bream in the

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This group enjoyed a great whiting session with fish from 32-41cm. The salmon fell for a beachworm bait meant for a whiting. If you can’t get beachworms, pink nippers will do.

Sydney

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washes or even snapper. Groper, rock blackfish and luderick are put on the back burner as they are perceived as being a cool weather species, preferably fished for from late April to late of October. We Sydneysiders, however, have the luxury of being able to fish for pigs throughout the summer months. It’s mostly mid north coast anglers who think pigs are off the cards. As you head further north the water temp is warmer and the majority of the rock headlands have a lot more sand up to the edge of the rocks compared to the Central Coast to southern NSW, so we have a good population of rock blackfish to be caught during the warmer months. The exception is those times when the water temp goes above 23°C, as this can shut them down. Still, the water temps here don’t stay above 21-22°C inshore for more than a month or so at a time. Lately we’ve been getting solid pigs to 46cm, with some outings producing bream and luderick as well. I’ve been using peeled king prawns with a generous amount of wet bread berley mush. It’s important to berley little and often, rather than liberally, for a much more even distribution of berley. You should vary your ball sinker weight according to how much current, white water and wind drift there is. A 2x strong 1/0 to 2/0 hook is recommended (I use

Mustad 92554 hooks), and 6-7kg line class is a bare minimum. Around 9-12kg is preferred. The nature of a pig is to try to sever your line around a sharp shell or barnacle-covered ledge or swim for cover under a ledge or boulder. Nice snapper from 33cm to the odd 55-60cm fish are also available for

anglers fishing the wash (sudsy white water) or distance casting (casting out to the sand/gravel and reef edge). When you’re snapper fishing, either in the deep white water wash zones in close or distance casting, they have similar problems. In this region you may encounter some species that you don’t want

The results of a recent snapper trip – three good fish to 63cm, caught distance casting with a 4oz snapper sinker to the sand/gravel edge. Fresh squid caught locally was the gun bait, and the author left the snapper biting.

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The author’s client lost this pig when it cut the line over a ledge 15-20 seconds in the fight. Around 1.5 hours later he hooked the same pig and finally landed it. Look closely and you will see two pieces of line in its mouth.

on the day, and one of those species is sweep. They can get pretty big, up to 35cm and about 0.5kg. They’re a reasonable eating quality fish, but they can be a bit of a pain when they evaporate your well-presented half pilchard or peeled prawn to near nothing. Using a salted pilchard can slow them down. Squid strips are good as well. Sweep are generally in plague proportions so a berley trail may not be a good option at times. Whole king prawns with their relatively thick shell work well to ward off these ravenous fish. If you’re after snapper, pigs or luderick, try North Whale rocks during flatter conditions, South Avalon, Mona Vale pool, or Warriewood high ledge in rough conditions. You can also try for a king at The Hat or south or north Curl Curl. • For rock and beach guided fishing or tuition in the northern Sydney region, visit www. bellissimocharters. com.au, email alex@ bellissimocharters.com.au or call Alex Bellissimo on 0408 283 616.

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Bouncing back for 2021 SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Wow, what a year 2020 was, with bushfires, floods and COVID. There are also stock shortages in some stores; I work as a casual at BCF Taren Point, and we and many other tackle and outdoor stores have run out of some of the more popular gear. Hopefully supply lines will bounce back soon and more stock will turn up.

Another change is a huge increase in the numbers of land-based anglers, boats and jet skis in the southern areas of Sydney and right throughout NSW. Due to this increase in numbers there has been a bit of tension out there at some of the places that I fish from, both the shore and out of a boat. At the time of penning this report I came across a couple of land-based anglers having a punch up. I found out that it was over who

Dusky flathead can’t seem to resist a well-presented soft plastic.

cast over who and who got there first, and that one of the anglers thought that the spot was his. Some people say that there is no such thing as common sense and maybe sometimes there isn’t. But seriously, no body owns any spot. We all have to share and get on with each other. Now that my rant is over let’s get down to the business of what should be happening in the southern area of Sydney. First up, the salmon and tailor should be still around in numbers on the beaches and rocks from Bondi and right down to Stanwell Park beach. Whole pilchards or garfish on a set of ganged hooks should do the job. Make sure that you take a few 20-60g metal slugs for those times when the salmon and tailor are out of the reach of a good cast with a whole pilchard. Bream, whiting, trevally and dart have been caught by anglers using half pilchards, pipis, strips of mullet and beach worms. On those very calm days on the beach you don’t have to have a 3-3.6m rod to get to the fish. All you need is your 2.1m flick stick that you use when fishing in the estuary with soft plastics for bream, whiting and flathead. Just keep an eye out for those gutters and work them along the edges and drop-offs. By now the bream, blue swimmer crabs, whiting and dusky flathead will have shown up in numbers in Botany Bay at the usual places like Yarra Bay, Trevally Alley, Bare Island, the end of the third runway, Towra wide, the patches, Silver Beach and Sutherland Point. Tube worms, strips of

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Salmon can be caught on ganged whole pilchards or garfish, or 20-60g slugs. mullet and slimy mackerel, peeled prawns and half pillies are the go. You could also try strips of chicken breast. If you prefer not to use baits, 2-3” grubs and 3-4” paddle tails will get you amongst a few fish. I like the 2-3” ZMan GrubZ. Don’t forget to drop in a couple of crab pots or witches’ hats for a feed of blue swimmer crabs. Remember to keep them close by so that you can check them regularly. A number of salmon, tailor and kingfish have been caught by anglers fishing off the shore from Brighton to Dolls Point. Whole pilchards have been the best baits lately. You could also walk along the beach and cast out a few lures for them. Luderick are still coming in from both ends of the Captain Cook Bridge, the northern end of the Tom Uglys bridge, Bald Face Point, the Como Bridge, throughout the Woronora River, Lugarno and Soily Point. Getting the good weed may be the hard part and don’t forget to berley to keep them in the area you are fishing. Mud crabs, blue swimmers, whiting, bream and flathead can be caught form Alfords Point bridge and right up to Cattle Duffers. Try trolling small hardbodied lures for flathead and bream along the edges of the drop-offs. One of the waterways that I have found a big increase of water traffic is the Port Hacking River. Care will need to be taken when travelling around as there are section of the river

that have silted up with sand and it can be very shallow. Especially when you have those king tides. Don’t forget to keep those picture and short reports coming into gbrown1@i pr i m us.com . au. Hope to see you on the water. • Many anglers that I speak to find it very hard to fish the Port Hacking and yes, it can be at times. If you are looking for information on how to target squid, flathead, bream, blue swimmer crabs, luderick, trevally and leatherjackets

in the area, or how to catch squid, poddy mullet and pump for nippers, drop into BCF at Taren Point and buy a copy of the Jewel of the South DVD. It’s only $5 and all the money raised will go to OzFish who are working to ensure the health of our fish and wildlife resources for generations to come. Their efforts have restored truckloads of habitat, helping to create healthy rivers, lakes and oceans. BCF will then donate the same amount so that’s $10 that goes to helping restore our waterways.

Bill Lyons managed to get out for a short luderick session three weeks after a full knee replacement. You can’t keep a good man down.

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Exciting catches off the surface BALLINA

Joe Allan

Bass have been around Coraki and Woodburn but have also well and truly moved upstream and have spread right out. You may find them in patches but for good numbers, try the upper reaches around Lismore and Casino.

tip slightly every now and again, exactly like a cicada that’s fallen out of a tree. The Atomic Hardz Cicadas have been producing some great catches, and the old trusty Bassday Sugapen 70 and 90 are producing some quality fish as well. The lower reaches of the Richmond have produced some great catches of bream of late. Try casting

solid and bright colours for dirty water, and more translucent and natural finishes for bright sun and clearer water. The whiting fishing has been going well of late. The shallow sand flats in North Creek and out the front of the RSL are producing some solid fish on Bassday Sugapens. The beaches have been

There have been some juvenile kingfish off the FADs as well, and these guys can be pretty fun on light tackle. M a c ke re l c a me in towards the end of December and they should be really thick through January. There have been good reports around the Gold and Sunshine Coast in recent weeks, so as the water warms up these beauties will come along with it. Crabs have turned up in patches around the middle reaches from Pimlico to Broadwater, and even higher up around Woodburn. There have been reports of plenty of blue swimmers still around. The muddies are a little patchy, so you might have to do some searching for them. Hopefully we’ll get a bit of rain to stir them up a bit more. Give the pots plenty of time to settle and let the crabs find the bait. The best baits are defiantly blackfish frames if you can get your hands on some.

The author with a good eating size flathead from upriver.

Damon Andrews caught this bass on an Atomic Cicada way up in one of the creeks that feed the Wilson River. If you’re out early or late and the cicadas are deafening, remember to tie on your surface lures to imitate these tasty snacks for bass. The trick with these is not to move your lure too much. Just shake your rod

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producing good catches of whiting and flathead. Look for the main gutters around South Ballina, along Patches Beach and Boundary Creek. Fresh bait is always better. Try digging a few pipis or getting a few beach worms. Offshore has been patchy, with the best results on mahimahi coming from around the FADs. Make sure you get a long drift on these. Live yakkas have been best with almost no weight, and if you’re getting bites but not hooking up, try putting a treble hook as a stinger hooked into the yakka’s tail. This has helped a few local boys turn those bites into fish.

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Gerry Morsman with a whiting caught on a worm bait around Pimlico Island.

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Damon Andrews with a nice trevally caught near Wardell.

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Anglers will be spoilt for choice this month COFFS HARBOUR

Dayne Taylor

HAPPY NEW YEAR! What a crazy ride 2020 was, and in true Aussie spirit we evolved and adapted to overcome the hurdles thrown our way. Now it’s time to put it all behind us and focus on more of that quality time with friends and family fishing and exploring this magical country we live in. Coffs Harbour has so much to offer, especially over summer. No matter if

you’re visiting for a day or a month, there is always somewhere to fish on the Coffs Coast, no matter the weather or conditions. We are spoilt for choice with over 20 creeks, lakes, and estuaries from the north at the mighty Clarence River right down south to Port Macquarie on the Hastings, all of which are within an hour’s drive from Coffs Harbour CBD. And that doesn’t include the small streams and creeks up in the hills to the west. Our beautiful Coffs Coastline showcases some of the best beaches

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too, and all offer superb land-based fishing options, as well as the added bonus of great rock ledge fishing platforms at every headland. The offshore fishing here year-round is world class, and our reef species and pelagics are both highly sought-after by trailer boaters from all over the country. Whiting and bream are plentiful in the beach gutters, and they’re really starting to gather in good numbers on the sand flats on the lower reaches of the rivers. Small baits such as beach worms, pipis, pilchards and fresh caught live pink nippers cast into beach gutters are all effective. In the estuaries, similar techniques work equally as well, and it

Sally Taylor and her mud crab lunch.

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Ken Gerke and a great Clarence River bass.

pays to even try small topwater lures. The OSP Bent Minnow and Bassday Sugapen are both great to try and tempt a few bream, whiting and flathead on the flats. If you have access to the river then be sure to get a few crab traps in. A collection of old fish frames or a whole mullet cut into halves makes for great bait and you can have hours of fun chasing muddies and blue swimmer crabs. My wife Sally and I recently put a few traps out overnight down at South West Rocks and were pleasantly surprised to have 3-4 crabs in each trap the next morning. We let a heap go and kept two medium-sized bucks for lunch. The steamy hot days and stormy afternoons are providing the ideal conditions to chase mangrove jacks and giant

NSW

slow pitch metal jigs are working very well on these deeper fish. Another great option is a heavily weighted curly tail type soft plastic such as the Berkley Gulp Nemesis or Jigging Shrimp dropped to fish holding near the bottom. In shallow, the snapper are still actively taking an array of well-presented soft plastics early in the morning and late in the evenings. I like the jerkbait profiles and smaller paddletail plastics, and 1/6-1/4oz

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It is a simple and effective method, and it works well at this time of the year up above the gravel beds towards the fresh water. Offshore, the deeper reefs in the 20-80m range have been the more productive areas for bottom fish such as snapper, pearl perch and tuskfish. A mixed offering of both pilchards and squid on a paternoster rig are sure to produce the goods. If you can collect some fresh baits such as bonito, mullet and even slimy mackerel these also make excellent strip baits for reef fishing. In a little closer and shallower (10-20m reefs) I have found a single small ball sinker and a single hook with a nice fresh slab of bait drifted down is accounting for some very nice snapper. If lure fishing is more your scene,

Charlie Sheridan with a nice mahimahi.

The author with a Nambucca River flathead taken on a Zerek Tango Shad.

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is the ideal size jighead to keep the lure in the water column for longer to entice that bite. The game fishing has stayed positive around Coffs recently, with a number of striped marlin tagged by local boats. The FAD is a busy place also producing good numbers of mahimahi and the wahoo and odd mackerel are sure to be making an appearance any time now. Until next month, cast like there is no tomorrow and retrieve like you have all the time in the world.

trevally up our creeks and rivers. Live poddy mullet baits are the most effective for sure. A lot of BIG trevally have been caught recently, and most are coming on soft vibes and small swimbaits that replicate herring and mullet. These fish can be great fun on light tackle, often reaching a couple of kilos in size. Further upstream the bass and bream are in full topwater mode. Cicada imitations are my go-to with the buzzing in the trees at this time of year, and they are hard for any bream and bass to refuse when presented up in the shade of an overhanging tree at any time of the day. Once your lure lands, leave it to sit still for 10 seconds, then give it a little jiggle, trying not to move it too far, followed by another pause. If this does not get a bite, retrieve and repeat.

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Beating the boat traffic THE HASTINGS

Mark Saxon castawayestuarycharters@bigpond.com

Welcome to the New Year, one that hopefully keeps you safe and lets you fish a whole lot more. An overview of recent times on the water would suggest that many more people have taken up fishing in the last 12 months, with plenty of people fishing from boats as well as from the shore. We have also seen an influx of people travelling

from around the state which is awesome for the Port Macquarie region, and I’m sure the same things are happening in many coastal areas. Let’s look at some things we can do in January to catch a few fish and maybe avoid the crowds. It’s good to hit the water early, and the Hastings River at daybreak is a great place to be as the flats are alive with bait, whiting, bream and flathead – and if you’re there early enough they will not be disturbed. Pelican Island is

a great area to throw surface lures for whiting and bream. If you’re chasing big flathead, I recommend a larger surface lure like the 120mm Sugapen or the larger Bent Minnows, as both are exceptional at getting the big girls to react. For those who are using bait and chasing a mixed bag on the flats, try pumping some nippers or use beachworms to get some bream and whiting. If you’re after flatties, try catching some mullet and use it as live bait, as it can work very well. There are quite a few productive flats to fish in the Hastings. You can try Big Bay out the front, the mouth of the Maria River arm and note that Blackmans Point is a very reliable source of nippers for those wanting to pump some

Wayne landed this flathead using a soft plastic. better your results will be, just remember when surface fishing watch your lure you know what happens when you take your eyes off it, well let’s just say it usually ends in some cursing. Offshore fishing will need early starts with the prevailing winds coming up around mid-morning and usually freshening into the afternoon, but if you’re out early snapper, pearl perch and flathead are all

catchable. For some in-close action use the freshest bait possible, preferably bait you have just caught yourself, and this will help get you a great seafood dinner. There are plenty of areas to fish offshore, from Lake Cathie to Point Plomer, just be aware when heading out which way the wind will be coming from on way home. It can be a long and wet punch home at this time of year.

Whiting are hunting on the flats. Mandy Saxon with a good bag of whiting from the flats.

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bait. The fishing from that area can be outstanding at times too. For lure fishos, here is a tip: the bigger 90mm and 120mm Sugapens are catching just as many whiting as the smaller models, and you have the added advantage of covering a whole lot more water with longer casts, plus the flatty by-catch goes up as well. It is pretty awesome watching a big flathead explode onto your lure in a couple of feet of water, it really gets the heart pumping! Another way to beat the boat traffic is to head up into the creeks and back waters. Try using Google Maps and you will find a few sneaky little areas to hide away in

on the Hastings, Maria and Wilson rivers. January does often see these areas fire up with bass, bream and flathead. Cicada activity can be critical to your results, and with a fair bit of cicada noise happening as I write this it is shaping up nicely. Lures to use are cicada imitations and there are a heap on the market so you are spoiled for choice but more important than lure selection is your casting game and accuracy is the key to success with the more casts you land near structure the

Mandy Saxon with a nice creek bass.

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Kevin and Sam with a good catch of bream.

NSW

Starting off with a bang FORSTER

Luke Austin

Happy New Year! I think I can speak for all of us in saying, here’s to a safe, healthy and prosperous 2021! We have had an insanely busy summer season thus far in the beautiful twin towns of Forster and Tuncurry which has seen huge numbers of

means of getting among the fish is to arm yourself with a lightweight spin outfit around the 4kg mark, loaded with 6-10lb braid and 8-16lb leader. This set up is very versatile and is absolutely perfect for throwing 3-6” soft plastics, soft vibes, metal vibes, minnow style hardbodies, 90-120mm surface lures and even small swimbaits. The last few hours of the

hook baited with beach worm or yabby drifted over a sand flat near the mouth of the river is a sure-fire way to get results. However, much better results are generally achieved these days by anglers throwing stickbaits around on light spin gear. People often think of whiting as being a shy, slow moving species which spends its days sifting through the sand flats in search of worms

Paul Johnston with a cracking early season marlin. beaches are holding a good mix of fish including bream, whiting, dart, flathead and the odd tailor. Mulloway are always haunting the gutters over the warmer months but you will have to put in a fair bit of time to work them out. Lately there has been the odd nice fish up at Diamond Beach and a fair few school-sized fish down around 7 Mile Beach,

There will be some cracking mahimahi about this month! visitors flocking to the area to take advantage of our pristine waterways and beaches, and of course the amazing fishing options that we have on our doorstep! Wallis Lake is a hive of activity at the moment. Each day there are hundreds of boats, jet skis and all sorts of other watercraft hitting the water as people get out to enjoy the beautiful summer sun and our clear, cool estuarine water.

with beach worms being the bait of choice. Trying to get offshore for a fish can be a bit frustrating in January due to the very persistent easterly winds. While this month is not generally considered to be much good out there, the fishing has been fairly consistent for those hitting the deeper reefs. Dropping

run-out tide is the preferred time to target some flathead as this is when they take full advantage of the feed-rich water that is draining from the sand flats and weed beds. Fish are being caught practically anywhere between Wallis Island and the mouth of the estuary, but working your lures around areas such as The Paddock, The Cut, the sand flats around the bridge and Tuncurry Channel will give

Josh Trotter with a quality pearl perch.

Ricky Noonan with a very nice shallow water summer red! Despite all this commotion the fishing is still very good with plenty of flathead and whiting on offer for those wishing to wet a line. Flathead have now settled throughout the bottom of the system in huge numbers as they prepare to spawn and this is by far the best time of the year to chase these iconic fish. The most productive

you a very good shot at getting among the fish. Sand whiting are the other major target within our estuary this month; they are extremely active right now and are feeding hard as they too are preparing to spawn over the next few months. Fishing for these tasty treats can be a very simple affair, a running sinker rig with a no. 4 longshank

and yabbies. This picture is far from true; the speed and intensity with which a 40cm+ whiting smacks a steadily moving 70-120mm surface lure is simply insane. There have been some great reports coming from the flats down around the bridge, Lani’s and up around The Cut lately with the odd trophy flathead mixed in. For rock fishers, this month is an interesting one. While there isn’t much serious fishing going on, eyes are securely fixed on the water, currents and baitfish as anglers await the arrival of the first pelagics for the season. For those wishing to wet a line there are a few bonito and mac tuna about which can be great fun, and you just never know when a rogue kingfish may turn up to test your gear and ability out! The local beaches are really fun to fish at the moment when the wind permits. Most

on reefs in 35-80m of water has been producing some great mixed bags of teraglin, snapper and pearl perch, and the ever-present flathead have been in great numbers for those needing to bolster their catch on the way home. The reefs down off Pacific Palms have been particularly good for big trag and pearl perch which seem to congregate on the broken ground down there in huge numbers this month. With ocean waters warming we should see the black marlin show up in good numbers along with a few other pelagics such as mahimahi and cobia. The baitfish are here already, and as soon as the good water turns up the fish will be there with it somewhere! • Luke is the owner of Great Lakes Tackle, your ‘local’ bait and tackle store. We sell only 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! We are open 7 days in the main street of Tuncurry. Call us on 02 6554 9541 or find us on Facebook to see what we have been up to!

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January means marlin time PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

While January school holidays in Port Stephens is without a doubt the busiest, most hectic time of the year to be on the waterway it still provides some top fishing opportunities. The estuary is perhaps the most affected by the crowds so early morning trips are by far the most productive before all the commotion of jet skis, kayaks, swimmers and general boat traffic kicks in. Dusky flathead are a great target this time of year with just about all the estuary beaches, bays and inlets from the western side of Soldiers Point Through to Shoal Bay holding quality duskies, some close the magical metre mark. Soft plastics around 100mm coupled with jigheads from 1/6-1/4oz are ideal. Hardbody lures around the same length will also work a treat, as will larger surface lures and swimbaits over the ultrashallow flats. First light is a good opportunity to chase some bream on surface lures around the structure at Soldiers Point down to Pindimar Bay. If you’re bait fishing for bream

Ben with a ripper dusky flathead. try large peeled prawns or live yabbies around the Anchorage and Nelson Bay rock walls, which will fish well during both the day time and night time high tide change. Quality whiting are another surface lure option around the flats at Taylors Beach, Tahlee and North Arm

Bream champ Mark Healy with a couple of stonker Port Stephens fish.

Port Stephens Estuary Charters

Cove. Closer to the mouth of the system around Jimmys and Shoal Bay beaches, whiting are also on the chew over the shallows, with live worms working best for these parts. Light leaders also make a big difference in clear, oceanic water with 4lb leader the ideal breaking strain. Trumpeter whiting, the smaller cousins of the sand whiting, are prevalent on the edges of the sand bars around Salamander Bay and will provide plenty of fun for the family drifting with long shank hooks and small pieces of prawn. BEACHES Whiting will be the number one target from the ocean beaches this month with just about all of them holding quality elbow slappers over the 40cm mark. Again, live worms or a pipi is a big part of success. The other part is identifying a nice fish-holding gutter and being there around the high tide, especially if you can get it to correspond with a early morning or late afternoon. ROCKS While the ocean rocks are not red hot at this time of year, they still provide some

good light tackle pelagic fun for species like bonito and tailor. Barry Park and Fingal Island as well as Box Beach and Tomaree Head are some of the more popular places to spin for these fish, with small metals around that 20-40g size the best bet. OFFSHORE It’s a good time of year to break out the paternosters and bottom fish reefs such as Sandbos Hole, The Vee, 21 and Gibber as there are plenty of trag, mulloway, snapper and morwong on offer. The edges where they drop onto sand should also be holding good numbers of sand flathead which, if you’re after a feed, are hard to beat and are one fish that bites pretty well during the middle of the day. Marlin fishing should go off this month, and with good reports up the coast it’s shaping up to be a rather good season for inshore blacks. Keep an eye on the

January means marlin in Port Stephens. sea surface charts for water between 22-25°C pushing in close to the coast anywhere from a km or so off Fingal Lighthouse all the way up to

Seal Rocks. Once you think it’s looking good, head out there and slow troll some live slimies, concentrating your efforts around schools of bait.

What the current brings SWANSEA

Jason Nunn

To maximise your catch rates this month, you need to be selective with your fishing times and locations. At this time of year you should avoid the heavy traffic, fish the edges and work some of the shallower areas on the high tide, particularly the late fringe areas such as Nesca Park. It fishes very well at high tide, and on those big tides it’s a great place to chase bream, flatties and whiting. Bait fishing on those big tides is particularly productive, and Hawkesbury prawns are excellent, as are worms. For lure fishers, you can use either lightly weighted soft plastics or surface lures cast across the weed. If you’re fishing soft plastics, use very

light weights (32-24oz), for that very slow fall rate, which gives the bream an opportunity to rise on it. You’re only in a couple of metres of water so you don’t want it to crash down. When it comes to tackle, it’s good to use 1-3kg to 2-4kg outfits, because you want that flex to act as a shock absorber. You don’t want to go heavier than 6lb leader because you’re targeting bream and whiting in shallow water. I use a leader length of about 2m but some of the guys will fish a bit longer because they like to have a couple of wraps on the reel, while other anglers fish fluorocarbon straight through (a 100m spool is enough for this). Fishing light is really effective on the shallow sand flats when targeting whiting on surface lures. You just send your lure out and dab it back.

The weed areas and particularly the sand flats around Coon Island are popular for surface luring guys for whiting. As far as I’m concerned, Sugapens and EB Panics are two of the best whiting lures you’ll ever find. The good flats fishing will coincide with the prawn run because a lot of fish will be in the system feeding on prawns, making the channel a hotspot. During the holidays sometimes it’s worthwhile fishing in the evening or after dark, because that’s when the boat traffic slacks off. The fish will only put up with so many boats and jet skis mowing above them, which is why you can sit in one spot all day and not get a fish, and then suddenly start getting bites when the traffic subsides. A word of warning to

ens estuary system the beautiful Port Steph signed g charter that can be de with a calm water fishin to family bait fishing to suit your needs from hing anglers. hardcore lure and fly fis

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On a recent trip out to the shelf, the crew caught plenty of albacore, releasing most of them, and tagged a short-bill.

To page 61

NSW

Bread and butter bounty CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

It’s certainly heating up as we begin what must surely be a more positive year than the previous 12 months. Let’s dive into the local fishing scene and see what’s been happening and what to expect in the coming weeks.

of the coast and generally found beach fishing to be productive and enjoyable. For me at least, the two main players last month were tailor and salmon. The majority of the tailor have been typical summer run small to mid-size fish, hovering around 30-40cm. The sambos were mixed sizes, with most being small to average, with a few larger

and sometimes it’s been a struggle to find a decent gutter, but generally the beaches have been productive. Looking into the next few weeks though, I think whiting will be your best bet. The good thing about chasing whiting at the beach is they’ll bite throughout the day, so you don’t have to get out of bed super early

Whiting are one of our main January target species. The author caught this one on a small metal vibe while chasing bream, but surface lures cast over shallow flats or top quality natural baits are generally the way to go when chasing these silver bullets.

This photo of The Entrance bridge was taken before the holiday crowds moved in. Despite the crowds, at this time of year if you fish at night or very early in the morning it’s still possible to catch bream, whiting and flathead in this area. January may not be the greatest month overall for fishing on the Central Coast, but it’s definitely one of the best for beach fishing. During December I spent a bit of time on the sand, along the northern stretches From page 60

anyone wanting to chase crabs in the lake Macquarie catchment area: it’s illegal to use any type of trap except for witches hats or drop dillies. Any type of enclosed crab trap, whether round or rectangular, is illegal in the Lake Macquarie catchment area. You can’t even have them on board your boat. Fisheries officers hand out fines to hundreds of people every holiday season for this. Another highlight at this time of year is a resurgence of squid. We are already getting good reports in Lake Macquarie, and as a direct result of that there have been a few kings and mulloway in the lake. The squid will build in numbers in the coming months (20 squid per person is the in-possession limit). At the time of writing, the water temperature along the beach is around 20°C and out wide it’s almost 25°C, so we are going to start to see a lot of pelagic activity for offshore anglers. Fishing along the coast has already yielded quite a few bonito, plus kingfish, some trevally and salmon. January is a particularly good time

salmon around the 2kg mark. Other fish that have been caught in recent weeks include bream, mulloway, whiting, flathead and the usual array of sharks and rays. Conditions haven’t always been that favourable

or fish late into the night. Providing you’ve got some good bait like beach worms, local green prawns, pink nippers or pipis it should be relatively easy to catch a feed at most beaches. Just fish as the tide is rising and don’t

to catch bonito, which are great eating. With the water warming up we can expect to see an increase in reddies and trag over the inshore reefs this month. When the bonito turn up you can be sure that the trag aren’t far behind. A point of interest is the new artificial reef off Swansea (see the DPI website for the coordinates), which already has plenty of baitfish and a lot of small kings hanging around it. The fish life there will continue to improve as autumn approaches. These artificial reef isn’t far out – it’s close to the heads in only 28m of water – so it’s worth venturing over and dropping a line in. There are a few mahimahi (dolphinfish) being caught out at the shelf, and with water temps continuing to rise we may see a few mahimahi and small marlin on the FAD. Overall, the fishing in January could end up being a mixed bag. To illustrate this, on the shelf recently we caught a shortbill and let him go, tagged 11 albacore (ranging from 8-15kg) and kept a couple for the table, then one of the boys lost a big blue marlin, and at one point even yellowfin were

busting up around us. Striped marlin and blue marlin are here, and a few blacks have been caught between South West Rocks and Port Macquarie, which means this month we should hopefully see a few blacks slip down the current and onto the coast. January is a turning point – you’re officially into mid-summer and usually get really warm water pushing hard down. You never know what it’s going to bring. • 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. fishermanswarehouse.com.au.

cast out too far. Short casts only a few metres behind the shore dump are often the best, but sometimes it depends on the swell and it’s worth experimenting with casting distance and sinker weight on the day. ON THE ROCKS Our local ledges have also fished reasonably well in recent weeks and that trend should continue. The main difference this month is that a lot more people will be out and about. So places like Terrigal, South Avoca and Norah Head will be a bit crowded, especially earlier in the month and when the swell and weather conditions are at their best. So I’d recommend looking into other parts of the coast that may not always attract the attention of holiday makers. Take a look on Google Maps or do a

the night for bream, tailor and mulloway, providing the wind isn’t too strong and you’re taking safety into account. CALM WATER OPTIONS Back inside Brisbane Waters and the lakes it’s all about bream, whiting and flathead this month. As with beach fishing though, I’d place a strong emphasis on whiting. These days many anglers are specifically targeting whiting with surface lures through the warmer months and they also respond really well to small vibe-style lures. However, there’s no denying the effectiveness and simplicity of old-school bait soaking for whiting. Once again, the top baits to try are beachworms, peeled green prawns, pink nippers and pipis. If you can

get them, bloodworms are also dynamite on whiting, although they’re expensive to buy and undersized bream and toads can make quick work of them too! For those launching boats at Terrigal, Norah Head or Swansea, the first thing to consider is the time of year. This means if you want to be on the water early then you’ll have to get to the ramp VERY early. Turning up just on sunrise will probably mean you’ll have to wait in line and by the time you launch and get to your intended reef it could be up to two hours after sunrise, well after peak fishing time. In fact, my best advice for both offshore and estuary angers this month is to remember these words: the early bird catches the most fish!

Pesky longtoms often snatch lures aimed at bream or whiting around the shallows through the height of summer. While they may provide some entertainment, be aware that these fish can certainly bite and have a nasty set of dentures! reconnaissance drive around if time allows. You may find a few pretty good rock fishing spots and it’s not as if there’s any shortage of ledges, points and outcrops along the Central Coast. The main target species will be tailor, bonito and kingfish early in the morning, with bream, drummer and luderick through the day on a rising tide. At some spots it may also be worth fishing late of an afternoon or into

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NSW

Bring on the billies ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke

It’s marlin time so I hope someone has told the marlin. Some seasons get off to a hectic start with the blacks showing up just after Christmas. More often than not these early fish are small, they come down the coast sitting on the front of the magic 23°C temperature break, and generally there are lots of them and they are great fun. The main run of bigger

yellowtail or even a sweep or flathead – when the marlin are hungry they aren’t fussy, and you just never know when one will show up. Having that bait out is much better than diving around the boat looking for something to throw at a billie that has just followed up that small snapper or flatty you were pulling in. Usually in this case if you have a bait out it will get eaten, so it pays to be prepared. Or you could go out and spend a fortune on trolling skirts and spend another small

in the tank doesn’t go astray out beyond the shelf either for a bit of switch baiting. Marlin can sometime be picky, hitting the lures but not grabbing them properly, but a live bait tossed to a finicky billie is often a game changer. Big mahimahi are about too, and there’s always the chance of finding a drifting brick pallet or old tree trunk covered in sea growth with dozens of those big dollies hanging around it. You’ll pick up a couple trolling around the object with lures but the fish soon get wise to

The toughest thing about marlin is when you’re fishing solo and you want to get it in the boat. This is 90kg of quality fish. fish (70kg+) generally hit around Australia Day with all of the shallow inshore reefs that have slimy mackerel on them generally having marlin too. That doesn’t mean they are not over other reefs as well, which means if you want to tangle with a marlin, even if you are just drifting along fishing for flathead or anchored up chasing snapper, it pays to have a live bait out. You can use a live mackerel,

fortune on fuel dragging them all over the ocean, but at this time of the year slow trolling a live mackerel over your chosen reef is extremely effective if they are around. If they aren’t, you’re not going to catch them either way. The skirts come into play when you head wide as the big blues are about, and striped marlin are always on the cards at this time of the year. Having a few live baits

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that. You’ll have a lot more fun if you come prepared with live baits, which get smashed as soon as they hit the water. If the water out wide is really warm there is always the chance of a wahoo, which seem to have made a small resurgence over the past few years, or maybe just favourable currents have been coming down the coast. A few yellowfin tuna of all sizes could be on the cards too, it’s that time of year. Closer in on the FADs there are a few small mahimahi. Most are under legal size but they will grow quickly and more will come as the water gets hotter. Even closer in if the current is running the kings will be in all the regular spots, and don’t be surprised if a big bandit grabs a slimy mackerel when you are on one of the reefs chasing marlin. Down rigged live mackerel or yellowtail are the way to go, and don’t be surprised if you hook a marlin when chasing kings, as it works both ways at this time of the year. There will be heaps of rats about but there are enough legal-sized fish to make it worthwhile, with the odd big fish in the mix too. Snapper are still in the deeper water of 30m+, but the usual local fish that hang

Small mahimahi will be about the FADs this month and they will get bigger. around the inshore reefs are worth a shot with some berley in the late afternoons. Small plate-sized fish are over most reefs but you have to find the school for a decent catch. One boat will do well while other boats half a kilometre away will get donuts. A few samsonfish have moved onto the reefs with even the odd trag and small mulloway showing up. Throw in some trevally, mowies and plenty of leatherjackets and the bait fishos are doing alright at the moment. The main drawcard, however, is the flatties, and there are plenty of good quality fish over all the sand patches all along the coast. Just pick your spot to drift and you will get a feed. There are heaps of baitfish about at the moment which is probably what is getting the flatties going, and other species showing up in catches include bonito, kings, salmon, trevally and even a few frigate mackerel. Bait balls and the good old washing machine feeding frenzies are popping up all along the coast, just keep an eye out for all the birds going crazy on the surface and throw your lures in the appropriate direction for a bit of fun. The beaches are firing up now with all species getting in on the act. Whiting are being caught on worm baits

along all the beaches. Dart are mixed in with them and there are heaps of salmon taking both worms and pilchards. Bream are in the deeper gutters, particularly the ones close to where the rocky headlands meet the sand, while flathead of all sizes are on all the beaches grabbing plastics and bait. The odd mulloway is being caught during the daylight hours but when it gets dark there are better numbers of schoolies and bigger fish all along the coast. Still, as always with mulloway, you get out what you put in as they are not as numerous as whiting. On the rocks there are some nice bream in the washes grabbing pilchard pieces with the odd trevally thrown in the mix as well. Baitfish are on the move and they are being carved up by the small pelagics, particularly the morning after a northeast blow when they have all been pushed in hard against the rocks and the salmon, bonito, frigate mackerel and kingies go nuts smashing through them. It’s a fish a cast in these conditions. The deeper ledges fish the best but any headland has the potential of a bust-up. The main focus this month for the land-based game fishos will be the chance of a marlin off the deeper ledges down around Kiama. Live mackerel, yellowtail or even better a

live frigate mackerel are the go-to baits. Hopefully a few marlin will show early but we still have February to go so there are quite a few weeks to take advantage of the warm water close to the stones. Bigger kingfish like the same baits, and that heartstopping moment your live bait gets really heavy or starts to tick off a little faster may not be a marlin but a solid kingfish (or a mongrel hammerhead shark). But at this time of the year you have to have a live bait in the water every second you are on the rocks for a chance. The estuaries are on fire and they still have a bit more to give next month. Flatties are all through the lake system and Minnamurra grabbing plastics and live poddies, while whiting are on the sand flats taking worms or (if it’s early or late in the day) poppers. Plenty of chopper tailor are about along with some solid mullet biting in the feeder streams. Blue swimmer crabs are in good numbers, as are holiday makers and locals alike on every watercraft, from canoes and jet skis to yachts and power boats – and that is everywhere, including the beaches, lake and offshore, so don’t think you will have it to yourself this month. Still, hitting it very early and very late should give you a less crowded shot at a few fish. Good luck!

