Fishing Monthly Magazine | July 2023 by Fishing Monthly

• WHERE TO FIND THE WINTER BITE • COD TACTICS •

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Cold water Murray cod tactics • All about sinkers • Latest in tournament news •

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Hurricane Lures • Stessco Albacore SC640

Species Spotlight

Toby Grundy brings us cold water cod tactics

July, 2023 07

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CONTENTS From the Editor’s Desk...

OUR COVER July 2023, Vol. 4 No.3 VIC

TAS

Gill net free reef a gift for recreational anglers

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

16 18 22 24 26 28 30 34 36 38 40 40 42 44 48

NEW SOUTH WALES Sydney North Sydney South Sydney Rock Ballina Coffs Coast South West Rocks Hasting Port Macquarie Central Coast Port Stephens Swansea Illawarra Bermagui Tathra New England Rivers Hunter Valley Albury/Wodonga Batlow Canberra

53 52 54 56 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 66 68 69 70 72 73

VICTORIA Portland Warrnambool Appollo Bay Cobden Geelong Port Phillip East Port Phillip West Phillip Island Gippsland Lakes Lakes Entrance Port Albert Marlo Mallacoota Robinvale Bendigo Wangaratta Shepparton Ballarat Crater Lakes Gippsland Freshwater 6 JULY 2023

74 74 75 75 76 77 78 80 82 82 83 84 84 86 86 88 86 90 91 91

The recent decision to buy out all gill net licences and remove gill nets from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and parts of the Gulf of Carpentaria was a surprise to all who fish these areas – even though it was flagged in a UNESCO report in late 2022. On the surface, an unpleasant one for commercials active in these fisheries and obviously very pleasant for recreational anglers. For years, anglers and representative bodies have debated just how to fund an industry driven buyout. In Queensland, there’s no licence or fishing fee to use these fisheries, so the government’s offer to provide $160 million to buy the symbols and tightly monitor the trawl fishery seemed to come a long way from left field. $100 million goes to the licence buyback and adjustment and $60 million to cameras to monitor the trawl industry. But the fact is that recreational anglers themselves had a lot to do with the gill nets’ demise. And it comes down to data. Recreational anglers have been contributing to community monitoring of the resource in the smaller, local, Net Free Zones (NFZs) for decades – both before and after they were introduced. As such, there was an extremely solid case to show that the net removal would, quite quickly, result in a drastically improved recreational fishing outcome. You can thank the taggers, club members and thousands of hours of volunteers who helped to assemble this data for this. And we can also thank the conservation lobby. They took the data and augmented

Jimmy Clifton caught this 18kg long tail tuna off the beach while drone fishing. (Read an account of the capture on page 16, Tweed report) A Leon McClymont image. Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.

TASMANIA Offshore Hobart

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance

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Lancelin

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101

Karratha

100

Freshwater

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their case for removal, which was more for the protection of vulnerable species than to help recreational fishers. I’m glad that there’s a substantial compensation package for the fishers effected. On the recreational side, you don’t get compensated if your business becomes obsolete, the tax department just takes your house. Remember, they’re not banning commercial fishing, just the use of certain nets. Good operators will find ways to catch their quota and make money doing it. If commercial operators didn’t see the writing on the wall for gill nets decades ago and the lack of social licence for these methods, they were out of touch. Illustrating this was when I went to see what was being said on the QSIA (Queensland Seafood Industry Association) Facebook page. Their ‘GoFundMe’ Save Queensland Commercial Fishing campaign had raised $2,300 in four days. In contrast, the latest national survey valued the recreational fishing in Queensland to be worth $2 billion to the economy. A small increase in recreational and charter fishing from these changes will have massive benefits to the local economy and tourism. So, it’s a gift for any recreational anglers who fish Queensland’s inshore waters. Let’s look after it like we are all inclined to do and enjoy the bounce-back in stocks of the fish we all love to catch. Thank you to Minister Furner and Queensland Fisheries for wearing the inevitable heat that will come during the roll-out of these measures.

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Cold water cod tactics CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

In my hometown of Canberra, there are a wide variety of fishing options for those who want to chase the iconic Murray cod. From Lake Burley Griffin through

the past few cod seasons I have honed my winter cod game on the river and discovered a few simple yet effective tactics which, more often than not, bring the fish on the bite in even the coldest of conditions. Outlined below are all the simple strategies I’ve learnt that have led

feed in cold water. These are the fish I target in cooler conditions and they usually cruise around the wider, slower and shallower pools in search of a quick feed at dawn or dusk. I think ‘shallow’ is the most important element. Wide pools that are 1-2m deep are perfect choices because the bait tends to push up into these areas to escape the predators during low light periods but the predators (cod) follow and basically use the shallower pools as a dinner plate. If there is a little current moving across this type of pool, then even better as I’ll use the current to swing the lure as tight to the bank as possible and look for cod holding out in the middle but also holding close to the bank.

Deeper pools in between faster sections are the best places to start.

Sometimes a lure with a more subtle action will trigger a reaction. the Murrumbidgee River, there is no shortage of big fish spots where serious trophy fish lurk. That said, winter always represents a challenging time for those who want to tangle with green fish. In fact, I have spent countless hours walking the banks of the river and casting into the fog with no reward for my efforts. However, over

to some truly memorable winter captures. THE LOCATION Choosing a location to cast a line is the most challenging part of fishing during winter. Once upon a time it was a widely held belief that cod stuck to one snag and rarely moved. The big fish sat on the large snags like boulders and sunken

Ben Lane landed this fish while fishing a slower pool.

Dawn on the river is a special time to be out fishing. AUTHOR’S COD LURES DStyle Reserve Hatch Mimix Dragonsaurus Jackall Gantia Bassman Spinnerbait Megabass Big M 8 JULY 2023

logs while the smaller fish hung around rocks and sunken shrubs. Now to some extent, this is true, but I have also seen and experienced firsthand the free swimming cod that

During winter, I don’t fish a lot of fast water. I find that the cod tend to shy away from these areas but if there is a fast section with plenty of rocks to break up the current then I’ll stop

and have a few casts on my way to wider pools as there is always a chance of a cod holding in an eddy created by a rock and often these areas do hold very large Murray cod. LURES I don’t take a large number of lures with me when I go cod fishing. I know this bucks the trend but I’ve honed my strategy and with that came a lure cull. I pack 3-4 surface lures, 2 spinnerbaits, a deep diver, a swimbait and that is it. Winter sessions are usually short sessions. The peak bite period is either side of first light or sunset, so if I haven’t caught a fish during the bite period then I know there is little point in staying and grinding it out. A lot of anglers mention ‘the grind’ and how rewarding that one bite can be after 24 hours of casting. Now I am sure that is true but it is equally as rewarding to have a

plan and execute it within a shorter time period, especially when a really big fish slams a surface lure in less than a metre

of water. I have included a fact box which contains the lures I use. TACTICS When faced with a big, wide, shallow pool devoid of snags it can be hard to know where to begin. The bottom line is that the fish will be there to feed and so will be moving around and this can be frustrating. First, I like to look for a bit of current and I’ll casting past the current and then work my surface lure back across the current. I usually start with a surface offering as these types of lures suit shallow pools and the cod are already swimming close to the surface and don’t have to come from deep to hit the lure. If I don’t get a hit working the lure across the current, then I will fish downstream of the current and work my lure right along the length current. If the current winds its way close to the shoreline then I’ll switch position, fish

The Dragonsaurus remains the author’s go to winter lure.

upstream of the current, cast my lure out into the current and without winding the handle, swing the lure from the middle of the current towards the edge of the bank. This is one of my favourite tactics to employ during winter as the surface lure moving from one side of the current to the other and then moving to the edge of the bank perfectly represents forage trying to escape after landing in the water. The cod also sit in the undercut banks right at the water’s edge. If the cod haven’t hit my surface offering in the current then I switch over to a spinnerbait and repeat the same process. A spinnerbait

coloured spinnerbait. A switch in lure is not always enough but a change in profile and colour can turn a quiet session into something special. If I haven’t had a hit in or around the current, I switch focus to the middle of the pool and work surface lures right out in the middle and swimbaits. Swimbaits are a great open water option as the lure

when working a swimbait in wide pools. Basically, I cast out, give the handle of the reel a few turns and then pause the lure before repeating the process. I will pause the lure for up to 30 seconds before winding again. I do this because I want to make sure that all the cod cruising the pool get a chance to take a look at the lure before it reaches the bank and I cast again.

Chris Troth with a solid winter green fish. in this scenario might seem counter intuitive as these lures tend to sink quickly but I have found them to be one of the best shallow water lures because I can work the lure quickly and therefore keep it off the bottom but the lure also creates a lot of disturbance when worked closer to the surface. It is important to mention colour change here. I often start with a black surface lure and then switch to a brightly coloured spinnerbait. Or I start with a brightly coloured surface lure and switch to a dark

Big winter fish are worth the effort.

A quick colour change resulted in this smaller model crunching the surface lure. represents a small fish that has made a big mistake and swum out too far. I employ a slow version of the ‘rip and pause’ style retrieve

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Use the current to swing the lure into undercut banks. foot caught between two rocks. It took several mates and myself to shift one of the rocks far enough for me to pull my foot out. This would never have happened if I was wearing the right footwear. Walking the river is about putting in the kilometres to find the right pools and so wearing boots with good ankle support and grip is a must. A head torch is also essential, and I always take a beacon with me as the areas I fish are out of mobile range. TACKLE I use a Rovex Inazuma 6’0 5-8kg baitcast rod matched to a Quantum

Smoke S3 baitcast reel. The reel is spooled with 40lb braid and 50lb leader. This is not a swimbait set up but I do a lot of hiking through dense scrub and so a shorter rod suits me, especially as I often cast in and around dense cover. As you can see from my fact box, I also mostly cast light lures that means that I don’t need a heavier set up. WEATHER I don’t like fishing when there is a full moon. For some reason, I have never done particularly well on bright evenings. Give me plenty of cloud cover though and even light rain as this

does not deter the fish from moving into the shallow pools and feeding up. I like fishing early mornings more

Spinnerbaits are an under rated option that can yield great results during full sun.

Late night sessions can be very productive.

than late afternoons because there is more urgency to the feeding but fishing at dusk can be very productive especially on overcast days. CONCLUSION By finding the shallower, wider pools and focusing on the small amount of current in these

EXPERIENCE THE DIFFERENCE SCAN THE CODE TO FIND OUT MORE 13 Fishing Australia

10 JULY 2023

areas, it is possible to catch really big fish during short winter sessions. The trick is to pack light, use only a

@13fishingaus

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handful of lures and work the edges in search of a Murray cod. Now until the end of August represents the best time to go in search of a big fish in the shallows. Just be prepared to do some serious walking to uncover these underfished areas.

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They’re called sinkers, not anchors! NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Tweaking the size and weight of the sinkers in your bait rigs can often make a significant difference to your fishing results.

suspect lead will eventually be phased out completely, or even banned in most jurisdictions although, for the moment at least, it remains in widespread use here in Australia. We add weights to our fishing lines for a variety of reasons: to aid in casting, to take baits or lures down

conclusion, this minimalist philosophy implies that doing away with a sinker altogether is perhaps the most effective approach of all, and that is certainly the case. An un-weighted bait rig can be absolutely deadly in many applications, especially when dealing with particularly

done. Could you down-size that 100g snapper lead to a 30g running ball sinker and still reach the strike zone? If so, give it a go! You might be in for a very pleasant surprise. Whether launching a pilchard out over a surf break, bombing a squid strip onto the reef in 30m of water, or sinking a curly-tailed soft plastic grub down the face of a submerged tree in a river, far too many anglers use a lot more weight than they really need. As a result, they catch less fish, get more snags and lose more gear. By lightening up a little, the whole process can become both more enjoyable and more productive. Of course, you can take things too far. If your rig isn’t weighted sufficiently to actually reach the fish — especially at distance, in

Starlo caught this cunning western yellowfin bream in the marina at Exmouth, WA, by casting an unweighted pilchard piece well ahead of the fish as it cruised the rock walls.

As the tidal flow around those bridge pylons decreased close to the tide change, Jo Starling switched to a lighter Cranka Crab and allowed it to waft slowly down the face of the structure the result was a thumping bream! cautious or pressured fish in calm conditions, and where long casts or deep presentations aren’t required. Of course, in many scenarios you’ll still require a sinker. If you need to cast 50m and more to reach the fish, or get your baits to the seabed in a similar depth of flowing water, an un-weighted rig is simply not going to do the job. However, before reaching for something that wouldn’t look out of place in an Olympic shot put or weight-lifting event, have a think about how much mass you really need to add to your line to get the job

Snapper respond particularly well to more lightly-weighted rigs, and will often rise surprisingly high in the water column, especially in a berley trail.

Coffs Harbour fish whisperer Glen Booth is a big fan of the lightly-weighted ‘floater’ bait when fishing his local reefs for all manner of tasty targets, including teraglin or trag. Sinkers come in all manner of shapes and sizes. These days, they even vary in their raw materials. While lead or various lead alloys were once used almost exclusively to make sinkers, split shot, jig heads and so on, these days manufacturers employ a range of other metals in addition to lead when making fishing weights, from steel to tungsten. Part of the reason for this gradual changeover is environmental. Lead isn’t particularly good for our aquatic habitats, nor for the critters that live in them. I 14 JULY 2023

through the water column, to combat tidal flow or current, and also to “ballast” or partially submerge float rigs. As a rough rule, you’ll nearly always get more bites and catch more fish if you use the lightest sinkers, shot or jig heads you can possibly get away with under the prevailing conditions. The reasons for this are fairly obvious: lighter weights mean your bait or lure will look and behave more naturally in the water, and also provide less resistance to a timidly biting fish. Taken to its ultimate

Using the lightest jighead you can get away with under the prevailing conditions almost always results in more snapper bites on soft plastics.

deeper water, or with strong currents — you won’t catch much. But you may be surprised at just how little weight is actually needed to get the job done, especially in this age of super-fine braided lines, skinny fluorocarbon leaders and sensitive ‘finesse’ tackle. And if you can get there without using a massive sinker or brick-like jig head, you’ll almost certainly hook more fish. The bottom line is this: they’re called sinkers, not anchors! In most situations, you don’t need your rig to plummet to the seabed at high speed and then sit there absolutely motionless until you retrieve it. You’ll fool more fish if the bait or lure wafts down slowly through the water column before bouncing gently along the bottom, just like a real item of food. So, think about it… and lighten up!

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Drone away the winter blues THE TWEED

Leon McClymont

This time of year on the Tweed and surrounding areas is one of the most

stick baits, and poppers from high ledges. This is one of the most desired techniques as it offers that next level of excitement being able to sight the fish and watch it chase down

provides the adrenaline rush most anglers are seeking, especially when you’re either just sitting on the rocks or performing other tasks when the ratchet of your drag starts screaming

The author with a northern bluefin (long tail tuna) from the stones on an 85g metal slug. prevalent times to target the northern bluefin, commonly known as the long tail tuna. We don’t have the best headlands, ledges or rock walls for the long tail to frequently visit but be sure there are a few that do. They consistently cruise up and down the beaches but are generally out of casting range so you would have to be in the right place at the right time to catch one unassisted by a drone or some sort or longer casting mechanism. Only putting time on the stones or the sand will you achieve a trophy fish, they don’t come easy. It’s said for every long tail caught land-based is worth 10 in a boat. A technique to target them is sight casting lures, such as metals slugs,

a lure. Blind casting relentlessly into the abyss waiting for an unexpected boom that’s when it gets real quickly. This can be very productive, especially when the fish are running deep or the water is dirty, as the fish are passing unseen and aren’t being targeted – this is where blind casting will shine. Live baiting is also a very successful method and widely used all around Australia to target tuna and other species. Having a live bait under a float is generally the preferred method and can provide for a great day on the stones. You can set out a bait or several and continue to fish for live bait or other smaller species in close whilst soaking livies out wide. This type of fishing is also very exciting and

Matt Shaw late night ghost hunting. 16 JULY 2023

and your line is peeling out. There simply isn’t many other things a angler could wish for. COVER CAPTURE If you’re reading this, then you’ve seen the cover. It was a very special fish for the angler Jimmy Clifton, it was his first land-based tuna off the beach, which is an achievement. I also had a hand in the capture on that day, as we specifically targeted long tail that morning using a drone, that’s right a drone. Times have changed and technology has really stepped into just about every sector in life. On this particular morning we had a few left over live yakkas that we purposely kept for this particular mission – we had caught the livies the night before for a mulloway mission. We showed up to the beach and searched for any surface action, such as bust ups or birds working, but we had no luck spotting anything. I put the drone up anyway and sent it down

The author with a tuna from the stones. This fish ate a Tweed Bait pilchard delivered from the drone. within camera frame, I allowed enough time to deliver the bait in front of the tuna just enough that it doesn’t spook the fish but not too far that they won’t see it. It can be a fine line between the two so keep that in mind if you are taking up this new technique of fishing. I pitched the bait ahead of the tuna, they see it, and having the advantage of a bird’s eye view I actually

watch one just zoom in and smash the bait! Having so much line out to begin with it is a prolonged fight with one of these speedsters from the drone. Jim’s fish took 16 minutes to get to the sand and weighed 18kg. An excellent first fish caught on drone! Drone fishing really opens up a huge range of species from locations that were previously unachievable.

Kristal McNamara with a couple squid taken on squid jigs. the back of the breakers scouting as I went along. 1600m from where we had launched the drone I found a pod of tuna just cruising along the beach approximately 200-250m off the sand. I quickly returned the drone back to home and we set out to rendezvous with the tuna further up the beach. We had leap-frogged the tuna allowing enough time to set up the drone, rod and bait up. We allowed 10m of line between the drone and the bait. Attached the line to the drone and bait to the hook. Take off time, I set out to cut off the tuna as they made their way north along the beach. Having the tuna

Liam Bradley with a pair of mulloway before sun up.

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Flaming good catches in winter GOLD COAST

David Green

The water temperature drops this month to around 20ºC and the current slows. Snapper start to move onto the inshore and offshore reefs at this time of year in preparation for spawning and there should be some good catches prior to the seasonal closure on the 15th of the month. The best time to chase snapper on the inshore grounds is at dawn and dusk, and these fish require a bit of finesse using light line, minimal weight and preferably the use of berley.

On the wider grounds of the 36, 42 and 50 fathom reefs the fish tend to bite more freely during daylight hours and the hour around a change in tide is often the most productive period to fish. A lot of quality snapper up to 8kg should turn up in early July, and the northern sections of the 36 fathom reef, north east of Jumpinpin, is a very good area to target big snapper. Sometimes bigger baits resistant to pickers, such as fish frames, whole mullet or slimy mackerel heads will catch bigger fish. Soft plastics and Octa jigs are also worth trying. I like the 7” Gulp Nemesis for snapper

Sue Sullivan catches another nice flatty.

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fishing and I’ve caught some big ones to 9kg on this lure. Octa jigs and slow pitch jigs are also effective. Cobia are another good target species this month, and already this season a number of good sized fish up to 25kg have been caught on the inshore reefs. The secret to reliable cobia fishing is to anchor up and berley. Cobia love a berley of prawn and crab shells. They are inquisitive and greedy and also respond to large soft plastics. In general, however, the best method I’ve found is to use live bait. Bigger baits such as tailor, bonito, tarwhine and large slimy mackerel are all effective. I fish one live bait close to the bottom and a second mid water with a light sinker. I use 40-60lb fluorocarbon leader when targeting cobia. They tend to move in small schools and you can spend hours without a bite only to have all your baits eaten in minutes when the schools arrive. Large jerk shad soft plastics are also effective. Game fishing this month is mainly on the wider grounds beyond the 100m line, although in some seasons striped marlin show up on the 36 fathom line and around the Cotton Reef east of Jumpinpin. Out on the shelf fishing is dependent on water temperature. If it is over 23ºC, there is always a chance of catching blue marlin, and most caught in July are big fish in excess of 150kg. Striped marlin can also be a common catch in July, and further out on the 1000m line there are often big schools of yellowfin tuna. This season has seen quite a few yellowfin caught on the wider grounds, some fish being over 70kg. Deep dropping chasing bar cod and flame snapper

is another good option this month, particularly during the closed season for snapper and pearl perch. The current is generally minimal and using electric reels makes this a very efficient and productive way to fish. Most of the grounds in 200-400m of water will produce fish. RIVERS AND ESTUARIES In the estuaries this month there are big schools of fish in the entrances as bream, luderick and mullet migrate to the entrances in preparation for spawning. As the westerlies blow the water temperature drops considerably and this coincides with much better fishing. Mullet start to move into the entrances followed by big mulloway that move into the estuary to feed on them. Fishing a live mullet on a tide change in the Seaway or around the mouth of Swan Bay at night is a reliable method to catch big mulloway. Most of these fish are over a metre long. During daylight hours drifting with live pike or big soft plastics is effective, but the fish tend to be smaller in size. Flathead fishing should improve markedly this month as the water cools and the fish become more active. It has been an excellent flathead season so far. The central part of the Broadwater between Crab Island and Tippler’s Passage and the area around Cabbage Tree Point tends to be very good in July. Look for clear water and flats adjacent to weed beds. I like to mix up my lures between soft plastics, soft vibes, metal vibes and prawn style lures. Over recent years, when the fishing is tough, I’ve found the smaller Zerek Prawns to be a game changer. If casting

A decent flathead for Angus Williams. lures doesn’t produce, we generally go trolling so we can cover more water in search of active fish. In water depths of less than 3 metres I like to use Micro Mullets, Zerek Tango shads and the locally made pig lures. These are all very reliable. The advantage of trolling is that it helps you find patches of active fish, and when you locate concentrations of fish you can stop and cast. As bream move into the deeper water to spawn there will plenty of quality fish in the entrances, and big schools should start to show up in the Seaway. Both bait and lures are effective for bream, and small blades worked around the pipeline

in the Seaway can be deadly. Some of these spawning fish are over a kilo in weight. Tailor should show in numbers on the run-in tides around the entrances. Spinning with small metal lures is an ever-productive method, and if there are schools of white pilchards around the tailer won’t be far behind. Look for the birds and try to position your boat upwind from the schools. Metal spoons, small minnows and metal slugs all work very well, with some fish in July reaching 2kg. With all the summer rain we experienced, the estuaries of the Gold Coast are in great condition and the offshore grounds are also fishing well.

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The author with a pretty flame snapper.

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Chilly mornings with hot bites JUMPINPIN

Bo Sawyer

Hope everyone had a cracker month out there on the water. There’s been a fair few chilly mornings, as expected, and the water temperature is currently sitting around that 17ºC mark. This month has seen some amazing catches on the Capn’s Boat as well as some tougher sessions as well. The hot bite periods have been short lived but when the fish turn on you can make up for a slow day super quick. The runout tide has been out fishing the incoming by a mile and the overall water quality has been decent. On the slacker cycle of tides – the biggest tide for the day

Young Oscar smashed his PB and out fished his Dad. He didn’t let him forget it either! big numbers a few months ago but if you place your pots well with fresh bait you’ll still get a few. There are some great catches of mulloway coming in and their average size has increased. There’s been a few metre-

plus catches around the Pin bar up to Kalinga in the deeper water line. Big livies have accounted for most of these fish but we are still smacking some solid models on vibes and plastics.

Sally has been smashing it recently. Here she is with a 110cm mulloway!

There’s been a few decent flathead in the 80cm range caught lately. has been fishing better and vice versa. There’s still a few prawns about but I haven’t

been sounding anywhere near as much lately. Like the prawns, the crabs have come way down from their

Operational

One of 10 small mulloway picked up on a recent charter.

If you’re happy to chase numbers over size, then flicking 3.5-4” plastics with 3/8oz 4/0 hook is a great technique. Sound for bait along deep ledges, holes, river entrances and any deepwater structure you find. You’ll learn a lot about mulloway and where they hang if you’re willing to put the time and effort into sounding your area. Some great catches of flathead have been coming through as well. We’ve been getting better results on soft vibes in deep water than on the flats lately but I fully expect this to change

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Blake was up on holidays and nailed a PB mulloway at 87cm. any day now. Vibes in the 95mm range with bright colours or a hard white/ pearl finish work super well in 3m+, otherwise use 3.5-4” paddle-tail plastics when working the flats. If bait is more your thing then pillies, prawns, white bait or live poddys, herring and prawns will be hard for them to resist. Try the sand banks outside of Jacobs Well, Gold Bank, Tiger Mullet and Tipplers. There’s been some quality bream throughout

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the whole system being caught on worms, yabbies, flesh baits and herring. Lightly weighted presentations will usually give you a better chance of those bigger specimens. Try around Crusoe Island, Logan River mouth and Millionaires. I’ve noticed a few more tailor showing up around the bait schools in the Pin but not in huge numbers just yet. Try flicking small spinners when you see them busting up. Some decent juvenile snapper up to 55cm have been getting caught as well and they are always a welcome surprise – especially when we’ve

Reece with a solid mulloway.

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Sean with a decent school mulloway.

Crystie with a mid-50cm juvenile snapper she caught while flicking the shallows.

been flicking the shallow for flathead. They’ll take a range of baits as well as 3.5” plastics. That’s it from me this month everyone, hope you all have an amazing month. Don’t forget to stop off at Jacobs Well Bait and Tackle for any bait or tackle supplies. Tight lines. • Capn’s Charters have dates available if you’d like to come out and learn how to fish lures or maybe just brush up on some fishing tactics, we’d love to have you on board! Call 0410 590 049 or email bookings@ capnscharters.com.au.

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Moreton Bay fish will fry in July BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

With winter well and truly upon us, classic cold weather species will be around in healthy numbers. Mulloway, luderick, bream, tailor, snapper, squid, flathead and whiting will be regular captures however plenty of

SNAPPER With the cold mornings and nights, anglers have had to rug up to get out and chase snapper during the prime periods. Scattered navigation lights will be sighted throughout areas such as the artificial reefs, bay island surrounds and isolated wrecks. Quality baits are the best offering throughout these darkened hours. Live offerings such as yakkas,

Chris with a big jerk shad munching Moreton Bay mulloway. other species will also be on offer for those getting out on the water during July. Cold conditions can result in some pretty hot fishing action for those willing to brave the elements. Get stuck into a few of these beauties.

slimey mackerel, pike and squid will usually see the best action, especially from those larger trophy knobbies. However, deceased baits of the same species, plus large banana prawns, herring, small grinners and many others will also work a treat.

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Fillet strip baits of mullet, pike, bonito, tuna and many others will work well. When salted, these baits remain a lot tougher and less likely to be destroyed by the pickers. The easily obtainable frozen offerings of squid, pilchards and large prawns will often work well although the quality of these can vary a lot. Presentation is a vital part of fishing all baits. Keep leader size and sinker weight to a minimum and use super sharp, yet strong hooks that are buried well in the bait with just the points exposed. Live baits and large fillet baits are best fished on a snelled hook rig which offers better flexibility than ganged hooks. This allows the bait to be mouthed and swallowed more easily, ultimately resulting in a better hook up rate. You don’t need to be right on the bottom to score quality snapper as many better quality specimens will freely roam as they feed. Keeping baits up off the bottom will also decrease the degradation of baits by the pickers who are more likely to stay down closer to the bottom near structure whilst large predators like snapper are around. A broad array of lures have proven effective on snapper. These include all manner of soft plastics, blades, soft vibes, minnow lures, micro jigs and octo jigs. Usually, fishing the lure well is more important than the type of lure or colour. Getting the lure in front of the fish is obviously the most important factor with some anglers solely relying on their marine electronics whilst other will target snapper using instinct and knowledge collected from years of fishing. Trolling minnow lures is becoming increasingly popular and will allow you to cover a lot of ground. Lures should at least be able to get into the lower third of the water column. Halco Poltergeist, Classic Dr Evil, Nomad DTX minnows, Killalure Barra Baits, Atomic Hardz Shiner and many other will work a treat. These are commonly trolled on 15lb to 30lb braided line and 30lb to 50lb fluorocarbon leaders. Trolling two lures of different depths is usually advisable. Cod, mulloway, mackerel and several other species can also be encountered. Casting soft vibes and numerous soft plastics is one of the most common ways to target snapper for the lure fishers. These are usually cast up current as you drift and then retrieved back with the current utilizing a series of lifts, hops, pauses and slow winding. Sometimes a steady rolling retrieve will work best and at other times an errant, erratic retrieve will

produce the goods. You just need to alter the retrieve to work out what is favoured. We have several months of prime snapper fishing ahead of us but the colder months generally offer the better numbers and quality. TAILOR With so much bait around the foreshores, rivers, canals and estuaries, it is no wonder that there have been good numbers of tailor patrolling these areas. Anglers fishing the Brisbane River have found tailor along the retaining wall at the mouth, Gateway Bridge and around any illuminated areas at night. Casting lures such as vibes, blades, soft plastics, small swimbaits and Flasha spoons will generally get you connected. Small whole fish baits such as pilchards, whitebait, herring and frogmouths drifted through these areas will also reward. Tailor have also been taken from the Manly Rock Wall, Woody Point Jetty, Hornibrook Bridge, Amity Rock Wall, William Gunn Jetty, Scarborough Jetty and many other places. Hopping on the early ferry to North Stradbroke Island and then getting the bus across to Point Lookout will allow you to fish a myriad of rock fishing spots where you can float baits or cast lures for tailor. There are a lot of good lures that will work in this situation from chromed slugs and slices to stickbaits (the Oceans Legacy 105HS #2, #5 and #11 are favourites of mine), weighted casting minnows, mid-sized vibration baits, pencil poppers and many more offerings. Good numbers of tailor will abound for several months yet with the average size improving over time. MULLOWAY Often encountered by anglers targeting snapper, mulloway are definitely one of the prized table fish for SEQ anglers. I prefer them to snapper as a table fish, especially the larger specimens. Whilst they will respond to the same bait and lure fishing options as snapper, many anglers are able to increase results with specific targeting. Around the artificial reefs, schools of mulloway will often roam. For those with quality sounders and side imaging technology, these schools can soon be located and targeted. The Peel and Coochiemudlo artificials are prime areas to search however the Harry Atkinson and Bill Turner (Scarborough) artificials also produce good numbers of these quality silver slabs. Shark activity can be bad here at times however the cooler months offer less chance of your prized capture getting engulfed.