A nice live well of flatties from the lake.

NSW

Marlin and mahimahi time! BATEMANS BAY

Anthony Stokman

Summertime means marlin and mahimahi! After a cracking run of tuna in 2020 and 2019, a great start to 2021 would be a good marlin season. After one of the worst years we have

locations on the DPI website, and if you troll past them with surface and diving lures you can pick up fish and continue to do so with several passes. However, this can push fish down. A better approach is to park upcurrent, turn the motors off and cube up some pillies or put a bit of berley in the water as you drift pass the

Jay Allen with a nice bream. It’s that time of the year when the estuaries are on. ever experienced in our lifetime, it would be great to have a summer with no disasters and plenty of fish. Through all the ups and downs of 2020, fishing has been a constant. It has provided an escape, somewhere to get away from it all and a place of peace. Even better, the fishing has been very good throughout the year if you are adjusting to the seasons. Anglers are starting the new year with high expectations after a good 2020 fishing wise. The heavy rains have settled and the systems are cleaning up, some lakes have opened and the warm blue water is offshore. The ingredients are in place for a great summer. We have good amounts of bait inshore and offshore for our visiting predators, and the mahimahi (dolphinfish) have been making the first appearance with some large bulls making their way down. You couldn’t specifically target them if it wasn’t for our FADs, because these fish swim in schools following the currents and food sources. Mahimahi can be taken as by-catch when trolling for marlin so it’s always wise to run a mix of lures and sizes. Big dollies aren’t afraid of taking out the largest lure in the spread, but they’re more often caught on 7-8” lures, which commonly get hit by tuna and marlin as well. You’ll find that when trolling past a piece of seaweed or flotsam your spread could get a hit or two, as schools of mahimahi or kings like to shelter in any bit of structure they come across, no matter how small it is. This is why FADs work so well. You can find FAD buoy

FAD. This will get the fish up and comfortably feeding as you jig and cast lures or put down live baits. Sending down a live bait is probably the most effective way to nail a mahimahi or 10 at a FAD. The most fun way would be using plastics, metals, hardbodies or jigs as you drift

past a FAD. After a visit to the FAD the larger boats usually move out to and inside the Continental Shelf in search of marlin. You’ll find these beakfaces lingering around bait, like a dog around his bowl at lunchtime – and lunchtime for marlin is the tide change. It’s like clockwork on some days; as soon as the tide change hits, all of a sudden reels are screaming. For this reason, when you find a large amount of bait (or even a small amount on some days), mark it so if you leave it to check out other areas with no luck, you know to come back to it when the tide’s about to change. Chances are, if there are marlin in the area they are going to be harassing that bait at tide change time. The best way to catch marlin by a country mile is live baiting or skip baiting with circle hooks. Teasers being dragged behind the boat are a handy addition to your marlin arsenal and they come in a few forms. The squid chain, exciter birds, Witchdoctor and dredge are all styles of teasers that catch the marlin’s eye and can raise them to the boat, and if you haven’t used them before just pop into the shop and I’ll show you how they work and how to rig them to your liking. Dragging lures around all day

is great if you want to kick back and enjoy some lunch and relax, until the lures get hit and it’s all hands on deck. Summer for some other fishos means live baiting and spinning off the rocks for kingies. This is the time of year when bait loads up along the ledges, and at first light you can berley up and fill the rock pools with yakkas and slimies. Just before the sun peeks over the horizon, whack a hook into a livie and send it out under a balloon to meet its fate – hopefully as a meal for a massive king. When you see that balloon start to jitter around and maybe go from side to side, you know your livie is trying to do an Addo-Carr from the kingie. Then all of a sudden it will start motoring across the water before it goes under and then the reel screams and it’s game on! Rock fishing can be as exciting as fishing can get when the fish are biting. It’s also the most beautiful part of the day. Seeing sunrises and sea life everywhere is a special experience. Summer also means whiting on beaches, and there are quite a few of those fish roaming our beaches. Throwing beach worms and nippers at them will get their attention. In the lakes, using surface lures and keeping them moving across the surface will get the whiting excited, and this is the most fun way to catch them. Summertime is the peak time for our south coast estuaries and it’s like a party every day – there is plenty of bait and plenty of predators. It’s the busiest time of the year on our estuaries though,

The author with a nice mahimahi. so keep your wits about you and be aware of others as you move around. We are expecting a busier holiday season than previous years, with everyone travelling regionally. Houseboats are booked out, boats are moving everywhere and jet skis are filling our waters, so please keep the knots down and respect other people on the water. Night time in the estuary will see a lot of people chasing mulloway, and live bait and fresh squid will always be best. If you can’t manage that, the next best bait is good quality frozen squid, which we have in store at Compleat Angler if you need it. Upstream the bass have been in reasonable numbers,

and it looks like we’ll have a good run of them this summer. Prawns are shaping up to be better than the last couple of years. Mud crabs were quite small throughout spring, but summertime brings the best out in them and blue swimmers should be on as well. All in all, the heat is on and the fishing is hot! Welcome 2021, we are looking forward to you. No more surprises please. • 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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There are a few mulloway getting around. This one was caught by John Hilyear.

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hurricanelures.com.au JANUARY 2021

NSW

Overcoming the blues BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

2020 was definitely a year to forget, from fires to floods and COVID, a lot of people were feeling down. As far as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m concerned, the best way to overcome the blues is to have a big blue marlin on the end of your line, and right now is the best time to do this. January is a month renowned for these big fish, with more recorded captures being made at this time of year along with more numbers occurring in the waters out from Bermagui. Anglers can anticipate to find these large marlin as well as striped or blacks in the usual haunts like the Twelve Mile Reef through to the continental shelf and beyond to the deeper canyons. If the bait concentrates the Twelve Mile is a likely place to target with bait or lures, but if not lures will be the way to go to cover the water to find where the fish may be holding. If it is a big blue you are after, think big with your lures because the more commotion you make out the back of the

The variety of species available in Wallaga Lake at present is exceptional.

What everyone is looking for this season: a high flying billfish.

boat, the better the chance of raising one. The other marlin species will take these lures too. Not only are there marlin out there, you are also likely to encounter some respectable yellowfin tuna or maybe a big-eye, while there are always plenty of striped tuna to keep the light tackle enthusiast entertained. Also, where there are stripies there are likely to be hammerhead or mako sharks. Hammerheads especially like stripies, and one bridled towed as a live bait is often irresistible for a passing shark. Those anglers

who have caught hammers in the past know they are great fighting fish. It is definitely the year of the kingfish for those anglers who are rising early to make their way to Montague Island and are being rewarded with some very nice fish. The usual methods are working like jigs, live baits or strips of squid. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just the Island that is producing either; many areas along the rocky shoreline are also producing their share. Anglers fishing the bottom for reef fish have also been surprised by

the occasional kingfish becoming attached, amongst some very nice morwong. Both blue and jackass are in good numbers, especially on the southern reefs out from Baragoot or off Goalen Head, where there are snapper also in the mix. Those fishing the sandy to muddy areas are getting nice bags of large tiger flathead in the deeper water while out from the beaches in around 30m of water there are schools of sand flatties to be found. It has been one of the best seasons for gummy sharks for many years, not only for those

Following tidal movements TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

Wherever you fish in saltwater the major X-factor in your success is tidal movement. As a fishing guide, it can be a challenge to keep customers entertained as you wait for a tide change that will fire up the fish

and start them feeding. With time on the water, you will figure out where to be at what stage of the tide. If you have success at a particular stage of the tide, note where it is at, check it against a tide chart and try fishing at that stage of the tide on another day. You might be surprised how well this works. The time of day to fish in an estuary is not as

important as the stage of the tide. However, to take the best advantage of fish feeding on prawns, early morning starts are essential. Sunrise often comes too quickly for some prawns that have not already retired back to their muddy beds, thus making them easy prey for the predators pursuing them. This is a lure anglerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream with fish actively on the chew where any well-

Whiting can be found in the estuaries or along the beaches surrounding Tathra. 64

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placed artificial will often gain a result. Soft plastics, hardbodies or popping lures are working well on species like dusky flathead, whiting, bream, estuary perch, tailor and mulloway. The upper reaches of the Bega River are fishing especially well with these methods where the water is warmer. Weed beds adjacent to snags like timber or rock are prime areas, and you should also look over the gravelly areas further from shore, as here schools of black bream work in packs to secure a meal. Once located they can produce excellent angling. For those wishing to bait fish the estuaries there is plenty of action there too. Using fresh baits like prawns or mullet can produce some exciting angling. Drop-offs around sand bars are prime areas for this, as are rocky outcrops or weed beds. These baits will work well over the flats at high tide, as will baits like nippers or worms for species like luderick, trevally, mullet or whiting, with surrounding estuaries like Nelsons Lagoon or Wapengo Lake producing well over the flats. There are plenty of other fishing opportunities this month in the form of

With most estuaries open to the ocean there are plenty of flatties on hand. rock, beach or offshore. Land-based anglers are experiencing plenty of salmon action, as these fish are frequenting the beaches, The Wharf and surrounding rocks. They are responding well to bait or lures and are generally of a good size. On the beaches we can

expect some tailor, bream, whiting, mullet or the occasional mulloway to feature in your captures, with the best areas being Bournda south, Gillards north, or the main beach in Tathra itself. The local wharf is a popular area in the To page 65

NSW

who go boating, but also for those fishing the beach. Most of your regular species are now being captured from the beach in the form of whiting, bream, tailor, salmon or mullet, and those anglers fishing of a night on a full moon have regularly been bagging out on gummy sharks. You may also expect the occasional mulloway taking a liking to your shark bait or you might find a small whaler shark also taking a liking to your bait. There is some pelagic action off the rocks, with kings often passing in range of the anglers tossing a lure from the stones. Salmon, bonito, tailor or frigate mackerel are also on the short list for this type of fishing, which is best achieved as you watch the sun rise over the ocean. At different times of the year you should be in certain estuaries around the country, and for the moment it should be on the south coast especially around Bermagui. These systems are alive with all forms of estuarine life feeding and growing. Prawns are growing fast in the warm waters, and most lakes around Bermagui are holding their share. For the holiday-makers it is the best for years, and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re making the most of it. This means there is plenty of food for fish, and the From page 64

holidays, when schools of baitfish like slimy mackerel or yellowtail provide entertainment for visitors. Some pelagics are also passing the wharf, giving anglers a chance of catching fish like kingies, bonito or the occasional tuna. Garfish are another popular catch here, and they can be caught using small floats with a bit of fresh prawn. Using some form of berley enhanced with tuna oil will add to the chances of you acquiring a feed. Offshore there are plenty of choices for anglers. For those who like bottom fishing there

The fishing in Wallaga Lake is brilliant at the moment, with bream dominating catches. favoured estuary species are all on the chew. Flathead, bream, trevally or tailor are taking a liking to them in Wallaga Lake which is fishing extremely well as it is still open to the ocean following the floods, as is

the smaller lake to the south of Bermagui being Cuttagee. For those who like a bit of fun with smaller fish, plus the added bonus of some top table fish, both those lakes are loaded with garfish, so go and enjoy.

is never a better time than now to catch a lovely feed of fresh flathead. Tigers are out in the deeper water with the best area being down south out from Bournda in 50-60m of water. Close to shore surrounding Tathra, sandies are prolific in 30m of water out from most beaches. Expect to get a few gummy sharks or red gurnard while chasing the flatties, all of which are good eating. If you want larger fish, kingfish numbers are increasing along the coast, and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re being taken on trolled lures. Once located in an area, baits or jigs may take over. If you want even larger

fish, try out wide trolling a good set of lures for marlin. There are plenty arriving in our waters along the coast with blacks, stripes or blues all featuring. The best areas are just inside the Continental Shelf in about 80 fathoms of water where they are feeding on the vast baitfish schools. One last fishing experience to check out is the sweetwater fishing for bass in the Bega River or Brogo Dam. Both of these areas are producing some excellent fishing, with fish up to 50cm not uncommon. However, for the best results you may need early starts or work well into the evening.

Luderick are another sought-after fish around Tathra. JANUARY 2021

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For more info visit: www.yamaha-motor.com.au JANUARY 2021

NSW

Catching bass down deep HUNTER VALLEY

Nick Price

January in the Hunter Valley is generally a hot, dry time. The water temperatures of both Glenbawn and St Clair increase, and during the day the fish go deep. During this hot weather the key to catching numbers of fish during the day is to fish deep. Bass can be found in anywhere from 25-60ft of water. If you sound around bays, flats and points you will find both scattered and school fish on the sounder. Once the fish are found, a variety of methods can be used depending on the mood of the bass. Dropping a curly-tail grub on a 1/4oz jighead down through the fish is the most common method. Slowly wind the grub up through the fish. It is important to watch the fish on the sounder and see how they are responding. A very light rod is needed, and once the fish start to bite don’t stop winding. Let the rod do the work and the

fishing worms, yabbies and shrimp in 25-60ft of water will also catch many fish at this time of year. The trick with bait fishing is to keep moving. If no fish are caught in the first 20 minutes then change trees. The fish caught deep

Stephen Johnston with a bass caught on a swimbait. over the hotter months need special care when being released. They also will probably need to be needled or vented. Drop in and see us at Aberdeen Tackle if you need needles or advice on how to needle the fish to let out the air in

A nice bass that clobbered a swimbait. fish will hook up. The bass will also be taking football jigs fished deep during the day. Again, once fish are found deep on the sounder you should fish the jig on the bottom, give a few shakes followed by a long pause. The long pause seems to be the key. Patience is needed but once this technique is mastered it is a great way of catching the deep fish. The bass can still be in an aggressive mood when deep so I always like to try an ice jig, blade or tail spinner. If you drop down the ice jig, watch the sounder. The fish may disappear and this is an indication they are not interested. Put the ice jig away and generally the fish will return. If they hang around, keep persisting with the ice jig. Tying to a tree and 68

JANUARY 2021

cicada hatch has been the best for many years and this has resulted in amazing surface fishing. You can throw your cicada shallow over newly-inundated ground, fish timber and fish weed. Lake St Clair traditionally has many

weed beds and these are a fantastic spot to throw a small cicada lure and just twitch. Be prepared because surface takes using this method will make your heart stop. The use of swimbaits has been taking off in Glenbawn. They are something the fish have not seen and they have been working exceptionally well. I have been using the new swimbaits from Biwaa. With the warmer water in January you should fish during the early hours of the morning. The takes are unbelievable. The bass hit swimbaits hard and go hard. Be prepared for the reel to scream! On 3.5” Biwaa S’Trout swimbaits I have found that replacing the treble with a set of assist hooks both reduces snagging and increases the hook-up rate considerably. I have

water and the fish have been hitting very shallow or following it out and clobbering it. Larger 4” swimbaits are also working. I’m not sure whether the fish are hitting because they want something to eat or they are just saying “go away and get out of my snag”. Either way, these lures are working. Throwing the lure into heavy cover has resulted in some good quality fish. Again, I have found replacing the back treble with a set of assists helps with the hook-up and reduces fouling. All in all, January is a great time to fish with a variety of different fun

Yellowbelly are suckers for the Biwaa. methods that work. If you’re heading to Glenbawn or St Clair, drop in and see us at Aberdeen as we want

Time to fish topwater NEW ENGLAND RIVERS

Adam Townsend

It’s crazy to think we are already in 2021 but considering how tough 2020 was for many, the New Year could not have

alone during the spawning period. With a few weeks left of the school holidays, now is the best time to get the family out and go for an adventure camping and fishing in one of the many beautiful places the New England and the rest

been using Van Fook assist hooks in small or medium which have not affected the action of the little swimbait at all. I’ve been throwing it right to the edge in shallow

the fishing opportunities it creates are endless also. Christmas beetles, waterhen, lizards, snakes, frogs and mice are just some of the species found active above the surface at this time of year, which makes January one of my

Left: This photo was taken at this time last year, in the middle of a drought with bushfires. Right: This is how it looks now. A bit of rain works wonders! come any sooner, and we can only hope things keep getting better. The Murray cod season opened last month and there have been some cracking fish caught already all throughout NSW. This good fishing is partially due to them being left

of Australia has to offer. With the New Year and midsummer now upon us, the extreme heat has also come with it, so I find targeting Murray cod a whole lot easier in low-light conditions and into the night. It is not only more comfortable for anglers,

By changing your hooks you’ll get fewer snags and a much better hook-up rate. the swim bladder. In Glenbawn and St Clair fish will also be caught on the edge during the low light hours of dusk and dawn and at night. The

everyone to catch fish and hopefully we can help you catch a few quality bass. Tight lines!

Bigger swimbaits are very productive in both the rivers and impoundments. A chin-weight will get the bait down deeper during the hotter parts of the day.

favourite months to be throwing topwater lures around. If you match the hatch with whatever species is commonly found in your waterway, the results could be well worth it. However, it is not only the topwater that can be fun this time of year; chasing reaction bites in broad daylight during the hotter months can be very fun and productive also. Swimbaits, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits are very good lure choices in the hotter months for Aussie natives, as these lures can be worked at most water levels, especially down deeper where the Murray cod prefer to sit during the hotter parts of the day. A good pair of polarised sunglasses are definitely recommended if you’re To page 69

NSW

Early morning catches LITHGOW/OBERON

Glen Stewart stewie72@bigpond.com

January’s heat can be oppressive at times, with midday temperatures into the high 30s or low

40s, especially at lower altitudes further west. On or east of the ranges can be a little cooler, especially if nature’s little air-conditioner kicks in by the evening. Temperatures can sometimes drop 10-15°C, which is a real gift

River cod may not always be monsters but gosh it’s a lot of fun when you haven’t fished for them for a while. From page 68

fishing during the day as they will be a massive help when it comes to seeing what’s under the water’s surface. And of course, they’ll cut down glare and protect your eyes from sun damage. The Severn River is in pretty good shape for the New Year, especially when you consider the condition it was in at this time last year. Additionally, I’ve heard of only a few people doing the wrong thing during the closed season, so the Murray Cod have had a good rest from fishing pressure. Fingers crossed people keep doing the right thing, and it should continue to fish well in

after a hot day. From a fishing perspective, the late afternoon/early evening period can be a little hit and miss, especially on busy waters such as Lake Lyell. Boat traffic is possibly at its busiest at this time of year, so I find the early morning sessions much more productive. Trout definitely prefer deeper, cooler waters for the most part at this time, although that said, night-time feeding habits are hard to break especially if there are some mud-eye (dragon fly larvae) hatches occurring. Fishing a mud-eye under a float on a very small hook and light line is one way of tempting these trout. I haven’t done it for many years, but I have fond memories of collecting mud-eyes, and keeping them live inside egg cartons and wet newspaper

Going subsurface early or late when weather systems change may not be what you want to do, but it’s generally the best option. in the fridge. I’m sure mum doesn’t it miss though… From memory, the bite was always pretty fickle. You’d let the trout run the

periods in the morning and evening has been the most productive Pindari Dam, along with most of the other waterways, has been open since 1 December, and although there have not been too many reports of bigger cod captures on lures yet, bait fishers have been getting some good-sized perch and the odd cod soaking shrimp and/or worms amongst the trees. ZX blades and lipless crankbaits like the Mazzy Vibs are Pindari favourites and have continued to fish well of late, either trolling in the main basin or casting the rocky points and trees. Pindari Dam has dropped a couple of percentage points since my last report and it’s now currently sitting

line out through the bubble before setting the hook. I must revisit this technique sometime soon. SURFACE BASS Surface fishing for bass can be very hit and miss, not just from fishing perspective (they miss most times) but from a weather perspective. Those easterly conditions on dusk I mentioned earlier definitely seem to shut the door to any surface bites, and at these times it’s best to go subsurface with a small crankbait or jerkbait. If conditions hold out and you’re still wearing a T-shirt at or after dark, you might be in with a chance. There are literally hundreds of surface lures that work on bass, and my favorites are generally ones that sit a little lower in the surface film. The hooks

virtual wipe-out; it was just so dry and parched. Rivers below water storages held up OK but on the whole, it was very ordinary. With good rain and consistent flows, cod have hopefully pushed up or moved out along stretches from refuge pools. I’m thinking quite a bit of walking will be needed but that’s OK. Be careful though, as a combination of ‘next bend’ syndrome and the heat of January can be a trap for many anglers, and can actually be very detrimental to your health. I know this from experience. Being disorientated and confused from heat exhaustion is not nice, and things go downhill pretty quickly, especially if you’re on your own.

Lipless crankbaits are very noisy and reactive lures, and will often get the attention of an active fish pretty quickly in summer.

A healthy Murray cod that ate a weedless frog in the dark. It’s a subtle but very productive way to fish the surface. seasons to come. Having a full box of lures that will replicate different terrestrial species will put you in with a good chance of finding an active fish. Casting along weed patches and shadow points during the middle of the day has still been catching the odd fish, but spending more time during the low-light

around the 15% mark. Copeton Dam always seems to fish well around this time of year, especially if you’re one of those keener fishers who like to spend most of their time fishing during the night, or the lower-light periods. At these times, the bigger Murray cod seem to be more active and let their guards down. Fishing into the night is also a better

way to avoid the skiers and families getting out on the water to escape the heat. When I’m fishing bigger waterways and impoundments like Copeton and Pindari dams in summer, I like to focus my time more on the new moon than the full because the bigger Murray cod will be a lot more comfortable feeding right up in the shallows under the cover of darkness. Lures that replicate water hens or water dragons (big surface paddlers or wakebaits) that are abundant around the dam will really increase your chances of finding an active fish, especially when worked slowly and methodically. If you’re fishing during

the daylight hours, working swimbaits and chatterbaits close to the bottom is another effective way of finding active fish, both Murray cod and yellowbelly. Golden perch are a fun fish to target when the Murray cod are shut down and don’t want to hunt down lures. As with Pindari, trolling Mazzy Vibs must be one of the most productive ways to find active fish in Copeton when searching for an active bite. At the time of writing, Copeton Dam is sitting around the 16% mark. Fingers crossed for heaps of summer storms and plenty more rain to come along with it. Happy New Year, good luck and tight lines!

Hooks on bass surface lures, such as this Balista Hunchback 60mm, need to be needle sharp for consistent hook-ups. should be of a fine gauge and needle sharp. Depending on the lure, upsizing the rear hook or rigging it on two split rings can make a big difference, as this generally drops the bum of the lure a little and gets that hook a little further back and down on the pause. And while on the subject of the pause, don’t be afraid to extend this time. Sometimes with bass the best retrieve is none at all. RIVER COD Last season was a

Replacing salts (sodium) is very important in such conditions, as sweating profusely extracts salts as you sweat. You can drink as much water as you like, it won’t help you replenish those salts. A few granules of dirty or unrefined salts under your lounge as you drink may save you a lot of grief, maybe even your life. Ultimately, I’m not expecting to much from my river walks this year – it will just be great to be out there. JANUARY 2021

NSW

New year, new goals ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

After a year that was turned upside down for all of us, together we have made it to the New Year. For so many of us, a huge

challenges for my fishing. As a keen fisho you can learn stacks by getting out of your comfort zone, and gain the ability to catch fish more consistently. True, you won’t always succeed, but that’s a crucial part of learning. It can be

awesome spring on golden perch, especially in Lake Hume. We caught some fantastic fish, and of late it’s really started to fire up with the water temperatures warming right up, well and truly past the 20°C mark. Lake Hume was a lot higher

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chunk of 2020 was spent frustratingly slow on the locked upRdin(offa Kosciuszko COVID water Gaden Rd) at times, but you just sickened world. Not being have to persist. Any keen Jindabyne. 02 6451 3400 able to spend time on the cod angler will agree that www.dpi.nsw.gov.au water really did suck at the satisfaction of releasing times. However, it has given that cod after a long search us a greater appreciation of and epic fight is one of that chill time we get when the greatest feelings in the we go fishing. world. I’ll warn you though, I always go into a New it’s highly addictive! Year with new goals and Looking back, we an

this spring in comparison as to what it was in previous seasons. With the Lake a lot higher, it provided an awesome edge bite with most of my personal catches being off the banks, both on foot and from the boat. Most trips I managed to pick a few up, averaging around the 45-50cm mark.

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A common catch size for our rivers and creeks. On hot days, please keep hooked fish in the water before release. Springtime is always fun on the yellas, and there is nothing stopping you to continue to do so throughout summer. Often you will have to fish a bit deeper as it gets really warm, but you

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can most certainly still get out and catch good numbers of goldens in the summer. Summer time fun. Coming up into the new year, many of us are looking forward to the fishing trips to come. I’m so excited to catch up with mates and fish in places where I haven’t been able to in quite some time, due to the lockdowns. This upcoming cod season I’m really hoping to stumble across my first 1m+ cod, and with a bit of luck and persistence I really hope it’s achieved off the surface and on foot. But no matter what, the time on the water within itself is a true nature’s gift. Respect it, love it and care for our fish with the upmost care. And remember, success comes to those who persist! Best of luck everyone, and I hope to see you all out there this season.

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JANUARY 2021

Admiring the beautiful colours on this cod.

NSW

Four species in one day BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

Although it can be super-hot in the middle of the day, summer can be very rewarding for the freshwater angler, especially at Blowering Dam where it is possible to catch several different species of fish on the same day. Although redfin will make up most of

range. Hopping these lures along the bottom, whether you’re land-based or on a boat, is very hard to beat. Cast or trolled lipless crankbaits, such as the Jackall, Balista, Gillies, Mazzy Vib and Insanity Tackle Slap Walker range, will also put you in with a good chance of hooking any of the above mentioned species. Soft plastics with a natural paddle tail action work great when these fish are being quite fussy, and

pleasing to see. Trout captures over the spring months and early summer have been quite good. The ones that I’ve seen have mostly been caught whilst bait fishing, with some taking worms and some taking a liking to big, juicy grubs destined for a big Murray cod. The natives tend to be pretty happy to hit a wellpresented bait or lure of late, especially the resident Murray cod which have been getting caught in amazing numbers and sizes. If you want to target Murray cod specifically this month it pays to choose your fishing times fairly carefully. Most of the action is either very early in the day just before sun up and just after dark –

Just under a metre’s worth of giant carp. When your favourite species of fish isn’t biting in Blowering Dam, there’s always a big carp ready to eat your bait, fly or soft plastic. MURRUMBIDGEE RIVER The time has come to head to your favourite stretch of

pleasing for anglers who like to fish from a boat, as the higher water level makes a lot more of the river accessible to

High water temperatures and fishfinder screens loaded from top to bottom with redfin is typical of summer fishing at Blowering Dam. an angler’s catch this month, it is also possible to catch good numbers of Murray cod, golden perch and the increasingly plentiful carp. Bait fishing, either from a boat or the bank around submerged snags, weed beds, rocky points or drop-offs, is a very good way of getting a feed of redfin. The best baits are small yabbies or garden worms, and I like to use them on a 2-hook paternoster rig when specifically targeting redfin. Besides giving you a chance of catching two fish at the same time, using two hooks means it takes a lot longer for the rats to find the second hook, which gives the bigger fish a chance to take one of your baits. Casting or trolling lures is another great way of targeting redfin during the summer months. When the redfin are really on it doesn’t matter too much which type of lure you use or what colour it is, as they will hit pretty much anything that moves anywhere near them. I’ve even caught them on bare jigheads whilst they’re in this frenzy mode, and mates have also caught them on bare hooks whilst bait fishing. In saying that, they do have their days where it can be hard to tempt them. I find on these days that it pays to regularly change the running depths, colours and action of your lures until you find one that works, then stick with it. Some of my favourite redfin lures, particularly when casting, are blades and in particular the Insanity Tackle Yab blades and Ecogear ZX

most of your favourite soft plastic brands will work – just stick with natural colours when the water is crystal clear. If we have had a heap of rain and the water is quite murky, or there has been a lot of wind and/or boat activity creating dirty water against a bank, it’s hard to go past brightly coloured spinners like Rooster Tails, Cocktails and Bling Spins if you are after a good feed of redfin and some red hot action. The odd trout is still getting caught even though the weather has really warmed up, which is very

Murray cod season is back in full swing and the rivers are fishing well. those are the best times to target these iconic fish. The only exception is if there is a heap of storm activity as this can keep the fish firing all day long.

anglers interested between big fish bites. These days a lot of anglers, especially the social media gurus, look at bait fishing as boring. However, as anyone who has experienced a red hot bait session can attest, bait fishing can still be a very exciting form of fishing especially in the ‘Bidgee. Whilst bait fishing in the deeper holes you just never know what is going to eat your bait next. Will it be a Murray cod, a golden perch, a redfin, a silver perch or another greedy carp, or will it be one of the hard fighting, iconic but still protected trout cod. Shrimp if you can find them are easily the best bait to use in the river, but juicy grubs, preferably bardis, are the gun bait for targeting Murray cod. Big scrub worms will put you in with a great chance at any one of the above mentioned species but if the carp are taking your worms too often, try using medium-sized yabbies and you should start to

river in hopes of catching that big Murray cod of a lifetime. The ‘Bidgee has had plenty of water flushed downstream to suit irrigator and electricity demands which has been

With Murray cod fishing becoming more popular, and more people learning how to safely release them, you should expect to see lots of giant Murray cod on the end of your line, in magazines and on social media.

One of the three 90cm+ Murray cod the author has landed from Jounama Dam so far. The lake is coming along nicely since the natives were first stocked. Will this year see the first 1m+ fish landed there?

larger boats. Anglers have been blessed with a great start to the season with lots of Murray cod being landed, and it is only the canoeists and kayakers that are unhappy at the moment as the river is simply flowing too fast for most of them to get out there. Bait fishing in the deeper holes has been very successful with countless small to medium sized fish keeping

see more natives than carp on the end of your line. Casting lures can be a bit difficult in the higher flows as it is hard to present your lure properly, however targeting areas where the current isn’t too strong behind large logs, in back eddies, flooded creek mouths and on the inside of bends on the river will give you the best chance of hooking a few hard-fighting natives on lures. JANUARY 2021

Canberra

ACT

Canberra angling pressure should be easing producing plenty of fish, with all three lure targets on the bite. Though the weed remains a constant issue in this waterway, it’s still possible to fish from the bank and catch good numbers of native fish by using a jig coupled with a

CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

Canberra becomes a bit of a ghost town from late December through to the middle of January as locals migrate to the coast, Sydney or Melbourne to catch up with friends and family over the holidays. This year will see another mass exodus as the COVID restrictions slacken and people are once again able to move about the country with relative ease, albeit with social distancing laws still in place. This creates a lot of opportunities for those Canberra fishos who stay behind, because as the crowds on the lakes and rivers thin, the angling pressure eases, and the fish come on the bite.

The river is still hit and miss, as the author discovered this month.

Redfin are hitting lures across all three of Canberra’s major lakes. I like to get out on my kayak and drift around the edges of Lake Burley Griffin at this time of year as it is rare to see more than a few boats, and the fishing action is always excellent with big golden perch hitting lures with abandon. The cod fishing also improves across all impoundments with Googong a standout, especially on hot, overcast days. So, if you are one of the handful of Canberra locals

hanging around throughout early January, there is a silver lining and it is the copious amounts of fish on offer until the return of the sunburnt masses. LOCAL LAKES Lake Burley Griffin has been fishing well for some time despite the dirty water. There are plenty of redfin holding off the deeper points throughout the lake, and these fish can be targeted using a variety of lures and

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techniques, from slow rolling beetle spins attached to paddle-tail plastics through to twitching Bassday Sugapens along the top using a walkthe-dog style retrieve. There are some really big reddies on the bite right now, especially along the new boardwalk at Henry Rolland Park, and these fish bite well right through the night. Golden perch are prevalent throughout LBG, but getting them to bite is all about dialling in on their preferred food source. At the moment, the golden perch are feeding on small baitfish so small grub-tail and paddle-tail plastics (in a green colouration) hopped along the steeper points is proving to be the best method. There have also been some big cod caught recently by anglers vertically jigging large vibes like the Jackall TN70 on the edges of the rowing lanes near Black Mountain Peninsula. Lake Tuggeranong is proving to be a profitable hunting ground for anglers fishing from kayaks and boats. The native fish are holding deep but are hitting lures and there have been

some outstanding captures of late, including big cod and plenty of golden perch. The redfin are sitting closer to the shoreline and represent a great target species for young anglers looking to learn about lure fishing. Slow rolling plastics along the concrete ledges which lead up to the spillway is the best method if you’re after a reddie or two. Carp can also be caught using bread and corn baits, and on particularly hot days, these pests will also hit a grub-tail plastic hopped near the reeds. Lake Ginninderra is

A well-placed plastic hopped near the reeds on a hot day will entice carp. floating creature-style plastic. The jig ensures the lure remains on the bottom (and mostly snag-free) while the floating plastic attached to the jig sways enticingly just off the bottom. Slowly working this lure has accounted for some big golden perch. A few lucky anglers have also caught cod near the dam

Googong yellas are big and on the bite.

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JANUARY 2021

wall using spinnerbaits and Jackall Doozers. SURROUNDS Googong Dam continues to fire with plenty of golden perch landed by boaters vertically jigging off the points, and shore-based

anglers casting beetle spins amongst the submerged timber. The size of these fish has to be seen to be believed, with Googong yellas being some of the roundest I have encountered anywhere in NSW. A few big cod have also been caught by anglers slow rolling swimbaits in darker colours, and the ever-present redfin have also come on the bite. Googong is a great place to visit in the warmer months as it is a stunning location with plenty of angling experiences on offer. The Murrumbidgee River is still hit and miss. There have been plenty of cod caught by a select few anglers who have worked out the surface bite but most anglers are leaving empty handed or with only one or two smaller fish. The river still hasn’t settled after the huge amount of winter rain and it could be some time before it fishes consistently.