Mark with a nice eating-sized snapper from the Harry Atkinson artificial reef. Drifting live baits in these areas is highly likely to reward. Dead baits can work but lessen your chances over live offerings or a well-placed lure. Jighead rigged paddle-tail, curl-tail and crustacean profiled plastics can work well as will soft vibes, including the new Nomad Squidtrex. I commonly use the Samaki 125mm Thumper Tail swimvibes but most soft vibes can be successful when fished well. For fish sounding directly beneath the boat, a slow pitch micro jig can work well. Deep diving minnow lures will also produce a mulloway or two. Brisbane River anglers will regularly score mulloway around the dredge holes towards the mouth, Clara’s Rocks, out from the International Cruise Ship Terminal, around the Gateway Bridge and along the front of the Shipping Terminal. At night, lures cast around the lighted areas, even well upriver from the city reaches, can produce some quality fish. SQUID With frequent westerly winds over the last few months, the water clarity inshore has been crystal clear. This provides prime conditions for both tiger squid and arrow squid. Anglers targeting these tasty cephalopods via Shank’s pony at Wynnum, Manly, Scarborough, Wellington Point, Victoria Point, Amity Point and several other locations have generally met with success. All you need are a few decent egi

(squid jigs) and a light rod to cast them with. Most of the better quality egi are Japanese brands with Yamashita, Yozuri, Gancraft and Daiwa all producing top shelf product. The Yamashita Live warm jacket squid jigs have a cloth coating that absorbs UVA and UVB light. This makes the jig 1 to 1.5 degrees warmer than the water temperature which is a similar temperature to the baitfish and crustaceans on which the squid prey. Successful colours can vary a lot and it often pays to have several at your disposal in these hard worked waters. If one jig is refused then try multiple others until you either get hit or the squid departs. Inshore waters are usually worked over with jigs up to 2.5 size whilst further out in the bay the 3.0, 3.5 or 4.0 size is most commonly cast or drifted. The Rous Channel, bay island surrounds, weed beds along the western side of Moreton and Stradbroke Islands and Rainbow Channel edges are all worth trying. Squid will commonly reside and hunt in areas that have a passing food source yet also have good structure in the form of weed beds, rock, rubble, reef or discoloured bottom. Often you will be able to see the squid, but usually not until you cast the egi into the zone and then work it back with a series of hops and pauses or an errant wind with pauses. Often it pays to have a second rod rigged with an egi as a

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hooked squid will often be followed by several mates. Before lifting the hooked squid from the water, cast out the other jig and allow it to sink. Often before you can unhook the first, a second squid has hooked up. Both arrow and tiger squid can be caught with this method and although there is no size limit on squid, there is a bag limit of 20 per person. Drifting a squid skewer baited with a pilchard or other whole fish in likely areas is another good way to score. When anchored or drifting slowly, a float will often be required to keep the baited skewer from sinking all the way to the bottom. FLATHEAD Flathead numbers have been better than usual over the last few months. Anglers fishing the creeks rivers and estuaries have been scoring on numerous lures and baits. Whilst a bait sitting stationary on the bottom will often be found by a flattie, a moving bait or lure is a lot more likely to get noticed. Flathead lie on the bottom, often almost fully buried in the sand except for their eyes. Their lateral line acts like an ear and they can sense movement and vibration in the general area. Drifting with small whole fish baits, casting

soft plastics and vibes, or trolling brightly coloured minnow lures near the bottom are all successful techniques, especially when these are regularly coming into contact with the bottom. Flathead will erupt from their ambush spot to engulf any food source that happens by. Flathead ambush spots will vary a lot depending on tidal phase. As a general

rule they will feed up on top of the sand and mud flats on the higher tidal stages and then retreat to the edges of these flats and the mouths of gutters and drains as the tide begins to fall. Here they will wait for the tide to bring forth all the baitfish and crustaceans that are forced from the flats with the receding tide. On the lower tidal stages they are most likely in the deeper channels

and holes but obviously this varies between locations depending on the aquatic terrain. Brightly coloured lures trolled so they bang the bottom along the edges of the major banks on the falling tide is a very successful ploy. For the bait fishers, drifting small whole fish baits such as frogmouth pilchards, whitebait, hardiheads, herring and small diver (trumpeter)

Cold weather and clear water creates prime opportunities for quality cephalopods.

whiting across the bottom of the channels on the lower tidal stages and over the banks systems on the higher tidal stages is highly likely to reward. You have several good months of flathead fishing ahead so get out and have some fun with fuscus. LUDERICK Good growth of aquatic weeds has encouraged better numbers of luderick into the inshore waters of the estuaries, creeks, rivers, canals and harbours. Luderick mainly feed on these weeds although being omnivores they will also eat peeled prawns, saltwater yabbies and other baits on occasion. Weed baits are definitely the best option for targeting luderick and these are suspended beneath near neutral buoyancy floats and then drifted in likely areas such as rocks walls, bridge pylons and along mangrove line banks. Luderick are pedantic and wary eaters most of the time and they need to be able to mouth the bait without noticing the resistance of the float. Small lead split shots are attached to the leader to weight the float until it is almost totally under the water with only the top of the stem visible. This creates little resistance and also helps the float to drift at the same speed as

the current. Commonly the leader has two small #6 to #12 sneck style hooks attached utilising loop knots. A float stopper above the float allows the depth of the float to be varied so you can fish the weed baits at any particular depth desired. As the weed baits are drifted through the zone the luderick will mouth the bait resulting in a ‘down’ or ‘up’ of the float. An abrupt yet smooth lift of the rod tip will set the hook into the mouth of the luderick. Keep luderick alive until just before filleting and remove the black gut lining soon after dispatch to maximise taste. CONCLUSION The colder months offer a lot of varied species for those who get out and brave the conditions. From the humble and readily available bream to XOS silver-slabbed mulloway, Moreton Bay anglers are spoil with angling options. Squid are readily available for both inshore and boating anglers and a host of other species including sweetlip, tailor, snapper, cod, threadfin, flathead, whiting and many others will grace anglers captures. The conditions can be bitterly cold at this time of the year and it will only be fish that fry in July.

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Southern

OLD

Bright and sunny winter days NORTHERN BAY

Tackle World Lawnton

We’re in the deep, dark depths of winter, only in SEQ there’s nothing really deep or dark about it – quite the opposite, in fact! The start of winter saw

grass sweetlip mixed in. The grounds around Cape Moreton like Shallow Tempest, The Cathederals and Deep Tempest have seen awesome mixed bags, with snapper, pearlies, trag jew and mulloway the main offenders, with a few deepwater speedsters like amberjack and

Mitch managed to sneak out offshore on a weekday to make the most of the glassy calm conditions. His efforts were rewarded with this snapper, along with a bag of grass sweetlip, tuskfish, Moses perch and pearlies. many bright, sunny days, with gentle westerly winds and incredibly clear water, and July looks to offer more of the same! By now all our favourite winter species have settled into their seasonal patterns, making it much easier to plan trips and actually score a decent bag of your target species. With that said, winter always brings a few surprises, and this month we can expect a few to show up. Let’s see what’s been happening! BAY AND OFFSHORE Moreton Bay and the waters beyond have seen some cracking reports coming through, and this is largely due to the favourable conditions that have allowed trailer boats to safely navigate their way out. The offshore grounds have been teeming with snapper, pearl perch, trag jew, amberjack and mulloway. Please note that the snapper and pearl perch closed season is approaching and is effective from July 15 to August 15. This relatively new initiative has been met with mixed reception, however it’s only for a month, and the fishery will definitely benefit from the reduced pressure. Our northern grounds like the Gneerings, Barwon Banks, the Hards and Caloundra Wide have been giving up great bags of snapper and pearlies, with a mixture of slow-pitch jigs, 5-7” soft plastics and soft vibes doing the damage. Those fishing with paternoster rigs baited with squid, pilchard and crab pieces have caught other species like tuskfish, hussar and Moses perch. Closer in, the North West Channel and nearby areas have seen a few snapper around the 3-5kg mark and 26 JULY 2023

samsonfish to keep you on your toes. The bay is likewise brimming with options, but once again the snapper have been the star of the show. Most well-known areas in the northern bay like the Pearl Channel and nearby shoals are fishing well, however many quality snapper in the 3-6kg range have turned up in close. Scarborough, Woody Point, and the Brisbane River mouth have been very productive areas for months now, and the action looks to continue. Anglers tend to use really light outfits for these shallow water snaps, more like heavy bream gear than traditional snapper gear. A decent 2-5kg spin rod, with 2500-3000 size reel spooled with 6-10lb braid and a 10lb leader might seem

sunrise or sunset. Tiger squid have moved up into the shallows to hunt and find a mate for their upcoming spawning. The bay has a plethora of shallow weedy, rocky, rubbly, or coral-strewn areas that tigers frequent, with notable places being around Mud Island, Dunwich, Scarborough and Sandstone Point. Land-based squidders are not left out, though. The piers at Redcliffe, Woody Point and Shorncliffe, as well as the rocky shorelines nearby, have offered great conditions for squidders during each high tide, day or night. If you’ve been wanting to get into squid fishing, make sure you drop into the shop and have a gander at great our range of squid jigs and accessories. The tailor action in the bay has been rampant, with packs of 50-60cm tailor regularly moving through areas like Redcliffe, Woody Point and Sandstone Point, giving land-based anglers a chance at these ravenous assassins. Anglers have scored good numbers on baits of pilchard and pike, while metal slugs

Straddie top places to explore. The beach tailor fishing has been exceptional and should only improve as we move toward August and September, when we can expect some realty big models to show up in the gutters. High tides at sunrise or just on dark are the best times to be out there soaking a ganged pillie or tossing metals into the wash. Mobility is the key and having a beach-worthy vehicle to shoot between gutters is a very effective way to find where the tailor are. Plenty of dart, bream and flathead will be active in the shallower gutters, and lower stages of the tide during the day is the time for small baits of beachworm or pipi. Something a lot of beach fishers don’t do that is a stack of fun is fishing with small soft plastics in these same gutters. Small 2-3” soft plastics rigged on light 1/16-1/12oz jigheads are like candy to bream and dart, and a light estuary spin rod is all you need. It can be fun and games until a big flathead jumps on – they thrive in surf gutters – so upsizing your lures and leader is a good

Josh wrestled this metre-plus mulloway from the Port of Brisbane while waiting for the right tide conditions for snapper in the bay. It just goes to show how important it is to be adaptable and open-minded in winter. idea if the flathead are on the bite. RIVERS AND CREEKS The estuary fishing is still benefitting more than a year after the massive floods of 2022, with the nutrientrich water supporting a huge biomass of bait. Mid-winter is a prime time to be chasing big mulloway

Dart aren’t big fish, but they are good sport in the gutters, and they make great ceviche if you can gather a handful of them. and threadfin salmon in our major systems like the Caboolture, Pine and Brisbane rivers. Fishing during the day is an option, where sounding in deep 6-10m holes around structure can reveal fish sitting tight to the bottom. Dropping soft plastics and vibes can sometimes elicit a strike from these temperamental predators, however drifting a live herring, gar or mullet down there is more likely to turn their heads. At night these fish will feed more actively, often feeding in the upper third of the water column, especially around light lines from bridges and pontoons. In these areas, 100mm jerkbaits, 5-7” soft plastics and big swimbaits have been working best. The flathead fishing has been fantastic in recent weeks, with customers sharing success stories daily. Trolling small hardbodies in the 50-70mm range in 1-3m of water has been a gun technique, however so has casting jerkbaits, soft plastics and big swimbaits over shallow flats at higher stages of the tide. Pumicestone Passage, the Pine River mouth, and smaller systems like Cabbage Tree Creek and Kedron Brook have been on fire with big flathead lately. Bream have been another reliable target in our estuaries, with each run-out tide providing fast-paced action for lure and bait anglers alike, especially around the full

Tiger squid have been enjoying the clear water, often getting up into mere inches of water to find a meal. a bit light, however on really calm days when the water is really clear, it can make a world of difference. Soft plastics around 3-5” rigged on 1/8-1/4oz jigheads have been the go-to for most snapper fishos, with much of the action coming on tide changes around

in the 20-40g range, topwater stickbaits between 80-100mm and 4-6” soft plastics have claimed their share too. BEACHES The beach fishing is coming up to its best right now, with the main beaches of Moreton, Bribie and North

Even small mulloway are a heck of a lot of fun in shallow water, with this one taking a Rapala X-Rap Long Cast 12 twitched just under the surface.

moon. Bream will be in great condition at this time of year, and quite often they will be in massive schools. Other oddities like grunter, slatey bream, big pike, luderick and hairtail have been keeping things interesting between more traditional winter species. FRESHWATER The action at our two local dams Samsonvale and Kurwongbah is at its peak. Schools of big bass have been feeding aggressively in both lakes, with a mixture of spoons, blades, ice jigs, 2-3” soft plastics and sinking stick minnows all claiming good numbers. Trolling deep-diving hardbodies is another option in both lakes and is especially popular among kayakers who don’t own a sounder. Hardbodies that dive to 6-8m have been working best. Winter also offers good land-based fishing in our lakes, and the key is to use heavy lures like spoons and vibes that can be cast a long way. Moving from point to point and casting off the end of them is a good way to find a school. When you do, the action can be non-stop! WRAP UP There are a lot of options in SEQ through July, with the biggest challenge often being deciding what to target! The best advice is to keep your options open and be adaptable when you’re out on the water. It’s been cold in the mornings and evenings, so make sure you rug up adequately. It’s no fun having to cut a session short because you’re uncomfortable, and it’s better to have too much clothing than not enough! • For more up to date information on fishing in and around Brisbane call into the guys at Tackle World Lawnton and they can point you in the right direction. The friendly staff at Tackle World Lawnton cater to all levels of experience and offer the widest range of brands at the best prices. They are located at 640 Gympie Road Lawnton (07) 3205 7475 or find us on Facebook and Instagram.

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JULY 2023 27

Southern

OLD

Cold months, hot fishing NOOSA

Peter Wells

The cooler months are here so getting your nose out from under the doona can be a little difficult, but it is worth it for some of the great fishing action that is on offer. On Sunshine Coast beaches, the larger winter bream has been moving into the deeper holes and gutter along the beach. These fish tend to be larger than the ones you catch in the warmer months, and can be very challenging on a surf rod, with fish up to 40cm not uncommon. If you don’t own a 4WD, the southern beaches are also producing, with areas around Marcus Beach and Perigan Beach working well. These areas have some goodlooking gutters from recent swells that are producing some of those nice big bream, snubnosed dart and even some bigger tailor. For those that have a 4WD and are happy to put it on the beach head up to Noosa’s North Shore. Time your run on the low or outgoing tide, this will keep you on the hard stuff, fish the incoming and then time your return on the outgoing. Keep a look out for a nice gutter or hole whilst you are heading up the beach. You will find the low light periods are the best so if you can get the tide right you will be in with a great chance. Those big bream love prawns, yabbies and small pillies, also don’t be surprised if you pick up quite a few tailor or even a nice mulloway in the right moon phase. In the Noosa River, Woods Bay continues to fire with a host of different trevally species, and they love nothing more than the cool, still mornings that winter provides. Whilst trevally feed

right throughout the day, the low light periods are definitely the best time to fish. The best way to target these fish is to try and match what they are feeding on at the time. For instance, if you are seeing fish on the sounder but no surface action, then they are probably feeding on prawns and crustations on the bottom; in this case you should look to use a prawn imitation like prawn or crab profiles. A little scent on your lures will also help with your hit rate, the Pro Cure range of scents is great as they have different scents for different lures. Further upstream, school

improve your capture rate if the fish are not feeding aggressively. Bream are in great numbers with most fish taken on the incoming tide, mullet fillet and mullet gut have been the go-to bait. If you are up for a night fish the shallower banks down towards the mouth have been very productive. For the flathead anglers, plenty of large fish have been taken from the shallows, the fish have been up in the shallow water sunning themselves to increase their body temperatures in the cooler waters, slow rolled soft plastics has been the way to

A decent snapper off charter vessel Trekka Two out of Noosa. This fish was taken from the reefs off Double Island.

Young Finn Wagner with a nice trevally after a trip with dad around the Tin Can Bay area. mulloway have been in good numbers just near the mouth of the first lake, and once again, by fishing the change of tide with a low light period, you should see some excellent results! Live bait can greatly increase your chances of a good fish with the odd large flathead also inhabiting this area. When live baiting try snelling a second hook down near the tail. This can greatly

go. The banks around Make Peace Island are continuing to provide anglers with good sized fish. The Maroochy River has been firing with some great fish on the chew. Down toward the mouth, plenty of whiting have been on offer first thing in the morning on the run out tide, beach worm yabbies and peeled prawns have been the prime baits, for the lure angler

PROVEN WORLD LEADING

conditions have been perfect for picking up these tasty fish on surface lures, small popper like the Bassday Chrystal pops and the small Sugapens surface walkers have claimed some nice fish, a few good tips while fishing these lures on surface is to make sure you use nice long mono leaders, try and get the wind at your back to help with the cast distance and keep the lure moving. Heading offshore out

of Noosa, Sunshine should be your first stop, this reef usually fishes really well after a bit of rain and swell. Again there will be plenty of bait so get the bait jigs out and collect some yakkas. Sending them straight to the bottom using a large ball sinker right at the top of the hook will put that live bait right in front of Mr. Trout’s nose. Make sure you upsize your leader or use fluorocarbon for a bit more abrasion resistance. For those of you that love the pilchard, squid combo make sure you have plenty of paternoster rigs pre tied so if you do get bitten off you can get straight back in the game. Out on the Barwon Banks is where the snapper sizes increased with the middle to the top of the banks producing the bigger fish. All species responded well to local squid, pillies and live baits. For the lure angler slow fall jigs or 7” soft plastics on elevator heads worked really well. Plenty of anglers will be keen to get out before the snapper/pearl perch closure later in the month. Areas that traditionally fish well are the Gneerings, Currimundi Reef, Coolum Reef and Caloundra Wide where snapper, grass

sweetlip should all be on the chew. Quality baits like pillies and local squid fished through a berley trail ensured better catches. Cobia are in great numbers with the deeper reef belts seeming to be the better hunting grounds. Most fish have been picked up mid water so having a floater out the back is worthwhile. Another location that has been fishing very well lately is the rocks off Noosa’s national park. Off the rocks, snapper, sweetlip and a range of pelagics are easily accessible for those who are willing to walk the distance. Rock fishing is the world’s most dangerous sport so be sure to watch the waves for a few minutes before selecting your fishing spot. Another great way to stay safe on the rocks is never to fish alone. • Don’t forget to check in to www.fishingnoosa.com. au for all the latest up to date info on fishing and bar crossings. The knowledgeable teams at Tackle World Noosa, Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola our new store The Tackle Shop in Gympie can provide you with the right equipment, bait and advice to ensure success!

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JULY 2023 29

Central OLD

There is no such thing as a livie that is too big BUNDABERG

Luke Truant

The fishing over the past month has been right on point, exactly like last year. We went from catching lots of small fish – we could pull up and take 40+ hussar at

well in areas where they aren’t prevalent. Yellowtail scad and slimy mackerel also work best in areas where they’re not prevalent. The more unusual the bait in the area, the better it seems to work; the predators are quick to pounce on the unexpected treat that has

Chris with a pigeon pair of coral trout. a given stop – to now not seeing a small fish for a whole day. Lately we have only been catching XOS species such as red emperor, coral trout and gold-spot cod. We’ve had several trips now with only 20 or so fish on board, but none have been smaller than 1kg, and most have been much larger. Every year when the live baits arrive (from around mid-May), the livie fishing is outrageously good for the first month or so. We have seen slimy mackerel around Bundaberg for the first time in 15 years, and they have definitely proven to be the best bait you can use, full stop! Unfortunately, they are much less common than the yellowtail scad, and we’re still only catching 3-5 slimies out of a tank of 70 yellowtail scad. However, you can pretty much guarantee one large fish for each slimy. That’s because size matters – the larger live baits all work better than the smaller livies. You can use a small pilchardsize yellowtail and get picked off by smaller fish (or have more tentative strikes), but pretty much any time you send down an oversize live bait, it is the one that works. If you think a livie is too big, it’s probably a perfect size. As an example, I used a 30cm pinkie, also called a Williamsons sea bream, and quickly caught a big trout on it (remember that sea bream have a legal minimum size of 25cm, and a bag limit of five fish). Pinkies work particularly 30 JULY 2023

shown up in their territory. In the areas where the baitfish hang out naturally, they’re not taken as readily. In spite of the effectiveness of live baits, I still recommend using dead baits in conjunction with them. I always make sure at least one person is using dead bait at any given time, to create a natural berley down there. We have still been

my fingers so it can create a sacrificial berley trail. For the second pilchard, I put the hook down through the eye and through the shoulder so the eye of the hook is in line with the eye of the pilchard, and I don’t mash it up. After you send down your 2-pillie rig, the ‘berley’ pilchard gets the small fish interested, and they come in to investigate what’s making that enticing smell. Then a bigger predator will investigate the commotion. I know for sure that this 2-pilchard set-up works, because I have seen it with my own eyes. As an ex-professional trout fisher, I have watched this in the view bucket many times – a large trout will see the small fish picking at the baits, and it will get territorial or greedy, and come in and steal the whole pilchard. I have used this same tactic with 4.5-5” yellowtail scads, and gotten the same results as pilchards, or better. If you have frozen bait, you don’t have to thaw it out before you send it down. I’ve never had an issue putting down a totally frozen pilchard or squid and having bites instantly while it’s still frozen. That said, the hooks do need to have the barb protruding from the frozen baits, because the hard bait won’t push away from the barb like a thawed bait will. And remember to use whole pilchards, not half pillies, for best results. When it comes to the hook, I use a single 8/0 Elkat Live Bait hook. It definitely out-fishes the long shank O’Shaughnessy hooks in this area, and I think I know why.

Al was stoked to catch this 79cm trout. catching trout on pilchards among our live baits lately, and a 10kg+red emperor on a strip bait, in amongst three live baits. Interestingly, reds over 10kg normally like dead bait, while 6-8kg reds can’t help but scoff a live bait. Perhaps the big ones notice the pickers attacking a dead bait, and they muscle in. Big coral trout can behave in a similar way, which is why large strip baits are good for them all year round. If you are using small pilchards, I recommend using two pillies on one hook. I thread one pilchard through the eye and pull it up the hook shank, and mash it up a bit with

All live baits are eaten headfirst by large fish, and when you pull back on it, the longshank O’Shaughnessy hooks lever sideways and miss the hook-up. That’s my theory, anyway. I’ve had clients do poorly on those hooks only to have their luck turn around when they switch to shortshank Live Bait hooks, which will lip hook the fish nearly every time. ESTUARY FISHING The grunter in the rivers have been going off their heads, and they are good size fish too, up to 80cm long. They have been taking all manner of bait and lures, but my favourite is still mullet strips. I like to cut them long, almost worm-like, on a long trace. I recommend a minimum of 20lb fluorocarbon, because grunter have rough little mouths that can wear through leader if it’s too thin. Your main line can be lighter because they generally don’t fight dirty, they just pull hard. Overall, winter a great

Nick holds up a weighty gold-spot cod.

Trout have been biting well in shallower water. time for targeting grunter. I prefer an hour either side of low or high tide on the gravel areas of the creek. If you’re fishing in the current, you need to find little eddies along a drop-off. You can expect a bycatch of lots of small trumpeter, so be prepared to take lots of hooks because the small trumpeter will swallow the hook. Extracting a hook from a deep-hooked fish can fatally injure it, so just cut the line so the trumpeter can slowly eject the hook itself. Good numbers of blue salmon are being caught at the

Big fish love to eat big baits.

moment on soft plastics, hard vibes and soft vibes throughout the Burnett River. You can get good results fishing the tide changes in the deeper areas of the river (say, 10m+). A good approach is to sound up a school and cast out a 50-70m vibe, and vary your retrieve to see what the fish want on the day. Blue salmon will often take the lure on the drop, so don’t let the line go slack. The crabbing has been really good lately, with pretty much only full, A-grade crabs getting caught. That will slow down by August, so you may want to drop some pots in while you still can. FISHING IN JULY July is my favourite month because not only are the trout still biting their heads off, the red emperor really ramp up as well. July is probably the best red emperor month of the year in Bundy, not just because they bite hard but because the sharks let you catch more hooked fish than in the summer months. I tend to fish for them in deeper water where I charter, in depths of around 30-40m, and the reds are loving it. I rarely catch a legal red in less than 30m of water. You may encounter a large snapper this month, but just be

mindful of the closed season, which runs from 15 July to 15 August. In July the trout still bite really well in the shallows, and I will be fishing 30m or less for these fish in the coming weeks. In deeper water you won’t catch many trout this month. In July the livie bite isn’t as ferocious as May and June, so it’s more important to use big flesh baits amongst your livies. Early in the season the predators can’t help themselves – they have to scoff those live baits – but this obsession does slow down a bit as winter progresses. Still, although you’ll get fewer fish on livies in July, they are still a very important part of your arsenal. In July and August the numbers of tuskfish and sweetlip traditionally trend upwards, and they’ll start to bite more in a range of depths. And hopefully the hussar will start to bite again this month, because they are excellent on the plate and make fantastic bait as well. • Truansea Charters specialise in 10-hour day trips chasing prized reef targets such as coral trout and red emperor, as well as arm-stretching pelagics like Spanish mackerel. The maximum number of anglers is 6, so you’ll never feel crowded. The price is $370pp (or $350 pp if you book the whole boat), which includes all gear, fuel, bait, ice, chilled water/ soft drinks and laughs! You’re welcome to bring your own reef fishing gear if you prefer. Other charter options include half-day reef trips, half day river trips and private guiding. To find out more visit www. truansea.com.au, or you can Like them on Facebook or call Luke on 0423 015 490.

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New rules for Spanish mackerel start 1 July To help rebuild stocks of east coast Spanish mackerel, new rules will be in place from 1 July 2023: • The recreational possession limit will change to one fish per person, or two fish per boat with two or more recreational fishers on board (the boat limit will not apply to licensed charter fishing trips). • The extended charter trip limit will be removed (currently allows recreational fishers to take twice the in-possession limit for charter trips longer than 48 hours). • The total allowable commercial catch will be adjusted from 578 tonnes to 165 tonnes for the 2023 fishing season. Search ‘Spanish mackerel management changes’ at daf.qld.gov.au/fisheries for more information.

Fish for the future this snapper and pearl perch closure Wondering what you should fish for during the snapper and pearl perch closure? Don’t worry, there are lots of other fish species to target. The fish aggregating devices (FADs) from Bundaberg to the NSW border offer alternative fishing options to target pelagic fish species including mahi mahi, tuna and billfish. Large mahi mahi are often caught at the surface FADs during the closure.

Changing seasons

What you

need to know

Australian bass CLOSED

All Queensland tidal waters

1 June 2023 to 31 August 2023

Snapper and pearl perch CLOSED

All Queensland tidal waters

15 July 2023 to 15 August 2023

Spanish mackerel MANAGEMENT CHANGES

All Queensland tidal waters From 1 July 2023

You can do your part to ensure there are fish for the future by practicing responsible fishing:

DAF2008 06/23

• Use circle hooks when bait fishing for snapper to avoid deep hooking. • Minimise the handling of fish to be released and avoid removing the fish from the water where possible. • Utilise wet surfaces (towel, hands and measuring board) and lip grips when removing fish from the water to be measured and always avoid placing fish on hot surfaces. Learn the techniques for improving the survival of fish with barotrauma such as using a release weight for fish showing signs. Watch how to identify barotrauma and minimise injury to released fish by searching ‘returning fish to deeper water’ on the Fisheries Queensland YouTube channel.

Download the free ‘Qld Fishing 2.0’ app from the App Store or Google Play 32 JULY 2023

Lifetime fisher still learning and leading Women in Recreational Fishing Network leader Rhiannon began fishing and mud-crabbing estuaries in her early childhood.

to ‘stay in touch’ with her love of fishing while taking a break from the boat as a new mum to learn new skills and meet other women who like to fish.

“As kids, we’d pump yabbies on the mud flats at low tide. When the water came in, Poppy would take us out in his tinnie to the whiting beds where we’d get a good feed. I remember the big scaling and filleting sessions everyone in the family used to pitch in on. I had the best childhood by the water with my sisters and cousins, and want the same for my son.”

“I’m not the best fisher, but I absolutely love fishing, boating, and spending time with my family on the water.”

Rhiannon loves fishing for reef fish, mackerel, sand crabs and squid. She also likes to take credit for turning her husband into a mad-keen fisher. Rhiannon became a leader in the Women in Recreational Fishing Network

You don’t need to be a professional fisher to be part of the Women in Recreational Fishing Network. Join the community if you have a passion already or want to try something new, ask a question or share your fishing adventures online. Search for ‘Women in Recreational Fishing Network Qld’ on Facebook to join.

Partnerships protect fish stocks for everyone The Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP) conducts fisheries compliance activities across more than 7000 km of coastline (including islands and offshore waters) and 1.8 million km2 containing our inland waters. This is an enormous task undertaken by approximately 100 officers operating in 19 districts along the Queensland coastline. QBFP maintains strong relationships with partner agencies and community groups through cross decked compliance activities with the joint use of resources, staff, and knowledge. These activities provide an efficient and effective means of delivering optimal compliance on behalf of all agencies. Recently the Fisheries Patrol Vessel K.I. Ross covered more than 4000 nautical miles between Brisbane and the Torres Strait involving officers from the Queensland Police Service, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Australian Maritime Safety Authority and Maritime Border Command.

Maritime Safety Queensland and Indigenous Ranger Groups. We can achieve positive outcomes for all Queenslanders when we work together.

Officers also regularly conduct local compliance activities including crab pot clean ups with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service,

fisheries.qld.gov.au 13 25 23 FisheriesQueensland FisheriesQld DAFQld JULY 2023 33

Central OLD

Anglers making most of winter weather windows MACKAY

Clinton Hassan

In recent weeks we have unfortunately had a lot of southeasterlies, so there haven’t been many opportunities to head offshore, but there has been some good action in the creeks. Solid winter

threadfin salmon are on the chew in the creeks, and they’re very healthy and fat in winter, particularly the threadies. I tend to chase threadies and blue salmon on smaller 60-80mm vibes. I find a lot of the smaller vibes look like a lot of the baitfish in the creeks, such as glassies or pony fish, which are what the predators like

catches. If you get a good window of 10-15 knots, you can go to the spoil grounds, the 4 and 6 mile patch, Flat top and Round Top islands, and try your luck at scoring some nice snapper (just remember that the snapper closed season runs from July 15 to August 15). When chasing snapper, the most popular rig is a standard paternoster with squid and/or pillies. However, I prefer a 3-hook running sinker rig with a whole gar, whole legal whiting or whole pilly. If you prefer to use artificials, you can catch good fish on 7” Gulp Jerkshads and of course the new Nomad Squidtrex. Squidtrex are soft squid imitations and they work a treat, and they have been running off the shelves.

Sooties are a good winter target in the impoundments.

The barra have slowed down, but they still have to eat. whiting have been plentiful all throughout the creeks, predominantly in the Pioneer River, which is running nice and clean. You tend to get better results fishing on the run-in tide at night using fresh yabbies or bloodworms. Pikey bream and silver bream have been biting well throughout all the creeks, and the best baits are always strips of mullet, gar or ribbonfish. In the clear water you can also catch the bream on soft plastic crustacean imitations, such as the Chasebaits Crusty Crab or

to eat in the creeks at this time of year. Once you find a school of threadfin or blues, I recommend getting onto the small 70-80mm hardbodies, and slow roll them. Two excellent vibes are the Nomad Max 75 and Samaki Vibelicious 70, and also I’m a big fan of the old reliable Jackall TN 60. On the top of the tide I’ll tend to go to the deep holes about an hour before high tide and see where they’re sitting, but I like the last couple of hours of the run-out tide and I head up the

Good whiting are being caught at Cullen Island and the vee in the Pioneer River. Zerek 3.5” Live Shrimp. Smaller soft plastic grub-tails like the 2.5” ZMan GrubZ have also been catching their share, especially for whiting, bream and flathead. The watermelon red flake colour has been working well. Blue salmon and king 34 JULY 2023

creek and look for a big flat area where they like to feed at this time of year. The big southern snapper have arrived. As I said earlier, anglers haven’t had many chances to head offshore, but when the weather has allowed boats to head out we’ve seen some good

Big southern snapper have turned up. If you’re out there targeting snapper around the wrecks, you should take the opportunity to put out a squid light (e.g. the Perfect Image 12V, 360° green Fishing Light). Winter is a good time for squid, and they can often be in the same area as the snapper. You may also encounter fingermark (golden snapper) and black jew, which also like to shadow the squid. When it comes to squid jigs, I suggest bringing a range of sizes, from 1.8 up to 4.0, because you don’t know how big the squid will be on the day. Two of the most effective jigs here are the Yamashita Egi-Oh Live and the budget-priced Jarvis Walker Razorbacks. When targeting squid, I always say you should work the dark not the light. By that I mean you should work your jigs along the edge of the light cast by your squid light, because the bigger squid like to hide in the nearby shadows. Spanish mackerel have moved in close and offshore, and they can be caught around the local islands like Keswick, Brampton and

Baileys. For the smaller tinnies, Slade Island, Flat Top and Round Top islands all produce Spanish. The best baits are floating ribbonfish gar or pilchard or try trolling hardbody lures like Rapala X-Rap 30s or Halco Laser Pro 190s, and for that deeper option Nomad DTX 145. Remember that the regulations for Spanish mackerel have recently changed. The recreational

in-possession limit is one fish per person, or two fish per boat with two or more anglers on board (the boat limit doesn’t apply to charter trips). Coral trout and red-throat emperor (sweetlip) are in large numbers offshore. At this time of year they push up in the shallows, so it’s good to focus your efforts in 10-15m of water to give yourself a good chance. The best baits are always pilchard, squid or big green prawns. If you want to use lures, try the Chasebaits Squid Ultimate, Nomad Squidtrex, Nomad Gypsies and Buffalos, or Vexed Dhu Drop. The ideal weight varies according to depth. Anglers who have been working the shipping channel have been finding nannygai (saddle-tail snapper), red emperor, and grassy sweetlip on the chew. While you’re out there drifting through the channel, you can use baits or jigs to float a live bait or ribbonfish out. That way, you might get the odd Spanish to top up your esky. Land-based anglers also have good options this month. The south harbour

It’s important to make the most of every weather window when there are fish like this on the cards.

break wall be worth a try for Spanish mackerel, tuna and snapper. Bear in mind that it is currently closed to pedestrians from 6am-6pm, Monday to Friday. Flathead fishers have been finding plenty of lizards around Bakers, Sandy and Alligator creeks. You can get good results casting small hardbodies or plastics. Some of the stand-out soft plastics at the moment are the Samaki Live Shrimp, Chasebaits Flick Prawn, and Gulp 4” Paddle Shad. Work the last couple of hours of the run-in and the first hour of run-out tide, and look for those tell-tale flathead lies in the sand. For those anglers keen to hit the dams, there are reports of plenty of sooty grunter in Eungella and Teemburra. Barra been a bit quiet in Teemburra and Peter Faust, but there are reports of barra in the high 90s out of Kinchant. If you’d like to catch a winter barra, work the warmer water in the middle of the day, up in the shallows. Surface lures can be effective in this scenario, or you can try slow rolling weedless plastics like Zerek Flat Shads. When it comes to surface lures, two popular choices are the Drunken Mullet by Chasebaits and the Bone HoverJet. • Tackle World Mackay is Mackay’s number one tackle shop, and stocks an extensive range of fishing, boating and diving products in store and online. The staff are experienced and friendly, and provide excellent product knowledge with the most up-to-date fishing info. They are more than happy to help you out with your next fishing adventure. Give Tackle World Mackay a call on 07 4957 2145, or drop into the store at 318 Shakespeare St, Mackay.