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LOWRANCE GHOST 52 AND 60

Lowrance has released new 52” and 60” Ghost models. Each has a brushless motor that weighs 2.7kg less than brushed motor equivalents, and generates thrust 25% greater than its competitors and delivers 45% longer run times on the same charge. The motor emits no electromagnetic interference, giving anglers clear sonar views. Users can steer, adjust speed, setup route navigation or anchor at a current location with touchscreen control from a Lowrance display using the SmartSteer interface. Ghost pairs easily with HDS LIVE, HDS Carbon and EliteTM -Ti2 displays. There are two integrated sonar nosecone options, including standard HDI (CHIRP and DownScan Imaging) and optional Active Imaging 3-in-1 (CHIRP Sonar, SideScan and DownScan Imaging) transducers. Instant and smooth fly-by-wire steering control gives Ghost the feel of a cable-steer motor. It comes with both a customisable foot pedal and standard remote. The 360° breakaway mount is designed to take the brunt of any impacts and will automatically realign itself once clear of impacted structure. A composite shaft, with a lifetime warranty, assists in withstanding impacts; and an integrated stabilizer bar reduces bouncing. Price: $5,219 and $5,939 www.lowrance.com

NEW EGILICIOUS SQUID JIGS

The popular Fish Inc. Egilicious range of squid jigs has expanded to include new 2.0 and 2.5 sizes, which are ideal for fishing slack tide, tough bites and when fishing land-based, especially in shallow water. Constructed from high quality materials, these jigs are expertly designed and rigorously tested, with a buoyant ‘tail-up’ design that increases the hook-up rate while minimising snagging. In fact, the Egilicious tail is designed a few degrees higher than standard jigs to further reduce snagging and fouling. These jigs are fitted with quality Owner squid jig hooks that are finer than standard hooks to increase the hook-up rate. The hooks’ construction also allows them to be straightened under pressure to retrieve the jig when snagged, and then simply bend back into position to continue fishing. Additional strike triggers include realistic 3D eyes and feather fins, along with a unique range of tested and proven colours. The new Egilicious 2.0 and 2.5 are available now in eight colours. Price: $11.95 www.tackletactics.com.au

PRODUCT GUIDE

DAIWA TATULA 300

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HUMMINBIRD G4N HELIX

The new Humminbird Helix G4N Series gives anglers the latest in innovative imaging technology, with screen sizes ranging from 8” to 15.4”. These new fish finders feature MEGA Imaging+ and Dual Spectrum CHIRP 2D sonar, and are compatible with Humminbird’s Mega 360 Imaging. Built-in GPS and Humminbird Basemap provide depth contours and navigational aids. Helix G4N models are also compatible with Navionics charts. AutoChart Live allows anglers to easily create their own custom maps in real time – simply turn the feature on and watch as depth contours and even vegetation and bottom hardness layers appear on-screen. Built-in NMEA 2000 and Wi-Fi come standard, and all models have a dedicated NMEA 2000 networking port built-in to support the connection to compatible accessories to display information like engine data, vessel sensors and virtually any NMEA 2000 compatible accessory. Built-in Wi-Fi will support additional features. Packed with Ethernet networking and Bluetooth functionality, the G4N models have been designed to work seamlessly with the One-Boat Network, allowing anglers to integrate compatible fish finders, trolling motors, shallow water anchors, downriggers and more. Select Helix G4N models are also compatible with optional MEGA 360 Imaging transducers and Built-in MEGA Imaging on select Minn Kota trolling motors. www.humminbird.com

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The range of colours in the Zerek Fish Trap has expanded with the release of the DA (dark ale) and DL (dry lime) colours added to the range of 65, 95 and 110mm models. Dark ale has a clear body filled with gold fleck and striking black back and tiger stripes. It is aimed at species such as barramundi, threadfin salmon, flathead, snapper and more. Dry lime is a semi-transparent green with silver flecks and has been requested by many northern barramundi fishers, however it will also appeal to fish right across the country. Available, now, the new Fish Trap colours can be seen at your nearest tackle store. www.wilsonfishing.com

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JANUARY 2021

VIC

Balmy nights on the beach WEST COAST

Brett Carson

It’s a good time of year, with holidays and freedom to move about. The water is slowly clearing after the late spring/early summer rains gave it a good flush, leaving a good mouth and super healthy river. I have personally sighted masses of mullet in the surf waiting to re-enter the river and feed the mulloway schooled heavily in the lower reaches. Speaking of mulloway, a super healthy 30lb+ fish was caught not that long ago in the river, sparking some excitement amongst anglers. It was only a couple of years ago after a similar late flush that schools of mulloway were congregated in the sand holes around the estuary for Christmas. Anglers

were sight casting lures at ripper fish and smashing them. Gulp Jerk Shads in nuclear chicken were doing the damage; it’s not a colour I would normally use in the river but it was working at the time. Anyway, once word spread it was shoulder to shoulder, and the fish disappeared. It goes to show that you have to make the news, not follow it. Mulloway will be pushing back into the system in early January with the influx of salt helped by the good mouth. Livies are the go but berley and dead baits will account for fish also. Bream have been gorging themselves in the estuary after the winter spawn, and they love nothing more than natural baits (podworms, crabs and pipi) fished super light. Lure fishos are starting to find their way again after a

slower winter bite, and the edge bite will come through again too. Watching for the silver flashes of the bream rolling on the edge is a sure way to tell, and when this is the case you lure needs to almost hit the bank so that it looks natural coming away from the edge, past the feeding fish. Fishing the shady cliff edge in the middle of the day can help at this time of year when you are fishing gentlemen’s hours. Perch will be feeding on the surface again and the bite will be hot when it’s on, but super frustrating when it’s not. Bright lights around the shacks attracting bait are a great place to target, as are the heavy snags right on dark and first light. Make sure you have a pause in your helter skelter retrieve and hold the pause for a while. The strike will most likely happen as the

tail drops on the lure and the slack line comes. The surf is producing sharks and salmon, and with the weather on the improve a night on the beach is a great option. Make the effort to find the gutters in daylight as fishing the gutters makes all the difference. Catch some salmon or mullet early and send some fresh strips straight out. • Good luck this month, and feel free to come and see us at Nelson Boat Hire for the latest info. We have the local live bait licence, meaning we stock live mullet, crabs and podworms along with all the frozen bait, tackle and lures you need for the area. We’ll give you some local knowledge to help get you on the fish quicker. Remember you can hire any of our boats without a boat licence, including our very popular houseboat.

Neil Humphries sporting a shark taken in the surf.

Snapper in full swing APOLLO BAY

Craig Rippon

The weather has been kind and it’s great to see so many people back out on the water with a smile on their face. Apollo Bay has been inundated with tourists ever since the opening of Melbourne, and it’s great to see our shops full and people enjoying freedom again. The snapper bite is continuing with some good fish pushing 70cm. The snapper are right along the coast in depths of 35-60m. Fresh bait has been best. The beaches have also been good for gummies, and there are also some good schools of salmon on our local beaches. The salmon have been going on

anything shiny on the change of tide, and when you can reach the gutters on the cast. There are also plenty of flathead about. You can’t beat a good feed of tails, and there are some sizable fish amongst them. Skenes Creek is a good starting point at the moment. Whiting have shown up and already a few locals have been getting some nice size fish. Pipis have been best. Concentrate your efforts during the hard running tides. As they say, ‘the harder the flow, the harder they go’. Some fish up to 45cm have been caught in recent weeks. You can get these fish close to the harbour –just keep moving until you find them. Daniel Kent from Apollo Bay Fishing Charters reports that snapper bite is in full swing off Cape Otway. Fishing the reef edges has

seen his clients reeling in fish 1.5-3kg, with the odd bigger fish thrown in. He also reports good size nannygai and morwong coming in the same area. Finally, during the school holidays remember that a bit of patience at the ramp might be needed. You will get on the water and the fish will be waiting. If you have a photo that you would like to feature in the magazine, send it through to snagga02@gmail.com. Hope to see you out there on the water soon. • If you would like a day out with Daniel Kent from Apollo Bay Fishing Charters, you can check out his website at www. apollobayfishingcharters. com.au or phone 0428 376 426. For all your bait and gear, see Wayne at Surf and Fish.

Young Brodie with his PB snapper, taken on a trip with Apollo Bay Fishing Charters.

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JANUARY 2021

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VIC

Kingies are mowing down lures this season WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

It’s summer time and hopefully we’ll get some consistent summer-like weather to enjoy all the angling options available locally at this time of year. Late spring saw some more summer-like conditions prevail and the fishing responded positively, so let’s hope it’s going to continue through the ‘real’ summer period of January. We’ve been enjoying

calm conditions, and quality snapper were on offer for those targeting them. Sam Powell captured an excellent fish of 5.8kg off Warrnambool along with another fish of 3.2kg. In January most fish will probably be more in the pinkie size range, but these fish can provide plenty of fun and a good feed for holiday makers. Speaking of a good feed, there have been plenty of squid around locally and the size of these has been fairly impressive. We may not get the frequent bag outs, particularly land-

based, but even two or three big local squid can provide plenty of rings. Even better, the warm conditions are bringing the first kingfish of the season. Some fish to almost 1m have begun mowing down stickbaits, with Duo Hydras and Jack Fin Stylos working well, along with the ever reliable Slug-Go plastics. January is usually a far more reliable time to target these fish, as long as the conditions are right. No other species requires such a specific set of conditions for success. Warm, calm clear waters are essential,

January is prime time to target the local kings.

and some summers just don’t provide enough of these days. The summer run of southern bluefin tuna should be around to complement the kingfish for those who enjoy chasing southern summer pelagics. The significant rainfall events of early spring may have slowed things on the estuary scene for a time but the benefits of having clear, deep, open mouths should help the fishing in most of the local estuaries during summer. The Hopkins and the Moyne rivers have both been producing a few mulloway, with Luke Smith and Cory McLaren catching a couple of nice 70cm fish on lures recently. For holiday anglers there are usually plenty of opportunities to catch bream, mullet and salmon near the mouths of any of the local estuaries on bait. Using a little berley, keeping the line and sinker weights down and using fresh bait can produce almost non-stop action for parents trying to keep youngsters entertained over the holiday period. A boat is an advantage but there are plenty of piers, landings and so on that will produce as well. And if the weather turns completely bad you can always find a nice sheltered spot where a cold snap and a bit of rain can fire up the local trout population.

The summer run of school bluefin should be around in January.

Get stuck into some serious summer fishing COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

When the winds allow, boaters are getting offshore and getting stuck into some serious fishing. King George whiting have really made their presence felt of late, with the odd fish measuring a whopping 55cm. In depths from 4-10m, many boaters are drifting with sturdy bait holder hooks with a strip of squid topped off with pipi meat. Once a fish has taken the bait, the anchor is dropped and the berley bucket is lowered over the side to sit just off the bottom. Placing the berley bucket off the boat’s nose rather than off the stern allows the berley to flow under the boat and reduces possible tangles with set baits if lowered off the stern. Apparently plenty of undersize pinkie snapper

are about when chasing the whiting. The pinkies can be a nuisance but sooner or later the bigger ones will move in closer to shore, so it pays to have a sturdy hook when chasing whiting as you never know what might come along and steal your bait. From 35-70m depth over a rubbly bottom or actual reef sees the bigger snapper at the moment along with school and gummy shark. Again, fresh squid is the number one bait. Speaking of squid there are a few about so don’t forget the jigs. Flathead, morwong, nannygai and leatherjackets are the quality by-catch here. Boaters are launching off Boat Bay at Peterborough, Wa r r n a m b o o l and Port Fairy. The Curdies River has solid bream to 38cm with many caught on unweighted baits in the lake not far from the river mouth. There are plenty of mullet and small salmon about and

Bruce with a Hopkins bream released to be caught another day. their flesh cut into longish strips with the skin left on is working at present. In the river itself some

good bream are falling to soft plastics fished on the bottom or metal blades in dark colours worked

slowly. From the mouth up to the island seems to be the most productive stretch to concentrate one’s

efforts on. The Hopkins continues to produce bream, perch and the odd mulloway as the waters continue to calm down after the rains and the fish remain on the bite. Plenty of bream are up for grabs, with most fish averaging from just legal size up to 34cm, with the odd fish weighing in over a kilo. Bait remains the number one option, and don’t the bream love it! A recent trip with good mate Bruce Roberts saw us catch at least 30 legal bream in a session and, if you want to count the just undersize fish, over 50. All fish were released. It was a great day because no matter where we went, we caught fish – as long as it was upstream because these fish want to spawn. Bait such as brown shell, shrimp and even packet frozen prawn and pipe worked on the day. So too did scented shrimp patterned soft plastics, but to a lesser extent. JANUARY 2021

VIC

Time to get amongst it! GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

The region has seen some fantastic holiday season fishing with crowds flocking back to the Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast. January can see big schools of salmon in the Rip, sharks in Bass Strait and kingfish fever hit both of these locations. The Barwon River in Geelong has remained mostly discoloured due to the rains, but anglers are nabbing the odd redfin and estuary perch on lures and bait. However, it was Dan Cook’s golden perch he caught on a StumpJumper from the Barwon that had the social media going. Dan had planned for redfin and hoped to catch his first estuary perch. He cast a spinnerbait around for a few hours getting a few hits without hook-ups so switched to his favourite size 3 flamingo StumpJumper. Casting the Stumpie near some weeds where he saw a shower of baitfish earlier, he had a solid hook up that felt like a snag at first, then it took off. Calling it for a carp, Dan was over the moon to eventually land a whopper golden perch

while whiting, pinkies and flathead to 40cm have been caught from Cunningham pier and Limeburners Boat Ramp rock wall. Mark Loney took his son Maynard down to St Helens for a fish recently. Without a single bite in two hours, they packed up and moved

side of that. Danny says the edge of the channel has been productive at any time of day and his bait of choice has been silver whiting. Don’t discount trolling deep divers or running a downrigger in Corio Bay this month either. Kingfish are becoming more and more

Maynard out-fished dad with this ripper rock flatty he caught on a soft plastic at Griffin Gully jetty.

Nathan bagged this ripper red on his first cast at Queenscliff. prevalent, and plenty of snapper will climb on a lure trolled at depth. Further around the Bellarine, the calamari have been providing great sport with solid examples nudging 3kg and 50cm hood length. St Leonards has been hot for good numbers of small to medium sized calamari but further south, their size increases. King George whiting are always around the region. The only question is finding them in numbers. They will turn up wherever sand meets weed and the key is patience and keep moving until you find them. If you plan to start fishing for them in the shallows and the water is clear, early morning is best, then move deeper.

Queenscliff has been flat out for snapper to 55cm and silver trevally to 45cm inside the boat harbour and ‘The Cut’ on slack water. Successful anglers have used soft plastic lures and baits such as pilchard and squid. I had a go out off Queenscliff on a mid-week day off not long out of lockdown and it was packed! I fished for calamari near Point Lonsdale and there would have been 50 boats drifting near Bell Reef. I avoided the crowd and drifted where I’d caught them before in about 5m but struggled, only catching two. One was a solid 32cm (hood) though so we got a fair feed off him. I anchored in 7m and fed wrasse for an hour and managed one whopper whiting that measured in at 48cm and weighed in at a hefty 800g. Shar Kan and a few mates fished out off Queenscliff landed right on a hot bite of calamari. The lads kept 20 which weighed in at almost 25kg of squid! Now here’s something you don’t hear of every day – a chap posted a pic on the socials of a kingfish caught in 4m of water off St Leonards after swallowing a skewer-styled jig baited with a whole fish

How’s that for a Queenscliff calamari? he estimates to be in the high 50cm bracket. He didn’t weigh or measure it, and returned it to the water after a few pics. Stony Creek Reservoir is always worth a look for your freshwater fix if the Barwon is dirty, because Stony remains clear after heavy rain. I had a go out here recently and caught a couple of small reddies using lures, and other anglers have picked up a few trout around 50cm on fly gear first and last light. The Geelong waterfront has been fishing well for flathead, the odd whiting and pinkie snapper. St Helens rock wall on dusk has been best for snapper either side of 50cm 76

JANUARY 2021

to Griffin Gully Jetty. Their baited rods remained bite-less so Mark decided to tie on a couple of soft plastic lures and immediately caught a few small grass whiting. Maynard’s needed a re-rig and as soon as it hit the bottom, he called out to dad that he was on and managed to land a solid 46cm rock flathead! Even though he was out fished again, a very proud Mark says Maynard was stoked since it was his biggest fish he has caught. Danny from Danny Skene Charters and Fishing Services has been catching plenty of snapper from Corio Bay’s outer harbour. Most fish have been 2-4kg and plenty either

Young Ryder caught this solid trevally on his first cast on a trip with dad Nathan.

intended for squid! This tells me we are in for a fair season on these hard fighting fish and we should look a little harder around our jetty pylons inside Corio Bay too.

some stage so keep an eye out for birds working the surface and always have some heavy tackle in the boat just in case. If you can get a boat in on the Surf Coast, pinkie snapper

Danny Skene has been getting his clients onto plenty of snapper lately as these lads from Ballarat can attest. Those keen on kingfish in the Rip this January should target them around slack water. Sound around for arches and send them a live squid or salmon or even a metal jig. These fish will be nudging 10kg so your tackle needs to be up to the fight. Kingfish are often showing up in Bass Strait from the Rip to Torquay as well. Dragging lures about will catch fish as will sounding for arches on drop offs and pinnacles. Last January, there were massive schools of southern bluefin tuna in 40m of water our off Airey’s Inlet. These fish were very fussy some days and while most were 20-30kg, they sure put up a fight on spin gear! They can be targeted by moving ahead of the school, cutting the motor and casting as the fish move into range and trolling skirted lures in conjunction with teasers. Never drive through a school of fish as this will make them boat-shy and you’ll never get anywhere near them. I expect these fish to show up inside Port Phillip Bay at

are hot in January and a great method of targeting them is micro jigging. A GPS-enabled electric motor is invaluable here if there is any wind and current to hold you over the fish. Basically, micro jigging involves sending down a small metal jig that is designed to flutter and flash at depth. Lorne Pier has been producing the odd whiting and salmon but the local seal has been hanging around underneath picking the odd fish off anglers’ lines, making things difficult. Further around the rocks between the pier and surf club should also produce whiting and salmon when the swell isn’t too big. • Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterfish@ gmail.com with “VFM” in the subject field or give me a call on 0408 997348. Please include where (without giving away your secret spot!), when, what on and who caught the fish. Pictures are always great, but please make sure they are at least 1MB (file size).

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VIC

Snapper surge continues PORT PHILLIP NE

Wayne Friebe wfriebe@bigpond.net.au

For many of us, the end of 2020 and the start of 2021 was eagerly awaited. In particular, for those living in metropolitan Melbourne who were worst affected by the Covid-19 and fishing restrictions throughout the early and middle part of the year. Just like a slow start to a fishing season, the lesser amount of pressure on the bay’s fishery for a large chunk of time has made many of the current trends seem like early season fishing. The slower than usual start to the fishing season this year has also brought a vast array of changing weather and fishing conditions for anglers on the bay. And while the normal peak snapper action and other species activity seemed to be running a little later this year again, in line with the slowly

ahead, the bay’s anglers should expect the action to return to a more traditional summer pattern. Just like this time last year, snapper reports have been well and truly centred around changes in barometric pressure, especially before, during and after recent storms, and also changes of light,

this season, especially those anglers fishing in close before first light. The use of flasher style pre-tied rigs has also grown massively in popularity. Normally, many of the bay’s anglers’ focus has moved from snapper by Christmas, but in the last few seasons, the best fishing of the whole season was in January and February, especially from the traditional wider marks out from Carrum to Safety Beach. Traditionally, these wider marks, and those closer to the shipping channel will fish well, specifically out from Mornington, Mount Martha and Safety Beach. The time to fish in closer, and from the

Izzy hasn’t been disappointed with the snapper action around Mt Martha.

Jake with a prime example of a Mornington snapper.

Andrew Joffa Wallace with a nice school sized snapper caught on a soft plastic. There are still plenty of pinkies and bigger snapper on the inshore reefs, especially after a decent blow. rising water temperatures, the frequently changing weather also brought some peak periods of great fishing as well. As we settle into the peak of summer during January and the continuing warmer months

amount of bait and other natural food sources available, and the frequently changing water temperatures at times. Some quality snapper have been landed in our local areas in recent weeks, with most anglers choosing to fish either in close (around 8m) or going to the other extreme and concentrating on the far

especially in the afternoons. In fact, the snapper bite over the past month has been much like the traditional spring behaviour from years ago. The major change from then to now has been the massive

wider deeper areas around the shipping channel. Artificial reef areas, and ‘dump sites’ have also been very popular, particularly for those anglers fishing with jigs and other artificial offerings. Mount Eliza, Frankston, Mornington and Seaford have all been productive for anglers fishing in close, nearby to reefs and structure. Alternatively, out wide Mornington and Mount Martha have been the best. The ever-reliable pilchard has accounted for more than its fair share of snapper so far this year and is still the go-to bait for many of the bay’s anglers. The bigger fish that have been taken seem to be responding to more specific baits, like fresh squid and salmon, and to anglers willing to put in a little extra time fishing outside the box. The strong and growing population of slimys and yakkas in the bay have also made fresh bait gathering worthwhile. These baits have already accounted for several large snapper already

Lucky angler Michael scored this ripper mulloway further north while snapper fishing. piers and rocks is during and after onshore winds, so there’s plenty of snapper options for anglers of all persuasions over the Christmas break and into January and February as well. Over the New Year period and beyond, expect the reds to move into more of a grazing pattern as they will look to

of berley. The lure fishing for smaller school sized snapper, and the odd big fish as well has been very reliable recently, particularly around larger areas of reef, and those close to deeper water. These areas, like the land-based platforms tend to fish best after a blow,

in mid water and closer to the surface. Expect many of the bay’s other most popular species to really fire over the coming months as the water temperatures continue to rise. Local whiting and calamari numbers should explode, and I’m also looking forward to

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put on condition. They will move into the wider and deeper marks, and therefore finding fish on the sounder before dropping the pick and setting the rods becomes more important, as well as the use

so best success will come from concentrating around these events. Spend time looking at your sounder too, just like in the deep as recently the school-sized snapper have been heavily feeding on bait

the kingfish showing up in our local areas again this season, stay tuned for reports next month. A big thanks to Brendan at IFISH for the pics and up to date reports.

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JANUARY 2021

VIC

Peak fishing time to boom PORT PHILLIP BAY WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

Finally, we’re back to some level of normality and fishing without any COVID restrictions. I love this time

of year because it’s when the fishing comes alive around Melbourne. The snapper are going crazy, whiting and squid are fishing well and our lakes are very productive with estuary perch, redfin and yellas in aggressive moods.

It’s so good that it can be difficult to decide what species to target – the the opposite of winter, when many of the fish species shut down completely. Snapper fishing locally is in full flight. The water is around 17°C which is

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optimal, and because of this we are seeing frequent catches of snapper daily. There are lots of pinkies in the shallow reefs and some big fish in deeper waters. What is very surprising this season is where the snapper are bring caught. On this side of Port Phillip Bay in areas such as Altona, Werribee, Point Cook, spoil grounds and Williamstown, the fishing has been very inconsistent and challenging. Conversely, areas on the other side of town such as Mornington, Black Rock, Mt Eliza and Western Port are fishing very well, and anglers are consistently catching snapper in good numbers and good sizes, with several snapper around the metre mark. I’ve been getting out once or twice a week around Altona, Williamstown and Werribee near the oil rig, and have been getting a 50:50 chance of catching snapper or going home empty-handed. It has been a little bit of a slog, with banjo sharks and star fish in plague proportions. I’m hoping in the coming weeks, as the water temperature rises another degree or two, that the snapper will become more consistent to catch on this side of port Phillip Bay without needing continual trips across the bay, and start rewarding those on this side of town who are putting in long hours on the snapper

Jesse with a Barwon River reddie. without much to show for it so far this season. The growth of fishing locally has put a lot of stress on our boat ramps. To say that areas of this side of town are at capacity would be a gross understatement. Trying to launch at 5am at this time of year means you will be queuing up for hours and unlikely to find any available parking. It’s something that must be addressed by our

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Macca breaking in a new kayak.

local authorities. Population growth and increased take-up of the sport has highlighted massive infrastructure shortfalls. In the meantime, we must show respect to our fellow anglers on the water and at boat ramps. When launching, make sure you’re ready so you can launch more quickly, allowing others after you to also launch quickly. Don’t anchor too close to others if you have seen them catch fish – it’s unnecessary and dangerous. You should also give some room to local boat and charter operators who are trying to make a living. We have seen countless fights recorded on the water and at boat ramps which are entirely avoidable. During peak snapper season in close reefs such as Altona near the cardinal and Williamstown near the footy ground we are seeing masses of kayaks amongst the general boat traffic catching their fair share of snapper. I recently caught a 78cm snapper flicking a 4” Savage Gear jerkshad in motor oil opposite the Williamstown footy oval, and I can tell you that landing a big red in a kayak is one of the ultimate forms of fishing. Mastering balance and control of a good size fish is very rewarding. Macca Chung has been fishing frequently on his newly purchased Viking Pro fish Kayak around Port Melbourne. After a few quiet sessions on the water, Macca was thrilled to land two snapper near the timber using fresh squid as bait. Macca did report that the pilchards didn’t get a touch that day, which highlights that if you are fishing with bait you should bring a

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will favour one bait over the other on different days. The whiting fishing now is as good as it gets. Whiting are around in big numbers and responding well to the clear water and warmer water temperatures. Many locals have been

spot. Make lots of these short moves until you find them, and when you do the action is generally frantic. Camping in one spot for long periods and waiting for the bite can mean long and uneventful hours on the water.

by-catch. The water clarity has been quite poor, and the Duo Spearhead Ryuki 50 has been one of the most productive lures used in the area, retrieved at a medium to fast pace. Until next time, good fishing everyone. If you

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The author with a snapper from Werribee. a berley pot with premade berley mix from a tackle store or DIY berley of bread, pilchards, tuna oil and chicken pellets. A good tip is to anchor in an area that has a clearing surrounded by weed. Berley hard, and if you get no bites

conditions. Fishing with lightly-weighted soft plastics works well in that area. Jesse Baron has been fishing the Barwon River heavily for redfin and estuary perch lately, getting good results on shallow and mid-diving hardbody lures.

adventures through my website (www.fishingmad. com.au), YouTube channel ( w w w. y o u t u b e . c o m / c / fishingmad), Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ fishingmad.com.au), and Instagram (www.instagram. com/fishingmad.com.au).

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JANUARY 2021

VIC

Western Port firing on all fronts WESTERN PORT STH

Jarrod Day jarrodday@iprimus.com.au

There has certainly been no shortage of fish caught recently. I think with the COVID lockdown and no one being able to fish, they had time to fatten up and grow bigger. The Port has been totally on fire and it has been great to see so many anglers getting amongst the fish, and some of the sizes have been exceptional. SNAPPER The top of the Port continues to produce some amazing snapper and has been an extremely reliable area if you’re looking to find a few. Working the edges of Bouchier Channel has seen many solid fish caught. In saying that, Joes Island has also had its fair share of snapper caught around it, and is continuing to do so. Mind you, the Joes Island area is very rocky and always holds good fish throughout the entire season. Even then, fishing here right through until March is when anglers can continue to catch snapper.

been a continuous bite off Corinella, Rhyll and the surrounding areas. An acquaintance of mine, Matt asked for a few marks to have a go at around the Corinella area and after a few pointers, he messaged me back with a few photos of snapper ranging 4-7.5kg. Talk about a sensational session.

JANUARY 2021

year I’m more of a fan of fishing in the deep water in the North Arm. It is more challenging to fish for whiting fighting against the current, but the quality of whiting is usually much greater than those on the shallow banks. Most of the time you’re fishing with a 6oz sinker but when you hook a whiting in the current

Reece Cliff with his hands full of Western Port whiting.

Memphis Hurren with this beast of a gummy shark. Fish of this calibre are on offer if you know where to find them. Photo courtesy of Memphis Hurren

Matt and his mate had a cracking session on reds from the Rhyll area. As the months wear on, the larger sized fish will leave the port but there will be plenty of smaller snapper to 40cm that hang around and are a welcomed catch. While there are still some fish to be found along the North Arm, there has

firer, and if you flick back through the history of the Western Port column in this magazine, you can quickly put together a fishing chart based on proven areas through the 12 months of the year. Rhyll always fires up from around November but continually produces quality snapper right up until March, so don’t write

Local angler Memphis Hurren has been dominating the snapper around the Rhyll area. Fishing the tides and using quality fresh calamari rings for bait, Memphis has been catching some real quality fish. This area is always a late

this spot off just yet. Though it is January and the majority of the larger reds have begun to leave the enclosed waters of the Port, spare a thought to those still lurking around and go on the hunt. Coronet Bay is a quite a shallow bay but it does still produce some quality fish this late in the season. Fishing here is no easy feat; it is imperative that you fish into the night in around 5m of water and be extremely quiet. In this shallow water, snapper are easily spooked but if you get one, the reward is great. Further up near Settlement Point is also with a shot, and while big snapper do frequent this area, you are also a high chance at snagging a decent mulloway. WHITING Whiting have been in the best quality that I can remember in the last two decades. Their sheer size has been amazing and there seems to be no shortage of them throughout the Port. In the top end, Gentle Annie and Charring Cross have been the two main prominent channels to catch them, but don’t discount the Quail Bank either. Whiting fishing usually begins to fire up around now after everyone has had their snapper fix, but the whiting have been going solid from back in September and it’s only going to get better from now on. Personally speaking, at this time of

with that much weight, you always know it’s going to be a solid fish. The Middle Spit is always a good go-to area, especially on the western side of The Cut or right down the bottom end near the cardinal marker. The bite recently has been two hours either side of the high tide, and with a little berley the fish have been coming through in large schools.

Another shallow water area which has been producing massive numbers of whiting has been Tortoise Head. I can’t remember the last time this area fired so well with whiting of this quality. I had a day out with my mate Reece and while moving a few times, eventually dropped onto the mother lode and managed our bag with only two fish noticeably smaller than the rest. The funny thing was, the whiting weren’t interested in pipi or mussel, but after catching a calamari and slicing it up for bait, the whiting just couldn’t resist the tenderised strips. If you’re keen on a

There are plenty of snapper on the chew at the moment in the Rhyll area. Photo courtesy of Memphis Hurren.

little exploring away from the usual whiting haunts, Ventnor and Cat Bay are worth the effort. For the next few months, these areas will really pick up with quality fish, and you should be able to get your bag with plenty of fish over the 38cm mark. GUMMY SHARKS Gummy sharks are often a by-catch for anglers at this time of the year given the warmer water temperatures, but every now and again you’ll crack a big one. Memphis Hurren recently caught a monster from the deep which certainly was a prized catch. At this time of the year, specifically targeting gummies is usually down in the Western Entrance or offshore where they are plentiful. From now on, if you are in search of a gummy, I’d highly recommend fishing around the full moons and tides while focusing on the Western Entrance. Of course, fresh bait is best and calamari is the number one bait to offer them. Another reliable location is Corinella right up to Spit Point. On the high tides, gummies will move up onto the shallow mud flats to feed on crabs and other tasty morsels. If you set yourself on the edge of the banks and any nearby channel you should encounter a few, especially if you fish two hours either side of the high tide change. The next few weeks are going to be very busy on the port with all the holiday makers on the water, and with the fishing being as good as is currently is, everyone should find something to tangle with.

Fresh fillets for the table Taking home fresh seafood has never been easier with new fish cleaning tables at the Warmies and Warrnambool now complete, thanks to the State Government’s $35 million Target One Million Plan to get more people fishing, more often in more places. The replacement table at the Warmies is under cover, connected to running water and boasts lighting so it can be used 24/7. At Warrnambool, four new tables and a shelter have been built near the breakwater, easing congestion by replacing existing tables at the ramp. The tables are under cover and have lighting and running water to make it easier than ever to prepare your catch without having to use the kitchen bench at home. They’re also alongside trailer parking so you can stay conveniently close to your rig and depart easily once the fillets are bagged and on ice. Each table is 240x75cm and the concrete foundation includes space for two more to be added in the future. They’re connected to mains water and sewerage to take fish scraps away from Lady Bay ensuring birds and seals aren’t reliant on the leftovers. Learn more at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/targetonemillion2

vfa.vic.gov.au/feesatwork Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

VIC

Catching a holiday feed PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

Everyone has their fingers crossed that 2021 will be very different from last year. I don’t think it could be any worse! It

wasn’t just COVID that devastated communities, it was the bushfires. For many businesses, the bushfires took away their major income period, and this was followed up by lockdowns around Easter making the holiday season

have turned up and are still around now. No matter where you are fishing during daylight hours the pinkies are there, and you just have to put up with them to catch the bigger fish. We are at the tail end of the snapper season, and it has been a good one with plenty of snapper caught. The best thing about this season has been that the majority of the snapper caught were that perfect eating size, around the 4kg mark. We did see some 7kg+ fish, but for some reason we didn’t see as many as usual and they were a little hard to find early with the lower water temperature. The spawn was a little later than normal too, but in the end they settled into their

rewarding, especially if you come home with the icebox full of flathead. According to the experts we are on the top of the whiting curve and it will decline over the next couple of years before building again. I’m not sure where the expert advice or research comes from but it has been a comment we have heard several times this season. We have certainly seen ups and downs over the 15 years we have had the shop, as we have with all the species of fish you can catch in Westernport Bay, but whatever it is the quality of the whiting this season has been excellent. It’s not just the size of the whiting that has been good but the variety of

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JANUARY 2021

a complete write-off. If you have a bit of time off this summer, there is some excellent fishing to be had along the east coast, and a 1- or 2-night stay will go a long way to help these communities get back on their feet. Once Melbourne was opened up there was a steady stream of fishers heading down the highway to indulge in a bit of freedom after being locked away for three months. Even better, there were plenty of fish to be caught, not only in good quantities but excellent quality as well. There was some unsettled weather but overall the conditions were far better than last spring, and while the water took a long time to warm up it simply meant the snapper spawn was a little later and the bigger fish stayed around. Offshore was about the only place that fishing was difficult, not because of a lack of fish but because there was plenty of swell, even on the days of no wind. Hopefully as our wind patterns change we will see a more consistent swell through January, and people can get out to look for a king, tuna or even a mako. Normally at this time of the year I’d be telling customers to expect to get pestered by pinkies, and to persevere to catch a bigger fish. This year it’s even worse than normal; it seems the pinkies have been taking the travel ban seriously and going nowhere. We started getting reports of hundreds of undersized pinkies last January, and they continued right up to the fishing ban. Once regional areas opened and we were allowed to fish again, the reports of pinkies were still there – and if it’s possible, even more seemed

Young jack was very happy with this squid, which almost reaches his knees.

Ryan, Nicole and Greg with a good feed of snapper. usual pattern – deeper water early in the morning, moving across the corals during the day, and on to the mud by evening. Although the majority of the bigger snapper move out around Christmastime, you will still find them during late summer and even into autumn. If you’re heading out during the hotter days of summer, your best chance of catching a snapper will come before sunrise or after sunset. We don’t see too many reports of snapper being caught during the very bright, sunny days. If this is the only time you can fish, try the deeper parts of the bay or, better still, fish the deeper reefs offshore. Daytime fishing during these brighter, hotter days can be difficult, so to help improve your chances to catch a fish, spend the daylight hours looking for some fresh bait. You will find plenty of calamari, mackerel, yakkas and salmon in the bay and there is nothing better than fresh baits. We get plenty of perfect days around in late summer so consider getting into fishing offshore. It is a bit different and shouldn’t be done without a bit of knowledge, but when done with common sense it can be as safe as fishing in the bay – and at times more

places that they are being caught. We have had plenty of land-based reports as well, and the biggest whiting for the season was a once-ina-lifetime 54cm fish caught from the Newhaven jetty. The numbers are lower from the land, as they usually are, but most of the fish we’ve heard of have been around the 40cm mark. Newhaven jetty,

Cleeland Bight Beach, San Remo jetty, Ventnor Beach Cowes and Rhyll jetties and the rocks at Sunderland Bay are all the places reports have come from. In the boats, the reports are coming from all of the places you would expect, plus many places you wouldn’t. Around 12-14m of water has produced almost as many as the shallows, with the last of the run-out tide being the best for the deeper water. Pipis have caught their fair share of whiting but those anglers fishing in the deeper waters have found squid strips and pilchard

Gareth with a quality brace of snapper.

fillets to be a better option. The best way to describe calamari this season is ‘inconsistent but big’. It’s been one of the strangest seasons for calamari that we can remember. They started very slowly and it seemed like we were going to not see them this year, then slowly reports of big calamari started coming in and now we are seeing a mixed bag of sizes but plenty of reports. The calamari season for most anglers starts with collecting them for bait before the snapper season. Then once the snapper get here, people tend to just chase one or two squid for some extra fresh baits. Then, at this time of year when snapper numbers decrease, people head out for a calamari session for the BBQ or to add to a summer salad. This is why we usually see reports of good numbers early dropping off to one or two, then back to good numbers. Despite the slow start that’s what we saw again this year, with the exception of the size being far bigger than we have seen before. Even now we are regularly seeing 2kg calamari, and even they are just another calamari this year, with several that pushed the scales to over 3kg. All the usual spots and like most fish with the sun in the sky most days try to fish very early or very late for the best chance. Jig colour and type as always is everyone’s choice and opinion, there is no real right or wrong colour just the one that works or doesn’t work today.

JANUARY 2021

East Coast

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Hunting for bream, flathead and kingies GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

We are experiencing the busiest summer holidays the Gippy Lakes have seen for many years. It seems every caravan park and holiday destination was nearly fully booked out months before Christmas.

All of us are getting back to ‘normal’ life, so with 2020 well behind us now let’s go catch fish! DUSKY FLATHEAD The flathead have finished spawning and over the next few months they will start feeding flat-out. Already fish over 80cm have been landed, with plenty more 45-60cm fish. The dusky hotspots are now the areas

Kingfish are always a target over summer from Metung down to Kalimna, and big lures should find the better sized fish over 60cm.

from Kalimna and Nungurner right through to Paynesville and Duck Arm. The flatties will be hunting the lake edges, so work lures in water as shallow as 30cm at first light and move into deeper water by mid morning. Flatties are often not that fussy when it comes to what type of lure to use. The real trick is to keep your soft plastic, blade or hardbody always close to the bottom and on the move. Another thing to remember is if you want trophy flathead then use extra big lures. I’m talking soft plastics 15-20cm in length. The local flathead gurus have proved that big lures get the big girls biting, whereas small lures are totally ignored. The more ground you cover, the more flathead you catch, and you should use a fairly vigorous retrieve. Flathead are rarely leader shy, and 20lb or 30lb line is fairly common with anglers who have the greatest success. The slot limit for dusky flathead is 30-55cm, and it’s nice to see that it has been welcomed by the vast majority of anglers. BREAM ON HARDBODIES The big news right now is bream on hardbody lures. There has been some great sport in recent weeks. Stevie Wheeler and Owen Pierce are just a few of the keen anglers who have stacked decent numbers of thumping bream to 47cm from Hollands Landing and in the lower Mitchell and out in The Cut around the shallow timber. The Grassy Banks have been a hotspot for bait anglers or shallow-running hardbodies. Even further up the Mitchell River I’ve pulled out some solid bream to 40cm working the deeper rock edges or under overhanging trees. The fast

Jack caught this hen brookie at Clarence Lagoon in the western lakes of Tasmania.

JANUARY 2021

Some ripper dusky flathead are a Gippy Lakes special for holidaymakers, and the Hurricane Sprat 65 is a deadly lure for them. sinking Hurricane Kaplunk hardbodies proved the winning trick. Another hotspot worthy of a mention is the Nicholson River up above the bridges, where the snags are holding some big bream ranging from 40-45cm. Paddle-tail plastics and slow sinking hardbodies are the best options here. This sort of summer luring for bream is a lot earlier than in years gone by. I’m thinking it has a lot to do with the hot spring weather we had back in October and November that has water temps a little higher than normal. THE KINGIES WILL BE LURKING For years now kingfish

have been taunting so many anglers in the Gippy Lakes. Not a lot of people know about or chase these prized sportfish. The kingies show up each summer between the entrance of the lakes to Metung and even past Paynesville, but not in huge numbers so they can frustrate us all. They seem to roam around in small schools and are very mobile. Finding them is the big problem until they bust up on baitfish like tailor or mullet. Tossing lures to a pack of feeding fish is still no guarantee because we have all found these kingfish so exasperating to hook. They happily follow

lures right to the boat as you watch 10 or more big fish turn away just as you drop your jaw, stunned by their size. However if you put in the hard yards and actively chase these fish, the rewards can be kingies in the net up to 90cm+. WHITING Whiting are continuing to show up in the best numbers for years, and there are a few reports of them pushing well up into the lakes system past Metung. They may even get as far as Paynesville. Pipi baits are probably best but I can assure you the local mussels work very well, and live shrimp are used by many.

Ready for launching at the Nicholson River boat ramp, where big bream have been taking lures and bait along rock walls and in the snags.

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East Coast

Fishery on the improve LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

Ever since COVID restrictions eased, people have taken the chance to get out and about and explore. Lakes Entrance has had the influxes of

tourists that our local community survives on. Many changes to the Gippsland Lakes have happened over the last 12 months. After the removal of nets from the system we are already seeing improvements in our fishery. King George

Lucas, Tommy and Sophie Smith with young Tommy’s first ever bronzie going 9’1”. It was an amazing effort by this young angler.

whiting have been thick right throughout the year and should continue to build in numbers. Baits such as peeled prawn and fresh mussel have been extremely productive on the King George, especially when anglers take their time to position their boat in ideal areas where they can target the edges of the weed beds where these great table fish sit in wait of an easy feed. Berleying is really important for anglers who want to catch large numbers of King George. The promise of an easy feed will bring whiting from all around the boat, and concentrate them into a smaller area. The local shark season has been building up, with keen anglers making their way to the beach in search of bronze whalers. These hard-fighting sharks are great fun and are a sight to see. Even if you’re not on the rod your heart is pounding. This style of fishing is truly a team effort because everyone has their part. So far this season bronzies has been consistently landed throughout the 90 Mile Beach. On a recent trip myself and our crew of extremely keen shark anglers managed to put five sharks on the beach in one day, ranging from 8’-11’5”. It was truly crazy day with sheer panic and mayhem. LAKE TYERS The lake has really fired

The main lake has produced some sizable bream lately. The action is slower but the quality is there. up over recent months. With the water level being extremely high and the heat warming the many flooded flats, the edge bite has been extremely productive. There are large areas of flooded vegetation, and all the baitfish have pushed their way up into this cover trying to escape all manner of predators that call the lake home. The Nowa Nowa arm has been the place to be over recent months. Large schools of bream had covered nearly all the flats and drop-offs in the higher reaches of the Nowa Nowa, but with the water warming these fish have scattered and slowly anglers are find better results further downstream.

Those in search of bream have found two major techniques to be producing. You can either work the snags with lightly weighted soft plastics and cast as close to the structure as you dare, or throw slim jerkbait-style hardbodies like the Atomic Jerk Minnow across the shallower flats. The snag fishing along the Nowa Nowa arm has been great fun, especially early in the morning. In recent sessions I’ve commonly seen bream tailing as they’re up super shallow chasing shrimp. Small, lightly-weighted soft plastics have been highly effective, as long as you get your casting right. You want your plastic to

land a close as possible without spooking the fish. If you get the cast right the bream will most likely drill your plastic on the drop. Further downstream, areas such as the island and Half Moon Bay have been highly productive. These large areas of shallow mud flats and isolated weed beds have been ideal to throw a minnow-style hardbody and twitch it back across the flat. HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING? If you have been out for fish lately and have a great pic, please send sit to stevenprykefishing@ gmail.com with short description and you could be featured in the next edition of Fishing Monthly.

Exceptional catches of bream at Bemm River BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

Since the COVID lockdown ended we have seen not only an influx of visitors to Bemm River but to East Gippsland in general. Visitors who have never visited Bemm River before are seizing the opportunity to come and see what these pristine areas have to offer. Bemm River has certainly been living up to its reputation with some of the best fishing we have seen for months. At the time of writing the entrance remains open. Substantial spring rainfall has definitely assisted in keeping the entrance open. Anglers have reported exceptional catches of luderick, bream, trevally, salmon and tailor, with the most popular baits being sandworm and prawn. The channel, Mahoganies, river mouth and lake have all

been hot spots. The river has been quiet due to the amount of freshwater still flowing. The surf has been producing an abundance of

salmon and tailor. Anglers using bream gear in the breakers have been catching golden-eye mullet. These fish are not only lots of fun

to catch but also make a tasty table fish. In concluding, please don’t forget to check your wheel bearings and boating

Graeme enjoyed a great bream session late last year. This fish went 38cm and weighed just under a kilo.

The snags are yielding some good quality fish.

equipment (especially dates on flares!) before venturing away on your holiday. • For on the spot and up to date fishing reports check out Robyn’s website: www. bemmaccommodation.

com.au or ‘like’ us on Facebook – Bemm River Holiday Accommodation Phone: (03) 5158 4233/ Mob. 0427 584 233 Email: bemmaccomm@ bigpond.com. JANUARY 2021

East Coast

VIC

Lack of fishing pressure fires up the fish MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

The town is full of visitors, with all caravan parks and accommodation full which is much needed after the bushfire of the previous Christmas shut down the whole town. With little fishing pressure over the

last 12 months this season is shaping up to be a good one, once the season gets in full swing. Offshore the fishing has been patchy at best, with many people putting in a lot of effort for little reward. However, at this time last year plenty of fish were being caught, so we can expect the fishing to come to life this month.

The flathead fishing in the lake is in full swing with plenty of fish being caught.

We have seen good catches in the Eden area in recent weeks, and good water temperatures are on the way. At present some gummy sharks are being caught along with sand flathead and tiger flathead. The harbour is free of sand, making launching and retrieving boats a lot easier than in past years, but as usual it pays to be out there early as the wind is usually up early at this time of year. The beaches have plenty of good gutters with salmon and the odd tailor being caught. At the time of writing, the water temperature is still cold so there’s not a great variety of species on offer, but that will all change over the coming months with the warmest ocean temperatures on the way. This time of year sees anglers fishing into the dark down at Quarry Beach using bog baits and heavy gear targeting sharks, with seven-gill shark and gummy shark a common catch. The fishing in the

lake has come alive with flathead being caught anywhere from the entrance area in the Bottom Lake right through to the rivers above Gypsy Point. It’s not hard to get a feed of fish, just remember to let the bigger fish go as they are all females, and please stick to your bag limit. This will help to ensure good fishing for years to come. Bream are starting to move around, actively feeding. When it comes to catching them, the key is keep moving until you find an area with numbers of fish, and then concentrate your efforts in that spot. Pinkie snapper are also on the chew, with just legal size fish biting in recent weeks. There are also some catches of tarwhine to report. You have a good chance of catching mulloway at time of year, and this will continue right through until Easter. The best time is round the full moon, with plenty of fish caught in the daytime around this time.

Bream are being caught in both the Top and Bottom lakes on a variety of lures. This one was caught on a Hurricane blade. There are good numbers of prawns in the lake, and they are growing fast. At present they are only bait size but in the months

ahead they will be worth chasing for a feed. All in all, it’s looking great for fishing in the months ahead.

Bring on the bronzies MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

With the warmer weather the water is beginning to warm also, so it won’t be long before

baitfish arrive with the warm currents moving down the east coast into Bass Strait. Shadowing the baitfish will be the pelagic species, most notably kingfish. It’s the start of the kingfish season, and when they

are on the chew it creates plenty of excitement for the offshore anglers who target this species. These anglers love to try out their latest lures and techniques each season. In the meantime, the fishing is good offshore with

There have been some big bronze whalers caught in recent weeks, sometimes with extra support from doggy helpers.

All smiles after a successful bronzie session.

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anglers reporting getting good bins of flathead, gurnard, barracouta, squid, pinkie snapper, salmon, and gummy shark. The surf beaches are also firing, with plenty of reports of anglers getting salmon, tailor, flathead, and gummy shark. Some beach fishers prefer to focus on big bronze whaler sharks, and they do this by swimming their bait out or taking it well out past the breakers and using big game gear, and the results have been outstanding. The anglers who participate in this style of sportfishing almost always release their sharks after some quick photos.

As you would imagine, this form of angling is mostly a young person’s sport, with both young men and women doing equally as well. One local couple managed to bag and release five bronzies in one afternoon, with the biggest going about 12ft. The estuary is also fishing magnificently, with good captures of bream ranging in size from 30cm to 45cm+. They have been taking sandworm, black crab, pipis, frozen prawn, and lures. At last the luderick have arrived in big schools and can be found schooling around the rock groynes that surround the islands and riverbanks. The best

results have been coming on sandworm and shrimp. Plenty of mullet are throughout the whole estuary, taking sandworm baits. Estuary perch are schooling on snags and structures in both the Snowy and Brodribb rivers, and can be taken on sandworm or lures. Lure fishers are catching big estuary flathead along the sand flats that run from the Marlo jetty all the way down to Frenches Narrows. Salmon and tailor are coming into the estuary on the incoming tide in good numbers, best results in catching them is spinning with metal lures.

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VIC

Borders open for cod season ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

The strict confines of COVID are all but gone as borders open and we are all the best of friends once

Murray River at Swan Hill flowing relatively clear anglers are looking to lures to start the cod tally on its roll. The past few seasons have seen Swan Hill a consistent location for cod anglers to put a bend in the rod. Numerous 1m+ cod have been landed on both bait and

be hard work! These fat-laden packages draw Murray cod from their hidey holes as the big fish snuffle down the rich aroma leading to the hook. Yabbies too are great bait, and the best of these big enough to eat will tempt the larger fish. If you have a cocktailed mix of both grub and yabby, it will withstand the small pickers for longer. This way, you will ensure that some bait remains on your hook for long enough

to tempt any hungry cod that approaches. Several large scrub worms threaded on a hook also make a great cod bait, as does a large ball of river shrimp. On the kitchen bait scene, chicken fillets rain supreme with plenty of big cod tempted on these pink flesh fillets every season. After that, salami or other forms of processed meat will often tempt a bite, as too will cheese. Mozzarella is

Clinton Hann with a warm weather cod taken on a StumpJumper lure.

The best natural cod bait going: the humble bardi grub. again. With so many options to wet a line and travel almost unrestricted it’s hard to pick where the best cod bite might be. It’s strange to think that just a few short months ago we could not even wet a line in Victoria and now we are spoiled for choice. With the

lures and the same will be said for the new season as anglers hit the river en masse. The best baits for cod in our local waters will be a mix of both natural and kitchen selection. Bardi grubs are at the top of the list and rightly so if you have ever taken the time to dig a few yourself. It can

Spinnerbaits are a great summer lure choice as Dean Norbiato found out when this solid cod slammed a Bassman 4x4.

the cheese of choice for no other reason that it is pliable and stays on the hook. Stinky cheeses with more bite have that extra aroma but their crumbly nature makes them all but impossible to pin on a hook. Save the crumbly stuff for ya dry bickies and feed the stretchy stuff to the cod. Anglers will blanket the river over the holiday season from Swan Hill to Mildura and beyond, and plenty of good cod will be landed at most locations. Mildura angler Kym Sykes reckons the river looks

ripe for the picking, with some ripper Murray cod caught locally the past few seasons. With good water clarity plenty of anglers will be trolling the numerous deep runs both above and below the Mildura weir. Sykes says Wentworth, Fort Courage and Neds Corner on the Murray River will all produce good cod over the coming months on both bait and lures. Here’s to a ripper cod season and with any luck, a big wave goodbye to Corona as our angling lives return to some form of normality.

Good fishing in impoundments BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

The productive fishing has continued in our local impoundments. Anglers are enjoying the best golden perch fishing in our local impoundment in over a decade. We are now in the middle of the holiday period when our waterways can get very busy with boat traffic, so if you are fishing a popular destination at this time of the year it is advisable to fish very early in the morning or late in the afternoon when boat traffic is reduced. This will give you the best opportunity to land some quality fish. LAKE EPPALOCK Water levels are slowly starting to recede at this location. At the time of writing this report Lake Eppalock was at 46% of capacity. At the present time golden perch remain the target species for many anglers fishing this location. The overall numbers of golden perch has reduced slightly in recent weeks, mainly due to receding water levels, combined with increased fishing pressure from anglers. The average size of the golden perch 90

JANUARY 2021

remains very good with the occasional 60cm+ golden perch being caught. A number of different structures are producing golden perch. Rocky shorelines, submerged saplings and standing timber are all good options. In some areas of the lake you can find small weed beds, most of which are currently in 12-13ft of water. The weed beds can be hard to find but fishing them has been productive. Good lure options for the golden perch have been casting lipless crankbaits and blades and small hardbody lures. Trolling hardbody lures in depths of around 4m has also produced a few golden perch. The redfin fishing had been slow for a while but catch rates have recently increased. I am predicting we should see a

good increase in the numbers of redfin being caught over the next month. At the present time the small numbers of large redfin have been caught in depths greater than 10m. This might change in the coming weeks as water temperatures continue to increase. Always an optimist I am still hopeful that we may still see some more good inflows go into the lake. If this does occur and water levels go over the high water mark from earlier in the season it would be great for the productivity in the fishing. The chance of this happening is reduced as each week passes and the catchment dries out. CAMPASPE RIVER The fishing in the Campaspe River has been very disappointing so far this season. The low productivity

Glenn Scoble caught this early morning golden perch at Lake Eppalock with a slow rolling retrieve on this hardbody lure.

has been mainly because of the poor water clarity, produced by inflows from feeder creeks after rainfall events and the increased flow released out of Lake Eppalock. The amount of water being released from the lake has reduced in recent weeks. If you are planning to fish the Campaspe River in the short term, bait fishing is your best option. If we don’t receive anymore significant rainfall over the next month we should start to see a steady improvement in the water clarity. CAIRN CURRAN Cairn Curran is currently at 49% of capacity and water levels are slowly declining. In recent weeks there has been a steady improvement in water clarity, and there has also been a significant improvement in catch rates. Golden perch are currently the main species being caught. Anglers are also picking up small numbers of redfin and Murray cod, usually as a by-catch while chasing the golden perch. Jason Andriske reports he has been having great success trolling for the golden perch in the depth range of 3-4m of water. He fished by himself one day recently and managed to land 21 golden perch for the day. The stand out lure for the day was Feralcatt lures. Dark coloured Feralcatt lures were the best option with a blue being preferred by the fish. The next day Jason and

The author managed this quality golden perch at Lake Eppalock while using a hopping retrieve on a silent lipless crankbait. his brother Mark again ventured out Cairn Curran for a session chasing the golden perch. Mark was hot out of the blocks boating the first five golden perch for the day. Mark’s go-to lure was a small JD Lure. Jason, however, had bragging rights at the end of the day. Jason’s most productive lures for the day were Kneller Destructors and 6th Sense lures in the Curve55 model. The guys managed to land 22 golden perch for the day, with sizes up to the mid 50cm range. LODDON RIVER The productivity in the fishing has continued to improve in the Loddon River, and the water clarity is now good at most of the popular locations along the Loddon River. Good numbers of fish are being caught below Cairn Curran and Laanecoorie, while the productivity has still been low in the section

of river around Newbridge. This section of the systems should start to fish well over the next few weeks if the trend of improving water clarity continues. The two most popular sections of the Loddon River at Bridgewater and Serpentine have been good options. Golden perch have been making up the majority of anglers’ captures, and good lure choices for the golden perch have been suspending hardbody lures, lipless crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Murray cod captures will increase over the next few weeks as more anglers spend time targeting this species again now the season is open. Good lure options for the Murray cod will again be the popular favourite of swimbaits, surface lures, spinnerbaits, large hardbody lures and large lipless crankbaits.

VIC

Timing can be everything BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Anglers in and around the Ballarat district now need to think smarter, given that our warmer weather has finally arrived. It’s no good sitting out at one of our local waters during the middle of a 30°C

two of these brown trout were full of mudeyes. I have heard quite a few reports now of trout being caught on mudeyes during the day, on evening and after dark. The trout feeding on mudeyes after dark has brought a lot of fly fishers to Ballarat to fish the Wendouree mudeye hatch. The hatch generally starts just on dark and can

are not just isolated to Lake Wendouree, of course; they are in every lake and river throughout the country. We focus on the hatches to obviously give us the best chance of catching a fish. Local fly fishers Cam Griffin and David Bandy have been doing very well after dark catching some lovely brown trout around the 60cm mark. Both anglers have been using different fly patterns to mimic different stages of the mudeye migration. David has been using the wet fly version, with a Craig’s Night Time doing the damage. Cam has been using the dry fly version, Muddler Minnow pattern. Both guys have been

of 60cm, and Wayne has scored some nice rainbows around the 50cm mark. Bent Minnow surface lures have been the go. Tullaroop Reservoir continues to fish well for trout although it has slowed down a little with the increase in temperature. Timing is even more important now with Tullaroop for those anglers who chase trout. In the shallow bays the water is warmer, and the trout certainly do not like warmer water. However, they will venture into the shallows during the night to feed before heading back out into the deeper, cooler water during the day. This means you need to get out of bed really early and

Max Stevens’ outdoor education on Lake Wendouree, catching a nice brown trout on a local spider/bug mudeye. day and getting totally torched/sunburnt. Instead, we need to target the times when the fish start to feed, and this is generally early in the morning, in the evening and throughout the night during the warmer months. This generally coincides with insect hatches, because when the food is there the fish will feed. I did mention last month that the mudeyes will start to hatch in big numbers, and we are now smack bang into that period and the trout are really tuned in on them. This is no more evident than on Lake Wendouree. I ventured out recently with my son Maxi to fish mudeyes suspended under bubble floats. The fish were definitely on the bite. We caught and released a number of fish, which were willing to eat the local Wendouree bug/spider mudeyes. Upon inspecting the contents of their stomachs,

sometimes last for an hour or two or even more. There is no rhyme nor reason on how long it will last or what time it will start, and no guarantee that the

Vern Barby landed this magnificently conditioned brown trout fly fishing the evening rise at Moorabool Reservoir. Image courtesy of Ven Barby

Lake Wendouree spider/bug mudeyes. fish will feed on them every night, but it certainly brings the anglers to the lake. The mudeye hatches

Shane Stevens with a nice Tullaroop brown trout.

using a very slow, figure eight retrieve. I expect the mudeye hatches to last for the next few months and eventually taper off in late March to early April. Until that time, anglers should make the most of the opportunity. Fly fishing and bait fishing with mudeyes hasn’t been the only angling method catching fish on Wendouree. Trevor Holmes and Wayne Rigg have both been out casting lures out of a drifting boat. The boys have ventured out on the cooler, cloudy, windy days in between the hot days to target the trout with excellent results. Trevor has bagged some rippers including a lovely big brown

be on the water’s edge just on daybreak or even earlier to give you the best opportunity to catch some of the quality rainbow and brown trout that are in Tullaroop. I have been on a few ‘dawn patrols’, as I call them, with some of my fishing mates recently. We have managed to crawl out of bed at 4:30am, make the 40-minute drive to be there at prime time, and have been rewarded for our efforts, especially while fly fishing. The fish have been feeding on midge, and I have been using a Black Nymph fly pattern with a very slow retrieve to catch a few. The fishing window can be very short, especially when the sun starts to rise, which can put the fish down very quickly. You need to make the most of your opportunities whilst you can. We have also had a couple of sessions on cloudy, windy days fishing the deeper drop-offs. The trout have been willing to be tempted by our lures, especially when they come into the shallower edges. I think the trout feel they are going to miss out on a feed. Trout are not the only species in Tullaroop, it is renowned as an excellent water to fish for redfin, which a lot of anglers like to target. They are an excellent table fish, and the increase in

Trevor Holmes nailed this ripping Wendouree brown casting Bent Minnow lures in the rowing lanes. Image courtesy of Wayne Rigg water temperature is a trigger for redfin to start to bite. Dean Hodge and his boys have been over at Tullaroop trolling lures down deep 40-50ft recently, catching some absolute rippers up to 52cm long. Tullaroop has now been opened to boating for 18 months, with electric motors being allowed, and this has opened up a whole new fishery which had never been accessed by anglers. The reddies being on the bite has attracted anglers in large numbers to catch a feed of reddies over the past month. The most successful methods are trolling lures down deep or jigging Baltic Bobbers or ice jigs and fishing baits like worms, minnow/galaxia and yabbies on the bottom. If you find a school of these fish you will certainly bag yourself a feed. Moorabool Reservoir has seen plenty of surface action with the trout feeding on anything and every insect that lands. This can be frustrating for the angler as some insects

I have been able to catch a few feisty rainbows between 1.5-2lb on black nymphs. The bigger sized brown trout have eluded me, but Vern Barby has been able to catch some of the bigger fish on small midge patterns during evening sessions. These fish have been around the 6lb mark. Vern said on one evening rise he fished recently, the fish were everywhere sipping down midge, caddis moths, caenid, damsels, dragonflies and ants. The amount of food that was on the water was unbelievable, and it’s no wonder the fish do well. Vern said he managed to put his fly in front of the first fish he saw, and bang – it nailed the fly. A good battle followed, during which time all the other fish continued to feed. Vern took a couple of photos and released the brown to fight another day. He then started casting at other fish, and bang – a similar-sized fish nailed his fly only to be busted off. He could not tempt another one after that, but that’s fishing.

Cam Griffin nailed this magnificent brown trout fishing the mudeye hatch on Lake Wendouree after dark. A Muddler Minnow fly pattern did the job. Image courtesy of Cam Griffin are very hard to tempt with imitation flies and lures. I have been out for a few dawn patrols to find the trout feeding just out of reach with the fly, and they just stay out there teasing you. Every now and then one will slip up and come in close enough for you to get your fly in front of it and get it to eat your fly.

Interestingly, Vern has been out on other evenings and not seen a fish, despite conditions being the same. Moorabool will continue to fish well during the summer months. Anglers need to target the prime fishing times early in the morning and during the evening for the chance to catch a fish. JANUARY 2021

VIC

Trout sulking, cod biting WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

January is the hottest time of the year here in the Wangaratta region. Forget about bringing your cod glove, you’re gonna need

trout to feed actively. Even then, early mornings are best after the water has had all night to cool a little bit. In all of the region’s streams, the best time to fish is during a fresh flush. If we get a decent rain event, or even just a thunderstorm,

around the edges of Lake Buffalo in January. Last year, however, I went a few times but was unsuccessful. Redfin are a seasonal fish and fishing for them varies from season to season. Perhaps this year might be total opposite, and provide

stocking program. In recent years Victorian Fisheries have been stocking 50,000 yellowbelly (golden perch) into the Ovens River from Wangaratta downstream, and we are just starting to see the results. Try bait fishing anywhere from Wangaratta downstream, with worms and freshwater shrimp being the best baits. Small yabbies are also a favourite of the yellowbelly. I would not expect to catch any massive yellowbelly yet, but hopefully in the next few years we’ll start to see a few in the Ovens River. MURRAY COD Murray cod are without a doubt the most soughtafter fish species in the

Trolling for redfin in Lake William Hovell can be very productive. Small hardbody diving lures are the best. This fish ate a Damiki Disco 38. the second best, at least for lure fishing. The average size of the Murray cod in the Ovens River is not big. The river has an abundance of small Murray cod. If you are just

Lake Eildon. That said, the Bundalong stretch of the lower Ovens River produces quite a few very large Murray cod each year. The Ovens River is backed up by Lake

Bait fishing is widely practised in the Ovens River. Most of the fish are undersize but it’s a lot of fun. an oven mitt. At least you can use that to help open your car door and put your seatbelt on. Seriously folks, January is the hottest month of the year in this

as long as there is fresh, cooler water flowing down the streams the trout will be likely to take advantage and grab a feed. However, the bite might last for only a few

fantastic fishing? One thing that I do know is that January is a great time to try fishing for them in Lake Buffalo, Lake Sambell (Beechworth) and Lake

Kayak fishing has become very popular in Lake William Hovell, and January is the perfect month to go up there for a paddle and a swim. Wangaratta area during January. The Ovens River is a very popular waterway for anglers targeting Murray cod. January isn’t the best month to fish for cod; I think December is much better. However, January is

wanting to catch your first Murray cod, or get the kids onto a fish, the Ovens River is a great option. If you are wanting to catch that elusive 1m+ Murray cod, you are probably better off fishing the Murray River, including Lake Mulwala, or even

Mulwala at this time of the year and is very deep. It provides the ideal habitat for really big fish. Remember to pack plenty of water for your January Murray cod fishing adventure, and stay safe out there.

Brett Corker with an Ovens River yellowbelly caught on worms. region. So how does that affect the fishing? TROUT January is the worst month of the year for trout in North East Victoria, because the water is so warm. In the lowland streams the trout will sit in the shady depths of the larger holes and sulk. They will wait until there is some cooler, fresher water before mobbing out to feed. As a result, the trout fishing is super slow in January. Further in the headwaters of the streams up in the mountains, the water may still be cool enough for the 92

JANUARY 2021

days until the flush passes. During January, try some of the mountain areas. Lake Catani, Rocky Valley Dam and Pretty Valley Dam are all worth trying as long as the streams that flow in and out of these alpine lakes are flowing. REDFIN January can be a great time of the year to target redfin because they like the water to be a bit warmer, especially the smaller redfin. In the past I have had great success casting small soft plastics and bladed spinners off the bank, just wet wading

William Hovell. Also, any of the streams in the region that have redfin in them will be worth fishing, provided they have water in them. I find that many of the streams that I fish for trout will have redfin sitting in the deeper pools in the lower reaches of these streams, and these redfin are often willing to take a lure during the summer months. YELLOWBELLY Yellowbelly catches are becoming more and more frequent in the Ovens River in Wangaratta thanks to the Victorian Fisheries fish

The lowland stretches of many of the region’s trout streams are worth searching out for redfin in January. This nice redfin took a Strike Tiger curl-tail grub in banana shock colour.

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FMM JANUARY 2021

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JANUARY 2021

VIC

Golden opportunities to look forward to in 2021 SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

2021 is now upon us and let’s hope and pray that it’s much more normal than 2020 was. During the back end of 2020 we got back to life as ‘COVID normal’, and the fishing was cod normal for December with plenty of reports of the Goulburn fishing well – just as it does most Decembers. The start of December had locals catching heaps of smaller cod on both bait and lures in almost all the main areas. Rafterys Road, Moira Park, Toolamba and in the heart of Shepparton behind the lake all fished well, and I would expect that to be the case through January. Plenty of bigger fish have been caught in years gone by in behind the Shepparton Lake in the heat of summer, with big bardi grubs or chicken fillets being the best bait. Old Mates or Codgers in purple or green have been the stand-out trolling lures for the Goulburn River. Casting Bassman

spinnerbaits in black and red or orange works well in the summer. If you have a good lure retriever, casting TN70s with a bigger beetle spin will work a treat for the cod but expect to be snagged a few times during the day. Topwater has been dominated by the Jackall Pompadour and the

Bassman Aussie Crawler, and around the Rafterys Road area has been the best location for topwater in the Goulburn. There have been plenty of snakes spotted on the river banks so make sure when you tie up for a bait fish around all the tree roots you take plenty of care. Tiger snakes seem to

really enjoy these areas. There is even more incentive to fish the Goulburn at the moment, with a tagged cod worth some serious cash released prior to cod opening. This program will help generate interest in fishing, and more info can be found on the Victorian Fisheries Authority Facebook page.

Steve Threlfall, owner of Trelly’s Outdoor, with one of the two Golden Tagged Cod released in the Shepparton region.

The Broken River did not produce as many fish at the start of the cod season compared to normal, which was strange as the water quality seems to be better than previous times. Those who had success were mostly casting spinnerbaits deep into timber or fishing topwater after dark. Bait fishers have had some luck catching yellowbelly on shrimp and worms on a lightly weighted rig. SHEPPARTON LAKE The Shepparton Lake normally doesn’t feature too much in the summer months but with many decent-sized cod released over the last 12-18 months it’s a genuine option for local anglers. The other bonus is there is another Golden Tag cod in the Shepp Lake which can be worth $2000 for the lucky person who catches it. My mindset to target this fish would be topwater just due to the weed. I don’t feel the bigger cod lures like spinnerbaits, hardbodies or swimbaits will work through the heavy weed; long casting surface lures running above the weed would be almost

To page 95

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the only way to entice the bigger cod to bite. For those wanting to bait fish, I would probably float a big bardi grub so it doesn’t get lost at the bottom of the weed and cast the baits in the small pockets where there is less weed. KIALLA LAKES The main lake at Kialla has fished well lately with many families heading down there in the evenings for a fish. Bait fishing around the trees has worked very well, with redfin and yellowbelly being caught regularly. Lure fishing has been a bit slow but the trusty TN60 with a beetle spin has worked best, with Spectre Vibration Jigs also accounting for yellowbelly. The smaller second lake is a lot more dirty compared the main lake and it’s been reported when you can see a dirty slick in the first lake, fish have been caught around that area on bait. LOCAL CHANNELS The cod fishing has gone a bit quiet in recent times, with many more yellowbelly being caught in

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Full of water, full of fish CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Lake Tooliorook near Lismore is absolutely full to capacity. The fishing can only be described as

awesome, and it can only get better as the trout stocked in the past two years continue to grow. Both browns and rainbows have been stocked here, and the first stocking is showing fish weighing

The author’s live well with a session of pansized redfin jigged at depth. Fish Arrow 3” Flash J Huddles and Shads fished on a 1/4oz jighead to get down to depth quickly did the job.

up to 4lb which suggests there’s a good supply of food available in the lake for the fish. Plenty of rumours are also leading to the redfin population being back on the rise. Either some survived the low water in recent years and/or their eggs survived in the mud awaiting higher water levels. The reddies aren’t big; 300-400g would see the bigger ones weigh out but they will grow. Schools of the fish can be easily seen on a sounder as they show up as a distinct ‘cloud’, especially if you are trolling lures. Trolling remains the number one go for both trout and reddies, however many anglers choose to bait fish, especially those without a boat. Gudgeon apparently can be netted in the shallows and provide a great live bait

source either under a float or on the bottom. Mudeye and worm are also catching fish. Otherwise, medium to deep diving minnow lures are working well either on the troll or cast, depending on the depth being worked. A few fly anglers are also working the shoreline just north of the angling club building using a sinking line and fly. At Lake Purrumbete plenty of school redfin are skulking around at depths varying from 10-15m. Often these schools appear as a cloud rising off the bottom. If you encounter this scenario it pays to drop an anchor nearby without spooking the fish or, if you have a top range electric, keep it on hold. Drop some dry, sinking berley down to entice them into feeding mode. Most reddies are averaging

Lake Tooliorook’s concrete double ramp (shallow angled), jetty and fishing pier. The lake is full and fishing well for browns and rainbows. in the mid-20s however a thumper at 48cm was caught jigging at depth. Speaking of jigging – use metal blades, soft plastics or even small spinnerbaits and work the area just off the bottom to 2m+. Bait anglers are ‘resting’ live minnow and worm just off the bottom and are getting good results on some days. The by-catch species has

been tiger trout. Along with cheetah trout, these are a new hybrid species stocked here recently. Don’t forget the Chinook salmon that often hunt at depth, along with the odd rainbow. An increase in trophy captures is currently underway with mainly browns from 6-9lb falling foul to trolled and cast lures worked just out from the bank.

Blue rockin’ the summer hols WST/STH GIPPSLAND

Steve Haughton steve@habitatcreations.com.au

The summer holidays provide the perfect opportunity to get the family out for a day trip in the West and South Gippsland regions. You are spoilt for choice when you head an hour or so east from Melbourne, with mountain streams, rivers flowing through open farmland and one very picturesque lake. Pack the rods in the car for your day out because there are many great spots to explore and wet a line. Noojee has got to be in the top three local destinations to escape the summer heat. These small trout-packed streams are incredibly refreshing and very inviting after a flick of the lure or cast of a fly. Noojee is a small town set in a beautiful damp forest valley and has three streams holding trout: the Loch, Toorongo and

Latrobe rivers. Heading further east you’ll find the Tanjil River starting below Mt Baw Baw and making its way through lush forest before spilling into Blue Rock Lake. What the Tanjil lacks in picnic areas and easy access, it makes up for in remoteness and tranquillity. The Loch River enters the Latrobe River in the Loch & Latrobe Rivers Streamside Reserve in town, and offers plenty of picnic areas and good fishing access. There is camping upstream of town at The Poplars Camping Ground. The Toorongo River enters the Latrobe a few kilometres further downstream of town but is well accessed by the Toorongo Valley Road en route to the photogenic Toorongo Falls. There is camping at the Toorongo Falls Reserve. Another destination well known by locals is the Picnic Point Reserve at Drouin West and not far upstream is Fisher Road Reserve. Both spots combined make up a position in the top three local destinations to escape the summer heat.

These two reserve oasis are well known swimming holes with terrific picnic facilities, and are good points of entry to fish upstream or downstream. Garden worms are simple yet effective bait for stream trout. Hardbody minnow lures with small bibs, soft plastic wrigglers or small spinner blade lures work best in stream conditions. Dry flies to match the hatch are best fished in the evening when the trout are rising to feed. During the day, beaded nymphs are the most productive. And a top three local destination to escape the summer heat in this region has definitely got to be Blue Rock Lake, located behind the township of Willow Grove. Blue Rock is a very welcoming place on a hot summer’s day. There are two main day areas at either end of the lake – one off the Old Tanjil Road and the other at the dam wall. The main boat ramp is at the Old Tanjil Road entry and features a dual ramp, floating pontoon jetties and plenty of parking. Bass

is the primary target species for the lake, with secondary species redfin and carp being the targets over the warmer months. As things cool down anglers shift focus to trout. The lake is perfect for land-based, kayak or boat anglers. It’s a deep lake so the water temperature may be warm at the surface but a foot below it can be still quite chilly through summer. So this makes it very inviting during the heat of the day when the fishing slows down. Hardbodied bibbed lures, spinnerbaits, soft plastics and surface lures work wonders at this time of the year fished in the late afternoon as the hills start to cast a shadow over the water. If you’re using bait, you can’t go wrong with worms, yabbies and crickets fished just off the bottom near the shoreline. While carp have a bad name, they are very active at this time of the year and can be a lot of fun for the family. Use corn as bait, or patrol the shoreline from your boat or

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the local channels. Casting around the drop bars has been the best method with lures, and the usual TN60 or a Keitech soft plastic, both rigged with a beetle spin, have been working best. Bait fishing with a bunch of worms almost anywhere has worked well for smaller fish, with plenty of small yellowbelly, redfin and the odd carp being caught in high numbers in a day’s session. WARANGA BASIN January would have to be the busiest month for boating traffic at the basin. Jet skis, ski boats and fishing boats are

Steve Threlfall releasing the other Golden Tagged Cod.