JULY 2023 35

OLD

Get out and enjoy those warm winter sessions permit (snub-nosed dart) in and around Townsville. Some have been taken on bait while chasing other species, and some on hardbody and soft plastic lures. I was talking to one guy who hit a small school of big 10kg permit within casting distance

TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

The change of weather has been quite quick this year, and there’s no doubt there will be some glorious winter days in the coming months. Long days on the water are a joy at this time of year, but the initial change of temperature can quieten things down on the fishing front. I had a few shows to do in April and May and never got as much time to fish as normal, but the reports were quite good for barramundi, grunter, mangrove jacks and mackerel. However, it’s the mud crabs that have been over the top in both numbers and size. I saw a picture

Timing is everything for these toothy fish in winter. A low tide late in the day is a good time to chase them in winter.

An ugly fish on their best day, the stonefish can often be found where anglers wade around. Be careful. the other day of a couple of 19cm and 20cm bucks that were apparently as heavy as lead. Crabbers have been getting their bag limits in quick time of late, and the debate continues as to which bait is best. Common crab bait choices range from the dirty old canned cat food, to barra frames, to chicken carcasses and frames. I know a few blokes who use pig meat, but the crocs like that as well, and you may well end up with your pots getting destroyed. Barra have been catchable over the last few weeks, and it’s not hard 36 JULY 2023

of the shore recently, but couldn’t land one. He got as close as trying to tail grab one, but the hooks fell out before he could secure it. While not an uncommon species around here, they are generally a bit tougher to find than they have been. Mixed in with them have

to see which systems have been hit by the netters. When the netters have been working a system, you’ll find an abundance of fish just small enough to fit through the nets, with hardly any bigger fish left. This is the reason we don’t put locations in our videos that we do for YouTube, as it’s not just recreational anglers that watch them. Using smaller lures is a reliable tactic during the colder months. On a recent trip with my boy Tannhym, the Halco TB55mm hooked the biggest fish while chasing barra. While I do love my soft plastics for

a range of species, you’ll find that small, suspending divers are a must-have when things get tough. You want a small lure that will suspend in freshwater and slightly rise in the salt, making them an ideal casting lure for barramundi, sooty grunter, mangrove jacks and so on. The TB55 has a strong action that also draws the attention of bigger fish, but softer rods are needed to avoid pulling the hooks. The clearer waters of winter will also make it necessary for anglers to make longer casts so as to not spook the fish. If you get too close to them, the fish will immediately head for safety. OFFSHORE To be honest, the mackerel haven’t really gone anywhere this year. Doggy mackerel are thick once more on the inshore grounds, such as the weed beds and the channel markers. Spanish too have been far from hard to catch, which has many anglers wondering if the data is correct from the sustainability study conducted in recent years. The new bag limits of one per person and two per boat will come into effect on 1 July, and will be policed. I know there are plenty of people up in arms about this new rule, but just think – it was initially supposed to be a ‘no take’ for a couple of years, so things could be worse. Again, the sharks have been taking a high percentage of bigger fish hooked inshore, which has got anglers calling for research into this phenomenon. Techniques that are proving effective are of course trolling hardbodies like Halco Laser Pro 190s

and 160s, and also casting bigger chrome slices into schools of fish herding bait on the surface. You’re going to have to go hard on them from the second you hook them though, to avoid them getting eaten. Mixed in with these schools of mackerel are the bigger models of longtail tuna. I love eating these things, as long as you bleed them and get them on ice as soon as they hit the deck. The wind has been the big problem of late, but this should all settle down a bit by the time you read this, and hopefully the smaller boats will be able to join in the fun offshore was well. Weird one. Over the last few months there have been several captures of big

In the warmer months our lures are often much bigger than this 5” Halco Paddle Prawn, but if you get one of those warm, winter days the fish will still smack bigger lures.

This bright orange Paddle Prawn is a great winter lure when the water is a little dirty. This one’s rigged on a 1/4oz, 5/0 jighead. Sharp hooks are extremely important.

been good sized Goldens as well, so who knows what you’re going to catch over the next few months. Small shrimp imitations are sure to get a response if you’re on the wand (fly fishing). If wading around the shallows is your thing, just be careful at this time of year as it’s quite easy to step on something you really don’t want to. Apart from the good old stingray, stonefish are sitting right up in those shallows, and their painful toxin has the potential to be deadly. Anywhere there is rock or broken reef is a highrisk area, and we’ve been catching them on lures in 1-3ft of water, which is where most people try to wade. All in all, things should go pretty well for anglers over the next month or two. It’s a great time to roll out the swag and kick back around a fire, so good luck and I hope you enjoy this time of year as much as we do.

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Keep your cool during cold winter sessions HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

Oh boy, here we are now in the thick of our colder months, got the trackie dacks and jumpers on, steam coming off the water early morning and some days question why we leave the warm bed early to go fishing right? Because we love it! I can assure you that the inshore fish here feel the same. Their enthusiasm to bite can be reflective of the colder water temps, and the higher barometer fluctuations with the trade winds just to add to the misery. Some days you just have to keep your cool and slow things down a bit for

A beautiful 65cm barra that was caught along with 15 others. my favourite sand spits, in the time it took me to gather 25 good sized mullet (as there were no prawns around), I removed and released at least 15 barramundi around 25cm in length from the cast net, plus numerous threadfin salmon around 40cm were also gently returned to the water. I’m also hearing in nearby systems to

the south of Hinchinbrook boasting a large number of small barramundi from among a few local anglers I know. From now and over the next few colder months it will be a good time for inshore pelagics and reds. Areas near Gould Island and the back of Hinchinbrook will see schools of queenfish, golden trevally and Spanish mackerel showing a greater presence, we just have to hope the sharks keep away when we find them. The Lucinda Jetty is a popular place for a wide range of species during winter. At times, large fingermark and even big barra frequent the pylons along with the queenies, tuna and mackerel. High speed retrieving metal slices around here will get you some fun! My new vessel for offshore charters is getting closer to completion as it’s been a big project for me to finish whilst in the midst of charters and other family commitments on land. I’m looking forward to getting it commissioned and operating very soon. With signs that some good dry weather is starting to arrive upon us, I am itching to go visit

some wonky holes inshore south of Hinchinbrook Island that fall in my operational area. This time of year they usually fire with big large mouth nannygai, bar cheek trout, goldspot cod and Spaniards. We don’t find large schools of nannies on them, but the ones that do inhabit these areas are quite large fish. I find the best method is either large live greenback herring, or larger vibes around 30g or heavier usually do the trick. We usually catch two or three fish most from these areas and then move to another so to not wipe out an inhabited wonky and keep them healthy for future trips. Inshore wonkys can be a little hit-and-miss. I’m finding that if the water quality has a greenish shade, then the sharks move in and take over everything. Days of clear blue water quality often see the best results. • If you’re looking to come to Hinchinbrook to discover its variety of fish and wish to book a charter, you can email us at info@ianmoodysportfishing. com with your enquiry.

A stunning winter fingermark. them, also downsizing in lure size can help a lot too. Looking further upstream in rivers and creeks within the Hinchinbrook area is where you will find the aggregations this time of year, and they can be rather good size schools too. If you are into live baiting, and if you can find them, large

school prawns dropped into the snags works best for barra in winter. You may need to catch a lot of them to contend with a lot of pickers like bream and cod. Persistence will pay off if you can keep up the effort all day as a good bite period will generally last a lot shorter in July. Some days

can be frustrating with little to no joy if a cold snap has come through. Recently I have found some real positive signs that our wetter weather over the last two seasons is kick starting the barramundi recruitment cycle over again. While cast netting for live bait at one of

A pretty winter barra measuring 63cm.

Peter Ryan with a 71cm barra. 38 JULY 2023

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OLD

Make most of bite times CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

It’s been a fairly warm winter so far in Cairns, which has kept the fish on the bite in the Trinity Net Free Zone. Some of the NFZ rivers and creeks, like the Barron and Thomatis,

fish can be a little sluggish, so you really need to make the most of bite times around the change in the tide. These windows are only a couple of hours if that but that is the time to be on the water and in a good spot. When they do come on the bite they will come thick and fast so make the most of it and keep your lure in the water.

taking plenty of fish over the cooler months this year mostly thanks to the really light construction and Kevlar tail. Slow rolled hardbodies are also taking a few fish. As it gets cooler, live baits will be your best bet, especially if you can get your hands on some live prawns or herring. One species which will be active will be queenfish. Queenfish love to move into the creeks and rivers especially in the Inlet. You can chase them around the pylons or on the mud banks and there are some really good-sized fish on offer. Small metal slugs and fast worked surface lures will be the go. Grunter will also be in numbers over the hospital flats and small squid baited hooks floated out on light gear will be the

Paddle-tail plastics will be the choice if you are chasing jacks in the NFZ in July.

The fish will come on thick and fast if you are in the right spot at the right time. are still running dirty thanks to some late season rain. This has made fishing in these systems tough but when they clean up, they will fish exceptionally well. The Trinity Inlet has been clean for a while and is still producing plenty of fish. This time of year, the

Jacks have still been eating lures with vigour and very slowly worked paddle tail plastics and hard body plastics being your best bet. This time of year, I prefer to fish lures which are as light as possible so I can get the most action out of them. The Twitch It plastics have been

Grunter will be in numbers over the hospital flats this time of year.

Winter programming PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

As we delve into the winter program with cooler days and wind at times, the fishing opportunity doesn’t ease up in the tropics. Adaptation is the key to a good day’s fishing. On the outer reef we’ve found there’s not a lot that isn’t biting well at the moment. Coral trout without a doubt are your go to fish when there’s a bit of wind about. They are quite plentiful at the moment up in the shallow waters of 20-25m deep where the adjacent reefs offer a fair amount of protection from the wind. On calmer days you’ll nail these delights into 35m of water, and slightly bigger. At various times and when the slightly lighter winds coincided with a low tide we’ve ventured a bit deeper and were able to source some cracking large-mouth nannygai to 7kg. There’s also a steady 40 JULY 2023

supply of small mouth nannygai around 45cm, which can become suicidal when in the mood. Banking solid numbers of small mouth can be problematic in a positive way so watch your bag limits. Any calm days ahead will see the nannygai duo become a real feature of our fishing on the reef. There’s plenty of other species popping up at times on the reef including tea-leaf trevally, golden trevally, long nose emperor, cod and sweetlip, so there’s a lot of variety to be enjoyed on any given day. Our light tackle trolling efforts proved to be super effective of late as we found where the Spanish mackerel are starting to school up. Using only a couple of deep diving lures, more often than not they’d result in a double hook up. There hasn’t been the need to run a bigger spread of lures as the fish have been concentrated. Sizes of the mackerel varied ranging from 7kg up to 12kg. A double hook up on the deck certainly lights up any day and is quite exciting for anyone. If you are going to run a bigger spread, say four

presentations, the outside riggers have to be rigged garfish to entice a different type of bite. Besides the Spanish mackerel, and in very similar areas the longtail or northern bluefin tuna have been running amok. Running the same set up, we nailed quite a few of these hard fighting fish up to 12kg. They are quite distinctive at the moment creating a serious commotion on the surface and will really go to town for a lot longer in the same spot than say to a mac tuna school which can be skittish and disappear before you know it. The longtail are also brilliant to take home to eat, so our light tackle days are working like a treat and will continue to do so as the winter continues. Our best inshore river system for results has been by the Daintree River by far. Once the skies turned grey and the winds started really blowing, the landscape of our inshore systems changed quickly. Water clarity and temperature dropped off and a change of tactics was in order. With the right approach with an

best technique. Casting and retrieving lightly weighted small soft plastics will also snare a few grunter in this spot. Just be careful of the tides as you can get stuck out there when the tide runs out. Finally the mud crabs will still be on the move and it will definitely pay to throw a few pots in when wetting a line. Next month we should see the trade winds abating which will mean the exposed parts of the NFZ will be able to be fished. This will allow anglers to chase the bigger better class fish out on the beaches and headlands.

Javelin fish have been turning up more this season. experienced angler/guide you’ll be able to account for fingermark to 55cm using live sardines. Similar baits and surface lures have also enticed a few good queenfish to 90cm in the main part of the channel and deeper bends in the waterway system. The big change of late has been fishing across the flats whereby a good old mix of pilchard and fresh squid

have returned some very tidy results. Big grunter or javelin fish to 60cm have turned up with more regularity offering some great angling moments, and golden/river GTs have made up the difference. If you are new to the area, a fillet of fresh javelin fish will put a new tasty perspective on your taste buds. Lighter gear is used in this situation and it’s quite exciting to see a

good-sized fish rip it up in a couple of feet of water. Sunny days will produce better overall moving forward and you’ll need to work a bit harder in windy, overcast conditions as a general rule during the heart of winter. Slight neap to middle range tides are also a good friend to have in your favour at this time of year.

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OLD

Winter chills brings winter thrills COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

The cooler weather will make it harder to catch the barramundi as they settle down and reduce their

just keep their mouths shut. My favourite go to lures at this time is the soft plastic prawns and vibes, but when fishing the shallows of flowing creeks I still use the timber hardbodies and Gold Bombers. The deep

the larger fish. The windy weather in Cooktown will probably be around for the next few months but there’s always a few calm days as the high pressure moves off the coast before the next one comes

okay but most of the time it’s not. I go through lots of hooks and sinkers with little to show for it. The wharf has been fairly quiet with not much around and the bait schools have been scarce. However, it will only start improving in the next month or two as the herring schools start showing up and the spotty/ Spanish mackerel, trevally and queenfish follow. The rock wall has been a great addition to our waterfront and a great area to throw some lures for pelagic predators moving out of the river mouth chasing the bait schools. The little back eddies and edges are great areas to target for barramundi that are waiting to ambush bait, as they move passed in the tide. The best is the run out as the level drops but the bait fish move along the wall in shallower waters, which makes it easier for

This barra swallowed a prawn imitation whole.

There are still some decent reds about. activity. Nevertheless, there is always the chance that they need to feed sometime and passing a tasty treat in close proximity is key to success.

snags I usually find need a bit of work and using deeper divers and soft plastics to get down deep with persistent effort can produce a reaction. Once the cooler weather

in. There has been some great night fishing when the weather has allowed the opportunity. There have been lots of large month and large red emperor, with the ever-

The barra fishing is tougher this time of year, but not impossible. fish to strike. The Annan is also producing nice crabs with most full. Although they are not in large numbers,

there are some quality crabs being caught. The hard part is bait. I like using reef fish heads but most of my stocks start to run low at this time

due to lack of opportunities to fish with the winds being so frequently strong. However, there are lots of opportunities to go camping and fishing in Cape York. Around the freshwater, you can catch cherabin for food and live bait. Even though trying to get the barramundi to feed on your lures at this time is hard, it’s still fun to fish for them. There are some amazing camping spots to visit and some great adventures to be had as the roads have dried up and more areas have become accessible. The latter part of the year will produce more fish activity from hungry barramundi but now is a great time to explore more areas to come back to later. So, get out there and find some beautiful spots to enjoy a fire in the cooler weather and explore this great frontier.

This nannygai was found around a wonky hole. I find the best is using lures that match the depth and location of the fish as you want to swim it passed their noses to encourage a bite. This is easy when you have a good quality sounder on your boat that can pick up fish easily and determining the depth and location and then trying to match the lure to get right into their strike zone to the point it pesters them to attack. Even then, despite seeing the fish there, they 42 JULY 2023

moves on and the rivers start to drop, then the action will increase as the reduced bait and waters will start to constrict the fish and they move into congregations around their favourite areas in the river systems. Once found, it’s easy to land multiple fish and it’s often the small ones that strike first, and the bigger fish can be lower down in the water. Deep divers and fishing an area over a few times can bring a bite from

present spangled emperor, around in numbers as well. The sharks are usually active once a few fish start coming over the side and moving to another spot is advised as there is not much chance of getting fish in when they become so active. When there is a full moon, the sharks can even bite first before the reds. I often don’t go, but if I do it’s usually in desperation as I haven’t been fishing for a while. Sometimes it’s

David Kamholtz with a big red emperor.

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Mild, cooling weather makes for comfortable fishing CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

Whereas much of southern Australia is in the iron grip of winter, a mild cooling off period

now, many of the inland water systems such as tiny creeks, lagoons and billabongs can begin to feel a little desolate over coming months. Much of the inflow has now ceased, and many of the inhabitants will be simply

the old saying, “fish gotta eat,” will help plenty of persistent anglers to outwit their quarry while enjoying the brilliant winter weather. Some of the pelagic fishing for species such as mackerel and tuna will be first rate in much of the

Garry with a giant queenfish that went 116cm. Carpentaria coastline. This winter run of fish heading north is well known to many commercial (and recreational) fishers

Justin and Jason with a pigeon pair of barramundi. is being felt throughout Cape York. It’s the kind of cool which makes us northerners reach for a pullover, but allows southern visitors to break out the thongs, singlets and board shorts! Cool evenings and warm days typify July, with just the odd cloudy, drizzly morning following a strong southern blow. We can reasonably expect the barra fishing to come right off its best this month. The dip in water temperatures makes these predatory fish a little sluggish with a lower, slower metabolism. A host of other species will follow suit, as many of them

views are on the state of Queensland’s mackerel stocks, a lasting change is upon this fishery, and it will shake up recreational fishing as we have known it for decades. The winter reef fishing can actually be very good inshore; however, access becomes the major hurdle, especially for those residing on the east

Benny with a quality Spanish mackerel caught off the surface. Cape York in the coming weeks. The comparatively warm water temperatures allow them to run at maximum revs in their never-ending pursuit of bait schools. Queenfish and a host of trevally species will join forces with inshore pelagic fish such as cobia, barracuda, and sharks to decimate a plethora of prey species along the Gulf of

up the east coast of Queensland, and has led to plenty of pressure on mackerel stocks over a long period of time. We are now facing closures to one of the most sought-after species, Spanish mackerel, because scientists have stated that the population is declining and needs a break for numbers to replenish. Whatever your

Jacko and Reidy with a brace of mangrove jack. coast. Trade winds from the southeast showed up in force during May and June. July and August can see

The barra are slowing down, although they still have to eat. prefer to actively feed in that sweet spot of 25-30°C water temp. Although accessible by 44 JULY 2023

very limited opportunities to race offshore because any high-pressure system in the south will be directing onshore winds right up the Cape coast. Quite often the further north you go, the more exacerbated this feels. The trade winds act as their own fishing closure to all but the bravest trailer boat fishers. Water clarity along

riding out the next few months before the heat and rain eventually sparks them back into action. However,

Phil and Tim with a hard-fighting queenie.

the Great Barrier Reef is usually first rate at this time of year, particularly across the shallow reef flats. Even with a breeze up, small boats can sneak up behind reefs and fish the shallow flats relatively comfortably. The diversity of species is the major drawcard with this type of visual fishing. Free diving and spearfishing can be productive, with fish life well concentrated in the warmer, shallow waters, including some of the tastier specimens such as coral trout and crayfish. Be prepared to mix things up in July to take advantage of road access and any pockets of good weather amongst the rough.

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Ugging the chilly weather INTUITIVE CONTROL Somewhere out away, Which is cruel to say, a dog might bark or a but enormously fair. dingo howl. Traditionally I haven’t Torches flick to check fished as much for these I’m a winter lover myself. floats and rods; breath three favourites in winter A fresh, even frosty, mushrooming out like but having sat down and morning gets me off on the tiniest horizontal thought about it, there is the right foot, especially nuclear blast. no reason for me not to if that foot is covered Stars actually glitter spend a little more time with a good Australianthrough the coolibah in CQ on a snag with made uggy with genuine branches when one of a poddy or herring out merino wool. And if the the older ones chips the the back through those other one has an uggy light shiner for wasting months without an R. too, that’s even better. batteries. What’s the potential So much betterer. They w e r e n ’t negative? I’ll doughnut? I’m really only a fan recharged at a power Ha. Been there, logged when I have the gear to point in those days. on, downloaded the cope with the chill, even Good times. epically failed fishing app. if I don’t have it on, which What’s not so flash And you know, instead is a little odd but welcome for me about winter is of castnetting badly for to my world. the generally dudd fishing two hours then swinging I recall sitting around around the coastal creeks, away from the snag (wind a fire on the bank of the where I mostly fish now against tide) and busting Dogwood or the Condi when the mercury goes off on bits of Australia BRAESIDE with a yabbyALBERTON or two out on into the lower areas. then coming back sad, ALBERTON MARINE Sure, bream and theJV MARINE WORLD and hot, I’ll the bottom, or better still, disappointed under a white39foam float. like are mostly ‘betterer’878 Springvale be castnetting badly for Johnson Street Alberton Road Braeside S o m e P: (03) p u5183 n g e n2344 t but there’s a drop off inP: (03) two hours 9798 8883 then swinging woodsmoke might jack, barra and thready away from the snag (wind 5183the 2219 numbers in the chill. F: (03) 9798 7554 be drifting F:up(03)into against tide) and busting W: albertonmarine.com.au flickering canopy with Having said that, aW: jvmarine.com.au off on bits of Australia only the sharp crack of cruel person might say then coming back sad, MELBOURNE a burning stick to break how can you catch lessMELBOURNE disappointed and cold. the silence. BL MARINE in winter than you do inMELBOURNE That’s MARINE much better, CENTRE so And the612-occasional summer much betterer. And Hwy people 614 Plenty Road Preston when you catch393-399 South Gippsland trouser cough. nothing in summer? call me a pessimist. P: (03) 9478 1420 Dandenong South F: (03) 9470 4638 P: (03) 9703 2003 W: blmarine.com.au E: info@melbournemarine.com.au W: melbournemarine.com.au BRISBANE

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JULY 2023 47

OLD

Get all rugged up TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

It’s time to rug up and deal with cold extremities if you’re planning on fishing this month. At first glance, winter is not as appealing to fish but it does have its pros and cons. Early mornings are freezing but they are prime big cod time. Just like our southern interstate lakes, Queensland dams will produce the goods at first light and into the first hours of daylight.

This is when the bigger cod are out on the prowl and cruising around looking for food. Unlike cod, barra will be looking for warmth so a late start is best. The warmest part of the day and into the afternoon will be the best times to target these big lethargic impoundment beasts. Stealth will be critical as they hold shallow in the warmest water they can find. Bass and golden perch are our other main target species. Like their other remaining

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST The fishing will be slow at Cressbrook and we may see a few winter changes. The golden

easier to locate over the next two months. Schools should start to form as they ready themselves for breeding time. In past winters, hopping the Raptor 30g Slow Fall Jig has been

fishy friends, they will be a bit slower over this mid-winter period. A mix of luring techniques can be used on the bass but the goldens will be more partial to jigged vibes and blades. When the wind is cold and bitter, it’s a good time to stay at home. On the calmer days when the sun is out, there are few better places to be than basking in the sun, overlooking the water and hoping to come home smelling like fish. Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel. be open from 7am to 6pm. SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY July is probably the slowest month of the year. The bass and golden perch fishing will be slow throughout the

Niki Sticklen caught yet another big bass from Somerset Dam. Her tip for this month is to start early on the edges with a silent TN60 Jackall. try your luck on the steeper rocky edges. In past years, big spinnerbaits have been successful. These days, there’s a real trend with throwing crankbaits and suspending jerkbaits. There’s so many welltuned models out there it’s worth going in to a reputable tackle store which specializes in this type of tackle.

tend to shut down and only chew hard when they feel like it. Picking away at the edges of the dam with crankbaits and suspending jerkbaits is a good way to pull a few fish. Earlier in the year, there were fish in the deeper trees. These fish may have moved on due to the cold but it would still be worth checking. They were holding higher in the

the next month or two we should start to see schools reform. The Spit which stretches from the northern ramp toward the dam wall will be one of the most likely spots to hold fish as it is the dam’s most major point and offers a range of depth as it stretches out. Once the most productive depth is established here, it would

Ben Wilson displays a couple of quality bass from Wivenhoe caught on G1 spoon. There will be a mix of fish found in schools and on edges over winter. perch numbers will drop dramatically but you will still be able to hop ZX40 blades through them or right on top of them to get the bites. It’s harder work but finding good numbers on main basin points from the ramp to the Eagles Nest rock wall increase your chances. Live shrimp and saltwater yabbies will also be successful. The golden perch may liven up for short periods and you will notice specific bite periods. The bass that have been ridiculously hard to find may actually get 48 JULY 2023

the undoing of many quality schooled Cressbrook bass. If schools are a no show, switch to working edges with suspending jerkbaits. Ideally you would want to be seeing a few bass on the sounder in the areas you choose. Up the back of Cressbrook Creek and most of the medium tapering banks on the way are all worth a look. • Fish’n’Bits in Toowoomba has all the gear and tips on how to chase the Cressy fish. They are an excellent store specialising in all freshwater lures and tackle. The access gates to the ramp and day use area will

dam. Schooling fish are reluctant to bite and can occasionally be fooled with a spoon, small blade or soft plastic. Pelican Point area is definitely worth a look. These fish should move around through the water column due to the lack of thermocline. While fewer fish are found on edges, they are likely to be the most active ones. Bass will be found all over the dam from the basin right up into the Stanley River on the lake edges. Early in the day the shallower banks can produce but as the sun rises and light increases,

There will be some quality bass around at Moogerah Dam if you put in the time to find them. MAROON CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, RATHDOWNEY Maroon will be fishing a bit slower than normal. The bass aren’t too keen on the cold and the schools

water column and taking deeper suspending lures like the OSP Dunk. MOOGERAH CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, ARATULA Moogerah fish have been on the move. Over

be worth searching other flats and drop offs of similar depth to find more schools. Inside the 6 knot zone in the timber will be another likely spot to find bass. This month may

OLD

DARLING DOWNS AND GRANITE BELT COOBY CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS, TOOWOOMBA Golden perch activity will be slower but they can certainly be caught over the winter months. The warmer days with less wind seem to be a lot more productive. Lure fishermen will need to resort to jigging small blades or vibes. The ZX40 is ideal due to the silicone dressed assist hooks. The goldens can’t help themselves and suck and pick away at the hooks until they make a mistake. Bait fishers can use either live shrimp or the more easily sourced frozen saltwater yabbies. Try fishing in 6-8m of water. Murray cod numbers are hard to find in Cooby. The lake holds some giant fish and this is the ideal time of year to target them. The 7am start is a little on the late side for the magic hours of first light but the early morning is still a prime time. Using live sonar to locate fish and then casting swimbaits or big soft plastics at them could be worth a try. It will be hard work but with fat fish over 120cm a possibility very rewarding. • Cooby is open to paddle and electric motor-powered craft. The gates winter hours are 7am-6pm. Shrimp can be gathered at the dam around the edges near the car park closest to the pontoon and walking tracks to the rock wall but will be a bit harder to come by now it is cold. Frozen yabbies are

also a good bait and can be purchased at Fish’n’Bits in Toowoomba. LESLIE CLOSEST TOWN: WARWICK We are now in the best period to chase big Murray cod. Leslie has reasonable numbers of cod and you will be able to find these fish around the rocky structure or cruising flats early in the mornings. Big swimbaits have been effective in past years. With the use of live sonar and stealth anglers will be able to increase their chances of finding the big models. Big soft plastic paddle tails or grubs are also worth using when running the live sonar. Golden perch will slow down but the lake can still produce well over winter. Hopping soft vibes or small blades will be the most successful way to lure them up. Bait fishermen will score on live shrimp or saltwater yabbies. Goldens can be found all over the dam but definitely try the rocky structure. • The local blokes at Warwick Outdoor and Sport in Palmerin Street can point in you in the right direction and hook you up with the good gear and bait to catch the fish at Leslie. COOLMUNDA CLOSEST TOWN: INGLEWOOD Things are still a bit quiet out at Coolmunda due to the dirty water. Hopefully

winter and less rain helps it settle to improve visibility. If, or when, this happens it will be the time to hit the timbered arms of the dam for big Murray cod. There have been a few spotted on sounders and I’ve heard a few unconfirmed reports of captures even in the dirty water. Spinnerbaits or chatterbaits will be the go if visibility is poor. If it miraculously clears up big swimbaits will also be worth a try.

AWOONGA CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE The barra will be a bit tricky to find but should be up in the shallows. Hopefully this winter doesn’t catch them out like last year as there was a fair number killed due to the temperature drop. The warmer days will be the time to try your luck. The middle of the day and into the afternoon is best when things have warmed up and the fish are feeling more like feeding. Fish outside the weed or in open pockets can be targeted on suspending jerkbaits. Slow things right down and use extra-long

pauses. Lightly weight soft plastics can be used through the shallower weed areas. Monitor water temperature and try to find areas where the weed traps warmth and the barra shouldn’t be too far away. Consider the lower angle of the sun as it travels more in the north over the winter months in the middle of the day. This can reduce the amount of light and warmth hitting the water on some of the northern facing banks. The big barra still need to feed and will be catchable when conditions are right. Use plenty of stealth as shallow holding fish are easily spooked. • Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing (0429 223 550) and Lake Awoonga

Barra Charters (0404 151 844) run guided trips on the lake. Both cater to the needs of the angler and can do fly or conventional tackle trips to target the lake’s barramundi. It is hard to beat time on the water and a guided trip is a great way to learn more about this lake and its fish. • Mark from Awoonga Gateway Lodge always has a few productive secret spots to share. The Gateway lodge is on the way in to the dam after turning off at Benaraby. The accommodation is great with plenty of boat parking space right beside the comfortable air conditioned, selfcontained cabins each with its own veranda. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 49750033.

still be a bit quiet but expect the fish to go nuts in late August and early September. In the bigger schools, the best lure presentations will be spoons, small blades and soft vibes like the Jackall Mask Vib 60. If the fish

are around timber try small blades, crankbaits or suspending jerkbaits. The lads at Charltons Fishing at Redbank are all over the fish activity at Maroon and Moogerah. Call in and grab your supplies and hit them up for

tips on where the fish are biting. It is recommended camping be booked at least a couple of weeks in advance and you can also organise your day use barcode for the gate with Lake Moogerah Caravan Park (07) 5540 5600.

CAPRICORN REGION

There have been plenty of smaller cod around at Glenlyon Dam. Expect to see the bigger models coming out to play as we approach breeding season. GLENLYON CLOSEST TOWNS: TEXAS, STANTHORPE It’s Murray cod time

at Glenlyon. The big cod will be feeding up prior to their breeding season. With this they also start moving

about to check out potential nesting areas. Last visit there was quite a bit of weed around the edges of the lake. This weed came all the way out to 4 metres deep. The cold weather will knock this weed but I’m not sure how long it will take to die back and what effect this will have on the fish venturing up into the shallows. The steepest rocky edges have less weed so maybe the cod will prefer these. The other option will be 4-7 metred deep flats which have plenty of bait over them. There isn’t a lot of this country in the lake but on our last trip, that is where we spotted most of the cod on the sounder. The thermocline should be gone so the fish will be able to move around more through the water column and stay shallower for longer periods. Early mornings will be the time to hit them with big swimbaits in both hard and soft varieties. The water clarity is really good and well suited to more subtle approaches. Use stealth as most of the fish we spotted on our last trip were aware of the boat long before we placed casts in front of them.