Wayne Sederlan has been enjoying good success at Blue Rock, fishing a black grub plastic on 10lb leader near the banks in 2-3m of water. kayak spotting for cruising carp and flick cicada surface lures at them… then hang on! The native river blackfish’s season has re-opened for the year and offers an alternative target species to trout in the rivers of West and South

Gippsland. Feel free to send me a report or photo, particularly if you have any success stories over the school holidays. Please email me any questions too. Happy fishing!

everywhere so I try to get there super early to get an easy run at the ramps, or go late in the afternoon. Getting away from all the chop around the ramps is also important, so I lean to fishing the banks on the Shepparton side of the lake away from Harrimans or the caravan park. Trolling 10ft Codgers or the RMG Crazy Deeps in the Trelly’s white/orange colour has still been a great method for those wanting to target either redfin or yellowbelly. Once you find a patch of fish, either by trolling or on a sounder, try sitting on them and slow rolling Gulps or smaller Keitech

plastics. This approach is dynamite on the summer fish, which tend to be out deeper. When bait fishing, drifting until you find an active school can work well, or you can find them on the sounder and then sitting on top of them. Worms and small yabbies have been the best baits for the basin recently, and I can’t see why this wouldn’t be the case in January and February. The channels leading into and out of the Basin have also produced good sized yellowbelly and cod for those not wanting to fish the Basin. JANUARY 2021

VIC

Bagging big cod EILDON

Peter Burtchell

‘The perfect storm’ is how I describe the fishing action on Lake Eildon during late November. The bigger Murray cod were fresh off the nest and hungry, our

Jeremy and son Archie were among the successful anglers and the most photogenic was Archie, a very keen angler who managed to land and release two Murray cod and two yellowbelly during their stay at the Lake. Archie sure knows his native fishing and uses both surface and deep-diving lures

Jeremy, Archie’s fishing buddy. Metropolitan Melbourne friends were released earlier than planned and swarmed across all parts of the lake, the Victorian Fishing Authority released tagged fish into the lake with values of $2,000-$10,000, and north-easterly winds flushed most of the baitfish into the Jerusalem Creek Arm, where reports of over 40 1m+ Murray cod catch and releases were reported in one day. A local resident at the Jerusalem Creek Marina and Holiday Park decided to fish with his mate Macca using yabbies as bait and was well rewarded with an 80cm and a smaller tagged Murray cod.

to entice his catches. One lucky angler Dazza, who had never fished for Murray cod before booked a 2-hour guided tour with Jack Harder Guided Fishing Tours and had the fight of his life as he attempted to drag his 1m+ Murray cod out from the structure, where he had hooked it flicking an Ol’ Mate Colour 14. After a quick release and some tips on how to prevent ‘grenading’ his rod during future battles, it was back to the bar. His great photographs and memory of the fight took precedent over his need to purchase a new fishing rod, as he told his tale of the encounter to the many anglers settling in for a bit of serenity after the day’s fishing. The following day another new angler landed and released his first ever Murray cod at 130cm+ from the main arm using a Primal spinnerbait, David Butera also took a half day guided fishing tour, and caught and released his first ever Murray cod. Stuart Petty, using the fish oil and stimulantinfused chicken simply named ‘Cod Bait’ (now available

Archie, the keenest angler on the lake.

David Butera was very happy with his first ever Murray cod.

Bisho with a healthy 80cm Murray cod caught on a yabby.

headed to the upper reaches of the Lake Eildon headwaters as the Murray cod season opened. These rivers are closed to Murray cod fishing during the closed season, unlike the lake, which can be fished all year round for Murray cod and trout. Looking forward I am sure that 2021 will be the year that anglers at Eildon will be on the hunt for the elusive 1.5m Murray cod as the stocks of Murray cod continue to grow in both length, weight, numbers and legend. A common sight from the Café 301 Bar and Grill during 2021will be anglers flicking the largest of swimbaits, divers, and surface lures from the foreshore below the bar where the mighty Murray cod will always be on the hunt for an easy meal. • Jerusalem Creek Marina & Holiday Park is a friendly, family-orientated caravan

at the Café 501) also added himself to the Metre Club angling from the bank. One angler who had been fishing for yellowbelly jigging a small soft plastic hooked into a 1m+ fish on light line in the snags. His skill and determination enabled him to land the fish. Cod opening was quite

Relax and enjoy delicious food and warm hospitality. Stuart Pretty joined the metre club.

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JANUARY 2021

‘Do it in Denny’, they say. The Campbells mixing it up at Jerusalem Creek for cod opening.

the opposite to November with only three vessels taking to the water on December 1. The Campbell family from Deniliquin hired a Northern Waters Boat Hire Fishing Machine and were rewarded with some great catches. The fish captured and released in the photo was a joint effort with Fox setting the rod, Brayden hooking and little Harry assisting with the landing. The other two vessels

park, and makes the perfect home away from home. While there you can opt to hire one of their Boatel floating apartments, hire a boat or book a fishing guide at competitive prices. For more information on all of these services and other attractions in the area, visit jerusalemcreek.com. au, or give them a call on (03) 5774 2585 or email i n f o @ j e r u s a l e m c re e k . com.au.

Go Behind the Scenery

Salmon spreading out HOBART

Andrew Large

As summer warms up we are seeing anglers finally shaking off 2020 and enjoying quality fishing time closer to home. Anglers this last month were treated to an early start to the festive season with over 50,000 Atlantic salmon escaping from their pens in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel in early December... the madness continues with 4kg fish making their way high into the Derwent and Huon rivers. After just over a month of freedom, some of these salmon were reportedly encountered in the channel at Electrona, Margate and Woodbridge. Reports in the Huon have salmon as far up as the Huonville bridge but more reliable Cradoc, Cygnet Bay, Port Huon, Garden Island Creek. Reports are also coming from Esperance and Esperance Bay. Other reports have fish being caught at Tinderbox. Most fish in rivers will travel up as far as the freshwater rapids and congregate. Good numbers of sand flathead are biting well in the channel area too, and are being caught by those trolling for Atlantic Salmon. Norfolk, Chinamans and Marion Bays are producing fish as well. Tiger flathead are being encountered in reasonable numbers from Bicheno to Adventure Bay in the south

in depths of around 70m. Remember to use fresh squid bait as these fish can be quite fussy feeders. Dawn and dusk are the best times to target these fish. Large feeding schools of Australian salmon to 2kg are available around White Beach while other areas such as Cremorne and Carlton River have fish averaging 1kg. Anglers have experienced great success this year casting Halco 80 and 105 Roosta poppers into feeding schools. Calamari have become more consistent in recent weeks. The entire east coast region is giving fishers extra choice in their search for a feed. Closer to the CBD, North Bruny and Betsy Island are worth a try. Sand whiting are still available in Storm Bay. The upper east coast around St Helens sees King George whiting in reasonable numbers being caught. Gummy shark have been taken in waters off the peninsula and Bruny Island. There was a confirmed capture late last year of a mako of around 118kg off Pirates Bay at Eagle Hawk Neck. This seems a tad earlier than usual but bodes well for the summer season. Makos have been caught since mid-November. In the east we have captures of southern bluefin tuna keeping anglers entertained. Sizes have ranged from 20-90kg. Yellowtail kingfish were caught in December in the

northwest and have now filtered pretty much down the entire east coast, with fish being caught in peninsula waters around White Beach, Fortescue Bay and Coles Bay. Snapper have been keeping anglers happy for some time, with larger specimens moving onto offshore structure in recent weeks. The best fish we have heard of to date was 4.1kg caught close to Marion Bay. The usual mackerel and mullet are available from coastal jetties and piers under lights at night. Bibbed lures are being attacked by rather large black bream in the River Derwent. High concentrations of small bait are making them highly aggressive. FRESHWATER Dry fly activity continues to increase with the majority of waters this month seeing some level of activity. Trout are feeding freely on dun, spinner and gum beetle hatches for the moment. Great Lake has some fantastically conditioned fish being taking by anglers using all methods. Fish over 2kg have been taken. Lake Leake is unknown with few reports coming to hand at the time of writing. Tooms Lake sees both rainbows and browns being caught, particularly by spin fishers walking the shore of an evening. Bronte Lagoon is still producing above average sized fish this year. Both wet and dry flies have been taking fish lately, and gum beetle falls have been very

Tasmania

FISHING NEWS

Caught an escapee lately?

In late November and again in early December 2020, damage to marine farm infrastructure located in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel and Storm Bay resulted in the escape of a significant number of Atlantic salmon. If you have caught one of these salmon, the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) would like to hear from you. While it is a bonanza for recreational fishers, relatively little is known about the impacts of such escape events. There are several important questions that arise, including how widely and how quickly escapees disperse, how long they survive in the wild, and whether they are able to adapt to feeding on natural prey items. We are inviting recreational fishers to share their experiences in catching escapees, so we can use these recent escapes as a case study. By mapping the area over which the Atlantic salmon have been caught, we can better understand patterns of dispersal and, by tracking catch rates through time,

we hope to make inferences about survival rates. Finally, any observations about the presence or absence of food items in their stomachs will help us understand whether the escaped fish feed on natural prey. If you would like to find out more, go to www.surveymonkey. com/r/Salmon-survey2020.

consistent here over the last few weeks. Bradys Chain has seen quality fish caught of both species in Tungatinah Lagoon and Lake Binney. Bradys Lake has been tough.

Arthurs Lake is producing good fish to bait, lure and fly. The fishing can still be a little patchy, but strike the right day and you will do well. January and February

If you would prefer to receive the information by mail, please contact Fiona Ewing (IMAS) on 03 6226 8213 or email Fiona. Ewing@utas.edu.au and we will post you a copy. Thank you for helping us to learn more about salmon escape events. - Assoc Prof Jeremy Lyle, Senior Research Scientist, IMAS sees Tasmania’s fresh and salt waters firing. It’s the time to get out and get into the various summer offerings we have as generally summer species only remain for a few brief months each season.

SHEIK OF THE CREEK

Learning how to get the knack of my yak BRISBANE

The Sheik of the Creek

As my Uncle Freddy used to say, ‘I’ve developed a bit of a verandah over the playground’. These verandahs prove pretty hard to shift too, and the medic said I had to look at cycling, swimming or rowing as ways to trim things down a little. Apparently running is out of the question because of the extraordinary stress it would create on the load bearing system. Bit like carting a trailer of rocks on a Tonka axle. Actually, a trailer of marshmallow would be a better analogy. So anyway, I’ve gone and invested in a second-hand kayak from old mate. Now I’ve seen some kayaks around the traps and they’re pretty standard bits of plastic, sometimes coloured, that float even when you’re

sitting on them, and you push them around with a bit of flat timber. Not this thing. It’s similar to my last kayak, in that it has more ropes and pulleys than the Endeavour

and is probably just a tad shorter than Cookie’s tub. There are rudders, anchors, and even a sounder, with clips, ropes, occy straps, and other things that I haven’t

yet deciphered. One of them could be a microwave. I didn’t want a kayak with all the whistles, bells and microchips, because I wasn’t completely

convinced this one wouldn’t follow the compass point of my last one, which was primarily no direction. That is, it was used roughly once a, I’d like to say decade, but that could be kind. But anyway, old mate brought it all the way over from somewhere else, and I didn’t want to disappoint the poor old bugger; he was so skinny he looked like he’d rowed to Norfolk and back into a headwind and a Bamaga run out tide, so I paid what he wanted and put it out the back of the house. Stupidly, I thought I could work out where everything went and how it worked, but after a wee while, I thought I should just get on it, and get going. And so I did. And it worked out surprisingly well, as did I. Of course I need to place some Dudd caveats on that; it went as well as you would expect it to go when an accident prone idiot climbs onto floating plastic and

pushes it around with a flat stick while trying not to fall off the floating plastic. And generally doesn’t, until a helicopter flies overhead, or his hat falls off, or his flat stick gets tangled in some rigging... And who should I meet on my first forays into the perils of the reservoir? But Pete Jung, one of the ad reps from this particular publication and avid kayaker! Pete gave me some tips on throwing lures from floating plastic, and other pieces of safety advice. When I described some of the things that had already happened to me in the short time I’d been trying to exercise, he eyed me sideways. “I thought that ability to break and fall off things was just your alter ego,” he says, “… something you make up for the magazine.” I smile uncomfortably. “Yeah, nuh,” says I. JANUARY 2021

Get to know your WIRF network leaders WIRF LEADER Name: Abby Simpson Age: 21 Region: Ballarat Profession: Exercise Science Student Specialising: Saltwater What’s your fishing style? I mostly fish out of a boat using soft plastics but don’t mind a bit of jetty or land fishing too. How often do you head out for a flick? As often as I can during summer months and every day when holidaying. Favourite species to fish for? Always ready to hook a flathead or bream, but love chasing a kingfish. Most memorable catch? Catching my PB flathead over 80cm, being able to share that moment with those that taught and encouraged me to fish made it so much better. What does being a WIRF Leader mean to you? Being a WIRF leader means that I am able to use my voice to reach more like-minded people, to help educate others who want to give fishing a try, and to have the confidence to go out there and do it. What do you hope to bring to the WIRF team? I hope to encourage more young girls to get out there and try something new, to be brave and embrace what they enjoy. Highlight of your WIRF training? With COVID impacting so many things this year having the opportunity to educate and inform women of all abilities about different components of fishing and to increase their knowledge to help them have more confidence to give it a shot with their families, partners or by themselves through online seminars has been my highlight. Who would you love to fish with in the fishing industry? Cristy Worsteling would be incredible to fish with; but literally anyone who has knowledge about a new species, a different style of fishing or area to fish in. Any type of variety I find interesting. What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given? Don’t let anything or anyone stop you, do exactly what makes you happy and what you enjoy. If you were a fish, what species best describes you? I’d have to say a seahorse, because they are calm, easy going and love a good adventure. Technically they are a fish so it counts.

WIRF LEADER Name: Amy Day Age: 33 Region: Mornington Peninsula Profession: Regional Disability Coordinator Specialising: Saltwater What’s your fishing style? Saltwater bait angler. How often do you head out for a flick? 3 times a week, weather pending of course. Favourite species to fish for? King George whiting and southern calamari. Most memorable catch? Fishing at Ballina NSW for kingfish offshore with Michael Starkey (Frogley’s Offshore), and with my partner. We were targeting them 70m down. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face! 98

JANUARY 2021

What does being a WIRF Leader mean to you? Encouraging others to step out of the box and motivating woman, in particular, to get out there and try new things. What do you hope to bring to the WIRF team? Inspire others, especially those suffering with health issues both mentally and physically. To help woman feel themselves and to give it a shot even if they haven’t been fishing before. Highlight of your WIRF training? We all know 2020 has been a bit bizarre, however the industry talks and linking in with all walks of life is amazing. I am always thrilled to see success stories of some incredible people, it’s very humbling. Who would you love to fish with in the fishing industry? Lydia Cahill, she is such a beautiful soul and I would love to be lucky enough to catch some big dogs with her and her husband John. She’s an inspiration to woman and incredibly down to earth. I enjoy our chats on a regular basis. What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given? Always fish to your ability and just have fun. If you were a fish, what species best describes you? A toadie, they eat anything and you’re bound to see me around on any trip – distracting and pestering anyone who will listen!

WIRF LEADER Name: Amy White Age: 34 Region: Lakes Entrance Profession: Asset Management Specialising: Saltwater What’s your fishing style? Cross my fingers and hope for the best. Primarily a bait fisher but recently hooked my first fish (big ol’ bream) on a soft plastic, which was an awesome feeling. How often do you head out for a flick? At least once a week, when the weather cooperates. Favourite species to fish for? Whiting Most memorable catch? First tailor caught at Lake Tyers, which was a whopper. My reel busted so I had to run 20m up the bank to land it. What does being a WIRF Leader mean to you? It means knowing that there are so many other female anglers out there who are just as enthusiastic about fishing as I am. If by leading by example I can influence just one female, young or old, to pick up a rod then I think it’s ‘WIRF’ it. What do you hope to bring to the WIRF team? Classic gags and representation of female anglers in (or who visit) East Gippsland. Highlight of your WIRF training? Seeing how the previous years’ WIRF leaders are changing the face of fishing for female anglers in Australia, and me now having the opportunity to contribute to this movement. Who would you love to fish with in the fishing industry? Any of the female anglers that are a part of our WIRF network community… and Rex Hunt. I grew up watching him on telly; his passion and enthusiasm for all kinds of fishing really rubbed off on me. What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given? As a kid: “The rod needs to be in the water to catch a fish.” i.e. stop checking your bait every two seconds when you haven’t even had a bite! If you were a fish, what species best describes you? Bream – it’s taking me a long time to grow up.

WIRF LEADER Name: Chantal Meehan Age: 46 Region: Port Melbourne Profession: Business Manager – Finance and Insurance in a car dealership Specialising: Saltwater (but grew up with freshwater) What’s your fishing style? I just purchased a kayak during lockdown so love getting out on the bay for a flick. How often do you head out for a flick? Weekly during snapper season, I’m a fair-weather fisher. Favourite species to fish for? Snapper at home, or barramundi up north. Most memorable catch? My first snapper was 5.8kg on a fishing charter a couple of years ago – what a way to open your snapper account! What does being a WIRF Leader mean to you? It’s great to meet so many other women who love to fish, and support others who want to try. What do you hope to bring to the WIRF team? Encourage women and families to go fishing and support them in an inclusive and welcome environment. Highlight of your WIRF training? Meeting the other WIRF Leaders who I’ve been following online for so long. Who would you love to fish with in the fishing industry? Looking forward to getting out now we can (post lockdown) with the WIRF ladies. What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given? “It’s called fishing, not catching”. Enjoy the moment… If you were a fish, what species best describes you? That’s a hard one. I’d say barramundi because I prefer warmer weather.

WIRF LEADER Name: Helen McDonnell Age: 31 Region: East Gippsland Profession: Teacher Specialising: A good mix of the two in the beautiful East Gippsland lakes What’s your fishing style? I’ve only ever fished with bait and have only recently started experimenting with lures, thanks to some tips from my fellow WIRF leaders. I use a lightweight rod that’s easy to use on the kayak and fit in the car for any spontaneous fishing trips. How often do you head out for a flick? I’ve really got into kayak fishing lately so it’s all about the weather. If it’s not too choppy you can guarantee that I will be out fishing on the kayak every couple of days. Favourite species to fish for? Whiting Most memorable catch? I was away for a weekend in the Yarra Valley and we stopped at the river to have a go at trout fishing, not expecting to catch a thing. I’ve always wanted to catch a trout and managed to catch one within the first couple of casts on a worm. It wasn’t the biggest fish but it was pretty special.

What does being a WIRF Leader mean to you? It means helping to make fishing more accessible and less intimidating to women. Highlight of your WIRF training? Meeting all the other WIRF leaders, it is such an awesome community and nobody cares how many fish you catch or how you do it, it’s just about having a go and having fun. Who would you love to fish with in the fishing industry? I’m looking forward to a fish with my fellow WIRF leaders. What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given? Keep your head down when you’re snagged. If you were a fish, what species best describes you? Probably a flathead (not because of the looks) because they are pretty easy going but will put up a fight when they need to.

WIRF LEADER Name: Katherine Brown Age: 38 Region: Wangaratta, North East Victoria Profession: Winemaker Specialising: Salt and freshwater angler What’s your fishing style? I’m a bait fisher, I love the process of collecting the bait as much as fishing with it. How often do you head out for a flick? About once a fortnight. I have the King River running through my backyard, so I should get out for a fish much more often than I do now. Favourite species to fish for? When at home I go after Murray cod. My husband and I have a double kayak, which is great fun for a summer float down the Ovens River. We holiday at Metung in Gippsland, and love catching flathead and gummies offshore when down there. Most memorable catch? My first gummy shark, down near Lake Entrance, it put up a huge fight, it was a great adrenaline rush. What does being a WIRF Leader mean to you? I want to get other women excited about fishing and for them to feel comfortable to be able to take the children fishing too. My mum loves to fish and some of my most cherished memories as a child is being on a boat with my parents and sisters, lines and the water and just chatting, having special family time. I want more children to experience this. What do you hope to bring to the WIRF team? When I was at university I worked as a Ski Instructor, teaching kids to ski and to enjoy the snow. I would like to bring these skills to the recreational fishing world, teaching kids (and their parents) to fish and how to get enjoyment out of the whole fishing experience. Highlight of your WIRF training? It was great to meet the WIRF leaders from the past years and hear how they have found their way to get more involved in Victorian fishing. It was great inspiration of the different pathways that this industry has to offer. Who would you love to fish with in the fishing industry? I want to fish with the other WIRF leaders, 2020 has kept us apart, but I am so excited for some trips together and time to share each other’s fishing knowledge. What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given? My husband says, “It’s called fishing, not catching, enjoy the adventure rather that focusing on the outcome”. If you were a fish, what species best describes you? I think I would be a brown trout, sitting in a cool mountain stream, relaxed yet ready to take action when a tasty morsal floats my way.

WIRF LEADER Name: Lizzy Harry Age: 31 Region: Mornington Peninsula Profession: Registered Nurse Specialising: Saltwater What’s your fishing style? I love it all and like to mix it up but estuary is where I’ve found my niche. How often do you head out for a flick? Not as much as I would like – whenever I get chance though. All holidays and weekends away are generally related to wetting a line. Favourite species to fish for? Barramundi as they require technique and skill – they are super clever. Most memorable catch? An 80cm barramundi in the NT on my honeymoon – it was bigger than my husband’s, it made his catch look like a lure! What does being a WIRF Leader mean to you? Breaking the gender stereotype in fishing and making fishing a sport for all women and young girls to be confidently involved in. What do you hope to bring to the WIRF team? I want to get involved with planning clinics and ladies fishing trips. Highlight of your WIRF training? Meeting all the different industry reps and other leaders. It opened up this world of fishing I never knew. There is such a good community and vibe. Who would you love to fish with in the fishing industry? I’ve been dreaming about the Worstelings new boat – I would love to head out with them. Also, I haven’t fished with my Dad for longer than I would like to admit. That would make me super happy to get out on the boat with him, he is the reason I fish. What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given? Imagine what it looks like underneath the water, like a 3D model. Create a picture in your mind of what’s beneath you – it’s not a mystery. I know that sounds crazy but understanding depth perception and social awareness is a secret weapon in fishing. If you were a fish, what species best describes you? My friends always used to say I was like a tuna, but these days I’m probably more like a mulloway – bottom dweller, likes squid and prawns, and loves a change in tide.

WIRF LEADER Name: Marian Miller Age: 63 Region: Western Victoria outside Ballarat Profession: Retired Specialising: Freshwater What’s your fishing style? I fly fish only. How often do you head out for a flick? Close to 6-7 days a week. Favourite species to fish for? I prefer catching trout, although grayling comes a close second. Most memorable catch? My most memorable catch wasn’t the trophysized fish I’ve caught in various parts of the world, but a trout caught on the Goulburn River at the end of two days of competition. It resulted in my gaining enough points to qualify for the first Australian Ladies Fly Fishing Team to compete in international competitions. What does being a WIRF Leader mean to you? The chance to share my passion with others.

Encourage women to take up fly fishing or re-join the fly fishing community. What do you hope to bring to the WIRF team? A lifetime (well over 55 years) fishing experience to share and build upon. Highlight of your WIRF training? Meeting so many wonderful women who are passionate about fishing. Who would you love to fish with in the fishing industry? Devin Olsen. What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given? Keep in contact with your fly from the moment it hits the water. If you were a fish, what species best describes you? Brown trout – I’m fussy about what I eat, presentation is all important.

WIRF LEADER Name: Robyn Cleggett Age: 35 Region: Ararat Profession: Stay at home mum and hobby artist Specialising: Freshwater lakes What’s your fishing style? Trolling lures from my Hobie Pro Angler 14, rarely use baitfish as I prefer to be constantly moving and actively seeking out the fish. How often do you head out for a flick? Once a week at least, basically whenever I can. Favourite species to fish for? Trout, redfin, yellowbelly and cod. Most memorable catch? My PB brown trout of 67cm and my PB Cod of 85cm. I caught both while solo fishing on my Hobie. What does being a WIRF Leader mean to you? A chance to further my fishing knowledge and meet other like-minded women. What do you hope to bring to the WIRF team? My fierce will to be an independent fishing woman and ‘my want’ to encourage other women to get out there and give it a go. Highlight of your WIRF training? Meeting so many people from the different fishing industries and being a part of the highly successful online sessions. Who would you love to fish with in the fishing industry? Any of the 2018-2019 WIRF Leaders. I am super keen to get out there and go fishing with these leaders, especially the ones experienced in saltwater fishing. What’s the best fishing advice you’ve ever been given? ‘Patience and perseverance’ is a saying that a trout fisherman told me when I first started trout fishing, four years ago. I still use this as a fishing mantra of sorts to this day. If you were a fish, what species best describes you? Barracuda, because I’m a fast, active and aggressive fish hunter. I don’t want my prey to come to me, I go to them!

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

JANUARY 2021

Nissan’s Navara ST-X ute even more refined Spotify and podcasts can also run through the phone mirroring systems. Overall, the interior of the Navara is up there with class standards. Cheap and nasty plastic trims have been given the flick, and a digital speedo nestles between main sets of other instruments on the dash. On the upper part of the dash was a handy tray

BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Nissan has put a lot of eggs in one basket with the Navara, but this approach has certainly paid off. The Navara was first seen on our roads in 2015, and Nissan has continued to modify and improve some of the essential features and characteristics of the Navara ute each year since then. Basically, today’s Navara is a series 4 unit and is available with many variants throughout the range, from a humble single cab with rear drop side tray right up to the showy N-Trek Warrior with contrasting seat stitching and many other eye-grabbing features.

It might have rained but it did not stop the Navara from turning in fuel economy figures of 8.3L per 100km on a test drive. screen with Alliance in Vehicle software, allowing you to pinch and zoom on the screen like a touch phone. There’s also new TomTom sat nav plus Apple Car Play

The driver and front passenger will enjoy the wide and very comfortable seats. FIVE SEATER The reviewed Navara was a 5-seat ST-X model, which is arguably one of the most popular of the current line-up Navaras. It’s not top of range, but it’s getting up there. These utes are very suited to many different aspects of daily life, not least being to transport the boat to a ramp thanks to a braked tow rating of 3.5 tonnes and a rear tub capacity of 932kg. Nissan implements changes to the Navara on a yearly basis, and while these changes have not been so obvious in the last couple of years they are still of great benefit to the owner. Looking at changes in the model that I reviewed, we see the rear suspension greatly upgraded. While the ST-X Navara has always enjoyed coil spring suspension instead of the standard leaf spring set-up we see in many competitors, the coils were perhaps not as efficient as they might be. To counter the situation, the 100

JANUARY 2021

AN SUV-LIKE DRIVE Driving the Navara is very similar to driving a quality family SUV. It holds the road extremely well, and irons out bumps with ease. And with dual-zone climate air, an easily managed cruise control system, a really good 6-speaker stereo system (the CD player has been axed these days) plus the obligatory

rear coils and linkages of the current Series 4 Navara now incorporate 2-stage coil units that actually stiffen when loaded up. This prevents bump stops from engaging due to a sagging rear end, and also provide the Navara with a

mostly car-like ride, which drivers and passengers both appreciate. UPGRADED INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM The new infotainment system features an 8” touch

Leather seats are an extra with the ST-X but many owners tick the option box for them.

Linking up the boat has never been easier, thanks to the positioning of the rear view camera. along with Android Auto phone mirroring. Also, the home screen is very user friendly with handy shortcut buttons, plus there’s capability to run Google/Waze maps.

Fingertip operation of many functions is a bonus with the Navara.

An excellent road stance and presence is a feature of the Navara’s design.

with 12V power outlet, and within doors were good-sized drink holders and roomy side pockets. Parents will likely appreciate the paired Isofix child seat anchors plus two top tether points. Also, rear seat passengers are now protected by air bags (excluding the middle seat), which is another bonus.

Bluetooth, the Navara has definitely come of age. Also, let’s not overlook the 360° view on hand at the touch screen, which blends a rear view with an overhead one. On the exterior of the Navara there are LED head and running lights, fog lamps, side steps, roof rails, mud flaps, privacy glass, auto folding side

mirrors, and last but not least a sliding window in the glass area between the interior and the rear tub. Ideal for those surf rods! The rear tub comes with a liner, four tie-down points, a 12V outlet for the camping fridge plus rails along the tub

walls with adjustable tie down points – handy when the ute is on the job site. SAME ENGINE In the engine power department the Navara still relies on the familiar Nissan/ Renault 4-cylinder, 2.3L twin turbo diesel engine outputting

140kW of power and 450Nm of torque to turn the 18” wheels. The engine sounds modest but linked to a 7-speed auto it does a very efficient job of keeping the Navara up with the rest of the pack. The engine, which outputs the same amount of torque

A well put together dash is a feature of the Navara. It’s wide, well set up and easy to familiarise yourself with.

With a payload of 932kg, the rear tub will earn its keep for either work or relaxation pursuits.

as the Toyota Hilux with its 2.8Le turbo diesel, is refined by comparison to some other four pot rivals. With a slightly gruff note at idle, it soon smooths down to show just how smoothly and efficiently it can do the job. On test runs with the boat on the draw bar I averaged 8.3L per 100km, which is quite satisfactory in my book. The Navara is equipped with an electronically-operated 4x4 system with both high and low range on hand, the low range system being linked to a hill descent control as well. SUMMING UP The latest Navara is

well and truly up to date in many respects. It offers a lot for your money and has a very good, solid, feel about it whether on or off the road. Nissan offer a 5-year no distance limit warranty which is ahead of some others at this point in time. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the comfort levels, efficiency, fuel economy and enhanced infotainment capability that make the Navara a ute well worth considering if you’re seeking a good multi-use vehicle.

There are a lot of options on the Navara’s touch screen. These are just some of them.

4WD AND CAMPING PRODUCTS

ARB Slide Kitchen

‘Packing everything but the kitchen sink’ was once regarded as poking fun at those who overpack, but with ARB’s latest release, there’s no reason to stop there! The ARB Slide Kitchen is an integrated kitchen for your 4WD that sets up in 15 seconds. It features a benchtop, gas stove, utensils drawer and, you guessed it, a kitchen sink and neatly tucks away into one of

fully extended, making it a practical platform for loading and unloading the fridge. The three-burner Thetford stove has two 1.75kW burners and one 2.5kW rapid burner as well as a tempered glass lid that works as a splashback while the stove is in use. Using flame-out technology, the gas supply will be automatically shut off if the flame blows out or the lid closes. To complete the kitchen,

to run a full-time kitchen in their vehicle, there is an optional replacement drawer that can be swapped out with the kitchen to allow for extra storage. The Slide Kitchen can be integrated with current ARB Outback Solutions drawers or can be purchased with a new set-up. The Slide Kitchen has external measurements of 1,355mm (L) x 505mm (W) x 310mm (H) and can be installed in dual cabs,

ARB’s standard dual cab drawers. It’s a full extension freestanding drawer which hyper extends, and has an auto lock to prevent the drawer from rolling closed once you are using it. The Slide Kitchen has a 1.25m kitchen grade stainless steel benchtop and a healthy 30kg weight limit when

the 12L collapsible silicone sink, with plug, also doubles as a dish drying rack, and includes a utensils holder to assist in the wash-up after you’ve finished cooking. Once collapsed, the sink can be stored in the utensils drawer or can be packed away elsewhere. For those who don’t want

custom camper trailers or service bodies. The ARB Slide Kitchen has a RRP of $2,795 (Australian East Coast metro) and is available for order now. Display stock will be available in store in January 2021. Check with your nearest ARB store for display and stock availability. - ARB JANUARY 2021

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South Coast

Awesome holiday fishing ESPERANCE

Murray Johnson

Esperance has been enjoying some great weather with nice warm days, but we are still having to deal with the afternoon sea breezes, as is normal for summer. What it means for fishing is that you should get up early, enjoy the morning, relax in the afternoon and head back out fishing at night. Recently we’ve been seeing good numbers of herring being caught from both the jetties and beaches, with sizes and numbers increasing. Mixed in with them have been some smaller skippy, reasonable flathead and the occasional salmon. The salmon look like they’re about to school up in earnest;

Smaller bronze whalers are prowling the beaches in good numbers. Image courtesy of @lachy_warren.

Lachy Warren caught this 40cm fish on the last cast of the day at the bream lakes. Image courtesy of @lachy_warren.

the numbers are getting better and there are more sightings of smaller schools. Tailor Street jetty is still yielding the occasional squid, along with good King George whiting going 35cm, and plenty of small skippy. There have also been some soapy mulloway cruising around there as well. At Bandy Creek boat harbour there are still plenty of King George whiting and the occasional black bream, and anglers are also getting a few bust-offs which we suspect are either salmon or mulloway cruising around in there. One of the beaches that has been enjoying better fishing is Dunns Rock, which has seen small schools of salmon, plenty of herring, bronze whalers and good-size flathead. The fishing at Alexander Bay is similar, but probably with more sharks and a couple of small

mulloway as well. Heading further out of town to Israelite Bay, anglers are seeing bigger schools of salmon, some tailor, and skippy going 2kg. There are also schools of smaller whalers around the metre mark. Going west to Roses, there are salmon, tailor, bronzies and plenty of herring. Heading out in the bay, there is still the occasional squid, plenty of herring, snook and sea sweep. When fishing near the islands you can encounter plenty of sweep, as well as queen snapper and samsonfish to 30kg. Anglers heading out wide around the 30-50km range are still catching nannygai averaging 55cm, plenty of queen snapper, breaksea cod, and the occasional yellowtail kingfish. Dhuies are also being caught in greater numbers. Bream fishing at the lakes has been getting better, with bigger size fish up to 40cm+. They have been feeding aggressively, and the best times are just before dark or early in the morning. You can enjoy some great topwater fishing for them at these times, and good lure choices include the 70mm Nomad Dartwing floating in sardine colour, the 50mm Chug Norris, or the Daiwa Presso Minnow in more natural colours. Gulp 2” Baby Shrimps in natural shrimp colour are also dynamite on the bream, and will catch King George whiting too. JANUARY FISHING As the water continues to warm this month, we can expect salmon schools to continue to get bigger as they group up before heading west, which is normally happens around Easter time (although some schools still

Power for your GOPRO or VIRB •from Australian your sounds navigation • Australian light stocks socket

AVAILABLE FROM:

DELIVERED IN AUSTRALIA

www.tournamentboats.com.au 102

JANUARY 2021

Image courtesy of @olistevensonn.

stay local). With the schools of salmon we’ll start to see more bronzies, and the herring will continue to stay around in good numbers. The guys heading out to Israelite and the cliffs should start to get pinkie snapper this month, along with bigger

want the bigger tides to get longer bite windows. Aim for around the full moon and new moon, preferably new moon. In town we’ll see the bream continue to fire, with good sizes consistently over 40cm. They will be happy to take both baits (river prawns or

There are plenty of queen snapper around at the moment. Image courtesy of Black Jack Charters.

$799

Stimulate a feeding response!

Oli with a nice nannygai taken on a jig.

A solid samsonfish caught on a trip with Black Jack Charters. Image courtesy of Black Jack Charters.

mulloway to 50lb+. We will also see big numbers of small bronze whalers, with some sessions yielding 15-20 1m sharks. For boat-based anglers, the samsonfish like to head back out wide at this time of year, and they get more aggressive. Yellowtail kingfish will continue to be spasmodic. Picking your times will help to improve your catch rates; you

herring fillets) or soft plastics. • 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.