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Sydney

NSW

Relaxing fishing in the afternoons SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Fishing in the southern areas of Sydney has been a little bit hard of late, and hopefully during the month of July it will improve. Drummer, luderick, trevally and snapper have started to show up off the rocks in the Royal National Park, the Kurnell state park and down south around Stanwell Park and Coalcliff Point. Paul Stevens from Kurnell reports that he and his mate have been getting a few pan-size snapper off Inscription Point at the top of the tide on salted down slimy mackerel. There have also been a few trevally caught here as well. Paul also reports that he has been getting a few goodsized drummer from the rocks at Boat Harbour, mixed in with trevally, bream and the odd big tarwhine. The best baits have been royal red prawns and bread. Don’t forget to berley. The rocks south from Cronulla Point to Sandshoes

have been producing drummer, tarwhine, bream, trevally and luderick on the rising tide – especially after there has been a bit of a blow. If you don’t mind a bit of a walk, you could always try Jibbon Point for bream,

trevally, snapper, tailor and bonito. The best baits have been whole and half pilchards and garfish. During those big seas that we had during June, the Balconies and the Waterrun produced snapper, bream,

Glenn Loveday with his 7th flathead, which he caught on a ZMan Baby GOAT soft plastic. Jo was fishing in the Port Hacking and managed a 63cm kingfish while using a peeled prawn meant for a bream or trevally.

Adrian from BCF at Taren Point managed his first ever legal snapper on a soft plastic while fishing with the author in the Port Hacking.

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52 JULY 2023

that the water is very cold first thing in the morning. For that reason, I have changed to fishing those last couple of hours before dark. Luderick have been schooling up around the ballast heap and Deer Park in the Port

drummer and tailor. Care needs to be taken when fishing here because it is very high off the water. Fishing with your bait suspended below a bobby cork seems to get the best results. Marley to Little Marley is also worth a shot for bream, trevally, tailor, salmon and snapper on a rising and falling tide. Try using pilchards and salted slimy mackerel for bait, and fish as light as the conditions will allow. I have been out fishing off the beach at Greenhills for whiting and bream, and the best baits by far have been beach worms and live nippers. The only problem has been

Hacking. The main key to success is getting your hands on some decent green weed. Another option this month is to try using soft plastics for flathead and bream around the flats at the entrance to Burraneer Bay and Gunnamatta Bay. For those of you who like fishing off wharfs, the one at Gymea Bay Baths was getting renovation the last time that I was out, so you might find that it’s a bit crowded there. You can access it from both the southern and northern ends. Dusky flathead and the odd sand flathead are still being caught in Botany Bay. It’s just a matter of moving around a fait bit to find them. A friend of mine has been getting amongst a few while using the same ZMan Baby GOAT plastics and TT jigheads. He is now up to his 7th legal flathead. Yarra Bay and Bare Island is worth a shot for slimy mackerel, bream, trevally and the odd pan-sized snapper. Try the Horseshoe, Mono Point and the deep southern edge of the bommie. You could also try trolling for tailor, salmon and bonito in the bay. FACT 5 Now we are up to Fact 5 in my series of fishing facts to help maximise your catch rates. You can see facts 1 through 4 in my previous reports. This month’s fact is about beach worms. Now there is definitely an art to catching beach worms which can be learnt by lots of practice. First, use pilchards in a stocking secured to your ankle for your attractor.

Second, use a pipi that has been put in a stocking tied to your wrist for your hand bait. Third, have the sun in front of you so you don’t cast a shadow over where the worms are. Forth, make sure that you don’t grab at the worm until it has arched its back.

Fifth, when closing your forefinger against your thumb, make sure that you have some sand between the worm and your fingers/thumb. Finally, once you have a worm between your forefinger and your thumb, don’t pull too hard, and take another hold with your other hand further down the worm.

Peter Tomlinson caught this mangrove jack measuring over 50cm+ at night at the Weinam Creek boat jetty at Redland Bay.

NSW

Sydney

Roll up our sleeves and pitch in for success SYDNEY NTH

Steve Winser

With the water temps dropping slowly, the fishing landscape is slowly changing as some species slow up and others come on the chew. The offshore reef drifts are starting to produce well, with good bags of snapper, morwong and blue-spot flathead to be had on most of the 30-60m reefs. The calm westerlies and low swell have made for great

drifting conditions. The snapper have been consistent enough to make the slow pitch jigging a thing. The inchiku style jigs (similar to slow-pitch jigs) have been working well for us lately. Some fish have also been coming on soft plastics in the shallower areas, with the Gulp Nemesis being a stand-out of late. The harbour has been a mixed bag in recent weeks. The kings have been consistent but the bigger fish somewhat sporadic. Most of our fish have

been coming on those little harbour cuttlefish. You want a really small jig to catch these little cuttlefish; something in the 1.8 to 2.0 size range is the maximum. These fish will start to push into the upper harbour reaches about now. The bread and butter species, bream and blackfish, have been in plague proportions lately, especially in the shallow water over the ribbon weed beds and rocky foreshores. We have been catching these on bread baits in a bread berley trail, and

Eric with a slow pitch red. this will only get better as the water temperatures drop. The washes are just starting to fire up now. I’m expecting to see this go nuts in the next few months as we get temperatures down consistently below 18°C, and the calm westerlies grant access to the prime spots. The big blues and black drummer will start to move on the spawn, and there will be some serious gear-smashing action in the coming weeks.

Mid-size slow pitch victims.

Tagging Tales Suntag is a world-leading citizen science volunteer fish tagging program, that is part of an Australian

program that has tagged over 1,000,000 fish, and was the first volunteer program in the world to reach that

This is the journey that two tagged bass made from Lake Wyaralong to the Logan River.

We target these species on 8ft rods and 6000+ size reels loaded with 15kg+ braid and mono leaders. Fluorocarbon leaders are recommended when the water is particularly clear. When it comes to bait, we like to use bread and prawn baits under bobby corks in a bread berley trail • Fishing Sydney Tours takes pride in tailoring every trip to the customer’s preferred species, style of angling, and level of expertise, all

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

Brought to you by milestone. Data collected through the program is used to improve our knowledge base of recreational fishing by providing near real-time information on the status of coastal estuaries and inland impoundments. It seems all of our South East Queensland waterways are benefiting. Thanks to the fish, we can provide you with some interesting stories that they tell. Fishing for Australian bass in tidal waters is currently in a closed season, to allow these natives to spawn without interruption. One thing we know from our recapture data here at Suntag is that in theory, it should be a bumper spawn run, with plenty of escapee dam bass joining the party in many of our waterways. Here are a couple that exited Lake Wyaralong, and were recaptured 60km+ away in the Logan River. WHAT TO DO IF YOU CATCH A TAGGED FISH If you catch a tagged

fish, please take note of the length of the fish and the location it was captured (get a photo if possible). To report the details of your recapture you have two options: call 1800 077 001, or Google ‘Infofish recapture’ and fill in the online form. In return, you will receive a certificate providing the details of the tagging and recapture of your fish, as a thank you for providing the information. JULY 2023 53

Sydney

NSW

Prepare for four seasons in one day often bite well during the late morning and mid-afternoon periods, rather than only at sunrise and sunset. Add

SYD ROCK & BEACH

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com.au

At this time of year, the temperature can sometimes be a comfortable 22°C, but then it can quickly plummet to single digits when the cold offshore wind change arrives. Some anglers are forced to go home because they forgot to bring a beanie, a jumper, long quick-dry pants and the correct footwear. A common story I hear from anglers is that they missed out on a great fishing session because they were getting too cold. There’s no point in having all of the gear, lures and bait if you’re not dressed for the occasion! Now here is my fishing report from the rocks and beach. Hope this warms you up! OCEAN ROCKS The rock blackfish don’t mind the cooler conditions. Because the sun is on a low angle at this time of the year, the light that is beaming onto the water from the sun has not got the full glare like it has during the summer months. This means the fish will

some whitewater cover, and this shy species will be out foraging for green, red, and brown weed, young kelp,

A kingfish landed by Geoff Locke on a whole sea garfish on a set of gang hooks. Kings will still be around this month, but probably not in large numbers.

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shrimps, crabs and more. You can try a well-presented prawn, bread, cunjevoi, or weed bait with a carefully weighted sinker sliding down to the hook, or a float rig drifting in the current/ whitewater, generally on a run-in to high tide period amongst the sunken boulders and submerged ledges. I like to fish with a 1/0 to 2/0 hook when using prawns or bread. When using a weed bait, a 1/0 to a no 4 hook works well with a cabbage weed bait. In saying this, some spots are inaccessible on a high tide; you’ll need a low tide and flat seas to access these particular locations. During the westerlies and north-westerlies at this time of the year you can get to some of the spots where a rock blackfish has not encountered anglers for a long while. Often the bycatch can be big bream, leatherjackets, trevally, groper and more. When fishing for these I recommend an outfit that can handle most types of circumstances: a 10-12ft rod suitable for line classes from 7-15kg, with a reel filled with 10-15kg braid or 8x mono or fluorocarbon. Mono and fluorocarbon lines come in X rating for hardness. A 10X mono/fluorocarbon is quite hard, and is more resistant to sharp and abrasive structure, giving you a better chance to land that fat porker! It’s blue groper time as well. The flatter seas give groper anglers better access to spots not normally fished, areas that you may not go to catch your red crabs as well. Having a crab spear is another option if you have missed the low tide for

A bag of rock blackfish to 44cm, caught by Robert Blythe and Mike Angaddi. A lot of these fish were caught a few hours before dusk. groper. The crabs that run around above the high tide mark can be caught before sunrise, but I recommend doing that only if the seas are flat enough for you to be on the rocks. Alternatively, when the sun is high in the sky and the crabs are hiding under ledges, you can catch them with a crab spear. Big blue groper up to 76cm have been landed by me and my clients. I have a policy on my fishing/guiding trips that any groper that is 70cm+ is to be released. I like to release the older fish, and generally they are the blues (males) and the leader of the harem. In any case, the smaller groper from 1.5kg to 4kg are much better eating quality. July is still a good time

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Soft plastics like the Bait Junkie 5” Jerkshad have been working well on winter sand flathead off the beaches. It’s a great way to spend a few hours.

for snapper. The trevally are around in larger numbers, so whilst you’re wash fishing you can expect to encounter more of these than snapper on at least some outings. Aussie salmon, tarwhine and bream will also be part of the bag whilst wash fishing for snapper. There are two main ways to fish for snapper: either fishing the sudsy white water (preferably a water depth of 6m+), or distance casting for them, casting to the gravel/ sand bottom. Snapper like areas where the sand and gravel meet up with the reef edge. When you stand up on the higher ledges looking into the water, you can often see the darker patches (which is generally reef), and looking further out to sea you will see the sand (the lighter coloured bottom). This is, of course, only if the water clarity is clear enough and not in shadow, so you’re able to see clearly the colour changes that reveal the topography. For distance casting you preferably want a tougher bait like squid strips, salted slimy mackerel fillet, and (when you can get it) cuttlefish candles and strips. Alternatively, you can still use your peeled larger prawns and half pillies. With wash fishing you can use half to full pillies, peeled large prawns and squid strips. Berley up in the wash zone to get better results, with a mixture of mushy bread, pillies, prawn heads etc to match the bait you are using. For the rock blackfish and groper, you can try Little Bluey at the Manly end of Bower Street, North Curl Curl. Long Reef at Collaroy is a huge area and is a safer rock option, and Mona Vale pool ledge is also a safer

NSW

rock option. Be aware that there’s a swimming group that use the Mona Vale pool and adjacent headland, that want this to be turned into a no talk and no fishing zone. They want

to turn it into an aquatic reserve. Stand up for your rights by going to change.org and search for ‘Keep Sydney Fishing’ to sign a petition. We need to show support against the closures of this

Sydney

A great mixed bag of snapper, trevally, tarwhine and out-of-season bonito caught by Garrath Russell. All were caught fishing the sudsy whitewater washes.

area that has been fished for many decades! BEACH FISHING The run of salmon has continued along our beaches, with the tailor numbers thinning out as they continue to travel further north towards Fraser Island to spawn. Trevally and bream are also being caught. I have been using the OT jig from Daiwa and find it a dream to cast, with its realistic wobble action working well on the salmon. When you use smaller metals (30g or less) I find there are some trevally being caught as well. If you prefer to not use bait when chasing Aussie salmon, all you need is a handful of metals, a carry bag with scissors, leader, lure box, and a bucket if you want to take a fish home for a feed. A light spin outfit from 4-6kg rod/reel and line set-up suits this just fine. Alternatively, you can put a whole pilchard bait on 3/0-4/0 gang hooks. Lots of species like to eat pilchards and that could mean the multiple of species from fish ranging from a few cm to predators like Aussie salmon. When fishing a whole pilchard you will often encounter bream and trevally having a go at your bait. Also sand flathead as well. You can catch them on a ganged pilchard especially

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Big blue groper pull hard, are fun to catch and you can fish for them in the middle of the day. This 76cm fish was released. if they hammer your bait aggressively but more often you may not hook up. You can switch to a 1/0 or 2/0 size hook and a half pilchard bait. Aussie salmon will also pick up this bait but if you encounter tailor and

you do not lip or mouth hook them chances are that you will get bitten off. You can use a short length approx. 30-40cm of plasticcoated wire say around 20lb and use two hooks. One is crimped and the second one

is sliding along the line. at the other end you have a swivel which is also crimped as well. select your sinker weight according to how much current there is. The sinker slides to the top of the swivel. the main reason you would use this rig is to reduce bite-offs from tailor. The down side is it is not as effective as using quality fluorocarbon leader. Talking about flathead you can walk the beach fishing from gutter to gutter casting plastics. The Bait Junkie 5” Jerkshad in the white magic or pilchard glow colours with a Bait Junkie 1/4oz to 1/2oz jighead has been working well on the sand flathead up to 50cm. Whiting and jewfish are still available but to a lesser extent. it is pretty much the end of the season in Sydney. Further up the mid to north coast several hundred km from Sydney and you will be getting beach jewfish in better quantities. So it is the peak of winter. Don’t put the gear away until summer. Keep your skills up, do some winter time fishing, keep the fire alive! • 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.

Regal Marine

JULY 2023 55

NSW

Delay on the winter bite BALLINA

Joe Allan

It seems that the normal winter bite has been a little delayed this year. While the winter whiting will be kicking off over the next few weeks, the bream haven’t really started to fire up as I’m writing this article. This time last year there were very good numbers of bream around the bottom end of the system especially along the north, south and porpoise walls. It will be interesting to see what transpires over the next few weeks with regards to the big silver girls showing up. As for the whiting, try the bigger tides over the sand flats along the town stretch, the area out the front of the oyster farm in North Creek, and possibly

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Anthony Melchior with the Big Bream from a local Bream Comp. up as far as Pimlico Island if the water stays clear. If you know how to worm, these are by far the best bait for whiting by a long way. If you can’t get live worms, preserved worms are also pretty good and are still worth using. The size of the mulloway being pulled out of the river of late is nothing short of amazing. There are some beasts being caught at night, mostly on live mullet in the deeper holes or a shallow diving 200mm crankbait off the walls. Hold on, because these things are beats. If your just after some fun with the kids, use your

depth sounder to find some bait schools and the soapy jews are out in numbers. Try metal blades and soft plastic prawn imitations, these seems to get good numbers of bites. As the water temperature has gradually gotten cooler, the snapper have been biting more consistently, and have been getting better in size. The best areas are the close-in reefs in approximately 10-15m of water. Floating cut baits like squid and blue pilchards with the current can be very productive if you want to soak some bait. If you’re into throwing lures, try 60mm to 80mm

Worms this time of year can be key for the big sea run bream.

Grant Clements with a stonker mulloway caught live baiting the main river.

Damon Andrews caught this 35cm bream from Wardell on an Atomic Crank 38D in grey assassin. 56 JULY 2023

hook, and that should do the trick. Alternatively, if the current is running harder you might need to go heavier. The cooler westerlies can bring on the blackfish or luderick, so if this cold snap keeps on going for a while, don’t be afraid to try for these guys a little earlier than you normally would. I have seen a few blackfish anglers starting to creep around the rocks, so they’re starting to turn up. The flathead will start to become patchy in the river along the Ballina town stretch, while the bream will really start to fire in the deeper drop offs. The top of the tide is the prime time to chase the big sea-run specimens that come into spawn. Try throwing blades and plastics off the end of the south wall as well as hardbodied lures such as Atomic Hardz

lipless crankbaits around 1/2oz in weight. On the soft plastics side of things, I like the 4” Atomic Prongs in white,

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Lucas and Dylan with the winning bag from a local NCBB Bream Comp.

ghost pearl or electric chicken. Use 1/2oz weights or even lighter if the current will allow, with up to 4/0

Cranks 38 Deeps over the porpoise wall. Until next month, tight lines.

Recreational Fishing Update South Coast Dusky Flathead Stocking! Dusky flathead stocks in three popular NSW South Coast estuary systems have received a significant boost following the release of more than 50,000 flattie fingerlings! Over 27,900 dusky fingerlings have been released into St Georges Basin, 12,900 into Burrill Lake and 11,450 into Lake Conjola - bringing the total number of flatties released by NSW DPI this season to an impressive 52,250. These fish were produced for NSW DPI by Narooma Aquaculture and are a top up to the two previous years of stocking events in these systems. The stocked fish are expected to have good survival rates and should reach legal size of 36cm within two to three years. The juvenile duskies are being monitored by NSW DPI researchers with the help of volunteer citizen scientists. This work is designed to evaluate the growth of the fish, their movements and impact of fish releases on the recreational fishery. These releases are a key part of the NSW DPI Fisheries Marine Stocking Program and will boost local fisheries plus provide extra incentive for local and visiting fishers to wet a line. These dusky flathead stocking events are a great example of your fishing fees at work! Contributing funds were also provided under the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy.

April was World Citizen Science Month!

The fish was estimated at only 10kg. Only 200 days later on 2 March 2023, angler Matt Durham recaptured the fish whilst fishing the inshore marlin grounds off Port Stephens, NSW. Upon recapture the fish was estimated to be between 25-30kg. The fish was then re-tagged and re-released in excellent condition. The fish spent 200 days at liberty and travelled a minimum straight line distance of 1010 nautical miles (1870km’s)! The Game Fish Tagging Program is an example of your licence fees at work.

expected to grow very quickly, reaching legal size of 70cm in about 3-4 years. The record-breaking number of mulloway fingerlings stocked since the start of autumn is 125,000! This is made up from the stocking of 35,600 mulloway fingerlings into the Hastings River, 22,600 fingerlings into Lake Macquarie and 66,800 fingerlings into the Georges! It also follows on from the exciting stocking 400 advanced size mulloway released into the Georges River in February.

Record Breaking Mulloway Stocking Season! DPI Fisheries have long been supporters of many citizens science programs none more-so than the Game Fish Tagging Program, which is the largest saltwater tagging program of its kind in the world. Since 1973, over 63,000 anglers have participated in the program. The information that has been obtained by all of our citizen scientists has been used to further understand the biology, distribution, movement and growth of many key recreational species like marlin, tuna, sharks and yellowtail kingfish. Without the continued support from the recreational fishing community the program wouldn’t be able to feature recaptures like the one below. So, a big thank-you to all those who have been contributors to this world leading program! A juvenile black marlin originally tagged at the famous Oyster Reef, offshore of Cairns, QLD has gone on to be recaptured. On 14 August 2022, Moreton Bay GFC member Daniel Beard caught the black marlin while fishing aboard the vessel Bladerunner. Daniel managed to quickly subdue the black marlin on 8kg tackle before tagging and releasing the fish in excellent condition.

The last stocking for the season was the Georges River in Sydney’s south which has now been stocked with a whopping 66,800 mulloway fingerlings. These juvenile mulloway are

This marine stocking project is another example of your recreational fishing licence fees directly benefiting recreational fishers. This is also part of “Fish for life Building a healthy fishing future”. For more info, or to report the recapture of a tagged mulloway in the Georges River under the Marine Stocking Program, please contact fisheries. enhancement@dpi.nsw.gov.au

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au JULY 2023 57

NSW

Transition from summer targets Rob Taylor

We have hit the depths of winter, with cold, early starts and a clear transition in fishing targets from summer to winter species. The first of the whales have also started their northern migration. The difference this year is that it has been a drawn-out transition, as we still have quite good water temperatures, which is always welcome. The result has been some remarkably good flathead fishing on the sandflats, and beach gutters full of dart, whiting and bream. Offshore has seen a solid start to the snapper run, and the odd mackerel is still being caught out around the islands. Plenty of big longtail tuna are patrolling the headlands, and good numbers of mulloway are feeding along the beaches. We have also had a good start to the tailor run, and this

some proper crocs of late. Glide baiting big soft glides over large sandflats has seen some big flathead posing for cameras before swimming

Tuna off the beach!? Yep, a common occurrence when fishing with Mitch Maric on his beach fishing charters.

back to camouflage themselves in the sand. Concentrating your efforts on the incoming tides over expansive sandflats will be the place to find flatties. Look for areas of less than a metre deep, and use artificials or drifted

check out any of the bigger systems which have rock walls or empty out next to a headland, and you’ll find fish. Generally, the start of the incoming tides are the prime times to fish these areas. Some of the bigger systems will also offer some good mulloway fishing over the next few months, and it always pays to have a big live bait out while chasing bream and blackfish. A live mullet rarely takes long to get snaffled. ROCKS AND BEACHES The rocks and beaches are a good place to be this month, as we still have some good longtail tuna numbers patrolling the headlands. There are also plenty of tailor starting to school up around the rocks and in the beach gutters. I’ve been throwing a 60g stickbait for tailor to good effect, and it’s proven

fruitless exercise trying to fish live baits for larger targets like tuna, so try waiting for the sun to get a bit higher before putting baits out, as the tailor should have moved on by then. There will also be some solid mulloway off the beaches and

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run. Good numbers of fish up to 80cm have been reported, and this will only improve throughout July. A couple of popular snapper fishing competitions are scheduled to run this month, which demonstrates that now is the time to be out chasing reds. From the inshore reefs out to the 40m-50m line will be where the snapper are holding up, and both plastics and bait will find you fish. A good idea is to hit it early and floatline during the dim dawn light, and then drift over those same areas with plastics once the sun has broken the horizon. Although it’s well and truly winter, don’t discount getting a big Spanish mackerel, especially if you work the islands with big dead troll baits such as rigged tailor or bonito. Some monster fish will be caught this month. We have had reports of solid yellowfin out beyond 500 fathoms, and striped marlin are still being caught at the start of the shelf in 100m. Big sambos and kings will also start showing up around the 70m line, and places like the south end of The Lump will hold some brutes. Big greenback tailor (and I mean big) will be in the island washes, so flick a lure or pillie in the suds if you’re out there and aim for a PB tailor.

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rocks this month, particularly where dawn and dusk collide with the top of a run-in tide. Baits and lures will both produce fish, but baits also tend to attract by-catch such as sharks and rays. Boambee Beach, just south of Coffs, has been absolutely firing in the gutters for bream, dart and flathead. I’ve had a few sessions using live yabbies and couldn’t believe the numbers of solid bream on offer. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon with kids, but using live or fresh baits such as yabbies, pipis or beach worms is critical to success. OFFSHORE The big news offshore, as always at this time of year, is the start of the winter snapper

Peter Keep with a stud mulloway that ate a lure and gave him all sorts of trouble in a kayak.

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to be a fun alternative to the age-old method of casting metals for them. Tailor numbers are so thick at times it can be a

The author with a giant longtail that towed him several kilometres in a kayak.

Daran Ryan with a nice longtail tuna off the stones. should only improve as winter grinds on. CREEKS AND RIVERS As mentioned, there’s still some sensational flathead fishing in the creeks and rivers, with plenty of local fishos landing (and releasing)

live baits to get a result. Winter bream and blackfish will now be in good numbers in the lower reaches of the creeks and rivers, so

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Gearing up for solid snapper and kingfish catches off the north wall of the Macleay. Daytime has seen plenty of smaller models caught along the break wall on live herring. Bream seem to be everywhere at the moment. The back creek wharf, the main boat ramp and the public wharf are great locations to target them land based. Luderick are also in full swing. Back Creek and the south wall seem to be the main focus for blackfish fishos. While flathead are a bit

SOUTH WEST ROCKS

Vic Levett

It’s already July and winter is kicking into gear, and that means big snapper and bigger kingfish. At this time of year we typically get very cool mornings and stiff offshore winds, morphing into warm, calm days. Well, some days, anyway. If you want a big snapper, now is the time to be targeting them as they will be mooching around all the shallow reefs such as Grassy and Scotts Head. There have already been some big ones landed on soft plastics and on small flutter jigs worked

Maya scored herself a PB mulloway onboard Oceanhunter Sportfishing Charters.

A solid rock kingy that was released to fight another day. close the bottom. Find the reefs loaded with bait and work those areas with stealth, trying to keep noise to a minimum. Big pearl perch also move into the shallows at this time of year, and they respond well to the same methods as snapper. Kingfish have also turned up in reasonable numbers around Fish Rock, and they have been responding well to stickbaits and jigs (although there have been a few large sharks still hanging around, and they are more than willing to share your fish). Local young gun Jack Riach has been scoring fish to over a

ambush passing prey. Soft plastics and hardbodies worked over the many mud flats of the Macleay will produce good results. ROCK AND BEACH Once again, Mitch from Mid North Coastal Fishing Adventures has been scoring snapper and big tailor off the beach with the assistance of his drone. The beaches are holding good numbers of bream, tailor, whiting and dart. Local beach worms and pipis are the best baits. It can be hard to drag your bones out of a warm

metre on surface lures. There are plenty of smaller models getting around as well. Longtail tuna should be around well into July, and are generally encountered while chasing reds. Trag, small snapper, pearl perch, school sharks and tuskfish have been filling the fish box of local charter boat Sea Scout. There are still plenty of mahimahi around as well, you just need to locate some fish traps out around the 70m mark, as the DPI FADs have now been removed. Deep dropping has also been good, with the offshore currents slowing. Ian Black

has been doing well on the blue-eye, and I did see a solid Bass groper back at the ramp. Zane and Jack have also been bringing home a few John Dory, gemfish and perch from the 200m line. Around the washes, tailor and bream have been in good numbers. Casting lightly-weighted pilchards has produced plenty of fish lately. July is also a good month to target drummer off the rocks. ESTUARY There have been some solid mulloway caught in the Macleay of late. Gianni Logiudice landed a 122cm on a Livey Lure fished

Kelvin rugged up for winter, with a trophy from the Macleay.

Lucas Pap with a great snapper taken on a jig.

Zane with a very late season Spanish mackerel.

slower throughout winter with the cooler estuary waters, it can be a good time to target them in the late afternoons where they will lying in the warmer, shallower waters, hoping to

house at this time of year, but it can be well worth it. Warm clothes and a hot beverage can make it easier to brave the conditions. Plenty of fish await the keener anglers who put in the extra effort.

Come Fish the beautiful South West Rocks, from the calm waters of the Macleay River to some of the best offshore blue water on the East Coast. We can tailor your experience to your liking!

Contact Zane: 0478 782 522 Vic: 0414 906 569 Email: vic@oceansportsfishing.com.au Kari with a solid samsonfish caught and released on Oceanhunter Sportfishing Charters.

OceanHunter Sportsfishing

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WWW oceansportsfishing.com.au JULY 2023 59

NSW

Targeting mighty mulloway in Port Macquarie THE HASTINGS

Kate Shelton

NSW DPI Marine Stocking Program recently visited the Hastings River in Port Macquarie with a few thousand mulloway fingerlings. The Hastings River received 35,600 fingerlings, which is the largest number of juvenile jewies stocked into the system to date. The Marine Stocking Program is another example of our recreational fishing licence fees benefiting recreational fishers, with the Hastings River being a recreational fishing haven. This is also part of ‘Fish for life - Building a healthy fishing future’. On the Macquarie Coast, anglers are fortunate to be able to fish for mulloway off the beaches,

Port Macquarie angler Jim Crowe with a Mid North Coast mulloway. Image courtesy of @jimmycroweyew. Hastings River are the best bet on the lead up to the full moon, at the top of high tide, and using live bait or large soft plastics. WHAT’S BITING Off the rocks, drummer numbers have really picked over the past month. It would seem the drop in the air temperature and a subtle drop in the ocean temperature have combined to fire them up. Good reports have come from many locations between Hat Head to the north, and Seal Rocks to the south, however, don’t overlook the local ledges. There are many great drummer spots between South West Rocks and Crowdy Head that are suitable for either calm or active seas.

Apart from drummer, tailor have been terrific from most locations and will likely further improve as we head into winter. Around the ledges at Crescent Head, anglers have caught some greatsized bream and luderick in reasonable numbers, while a few solid blue groper have been caught from the more exposed locations. Moving to the beaches, both Lighthouse and North Shore beach in Port Macquarie have been producing a steady stream of bream and the odd solid whiting. Tailor continue to be active on most beaches, and fishos are beginning to see a few salmon show up. On the mulloway front, there have been a

Troy Boese with a solid mulloway caught in Port Macquarie. Image courtesy of @troyboese. few reports of larger fish although there are plenty of school-sized fish around the Lake Cathie and North Haven beaches. In the rivers, bream have been terrific with both

Mitchell Lowe with a Hasting River breakwall mulloway caught on a soft plastic. Image courtesy of @thefishingpair. in the rivers, on the rocks and offshore in depths up to 100m. If you are wanting to fish for a mulloway off the beach, juvenile mulloway (schoolies) are plentiful around the beaches of Lake Cathie and North Haven. 60 JULY 2023

For fishing off the rocks, the Lighthouse in Port Macquarie is quite the hotspot for local anglers, with mulloway weighing up to 20kg caught. In the rivers, the break walls in the Macleay and

Fishing chick Harriet Crowley with her first Hastings River mulloway. Image courtesy of @hazza_crow.

baits and lures effective in the Macleay and Hastings rivers. Flathead action also remains first class in both the Hastings and Camden Haven rivers. Live bait and all types of lures have been successful for anglers in recent weeks. School mulloway continue to plague the waterways, with plenty of active fish ranging from around 65cm to 1m. On the luderick scene, we are seeing a steady improvement from the break walls, although they are yet to truly fire up. For the boaties, snapper numbers have picked up, with both baits and soft plastics seeing good results on the inshore reefs. Wider out, the odd pearl perch and kingfish remain on offer around South West Rocks and Point Plomer. On the deep drop fishing scene, the conditions have been ideal, with some great catches of blue-eye trevalla and bass groper caught off Camden Haven and South West Rocks this past month. Throughout winter the pelagic fishing does quieten down, but that doesn’t stop the odd striped marlin in around 100-200m of water.

NSW

Good winter fishing reports are filtering through FORSTER

Luke Austin

We are well and truly into the winter fishing season now, and things are cruising along quite nicely with most species behaving as they should! There are loads of fishing

the fish will readily take an artificial weed offering, particularly if they are sitting in a spot that sees a good amount of current. Bream reports have all been centred about the lower reaches of the estuary (near the mouth), with some very healthy fish being landed from down around the Fish

good numbers of flathead up to about 70cm, as well as the odd bream, snapper and small mulloway. Interestingly, there have still been plenty of lizards sitting down towards the mouth as well, so don’t be surprised if you see the odd one while you are chasing a bag of bream. The local beaches have been amazing to fish lately. The tailor fishing has been a little hit-and-miss, but there are still loads of fish about and you will find fish on just about any beach if you put the time in. While there is the odd monster fish mixed in the schools, most fish are still in the tasty 35-45cm range, and they are in great condition. If you manage to get a bait to the bottom, or switch to soaking a worm or pipi, there have been

It’s hard to beat a solid winter snapper!