South Coast

Augusta is brimming with life AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

As the school year ends and the holidays arrive, Augusta takes on a completely different vibe to the usual sleepy hollow that it is for most of the year. The usually half empty caravan parks are bursting at the seams with all manner of vans, campers, tents and swags and the

can’t find the crabs in any number just try a prospect string over half a kilometre or so and then concentrate the nets once located. The whiting are hot at the moment with plenty of 30cm+ King George being caught from the inlet all the way round to Boranup. Although it is tempting to keep many of the smaller legal sized whiting it does pay to release them as the larger fish are there and the

the same size. They will jump over themselves to get to glass shrimps used as bait but will also take river or coral prawn pieces, squid strips and fresh fish pieces. When fishing from the flats with small hardbodies lures and poppers they will aggressively strike multiple times until hooking up. Try a Skinny Pop, Scumdog or Duo Poco Poco for a bit of fun. Summer is the perfect time for night fishing from

nose in for a feed. Why not get the kids to drop a net in at the jetty while you slump back in a camp chair relaxing? The demersal closure ended December 15 and it is all systems go now for searching for that PB dhufish or pink snapper. The weather has started off wet and somewhat windy with southeasterly winds creating an annoying early end to the fishing out in the bay. Before the wind arrival, the water has been flat and clear with plenty of fish around. Find the reef areas marked on your charts looking for fish returns and prospect around with soft plastics or a large bait while drifting and you usually strike gold. If not move until you find another likely spot and try again. The rewards pay off in spades once you hit the right spot. It is worth reminding people that Augusta is in the Ngari Capes Marine Park and as such there are areas that are subject to different

Gavin Gillam with a nice Flinders Bay dhufish caught on squid. smart phone. Reports of big sharks in the deeper waters continue, especially as now diving

Brayden Warnke with a queen snapper caught on a squid while drifting on a section of reef in Flinders Bay. accompanying sounds of families enjoying the warm sun, refreshing river and ocean swims and late into the evening fishing sessions. The crabs are doing their thing in the river with the numbers increasing steadily from November onward. Still not at the numbers around pre-opening of ‘The Cut’ a

size of the fillet obtained from fish over 30cm is much more worthwhile. Whiting in the 40-50cm sizes are not uncommon from shore, and out in Flinders Bay they regularly surpass 50cm. Blood worms, beach worms or squid are by far the best baits, they will also aggressively take small lures, jigs or the soft

the jetties and marina, the warm evenings are generally still and just what you need to wind down after a hectic day of holiday activities. The Ellis Street Jetty has some really great lights that attract everything that feeds on something else. There are always whiting, herring and tailor darting around from out in the dark into the well lit areas to grab anything that looks like food. Black bream have recently been caught at the town jetty and there is even the odd mulloway poking their

Fishing from the Town and Ellis Street jetties can be very rewarding, especially in the warm summer evenings. zones, which also include ‘no take’ zones. These location of these areas can quite easily be located under the maps heading on the Recfishwest app which is a simple download on any

A solid breaksea cod snaffled a soft plastic jigged by the author off the rocks near Ringbolt Bay. few years ago, but enough to show that they are slowly returning to breed further up the inlet. It looks like that we will be enjoying them well into autumn if current showings are anything to go by. When drop netting, try chicken necks or spleen as these seem to do the trick. Tuna heads are also pretty much crab candy but also attract unwelcome attention from the massive stingrays that mooch around the Hardy Inlet all year round. If you

plastic versions of the nereis worms, such as the Berkley Gulp series of worms. Yellowfin whiting that have been pretty scarce lately, have shown a welcome return to the area. This is possibly due to the heavy rains we experienced throughout spring, helping them flush down from upstream. Although the average size has not been huge, the fillet from these solid little fighters is a much better return than that from other species of whiting

The ever-present Augusta herring, a great feed and also great bait for many of the demersals.

appears to be gaining even more in popularity. The bountiful reef areas are not only popular for rock lobster, abalone and large demersals but also for those keen on checking out life under the ocean. If you are planning on diving regularly it just makes sense to make use of the state government rebate and get a Sharkshield while you can get $200 off the price. These devices and the peace of mind they provide are well worth the expense. The safer way of course is to throw some pots in, especially as this time of year when the whites are active in shallow waters. Beach fishing during this time of year is not only productive it is also the opportunity to get the whole family involved. With plenty of white sand beaches right round the coast there are plenty of places to set yourselves up for a day of fun activities while also having a line in the water. If you have a 4WD then this opens up

even more areas that are not only beautifully scenic but a safe area to keep an eye on the kids while getting a fishing fix. Try Deepdene, Cosy Corner, Elephant Rock, Hamelin Bay or Boranup. There are plenty of holes, gutters and sandbars if you look and there will always be something lurking around looking for a feed. A good general rig is a paternoster rig with 2/0 hooks and a spoon sinker just big enough to hold in the tidal flow. Bait one with a small squid head and the other with a strip of fish fillet or half a mulie and you will pick up most of the species that will be in the area. Set a light drag, put it in a rod holder set into the sand and you can just relax and wait for a good bite to get the action going. Don’t forget to throw some broken up mulies or similar in at regular intervals to berley them in to where you are. Rock fishing can be very productive in Augusta. Choose a spot that allows you the chance to seek refuge from any king waves and don’t let calm conditions fool you into thinking you are safe. Rogue waves are just that and can quickly result in being thrown into the water. People have died here after being washed off by king waves. Unpredictable weather can quickly affect the fishing conditions and slippery rocks are a recipe for disaster. Please remain vigilant when rock fishing; wear a life jacket and tie off to something solid. • You can hire 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 Better Choice Fuels Service Station. JANUARY 2021

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West Coast

You need to put in the time for top results of the expedition. Beach goers can expect to find good numbers of tailor patrolling the beach and the odd mulloway in between cruising the gutters. Like all beach fishing you don’t always need to cast the furthest to find a fish, quite often a metre-long mulloway can be in behind the wash on the drop off within just a stone’s throw. Berley up for your herring, but keep a few for dinner. The rest can be presented butterflied or a live bait can be presented as irresistible bites for the

BUNBURY

Whiteys Tackle and Camping

With the recent lift of the demersal ban, the keen boaters among us have been getting into some deep drop action. The anglers who have been putting in the long miles and time have been rewarded with catches of big bass grouper, blue eye and hapuka. Fishing in the depths of 160-500m on ledges or plateaus is the most productive areas when targeting these deep-water delights. Fresh whole fish baits on large 15/0-17/0 stainless circle hooks with 400lb mono leader has accounted for many fish hitting the deck. There has been some great numbers of dhufish and snapper captures being reported and even more reports of divers seeing some monster dhus in close that have followed the walking crays. Cray divers, as usual, are picking up great numbers with plenty of jumbos to help fill the bag. The guys and girls dropping pots from the boat that were in a bit earlier have been rewarded for their efforts. Crays made the beginning of their walk earlier than what was expected. Between spot changes or cruising in or out of the jetty, be sure to have a

mulloway. Worst case you have a tussle with some rays or banjos, but it’s all good fun! After the local crabbing ban finished in December, the crabs have moved into the estuary in full force. The easiest and most enjoyable way to get your quota has got to be scooping. Scooping truly is great fun whether alone or as a family during a BBQ by the water, it’s great interactive fun for the kids. Look for nice patchy weed beds on a high tide where the crabs will be burying themselves

along side the weeds waiting for a passing meal. I recommend an old pair of sneakers or reef boots for this job as they can be sneaky critters. When you step on one, most the time it’s just a fright but if they manage to snag a toe it can put a dampener on the trip. Remember if you think you’re walking in a colder area, not only is it unpleasant for you but also the crabs, so pick up and try a new location as the chances of crabs deciding to feed there are low. – Josh Italiano

Robert Goodlich with a nice double header. up the cray pots. Boaties aren’t having all the fun, black bream are firing in the Collie

The most productive way to target these guys at night is to present a nice live mullet on a light set

Anglers putting in the long miles are getting the rewards, like this hapuka caught by the author.

Coopie with a healthy bream. trolling lure or bullet out the back as the chances of a school of tuna or bonito is common this time of year – they can be really tasty or even fresh bait for the next trip. Alternatively they can make a nice oily bait to top 104

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River along with late night mulloway and bull shark. These captures make for some great fun, especially by the weedy snaggy banks of our beautiful yet relentless Collie River system.

up, as mulloway can be fussy eaters. A good few throws with a cast net in the estuary should gather you enough baits for a night. Keep them in a bucket with an aerator and you will find they are still alive at the end

Amy caught this impressive dhu off Two Rocks in the late afternoon.

West Coast

Season opens opportunities for fish variety MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

January is sure to be a warm, but productive time to be out casting a line. As the temperatures

help to bring fish to you. Fishing for crab in Mandurah, dropping pots from a kayak or boat is the most ideal way to go. Being mobile is great as it permits you to learn from your results and adjust

much aggression and this is usually because they are expending a lot more energy in the warmer temperatures. Unlike in the colder months where fish school in the low-mid reaches, fish can and will

Corey got this nice mulloway up the river fishing the motor oil ZMan MinnowZ on a heavy TT Lures jighead.

Nothing like a White Hills sunset fishing with the boys. increase, so too do your opportunities to go out and catch a variety of species around Mandurah. Crabbing, whiting and tailor fishing are certainly at the forefront of many minds as they are not something easily attainable outside of the warmer conditions. Although the crab population shows signs year round, your whiting and tailor really do favour the warmer waters that this time of the year has to offer. If you’re heading into the estuary to do some whiting fishing, searching the flats will be a great starting option and will often yield results. Fishing is not limited to this sort of ground, but is well favoured as the fish have a tendency to move up into the shallows as the sun rises in search of food. If searching the shallows yields no results, it is a good option to then switch technique or try deeper water in hopes of success. Top water lures, metal blades and bibbed minnows are all ideal profiles as they allow you to actively search for feeding fish throughout the water column rather than waiting for them to come to you. If you would rather bait fish for your whiting, heading out to the cut or fishing around town are great options as the tidal influence around the bridges often encourages fish movement and will

accordingly until you find what you are after. Scooping for crabs doesn’t exactly restrict you to an area, but the feasible fishing area is greatly decreased if you are bound to shallow, walk friendly crabbing. If you are finding that the crabs are not in shallow water, try deeper pockets of water. If you are finding that the sand is not producing quality, you may just find that the majority are hiding in the plentiful beds of seaweed. River fishing is at its most consistent when the skies are grey and rain is more present. Although these conditions are not really met at the moment, the fish that do feed typically do so with

make their way all the way up both the rivers. Fish movement will be affected heavily influenced by the weather conditions, so anticipating their movement and having a successful

mission can come hand-inhand. Bream and mulloway are both likely encounters when fishing the mid to upper reaches. Beach fishing has a lot to offer Mandurah

Zoea 49S, no one seems to use them quite like Han Yeoh!

Thanks to Garry for sending in this image of his loved ones with their beautiful dhufish. Young or old, we all love fishing the same!

locals during the warmer months. Heading down to your local beach with some fixed gang rigs, a small star sinker and some bait will definitely turn up a mixed bag if you are willing to put in a bit of time. Using this setup, you are likely to encounter some good sized herring, whiting, tailor and the odd mulloway which follow in chase. Fishing smaller baits such as mulies is very effective, but they are especially susceptible to being picked apart by your smaller whiting, herring and tailor. If your goal is to target the bigger, more elusive fish then perhaps an upgrade to more durable baits is in order and in this case a quality scaly, mullet or tailor fillet

is ideal. Tip: If fixed rigs aren’t working, alternating to a running rig will often tempt the finicky fish. Fishing offshore, your ideal fishing grounds will be outwards of James Service Reef, especially around depths of 20-60m. If you are chasing some quality dhu or pink snapper, paternoster style rigs with octopus, mullet or squid is ideal. Though repetitive catches will come from this depth range, you will still find it is quite possible to achieve good fish in shallower grounds and it can be as productive as deeper waters on the right day. Quality King George, tuna and the odd Spaniard are all on the cards if you apply yourself to the chase with some discipline during these warmer months. Freshwater fishing in the local dams can sometimes be difficult in the warmer weather. Though you are likely to still catch the odd trout, you are best off entertaining the thought of big redfin perch or the marron, which you are only permitted to catch until early February. In any case, freshwater fishing requires a fishing license and those targeting marron are required to have a separate license. When taking on any of these ventures, it is best to educate yourself prior to your outing, to ensure you have up to date information on what is required, prohibited and more importantly, so you can have a good time. Going into February, the fishing will continue to produce around our lovely town. Those undertaking marron fishing take note however, you only have until 5 February (inclusive) to get yourself a few. JANUARY 2021

105

West Coast

Warm weather and hot fishing METRO

Jacob Crispe

Much of the weather discussion in January will be about how hot it is and what the best options may be to go and cool off. In fishing circles, January is about the red-hot fishing

possible or slowly work lures or soft plastics around likely looking areas. As mentioned in the December reports, as the weather warms, so does the flathead fishing on the flats in the Swan. January is by far the best month to target a flathead in the shallows with soft plastics and

few lures from your local tackle store (staff will point you in the right direction) and check out the flats from East Fremantle to the Narrows Bridge. It is a very addictive type of fishing. Tailor is another staple of the Swan in the warmer months and there are some big fish about too. Fish up to 2kg can be caught working metals or stickbaits around the deep drop offs. A quick tip is to adjust the speed you are working your lures

aerobatic speedsters are a real sportsfishing bucket list fish. Most anglers catching them are tight lipped about the locations, but they are there, generally found in the deep water with large flats nearby. Like the black bream the Swan River mulloway are now spread throughout the system. Structure and bait will always be the key to consistently capture them. Try the areas around the E-Sheds to

Kaila Crispe showing the boys on the boat that girls can get the job done just as well with a nice dhuey on jig!

Rueben Simcock with a 60cm Swan River flatty caught while wading the flats near Port Walter spit. for our WA bread and butter species throughout the Swan River and our inshore fishing locations. SWAN RIVER Black bream will take the opportunity to spread throughout the Swan River as the saltwater pushes further into the upper reaches. As always, find a little structure and the bream won’t be too far away. A good place to start would be the area from the Causeway to Maylands. Fish fresh baits with as little weight (sinker) as

surface lures. The reward is some solid fish (up to 50cm) taken in knee deep water. One thing that I will mention is to try and beat the crowds to these areas, as once the flathead are spooked there rarely return. January is also the prime time to catch yellowfin whiting and there are some big models in the Swan. They reside in similar areas as the flathead and are seriously good fun to catch on small surface lures. If you haven’t tried this type of fishing, grab a

Tuyet Le has got the power landing this beast of a sambo on a jig from 80m of water!

seem to be everywhere at the moment and January should be no different. The deeper areas will produce the best results; try areas like the Narrows, the old Swan Brewery or Blackwall Reach. I am always asked about some family friendly fishing locations so here are a few to try. The Bicton Bath Jetty and Como Applecross Jetty both are great locations to try with the main target

majority of my reports, you will know that the Freo rock walls are an excellent place to fish. They will be very busy areas at this time of the year for very good reason. Species like King George whiting, herring, skippy and squid are all plentiful and can be caught in most places. Using fresh baits and a little berley will be the keys to success. If you want to add tailor into the mix, try fishing around the low light periods at the Cottesloe rock groin.

until you find the speed they want. Another prized target species at this time of the year in the Swan is the giant herring. Sometimes hooked as a bycatch when targeting tailor (they inhabit similar areas) these hard fighting

A great mixed bag caught just out from Freo by Marco and Emilio Orifici from Anglers Fishing World Freo.

The author shows us a prime example of the whiting that are on offer. 106

JANUARY 2021

Bassendean. Live baits are best, but there have still been captures by anglers using soft plastics. Many are using one of the many scents available, on their plastics, to entice a bite. For those people that love a feed of crabs, they

species being herring and skippy. The E-Shed Wharf is another place that many families go. Berley is the key to getting the fish in nice and close and getting the fishing action going. ROCK WALLS If you read through the

BEACHES Tailor, whiting and herring are the main targets at this point in the year. Trigg and Floriet beaches are pretty safe bets for these species. Ensure you fish tides that coincide with sunrise and sunset and

West Coast

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kingfish around Rottnest and the back of Stragglers. They can be caught using similar methods (minus the wire). Areas that have 30-60m of water are havens for species like pinkies, dhufish, Breaksea cod and bald chin groper. These fish tend to be widespread at this time of the year so it pays to vary your presentations and baits until you get the desired results and then stick to the one that works. If you come across bottoms with lots of fluctuation have a trolling rod handy as mackerel and kingfish love these types of areas and a trolled lure can be their undoing. Our offshore FAD’s are always worth a visit. Bluefin tuna, mahi mahi, wahoo ALBERTON MELBOURNE and amberjack are just a few of the species attracted ALBERTON MARINE MELBOURNE MARINE CENTRE to them. Most people like 39 Johnson Street Alberton 92 Hallam Southto Road Hallam troll either skirted or bibbed lures around in P: (03) 5183 2344 P: (03) 9703 2003 the general vicinity of F: (03) 5183 2219 W: melbournemarine.com.au the FAD locations. Once W: albertonmarine.com.au you locate the fish, baits MORNINGTON PENINSULA drifted back into the hot MY MARINE BENDIGO zone should see you get Cnr Nepean Highway BENDIGO MARINE & OUTDOORS plenty & of rod bending action. Just remember not Ponderosa Place Dromana 160 Midland Highway Epsom to use a sinker when doing P: (03) 5448 3988 P: (03) 5987 0900 this; it is not required in W: bendigomarine.com.au W: mymarine.com.au this scenario. Deep drop fishing is Massimo Iustini with a massive squid MELBOURNE also well worth doing. caught from a local Perth jetty! MORNINGTON PENINSULA NAUTICAL MARINE BL MARINE Eight bar cod, hapuka, blue eye trevalla and bass will 141focusing Hotham Road 612-be 614 rewarded Plenty Road with Preston anglers are now theP:chance to 1420 catch small on these bigger models. groper are just a few of Sorrento (03) 9478 sharks and mulloway. When you are next in a the species you can catch. F: (03) 9470 4638 P: (03) 5984 1666 Remember live baits for tackle store ask about jigs They are some of the best W: blmarine.com.au E: info@nauticalmarine.com.au mulloway and dead baits designed to use in this eating fish you will find, for sharks will produce the deeper water, W: onenauticalmarine.com.au of my but you will need some SHEPPARTON best results. favourites is the Tip Run specialised gear to target INSHORE FISHING brand, but there are plenty them. Most tackle stores BOATS AND MORE TOORADIN stockCENTRE what is 207 King GeorgeRoad whiting, of others that P&J willMARINE do theSERVICE P/Lrequired, but Numurkah Shepparton I know Anglers Fishing skippy and squid will be job as well. P: (03) 5822 2108 101 Tooradin Station Road Tooradin most anglers target species As you head a little World at Freo has huge (03) 5821They 2908 will be wider or find P: (03)bottom 5998 3107 range and the team there in F:January. W: boatsandmore.com.au E: pjmarine_services@bigpond.com around in good numbers, structure that is a little can assist with anything just look for broken ground more reef orientated a you may need for this type in MORWELL 12-15m of water. With number of other species of fishing. GEELONG more than normal Spanish So happy New Year CRAWFORD MARINE boat come into play. PORTSIDE MARINE CENTRE from me and thanks to Maxi traffic on the water, using mackerel love these areas 71-77 Chickerell Street Morwell 36-38 Geelong Road Portarlington for helping with berley will help bring and if you find bait fish Sampson (03) 5134 6522 (03) won’t 5259 1110 the info for this January theP:fish to you and keep and reefs, thenP:they F: (03)there. 5134 6455 report. He is well worth them Stragglers be too far away. E: info@portsidemarinecentre.com.au and Mewstones always Live baits fished a follow, check him out W: crawfordmarine.com.au W: portsidemarinecentre.com.au produce, if you are looking under balloons or trolled maxi_out_fishing. I hope forECHUCA a starting point. lures will bothMELBOURNE work. Just you enjoy everything that Although squid can be remember to use a short January has to offer. EADES XTREME MARINE THE MARINE SHOP 24 Sturt Street Echuca 6 Holland Drive Melton P: (03) 5482 2333 P: (03) 9747 0588 F: (03) 5482 2133 F: (03) 9747 3999 W: xtrememarine.net.au W: themarineshop.com.au larger specimens in the deeper water and many

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Dom Magoo from Doms Fishing Adventures getting amongst some lovely metro tailor on one of our many beaches. JANUARY 2021

107

West Coast

Plan for predictable weather LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

Guaranteed for Lancelin in January will be great sunny weather with the reliability of strong afternoon breezes. The open Lancelin coast means we need to plan fishing activities well. Timing it right to head

safely. Be careful heading out at dawn before the easterly whips up, which can result in being caught in dangerous offshore conditions. It can be difficult to return to shore into steep short waves. Coming home with a following sea, after the sea breeze hits is not too big an issue, just remember to trim the boat nose up and take it

to put the time in, although when the stars align, some hectic fishing sessions can be had. The next several months are the prime time to be targeting them. At the end of the report I have my top tips to target a South Coast mackerel. Tuna have been fantastic this year with plenty of small bluefin and striped being found right through the depths. Keeping on the game fish theme, yellowtail kingfish numbers have been making a resurgence the past few years and summer is when they are thickest. Casting lures to the bay’s reef breaks can find a few and often schools venture out chasing baitfish in the open

water just in front of Lancelin island. The schools come right to the boat following hooked fish, be ready to throw over some chopped pilchards keeping them interested. Skippy schools have moved further offshore, it’s difficult to find too many around the bay. There are still some good fish to 50cm along the white bank. Further out there are numerous lumps, coral patches and heavy ground out to 30m. Those spots will also be prime to drop some micro jigs for skippy. The same spots are great to drop lobster pots for jumbos throughout the month. When blind drifting the

Ronald with a typical summer run chopper. offshore between any strong easterly morning winds as they start to wain offshore to get a window of weather before the sea breeze peaks later in the day. Timing is influenced by boat size, larger boats able to head out earlier and stay out later. I only use a 4m tinny, so timing is critical to boating

easy with the throttle to prevent broaching down waves. The water is warming and the mackerel have shown an early presence, with reports of some early fish. Numbers always vary from season to season, this one is looking better than average. To successfully chase mackerel this far south you usually need

Once you get the choppers going, it can be a fish a cast!

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JANUARY 2021

flats out from the 30s, it usually doesn’t take too long to find a bag limit of baldies. However, most of the bigger boats are heading out to Direction Bank and finding plenty of dhufish 35-80m. Dingy and kayak fishers have been scoring squid in the bay, sunrise and sunset being the prime time to chase them. Trolling some small hardbody lures or pilchards has been finding snook to a metre over the weed beds. Shore anglers have been catching tailor along with the odd mulloway, plenty of small whaler sharks and the guitar fish have turned up with the arrival of warmer water. TOP MACKEREL TIPS Put the time and effort in when and where the fish are most likely to be, usually this is where the bait is. The old saying ‘find the bait, find the fish’ could not be truer when it comes to mackerel fishing. The preferred prey is fish like garfish, yellowtail, pilchards,

Summer is a great time to get up early and gather a feed of tailor. blue mackerel or even small tuna. If you can find a decent patch of bait it pretty much does not matter whether you are in 10 or 100m of water, it’s highly likely the mackies will be there. Flying fish are a favourite food, so if you are seeing reasonable numbers of them it is always a good time and place to run out some lures. In Lancelin we see bait schools passing through the 15-20m depths behind the white bank (Perth Three-Mile reef), so that’s always a good place to be spending some time. Out around the 35-40m sees some bait concentrations too. The middle ground between the first line of reef and the white bank is surprisingly productive. In only 7-15m, here it is best to target the numerous spots with depth changes where the bait will hang along the drop-offs. Studying the sea charts will help you find these places. Mackerel are very much like tailor, feeding peaks can be sunrise and sunset. Full

moon, they may feed all night and be difficult to tempt by day. The new moon, they are more likely to be actively looking for something to eat throughout daylight hours. Troll speeds depend on type of lure or bait. A lot of people say mackerel are sluggish at these latitudes and to slow things down, although when you see them cartwheeling metres through the air chasing flying fish it is hard to believe. If I am using lures, I get things moving at a decent hop, to get a quick reaction bite. Bibbed minnows, run a spread of deep and shallow diving, I run 6-7 knots in low light and turbid water. But when the light and visibility is good then I troll at 8-9 knots. Bibless minnows and skirts will be more like 11-14 knots. With lure colours I like to ‘match the hatch’ with natural sardine-like colours with a bit of flash. The exception, it is always a good bet to have a red head/white body in the spread. Some days it is the only lure that gets the bites.

A nice little bluefin taken on a Richter Pelacus slug cast to the school.

Kirk was finding the striped tuna difficult to tempt, until matching the hatch with a small Gillies baitfish imitation the same size as the sardines they were eating.

Trolling baits slow things to 4 knots, garfish are a great troll bait. Ideally when you find the bait schools, use a Sabiki jig to catch some fresh live baits and idle troll them around the activity. Often it will not be long before getting onto a fish. Finally, dropping the pick and setting up a berley trail at sunset in a likely spot can generate some red-hot bites. Balloon some live baits out the back while floating pillies down the berley trail.

West Coast

Consistency will persist GERALDTON

Graham Maunder & Michael Triantopoulos

With summer in full swing, tailor catches have been slower than normal this year but are now in consistent numbers wide spread. Anglers fishing the reefs around South Gates early morning with the low tides has resulted in consistent numbers of tailor, mulloway to 20kg, herring, pike and whiting. The seaweed movement around Tarcoola Beach has made fishing difficult, but as it clears periodically anglers have been catching tailor, herring, school sized mulloway, pike and whiting. South of Greenough to West Bank there has been tailor to 60cm, mulloway to 1m, and school sharks. Flat Rocks has had some wonderful mulloway

Brendan Hughes with a decent gold spot estuary cod caught 10nm NW of the Batavia Marina.

Beach fishing for tailor KALBARRI

Stephen Wiseman

With the warming weather comes the opportunity to fish the beaches to the north of Kalbarri along the quad bike trails. Some of the spots to the north are producing nice fat tailor and a number of mulloway. The tailor are averaging 65-75cm and really put on a good fight, with the mulloway averaging the good old size of a metre plus. Getting over the other side can be a challenge for some, while others do it in

style, as Tangles now does (pictured). What a way to travel! The back of Oyster Reef is worth a try for whiting but they are slow. Outside the front edge and around Black Rock the jumbo tailor are smashing anything thrown in the water. The mulloway run has seen lucky anglers pick up fish from Wittecarra Creek, Chinamans and up to the town jetty. The best bait is a strip of mullet but be prepared to put up with blowies being a pest in the river. Early signs of a good Spanish mackerel run are

being strengthened by the large bait schools all along the coast, from along the cliffs to the south right through to Bald Face in the north. There are reports that the occasional fish is being taken at Wagoe, and this is a sure indication that they are around but not in big numbers. If the fishing is quiet, try the river for some nice blue mana crabs. Plenty are on the move but watch the size as many are just a tad small. In spite of this, if you put in a little effort you can get enough crabs for a feed. The best area is up around the pens at the north end of town.

catches, with a customer landing three fish, one of which went an impressive 1.6m (approx. 30kg); one of the mulloway were kept, the others successfully released. Explosives Beach started off a lot slower this season but the tailor have been consistent, along with herring and pike. Drummonds Cove north

Aindal Doley with a cracking mulloway caught north Drummonds Cove. BOAT The summer wind pattern isn’t ideal boating weather and this year it certainly isn’t any different. The wind, along with the swell, just doesn’t give in! Summer being pelagic

the northerly current has been ripping and the fish have been hard work. South of town down to African Reef has been productive for a mixed bag of dhufish, coral trout, pink

Simon Waters with a super impressive 1.57m mulloway caught in the Mid West.

Tangles and his quad bike travel in style.

to Coronation Beach, seaweed has made the fishing difficult at times but the tailor catches have been good most evenings, most of the fish have been around 300-500mm. There have also been bull herring, pike, mulloway, school sharks and whiting around the area. The reefs to the south of Drummonds on low tides have been producing a good mixed bag of species, including tailor, herring and pike; some of the herring going 300-450g. Squid have tapered away. There are a few dedicated anglers who are still getting small quantities regular from the rock platforms around the Batavia Marina early morning/late afternoon, as long as the water isn’t to dirty/ stirred up.

time, and the water warming up, there have been reports off Spanish mackerel caught slow trolling garfish along Pensioners Bank, trolling minnow lures can be a nuisance when there’s lots of seaweed. Striped and northern bluefin have been seen working bait schools north of the northern shipping channels in 18-20m. Cast small stick baits and metals matching the hatch, as the majority of the time they are fussy and you can’t get too close to them otherwise they will spook and go down. NW of the Marina 6-10nm 30-40m around the coral reports have been off dhufish, bald chin groper, pink snapper and red throat,

snapper, bald chin grouper and Spanish mackerel from behind big African. With our new FAD been employed, haven’t heard off too much activity from it as yet, but we are hoping it’s going to attract species such as mahi mahi, mackerel, tuna, samson fish, yellowtail kingfish and hopefully sailfish or even a marlin. It’s still on early days! • Geraldton Sports Centre is the Mid Wests specialist fishing tackle store. Drop in and see the friendly professional staff for local advise and knowledge and browse the extensive range of Fishing equipment on show at 204-208 Marine Terrace Geraldton WA, phone, 08 9921 3664. JANUARY 2021

109

North Coast

Can it get any more exciting? DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

The Karratha region finished off the year with a bang with many great days of fishing with little wind and a few showers passing through the area to kick-start the wet season. November was a testing time with so much wind, so it was great to finally get out on days off to have a fish around the islands and creeks by boat and from the shore. December is the time of year in Karratha when the locals start chasing big GTs that start to fire up in

the warmer waters over the reefs and shoals throughout the archipelago. 2020 was no exception, with plenty of solid fish being landed. Amongst them have been a few GTs pushing upwards towards 20kg, and as January progresses we will start to see plenty more of these brutes caught with some even going closer to the massive 30kg mark. If you are heading out to the shoals for a popping session on the GTs, leave a bit earlier and troll a couple of lures behind the boat as the Spanish mackerel are in full swing. Nearly everyone who has thrown a lure out has hooked

Bartail flathead are found all along the Pilbara coastline, including the creeks.

up. The Spaniards have been caught along the outer edges of Hammersley Shoal and further out behind Rosemary and Brigadier Islands, with the majority of strikes being on the tide changes, both low and high. As the season progresses through to February and March, the size of the Spaniards will increase. If you are running deeper diving lures it is not uncommon to pick up a coral trout or two in these areas either, which are always a welcomed catch. The warmer waters of the Pilbara wet season also bring the bluebone to life around the islands and rocky outcrops of the mainland. This provides a great alternative day of fishing if the wind picks up, because it is not too hard to find a bit of shelter over broken ground in the shallows. Quite a few bluebone have been reported being caught during December, with the larger specimens all being caught on fresh rock crabs or jigs. January to March is prime time for catching bluebone, with high tide on the larger tides providing the optimal fishing time. Red emperor, rankin cods and blue-lines are still being caught but you will need to get out to the deeper waters to find good-sized fish. Head out past the ships towards the

oil rigs and motor around to find small ledges that run along the contour lines. Many anglers prefer not to fish big lumps at this time of year. While they do hold fish, they also hold sharks which have been creating havoc of late. All the creeks below the Dampier Salt Jetty and in Nickol Bay are currently running hard with threadfin salmon and, to a lesser extent, barramundi. Trolled lures near the mangroves around high tide change or cast lures in the shadows at low tide seem to be providing better results. January will see mud crabs running wild in the creeks so be sure to take a couple of drop nets with you while chasing the barra and threadies. The new moon is by far the peak time to find the muddies on the walk, and a good time for barra, so planning your trip around this moon phase should provide you with a fighting chance. The sandy bays from Dampier right up past Cossack are loaded with big northern whiting during the wet season. On a recent trip we managed our bag limit in less than an hour and all the whiting were great size. We had half for dinner that night, which was superb and the other half we used for red emperor bait the following weekend that worked

The author with a December blackspot tuskfish caught on fresh rock crab in Karratha. a treat. While we caught these whiting on small pieces of peeled prawn, here in WA there is a fast-growing interest in catching whiting on tiny poppers which I am very keen to give a go. I will report back with my success, or failure after giving it a try next month. Flathead can be found in the same locations as the whiting and we managed one small one caught on my favourite flathead lure, the Jackall Squirrel 65 while we were fishing for whiting. I also lost a couple of larger flatties. The flathead in Karratha are the bartail flathead which can grow as big as a metre, although they are rarely caught over 60cm. They are superb

eating fish that thrive in the warm waters off the Pilbara and Kimberley coastline. One of the thrills of catching bartail flathead is they can be sight casted to in water less than a foot deep with a good set of polaroids. They will take baits such as unweighted prawns, but bibbed minnow lures, either sinking or suspending, work best. The trick is to pause after a single or double twitch. It is when the lure is sitting on or near the bottom and pauses that the flathead strike. Great fun on light gear. Fingers crossed we get more rain and fewer cyclones than last year and we are set for a great fishing start to 2021.

Mud crabs and metre barra BROOME

Troy Honey

What a challenging year 2020 has been for us all. With the hardest part behind us it is time to enjoy the iconic region of Broome with family and friends and everything it has to offer. Yes, the humidity is up there, but we love it. The climate is what makes the fishing in the region as perfect as the landscapes. The fish and crustaceans around Broome certainly do not know what COVID or restrictions are, and they have been making that well known to anglers that have ventured out in the sweaty conditions in search of them. The barra reports have been coming in thick and fast, with the majority in the 60-80cm range plus quite a few examples coming in over the metre mark. It is forecast to be a big wet this year with a bit of rain already falling, so the barra fishing is only going to get better as the season progresses. If you are heading over the bay to the creeks and Fingers it is recommended to stop along the way and search for holes holding fish. Here you will find northern mulloway waiting for baits of mulies, mullet or fish 110

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strips to be dropped down to them. Reports of mulloway captures have been coming in every week during December so if you are up for a solid battle before or after your barra session then this is where you will find it during January. Threadfin salmon continue to be found in good numbers along the coastline around Broome with the flats around Crab Creek, the mouth of Willie Creek and along Cable Beach north of the rocks all producing fish. The larger spring tides are preferred fishing times for threadies when the water pushes over new ground, allowing the threadies to search for crustaceans. January is a great month to target threadfin as they really come alive in the

warmer waters. Small and large queenfish are turning up in big numbers from the jetty and all around the coastline north of there. The tide change is the time to flick your lures for queenies, with soft plastics, metal slices and stickbaits all working well. Queenies love structure and it is where you will find the larger fish hunting for a feed, so if you are looking for good ground, scout around during low tide and pick spots with rocks or reef for fishing the high tide change. My preferred spot for targeting big queenfish is up at James Price Point at high tide on the springs. Wet season is by far the best time of year to chase the mighty bluebone, especially if you are land based. Head

Kyle Poole, better known as ‘Salty Horse’, in search of good fishing and big mud crabs.

down to Gantheaume Point or the rocks under the jetty at low tide to catch the rock crabs which are the bluebone’s prime food source. Get yourself a pair of kitchen tongs, a bucket, pairs of gloves and most importantly, a pair of hard-soled shoes or boots. The boots are essential to assist in avoiding the severely painful stonefish spikes. Stonefish are regularly found right around the coastline of Broome and there has not been a time I have gone collecting rock crabs that I have not seen these venomous fish. Once you are set up and down in your crab catching spot, lift up the rocks and you will find a crab under every one of them. Grab them with the tongs and put them straight in the bucket. Once you have a dozen or more good sized crabs you are ready for the perfect bluebone session. Depending on the size of the crab, I generally peel the carapace off and then either break or cut the crab in half down the centre from head to tail and then use one half on a 8/0 thin but strong hook. I use Gamakatsu SL12S hooks because they are thin enough to penetrate the strong jaw of the bluebone and strong enough to withstand the brute force these mighty fish apply as soon as they are hooked.

It can be hard work searching the mangroves for muddies, but the rewards are worth it. Match your sinker weight to the tidal run so your rig sits tight on the bottom amongst the rocks you have cast it into. If you don’t, you’ll have a session of rigging up new rigs from busting off on the snags. It’s best to fish three hours before the high tide change to one hour after. This is the bluebone feeding time each day. If you are armed with a fresh rock crab in the water – and it doesn’t have to be deep – just among rocks you will have a great chance of getting stuck into them. I have caught bluebone in less than a foot of water on many occasions; the secret is the bait and finding the right spot at the right time of the tide. I always say if you are not getting snagged, you are fishing in the wrong spot so be prepared and take a bit of extra tackle with you.

To finish off your summer holiday feasts you simply cannot go past a good feed of Broome mud crabs. Reports coming in are that the larger of the browns and a few greens are bring found in Willie Creek but you need to work for them. Dampier and Crab creeks are holding quite a few crabs but mostly smaller browns. If you are wanting to ensure a good catch of large crabs then head up the newly sealed road of the Dampier Peninsula to the many creeks around the top end to 50km south and you will find plenty. Be very croc wise in this area, especially at this time of year as they are quite prolific. All in all, there is no better time to get amongst the action in Broome. Don’t forget your mosquito and sandfly repellent and drink plenty of water.

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111

Marron madness takes hold FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

With summer well and truly upon us, some freshwater anglers like to head to our estuaries or saltwater to chase species that are more active in the warmer weather. This is not the case with all of us though.

is becoming more regular down in our southern waters, with this area also suffering from higher temperatures in recent years. AUSSIE NATIVES A few reports have come through of big Murray cod being taken in private locations, and judging by the size of some of these, they are growing bigger every year.

that’s occurred has been done by anglers frustrated at the lack of action, who have taken things into their own hands. MARRON January sees the start of a short 4-week season with around 10,000 people buying a license to chase these freshwater delicacies. Our northern dams are popular, as are the many rivers deep

being organized by Oz Fish Unlimited WA, and if you are keen to get involved just become a member as they are always looking for a helping hand. DAMS WAROONA DAM Trout have been slow in the warmer water however if you fish deep you may be rewarded for your efforts. Redfin are still being caught on soft plastics and hardbodied lures but mainly from boats and kayaks. Be very careful as the ever increasing popularity of jet skiing has made trolling very difficult and at times dangerous. The main problem is the speed these watercraft can achieve and how they can change direction so quickly, as opposed to ski boats that remain on a constant line so are more predictable. This dam is a popular marroning

Marron are widespread throughout the southwest of the state. Simon Holland is one of the 10,000 people who take advantage of the short 4-week season.

A section on the upper Warren being choked by algae similar looking to the deadly rock snot after heavy late season rains. Redfin are still active throughout the warmer months, with some exceptional specimens having be caught in recent

Other eastern natives being caught have been silver perch and bass; for some reason golden perch do not seem to turn up

in our south. Marron are heavily policed by Fisheries with regular patrols and big fines in place so make sure you have a license and study

Mathew Gronn was happy with this 45cm redfin he caught trolling on a perfect day. spot, but the water gets stirred up so much it makes visibility almost impossible. It is very disappointing to hear that the lakeside camping facilities are now possibly permanently closed.

This is a classic example of government departments not willing to take responsibility of policing this fantastic camping area that so many enjoyed. This has also put additional pressure on the

Daniel Simpson with a superb brown trout caught on fly. He is one of the growing band of anglers encouraging catch and release of brown trout. times. If you are chasing trout them you need to pay attention to the weather patterns and choose a string of cooler days when trout become more active. Here I am referring to our northern waters mainly however, this 112

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here in WA. Looking at the condition of these fish it is obvious they are doing well in our environment and it’s a pity we don’t have a controlled stocking policy by our government departments. Any stocking

the rules as they vary for different waters. There is a project taking place that involves introducing better habitat in the way of big tree stumps in selected locations for marron to hide in. This project is

Silver perch are protected in a number of waters on the East Coast yet are treated as feral here in the West. This one survived in a dam that was only a metre deep over summer.

only other available lakeside camping area close by. It’s only a matter of time before this facility will also fall victim to the occasional hoons that spoil it for the rest. DRAKESBROOK WEIR Drakesbrook can fish well for trout this month as it’s fed by cool irrigation water being let out from Waroona Dam further upstream. The stream flowing into this weir has had access issues recently with the landowner denying access to his land. It’s not clear whether there is a legal riparian right on this section or not. Just be warned that the landowner may approach you, and judging by reports it may not be pleasant. LOGUE BROOK DAM This waterway is busy with ski boats and jet skiing in summer so it’s better to

avoid it if you’re chasing trout. Marron are available but size is a concern, even if it is a non-trophy water, with a minimum 80mm carapace (head) size limit. Unfortunately, it appears the few who spoilt the camping

is a general marron water so an 80mm carapace size and bag limit of eight applies. GLEN MERVYN DAM A few redfin are still coming out but not of any great size. Marroning is popular here.

come through but that’s not to say the redfin are not being caught. The section from the small weir right up to town can be fished by boat or kayak, with trolling or casting being the preferred options.

Cool, clean irrigation water provides trout with perfect conditions in some areas. They won’t always be fooled by your offering though. grounds at Waroona may have found their way to this location. HARVEY DAM Very slow for trout lately but a few redfin are coming out of this water. This dam was the site for the Harvey Dam Redfin Bash in December so details will be in the next issue. This

BIG BROOK DAM This dam has fished very well for brown trout over the last few months. It’s great to see how many anglers are now returning these great looking sportfish. Fly fishing has been the most successful method, with fishing into the night being a sure-fire way of tangling with one of these

few rainbows have already been caught by anglers using heavily weighted flies to get down in the current. Heavy jigs are also working, with floating hardbody lures less effective. Marron are present but it can get overcrowded in the more accessible areas. BLACKWOOD RIVER Not fished as often through this period but trout are in the section below Bridgetown and redfin in varying numbers above. Moving constantly is the key to success. WARREN RIVER Can be a bit tricky to fish throughout the warmer months however there were good stocks of trout late in the season so hopefully it will fish well this month. Redfin fishing was possibly better than in previous years so a bit of walking will get you on to quality fish. A

Australian bass are a hard-fighting freshwater species enjoyed by thousands of anglers around Australia. Only a lucky few have that privilege in WA. the upper reaches last month after the late season rains. LEFROY BROOK Fed by cold water let out of Big Brook Dam, this little stream is a favourite amongst trout anglers in this state.

been frustrating angers with their reluctance to strike. DONNELLY RIVER Simon Holland reports good water levels last month after the late season rain. It appears redfin are now on

COLLIE RIVER BELOW WELLINGTON DAM This is the month when the section below the wall normally fires, with large volumes of water being let out for irrigation. On occasions the level can be too high so moving down can be the better option. Some nice browns and a

Large pools on our rivers are prime marron haunts. They also hold large redfin for those willing to put the legwork in.

Marron do well in small dams. Young Blaine was happy with these two tasty beauties from a local dam. dam is also a trophy marron water so a minimum 90mm carapace size and a limit of five marron applies. Also as in all dams, they are snareonly waters. This means that nets, be they scoop or drop nets, are not allowed. It gets very crowded, particularly early in the season. WELLINGTON DAM I normally fish this large water body this month. I have found that moving around searching with a boat and constantly looking at the sounder is the best method. You may travel up to a kilometre before finding any real numbers. A variety of diving lures capable of getting down from 3-8m are the best. This

larger browns that cruise the edges after dark. Rainbows are turning up as well as a few redfin. RIVERS MURRAY RIVER Very quiet recently for trout but a few redfin are coming out of the deeper pools by dedicated anglers. This river is a popular marroning spot, but rewards don’t seem to match the effort on occasions. NORTHERN JARRAH STREAMS A few trout are still turning up in these streams but low water levels have hindered success to anglers who fish these areas. COLLIE RIVER ABOVE WELLINGTON DAM Not many reports have

kayak or boat is a great way to get into the better areas, with soft plastics being a good option cast in amongst the logs and snags where they prefer to hide out. Marron abound in this river so you shouldn’t find it too hard to get a few for a feed. It’s concerning to see the amount of algae that looks similar to rock snot appear in

Casting a dry fly to a trout sitting in a tight run can be one of the most rewarding methods yet on occasions one of the most frustrating you can experience, so be patient. Good numbers of both browns and rainbows have been reported, however angler pressure can be high at the more accessible areas. A few large browns have

Some of our dams hold good numbers of marron. It pays to get there early to secure a reasonable spot.

the regular list of captures along with rainbow and brown trout. I am not sure how I feel about this as it was once a trout water only and we all know the outcome that redfin can have on a water. Marron are also present but it doesn’t seem to get a lot of attention for some reason. The Record Brook Dam debate is still active with even Department of Water indicating that the figures SFIS published do not match what is actually happening in regards to water flow in recent years. Some believe this dam would be an advantage if it were managed right with a guaranteed environmental flow let out through the summer period. Summer is a tough time for the trout fishers in this state, but with other species available and the one month marron season you should find a suitable location to get away for a well earned break. Just remember that Fisheries are very active, the snakes are out, and fires are prohibited in all areas. Please leave only footprints and enjoy our beautiful outdoors. JANUARY 2021

113

recfishwest Fish stocking is king – 10,000 more kingfish Recfishwest is continuing to advance one of its comprehensive fish stocking programs, releasing a further 10,000 juvenile yellowtail kingfish off South Mole near Fremantle. On 26 November, Recfishwest joined staff from the Marine Finfish Hatchery – Fremantle, who cultured the kingfish, to release the 73-dayold fingerlings at South Mole, near Fremantle. For WA fishers, that’s 10,000 more reasons to get excited about hooking into amazing sportfishing off Perth, with the State Government supporting the metro yellowtail stocking program.

aquaculture and Government can work together to reach positive outcomes. “ We l l - m a n a g e d stocking programs create fish abundance, like what we’ve seen with our Lake Kununnura barra stocking, and create fantastic fishing experiences,” he said. “It

Dave Robertson is one of many WA fishers who love battling big hoodlums. Image courtesy of Dave Robertson

It was great to have many members of the recfishing community release the fish, including Halco Tackle’s Curtis Waterman. A metro kingie stocking program is part of the recfishing COVID-19 recovery package Premier Mark McGowan

Halco fishing lures Curtis Waterman, Denmark fisher Fabio Varrone of Fab Fishing and Tours, Hon-Su Chin, of Tackle West, and

helped push the envelope for the development of a comprehensive State-wide stocking program backed by the State Government. “Only five months ago, DPIRD scientists and Recfishwest released 5,000 hatchery-bred yellowtail kingfish from Fremantle – the first-time cultured kingies had been released in WA,” he said. “With a total of 15,000 kingies now released, there’s a greater chance of these juveniles making it to adulthood – having been nurtured through the most vulnerable

phase of their lifecycle. These kingfish, like the rest of their Seriola family, are hardy and fast-growing, so they’re a great species for stocking. “At the rate these fish can grow – nearly 5kg in only 18 months – it’s going to be really interesting to see how many more kingies start showing up on some of the inshore reef systems around the coast in the next couple of years on the back of these stocking events.” Working together for better fishing outcomes Dr Rowland said spearheading the trailblazing kingie stocking program with DPIRD proved recreational fishing,

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Compleat Angler Nedlands’ Brian Marshall – attended the kingie release. Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said this latest release was a great step forward in developing an ongoing dedicated metro yellowtail kingfish stocking program. Dr Rowland added it

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland says the latest release was a great step forward in developing an ongoing dedicated metro kingfish stocking program.

Recfishwest’s Steph Watts helped release the 73-day-old kingies.

DPIRD’s Michael Harrison feeding the kingies the day before release. announced in August alongside Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland and Fisheries Minister Peter Tinley. Soon-to-be Kings of the reef Several leading members of the WA sportfishing community – including Dixon Brothers Fishing’s Chris Dixon,

(RFIF)-funded marron stocking project, announced last year, to release 300,000 one-year-old marron into select waterways. The project is a step forward towards Recfishwest’s vision of making this highly valued South West fishery a year-

Yellowtail kingies are renowned for being a hardfighting species. Image courtesy of Mitchell Johnson.

can also play a pivotal role in protecting our fish stocks from future environmental and human pressures, in turn making fishing better.” Marron stocking – boosting a South West icon As Fishing Monthly was going to print, Recfishwest was preparing to release 25,000 juvenile marron into Waroona Dam and Logue Brook dams. These marron were set to be the first cabs off the rank of a Fisheries Initiative Fund

round fishery, instead of only a month long. Marron are endemic to WA’s South West and are a South West fishing icon to target for many recfishers, given their top-tier table qualities and how fun they are to catch. However, the marron fishery is under environmental pressure as WA’s south and south coast’s annual rainfall continues to decline. “While we can’t change the weather, we can create abundant fish stocks through stocking projects like this, in turn making fishing better,” Dr Rowland said. “Marron is unique to WA and fishing for it is a hugely popular pastime in the South West, with great potential to not just future-proof it, but open it up even more to the community, which is what this project aims to explore. “We want to see this stocking initiative lay the foundations for extending the marron season beyond a month – imagine how good it would be for families if you could catch a marron during school holidays?” – Zach Relph

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115

BARRA Series presented by

BARRA SERIES

abt

Old bull pips young bull in night marathon

We all know that barra fishing can drain you mentally. Sometimes the fish just don’t bite. The 16-hour all-nighter at Peter Faust Dam was created to add the physical draining to the mental aspect. It’s an all-night barra marathon where the biggest bag of five fish wins. Each year, anglers wonder if it’s an afternoon bite, an early morning pattern or a

Ultimately, the battle for the trophy came down to 470g of barra, and it was between ABT veteran Matthew Mott’s Team Garmin (with Tom Griffiths) and his son’s Western Adventures (Dylan Mott and Ben von Pein). In comparative terms, around 1cm of fish split the top two teams. “It’s pretty special to end up going head-to-head with your son in an event like this

we fish and it seems to hold bigger fish at times,” Matthew said. Most of the time, the teams fished within sledging distance and didn’t waste the opportunity. When it came to tackle and technique, big, heavy soft plastic swimbaits slow rolled got the job done. “You just cast the swimbait out as far as you can, sink it to the bottom and slow roll it back to the boat – it’s that simple,” explained Tom. Tom used a Molix 140 in black/gold that had been modified by scoring the tail with a soldering iron (to increase flexibility), dipped in red Spike-It, and had Scan the QR code to see the Faust all nighter Winners Interview, Mott and Griffiths

Father and son fished in close proximity for most of the session. Team Western Adventures grabbed an early lead but were ultimately topped thanks to the last minute big barra. moonlit night bite that will get the job done. Sometimes it’s a combination of all three. Armed with a free Samaki Redic jerk bait at the briefing, 29 teams headed out onto Faust to try to add the title to their resume in the third round of the Zerek BARRA Tour.

and we had plenty of fun getting it done,” said Matthew in the winner’s interview. You can watch it by scanning the QR code hereby. This is how they got it done. “Faust Point looks pretty featureless, but there’s a little channel out there that

the factory Colorado blade swapped out with a treble. “A lot of the barra hit the lure on the drop and when they did that, they ate it deep,” Tom continued. Matthew’s rig was a little different. He used a black/gold Squidgy Slick Rig 130mm that was scored in the tail section with a soldering iron, heated in the tail joint to bend the foot over more, replaced the jighead to a home-made internal one with an added stinger treble. He also dipped the tail in chartreuse Spike-It. “The barra have always eaten these and, while they’re eating them, I’m going to

Tom Griffiths is not only the life of the party, he was a valuable contributor to the win at the Samaki Faust Overnight event. throw them,” he said. He threw it on a light, castable wire trace (to minimise having to re-tie between fish) on a Dobyns Fury rod and Lews Inshore baitcast reel with 7.5:1 retrieve ratio. YOUNG BULLS BUCKING CLOSE Dylan Mott and Ben

vonPein were gracious in defeat, if not a little disappointed in Matthew’s last minute heroics with his 21.5kg fish after dawn. “We had them covered for most of the session, but that’s barra fishing you never know when the big fish are going to eat,” he said.

BIG BARRA

Here’s the ultimate barra photo: Crocs, trackies, sunnies after an all-nighter and the event’s Big Barra at 21.5kg (115cm) for Team Garmin’s Matthew Mott.

What was ABT thinking? Combining a Hawaiian themed party and the presentations…? And we still don’t know what happened to the monkey.

RESULTS Place Team 1 Garmin Marine 2 Western Adventures 3 BMENQ/H’bird/Jackall 4 Humminbird/Edge Rods 5 Dobyns Rods 6 Fish With Me 7 Wilson 8 Crooked Brothers/Pro Lates 9 Zerek/About Town BnT 10 Extreme Secret Spot 116

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Matthew Mott earned a new Live Fibre Bladesn-Tails rod for his 21.5kg (115cm) fish, landed after

dawn. It ate his special recipe Slick Rig and made the final points tally a nail-biting affair.

Full results at abt.org.au

Anglers Mott/Griffiths Mott/von Pein Tunsted/Brier-Mills Griffiths/DeRidder Dial/Slade Edmonds/Maddick Paynesy/Reedsy Ferraro/Hapgood Detenon/Mulcahy Chelepy/Marshall

Fish 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 4/5 4/5 5/5

Weight(kg) Payout 69.20 $1,800 68.73 $900 62.62 $700 62.13 $600 54.41 $500 52.14 Prize Pack 50.49 Prize Pack 49.94 Prize Pack 46.82 Prize Pack 45.42 Prize Pack

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Samaki BARRA event winner TBC at Faust

Well, the title is technically correct, because the winner of the Samaki-sponsored final round of the Zerek BARRA Tour was Team ‘TBC’. With Mackaybased Peter Laine and Ben Williams struggling for a team name, the entry list started as TBC and didn’t change through the tour. So it has been confirmed that TBC can catch barra. “We always like to find out-of-the-way spots and have them to ourselves and Faust has plenty of opportunities to do this,” Peter said. When asked if the spot was the same one that he

Ben Williams used a black and gold customised Squidgy Slick Rig to get his fish during the event. As usual, it was customised by being boiled, head replaced with a TT Stinger and a ST66 treble added as a stinger. He fished it on a spin combo, with an old Shimano Stella FE reel matched with an ACM custom North Fork 736 rod, 40lb Sufix 832

the one-two punch needed to keep the scoreboard rolling over. “They’re a good bait, even if some of the bigger fish can start tearing them apart,” Peter said of the Rapalas. He fished them on an Edge 767 Swimbait rod paired with a Daiwa Ryoga 1520 reel, 40lb Sunline Super PE braid and 100lb leader. “The 100lb leader lets “You can pry that black and gold Slick Rig out of my cold, dead hands.” Ben Williams didn’t say this, but we read his body language in the winners’ interview (scan QR code to watch).

Scan the QR code to see the Faust Day 2 Winners Interview, Laine and Williams

dominated that event at a couple of years ago, he said that it was around 500m away from it and it set up right for the water levels at Faust right now. With 10/10 barra for 122.08kg, nobody could argue about their spot choice, even if their second night wasn’t as productive as their first. Working as a team, the pair benefitted from an approach where they threw different baits to see what was the best option at the time.

Peter Laine had a knack of finding unpressured spots in Faust and turning them into epic sessions and BARRA event wins. He challenges all vloggers to come and beat him in an ABT event. braid and 80lb Shimano Ocea fluorocarbon leader. Laine, on the other hand, liked experimenting with Rapala 12cm X-Raps and old Stiffy Bony Bream lures and this gave them

me catch a few fish before having to retie,” Peter explained. WILSONS A SOLID SECOND Lachie Reed and Rob Payne completed a full limit

in all four Zerek BARRA Tour events and finished with their best result in the final round. Their 10/10, 115.67kg limit was one of four teams to crack the 100kg mark. “We found the McDonalds,” said Rob after the event. It was a shallower section in the trees where the barra were coming to feed in between 10-14ft of water. And it was tight country – 80lb leader, PE5 braid and locked drags meant that we could limit their runs in the heavy timber as much as we could. Rod used a couple of Venom baitcast rods in the 6kg and 8kg class matched with a Daiwa Zillion and

Shimano Curado reels while Lachie used a PE 3-5 Venom baitcast rod and Shimano Calcutta 200 reel. Their gun bait was the blackjack coloured 110mm Zerek Fish Trap. “We caught 85% of the fish on tour on this bait and a couple on the 7” Flat Shads,” Rob explained, “We fish them straight out of the box and the terminals stand up perfectly.” Reed perfected his ‘start the lawnmower’, violent rip of the bait. “It’s the best way of describing the technique … let it sink to the bottom and pull start that thing with your rod hand”, he continued.

BIG BARRA

Drew Jackson took the event’s Big Barra (and the Live Fibre Blade N Tails rod that goes with it) with this 22kg (116cm) fish.

Left: Team Wilson found a hump amongst the timber and milked it for a string of big barra on Zerek Fish Traps. Right: Rob ‘Paynesy’ Payne reckons that Fish Traps + camo pants are a great combination.

RESULTS Place Team 1 TBC 2 Wilson 3 Fitzroy R Barra Bash 4 Anita Barra 5 Mustad Swamp Dogs 6 Imakatsu 7 ACM/Dogtooth 8 Jigpro/Baker 9 BMENQ/H’bird/Jackall 10 Mother and Son 118

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Dean Jackson landed the event’s Big Barra with a 22.33kg (116cm) fish that he caught at Faust Point as the moon rose. It ate a Molix 140 in black and gold with the Colorado

blade removed, the tail dipped in garlic chartreuse Spike-It and scored with a soldering iron. “I got most of my bites between sundown and when the moon rose,” Dean said.

Full results at abt.org.au

Anglers Laine/Williams Paynesy/Reedsy Conrad/Lill Robinson/Wilson Clark/Walker Brett/Maclean Crofts/Crofts Rods/Keitech Tunsted/Brier-Mills Aldous/Doyle

Fish 10/10 10/10 9/10 9/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 9/10

Weight(kg) Payout 122.08 $1,600 115.67 $900 110.88 $700 100.23 $600 96.02 $500 94.43 $500 92.34 Prize Pack 85.83 Prize Pack 85.72 Prize Pack 82.61 Prize Pack

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Teemburra finally fires for Lowrance round

Mackay’s Teemburra Dam has a less than wonderful reputation with tournament BARRA anglers. It’s a lake with massive potential that’s been collectively hard on the crew for many years. And who’d have thought that 2020 was the year that gave the field what they wanted – a great night’s fishing on the lake and some 30kg+ fish to boot! Indeed, the winning weight from 2019 wouldn’t have landed those anglers in

“In practice this time we actually tried to get bites and catch fish rather than idling around just finding fish. This meant we had a couple of spots where we were confident that we could actually catch fish. And luckily we got to fish our favourite one,” said Dylan. The team (BMENQ/ Humminbird/Jackall) then got off to a dream start by hooking and landing a 116cm fish in the first few casts of the afternoon. “That really got the

Ben Tunsted’s 116cm Teemburra fish wasn’t even close to Big Barra for the night, but anchored a bag of fish that went 116, 113, 102, 96 and 95cm.

Dylan Brier-Mills with a solid 113cm (20kg) contribution to the bag. the top 10. That’s a turnaround. Cairns anglers Ben Tunsted and Dylan BrierMills broke through for their maiden ABT win amongst a talented field. They may have also thought that the 116cm (over 20kg) barra they landed on one of the first casts of the session might have given them a sniff of Big Barra for the day. Ultimately, their big fish was well short of the mark but their total bag topped 75kg and was nearly 15kg ahead of their nearest competition. Here’s how they did it.

confidence up,” said Ben. Their confidence bait and the one that did the damage for them in the session was a Black Panther coloured Jackall Transam, fished with a series of small hops off the bottom. Dylan fished his on an Edge Rods 705BCR (10-17lb) loaded with Platypus green 30lb Bionic Braid and 60lb Sunline FC Rock leader. They also upgraded

Tommy Wood loved a pink Samaki Redic 80mm after dark. the hardware on the lure to Decoy YS-81 hooks in size 4 and #3 rings. WOODS A SOLID SECOND The father-son pairing of Rob and Tommy Woods (Team SC Marine Electrical Doctor) finished a solid second, with the pair doing most of their damage on an ultra-slow jerkbait retrieve. “We fish the deep diving 80mm Samaki Redic lures nearly all the time,” said father Rob when explaining their tactics for the session, “Usually

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the whitebait colour in the daytime and the pink ones at night.” The key was to twitch and fish the suspending baits slowly. Ridiculously (or is that rediculously) slowly.

“You could have three casts with a soft plastic in the time that we made one cast with a jerkbait,” Rob added. They started on shallow, underwater points and then moved to the timber, where they caught most of their better quality fish. The pair used both spin (Shimano Stella) and baitcast (Shimano Tranx) tackle with their Samaki C12 rods. The rods were 7’ and rated between 10 and 20lb.

BIG BARRAS

Rob Wood is the other half of this father/son team.

Place Team 1 BMENQ/H’bird/Jackall 2 SC Marine Elec Doctor 3 Dobyns Rods 4 Extreme Secret Spot 5 Wilson 6 Imakatsu 7 Part-Time Hookers 8 Lowrance 9 TBC 10 Bream Wankas

Scan the QR code to see the Teemburra Winners Interview with Dylan and Ben

Dylan’s 116cm big barra that they caught straight away in the session was beaten twice on the night. Taigan Heath landed a 125cm (31+kg) fish and this was beaten by Ben

Williams’ 126cm (32+) fish. That one ate a 7” Zerek Flat Shad with stinger hook added after dark and hearned him an extra $1,250 worth of Wilsons gear.

Full results at abt.org.au

Anglers Tunsted/Brier-Mills Wood/Wood Dial/Slade Chelepy/Marshall Paynesy/Reedsy Brett/Maclean Beck/Brady Price/Thomas Laine/Williams Mckeown/Heath

Fish 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 4/5 5/5 2/5

Weight(kg) Payout 75.87 $1,700 62.79 $900 60.53 $700 53.63 $600 47.76 $500 46.42 Prize Pack 45.43 Prize Pack 43.62 Prize Pack 40.52 Prize Pack 32.58 Prize Pack

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Kariffo off to a flyer at Kinchant event

The dominant pairing of Craig Griffiths and Karim De Ridder (Humminbird/ Edge Rods), who we’ve decided to call Kariffo, won the first event of the Zerek BARRA Tour (and second event of the Zerek BARRA Series) on Kinchant Dam. Starting slowly, in further flung reaches of the lake, Kariffo doubled back to the boat ramp and went to work, bagging a quick

activity and structure present attracting all sizes of barra to a place where they feed. “I think it’s the lights and activity that help attract the fish,” the Griffiths part of the duo explained in the winner’s interview (you can watch it on the ABT YouTube channel), “There’s a lip on the edge of the ramp and the barra like to sit in there. You can see them on

that they caught for the session, including silent, dark Imakatsu Piranhas and Jackall Transams. They also caught a few fish on 5” Castaic soft plastics before switching to OSP Rudras (white/P44) to target barra that were surface feeding behind the boat. “You could hear the fish surface feeding out there so we spun the boat around to target the fish feeding.

It was the dominant pairing of recent BARRA Tours that started with a bang at Kinchant. Humminbird/ Edge Rods (Craig Griffiths and Karim deRidder) milked all of their weight off the main boat ramp. Williams may have been undecided about their team name, but their strategy for targeting fish in deeper water to access unpressured barra was locked in and productive. “We chose water around 14ft deep and fished it with heavy soft plastics to get our limit,” Peter said during the presentation at the Pinnacle Hotel.

BIG BARRA

Team TBC’s Ben Williams and his teammate Peter Laine fished deeper flats (15-20ft) to catch their bag, which weighed well enough for second place. limit and then some quality upgrades off the main boat ramp in the lake. If you haven’t heard, boat ramp barra are a thing in the lakes, with the lights,

the Humminbird 360, they swim around the boat and go and sit there.” Initially they used various vibration baits to land some of the 20 fish

Later, he reported that Ben was throwing a ubiquitous black/gold Slick Rig retrofitted with the TT 1oz replacement head while Peter was using a Chasebait Mud Bug (95mm, 31g) straight out of the packet and dragging it slowly across the bottom. They fished them on 30lb Sunline braid and 20lb Sunline fluorocarbon leader.

They don’t move too far when they feed like that, “ Karim said. “And there’s nothing as good as a jerkbait bite. Sometimes we’d leave the lure for up to 10 seconds and the moment you twitch it, they’re all over it,” said Craig. He had a Mustad Fastach clip attached to his Scan the QR code to see the Kinchant Winners Interview, Griffiths and DeRidder

Al Macnamara and Greg Beatty jumped to an early lead but failed to upgrade once the sun went down.

favourite Edge BCR605 rod that was spooled with 30lb Toray F4 braid and 54lb Toray fluorocarbon leader and he simply swapped the baits as required. The pair caught around 20 barramundi for the evening. SECOND PLACE TBC Peter Laine and Ben

RESULTS Place Team 1 Humminbird/Edge Rods 2 TBC 3 Anita Barra 4 Lowrance 5 BMENQ/H’bird/Jackall 6 Dobyns Rods 7 Zerek/About Town BnT 8 Millerods/Lowrance 9 Wilson 10 SC Marine Elec Doctor 122

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We’ll call him ‘Big Fish Ben’ (von Pein) soon. This year it was a 13.63kg (103cm) barra for the Big Barra win, but last year his team whacked a 31 and a 35kg fish. After the massive barra landed in Kinchant last year, this year’s Big Barra was a small-ish 13.63kg (103cm) fish,

caught by Ben von Pein late in the session. He won a Live Fibre Blades and Tails rod for his efforts.

Full results at abt.org.au

Anglers Griffiths/DeRidder Laine/Williams Robinson/Wilson Price/Thomas Tunsted/Brier-Mills Dial/Slade Detenon/Mulcahy McNamara/Beatty Paynesy/Reedsy Wood/Wood

Fish 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5

Weight(kg) Payout 59.94 $1,500 56.99 $900 52.07 $700 50.51 $600 49.90 $500 47.77 Prize Pack 47.37 Prize Pack 42.91 Prize Pack 41.61 Prize Pack 41.17 Prize Pack

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Top Track My Fish Events in 2020 SUNTAG

Stefan Sawynok

Each of the past two years I have put out my top five events from the Track My Fish Network, based on a combination of subjective (enjoyment) and objective factors (results). This year I am taking a slightly different approach to assessing events because we now have such a variety of events that it’s pretty much impossible to compare them usefully. For example how do you compare a weekend club event to an ABT BREAM, BASS or BARRA event. In order to address that gap I have broken the events down into useful categories that makes it easier to compare like for like. This year we had 239 events, with 30,824 participants. For perspective, the major sports clock in at 100,000 to 500,000 registered players. We estimate we cover about 30% of events now, which would put the total in competitive fishing pretty close to the 100,000 mark. That is why we are paying attention to the numbers more as we think the case is getting stronger all the time for fishing to receive greater recognition as a genuine sport. In selecting the best in each category I am considering the following:

Corey Ackerman with a serious kayak mulloway. be tracking the industry much more closely and will be looking at how best to make that public. That said, there are some things we saw that are worth noting. Overall our presence in the event circuit grew as we added 100 events over the prior year, nearly doubling 2019. While the number of events grew, we saw a shrinking of the number of fishers per event, meaning overall there was a 50% decline on the prior year attendances. Some of that can be explained by a number of smaller series making the jump to new technology but we also saw a big COVID impact, which took out almost all the larger events and reduced the numbers for other. Events that were on around the time of lockdown’s ending definitely saw a bump as people wanted to escape

Nathan Ruth having to work hard to lift his trophy barra. • Location – how is the area viewed as a fishing destination; • Species – What species are targeted relative to the type of event, e.g. I gave a higher weighting for mulloway on kayaks than redfin; • Results – The results had to be in the top 5% of events in the class; and, • Passion – One element of any good competition is enjoyment. The passion of the competitors is an important part of that. SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER FROM 2020 I will do a full breakdown of the competition scene in 2020 in my next article as there are some interesting trends fishers and organisers should be aware of. We will 124

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confinement, but over time things have settled and that bump appears to have been temporary. 2020 also saw women taking a much larger slice of the pie, from a largely token presence in 2018-late 2019 to around 5% of the total attendances in 2020, marking a 700% increase. I expect that trend to continue. That has to be good news as all of that is new fishers coming into the tournament scene, growing the sport overall. BEST CLUB SERIES Fish Headz is a lesserknown group run by a Digital Print operator on the Sunshine Coast. My first experience of the group was during a briefing night late in 2019. The group

had been in full swing for a while, but the management of the event was a challenge for a busy business owner, so we stepped in to help out. Two things stood out in the group: the number of younger fishers and the relaxed approach they had to fishing. Grant made it very clear to me at the first event that his big objective was just that boys have a good time and, while that proved true, it also turned out there were some serious fishers in the group. One of the great parts of the Fish Headz series is their lure challenges – each month they have one or more lure sponsors and there are specific categories created for fish caught on those lures. In one round there was a lure combo, so each team had to get a fish on each of two types of lures to qualify. This has led to fishers experimenting more and trying out new things and are rewarded for their efforts. Overall Fish Headz has one of the highest junior participations in our roster at 25-33% per event. It also has a different brag mat for each round, with professional colourful graphics – these sorts of touches mark a club that is thinking ahead as generation next is definitely more visual than prior generations. Fish Headz is a newer club and has a very energetic group. Their fresh approach and relaxed atmosphere proves that clubs aren’t dead, they might just need a refresh. For their results see Fig.1. BEST ONLINE EVENT It might seem odd that it has taken over three years for an app-based tournament management group to tackle online events, but without COVID we would likely still be waiting. With the arrival of COVID though, we ran our first Track My Fish events and saw groups unable to operate any other way experimenting with online-only formats. Ironically the one group that had started experimenting with online events just prior to COVID – Fishing Freshwater – went back to focusing on traditional events. It wasn’t until the end of

October that we had another serious go at an online event with the Reel It In 2020 Australian Flathead Challenge. The challenge was set for the Reel It In event to take out at least one of Luremasters daily records, but alas weather and lockdowns limited the catch and overall the event fell short of the Australian one day record in the TMF Network. That said, the event showed what it could do and, with good weather, the event could well break into the top five, maybe higher. In order to make it, Victoria needs to lift its game and Queensland needs to deliver as well, after all it’s the home of the Gold Coast Flathead Classic. All the same with all the challenges of organising an event under COVID amassing 683 participants and managing events in six states. A total catch of 1,507 fish makes it the third largest event in the Australian portion of the Track My Fish Network. That alone well and truly makes it worthy of taking out this category. For their results see Fig.2. BEST COMMUNITY/ WEIGH IN EVENT I had to travel a long way to make it to the best community event I have been to this year. I started by flying from Brisbane to Gladstone, then to Auckland, Perth finally landing in Esperance. When I got there though, it was clear that the journey was worthwhile. The seas and beaches around Esperance are crazy beautiful, the town has a brilliant pie shop and the fishing is fantastic. At the heart of the Community category for me is the links to the community and the Esperance Deep Sea Classic delivers. Competitors had came from as far away as Adelaide and Perth, but there was a large local crowd in attendance as well. The species mix was very different to what I am used to in Queensland, with breaksea cod, red snapper (redfish) and queen snapper dominating, the largest queen snapper clocking in at 8.15kg. Amongst the pelagics, samsonfish dominated the big fish category ranging from 10-20kg, snook up to 2.45kg and silver trevally with one monster of 5.55kg. Overall 461kg of fish were weighed at an average of 2.39kg and not a bit of that went to waste, which is how it should be. All the fish weighed in are filleted and anything left over is used by the club for meals. The beers were flowing well after the event and I had a great time swapping stories. As events go, the Classic is down to earth old school fishing, with its own sustainability twist. Once the borders reopen, Esperance should be on your bucket list of places to wet a line. For their results see Fig.3.