There are some great bream in the oyster leases. opportunities out there in July, so rug up and enjoy some cracking angling. Wallis Lake is holding some great fish, and we have had good reports filtering through from all over the place. Luderick have schooled up in very good numbers along the southern rock wall and throughout most oyster leases down the bottom of the system. There are also a few nice fish starting to head up Breckenridge Channel now, which may be worth a look if you don’t like to fish on the rock walls. Finding weed has been a challenge, however

Co-op and along the rock walls. The moorings and cleaning tables situated down along Point Road have also been holding some absolute monsters, and if you don’t mind getting your feet wet, walking over to Turn Island is always a good option. As always, those anglers who fish the lightest in line weight and sinker weight will usually see the most action! Moving up the system a little, those anglers who have focussed their attention on the flats and drop-offs around Coomba Park, Regatta Island and The Cut have found

A nice catch from Rob of RV Lures, who loves popping for tailor.

some nice whiting, bream and flathead on the beaches down south. Also, you just never know when a mulloway may be cruising past! Finding a consistent, decent bit of wash to fish off the stones has been hard but there has still been the odd drummer and groper getting about (along with thousands of bream and luderick), it only takes a slight increase in swell and these fish really fire up so keep your eyes on the forecasts. Throwing lures about off the headlands has been a great way of chasing some bigger tailor and there has been the odd kingfish about which can be a bit of a handful on the tailor gear! Getting offshore has definitely been worth it. Those reefs out in 45-70m have been producing some great catches of trag and snapper along with the odd pigfish and pearl perch. Flathead have been holding in good numbers just off the reefs out wider, and there have been some really good-sized fish in the mix.

Unfortunately, the shallow grounds up north have not been overly productive of late. Those boats that have managed to score a feed on reefs in 20m or less have had to exercise a lot of patience and use a good amount of berley to get the fish going. Heading the other way and making the long trek down to Seal Rocks has been fruitful though, with some nice kingfish and snapper coming from in close. If you are keen to chase some quality kings on stickbaits, right now is the time to get down there to chase them. • Luke is the owner of Great Lakes Tackle - your ‘local’ bait and tackle store. They only sell the best brands and offer sound, friendly advice on where you can go to land your next trophy fish while visiting the wonderful Great Lakes region! Open seven days in the main street of Tuncurry, you can call them on (02) 6554 9541 or find them on Facebook to see what they have been up to!

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JULY 2023 61

NSW

There are good numbers of luderick on offer CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

There’s certainly no mistaking the fact that it’s the middle of winter right now. Despite the nice weather outside, my hands are still cold as I type up this month’s column. We’ve had a great run of glorious sunny days, as the big

lakes at The Entrance has narrowed up again, after it had been quite wide and flowing strongly for about three years. If we start heading into proper drought, the local authorities will probably have to continue dredging works in the channel. In reality, this is simply nature doing its thing, and I’m not going to complain either way.

catchable! Luderick are generally more active than bream in the cold water. Some good catches have come from The Entrance in the earlier part of the season, mainly from the north side. Here and in other places around the lakes and Brisbane Waters, luderick move around and change their dietary preferences. So, unless you’re fishing

Toukley Bridge is often overlooked these days. However, it’s probably worth a look here for bream and luderick in the coming weeks.

Silver trevally are likely to be caught by anglers targeting bream, drummer or snapper this month. high pressures systems move over the country, but the downside is that also means the nights are very cold. After the few rather wet years we’ve endured, it’s obviously nice to have good weather like this, and it makes fishing easier. However, it’s possibly been a bit too dry in recent months. The mouth of the

Both the lakes and Brisbane Waters have mainly been fishing well for bream and luderick, although it always gets tougher as we move into July and August. Water temperatures and fish activity slows right down in both systems at this time of year. However, fish still need to eat to survive, which means they’re certainly still

for them every week it can be hard to know exactly where to go, or precisely which bait to use. Mostly, I’d be sticking to good quality, stringy green weed and heading to the more known spots at The Entrance, Budgewoi, Woy Woy and so on. Then, if success isn’t coming your way, perhaps look into different types of weed or

even prawn or shrimp baits. Always keep an eye out to see whether other anglers are doing better, as they are probably doing something more effective or simply standing in a better spot! Bream fishing here is different in winter than it is in summer. Bait anglers will find that the same baits work at any time of year, but it’s where you cast the bait that matters most. In general, forget about the main bodies of our waterways and concentrate more on major structure, the mouths of the systems or up the feeder creeks. Major structure means the more obvious, deeper channels, prominent points and around the bigger bridges such as Woy Woy,

The Entrance and Toukley. The mouths of the systems from the Rip Bridge through to Broken Bay and around The Entrance are where more of the quality bream are likely to be found now, as this is closer to the adjacent beaches and headlands where they gather for spawning. Numbers of smaller bream also like to head up the creeks, at places like Wyong or Ourimbah, for example. Despite most bream up the creeks being small, you can definitely run into the odd bigger one in the creeks as well. Those using lures for bream would do best to stick with Gulps or small vibes this month. Suspending hardbody lures can also

be highly successful, but fishing them takes a bit of skill and persistence. If you have tried suspenders for bream yet, the best one I can recommend is the Lucky Craft Pointer 48DD. Regardless of the type of lure you use, a key factor is to go super slow in mid to late winter. Fly fishing can also work quite well, and that’s effectively a slower and more subtle form of lure casting, in a way. Rock and beach fishing can be excellent in July, provided that the conditions are safe and suitable. Once again, bream and luderick are prime target species, but drummer, salmon and tailor are also very much on the cards at the

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NSW

Locals are hitting their straps PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

Even in the depths of winter, Port Stephens still fishes well – especially for those crazy anglers who don’t mind swapping a cosy, warm bed for some icy cold westerly winds. In the bay the luderick are in full swing, with

there are other options locally, with the Anchorage Marina, Torpedo Tubes and the jetties at Shoal Bay and Little Beach all worth a shot. The keys to success in this game are fresh weed, tide changes and correctly weighting your float to give no resistance as the luderick pulls on the weed. You can also target

than the Marina and rock wall at Nelson Bay. Fish on the outside with lightly weighted baits on tide changes, and fish the back of the boats on the inside between tides. Other areas worth chasing bream will be Corlette groynes, Wanda Head and Soldiers Point. BEACHES It’s a good time to walk the ocean beaches

fished in the gutters should produce some thumper big bream and whiting this time of year, even during daylight hours. If you’re prepared to brave the cold nights you may be rewarded with the ultimate prize for beach fishing, as winter is an excellent time to catch mulloway. Fingal, Samurai and Stockton are the best areas to hit for beach mulloway. Fish after dark with large fresh baits or, even better, a live tailor or whiting. OCEAN ROCKS The ocean rocks really come into their own through winter. The drummer fishing is as good as it gets, with the washy zones holding some cracking pigs to 4kg. The best way to get connected to these fish is to cast a large peeled prawn or price of cunjevoi into the whitewater, and allow it to slowly waft through the water column until it reaches the bottom, then wind up and cast out again. Doing this you can also pick up bream, squire-size snapper, luderick and grouper, so it can be a very productive way to spend a morning.

Anglers are picking up plenty of squid around the protected bays and coves.

There are excellent numbers of bream around. dozens of luderick fishers taking advantage of them every day. Nelson Bay break wall has to be right up there with the best places to target them on the east coast. However, if you want fewer crowds

luderick from the boat around the rock walls at Windy Woppa and Short Cut area. Bream are another staple target species through the winter months, and it’s hard to find a better place

like Fingal, One Mile and Box casting metal lures or ganged pilchards during the dawn and dusk periods. There is plenty of fun to be had with tailor and salmon this way. Live worms or pipis

moment. Just keep a very close eye on weather and swell reports and forecasts, to help work out exactly when and where to go. Offshore fishing is more about the wider grounds this month.

From 70m and further out, kings, bonito and snapper are the main species to concentrate on. However, there’s no doubt that leather jackets, morwong, sweep and silver trevally will be encountered at times. If conditions and currents

are favourable, it can still be worth fishing closer in for snapper, trevally, bream, tailor and salmon. Some days the wind will prevent smaller boats from heading wider, so it’s always a good idea to be ready to change plans and fish in close if need be. Young Joe Lennon with a solid snapper.

Port Stephens Estuary Charters

OFFSHORE Winter snapper have been on the chew, with the close-by islands all accounting for plenty of reds up to a solid 8kg. Anchoring up over the reef and casting out unweighted baits into a berley trail on dawn or dusk is a great way to catch snapper, however soft plastic lures fished in the right manner are arguably even more effective. Drummer and bream are red-hot in the washes, and flicking baits into the white water is usually a quick and easy way to get a good feed. There is some fantastic squid fishing on offer, with monster green eyes schooling up in the shallow bays and coves. They will readily take jigs in sizes 3-3.5.

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

rters.com www.fishportstephensestuarycha 687 Contact Paul Lennon :0434370 mail.com email: paul.lennon.fishing@g

It’s luderick time on the Central Coast. This one came from the rocks at Norah Head.

fishportstephensestuarycharte @fish_portstephens

JULY 2023 63

NSW

Get into the terrific tailor fishing off the beach SWANSEA

Jason Nunn

At this time last year we were feeling a bit gloomy because the salmon hadn’t turned up yet. However, as soon as last year’s July report hit the shelves, the salmon rocked up in force. There were almost more salmon than water; you could have just about walked across them. The most common question I’m getting in the store right now is, “are there salmon in Swansea channel?” No, not yet – at least, not at the time of writing this report. We have quite a few salmon coastally, but not many in Swansea channel or the lake. However, if this year is anything like last year, we could soon see thousands of them in Swansea channel, providing anglers and their families with some great action during the school holidays. If you want to catch salmon in the channel, you can do well using the humble pilly rigged on a 4/0 octopus hook. You don’t really need gang hooks because salmon don’t have sharp teeth like tailor. However, the most fun and effective way to catch them is with lures, particularly soft plastic paddletails or jerkshads. The infamous Berkley PowerBait 3” Minnow in casper clear colour has been a standout for salmon for many years (plain white plastics are also very effective). If you want to use larger lures, I recommend the PowerBait Fork Tail Minnow in the disco violet colour, which is fairly transparent. It has a thicker profile and is a bit easier to cast than the 3” Minnow, so it’s good for guys who have trouble casting smaller plastics on light jigheads. Because you want to retrieve your soft plastic across the surface, you’ll need to use as little weight as you can while still being able to get some distance with your cast. To get the most out of your plastic, crank it back fairly quickly across the surface while ‘dabbing’ the rod tip down, a little bit like a walk-the-dog style retrieve. The goal is keep your lure on the surface, and not give it a chance to sink down. Other lures you can use include small stickbaits, poppers or little chromies. Some days the salmon are very fussy while on other days they’ll eat a sandshoe, so bring a range of lure options to see what they want on the day. When it comes to 64 JULY 2023

catching tailor off the beaches, this is one of the best winters that we’ve had in quite a while (and no doubt it would be a similar story off the rocks). There are plenty of big tailor and small salmon, with some bigger salmon amongst them. Most anglers are fishing the gutters with pilchards on gang hooks. Sometimes you can use chrome lures, but pilchards are the best by far. The prime times for these fish are in the dim light before sun up, and when the sun sets. Remember that you do have to put some effort in if you want to get good catches. You can’t just wander down to the shore near the surf club, and expect to succeed; the tailor are halfway up the beach, so you need to be prepared to make a long walk, or use a 4WD. It takes a bit of effort, but it’s worth it. After hearing the reports of good tailor catches, I decided to check it out myself. We set out on a 2km walk up the beach, armed only with the basics – a backpack, knife, pliers, spare terminal tackle, a couple of chromies, drinks, headlight and a bag for rubbish. I also like to take a bucket with bait in it, and then on the way back I’ll put my catch in the bucket. It’s good to bring a plastic rod holder to stab into the sand, so you won’t get sand on your reel. You can also use a hessian bag to protect your reel from the sand. On our recent trip we got a dozen beautiful tailor after the sun dipped behind the mountain, and it was a fish a cast for a while. All of them were 1kg or better, and we lost quite a few in the shorebreak as well. We got an equal number of salmon, which we threw back. The water temp the time of writing is about 18-19°C, so it’s quite balmy even though the air temp is down. It was damn good fun. A couple of the guys recently had an even better experience, catching a tailor that went 72cm (probably around 3.5kg), and quite a few in the mid-60s. The bite period was just before sun up. The tailor were feeding ravenously in the dim light, and then as the sun came up, they dropped off. If you prepare tailor properly, they are great on the plate. To start with, they need to be bled quickly, not left on the beach in a chaff bag for hours. Next, I scale, gut and gill my tailor in seawater at the local boat ramp, then put them in an esky full of ice for 24 hours. I position them vertically in the esky so any juice will drop out of the

stomach cavity. The fridge isn’t cold enough – you need a quality icebox so the ice won’t thaw. The ice makes the flesh nice and firm. If you don’t give your tailor this treatment, and just eat them straight away, they’ll have soft flesh. After 24 hours in the icebox (with the bung open), I bone the tailor and take the red flesh out, and they’re ready to cook. Tailor are great under the griller with olive oil and a bit of parmesan sprinkled on top. Alternatively, you can coat them in breadcrumbs and shallow fry them flesh-down first, skin-down second, and serve with fresh lemon. When it comes to offshore fishing, it’s been a real mixed bag, and this will continue in the coming weeks. A lot of blue-spot flathead are around in really good numbers, and there are still quite a few trag around. We are also now starting to see a real increase in the number of inshore snapper getting caught on our close reefs, which is great to see. Last year was no different, with the inshore snapper biting through until September. There’s also the odd tailor on the offshore reefs, and a few trevally. This mix of species is typical for this time of year. The deeper water at The Farm (90-100m line) has yielded a few snapper, but the water needs to cool down a bit more to under 20°C for the fishing to improve. It should fish better later in winter. We headed offshore to have a crack for yellowfin recently. There have been yellowfin reported north and south of us in numbers, but not many in our area. We decided to have a go anyway. The weather was magic and everything looked good, with thousands of frigate mackerel busting up. Yellowfin love swallowing them whole, like lollies, and the bigger yellowfin always have guts full of little frigates. Unfortunately, we didn’t catch any yellowfin on this trip, and we lost a marlin as well. Hopefully things will improve this month. Moving to the rocks, there have been lots of luderick around, plus drummer and a few tailor. Black drummer are very white fleshed, fight like a demon, and the middle of winter is a great time to catch them. It’s recommended to berley quite hard in that wash area where you have a bit of soapy water. I have had great results with mixture of laying mash and bread. The bread floats around the wash, which is ideal. The preferred bait is

peeled prawn on a double strength hook, and a ball sinker straight to the hook. These big drummer are virtually at your feet, so you only need to flick out your bait around 4-5m at the most. The action should continue well into September. The lake has been fishing very well over in the past month, and this will continue in the coming weeks. There’s plenty of bait in the lake at the moment, both at the southern end from Pulbah Island south, and also in the northern end, from Valentine north. The key is to work the bait schools, which you can locate either by looking for birds or using your sounder. If you’re fishing for tailor, trolling is the pick, using a very deep diver like the Rapala Tail Dancer TDD 11 to get down near the lake bottom. You can also use vibes like the Samaki Vibelicious or Zerek Fish Trap around the bust ups. A lot of mulloway have been caught over the last month, in a mix of sizes ranging from around

45cm to 85cm. There are plenty of flathead around, moving from spot to spot. While working the bait schools you may pick up a lake snapper, which is a pleasant bycatch. Snapper like to come into the lake on the back of big seas, and we are seeing more of these quality fish here than in previous years. There have been quite a few caught recently, including a beautiful fish that went 65cm (3.2kg) caught by my mate Steve Norris on a soft plastic while he was fishing for flathead. Another angler marked up some bait, saw three fish, lobbed in a soft plastic, gave it a couple of jigs and a snapper roared off with it. Don’t forget bream fishing! Bait fishing after dark is when you’ll get your best bream, fishing the edges with unweighted oily baits. Try not to fish too deep – no deeper than 3m – and deploy a bit of berley to maintain the fish’s interest. I know it’s cold, but if you rug up you can have some very enjoyable sessions.

The bream will bite well until the end of August. That’s it for this month. Remember that as winter gets colder, the southern end of the lake will fish a bit better due to the warm outflows from the power stations. That water can be up to 3°C warmer than the northern end of the lake, and that can make a significant difference to the fish behaviour. • Fisherman’s Warehouse Tackle World has a large range of fresh and frozen bait as well as a huge range of rods, reels, lures and accessories. They also sell and service outboard motors, and have a competitively-priced selection of new and secondhand boats. The friendly staff are all experienced local anglers, and they’re always happy to share their knowledge, whether you’re a novice or experienced angler. Drop in for a chat at 804 Pacific Highway, Marks Point, or give them a call on (02) 4945 2152. You can also find them on Facebook, or check out their website at www.fishermans warehouse.com.au.

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NSW

Quality snapper are being caught on cuttlefish 40 years and I’m yet to hook one as they are all too busy looking at you. They are also smarter than you think, and stay away from your bait. The odd one may have a look, but you just pull the bait away and make another cast. If you can’t be that responsible, look around for cuttlefish on the surface without any birds on them. There will be plenty of them, too. Casting at the cuttlies is great fun, but for better results, put the anchor down on one of the close-in reefs in less than 10m of water, and hit the berley. Early morning and late afternoon are the prime times, but on overcast days they can bite all day. It doesn’t matter which reef you go to, as there are cuttlefish everywhere. However, as a general rule look for where the most cuttlies are popping to the surface, and anchor in

ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke

Let’s be positive, there are still some great fishing options in the middle of winter in the Illawarra – you just have to grit your teeth, work a little harder and be prepared to get cold. As Billy Conolly said, “there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing” so rug up and get out there. The lake isn’t the best option this month. It will be cold, choppy and windy, with only a few bream around the weed beds around Primbee and up in the feeder streams like Macquarie rivulet and Mullet Creek around the snags. Peeled prawns will get some bites, but not a lot. BEACHES The beaches are worth a shot, with some big tides in the first week of the month in the late evenings giving you some deep water close in to target the big jewies that love these conditions. There are some great gutters on most of the local beaches at the moment. They won’t all be big fish, but the schoolies are welcome as well to keep you interested. As always, fresh bait is best, and a rum or two helps. There will be good numbers of pickers chewing on your jewie baits in the form of bream and tailor, with even a few trevally thrown in. If you just want to target these smaller fish you can have a good session, and even better if a school of salmon arrive in your gutter.

When you catch snapper close to or over the sand, the fish can come up very light in colour. ROCKS Moving to the rocks, you can catch bream, drummer and trevally in the washes, with the deeper ledges producing plenty of salmon and trevally on pilchards. There may also be the odd late bonito thrown in if you’re lucky. And it can still be worth keeping a live bait out, because there may be the odd kingy or longtail heading back up the coast. You never know. Snapper are a real target too off the stones this month, as the cuttlies start to gather and breed over the inshore reefs. A nice piece of unweighted cuttlefish or squid cast out from the deeper spots could

most of the fishing is done in close, even a westerly at 20 knots is fishable as it really flattens the ocean. However, I wouldn’t go more than a few kilometres out if the wind is getting up, and head back to the ramp and safety. It’s not all about snapper at the moment, as there are plenty of trevally and bream in close around the washes and bommies, along with a few salmon schools behind the beaches and around the islands. You may pick up a stray kingfish or two around the islands as well. When chasing any species over winter, always take plenty of hooks as there are heaps of leatherjackets and barracouta over all the reefs and even the sand. On the deeper reefs there are some reds as well. These fish get out to the deeper water during the daylight or if there is

well produce the goods. Just a reminder to be very careful fishing the rocks at this time of the year, as a stray big wave can spring up out of nowhere and grab you, even on the calmest of days. Even if you remain conscious after getting washed in, the water is cold so hypothermia will set in very quickly. There have been quite a few anglers washed in locally over the past few months, but luckily they have all been rescued by lifesavers and the water has been warm. However, it will take a whole lot longer to get to you at this time of year because there are no patrols on duty; the

This is what it’s all about: two reds weighing 6kg and 7kg on consecutive casts. Time to go home happy.

Max Slater, 14yo, was fishing along the Maroochy River and caught a ripper hairtail drifting under a motorway bridge on a live bait, and run out tide.

rescuers have to get to their equipment from home or work, then get to the water, then get to you. By then it will not be a search and rescue but a search and recovery. So, if in doubt, go home as the only one who can look after you is you. OFFSHORE Offshore it is time to look for the albatross sitting together on the surface in little groups, showing you where a cuttlefish has popped to the surface. Once you spot them, you can get close with the electric and cast an unweighted piece of cuttlefish flesh next to the cuttlefish they are eating, and let it sink down in freespool. If the snapper are there, they will find it. Before anyone says you could hook an albatross, I have been doing this for

that area. As always, fresh, unweighted cuttlefish strips is the best bait for targeting snapper. Fish strips/fillets and pillies will score some fish, but there are also a lot of other undesirable species moving into the area for the feast, and they will strip your fish baits in a very short time. I think every Sargent Baker on the east coast converges on the Illawarra at this time of year, just to make it a little harder to score that big red. Westerlies are the dominant wind at this time of the year, and they can be quite strong in the mornings before glassing off later in the day. Always watch the weather, as the ocean is not the place to be in a big blow. If it is not too strong and because

heavy boat traffic about. Pigfish and mowies are in fair numbers, and there are even a few gummy sharks around too. The flathead seem to have shut down for the winter, with only a few fish for the die-hards who spend a lot of time drifting the sand for a feed. Out wide there is always the chance of tuna, with the species depending on the current. It could be yellowfin or, if the water pushes up from the south, it could be southern bluefin. There have been no reports as yet, but this can change from day to day. Let’s hope there are a few about, and they are not halfway to New Zealand. Social media will, I’m sure, alert you to any action. Happy fishing. JULY 2023 65

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Good short-day options for July BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

Short winter days do not give anglers much time on the water, but we definitely still have options. I recommend that you go out and maximise

the limited time you have to enjoy the day. Let’s say you want to go reef fishing – what are you likely to find this month? Well, snapper are on the short list, with most of the reefs in the area producing reasonable captures. The area isn’t known for having large fish, but lately there

have been some reasonable size fish caught, up to 4kg. The usual morwong, perch, wrasses, pigfish, and leatherjackets will all feature in the daily catch as well. Flathead have been a bit quiet, although out from Tilba or down south off Cuttagee or the Murrah are

A calm, cool day just lends itself to catching salmon from rocks, beaches, estuaries or out on the ocean.

areas where you are more likely to encounter sandies. There are also some very nice gummy sharks in these areas. The gummies aren’t that prolific they make a welcome catch when you do encounter them. One lovely thing about our winter here is we have a lot of calm days, allowing anglers to go further afield out over the Continental Shelf. Here you can fish with electronic reels to retrieve fish from 300-500m below. This is food fishing, because these fish (being dragged from very deep water) cannot be released once they blow their bladders. Still, with fish like hapuka, blue eye trevalla, gemfish, perches, ling and other assorted cods, who would want to throw them back? Oh, and by the way, while you are out there you should have a shark trace loaded and handy. There might be a mako around, taking a liking to some of the treats coming up on your lines, and we can’t have that. If you don’t want to head offshore, you can go rock fishing or fish the estuaries for species like drummer or luderick, which like to hang around in the cooler months, feeding off

Snapper are a common winter catch. weeds or algae. Both are part of the Girella family, i.e. weed eaters, but don’t be fooled – these fish will take other baits regularly and will be enticed by berley. Berleying the drummer off the rocks is

a simple process. I don’t generally like using bread for berley because I feel it bloats fish, making them lazy feeders. Still, when used in moderation it can bring these fish to the surface, where baits

There is nothing better than winter sight fishing TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

Still, calm, cool days are what the doctor ordered in the winter months around Tathra. This gives anglers a chance to see and cast to our

quarry, hopefully before they see us. I don’t think there is a better feeling in fishing than to have sighted your quarry, stalk it and then fool it into taking either an artificial or bait. Then, once captured, you have the choice to keep it or release it to fight another day.

With offshore winds prevailing, some anglers are opting to patrol the beaches looking for schools of passing salmon. These fish will come within range for those wishing to cast a lure. You can get into the action by anticipating which way these fish are travelling, and making long, raking casts out

Flathead are designed for shallow water and can easily be spotted.

Just check out these conditions and yet another hook up on the beach. 66 JULY 2023

in front with suitable metal lures matching the gear you are using. The better beaches for this in the area are the main beach in Tathra northern end, Gillards Beach a few kilometres to the north, or (one of my favourites) Bournda Beach south of Wallagoot Lake. Here there is a small island accessible on a low tide, which will give anglers a vantage point and access from the rocks. Another area anglers can

regularly sight fish is from the local wharf facing to the northeast out from Tathra’s main headland. Here you can observe all types of species, from small baitfish like slimy mackerel, yellowtail, passing schools of mullet, silver trevally, garfish or even squid. Garfish are particularly good fun when you can observe them from above. All you need to do to entice them is deploy a little berley consisting of a tuna

oil base, and use a light rod with a small float, split shot and hook baited with a little bit of peeled prawn. Luderick can also be observed here rolling on their sides as they graze on cabbage weed along the rocky shoreline. It makes for interesting sight fishing, where traditional anglers using floats can watch as these fish inhale a piece of weed. The estuaries are

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like cunjevoi, peeled prawns or even a piece of bread will entice a strike. This is one species where you should take maximum advantage of the prime bite time. When the shadows creep over the water from the cliff faces as the sun sets, combined with a rising tide, that’s the perfect scenario for drummer. You will have a bite time of maybe an hour where the fishing is often intense, and mixing with them will be other species like trevally,

bream, leatherjackets, or silver drummer. The rock platforms around the Blue Pool area are a prime place. In the estuaries, especially the Bermagui River, the other member of the Girella family – the luderick – are a good winter option. Here they can be found congregating around the rock walls, bridge pylons and over weedy flats. Here anglers only need to fish for a limited time to secure a nice bag of these succulent table fish. Weed baits like green or

cabbage weed (which are regularly available to be gathered in the Bermagui area) can be fished traditionally under floats, preferably on the last of the run-out tide for best results. With the cool clear water, you can often see these fish turning on their sides, flashing their white bellies as they graze over the weedy flats. Here other baits like nippers, squirt worms or small shrimp placed adjacent to the weed beds using ultra-light line will provide lots of fun.

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margins close to the ocean, where winter frosts have less effect on water temperatures. You will need to proceed very slowly if you are to observe these fish without spooking them. If they are tight up against the shoreline and you are fishing from a boat, you may even need to place your lure on the bank, working it gently back into the water. It may not always

shale, often mid-stream. Here these fish are intent on finding a stray crab, small shrimp or maybe an oyster or mussel. Bait may be a better option here, cast on ultra-light gear with little to no sinker. Prawns, nippers, or squirt worms would be my baits of choice, fished on fluorocarbon around the 4lb line strength. You may even find other species lurking in these areas,

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This luderick was spotted feeding around seagrass beds in the calm conditions. like rocky outcrops, sunken timber and bridge pylons, while tailor will give themselves away by harassing local baitfish. Flathead are likely to be in the extreme shallow

work, but when it does it is exciting. Bream are another popular estuary fish which can also be regularly sighted. Try focusing your attention around rocky areas or gravely

such as luderick, trevally, mullet or even estuary perch, which may also respond to these methods or a wellplaced lure. Whatever you use, sight fishing is a good winter option. JULY 2023 67

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Matching the hatch and slowing it right down and seeing what the area has to offer. With so many waterways to fish, and an abundance of wildlife both above and below the water’s surface, you just never know what you will come across while venturing about.

NEW ENGLAND RIVERS

Adam Townsend

The month of July has always been one of my favourite times to be out on the water, exploring the New England Tablelands

I find this time of year is all about matching the hatch, and slowing down your presentation can be a big factor into enticing whatever species you are targeting into eating the bait. This is especially true at the moment, because with the

Jye Townsend with a New England redfin. There are many creeks and rivers around the Tablelands area that are still fishable at this time of year. Please make sure it’s not a listed trout stream (trout season remains closed until the October long weekend). Working slow-sinking swimbaits in 5m or less of water during the twilight hours or early morning can be very effective at finding big cod feeding under cover of darkness.

freezing temperatures we have had of late, the bait life will only become more lethargic and less abundant

from here on out. Every waterway has its own main food source that the bigger fish will want to key in on

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more at certain times, and as an angler, working the first part out can be half the battle to catching your target species. Considering there have been very few showers amongst the Tablelands in recent weeks, the rivers are looking in awesome condition for this time of year, and have been fishing really well. In a couple of the main rivers and impoundments the water is so clear, you can see the fish chasing the lure or free swimming before you even make a cast, which makes for some pretty exciting fishing opportunities. Both Copeton and Pindari dams have dropped 1-2% since my last report, however both have been fishing well, with quality Murray cod and golden perch on the bite. At the time of writing this report, Copeton Dam is at 92%, and Pindari Dam is at 84%. Swimbaits that slowly sink or even suspend are one of a handful of lures that I will have in my tacklebox at this time of year. These lures can be worked higher and slower in the water column where the bait life will tend to be. The Megabass

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Living life on the edge during winter HUNTER VALLEY

Nick Price

In this month’s report I will be exploring the winter edge bite. Cold nights and cold days with weed on the edge brings the bass to the edge, chasing food in the weed. These fish can be caught on plastics,

prefer using a softer plastic such as a Keitech. I believe this extra suppleness allows the plastic to collapse more easily when the fish bites down, and the worm hook pins the fish very successfully. The only downside is that if the fish are on you will need a new plastic after every fish, but to be honest, this is a problem that most people

Fishing jerkbaits such as the Daiwa Double Clutch or the Jackall Squirrel works well at this time of year. The two main factors that need to be changed throughout the day are the colour, and the length of the pause. Don’t be afraid to give the lure a long pause, sometimes a minute or longer. Try small and long pauses. It is worth

when chasing bass is the number of carp caught as bycatch. There are some monster carp in the lake, and they go hard! A big congratulations to Jamie for organising the Glenbawn Carp Muster in June. It was a roaring success, and as well as being lots of fun it helps to control their numbers! I’ll have more news next month, but I believe Jamie is looking at organising another early next year. A big thankyou to all the sponsors and anglers who supported this event. Looking ahead to next month, August can be cold but usually the days start to warm. The plastic bite, both deep and shallow, is normally in full swing. Nothing beats this for fun! • If you’re heading up to the Barrington, Glenbawn or St Clair, drop into the shop at the turnoff to Glenbawn in Aberdeen and ask about the different techniques and what they are biting on. We stock all the quality tackle that you need.

Winter fishing at Glenbawn and St Clair fires up over winter, with the edge bite on fire.

Liz from Aberdeen Tackle with a few Glenbawn bass. suspending jerkbaits, and slow sink lures such as Jackall Spytails. When fishing plastics, you can use a light jighead or fish weedless. When fishing the edge in heavy weed, my preference is fishing weedless using a small weight and a worm hook. Ask at the shop if you are unsure of how to rig these, and we will help you. The type of plastic you use in this scenario can make a big difference to your hook-up rates. I

are happy to have! When working your plastic through the weed, try different techniques, ranging from a slow roll to a sink and shake. Experiment with different approaches until you find out what the fish are biting on. As far as colour goes, I prefer to throw both UV and natural. I find the fish are chasing one or the other and this may change throughout the day as the weather/amount of sun changes.

the wait because the fish hit hard and it’s lots of fun! I recommend that you fish the slow-sink lures in a similar fashion to the jerkbaits, and you can use sticky weights to adjust the sink rate. If you come into the shop we can show you the different brands, and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each. There are plenty of carp in Glenbawn since the lake has risen; numbers have really exploded over the last few months. Sometimes the hardest part

Garuda, which has always been a favourite of mine, is a versatile lure

that can be worked at any depth you like to fish. With a chin-weight attachment, it is

a very life-like swimbait that matches the hatch perfectly in many scenarios. However,

This Copeton Dam cod ate a surface lure just on sunrise on a very cold winter’s morning. Sometimes it can be hard braving the freezing conditions, but the rewards can make it all worthwhile.

Winter is a time with cold mornings and bright days in the Upper Hunter. there are many baits on the market that do the same kind of thing, so it comes down to what you are confident in throwing most. I would definitely recommend having a variety of lures such as surface paddlers, wakebaits, swimbaits, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits just to name a few. Fishing conditions can change quickly at this time of year, and it pays to be ready for many situations. The bigger moon phases can also be something to consider at this time of year when fishing for the XL natives such as Murray cod and golden perch, as it can be one of the factors that trigger them into eating the lure, instead of just following out of curiosity. The full moon will be above early this month, on the 3rd of July,

Matching the hatch can be a massive factor at this time of year. In this case, the Megabass Garuda matches the bony bream perfectly. with the new moon being on the 18th in a couple of weeks’ time. Just a reminder that trout season still remains closed for the 3-month spawning period. Good luck to all getting

out and braving the freezing conditions this month, make sure you rug up and just keep casting as the rewards are there, swimming around somewhere. Tight lines. JULY 2023 69

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Tough choices for cod fishing in July ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

The winter’s chill has set in, and along with that we’re seeing the annual big cod fever that many anglers in the region come down with at his time of year.

Murray River, Murrumbidgee River, Ovens River and many other smaller rivers and creeks around the region. All of these locations are prime fisheries for chasing a big Murray cod. Both the lakes and rivers will require an intense amount of effort and time on the water this month. While your best

research into your chosen dam before wetting a line. Generally, I like to look for flow straight off the bat. Using tools like Google Maps will reveal where rivers and creeks actually lay throughout an impoundment. While the dam may appear totally still, quite often it’s not; there is

remember about dams is that rising or dropping water can significantly impact how fish feed. Finally, technology with live sonar is a massive advantage while impoundment fishing. If you have tools there to use, it can take a lot of the guesswork out of it. However, if you don’t have the technology in your boat it’s still very possible to capture the fish you are looking for! RIVER FISHING Like impoundment fishing, you will often have to wait a long time between bites during winter, but the results are worth it. When fishing a river there are a lot of factors that influence fish behaviour. The main factors I look for are

Jack has been using bigger lures in heavily timbered areas to raise fish.

Fishing hard against structure and giving the snags a few casts is a good idea when river cod fishing in winter. All our waterways are very cold in July, but while the fishing does tend to slow right down, the quality of fish truly outweighs the quantity. Capturing a large Murray cod is well worth the patience, time and effort. But where to go?

chance to catch a big cod is just being on the water as much as you can, there are still a fair few “1%” skills and tips that can help you. Let’s have a look at some tips for both impoundment fishing and river fishing.

a small amount of flow that you may not even notice, but it definitely is there. It’s a factor that should be always considered. Like in a river, flow will push food and bait into areas, and depending on the fishery it can have an impact on water temperature, which can affect where bait will hold. That leads me into my next factor to consider, which is water temperature and depth. As mentioned, warmer water temperatures during the cooler months will likely hold bait at times, so finding these warmer areas can unlock the door. Water temperatures can also be influenced by the depth and structure. For example, a shallow grassy bank may hold food for baitfish, which then aids as a feeding zone for bigger fish. Similarly, a shallow rocky bank might be slightly warmer than a bank with no cover. Another thing to

A huge impoundment capture for Jarrod. It can be well worth braving the cold early in the morning. water heights, water clarity, structure/depth and flows. Water height will often impact the speed of the flow coming down; with lower water levels the flow is often slow enough for you to fish snags effectively. The clarity of water is also something to consider, because in clear water it’s a bit easier for the fish to spot your lure. Structure and depth also needs to be considered while

river fishing. Some snags in the rivers can be very hard to fish, so it can sometimes pay to have two rods rigged with different styles of lures to fish certain snags. For example, the edge of a bank with a deep drop-off would suit a sinking spinnerbait more than a hardbody lure cast at it. If a fish was sitting hard on the bank you could potentially miss the strike zone for that fish; often when chasing cod you have to put your lure right

A solid rod with good backbone is a must for river fishing. Rods in the Venom range are well suited for this style of cod fishing. In our area we have access to a number of quality Murray cod fisheries. When searching for a big cod around our part of the world, you can opt to fish an impoundment such as Lake Eildon, Blowering Dam, Burrinjuck Dam or Lake Mulwala. Alternatively, if you prefer to river fish we are also spoiled for choice, with the 70 JULY 2023

IMPOUNDMENT FISHING In the impoundments, it can be daunting trying to figure out where to start searching, and to make it even harder, no two dams are the same. Flow, water temperature, depth and structure will all influence the fishing in a dam. For that reason, you should do some

A healthy river Murray cod caught on a Kuttafurra Mudhoney. Using bigger lures during winter will help entice bigger fish.

on their noses for a reaction. The most important thing to do in the river is to fish every bit of structure effectively. Fishing slow and casting accurately to properly cover the snags is vital to getting a reaction. You must not underestimate the power of the fish in the rivers. While Murray cod aren’t regarded as a super hard fighting fish, they still do have a ridiculous amount of power at times, and when fishing in the river it is important to not go in undergunned. If you’re fishing in the snags and hook a good fish, it can bury you straight into the structure, so you want to be using gear that will get you out of trouble. Fishing over the 40lb mark and having a rod with plenty of backbone is pretty important for fighting a powerful fish that lives in current. While both styles of fishing are similar, it comes down to the individual angler where their winter weekends will be spent chasing a big Murray cod. Regardless of where you go, always enjoy fishing for the basic love of it, and the results won’t be too far away! Best of luck, and stay warm.

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Glassed out conditions and hungry fish galore BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

It gets pretty cold up in the greater Batlow area during July, but if you dress appropriately it can be a great time of the year to be on the water. Thermals, beanies, hoodies and a jacket are necessary at this time of year, and if you buy quality gear you will barely notice the cold and will be able to take advantage of the great fishing on offer. At this time of the year, most lakes in the area are regularly glassed out. When you match that with beautiful scenery, no ski boats to contend with, and a lack of other die-hard anglers on the water, you have conditions that make for a great day on the water. As a bonus, the fishing can be sensational at times, particularly if you’re after a feed of succulent redfin. REDFIN Redfin can be caught in

Big Murray cod will be at the top of many anglers’ lists this month. Cod can be caught from the bank in bigger impoundments like Blowering Dam and Burrinjuck Dam. are most concentrated on the particular day you’re fishing. Once a school is located, remember to keep your presentation moving

roll or hop them back to below the boat. This really helps when trying to locate active fish. Once I find an active school, I find it is best to try to position your boat above the school, and either stick with the same lure or change back to an ice jig until the fish move on or go off the bite. After the fish move or shut down, you can repeat the process until you find another active school. JOUNAMA DAM Anglers that are still keen to get a trout fix will have to fish the lakes now that all the creeks and rivers are closed, and what better lake to target big trout – both rainbows and browns – than the mostly overlooked Jounama dam. This picturesque little lake is a great place to take the kids and family for a fun-filled day beside the

a bonus for those anglers addicted to trout fishing in the area, as you can successfully fish for goodsized and good numbers of trout all year round without having to venture too far. Jounama has fished well over the last couple of months, and this should almost definitely continue through this month. Casting lures or flies from the bank is very productive and is my preferred way of fishing the lake. However, bait fishing with dough baits, grubs or worms is also a great way of hooking into a trout or two at this time of year. MURRAY COD The king of freshwater fish, the Murray cod, will also be a viable target this month. Lakes such as Blowering and Burrinjuck are renowned for yielding monster-sized fish at this time of the year, and they’re worth the effort required to

opt for a hopped blade or rubber vibe. If the fish still won’t play the game, I then swap to a heavily weighted soft plastic. The

Redfin will be hard to catch from the bank this month, but will be easy targets for those with a boat.

Fly fishing, especially against any windswept banks, is a great way of catching trout in our impoundments in winter. huge numbers through the winter months, and a lot of these fish are very large at this time of the year. These deep holding winter redfin schools are best targeted vertically with lures or bait. The schools are normally sitting fairly deep at this time of the year, anywhere from 30-80ft down, but once a school is located it is quite easy to entice them with any vertically presented bait or lure. As a general rule though, especially at Blowering Dam, you should start searching in around 30-40ft of water. I find most often this is the ideal depth, but if you find they aren’t sitting in this depth you can slowly work your way deeper until you find where they 72 JULY 2023

(especially when bait fishing) as this will entice far more bites. When bait fishing for these redfin schools it is hard to beat garden worms, but little yabbies are also very hard to resist for redfin. Fish your baits on a single or twin paternoster rig and keep the bait moving by employing a small but supple lift and drop of the rod, commonly known as yo-yoing. Using your bait this way will entice fish from a much wider area which, in turn, will help you hook into more fish. Lure anglers don’t need to get too fancy; you only really need a small selection of lures. I always start by using an ice jig, but if the fish are being a bit tight-lipped I will

beauty of the blades, vibes and the plastics is that you can cast them well away from the boat and slow

water. The lake’s big trout and redfin coincidently fire right after the official close to the trout streams. This is

The Murrumbidgee River, the upper Murray River and their tributaries are often overlooked at this time of year, but they often fish really well and are always worth a visit.

catch them. Often long days of casting and trolling are required for a single fish, but at this time of the year more often than not, that one fish will be of trophy size. The Murrumbidgee River and upper Murray River are often overlooked in winter, and it might surprise some anglers to hear that good numbers of fish can be caught in the rivers at this time of the year. The fish will be a bit slow and lethargic, but being an opportunistic river fish means if a really good meal swims right by your nose, you must eat it or miss out. In saying this, accurate casts to within a metre of where you think the fish might be holding is what is required to catch fish at this time of year. As you can see, there are still plenty of options for anglers in the area this month. Rug up and go get amongst them.

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Golden footballs are on the chew CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

For this report I want to focus on golden perch. While I was still running my Canberra-based fishing website, I fielded a lot of questions about golden perch feeding habits through the cooler months. This was because I would often post photos of my latest captures through June-August, and a lot of the captures were yellowbelly. In fact, after one memorable session where I landed 14 yellas and my mate landed 10 (during a particularly cold July evening), I remember receiving a dozen emails asking me about lures, location and timing. There was one particular email which caught my attention and, in the email, the fisho basically explained that golden perch shut down during the cold and couldn’t be coaxed into biting a lure. I explained that the proof was in the photos I posted, and I didn’t leave it at that. I told the angler where I was catching the fish, the time of

is especially true on Lake Burley Griffin. On overcast days with a bit of wind, it is possible to pick up a half dozen good-sized golden perch by working wriggler-

to spin for golden perch and redfin. I don’t often write about this spot because it can be hit-and-miss, but at the moment it is more ‘hit’ than ‘miss’. There are medium-

search of a feed. One of the best techniques to use during this time of year is to cast out a wriggler-style plastic attached to a 1/8oz jighead and then allow the lure to sink to the bottom. Once the lure has hit the bottom, begin winding the lure back at speed while twitching the rod tip back and forth as quickly as possible. After a few winds, stop the retrieve and allow the lure to sink back down. Often a hungry golden will hit the lure on the pause. The Murrumbidgee River is very hit-and-miss. With the constant fluctuations in temperature and the rain, the river has yet to settle at the time of writing this report. I have had some great sessions on the river with fish hitting surface lures with abandon, only to return two days later to find

Plenty of redfin are about this month. of 60cm specimens coming to the net. SURROUNDS Googong Dam is

Burrinjuck is fishing well at the moment. style plastics close to the rock walls that lead from the yacht club round to the wharves opposite Lennox Gardens. This area contains plenty of fish, but also plenty of snags so be prepared to

sized golden perch sitting about 5-10m from the bank, and the carp fishing has also been excellent, with plenty of mud marlin hitting lures right around the margins of the lake. Lake Tuggeranong continues to produce plenty of redfin for anglers using small soft plastics attached to beetle spins. This type of lure has a bit of subtlety about it, but the silver blade does attract interest, in even the murkiest of water. The recent rain has helped keep the fish on the bite, and there are now golden perch moving about the shallows in

Warm winter days on the river means golden perch on vibes. definitely worth a look as the cod fishing has been quite good over the past few weeks. When I say ‘good’, that is in comparison to Googong last winter where

the middle of the dam, and working spinnerbaits around significant structure like sunken trees. The redfin are on the bite, and it is possible to find a good school of reds and, while jigging these schools, pick up a few trailing golden perch. Windamere Dam is fishing well and is a great option for Canberra anglers looking for something different. The bigger golden perch are sitting on the trees and it is possible to drop a ZX blade down and pick up several fish while slow lifting the lure up the water column. While the fish aren’t on the flats yet, it won’t be long before they start moving around as the water begins to warm. Burrinjuck is another spot that is producing good fish, and it’s only a short drive from the ACT. There have been plenty of cod caught by anglers using live tech and fishing the steep points which line the main basin, while there have also been a few good fish caught by those using surface lures and

Carp will hit lures right through the winter months. day and the lure I was using. Sure enough, the next day a photo popped up in my inbox and it was the same fisho holding a golden perch at the exact location I sent him to a day earlier. Well, I’m happy to report that the golden perch fishing over the past few weeks has been excellent. It reminds me of the yella sessions of a few years back, where anything less than five fish in an afternoon was a bust. So, for July, crack out the light gear a few months earlier than expected, and catch a few golden footballs. LOCAL LAKES As mentioned above, the golden perch fishing has been outstanding, and this

lose a few lures in search of the yellas. Redfin also hold in this area, and will hit small, shallow divers fished slow and close to the wharves. The shallow, sandy beach at the base of Kurrajong Point is another great spot

Windamere is a great option for those looking to get away for a few days.

The ever-reliable Timberflash is a great winter surface lure.

the same section completely dead. The slower sections are producing better and slightly more consistent fishing, and the fish are hitting swimbaits out in the middle of the wider pools, especially when fished slow and methodically. The golden perch fishing compared to the cod fishing has been really consistent. Spinning small vibes around structure has produced plenty of fish for me recently, with a couple

The surface action has been excellent of late. it was possible to go weeks without a bite. At present, it is possible to get at least one solid hook-up in a session. A number of metre fish have been landed by anglers fishing big plastics down deep or using live tech in

targeting the half-submerged timber. There are also plenty of golden perch on the chew, and these fish have turned up in some unlikely locations for this time of year, like the shallow banks right next to the boat ramp. JULY 2023 73

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Great winter options in Portland PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

Winter has definitely set in down here in Portland, and once again we are fighting against Mother Nature. Big winds and big swells can certainly pose a problem when you want to get out to your favourite spot, but when you do score a window of opportunity, it can really fish well. I have to tell you though, you may need an extra layer or two of clothing to keep you warm, as the air temperature can chill your bones. The charter operators

great table fish like snapper, gummy shark, schoolies and flathead, just to name a few. We have local charters plus a regular visiting charter that comes to our little town to catch their customers a great feed. You can always contact the shop for information on finding a charter that suits you. For the guys that aren’t into tuna, there are some great options when the weather permits. Those anglers with bigger boats can head to the shelf for the chance of catching the likes of blue-eye trevalla or pink ling, or berley up a mako shark. You can also try

Lawrences Rock. Moving to closer waters, we are still seeing some big winter whiting being caught, along with the odd pinkie snapper and some big salmon, anywhere from Lawrences Rock to the harbour. Land-based fishing can be a bit more difficult throughout winter, but if

it stirs the wall up and some big fish take the opportunity to move in for a feed. The landing around the harbour also provides great winter options for some fun, especially for families with small children. Most of these spots are quite safe and easily accessible. For the surf guys, again the winter tides can make

Young Lewis with a ripper tuna.

A great mixed feed from the deeper waters.

Rod picked up this nice snapper from the surf at Discovery Bay.

you can brave the cold and put in the hours, you can be rewarded with a good feed. The breakwater is pretty popular in winter because you have the option to drive your car out to a spot, throw in a line, and relax as you wait in a bit more comfort. The wall is still

for some great fishing. At this time of year we generally see gummies and schoolies cruising the cold waters around Fitzroy mouth, and Snapper Point to Discovery Bay. Also, slinging salmon lures off the beach is another great option. If you are looking at coming down to Portland during the winter months,

you are welcome to contact us on 03 5521 1844 for any weather and fishing reports, or you can call in and say g’day to the crew at Portland Compleat Angler. You will find us at 61 Bentinck Street, Portland, next door to the Gordon Hotel. That’s it for this month. I hope you all get out and about in the coming weeks, catching your favourite fish.

Cooler weather fires up WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

My Facebook Memories keep popping up in my feed, with photos of late autumn/early winter catches of school bluefin off the coast. However, the weather this year unfortunately has been giving us very few windows of opportunity to get offshore. There are

plenty of school fish out there as well as the chance of a barrel, and July will hopefully be better. In the meantime, there has been plenty happening on the local rivers to keep anglers busy. In response to the worrying numbers of a carp appearing recently after last year’s floods in the Hopkins River and Emu Creek, a carp competition was organised by Phil McCosh and the Koroit Angling

Club. The weather wasn’t particularly good that weekend, but at least 60 carp were removed from the system by keen anglers. The largest carp was 7.5kg taken by Chris Dorman, and the heaviest bag was 21 carp taken by Tom Pemberton. Well done to all involved. The cooler weather has also fired up the local trout population, with some quality fish being taken. You can get

A big feed of school tuna for the customers on a trip with Off The Hook charters. are still scoring some good numbers of school tuna, with the odd bigger size fish up to 100kg being reported lately. Also, some of the charters are doing bottom drops, scoring their customers some 74 JULY 2023

Cape Nelson to Bridgewater Bay for good-size winter flathead and gummies. As I said before, gummies, schoolies, snapper and so forth are being caught around Cape Nelson to

producing some big whiting, some good-size salmon, gummies and seven gillers. Also, if you’re lucky there’s the chance of a big snapper, especially after a big swell or storm, because

The local rivers can provide some quality trout during the cooler months.

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Determined anglers win APOLLO BAY

Craig Rippon

Winter has set in and it’s starting to get colder, but the fishing has been great, especially off the beaches. The salmon have been going nuts, and the locals have been getting great catches, with some fish up to 10lb. There are some good gutters around at the moment, and nearly all have been holding good schools of fish. Casting metal lures has been the go on the right tides. Bait fishers have also been getting fish offshore. The southern bluefin tuna are about along the coast,

and there has been a mixture of sizes, ranging from 130kg down to 10kg. The fish are close at the moment off Blanket Bay and Cape Otway. The Pinnacles have held good bait and fish, and at certain times trolling skirts have been the best for the bigger fish. They have been caught in between 45-70m of water. There are a lot of dolphins about as well; it seems the bigger fish have been close to the dolphins, so it looks like we are in with another good season ahead. Also, there are still some nice catches of snapper and gummies caught on and around all the reefs. Squid have slowed a

bit in the harbour, as have the whiting. The whiting that have been caught have been pushing 45cm, but not in big numbers. Remember winter is a great time to all that maintenance on all your gear and boat. Those cold days in the shed will set you up for the warmer months to come. Also for us southerners, now is a good time to organize a trip up north. I am actually heading to Darwin to chase barra and do some mud crabbing for a few days to escape the chill. Regardless of where you are, there’s plenty of fishing on offer everywhere, so why not get out there?

A tasty feed of whiting caught on the tide change.

Fishers giving the bream survivors a break COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

The Curdies River continues to provide bream for those anglers who know how to chase them at this time of year. Despite the massive fish kill that happened here almost two years ago, it’s clear that some bream did survive. How many? We don’t know, so all anglers should seriously consider releasing fish after a quick photo, and not take them home for a feed. Whatever fish are left need to be allowed to spawn and replace stocks for the future. In late May, the water levels had reached the limit where a manual opening was to occur. This was timely, because yet more blue-green algae was beginning to rear its ugly head again in good results casting lures that match the size of the minnows the trout are chasing, such as the new shallow running 75mm Daiwa Double Clutch. Once we get some decent winter rains, things should fire up on the trout scene even more, as the larger fish move into the shallow runs to target their prey under the cover of the discoloured water. Big lures from 8-10cm (e.g. the Daiwa Presso 95) are the go for these fish, which can reach up to 3kg. Remember that our local trout streams and rivers remain open throughout the winter period. Downstream, both the Hopkins and Merri rivers are producing some good bream. The Hopkins mouth remains wide open, with plenty of sea water pushing in, bringing in fish like

This Curdies bream took a Damiki shad out in the shallows fished above the weed. It was the only fish for the day. salmon and silver trevally to join the normal estuarine targets of bream and estuary perch. This has resulted in some great mixed fishing. Unfortunately, despite these conditions seemingly being ideal for a mulloway or two to show up, there seem to be none around. After the big floods of 2011, mulloway became far more prolific in the Hopkins River from 20132017. You could target them using more specific mulloway techniques, or have incidental captures whilst luring for bream/ estuary perch. There were plenty of small fish being encountered either side of legal size, but there were some better fish around the high 70-80cm mark in the mix. Tagging data was also showing that fish were staying in the system and either not leaving during

times of winter floods, or returning. It was also quite scary how often fish that were tagged went on to be

re-captured. As we headed into 2018-2020, there seemed to be bigger fish around.

this estuary. For all the above reasons I will not be publishing when and where bream have been caught in the system, and on what. We seriously need to give the survivors a break. The spawning season is not far away. Want a bream? Try the Hopkins River. Plenty of fish in excess of 40cm have been landed in recent times, and many fish are being caught in depths of around 2m, which can be found just a metre or so from all the rocky cliffs and walls. Hard baits such as crabs are working well at the moment. Crab imitation plastics and hardbodies fished slow and deeper are doing the job. In low light conditions, some fish are taking shallow divers and surface poppers over the mud flats, but as soon as it is light enough to easily see, these fish seem to scamper to deeper water.

Estuary perch to 40cm are being taken on lures along the bankside structure in the upper reaches. At the same time, sea-run browns are attacking the same lures. The perch should be making their way downstream in readiness to spawn near the mouth. Southern bluefin tuna are on the march eastwards from Portland, and some barrels are exceeding 130kg. Locating schools at depth and lowering live yakka or whole pilchard baits on large tuna circle hooks is slowly giving way to casting and trolling a wide variety of skirts and hardbodies to 200mm in length. The big news is that dolphinfish (mahimahi) are rather abundant, and are following the feeding tuna looking for scraps that fall below a frenzied attack. Those in the know are also looking out for floating beds of kelp, as these fish will congregate in and under these floating rafts.

Although there were fewer mulloway caught overall, they were still in numbers where specifically targeting

them was a viable option. However, come 20212022, the reports of mulloway were definitely much less common than before. The last confirmed couple of mulloway captures I’ve heard of seemed to be just bigger fish, very few reports on smaller/new fish. This year, despite conditions seemingly perfect for new fish to enter the river, confirmed captures are non-existent. Has this just been the same cohort of fish from one good breeding event in 2011 that our Hopkins mulloway fishery has been relying on for over a decade? Hopefully last year’s big floods have provided a suitable breeding event, and we will start seeing a few more mulloway show up in the coming seasons.

A beautifully marked brown trout.

JULY 2023 75

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Whiting in good numbers and sizes GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

Wurdee Buloc reservoir near Moriac has produced a few quality redfin over 40cm for lure anglers prepared to cover

time for trout here at Wurdee. They’ll happily take lures if you’re prepared to cast for a while. However, if you do get a light easterly, a mudeye under a float is a relaxing way to fish here as the easterly breeze takes your bait offshore when fishing

a float, and also on Tassie Devil lures cast from the wall. There have been some trout working the margins at first light, so fly fishos should check this out. The piers inside Corio Bay have been fishing well for species such as snotty trevally, Australian salmon,

Winter has been prime time to target snotty trevally, and Cunningham pier has been a hot spot for as long as I can remember. A high tide right on dawn or dusk has been a popular time to target these tasty fish. However, the last month or so has seen them bite sporadically all day. They’re a schooling fish, so you should take some berley with you to keep them interested. They will take small soft plastics moved deep and slow, or you can use raw chicken, pilchard fillets or pipis, which are their favourite snack. Australian salmon are turning up unannounced and ripping into hapless baitfish on the surface in Corio Bay. Their timing

Chris from Drysdale Bay & Tackle has been getting solid whiting out off St Leonards.

Salmon have been on and off berserker mode around the Geelong waterfront. Image courtesy of S Lowther. a lot of water with a lot of casting. Hugh Hanson had one ripper morning there recently, bagging

from the main carpark. Stoney Creek Reservoir has seen the odd brown trout caught on mudeye under

sweep and small snapper. I can’t recall too many reports of sweep inside Corio Bay, so that’s neato.

Silver trevally have been caught from the Queenscliff cut and the Barwon River estuary. Image courtesy of D Eastwell.

Hugh has been bothering the redfin out at Wurdee, and managed this nice feed. eight redfin casting lures from first light. Just about any lure will work, from soft plastics to minnow style lures to heavy spoons – you just need to put a few hours in. These fish can reach 50cm over winter, so the reward for effort is there. Those anglers that regularly catch a few often use heavy spoons that can be cast a long way, to cover a lot of water. They then retrieve the spoons slowly enough to hold in the bottom third of the water column. This also applies to using soft plastic lures – keep them near the bottom where the big units cruise. Winter is also prime 76 JULY 2023

is random, so you pretty much have to be lucky to get them to a) show up when you do, and b) get them within casting distance. They’ve shown up at Griffins Gully jetty, Point Henry, Point Wilson, Limeburners and Geelong waterfront. I’ve had a few non-fisho mates who walk

Chris from Drysdale Bait & Tackle caught this 44cm whiting from the beach at St Leonards after dark.

It’s good to see a few bream caught from the Barwon estuary. Daniel caught this one on a soft plastic.

the Geelong waterfront send me pics of salmon going bananas as a bit of a ‘wish you were here’ message, as they take in the early morning sunrise. If they’re really excitable, they’ll grab anything you throw at them but sometimes, they’ll follow your lure all the way to your feet and then turn around. Topwater

lures such as stickbaits or small poppers are great fun, but they do have a lower hook-up rate than, say, a soft plastic or metal slice flicked into the mayhem. Even small-ish fish around 40cm go like stink so it is worth making sure there is a lure of some description in your kit. They also love fish baits such as pilchards, whiting or bluebait,

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Catch yourself some cool weather calamari PORT PHILLIP

Gerry Morsman

Winter is a great time of year for those anglers who want a little more extra space to themselves. There are still plenty of options out there, and some species can actually be better in my opinion in the cooler parts of the year, such as southern calamari and gummy sharks. For those who want to head offshore, the big southern bluefin tuna have started to move in. And when I say ‘big’, I’m talking upwards of 120kg. To have that kind of fishery in our own backyard is something pretty special. We are not sure how long the tuna are going to keep coming back, but they have been consistently returning for around seven years now, so fingers crossed there is no reason for them to go anywhere. SNAPPER It’s definitely not the ideal time of year to catch snapper, as the majority of them have moved out of the bay and won’t be back until around September, as they get ready to do their yearly spawning run. Having said that, there’s still a small number in the bay, and plenty of smaller fish that will fit nicely in the pan. We are still seeing some captures of some good-sized snapper being caught off the land like the one pictured off Mornington Pier recently. A strong northerly is ideal for Mornington Pier, while a westerly is usually ideal for most places off the rocks along Mornington and Mount Martha. Snapper will come in close all year to feed in these big blows, as plenty of food gets pushed around in the disturbed water of the if bait fishing is your thing. King George whiting haven’t really let the foot off the pedal for winter, with good numbers and sizes of fish being reported from Point Henry in Corio Bay around the Bellarine to Queenscliff. Clifton Springs has seen a wide variety of sizes up to 40cm, and further around the Peninsula to Indented Head and St Leonards has seen fish around 44cm. Chris from Drysdale Bait n Tackle fished St Leonards at Bourke Street (the busy bit where all the boats are) and caught King George whiting to 42cm. Chris says he fished the run-in tide using pipis for bait. Chris also fished from the beach

Gawaine with a solid southern calamari fishing south of Port Phillip Bay. breaking waves. If you are in the boat and just looking for a feed of pinkies, then the mussel farm off Mount Martha is great place to start. You will find yourself battling through a lot of undersized fish, but be patient as the a few bettersized pinkies will be in the mix. If you are bait fishing, it’s best to use a more solid bait like squid, so that that smaller fish find it much harder to rip off straight away. The longer your bait can stay on the hook, the better your chances of catching the bigger models. I would advise you not to

berley unless you want to be inundated with piranhas (tiny pinkies). SOUTHERN CALAMARI Winter is a great time of year to target calamari. There are very few boats on the water, which is good for a couple of reasons: the calamari get less disturbed on the shallow reefs by boat traffic, and there are more for you to catch. Reports say the Mornington area is still fishing very well in places around the Royal Hotel and the Fishies Beach reef near the yellow poles. The red foil, green and gold foil

jigs have been the pick of the bunch. Moving down the bay will see you getting on to some larger model calamari, and by all reports they have been in very good numbers. Places around Blairgowrie out the front of the marina, and Sorrento near the boat moorings, have been popping up in reports quite a lot. Moving down to Portsea, fishing the point near the pier will also get you on to some cracker winter calamari. AUSTRALIAN SALMON July is a perfect time of year to hit the back beaches and have go at what could be a red-hot session on quite good-sized Australian salmon. Places like Gunnamatta and Rye Back Beach are perfect places to start. You want to fish a run-in tide, and the back end of it leading up to the high will most likely see you with your best shot. When it comes to fishing bait, most people will run a paternoster rig with squid strips or bluebait tied on with some Bait Mate thread. Bait Mate is kind of like dental floss, and helps softer baits stay on your hook better in the wash of the incoming waves. If you want to be a bit more adventurous, throwing metal lures around can be just as effective if not more. That’s because you are covering much more ground, and can find the schools instead of waiting for them to come to you. A 9ft casting rod with a 4000-sized reel is ideal. Around 15lb braid with a 20lb leader would be the ideal line in my opinion. If you are out in the boat, make sure you always have either a couple of deep diving hardbody lures or some metal casting lures. There have been some really good schools hanging around

Daniel Eastwell has been catching a few solid trevally from the Barwon estuary.

Frankston all the way down to Dromana. On the calmer days you can see them from quite a distance, and they aren’t always just busting up on the surface. You may see only a ripple on the water, and that will be them just cruising around near the surface, looking for the next bait ball to feed on. GARFISH Garfish would have to be one of the most underrated

also quite easy to catch, whether you have a boat or are land based. Winter is a great time to target these fish, and places like Altona, Frankston, Mt Eliza, Mornington, and Mount Martha will hold them in great numbers. Silverfish and maggots are the go-to baits under a float, and your local tackle store is your best option if you want to learn the rig. Constant

Darren Mathews with a cracking landbased snapper off Mornington Pier. fish that Melbourne has to offer. Most people think that they are just bait, but believe me when I say that garfish are one of the best table fish you can eat around this area! They are

berley is the key to getting these fish in, and once you have them sucked into your berley they will generally stay until you catch your bag limit of 40 per person, or your desired amount.

at St Leonards after dark. Wading out and using pipis again, he beached a ripper whiting of 44cm. Silver trevally have been biting well inside the Queenscliff cut and Barwon River estuary. Slack tide is best, but fishing around the top of the tide when the estuary has plenty of saltwater in it goes OK too. Silvers will grab small single-tailed grub, minnow or paddle tailed style soft plastics and they love raw chicken, pipis and pilchard fillets. Daniel Eastwell and his mate fished the Barwon River estuary recently. Using single-tailed soft plastics in motor oil colour, they caught quality trevally and bream casting the edges whilst hiding out of the wind. The lads were fishing the run-out tide

working the banks using light tackle. Lorne Pier has been fishing well for trevally and salmon to 50cm for anglers using bait and lures. Dawn and dusk has been the best times, but some fish have also been caught throughout the day. • Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterfish@ gmail.com with “FMG” in the subject field or give me a call on 0408 997 348. 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). JULY 2023 77

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July tips for successful fishing PPB WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

Just like that, the outdoor temperature and the water temperature have plummeted in recent weeks. This is often the most challenging time of year to go fishing. It can be difficult to keep the motivational levels high, however you can make subtle changes to your fishing habits that can make a big difference at this time of year. I like to plan my week around the weather. Apart from checking all the usual weather info such as rain and wind predictions, at this time of year I also spend time following the predicted outdoor temperatures for the mornings. I’ll happily fish those early mornings with temperatures of 7°C+, otherwise I tend to fish

Winter is a great time for whiting and squid.

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mid-morning and afternoon where the temperature is at its warmest. This makes the fishing so much more comfortable. Rather than going out on the water (or land-based) at first light, when it’s predicted to be 6°C or colder, it’s good to wait until later in the day when it’s 10°C and above. It may not sound like much, but this can make a massive difference, regardless of the style of fishing that you are doing. At this time of year, I will often start fishing in the early afternoon and fish through to the evening change, and finish up before sundown. This is often a productive

The author likes to take a minimalistic approach to fishing in winter. fishing window, and so much more comfortable. It’s also really important to dress adequately. There are some advancements in clothing that makes fishing so much more pleasant at this time of year. For me, this includes a face shield to stop that chill on your face, especially when on

a runabout boat without clears. Fingerless gloves, beanie, thermal longsleeve shirts, comfortable boots and battery-powered heated jackets are the go. I’ve been using my Ororo heated jacket now for 12 months and it’s been a game changer during winter. I love my fishing

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The author with a big winter bream.