BEST GAME FISHING EVENT The Game fishing scene has always been about larger than life characters in larger than life boats chasing larger than life fish. It’s about as highly technical, high testosterone format as it gets. I had the chance to be a part of what is, I think, the best game event in the country – the GameX event over in WA. GameX is held in Exmouth, is the perfect location full of big beasts, harsh environments and locals tough as nails. Any serious Game fishing event needs lots of marlin, big pelagics and sharks and Exmouth delivers all and more. The numbers back that up, 289 marlin, 78 sailfish and 32 sharks all in the 1.5 to 3m long range. In

within Yakhunters that I think deserves special recognition. When it comes to Australia wide series, states like South Australia and Tasmania often fit in the ‘making up the numbers’ category. When it comes to Yakhunters though, the smaller southern states have take serious strides, with South Australia coming out of the COVID period with two important events. In the first event we saw mostly smaller fish – Australia salmon recruits between 20-30cm but given we are tracking the salmon migration now, it’s great to be able to get data that helps fill out what is happening post spawning. The second targeting mulloway, with a 105cm beast the largest. A 105cm specimen in a kayak will definitely get the heart

Mark Collins releasing a beast snapper. all, an additional 12 species of pelagics were weighed in ranging from 2-12kg. After six days of fishing the two leaders were neck and neck – one of the most experienced women and a precociously talented 12 year old girl. In 2021 I will be getting across to both GameX and the New Zealand Nationals, given they target similar species in identical rules but very different conditions, it will be massive to be able to compare the best that both countries have to offer. For their results see Fig.4. BEST KAYAK EVENT I am fan of the quiet achievers and the kayak category definitely has its heros. Generally speaking, Hobie dominate the kayak competition media but there is another group that has done a lot of good work getting fishers out in their kayaks – the Yakhunters. To be fair it would be easy to give Yakhunters collectively credit for their efforts in a challenging year but there is one group

rate up but for me the spread of fish, 32 in all, provides one of the first opportunities for recreational monitoring of mulloway in South Australia, one we hope to build on in the coming years. Kayaks are not just fun, they get into areas boats don’t and attack from a different angle. They aren’t simply a like for like replacement, they are a whole different way to collect some serious data. I am looking forward to Yakhunters SA making a big contribution to monitoring in 2021. If kayaks are your thing, Yakhunters have a simple event format (best two), cover some beautiful and challenging locations and rotate their species to always keep things challenging. For their results see Fig.5. BEST BARRAMUNDI EVENT The barramundi circuit had probably the least disruption due to COVID, though it still lost some big-ticket events such as the Barra Nationals and Barra

Connor Blackburn with a trophy salmon on a surface popper. Classic up in the Northern Territory – unfortunately for them, they were scheduled for smack bang in the middle of the national lockdown period. The Tinaroo Barra Bash was also a casualty, not so much with lockdown but with unpredictable and changing conditions regarding gatherings made it pretty much impossible to plan. That however was offset for us by new events we haven’t had the opportunity to be part of before, such as the Townsville Game Fishing Club Barra Bash. I am not quite sure what’s in the name ‘Barra Bash’ but it does seem to be a popular variant. This year, the TGFC Barra Bash took out my pick of the barra events. Operating under COVID restrictions, the event was nonetheless a great success with 531 fish reported in the two days spread among 111 fishers who caught fish. This event was our first window into the barramundi scene in Hinchbrook Channel, which has been a net free zone and host to barramundi farms for some time and the results were surprising. Of the 401 barramundi reported, 290 were smaller than legal length, while the 111 legal fish capped out under 80cm. While probably not the size range most are looking for, that is consistent with anecdotal reports that there is a significant take by recreational fishers in the region. In contrast, mangrove jack were on the larger side with 34 out the 37 reported being legal, one trophy length, 22 of the fish were 40cm or above. When you add in the 4lb club event that reported over 40 separate species this year, while the trophy fish are on shorter supply, Hinchinbrook is still a premium destination for sports fishers. There are four big events on in the area, the Ingham Rod and Reel Barra Event, TGFC Barra Event, 4lb Club and the NQ Flyfishers Event. All of them are heavily booked underlining the quality of the fishing, but all of them are worth making the effort for if you want that tropical fishing experience. For their results see Fig.6.

BEST CITIZEN SCIENCE/ INNOVATION EVENT Without COVID, the Salmon Slam event would have gone very close to making it to the best event overall. Right from the outset this event went in the opposite direction to almost every other event with the primary focus being on sharing where the fish are in pretty much real time. In case you missed that, EXACTLY where the fish are in real time – the GPS points! The purpose of sharing locations of fish is to encourage fishers to take advantage of the salmon run as it makes its way down the coast. I was skeptical – but this event was the fastest to 1000 signups we have ever had (under three weeks) and indeed most people were happy to share. Unfortunately, just as the event was hitting top gear the lockdowns started coming into force and, despite a lot of work done to keep the flame alive, the lockdowns won and the event was cancelled. The Salmon Slam is back on in 2021 and if you are travelling in WA between February and May don’t miss out – you will know exactly where the fish are biting, and you won’t get a better chance to get some serious surface action on a beach. For their results see Fig.7. BEST SEMIPROFESSIONAL EVENT Speaking of innovation, the ABT Barra Tour returned to Tinaroo this year and put on an event that was worthy of clean sweeping the Barra, Innovation

and Semi-Professional categories. What do I mean by Semi-Professional as a class? Over in the US they maintain the only ‘professional’ circuit that I am aware of, one that genuinely fits the model of fishing as a sport and that is the bass circuit. In the bass circuit, there are fishers that essentially focus all year around on tournament fishing as their career without the need for a second job. Further there is a college circuit and secondary tours that feed into the big tour – the Bassmaster series has pretty much the best TV coverage for fishing globally. The bass circuits meet all the conditions for professional sports, consistent rules, paid athletes and feeder series that encourage fishers to develop a career in the sport. In Australia we have several variants of the Bassmaster series but the only one that comes close to meeting the scope of the Bassmaster is the ABT BREAM, BASS and BARRA circuits. While the Australian market is not big enough to sustain the kind of prize money and sponsorship deals that allow fishers to turn professional, the skill levels and time investment that come from the wide array of arenas leads to fishers that are not a world away from their American counterparts. Therefore the term semiprofessional is warranted. The fishing quality definitely delivered with 130 barra average length 820 with 31 of the 130 coming in over a metre. This year the coverage was on the money, with live blogging and a live scoreboard that had a new Bassmaster style innovation breaking up the bag to show the weights of the individual fish. With this addition, the competitors and their supporters knew exactly what room each team had for upgrades and made for a much more exciting event overall. The combination of top tier fishers, big fish, live scoring and live blogging made Tinaroo one of the standout events on a tour where all five venues delivered the goods. At the moment, Tinaroo is probably the pick of the barra dams, although all including Monduran are firing. Getting

Helen Stuart with a trophy saratoga.

TABLE OF RESULTS FIG.1. Best Club Series: Fish Headz Round Location No. Fish 1 Sunshine Coast 117 2 Sunshine Coast 180 3 Sunshine Coast 165 4 Sunshine Coast 124 Croctober Sunshine Coast 643

Best Species Flathead (47) Flathead (73) Flathead (102) Barred javelin Flathead (477)

Total Species 23 28 18 24 32

FIG.2. Best Online Event: Reel It In Round Location No. Fish VIC All Victoria 199 NSW All NSW 1032 QLD All Queensland 159 TAS All Tasmania 84 WA All WA 33

Best Species Flathead (154) Flathead (901) Flathead (106) Flathead (82) Flathead (29)

Total Species 9 24 9 4 6

FIG.3. Best Community Event: Esperance Deep Sea Classic Round Location No. Fish Best Species 1 Esperance 193 Breaksea cod (32)

Total Species 14

FIG.4. Best Game Fishing Event: GameX Round Location No. Fish Best Species Total Species Tag & Release Exmouth 289 Black/blue marlin (177) 5 Weigh In Exmouth 45 Golden Trevally (8) 13 FIG.5. Best Kayak Event: Yakhunters Round Location No. Fish 3 Port River 52 4 Coorong River 32

Best Species Total Species Australian salmon (34) 2 Mulloway (32) 1

FIG.6. Best Barramundi Event: TGFC Barra Bash Round Location No. Fish Best Species 1 Hinchinbrook 531 Barramundi (401)

Total Species 17

FIG.7. Best Citizen Science/Innovation Event: Salmon Slam Round Location No. Fish Best Species Total Species 1 WA Coastline 187 Australian salmon (187) 1 FIG.8. Best Semi-Professional Event: ABT Barra Tour Round Location No Fish Best Species 1 Tinaroo 130 Barramundi (130)

Total Species 1

FIG.9. 2020 Best NZ Overall Event: Luremasters Round Location No Fish Best Species 1 Auckland 4029 Snapper (3300)

Total Species 12

FIG.10. 2020 Best Aus Overall Event: NT SWB Barra Challenge Round Location No Fish Best Species Total Species 1 Cooroboree 363 Saratoga (261) 3 in early in 2021 is probably a good idea because things could change dramatically if the rains come. For their results see Fig.8. 2020 BEST IN OVERALL NEW ZEALAND The Luremasters NZ boys threatened me with a 3000 fish day in the weeks prior to Luremasters 2020, which prompted a rebuild of the Daiwa NZ app to cope. They fell short of that mark but with 4000 fish in two days I was very grateful for the fact we did the app rebuild as our systems passed with flying colours. To put that into perspective, that is 3300 snapper at an average fork length of 440mm, largest 885mm to the fork and you needed three 800mm to be in the running for best overall. Add to that 85 yellowtail king at an average size of 917mm, with a largest of 1210mm to the fork. Those are big fish. This was an event that had it all, big fish, lots of fish and lots of successful anglers (467 entered fish during the event). Overall, Luremasters has the record for the three largest days in the Track My Fish Network (1300, 1500 and 2500). Going on how exhausted I was by the end after checking in all the catches and doing all the results, there isn’t a lot of room for expansion. Whether

Rod Wilson living the dream, ready to release a blue marlin. that is wishful thinking on my part we will see, the Kiwis are a creative bunch. Next year, Luremasters faces stiffer competition as we have the New Zealand Nationals on, but I know that Luremasters will do their best to turn it on. For their results see Fig.9. AUSTRALIA 2020 saw many firsts for us, including our first all women’s event up in the Cooroboree Billiabongs up in the Northern Territory – the SWB. While that is an important landmark for us, the results from that event exceeded all expectations, so much so that I dedicated an

article to it a few months ago. The results of 363 puts the event just outside the top 10 but given that the key species are saratoga, tarpon and barramundi that evens things out in terms of total difficulty. There’s no doubt the women way exceeded their own expectations and that to me is something all fishers aspire to. For their results see Fig.10. If there is a challenge I want to throw out to the events in 2021, that would be it – exceed your own expections, set new standards and show the best that fishing can be. See you all on the water in 2021. JANUARY 2021

125

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127

Anglapro Sniper Elite 554 with Mercury 135hp - SC

TENT -

RE ONLINE MO

CON

AN THE

DE FOR EX

T FMG

FISHABILITY I have mentioned versatility on a number of occasions and I am not sure whether this is a good thing or not. People love using the terminology of something being fit for purpose. The Anglapro Sniper 554 Elite is certainly fit to fish from. Add an electric motor to

Peter Jung pjung@fishingmonthly.com.au

The Anglapro Sniper range consists of seven models, of which the 554 Elite is the largest. They are a deep vee side console design that covers not only the waterways already mentioned, but with the deep vee design provides the option to venture slightly further afield. FIRST IMPRESSIONS The 554 Elite is certainly a step up in both size and space from anything else I have tested in the Anglapro ranges. As I said in the YouTube video (you will find the link somewhere on these pages) you instantly have a feeling of space as you jump into this boat. There is a spacious front casting platform, a generous lower SPECIFICATIONS Length................. 5.6m Beam................... 2.3m Bottom.sides ...... 4mm Top.sides ............ 3mm Max.hp .............. 135hp Max.people............... 5 Hull.weight ....... 530kg deck with multiple seating options and a side console with room for a multitude of electronics options. There is also plenty of legroom for the driver to be comfortable. The high gunnels add to the feeling of space but also provide the additional safety aspect should you venture further afield. This feeling of space is complemented by significant storage under the front casting deck, as well as handy storage pockets along 128

JANUARY 2021

young ones in the boat. The Sniper 554 is definitely fit to fish from. TRY IT FOR YOURSELF I tested this package with Simon Ryan from Boats and More in Shepparton and Echuca. Between the two dealerships they offer you the opportunity to check

PERFORMANCE Main: The Anglapro Sniper Elite 554 definitely fits into the crossover boat category. Big enough and safe enough to head out to your favourite inshore or bay location and small enough to poke around your favourite river, estuary or lake. Above: The 554 Elite comes standard with extended spray chines. Here you can see them doing their job. the sidewalls and at the base of the console for all your gear. There are purpose built hatches (for access) and space to house batteries and such like. All of this means the space above the decks can be kept clear of clutter and trip hazards, or that you can take more gear with you! Overall, the first impression was that it ticked a lot of boxes an angler would want. MANY THINGS ARE STANDARD FEATURES A key component when doing any boat test is to decipher what are ‘extras’ and what are standard features on the test boat. When I asked Simon from Boats and More that question, a little cheeky grin spread across his face as many of the desired options come standard. The list of items is quite impressive. Standard features include a drained anchor well with anchor winch supports, a removable bait board, a premium side console, electric motor bracket, underfloor keeper tank drained to the transom, painted hull, elite seats,

extended spray chines and much more. This means the purchaser can focus on the electronics they want fitted, knowing that this is the only other significant cost when purchasing the package. Therefore, you can spend as little or as much as you like. RIDE, HANDLING AND PERFORMANCE The Anglapro Sniper 554 Elite has a maximum horsepower rating of 135hp and the team at Boats and More had the test boat powered by a 135hp Mercury 4-stroke outboard. As we try to do with all boat tests, we collect performance statistic information. It was during the collecting of this information that we realised that the motor was over propped. This means the prop grabs too much water and therefore the engine is unable to get to the upper end of the rev range. This can affect the ride, handling and the performance of the package. Nevertheless, other than not being able to go beyond 4970rpm (two people on board), you couldn’t notice

a big difference to what would feel normal. The ride was excellent and handling at any speed was also very good. You could easily see the potential of the 135hp Mercury on this package, as even with the over propping it still got to a very respectable 71km/h at WOT with the best performance range sitting in the 35004000rpm range.

RPM.............Speed.(km/h).... Economy.(km/L) Idle.(670)......................... 4 ......................... 2.2 1000 ................................ 8 ......................... 3.5 2000.............................. 16 ......................... 5.4 3000.............................. 35 ....................... 15.0 4000.............................. 50 ....................... 32.0 WOT.(4970) ................... 71 ....................... 46.0 the package makes it an ideal platform to cast lures from, put in an anchor winch and you are set to anchor up on spot X and clean up on whiting. Even more importantly, you can get your family out on the water knowing that the boat is very stable at rest, with the added safety of the higher gunnels to keep the

out a number of boats in the Anglapro range and fit them out to your needs. The package as tested came in at just under $60,000, with base price starting at just under $54,000. You can go to their website www. boatsandmore.com.au for their contact details and to check out everything they have to offer.

Even though the Mercury 135hp 4-stroke was over propped on the boat tested it still showed more than enough indicators that it was an excellent choice to put with this package.

Top: There is plenty of room to have two anglers casting lures from the front deck of the Sniper 554 Elite. Above: The anchor well has additional supports to allow you to have an anchor winch installed.

Top: The lower deck feels spacious. It has a number of seating positions, basic storage and comes standard with Elite seats. Above: Although a medium sized boat, the 554 Elite was easy to launch and retrieve.

The Mercury 135hp 8-valve single overhead cam fuel injected motor is a great power plant for this package.

The Anglapro Sabre Hull is designed to provide excellent handling underway as well as maximum stability at rest.

Boats and More matched the package with a Dunbier dual axle trailer. Dual axle trailers provide excellent extended towing and make reversing that little bit easier too.

Top Left and Right: There is plenty of storage in the 554 Elite, ensuring you can keep the working areas clear of trip hazards. Bottom Left: Great access and storage for batteries and pumps is provided in the transom. Bottom Right: A simple bait board is provided with the Sniper 554 Elite. It is removable for those trips when it is not required.

Left: The side console offers plenty of space to flush mount electronics, with some simple storage and plenty of room for the skipper. Right: The walk through transom with ladder offers easy access to and from when on or off the water. JANUARY 2021

129

New South Wales Tide Times

Victorian Tide Times

2021

POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA DNEY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALES LAT 38° 18’ S LONG 144°LONSDALE 37’ E LAT 33° SYDNEY 51’ S LONG 151° 14’ E (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALES POINT – VICTOR Times and Heights of High and Low Waters Local Time Times and Heights of High and Low Waters LAT 33° 51’ S LONG 151° 14’ E LAT 38° 18’ S LONG 144° 37’ E POINT LONSDALE VICTORIA JUNE AUGUSTJUNE JULY Times and Heights ofJULY High MAY and–Low Waters Times Localand Time Heights of High and Low Water Time

0519 1117 SU 1640 2314

0.58 1.28 0.75 1.71

2021 2021 APRIL FEBRUARY

LAT 38° 18’ Time Sm LONG m 37’ Em Time m Time Time mTime mTime m m Time144° Time m MARCH Time FEBRUARY JANUARY Times and Heights of High and Low Waters Local Time 0006 1.68 0633 0.53 0145 1.34 0150 1.26 0037 1.78 0057 1.60 0557 1.36 0046 0.69 0452 1.41 0623 1.40 0034 0.51 Time m Time m Time m m Time Time m m Time Time m Time m Time m Time Timem m Time 1238 1.30 0750 0.51 0.62 0740 JANUARY 0.49 0744 0.54 0.380646 0.43 1148 0.55 0807 0735 1.30 1041 1158 0.58 0735 1.47 FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL 0.51 0.76 0520 1358 04551.60 0.50 14300319 1.670.32 04541.62 0.56 0415 0558 0400 0.531.33 04571804 0.44 1.380005 1.45 0337 1303 1.430420 0.33 1.59 1446 0238 1.43 1345 Time

m JANUARY

Time

m 0049 0.58 Time 0748 1.35 1.59 0227 TH FR TU WE SU 1.50 1.58 1904 MO 1.54 TU 1245 0.80 1245 0.75 TH 1257 0.87 FRm1748 SA 1900 WE m Time m 0850 m MO Time Time m 1126Time 1.83 m 0557Time 0.56 1104Time 1.57 2110 0.62 1052 1.35 m 1007 0.42 1203 1.58 m 0917 1032 1.850.79 1143Time 1.84 1040Time 1.89 0818 0.75 0.56 0808 1848 0.66 0.56 2114 0.76 1911 1940 0.78 1935 1.44 1530 1922 1.42 2319 0.74 1928 1.54 17121.33 0.48 SA TH 1457 1.430.45 MOFR 16291.43 0.67 TU 1624 1.46 1757 0.34 SA 1805 0.34 1814 0.28 TU 1209 1.55 1703 0.23 FRTU 1413 1430 MO MO FR 17140238 MO 04150100 1.59 1.58 0227 0255 0230 1.48 0319 0315 1.59 1.60 0337 1.52 1.180309 1.51 0030 1.67 1.68 0608 0.61 0138 01481.62 1.471828 1.25 0.49 2325 1.58 03012100 0.21 0.68 2119 22590.27 1.67 0.47 2211 0.380133 0.57 2312 1.331.66 23110.74 1.65 2016 0.26 2019 0135 0534 1.38 0043 0130 1007 0.42 0023 0808 0832 0.34 0850 0.62 09010.65 0.43 0906 0.22 0818 0.75 0917 0.56 0.59 0724 0.52 1207 1.25 0858 0.65 0835 0.54 0828 1121 0.58 0.420733 0.45 0853 0.56 0656 1.29 0842 1.32 0848 1.37 0735 1.40 0849 1.50 1624 1.46 1516 1.67 1457 1.43 1530 1.50 1600 1.76 1413 1.33 1530 1.43 1430 1.43 MO TU MO TH FR FR SA TU 0022 05381.64 0.60 0446 1.57 1.36 1.34 0022 05331.64 0.53 1.671.85 0444 0.541.35 0006 1.49 1.410043SA1.44 0.34 0415 0309 1335 1542 0318 1.47 1447 1451 1359 1.490511 MO 15380404 1.64 TH 2100 O 1726 0.80 WE FR TU 2211 0.38 2058 2115 0.46 0940 2134 0.51 0959 2016 0.26 0542 2119 0.27 0.36 0858 1231 0.65 1336 0.89 1836 1.52 1256 0.68 1345 SU 0.67 SA TH 0659 0.38 1135 1.280.640.85 1043 FR 0.371347 0.95 0.560.21 1139 1.48 0.55 1114 1.840.82 0.47 11262019 1.81 0.69 0.46 0852 1906 0.77 0612 2045 2227TU 0.72 2019 0.810641 0.62 1957 2230WE 0.50 1947 2019 1.40 1959 1.51 2023 1.50 1300 17051.48 0.73 WE 1704 1.462009TU1.38 1740 0.53 1546 1.431.44 0.34 SU 1205 1.72 1229 1.75 WE 1245 1.44 17441.44 0.28 SA 1458 1.37 1617 1522 WE SU FR SA 17570318 TUSA 0404 1.67 TU 0446 1.57 TU 0340 1.52 0356 1.60 0300 1.48 1.64 0415 1.64 0309 1.58 1845 23400.30 1.62 2246 0.43 0.41 1.63 1857 0245 23590.25 1.57 04222146 0.250.57 2358 1.331.56 18440126 0.33 1.371900 0.55 2357 1.68 2054 2202 2106 0000 1.66 0406 1.16 1.22 0239 0200 1.48 0940 0.55 1043 0.37 0116 0852 09360.59 0.37 0952 0.65 0.15 0905 0.330.43 0858 0.69 0959 0.46 0.45 0.75 0953 0230 0223 0.55 0001 0.75 0144 0230 0925 0.57 0815 0.50 0911 0.61 0825 0.47 0702 0.62 0.66 1001 0.57 1704 1.46 0808 1608 1.54 0444 1647 1.79 0451 1458 1.37 0048 1.54 0357 SU 1546 WE FR0945 SA 1547 SA1544 TU 1617 TU 1522 1.26 1.36 0628 1.34 0858 1.44 0958 0123 1.43 0116 1.79 0629 0.651.671.55 0514 1.540949 1.40 1.351.43 0615 0.58 1.65 0530 0.551.40 1.511.48 0.37 1.66 1.64 0348 1433 1.41 0112 1543 1.46WE 1458 1.570604 1637 1.52 1645 1.72 TU 1303 1.24 TU WE TH FR 2146 SA SU 2246 0.43 2150 0.49 2219 0.53 1039 2130 2054 0.25 0627 2202 0.30 0.35WE 0.68 0806 0.46 1225 1.220.650.92 1115 SA 0.341449 1.01 0.620.25 1215 1.39 0.49 1158 1.800.81 0.51 12152106 1.68 0936 0.63 0.37 0935 1321 0.75 1438 0.96 1209 0.48 1402 0.78 1453 MO 0.64 TH SU FR 2129 2015 0.75 0708 2155 0.790729 2114 1822 0.83 2330 0.65 23411025 0.41 1326 1.33 1405 17491.51 0.79 TH 1741 1.452102 1809 0.60 MO SA 1634 1.421.31 0.35 MO 1245 1.60 1318 1.62 1930 18261.38 0.36 SUTH 1542 1.39 1704 1611 2036 2108 1.47 2058 2124 SU 18410357 WESU WE1.35 0444 1.65WE 0514 1.54WE 04081.48 1.51 0435 1.37 1.60 0332 1.471.47 1.66 0451 1.64TH 0348 1.61 1940 2320 0.49 19210228 0.48 1.59 1942 0344 0.310.68 0.40 1.311936 0.61 2131 0.25 05342228 2245 0.35 2151 0056 1.62 1.25 0339 11150310 0.34 1.41 0935 0513 1037 0.12 0938 0.34 1025 0.49 0936 1.49 0.63 1039 0.37 0.33 1.171009 0.33 0220 1611 0.75 1046 0329 0.61 0320 0.53 0052 0.74 0252 0.51 0338 0.39 1106 0.54 1009 0.59 0905 0.48 0954 0.62 0919 0.49 0800 0.61 0.66 1741 1.45 1735 1.76 1619 1.65 1634 1.42 1643 1.56 1542 1.39 1704 1.51 1.61 TH 1.33 TH SA1044 SU 1.61 SU WE 1.42 0028 1.57 1.61 0542 1.501050 1.46 01321530 1.34 1.52 WE 0035 1.55 1.611.72 0046 1.341.47 MO 0205 1632 1.53 0735 00451.27 1.68 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0150 FR 0.71TU 0147 0.78 0110 1.72 0.76 0022 0.50SA 0059 0.65MO 00371.84 0.70 0025 0.801.75 MO TU WE TH SA 2300 0.46 2315 0.65 2333 0.68 2154 23261.41 0.62 2126 1.30 1952 22571.39 0.79 2030 1.29 2028 0811 1.29 0.22 0701 0253 06440.78 1.36 0748 0.87 1.29 0704 0.56 1.51 0722 1.46 0.32 0651 1.280.75 1934 1926 2005 1942 0.76 0144 02021.40 0.48 07570230 0145 1.39 0.30 0000 0.51 0331 0.25 1423 0.26 1406 0.40 1246 0.37 1340 0.51 1300 0.35 1332 0.41 1313 0.22 1231 0.52 0849 0113 1.37 0600 1.68 1.47 0826 1.41 TU TH 0.740.61 FR0730 SA 0740 MO TU 0.61 FR 0.80 0021 0536 1.671.38 0555 1.51 1.48 MO 0042 0752 0.55 1.310030 0.66 0611 1.68 0530 1.54 09330141 0246 0539 1.73 0235 0.86 0131 0144 1.56 0128 1.46 0213 0032 1.54 0033 1.42 2154 2126 1.30 0.45 1947 1.42 2113 1.37 0910 1952 1.39 1243 1.47 0748 1425 0.46 1311 1322 0.600700 1319 0.45 0719 15190759 0.41 1359 WE FR TH 2030 O 1210 0.37 TU MO SA1.64 0634 1.67 1209 0.510.60 0.651.29 1.801.41 13052028 0.45 1224 1.46 0.57 1.33 12082001 1.34 0.381.401.50 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MO TU SU TH MO FR 0918 0.36 0845 0.37 0939 0.47 0.19 0755 0453 0.90 0510 0.68 0312 0.81 0326 0.90 0012 1.43 0335 0.82 0249 0.86 0338 0.67 2008 1.37 2007 1.27 2135 1.42 1517 2105 1.45 20351.76 1.44 2327 1.48 2330 2016 1.331.63 1759 19500.32 1.87 1.66 2347 1956 1.48 1625 1.74 1556 1.74 1633 1614 1.71 1.87 1454 SA SU MO TU 0.31 1011 0446 1.18 0938 0.49 1.36 0936 0521 0.84 1.25TH0.290918 1.21 1048 1.39 0512 FR 0.451143 1.33 0338 0428 1.23 0.27 0357 0.41 11080446 0249 0.26 2033 0.78 2152 0.71 2129 0.72 2217 0.64 2159 0.50 2043 0.67 1712 0.45 1730 0.65 1550 0.27 1557 0.44 1140 1.28 1619 0.45 1506 0.50 1606 0.71 FR SU MO TU TH TH FR MO 0144 0.451.33 01381027 0.57 1.41 0314 0953 0.930.50 0505 01420.85 0.49 11300438 0.45 1.340247 0.42 0221 0116 02041.47 0.31 0047 1.37 0932 1048 1.410219 0.50 1.46 1055 0427 1.48 0848 1.57 2327 1.48 08112330 1759 1.36 1045 1.32 0821 1.930.66 1.751.33 08412347 1.78 1.34 1.201.59 1133 08002253 1.83 1.870.32 0827 0641 08102309 0.77 1.771.43 0614 0.84 1500 0.56 0942 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0230 0.39 1.38 0235 0.451.32 0.451.31 0.36 0.47 1.54 0258 0.50 0258 1.53 0.260.710.62 0141 1.452245 0.43 0051 1142 1.51 1210 MO 1.45 1120 1.39 0356 1036 1.350332 1133 1.400300 0945 1.50 1905 1827 0.41 1828 08521649 1.82 0.61 1022 08450.84 1.88 0.91 0911 1.970.68 MO 1.830.31 1.92 1.76 0901 1.540.64 0747 09020.67 1.70 0718 0.72 0630 1737 0545 0.50 18200555 0.64 1540 0.590955 1715 0.590920 FR SA SU TU 1608 WE FR 1521 0.51 1.55 0315 0446 1.42 0430 1.49 0510 1.40 0.34 1.87SA 1653 2235 1510 0.25 1147 1.210.51 0.221.81TH 15342318 0.32 0338 1623 0.22 15451.48 0.36 1157 1.34 1500 1354 14591.35 0.36 SU 1332 1.320519SA1.55 1246 SU TH SU SA WE TU SA WE 2347 1.60 2213 1.81 2331 1.64 2154 2.08 WE 1556 0031 1.38 00000.52 1.35 0033 1.54 0213 1.53 0141 1.45 0906 0051 1.39 0051 0.46 1.43 0003 1.48 0.28 1042 1014 1053 2129 1.36 2118 1.70 1810 0.381.70 2151 1.39 2253 1.45 0942 2228 1.60 21470.37 1.53 1815 0.22 2118 2001 21230.30 2.02 0.62 1929 0.381053 0.55 1851 0555 0.91 0521 0.77 0545 0.84 0747 0.67 0718 0.72 0630 0.72 0649 0.49 0551 0.39 1647 1611 1.73 0609SA0.38 1743 1.61 1714 1.68 1735 1.56 TU 1730 1.63 0015SU 1.28 0606 0500 0.51 0610 1.21 0.40 0518 0.41 1.75 0443 0.28 WE TH 0.45 MO 1147 1206 1.28 1157 1.34 1354 1.35 1332 1.32 1246 1.29 1332 1.52 1300 1.69 TH 1213 SU WE SA 1122 SA 0.75 TU2257 WE 0324 0.451.30 0302 0.48 1.37 0437 0.47 2209 0339 0.46 0134 0318 1.60 0.32 0334 1.450.50 03531.57 0.26 0.60 0146 2146 2331 0.39 2318 0.70 0.61 0300 2332 06190126 0.59 1232 1059 1.36SU 0.67 1044 1.43 0.55 1815 0.22 09331810 2001 19291218 0.38 1.40 1851 0.46 1.54 1914 0959 1.960.71 1.880.38 1.750.30 1.71 09321743 0.78 1.88 0937 0.85 1.480.63 0842 09581832 0.57 1.600.69 0733 1.43 1838 0657 0.55 1622 0.67 1100 0.61 TH 1804 0.660957 SA SU 12540700 MO TU 1744 WE 1656 SA 1614 0.59 0.24 FR 1613 0.29 1727 2319 0.37 0421 16151.46 0.39 TH 1303 1550 1.37 0.24 1919 1253 1528 1.240.55 1450 15441.40 0.45 1.37 1351 0355 0620SU1.53 0534 0521 0558 SU MO FRWE SUTH 0.69 2254 1.76 1.50 2246 2.01 TH 1642 0134 1.78 1.60 0126 1.45 SU 0300 1.57 0146 1.44 00581.37 1.42 0128 1.47 1.45 0054 1.53 2238 1.39 2209 1.40 2330 1.45 1025 0.36 22200.39 1.56 1915 2201 0.19 1.79 1905 2149 0.331.71 2049 22120.31 2.02 0.70 1948 0943 1141 0.65 1120 0.61 1101 0.54 1131 0657 0.78 0700 0.85 0842 0.57 0733 0.62 0634 0.64 0726 0.42 0645 0.26 0041 1.46 0545 0.53 0007 1.74 0601 0.42 0013 1.50 0542 0.34 0106 1.17 1731 1.67 1650 1.69 1813 1.58 1819 1.55 1754 1.63 1806 1.51 TH FR WE SU MO TU 1.37 0346 1.36 0230 1412 1.59 0451 TH 1303 FR 1253 SU 1450 SU 1351 MO WE TH 1354 0.441.24 0.511.40 04081316 0.281.41 0413 1.52 0.52 1.59 0.291.81 0412 0.471.29 0417 0.47 1.65 0231 0657 0.45 1146 0658 0.47 05162049 1211 1.39 0.690645 0.52 1143 1.38 07030214 0.65 2252 2225 0.74 2344 0.56 0341 1915 0.19 10151905 0.45 0757 1951 1.910.33 1134 1749 1.650.31 10201900 1.820.53 0751 1014 0.76 1.420.63 0928 10541925 0.49 1.490.67 1044 1.910.73 10301948 1.65 0.70 0822 1328 1.56 1710 1305 1.36 0.64 1304 1.40 1709 0.66 1346 1.42 SU TU TH 0.43 FR SU MO 16521839 0.26 0.73 1630 0.27 1350 1557 1.300.61 1540 16321.44 0.55 0.59 0.28 SA WE 16441.44 0.43 FRTU 1403 1.40 1445 MO 17580341 SA TH MOFR MO0.37 0018 0507 1.431859 MO 0437 0001 0622 0010 2339 0.72 2341 1.91 FR 1725 2030 0.70 1.59 0159 1.46 1.47 0141 1.57 0230 1.73 1.65 0214 1.52 0231 1948 1.49 0.57 01480.70 1.49 2251 1.44 2246 1.85 1953 2223 0.291.70 2132 23030.33 1.97 1.35 2323 1.38 22530.43 1.57 2011 0.19 2035 0726 1.51 1107 0.45 1023 0630 1151 0650 0928 0.49 0800 0.64 0.37 0735 0.18 0757 0.70 0751 0.76 0822 0.52 07301.32 0.48 0642 0.42 0058 1.37 0213 1.10 1230 0.75 1815 1.58 1731 1.64 1200 0.70 1838 1.58 1212 0.79 1540 1.44 1445 1.64 1445 1.87 1403 1.40 1350 1.30 1445 1.44 1416 1.56 MO FR FR SA MO TU TH FR SA MO0501 TUTH 1.58 WE 0432 0.43 0.28 08000257 1244 1.34 0.702025 0.63 2132 0.33 2013 0.661.47 2011 0.19 10591953 1959 0.51 0836 1900 1.52 2336 0.710723 0.58 2305 2035 0.72 0.45 1111 1857 1.49 1842 1.900.29 1.72 0.67 1807 0.73 1353 1.41 1448 1.42 O SA TU 0.26 1713 0.35 1443 1.37 SU 17320257 WE SU 2001 0.76 2148 0.68 1.58 0233 1.55 0526 1.42 0110 0.37 2335 1.47 2333 1.87 2037 0.27 0836 0.67 0819 0.34 1107 0.49 0832 1.50 SU 1443 1.37 WE 1510 1.68 1815 1.59 1324 0.84 SU FR ommonwealth © ofCopyright AustraliaCommonwealth 2020, Bureau of Australia Meteorology 2037 0.27of 2048 Commonwealth 0.50 2020, Bureau of Meteorology of Australia 2020, Bureau of1954 Meteorolo 2351 0.69 © Copyright 1.47

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16 16 16 1 17 171 17 2 18 182 18 3 19 193 19 4 20 204 20 5 5 21 21 21 6 6 22 7 22 22 7 23 8 23 23 8 24 9 24 24 9 252510 25 10 262611 26 11 272712 2712 282813 2813 292914 2914 303015 3015 3131

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ctions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide © Copyright Commonwealth Australia 2020, Bureau of Meteorology cal standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in (UTC effect Times are in local standard time of (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time Times +11:00) are inwhen local instandard effect time +10:00) or daylight savings tim © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2019, Bureau of (UTC Meteorology Datum of Predictions Astronomical New Moon First Last Quarter ymbols Full Moon NewQuarter Moon DatumTide First Quarter Last New Quarter Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols is Lowest Moon Full Phase Moon Symbols of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) wh New Moon First Quarter Last Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Full Moon Tide predictions for Port Phillip Heads have been formatted by the National Tidal Centre, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Copyright reserved. All material is supplied in good faith and is believed to be correct. It is supplied on the condition that no warranty is given in relation thereto, that no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions is, or will be, accepted and that the recipient will hold MHL and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australia free from all such responsibility or liability and from all loss or damage incurred as a consequence of any error or omission. Predictions should not be used for navigational purposes. Use of these tide predictions will be deemed to include acceptance of the above conditions. 130

JANUARY 2021

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