LIGHT, DURABLE… and I’ll bePOWERFUL, out there Werribee, Kirks Point slow-moving clear waters.

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regardless of how cold it gets, but being able to stay warm and comfortable whilst fishing over winter is really important, and will stop you from putting the boat or kayak away. The other key thing to remember is that fishing is seasonal. Some fish locally go off the bite in these colder conditions whilst other species flourish. So, knowing what fish to target, and where to target them, at the right time of year is critical to catching consistently during these colder periods. If you need some extra help, head to the FishingMad member’s website, which shares lots of helpful and detailed information to ensure you’re catching a few, and fishing productive areas,

and up to the Bellarine Peninsula around Clifton Springs, Curl Lewis Bank and St Leonards. The good thing about this style of fishing is that you don’t need to go out very far. The majority of these target species are caught in 3-5m of water amongst the weed and sand holes. I generally take a few packets of soft plastics, and 1/12oz jigheads with fitted stinger hooks, some worm imitation soft plastics and a container of squid jigs. This minimalistic approach to fishing really appeals to me – it’s great to be able to catch a big bag of fish with a small volume of gear and little preparation, often venturing out with only one or two rods. One key to finding

Recently I fished around St Leonards and bagged out on squid during slack tide, which was about a 40-minute window, and then the whiting came on strong during the runout tide. Again, planning your day around the temperature and the tides can be so helpful at this time of year when it comes to staying motivated and catching plenty of fish. That’s it for this month. Don’t let the drop in temperature stop you from getting out there and catching some quality fish. I know I will be out there, and I hope to see you on the water. • Good fishing everyone. Feel free to contact me directly to share your fishing experiences,

3491 Pacific Highway Slacks Creek 167 Currumburra Road Ashmore The author with land-based P: (07) 3808 7333 P: 07 a5532 5812 trevally. E: sales@amcboats.com.au E: shaun@trmarinegc.com.au too. For me your bread-and- fish at this time of year photos and catches around W: www.amcboats.com.au W: www.trmarinegoldcoast.com.au butter species in the bay is making lots of small Melbourne, Port Phillip like King George whiting, moves, especially for Bay and beyond which squid, flathead, gummy whiting. You might be 50m we can feature in next sharks and Australian off them, and they won’t month’s article. You can salmon are top choices. bite so you need to keep contact me by email at In the lakes, targeting making small moves to find alan@fishingmad.com.au. trout is a great option and them. Otherwise, get on the Please consider becoming also a time of year when drift and mark a heap of a FishingMad member at the bigger size redfin come waypoints whenever you www.fishingmad.com.au/ out. You won’t catch big catch fish. I tend to use member for fishing reports, volumes, but they will this approach a lot and then workshops, podcasts, and generally be good size fish. anchor up as soon as I catch exciting monthly giveaways. In our estuaries, the two quickly, or two within Also, don’t forget to follow bream will continue to fish close proximity. These little my fishing adventures on well, especially if you can ways of thinking can make the FishingMad YouTube find some deeper water. a massive difference (as channel www.youtube. All of this means there are opposed to camping in one com/c/fishingmad and still many excellent options spot for hours and hours social media on Facebook available, regardless of and hoping the bite will page www.facebook. whether you are fishing the come on strong). At this c o m / f i s h i n g m a d . c o m . bay, surf, lakes or estuaries. time of year, this approach au, Instagram page www. In recent weeks I can help you to catch fish instagram.com/fishingmad. have been catching a lot consistently. com.au and on Channel of flathead, King George Around slack tide is 31 Tuesday evenings at whiting and squid. I have often when I will target 8.30 pm and Saturday primarily been fishing squid, which love the afternoons.

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JULY 2023 79

VIC

Jetties and beaches are quiet because of the cold PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

Compiling fishing reports at this time of year can be a bit of a challenge, and this year it’s been even more difficult – not because there are no fish, it’s just that no one is fishing! Much of it has to do with the weather, which has been anything but favourable. Also, the ongoing rise in the cost of living is really starting to have an effect. Businesses had just taken their first breath after getting over the COVID years (most mum and dad businesses, like smaller tackle shops, did not qualify for COVID

assistance), exhausted their savings, and are now facing potentially a worse period. But enough doom and gloom – let’s focus on the positives for this time of the year. The days are short, and it’s wet and windy! True, those obviously aren’t positives, but you either laugh or go crazy worrying, so let’s just keep smiling and go fishing. The main positive for the winter period is there are some quality fish around, and with few people on the water, they are hungry. The ramps are quiet so you can take your time and actually get a car park, the jetties and beaches are also quiet so there’s plenty of room to take the family down for a fish. The forecast is for

a mild winter, and looking back at diaries when we get a very wet late autumn, we tend to get a mild and early spring. We have had some old-fashioned reports from the surf beaches at Woolamai and Kilcunda lately of very good-sized salmon and plenty of them. One customer told me it was like the old days where you stood on the beach and watched the rods at either end. Once they went off, you knew the fish would soon swim by your baits. Several reports have also come from those anglers using lures. Metal slugs around the 25g to 40g size are the most popular choice, but a few people have been using

plastics rigged on heavy jigheads with a 3/0 hook. Good choices are 3” or 4” paddle-tail or curl-tail soft plastics in either white or something very bright. Several reports are also coming in now from Inverloch of salmon and a handful of trevally. Reports from the surf will continue now for the next couple of months, with some anglers chasing salmon for bait, while other people are taking their salmon home for the table. I wouldn’t exactly call them a table fish, but hey – they aren’t the worst tasting fish in the ocean. The smaller ones can easily be baked whole, while anything bigger makes an excellent base for curries, soups and

patties. Just make sure you bleed them as soon as you catch them. In another month or so we will start to see some big reds being caught by anglers out chasing gummies or mulloway. Those anglers who are really keen and head out in the boat overnight at this time of the year, looking for a fish or two, always come across some early or resident reds. We seem to have a bit of a run through late July and into August, and then they go quiet towards the end of September. Gummies will now fish better over the moon phases and over the tide changes, so you don’t need to spend all day long on the water. If

you are fishing at this time of the year, by-catch is just part of it. Sometimes you just can’t get away from the rubbish, and you might need to change your plans completely. Winter is also a very good time to do all your bait collecting, in preparation for the season ahead. Squid, yakkas, salmon, tommy roughs, garfish and couta will all be available during the winter months. Then you have the heads off the whiting you catch, and the frames off anything else to make up your berley. For us in the shop, winter means rod and reel repairs, with August usually the start of our tackle shows and sorting out our stock needs for the upcoming season.

FISHING NEWS

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Isaiah Brown caught his PB flathead measuring 61cm at Manning Point.

80 JULY 2023

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Bream head deep and school up GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

Finally, the bream are now going into deep mode and are schooling in big numbers, probably a month later than usual. The rivers have excellent flow after a few moderate rain events, and all looks good for the month ahead. A few perch and luderick are also turning up, along with big salmon near Metung. SLOT LIMITS First up, another reminder of the bream slot limits which came into effect in April 2021. These regs will be reviewed and they will stand until further notice, possibly for another five years. Legal sized bream are 28-38cm for the Gippsland Lakes only. It still seems some anglers are totally unaware of this important change. Sadly, I found one fella recently cleaning a large bream looking at least 43cm. I wonder if signage is required at major boat ramps or maybe local tackle shops around this area to get the message across? The bream stocks are in recovery mode here in the Gippy Lakes, and the science tells us there will be a 12% gain in the breeding population with the slot limit in place. So once again, the bag limit for bream remains at 10 fish, but none of them can measure under 28cm or

greater than 38cm tip length. Dusky flathead have a slot limit of 30-55cm, and the bag limit is five. RIVER BREAM Every year about now, you can rely on the bream to have fully moved out from most of the shallow lake areas, and

Local Gippy Lakes legend Stewie McKinnon knows how to find big bream on bait.

At this time of year, the bass head downstream to breed and will school up on the snags. 82 JULY 2023

into much deeper water or up into the rivers. This is when they can be caught in big numbers before they get into full breeding mode. Already some reasonable numbers of bream are in the lower Nicho and Mitchell, and they seem to have pushed higher up in

the Tambo even up to the highway bridge. If you are land based without the help of a sounder, you may have to move around quite a lot to find where they are schooling up. Or you can keep an eye on where the locals are hanging out, and where the most anglers are generally located. If you are boating and using a sounder, start in all the lower parts of rivers and you will probably see bigger schools of bream in 4m and over. If you pull a few fish out of these big gatherings, move on and find another mob. Often the fish will get spooky after seeing a few mates being hauled out of the water, and will refuse lures and even baits. After a few hours you can return to that school, and usually a few more of those same bream can be tricked. Lure anglers are well aware of how deadly blade lures are on these fish, but sometimes a small soft plastic fished extra slow is required to get the bite. HOLLANDS LANDING Strangely, for an area that is renowned for very big bream, this has not been the case in the Straits over the last few months. There are plenty of fish schooled

up, but nearly all of them are 24-36cm. Usually if you score 20 or 30 bream for a busy day, you will always measure a few trucks between 40-44cm. However, lately it’s been a real challenge to get many bream over 38cm. Still, as usual in fishing, this could change overnight. Let’s hope so. Interestingly, quite a few luderick have turned up this year being caught on small blade lures, and some ripper perch have also been finding lures in the snags. Mick Gned from Traralgon caught a thumper estuary perch recently, and released a 45cm fish along with about 30 bream to 36cm for a cracker day out. Sadly, he ‘bumped’ into a kangaroo on that early morning road trip, and end up with a $4,500 repair bill! I narrowly missed a big sambar deer a few months ago, and that was my second close call in three years. The number of hog deer also continues to grow, and it’s very common to see them just before dawn on the side of the road or in paddocks. The problem is that all of these critters are getting so accustomed to traffic and are not avoiding roads like they used to. Also missing this winter are the dusky flathead that normally flood into Hollands at this time. It’s strange because their numbers have

Ben Hotchkins with one of over 60 bream landed for a day and a half caught on a hardbody lure. been through the roof out in the lakes during summer. I have no idea where they are hiding. LOOKING AHEAD TO BREAM HOTSPOTS For all of us serious about catching a lot of bream, now is definitely the time to get busy. If you haven’t been out chasing them yet, some of the best prime time fishing is getting away from you. Looking ahead, here are the hotspots you need to search. The Tambo River from

the entrance right up past the bridge to the Blue Hole will continue to fire, so you should persevere in the upper reaches as we draw closer to spawning season. The same goes for the Nicholson River, but also keep an eye on your sounder in the lower river area for those schooling bream that will right now mob up in huge numbers. The Mitchell River will probably be the number one destination for land-based anglers with its easy bank access.

sky nights the water temps have dropped rapidly. LAKES ENTRANCE With the changing of the season and winter tightening its grip, the fishery has altered to adapt to the conditions. Lately

the local King George whiting have slowed right down, and it has been a challenge to find them consistently. Winter fishing in the lakes always has its stand-outs, with big schools Australian salmon and silver trevally being found right throughout the system. On the glassy calm mornings, schools of salmon have been commonly seen blowing up on bait fish this makes for some great fun fishing with small surface lures and soft plastics fished high in the water column. Offshore lately has been extremely good, with bulk pink snapper sitting on the outer reefs such as the 8 Mile. Traditional bottom bashing methods are fairly common practice, and never fail to produce the goods. Baits such as pilchard cubes and squid strips are hard for feeding snapper to pass up on. Bag-out sessions have been pretty common recently, especially on those wider reefs. Closer to shore, around the 18-20m mark, anglers have had good

Target gummy sharks LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

Winter has settled in with a vengeance through East Gippsland with super crisp morning and clear

The author with a nice local gummy off the beach.

VIC

East Coast

Australian salmon and squid games PORT ALBERT

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

You may need a beanie on and three layers of clothing to beat the cold, but there’s plenty of fishing to be done. The squid are starting to fire up, and a few whiting or small rock flathead

are still getting caught. Some winter garfish have also been caught, but the salmon have been a real highlight, and that’s where my report begins. ESTUARY SALMON No matter what anyone says about Australian salmon and their poor eating qualities, I still reckon Arripis trutta is a species that all anglers

Some ripper salmon are on offer right now, like these Port Albert fish pulled from a massive hungry school. success on gummy sharks in recent weeks. Setting up an anchor right on the drop-off, and then slowly pumping a cube trail is highly productive way to target gummies. Baits such squid, salmon, whiting and barracoota heads are all great baits for gummies, and it pays to mix it up. The odd gummy shark has been venturing in closer to shore, with my father and I having a good beach session on the local gummies. Large winter salmon have been starting to make their presence felt on the beaches, with anglers having good success using metal lures in the washes, along with paternoster rigs baited with squid strips. LAKE TYERS The lake is up to its old tricks once again. Now that winter is here, the lake has decide to play hard ball, with many anglers struggling to locate good numbers of bream. The deeper edges and deeper flats have been the most productive lately, with the key being to use your sounder to locate either schools of bream or areas that they have been feeding

in lately. Metal vibes have been a solid producer lately, allowing you to cover plenty of water. The Lake Tyers monster flathead have really disappeared for the winter now, although the odd flathead can still be caught, especially if you’re fishing those shallow, muddy bays

secretly love to catch. Not only are salmon abundant, but they grow big and we all know how they pull plenty of string for their size. Unlike a lot of other species, we can rely on them to turn up every year at the same time and usually in never ending overflowing schools. Best of all, salmon are nearly always ‘hangry’ and will aggressively eat just about any lure or bait you launch their way. That’s why I love to get the fly rod out or spray surface lures in front of them to get that visual fishing fix for hours on end. It’s fair to say that they are so easy to catch that after a while the novelty wears off, but it’s a whole heap of fun to reach that point. After my arms start throbbing I take the hooks off my lures, and that’s another whole level of fun. Especially using surface lures then watching four or five big salmon constantly attack a bare lure with some of them hanging onto it for ages and even pulling serious drag! It’s such a hoot, and nearly more fun than struggling to haul hooked fish all the way to the net and busting trebles on lures deep down their hungry gobs. Without hooks the fish never get harmed – and as for the anglers, well, we end up laughing out loud while watching all the mayhem!

Right now, heaps of salmon of all sizes are at Manns entrance and Port Albert, and can turn up in deeper channels almost anywhere in between. Even from jetties you can find salmon running, especially an hour after high tide. 90 MILE BEACH This year we have noticed the average run of salmon are a bit bigger, with plenty of 2kg fish in amongst those schools of fish around the 1kg mark. Quite a few solid tailor are also in the mix, and I suggest that you think about using at least 6kg leaders or even stronger, because both species are hardly line-shy. Surf rigs using the standard bluebait or half pilchard will work fine, but always try surf poppers if the crabs get painfully pesky. The best option is to cast

Let the squid games begin. Big squid, big fun! SQUID TIME The real home of big squid in this area is Port Welshpool. This winter, numbers are yet to get too exciting, but it’s still well worth a look. Interestingly, they are a real mixed bunch, with very small squid one day and then a few thumpers up to 40cm hoods the next. I also hear that certain coloured jigs far outscore others, with each trip needing a bit of trial and error to get the squid into attack mode. As usual, two hours each side of high tide seems to be prime time. Some of my fellow squid anglers struck gold recently as we loaded up on some bargains. Our local BCF store had a sale on with one of the best jigs on the market in the Yamashita range. They normally retail for around $25, but when I saw them reduced to $5 each I decided to add another ten jigs to my tackle box! And I made sure I covered a wide variety of colours. I then called my buddies and between us all we cleaned them out of probably over 100 jigs! Best of all, they were in that perfect range of 3.0 or 3.5 sizes.

and points right up the top of the system. HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING? If you have been out for fish lately and have a great pic please send to stevenprykefishing@gmail. com with short description and you could be featured in the edition of fishing monthly.

Big garfish are very tasty and will often attack lures.

The author’s father with a quality land-based gummy shark.

lures if the surf conditions permit, and quite often we get light winds during the next few months. Use a long spin stick around 9ft long and toss small metal slugs or 3” soft plastics on heavy jigheads. Fine braid around 8lb will allow a super long cast, and just use a very short but heavy 14lb leader and ensure the leader knot won’t have to go anywhere near your rod guides while casting. Another handy tip is to superglue your soft plastics to the jighead so they don’t get ripped off or pulled apart, and last many more hook-ups.

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Chilly quest for a good bag of fish MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

Winter is here in full force, and the temperature has moved way down the scale, making conditions less favourable for fishing. However, the fish don’t know that, and are still here looking for something to eat. There’s no time to be gloomy – it’s time to rug up and face the elements on your quest for a good bag of fish. At this time of year, the fishing is a bit patchy. With the rougher ocean the fishing days are a lot less common, but by all reports there are still plenty of flathead, gurnard, barracoota, pinkie snapper, salmon and gummy shark being caught. The estuary has slowed down a tad, but the keen anglers are getting their share of bream in both the Snowy and Brodribb rivers, with other reports of goodsize luderick being taken

Nick Davis with a healthy estuary perch.

around the rock groynes and mud banks. The best results have been coming on sandworm baits. Estuary perch are in good numbers up the Brodribb River at the moment. Anglers have reported getting lots of small fish, with the occasional big perch or two taken on sandworm and lures. NZ KINGFISH Now is the time of year when myself and a few friends go on our annual trip to fish the International Yellowtail Competition at Russell, New Zealand. The comp is a 6kg line class event that attracts a huge following from NZ and Australia to bag the biggest kingfish on 6kg, or amass the most points for the most kingfish caught. Last year our team member Jenkin Steed won the Biggest Kingfish division for our team, weighing 31.85 caught on 6kg, but failed to win most points. Let’s hope we can take the next step and win the Best Team with the most points this year.

Some quality gummy shark have been caught lately.

Dialling in on the flathead and bream targets the same cannot be said for the Mallacoota system. With local knowledge, the winter months can offer the best fishing, with very few other boats on the water. The Top and Bottom lakes have both been fishing well,

MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

With the arrival of the cold winter weather, the area has quietened down, with most visitors staying away until the weather starts to warm again. Fishing-wise, during the winter months in Mallacoota, the lakes and rivers offer some of the best fishing the Far South Coast and East Gippsland area has to offer. However, you need to be prepared for the chilly conditions, as it can get very cold here, particularly when the southwest wind is blowing. Still, even these frosty days can offer some great fishing. The offshore fishing from Eden through to Mallacoota has seen plenty of striped marlin

A nice bream caught on a soft plastic lure while fishing the deeper water. caught over the past month, but the focus has now switched to yellowfin tuna. We have had reports coming in from the far south coast of good numbers of yellowfin being caught, with some big fish to over 45kg being

reported. The warmer water out along the shelf is where the action is. Closer to shore the water temperature has really started to drop away, and at present it’s just under the 14°C mark. Out on the recognised

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odd mulloway. As we head further into winter, the fishing action starts to move upstream to Gypsy Point and into the rivers, where the main target species is the black bream. Plenty

flathead fishing grounds, fish are still being caught. Anglers are picking up both sand flathead and tiger flathead, along with a few gummy shark. This will slow down with the colder ocean currents. The colder water temperatures will see the numbers of Australian salmon build up along all the local beaches, with numbers of fish entering the lake feeding up on the big baitfish schools. Winter is the time when the bigger tailor put in an appearance, with big fish moving along the beaches and moving in and out of the lake. In many of the estuary systems on the far south coast, the fishing really slows down over the winter months. However,

Wading the shallows around the entrance can be productive, with bream and flathead being the top target species. with dusky flathead, black bream, and yellowfin bream all being caught, along with some sand whiting and the

of dusky flathead are also caught upstream over the winter months. Good fishing.

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The rewards of cold Murray cod winter fishing ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

Brrrr…. it’s winter, and with this season comes sideways wind, frosty mornings and wet and windy fishing. Then there are the calm days, cool by normal standards, but fishable as you pick your way along the river, casting at the numerous snags. It’s big cod season, and the cool of winter sees a big fish migration as the cod leave the deeper sections of river to take up residence in the shallows, where they hide tight to cover. Frosty mornings are often the key to the best bites, where rising barometric pressure will often see the larger cod a little more cooperative. Smaller fish are now all but shut down, with just the odd one taking a swipe at a bait or lure. The perch bite has slowed a little with the cooling of the water, but

Cast or trolled StumpJumpers continue to produce good-sized Murray cod, like this one landed near Mildura in the Murray River. you can still expect the odd one to belt a cast or trolled lure intended for cod. Around the traps, Swan Hill remains quiet with just

muscling in on the act, so it’s a bit of a mixed bag at that location. Kangaroo and Boga lakes have a few redfin but are slow going at the moment. Back down along the Murray, Boundary Bend has been yielding small cod and perch on trolled lures and bait. It’s a similar story around Robinvale, where some good-sized perch have been landed from the bank upstream of the caravan park near the cut. There are no decent-sized cod to report, and even the small fish seem to be hard to catch at this location this season. The Murray River at Wemen has been producing good numbers of smaller Murray cod to 65cm on bait and lures, but the bite here has also started to slow as the water temperature

Mildura Wentworth area, anglers continue to catch some very respectable cod up to and over the metre mark. While the bite has slowed a little, most sessions either trolling or casting will present at least one or two opportunities to set the hooks. On the troll, larger lures in bright colours have been the pick, while the Bassman Scope Bait has been the go-to for the Live Scope fishers. StumpJumpers continue to be a good choice for both trolling and casting, and continue to catch under most circumstances. As we sink into the depths of winter, it’s comforting to know that most cod encounters at this time of the year are at the metre plus end of the brag mat, and a warm campfire

a few small cod and golden perch being caught on bait. Scrub worms, small yabbies and chicken have been the pick of the baits. In the local

Kelsie Gull with a solid Murray cod taken on the Zerek Live Mullet.

Mildura angler Gareth Lynch trolled this ripper Murray cod on one of his handmade Hangman lures in the Murray River near Mildura.

lakes, Charm has continued to produce good numbers of redfin on bait, blades and small plastics. The odd golden perch is also

drops away. Carp, while still about, have also started to slow, with fewer fish caught each session. Downstream to the

awaits at day’s end. It’s a tough slog, but winter cod fishing comes with its own rewards, and they are often quite big.

to catch a fish, regardless of the species. WARANGA BASIN The fishing has been great at Waranga, with plenty of numbers reported. Trolling has been the stand-out approach, with shallow diving lures working best in the early morning, with fish being caught in around the 6-8ft mark. Once the sun gets up, many anglers have been moving out to the 15-20ft range. White, pink, orange and greens have all been featured in popular lure colours lately for Waranga basin. Bait fishing from the bank is still a great way to chase redfin. Plenty of

small fish are being caught this way, with some quality specimens caught amongst the smaller ones. Floating a bunch of worms on the grassy banks or around submerged trees has been the best ways to chase a redfin from the bank lately, with some fish being caught bottom bouncing worms. IRRIGATION CHANNELS The channels are on the draw down, and this can be a difficult time to fish them, with the water usually very dirty. It generally takes a few weeks for the fishing to improve in the channels, but there are still fish to be caught in the meantime.

The fish will concentrate and hold to structure and in the deeper pipes, so target these areas. Casting smaller square bills and cranks around the bridges is always a great way to catch cod and yellowbelly in the cooler months when the water is low. If you’re fishing the pipes, you’ll want to use a lure that allows you to get deep into them, so a blade or spinnerbait will be your best bet. A slow hop of the blade or a slow roll of the spinnerbait works best, and the trick is to really focus on keeping the lure close to the bottom.

Morning trolling sessions are proving productive SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

The Kialla lakes bite has slowed down now that the cooler weather has set in, but I have still been getting some reports from the lake. The 4-5 fish sessions are now down to 1-2 fish sessions, but it’s still great to see that fish are being caught. Fishing shallow in the mornings or evenings with small jerkbaits and Bent Minnows has been a productive way to chase both yellowbelly and redfin. Those anglers 86 JULY 2023

fishing during the day have reported catching fish by casting ZX40 blades and small spinnerbaits out deeper. Bait fishing with worms on the drop-off edge or around the willow trees has also been a great way to catch redfin, with also a couple of silver perch reported as well. SHEPPARTON LAKE This is prime time for the Shepparton Lake, with the cooler months being the best time to chase both trout and redfin. Floating baits such as worms or PowerBaits has been working well. Look for a clear stretch of water with weed edge or a pocket without weed, as these are

great target areas to float your baits. Small spinners and Strike Tiger soft plastics cast around the same areas have also been a great way to chase the stocked trout. GOULBURN RIVER The native fishing has slowed right up in the Goulburn River but there have been some promising early season crayfish reports from the Goulburn. The deeper bends in Shepparton have produced crays in the past, with Murchison also being a hotspot for anglers chasing a cray. Carp are still very active on baits, with worms and chicken working best for those who are just keen

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Anglers are taking on the tough conditions BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

There is no doubt that fishing during winter can be very demanding, and the cold weather at this time of the year can be challenging. However, investing in some thermal clothing, beanie and gloves will help you enjoy the challenge that winter fishing brings. Checking the weather forecast regularly, and planning your trips around those days with more favourable conditions, will also help you enjoy your time on the water. Good preparation is the key to success. LAKE EPPALOCK Water levels remain relatively steady at the present time, with only small fluctuations. A small rise one week, followed by a small decline the next week, has been the trend lately. At the time of writing this report, Lake Eppalock is at 90% of capacity, which is very good for this time of the year. With these current high water levels, there is a very good chance that we will see the Lake Eppalock over 100% of capacity at some stage during the spring months. Water clarity is currently good around the majority of the lake. During the last couple of months there has been below average rainfall for the month, therefore inflows have been minimal at this stage. With the cold weather

the number of anglers fishing this location has been low. Catch rates have also been low for the majority of anglers. Redfin have been making up the majority of anglers’ captures, and as the water temperatures have dropped the redfin have tended to move down into deeper water. A good depth range when targeting redfin at the moment is between 4-7m of water. Trolling deep diving hardbody lures has been producing small numbers of redfin, but a more productive approach has been to use soft plastic lures. Casting or vertically jigging a wide range of soft vibes or soft plastic lures has been working. While the numbers of redfin being caught in July can be lower than at other times of year, it is still a great time to land some larger redfin. The numbers of native fish being caught has been low, but there aren’t many anglers on the water targeting them at the moment. CAMPASPE RIVER Small numbers of golden perch and Murray cod are being caught in the Campaspe River. The most productive fishing has been in the section of the river downstream of the weir below Lake Eppalock to the Barnadown area. This section of the river is where the water clarity is currently the best. Good lure options for the native fish have been spinnerbaits, lipless crankbaits and medium sized hardbody lures. If

A large cod caught by the author on a 6th Sense lipless crankbait. A well-presented cast followed by a slow rolling retrieve was too much for the cod to resist. you are fishing during winter it is very important to slow your retrieve speeds down. A common mistake that many anglers make during winter is that they retrieve their lures too fast. The native fish’s metabolism slows down during the coldest months of the year, and they prefer a slow-moving lure the majority of the time. It is a good tip to be patient when fishing at this time of the year. I would recommend anglers spend double the amount of time when casting your lures into a high percentage piece of structure, because that’s often what is required to get a response from a fish

in winter. Water flows coming down the Campaspe River have been minimal over the past couple of months. Water releases have, however, been increased slightly over the last couple of weeks from Lake Eppalock, and these increased flows should continue during winter. CAIRN CURRAN At the time of writing this report Cairn Curran water level was at 83% of capacity. The water clarity is currently average at this location. Inflows from rain events have still only been minimal at this stage. The amount of anglers fishing this location has

been low of late, with redfin making up the majority of captures. The most productive techniques for the redfin have been casting and retrieving soft plastics and soft vibe lures. Jigging soft plastics and ice jigs has also been producing a few redfin. When the water levels start to consistently rise, it will be worthwhile to spend some time targeting the lake’s trout population. Bait fishing the shallower grassy banks with worms, yabbies, corn or gents can produce some good trout. Trolling these same banks with winged lures or minnow-style hardbody lures is also worth a try.

The golden perch fishing has been very slow in recent weeks. However, there are small numbers of Murray cod being caught. Trolling medium to large sized hardbody lures has been producing the occasional fish. Small numbers of Murray cod have also been caught by anglers trolling swimbaits and casting and retrieving swimbaits. LODDON RIVER The productivity in the fishing in the Loddon River has been poor, due to the cold water temperatures combined with the poor water clarity. The poor water clarity is not due to significant inflows from rain events; rather, there was a flush of dirtier water that was released down the system from Laanecoorie in autumn. The river has just taken a long time to settle, and the turbid water is definitely having a negative effect on the fishing. Looking on the bright side, the fish are getting a well-deserved rest after a season of heavy fishing pressure. If you are planning a trip to the Loddon River, I suggest fishing the weir pool section at Bridgewater and Serpentine. These sections are the deepest areas in the Loddon River, and the water clarity often settles first in these sections. Bright colour choices for your lures are often the best in the dirty water. Be prepared to fish slowly, and you may need to make a large number of casts to get a response from a fish.

FISHING NEWS

Free fishing kits for kids The State Government is giving Victoria’s next generation of recreational fishers the opportunity to get hooked on fishing, with free Little Angler Kits for kids across Victoria. Minister for Outdoor Recreation Sonya Kilkenny announced that 60,000 kits will be made available to grade five primary students in more than 1,900 Victorian schools later this year. The kits will set families up with everything they need to wet a line, including a fishing rod and reel, line, tackle box, some tackle and a Kids’ Guide to Fishing, that includes information and links to educational resources to learn the basics such as fishing safety, knots and

rigs. The kits will help youngsters get active, learn about the aquatic environment and have fun in the great outdoors, whether they be down the coast, on Port Phillip Bay or by a river in regional Victoria. “We want more young people getting into fishing because we know it brings people together in the great outdoors, boosts local businesses and encourages Victorians to discover new parts of this great state,” Minister Kilkenny said. “Offering free Little Angler Kits through schools helps the next generation of fishers reel in a hobby they can enjoy for a lifetime.” The Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) is leading the rollout, and has released a tender for the supply of kits, with schools encouraged to register early interest.

The $1.5 million project has been made possible by the State Government’s $96 million package to improve fishing, boating, piers and aquaculture. The Little Angler Kits complement several other initiatives led by the VFA to encourage youngsters to connect with nature and enjoy Victoria’s spectacular waterways. This includes the stocking of almost 10 million fish last season, more than any other state in the country. For the June and September school holidays, 80 family fishing lakes across the state will share in more than 60,000 catchablesize rainbow trout to provide children the chance to catch their first fish. Every year, free VicFishKids events provide kids with the opportunity

Free VicFishKids events provide kids with the opportunity to try fishing with help from experts and Fishcare volunteers. to try fishing with help from experts and Fishcare volunteers. All fishing gear is supplied, and every child heads home with a free rod to continue their fishing journey on their next holiday

with family and friends. Fisheries Officers across the state also play a role in encouraging participation by visiting schools to talk about safe and sustainable fishing, a message echoed at the

Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre in Queenscliff where VFA educators welcome 13,000 school children every year. – Victorian Fisheries Authority JULY 2023 87

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How anglers can navigate winter challenges WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

July in North East Victoria can be bitterly cold and the fishing can be challenging. There are, however, still a few really great fishing options around. MURRAY COD It’s so easy to look at social media these days and see hundreds of photos of giant Murray cod caught in the winter months, and be tricked into thinking that winter is the best time of the year to catch cod. True, for some people it is, but for most of us it isn’t. Winter is the time that those dedicated big cod lure fishos love. They spend hours, sometimes even days in their boats, rugged up like Eskimos making thousands of casts until they are

The author’s winter Lake William Hovell set-up. It can be very cold up there in winter, so staying comfortable is paramount. sneak down the river with just an hour or so of light left to try to catch a few cod. In winter, I like to put three or four hours aside to sit there

very, very patiently. Just like the lure casters targeting the monster Murray cod in Eildon, or on the Murray River, I know when I head out that the biggest key to my success is patience. You need a willingness to keep fishing even when you haven’t had a bite for ages. YELLOWBELLY Using the abovementioned technique of angling in the Ovens River, with two fishing rods during winter, I do pick up the occasional yellowbelly. Catches of multiple yellowbelly are usually non-existent in the Ovens River in July, however the occasional yella will show up. Yellowbelly really do shut right down in the cooler months before springing back to life in the springtime. Sometimes they may start to bite a little bit better in August, but I will have more on that in next month’s edition. REDFIN Lake Buffalo and Lake

a worm or a yabby on a hook. Even a soft plastic bounced off the bottom will work well. You do need to move around a lot though in order to find the fish and not everyone finds them in July. In saying that, I do love to sit on the bank of Lake William Hovell during the winter months angling with worms. I am generally targeting trout, but occasionally I do pick up a small redfin or two. TROUT The trout season is closed in July. All of the streams across North East Victoria are closed to trout fishing, however the lakes remain open. Lake William Hovell is my main winter trout fishing destination. I love taking a couple of bait rods and just sitting on the bank rugged up, waiting for a nibble. Usually the fishing is slow however I do often pick up a couple of trout and maybe a small redfin or two. I can honestly say that I

A small brown trout caught on worms on one of the author’s winter Lake William Hovell bait fishing trips. eventually rewarded with a monster cod. Then they share the photo on social media for us to enjoy, making it look easy. Many of these anglers fish through the night in sub zero temperatures to catch their trophy fish. They show an incredible level of dedication. For those of us that just like to sneak out at the end of the day and flick a few lures around the snags, content to catch a few smaller cod, winter is a terrible time to target this species – although it’s still possible catch fish. What works for me during winter is sitting on the bank of the river in the sun, with two bait rods in. I usually have one baited with worms and the heavy rod baited with cheese. The cheese rod is targeting Murray cod and the worm rod is targeting everything else. The worm rod will often pick up a cod as well though. Sometimes I may even have a cray net or two not far away, as cray 88 JULY 2023

season is open in July. I usually pick up a few cod each July using this technique, as well as a few other species. I never experience any red-hot fishing, but quite often the

peacefulness of sitting in the winter sun is shattered by an aggressive bite resulting in a Murray cod being landed. The key to winter cod fishing (well, for me anyhow) is patience. In summer I will

Cray season is still open in July. Make sure you are up to date with the rules and regulations before heading out.

A crayfish measuring 10cm (carapace length) grabbed hold of the author’s finger a couple of years ago. Be careful where you put your fingers while crayfishing.

William Hovell are the places to head during July if you’re targeting redfin. I will stop short of guaranteeing that you will catch something, but if you put in the time and effort you may be rewarded. Lake Buffalo is definitely the better of the two redfin lakes in the depths of winter, and lures are the best way to catch them. I find at both lakes that in winter the redfin tend to stop feeding. They go ‘off the bite’ but can be quite aggressive towards other fish. For this reason, lures tend to work better in July than bait. Things that may present as some kind of threat, such as a lipless crankbait or diving hardbody lure, are going appear more threatening to a redfin than

have never caught a big trout doing this. I have caught a few that were big enough to keep, but never anything to write home about. What this type of fishing does do though is provide me with a winter trout fishing fix and a quiet afternoon of relaxation with no mobile phone service up there. One of the things that I really do love about winter fishing is that it forces me to slow right down. I’m not constantly on the go. I have to slow down, and be patient and for this I am often rewarded with a fish or two. Another great option for winter trout fishing is the stocked family-friendly waterways. Each winter the Victorian Fisheries Authority stocks a lot of

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small waterways around the state with yearling rainbow trout that are ready to catch. This stocking takes place just in time for the school holidays. They do not stock them too early before the school holidays as too many ‘cormorants’ will catch them and remove them before the kids even get a chance. Here in North East Victoria the most popular waterways are Merriwa Park Lake, Glenrowan Recreation Reserve, Stanley Dam, Lake Sambell and Allans Flat Waterhole (go to vfa.vic. gov.au to find a full list of stocked dams). These trout are ideal for school kids and people with mobility issues. I enjoy catching trout in these places, but always like to release my catch so that the school kids and those less fortunate than me can enjoy them.

CRAYFISH The Murray crayfishing season is open throughout the month of July and no doubt there will be plenty of keen people out there trying to catch some. July is the best time of the year to catch crayfish in North East Victorian rivers, but last July was tough. Access was difficult thanks to widespread rain and flooding, and I found myself limited as to where I could go. Last year I spoke to a Fisheries officer who told me that they see a higher rate of non-compliance with crayfishing than with any other species of fish in this area. For this reason, it is patrolled heavily so make sure you know the rules before you head out, or it could become a very expensive trip for you.

This 62cm cod was caught on worms in Wangaratta last July. According to the Arthur Rylah Institute, it was tagged four years earlier about 20km downstream, and grew just 1-2cm in that time.

OTHER SPECIES As always, the good old (or bad old) carp will provide me with some winter fishing fun. I tend to catch more carp in winter each year than I do in summer. I love sitting on the bank of Lake Moodemere and angling for carp on cold frosty mornings. Other areas to fish for carp are the Borrow Pits at the Winton Wetlands, Boosey Creek near Katamatite and just about all rivers and creeks. Even the Ovens and King Rivers in Wang can produce OK carp fishing in winter. The trick is to look for a shallow open area of water with a muddy bottom. These fish seem to prefer shallow water in the cooler months. Corn and worms are the best winter carp bait, and bread can be worth trying too.

FISHING NEWS

Fisheries Officers discover 47 undersize snapper Port Phillip is Victoria’s busiest fishery, and most people enjoying the opportunities on Melbourne’s doorstep do their bit to look after it for future generations. However, that wasn’t the case for three men, who allegedly took a large number of undersize snapper near Beaumaris in early June. Fisheries Officers were undertaking a patrol on the bay when they

boat was also placed on a retention notice, and the men will be charged on summons. If you suspect illegal fishing you can ring 13 FISH (13 3474) to speak directly to Fisheries Officers. FISH FOOTAGE IN PPB The Victorian Fisheries Authority’s Queenscliff scientists recently got some great underwater footage

when they were undertaking assessment work in Port Phillip. They compiled it into a video of schooling Australian salmon, trevally, leatherjackets and goatfish in their natural environment. You can watch the full video on the Victorian Fisheries Facebook page. – Victorian Fisheries Authority

Footage of Australian salmon taken by VFA scientists. approached the trio fishing in a boat. Upon boarding the boat, the fisheries officers found an esky, which contained 48 snapper. It will be alleged 47 were clearly under the minimum size of 28cm, with the smallest fish measuring just 17.4cm. Fisheries Officers seized the fish, a number of fishing rods and the esky. The

Three men will face the consequences of their actions after keeping 47 undersize snapper, with the smallest measuring only 17.4cm.

A school of trevally in Port Phillip.

Tom Blow with a pretty 3kg pearl perch caught off Coffs Harbour. He caught it using cuttlefish strip bait. JULY 2023 89

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Excellent catches around Ballarat BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Who would have thought that in the middle of winter, anglers around Ballarat and district would still be

reducing the amount of fishable water. Moorabool is now at its lowest level in two years, and the weed is dying. Hopefully with good late winter and spring rains we will see water levels rise right up, and we will have plenty of

it’s a great time to catch big redfin, and Wendouree is no different. Kelsi Gull’s excellent run of catching trout from the shore has continued, with good catches on both hardbodied lures and soft

from the hatchery, which trout require for natural spawning to occur. Unfortunately, in most of our lakes and reservoirs, this does not occur due to there not being rivers that run into the lakes and reservoirs. Trout still try to spawn as part of their life cycle; they can be seen rubbing their bellies along rocks or jumping out of the water, splashing onto the surface to dislodge their eggs. The hatchery nets this area, and they strip the eggs from the females and fertilise the eggs from the males and grow the trout out over the next 12 months. The hatchery releases approximately 6000 yearling brown trout back into Wendouree at no charge. It’s a goodwill gesture from the hatchery, which has been happening since 1870, when the hatchery first opened. This takes is a lot of time and effort from volunteers, and it’s a costly exercise as they need to feed the fish, pay for electricity for pumps to pump water

Ralph Jahnke landed this smelt feeding brown trout at Newlyn Reservoir on a Shrek fly pattern. Image courtesy of Ralph Jahnke.

Kelsi Gull has been nailing the trout at Wendouree on FishArt Wriggling stickbaits, which imitate smelt. Image courtesy of Kelsi Gull. reporting excellent catches from nearly all our fisheries? The weather has been on the milder side, which I think has helped. Normally it’s freezing cold by now, with only the diehard anglers

fishable water once again, until the weed grows back. This happens in a few of our waters around Ballarat. Lake Wendouree has continued to fish well, both from the shore and boats, and

plastics. Kelsi has landed some rippers around the 50cm mark. Kelsi said it’s a matter of spending plenty of time on the water. Some days there are plenty of follows and lookers, while on other days it might be one grab. You have to make the most of any opportunities that present themselves. An FYI for anglers, a 200m section of Lake Wendouree has been closed for June and July. The area on the western side of Wendouree (Windmill Drive) is now closed to fishing. The area is signposted and will be policed by Fisheries Officers, to ensure anglers do not fish in the restricted area. The Ballarat Fish Acclimatisation Society made a request to the Victorian Fishing Authority, which was approved, for closure to this area. The trout congregate in this location, as there is running water coming into the lake

The author with a 3lb brown trout that couldn’t resist an olive Woolly Bugger fly. around the hatchery, so on. Generally during this time, anglers are lined up along this area, catching trout after trout. It is hoped that with the closure (which is a trial for a couple of years), the hatchery will be able to catch a lot more fish,

that would generally be caught by anglers. At Moorabool Reservoir, as I mentioned, the water level has dropped significantly over the past month. Anglers need to find the clear areas, which are free of weed. There are a

Lake Wendouree Closure area signage. rugging up and hitting the waterways. At some of our lakes and reservoirs, the water levels continue to drop, which I believe is a good thing. As I have mentioned previously, Moorabool has been basically full for the past few years, and this has allowed the weed to take over most of the reservoir, 90 JULY 2023

Steve Angee has been getting amongst both trout and redfin. Steve said the trout have slowed down on the surface lures but are quite happy to eat shallow diving hardbodied lures. As for the redfin, they are all over the plastics, happy to engulf them given any opportunity. Generally, through the winter months,

Mick Fanning and Donny Rogers have been nailing the redfin on soft plastics at Cosgroves Reservoir. Image courtesy of Donny Rogers.

lot of floating weeds which have been ripped off by the bird life, which is frustrating as your flies, lures or plastics get caught up on it. I have been fishing in areas where the wind is blowing offshore, which pushes the weed out. I have been fly fishing with Woolly Bugger fly patterns, in olive, pink and orange colours. The small rainbow trout averaging 1.5lb have been all over the bright flies recently. I have had the odd bigger trout following my flies, but unfortunately, they haven’t eaten them. I did have a nice brown trout of 3lb decide to eat my olive Woolly Bugger who put up an excellent tussle before I landed and released him. Newlyn Reservoir has seen a bit of activity over the past month, with a few fish chasing smelt (small baitfish). This exciting and frustrating fishing at the same time. The fish move very quickly and are totally unpredictable sometimes; there’s no

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Consistent catches from Lake Elingamite waters CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Autumn has been mostly warm and mild, with the right amount of rainfall in which to keep our rivers and lakes ticking along nicely. As we entered the winter months, the transition to cooler, potentially wetter weather has been gradual to say the least. As I write this, no bitter, cold fronts that signal winter at its worst have struck us... yet. Of course, this weather pattern could well be tied in with climate change. Plus, the scientific boffins inform us that we have left La Niña behind and are now entering a period of El Niño. That means that drier, warmer weather should be expected for a while. Lake Elingamite has been consistent for trout and redfin, with most anglers casting or

A school redfin taken jigging soft plastics at depth. trolling minnow lures. Redfin averaging around 600g with the occasional

specimen to over a kilogram are responding well to cast deep divers worked just out

from the weed beds. The fish seem to caught in around the 3m depth. Browns and

With the trout closure in effect, the options for local fishos in our region become limited. The rain is more frequent, and the rivers will be high and dirty for periods of time, which makes fishing very difficult. However, there are still options across South West Gippsland during this month. Many fishers reported good fishing late in the season, with plenty of trout fired up and aggressive before their spawn run. The Tarago, Bunyip, Loch and

Latrobe rivers were hotspots, with a large number of trout being caught from all of them. If you are opting to fish a river or stream, the hardest challenge is finding a window of opportunity where the water is flowing too hard. No matter which species you are targeting, bait fishing in a back eddy or any slack water out of the current is your best bet during this time. The rainfall runoff coming into our rivers washes a lot of worms into the system, hence they are a great bait at this time of year. Most anglers turn their attention to dams or lakes in July, and Blue Rock is a

great place to start. The bass fishing that Blue Rock is renowned for is slow during this time, but there are other species to target in the lake. Boat fishers are usually quite successful targeting trout trolling hardbodies or winged lures like Tassie Devils, and there is every chance you could pick up a redfin or bass as a bycatch when trolling too. Land-based fishing can still be viable by casting the same lures mentioned above from the bank. The walking circuit on the Willow Grove side of the lake provides good bank access for those eager to walk. Local estate dams and

telling which direction they might go when herding up the smelt. If you can get your flies, lures or plastics in front of them, they will generally eat them. Ralph Jahnke and his mate Norm Moiler have been having some fun chasing the smelters at Newlyn. Ralph said they are here, there and everywhere, but if you can get your fly in front of them, they will eat it. They have taken a liking to the Shrek fly pattern stripped very quickly, or a quick roly-poly retrieve. There are a couple of sizes out there at the moment, with some around the 2lb mark and the bigger ones around 3lb. They are excellent scrappers for their size. Hepburn Lagoon the water level is low, exposing a lot of weed. I’ve heard on the grapevine of the odd one or two trout chasing smelt out there, pretty much the same

as Newlyn. Find the clear pockets of water where trout are smelting, get your flies, lures or plastics in front of them, and hopefully they will eat them. The trout at Hepburn during the winter feed a lot on midge that hatch, in particular on very calm days, and I use small black nymphs to target these midge feeders. Donny Rogers and Mick Fanning have been targeting the redfin at Cosgrove Reservoir. The boys have been cleaning up, catching plenty of reddies including some knocking on the door of 50cm – true trophy reds. The boys have been using Ambush 3” paddle tail soft plastics, and hopping the plastics across the bottom. Donny said that some days the fish are on, while on other days they can’t raise a scale. He said it’s all about persisting and covering water – eventually you come across them, and they are happy to

eat the plastics. Donny, Mick and good fishing mate Hayden Wilson over the past few months have targeted smaller, lesser-known waters for redfin around Ballarat, with excellent results. A lot of anglers drive past these waters and have never given them the time of day, but the boys have persisted and have been reaping the rewards. At Tullaroop Reservoir the water clarity is still very poor. There have been reports of a few redfin being caught on worms and lures, but as for trout, I haven’t heard a thing at all. This is very disappointing to say the least, because last year I was fishing Tullaroop every week throughout the winter months with flies and lures. I’m hoping the water does clear over the next couple of months, as last year’s spring fishing for trout was sensational.

their resident redfin become a target at this time of year. Reddies can still be caught on lures, however with the colder temperature they do become a bit lethargic. Slower presentations like a soft plastic on a light jighead would the preferred option, but the fish can take anything on their day so keep your options open. Bigger models are often caught throughout winter, so don’t be surprised if you pull a quality fish out of even the smallest of ponds. It is important to remember that the trout closure is in place for a purpose, and we need to give the fish a break. Everything going to plan, we should be in for a good season ahead from opening in September.

Fishing options in SW Gippsland WEST/SOUTH GIPPSLAND

Billy Auldist

rainbows to just under a kilo are taking shallow to medium divers, flat line trolled out the back. Electric propulsion is winning over 2-stroke power when on the troll. The water level at the boat ramp is more than adequate for boats up to 4m in length, and possibly slightly bigger. Chinook salmon of various weights and sizes continue to be taken from Lake Bullen Merri. Flat line trolling Lofty’s Cobra style lures or medium diving minnows, or bait fishing at depth using pilchard, has seen plenty caught. Tiger trout approaching 3kg are also plentiful at times. There is blue-green algae here but it’s not thick, and does move around depending on which way the wind is blowing. Many newly stocked fish can be nuisance fish, but the 4-6lb+ fish are out there thanks to the many

stockings that Fisheries have undertaken. Lake Purrumbete does have some solid trout from 7lb+, along with other species. Some rainbows, tiger and cheetah trout have been caught recently, with most anglers taking the time to cast towards the bankside weed beds. Some fish have also been taken flat line trolling, fairly close to the weed beds. Lofty’s Cobra style winged lures have been popular, along with a wide array of minnow lures, both medium and deep diving. Twilight still remains the prime time, along with overcast, even wet days as long as the barometer is over 1010 and steady. Trolling in depths of 10m+ gives the fish time in which to identify the lures as potential prey, and decide whether or not to attack from the cover of nearby weed beds.

A brown trout that took a Wildbait Minnow in a feeder stream.

A solid rainbow trout caught towards the end of the season by the author in the LaTrobe River. JULY 2023 91

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Mercury is dropping, but the fishing frenzy is rising for people who have smaller boats and lighter gear, trying their luck on landing a truly amazing trophy. This has all been going on while the traditional and spectacular fishing grounds of Eaglehawk Neck start to fish well.

OFFSHORE

Kelly Hunt

Well, there is no mistaking it: winter is here. Gather ‘round and lend an ear to an icy tale that will send shivers of excitement down your spine. We’re venturing to the frozen wonderland of Tasmania in the heart of winter, where the mercury plunges and the fishing frenzy rises. Yes, you heard it right – July in Tassie offers some mind-bogglingly good fishing conditions for the elusive striped trumpeter and the legendary blue-eye trevalla, so don’t despair and don’t let those winter blues set in. CATCH ‘EM A frosty morning may greet you as you slip on your layers of thermal gear, resembling an Alaskan dog sledder. The steam billows from your cup of hot coffee, warming your frosty fingers as you stride off to the boat

Eythan Purton from Team Seismic with a very nice blue-eye.

Adam Beattie with a solid Bass Strait barrel caught off Sisters Beach. ramp. Your breath shows in the frigid air, and your heart races with anticipation for what lies beneath the icy depths. It’s time to conquer 92 JULY 2023

As you venture out into the great unknown, remember that while Tasmania is a place of unparalleled beauty, it is also renowned for its swiftly changing weather conditions. Keep an eye on the forecast throughout

the cold, and reel in these Tasmanian tasty treats! Now, you might be wondering, “Why would anyone subject themselves

to such arctic conditions?” Well, my fellow fishos, the answer lies in the thrill that awaits you beneath those frigid waters. July is prime time for striped trumpeter and blue-eye trevalla. While it is cold here in July, there are some really still, calm days, and these can be taken advantage of. Watch your weather apps, make sure you are ready to go, and don’t miss your opportunity. STRIPEYS AND BLUEYS Let’s talk about the striped trumpeter, an enigmatic creature that lures anglers from far and wide to brave the icy Tasmanian seas. These magnificent green/yellowish fish, adorned with distinct stripes, possess a flavour that will make your taste buds do a happy dance. Landing one of these beauties requires a little work and patience, but the reward is worth every freezing moment. Once you have caught a few, please take all the care in the world to fillet and clean them the best you can. Seek out some videos online to help you. And then, there’s the blue-eye trevalla – a legendary creature that haunts the deeper depths of the Southern Ocean. Renowned for its delectable white flesh, this trevalla has earned its reputation as the ‘holy grail’ of Tasmanian deep water fishing. Its striking big googly eyes seem to hold the secrets of the underwater world, enticing anglers to take up the challenge of hooking one. In July, these mysterious beauties congregate in schools, presenting an opportunity to load up on these silver grey footballs.

SHALLOW WATER BLUEFIN The shallow water southern bluefin phenomenon continues to fire. Bass Strait is still producing big bluefin off Sisters Beach, Burnie and Devonport. These fish are being caught on bait in 25-50m of water and are easily accessible by crews with varying degrees of experience. The area inshore of Schouten Island in Great Oyster Bay has also had a run of really good quality fish. These two areas have led to a gold rush of activity

Lachlan Barnes with an Oyster Bay barrel.

Winter is a great time for making memories on the water.

your fishing day and if it looks like cracking up, head for home. So, fellow anglers, pack your fishing gear and brace yourselves for the ultimate icy fishing fiesta in Tasmania. July is your chance to join the brave souls who chase the trumpeter, blue-eye trevalla and tuna, defying the cold. Tasmanian winters may be chilly, but the adrenaline rush of battling these prized species will keep you warm. Just remember to dress like the Michelin Man, layer up with your finest thermal underwear, and don’t forget your trusty thermos of piping hot coffee to keep your spirits high. And if you don’t have a pie oven on your boat by now, you must ask yourself some serious questions. We often order a range of pie flavours from the Phil Maney Pie shop and have a glorious feed while fishing the depths. Until next month, keep one eye on the weather, and tight lines.

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Anglers treated to great fishing HOBART

Andrew Large

What a month it has been in Tasmania! The SBT are still on the chew, with a healthy mix of jumbosized battlers thrown in. Our trout season has been and gone, but winter

weather) has seen last season’s bait hang around longer into winter than usual... most probably because our water has remained 2-3°C warmer than usual. It seems to me as though we are being treated to some extended autumn fishing! The southern bluefin

Sea-run trout have been the target of many estuary anglers. Fly choice has centred around generic baitfish patterns rather than whitebait, which are usually scarce at this time of year. waters remain open and are producing good trout! All anglers, whether venturing into salt or fresh, have been treated to some fantastic fishing. All in all, the lack of winter rains (aside from a week of snowy, drizzly

action has been insane on the coast, with a healthy mix of 15-25kg, 50-70kg and in recent weeks, 100-120kg barrels. They have been caught nearly the entire length of the Tasmania’s east coast, with a sprinkling of action

still occurring towards the northwest tip. Calamari are available from the southeast around Bruny Island to the northeast tip at Musselroe Bay. Easterly ground swell makes this fish retreat for deeper water during such times. Tiger flathead have been reported from Bicheno and Freycinet Peninsula in 80m of water, but they are slowing for winter as the temperatures drop for the next 10 weeks. Sand flathead haven’t really tapered off from summer. They are still patchy but available to the persistent angler. Please remember the new interim size and bag limits. Striped trumpeter are running well in most areas, with fish being caught in the relatively shallow waters; 6kg fish have been coming from 40m, about half the desired depth. The season closure is looming (August) so please get those trips in where you can, and as weather windows allow. Morwong perch have provided anglers with consistent action in peninsula waters around Fortescue Bay and Munro Bight. These fish are always a delight for winter, and really are a relied upon staple around our coastlines. The winter run of Australian salmon has entertained those anglers brave enough to brave the scattered inclement weather during June. Southeastern surf beaches have seen the majority of the action, but

nearly all east coast surf beaches will keep anglers entertained. Some fish have nudged 3kg. The trout season may be closed, but what a month of freshwater winter fishing we have experienced! Nearly all off season open waters have been producing fat, fit fish to kick off the spawning run, and winter in general. Great Lake has fished well so far this winter season, and although open 12 months has still seen a fair amount of patronage. Well-conditioned browns have been picked up around the shores. More recently rainbows are now being taken by trollers in open water. These fish are in great condition and about to spawn. Sea-run trout have been chasing whitebait, as mentioned above, in the Huon estuary. This will get better next month, as we head into July and August as part of the new season. The River Derwent hasn’t seen as much whitebait activity but trout are still smashing bait opportunistically. Whitebait runs should peak during October, so they’re still a few months off yet. The good news is these trout are at their easiest to target at the moment, as they are very opportunistic and are scavenging on a multitude of different estuary bait during winter. Local River Derwent anglers have noticed higher than normal amounts of seal and dolphin activity lately. From experience, this situation tells us that

Healthy 1.5kg winter rainbow trout have been gracing anglers’ bags from many of the open waters. healthy populations of baitfish are present for our seatrout and black bream. Anglers have also reported healthy out-ofseason whitebait runs in the Huon River, with sea-trout feeding heavily on them in recent weeks. This has led to some exciting fishing on the river for those anglers able to take advantage of this. Black bream continue to smash bait in the shallows from the Tasman Bridge to New Norfolk in the River Derwent. Fly fishers have experienced incredible sight

fishing as waters remain clear as a result of the lack of winter rains. In short, it’s all happening around the state. Angling pressure at the moment is probably a bit heavier than normal in most locations this year, as most anglers have extra time to pursue their favourite species and mild settled weather. Get out there before winter proper kicks in, and enjoy the extended autumn before the action shuts down and the fish move off.

FISHING NEWS

Common carp get kicked to the curb at Lake Sorell

The Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) is extremely excited to announce that after an intensive 28-year program, it has functionally eradicated common carp (Cyprinus carpio), meaning the few, if any, remaining carp in Lake Sorell are unable to breed. The invasive carp were confirmed in lakes Crescent (23km2) and Sorell (53km2) in 1995. These large lakes have wetlands of state, national and international significance and are home to the endemic golden galaxias (Galaxias auratus). The Carp Management Program (CMP) was established by the IFS in response to this incursion. The last carp in Lake Crescent was caught in 2007 with eradication announced in 2009. Since then, efforts were diverted to the much larger Lake Sorell. Using the proven

The IFS has functionally eradicated common carp in Lake Sorell.

strategies implemented in Lake Crescent, techniques were modified to suit the more expansive Lake Sorell. These techniques included intensive gill netting, biotelemetry, electro-fishing, spawning habitat barriers and traps. From 1995 to 2023, 41,504 carp were removed from Lake Sorell and 7,797 from Lake Crescent. Eradication efforts in Lake Sorell were assisted by the jelly gonad condition (JGC) in male carp, which causes sterility. IFS has determined that any remaining carp in Lake Sorell are likely to be either female or JGC males. The last fertile male was caught in the 2018-19 season with only a single female carp captured in the 2022-23 season. Annual juvenile carp surveys in Lake Sorell have not detected any evidence of recruitment since 2013. This is despite ideal environmental

conditions for carp spawning in spring 2016, 2021 and 2022, highlighting their inability to breed. The IFS will monitor Lake Sorell to confirm eradication and undertake educational campaigns on the threats invasive species pose to Tasmania. Based on the recovery of the Lake Crescent fishery, the coming season provides a great opportunity for anglers to reunite with Lake Sorell and for the younger generation to experience for the first time. UPDATE FROM TASMANIA POLICE Over the King’s Birthday long weekend, Tasmania Police Marine and Rescue undertook marine safety and fisheries checks on the east coast of Tasmania around Coles Bay, Orford and Eaglehawk Neck and detected several offences. Police issued infringement notices, fines and cautions for:

• 32 x people detected breaching marine safety and fisheries rules • 3 x using / possessing rock lobster pots in closed area • 7 x taking either undersize or excess scallops • 12 x not having the minimum required safety equipment • 7 x taking sand flathead under 350mm • 3 x miscellaneous offences. Anglers are reminded that the recreational rock lobster fishery for the Eastern Region has been closed since 1 May 2023, and that possession or use of rock lobster pots in the eastern region is an offence for which substantial fines exist. Anglers also need to remember the recent changes to minimum size for sand flathead; the minimum legal size is now 350mm, with a reduced daily take limit of 10 fish. – Fisheries Tasmania JULY 2023 93

South Coast

Good variety of species ESPERANCE

Murray Johnson

July is always a great time in Esperance when it comes to fishing. A range of species including gummy

skippy around the 2kg mark, good numbers of salmon, and plenty of herring. Closer to town at Stockyards, normally we’ll see plenty of good-size flathead being caught, plus salmon and the occasional

the cliffs, weather permitting, can encounter plenty of big flathead going up to 3kg, mulloway, and a chance of catching pink snapper off the beach. Mixed in with these fish are tailor, sharks and salmon.

Lachy Warren with a ripper south coast kingfish. Image courtesy of @lachy_warren.

There have been a few samsonfish amongst the kingies. Image courtesy of @lachy_warren. sharks, salmon, big skippy, and mulloway are being caught at plenty of locations in the area. At this time of year, beaches such as Roses can produce skippy up to

skippy. There are also plenty of herring, and fishing the weed banks at the start of the beach can produce sand whiting and the occasional King George whiting. Heading further east out

In the bream lakes in town, there is plenty of water and plenty of fish being caught, up to the 44cm mark. If you’re going out int a kayak or small boat, look for the deeper holes which are normally around the middle of the lake system, rather than fishing the edges. A productive lure for the bream of late has been the

Daiwa Double Clutch 60 in blue smelt. Moving to boat fishing in the bay, there are lots and lots of squid, and they’re solid specimens ranging up to around 40cm (hood size). The best jig colours at the moment have been light colours like white or off-white. Some of the stand-out jigs at the moment are the Yamashita Egi Sutte R in white or a pilchard colour, in size 3.5, and the Harimitsu in cherry cream pie (white belly with a pink back), also in 3.5 size. Good numbers of sand whiting and snook are around the islands and there are still plenty of groper being caught, plus sea sweep and smaller nannygai. There’s also the occasional

samsonfish coming in close as well. Some of the guys chasing yellowtail kingfish in the white water around the islands are getting results on natural-coloured stickbaits such as the Halco Slidog in a pilchard colour. Some kingies have also been falling to CID Shiverstick 160s in chrome. Out wide, the offshore anglers are still catching plenty of dhufish, with sizes now getting up to around the 12-13kg mark quite frequently. These fish are slowly getting bigger and more frequent. There are also good numbers of nannygai up to 65cm, yellowtail kings up to 20kg, and samsonfish up to 30kg. Breaksea cod are also

regularly featuring in catches, along with the occasional harlequin and queen snapper. JULY FISHING In the coming weeks we will still see salmon cruising around, and the squid fishing will continue for a fair while. The skippy and gummy sharks will continue to bite through the colder weather as well. • 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.

Still quality catches in the cold BUNBURY

Whiteys Tackle and Camping

A white pointer decides to pay a visit. Image courtesy of @ttfishing0887.

5kg, along with plenty of gummies up to 20kg, and salmon around the 5-6kg mark. You can also get bronze whalers chasing the salmon schools, and bigger tailor are also in the mix. Areas like Munglinup Beach produce good numbers of smaller mulloway at this time of year, along with 94 JULY 2023

of town, Alexander Bay will see plenty of salmon, bronze whalers, and again goodsize skippy, with samples going 5kg. Thomas River is seeing plenty of gummy sharks and mulloway being caught, along with the usual skippy, flathead and salmon. Anyone heading towards

Winter is in full swing and by judging by the breaks in the weather even the small tinnie brigade can get stuck into some quality fish as they will make an appearance in the shallow regions. Once a front passes, generally the next 3-4 days will be light winds and, with the stirred up dirty water, the pink snapper make their presence known by showing up in solid numbers. Surprisingly, you can find big fish in as shallow as 4m. Anchor up (or Spot Lock with a GPS electric motor) next to a bit of structure and get the berley cranking and before long the drag will be singing. To get the best results, try a variety of bait/artificial options with some techniques working better on different days. Lightly weighted plastics around 4-5” or the humble

Sophie White had fun at the beach.

mulie will get results drifting back through the berley trail will get slammed most days and, as a bonus, the chummed up water will bring the skippy into play and can keep you occupied until the serious targets show up. Reports of multiple fish captures are really starting to roll in over the last few weeks with some mid-sized dhuies making an appearance in the berley trails, especially in the low light conditions before or after dark. Land-based fishers have had a heap of fun lately with the hordes of salmon, trout and herring in our estuary as well as some excellent reports of mulloway passing through the cut. Winter is also the best time of year to get into the big squid. The most productive way being by boat, however, the dedicated fishos targeting the calamari land-based are picking them up in small numbers from

Pleasant fishing and glorious days AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

As autumn rolls smoothly into winter, the subtle changes have been taking place almost imperceptibly. This is much more welcome

are perfect for hot or cold smoking and with plenty of omega-3 oil they are a great healthy option for a meal. Fishing in the river and Hardy Inlet for the last month has been absolutely bursting with activity for anyone dropping a line. The

This means that secret spots previously producing fish could be high and dry or subject to fast water flow making it unfishable. Looking around and trying likely looking spots has been the way to go. The black bream have

Octogenarian Linda Riley from Denver Colorado shows that age is no barrier by landing this trophy sized dhufish in Flinders Bay. than the usual jarring wake up call of a storm or two signalling the end of fine weather announcing the arrival of winter. The pleasantness of 20ºC days, low winds and calm waters during autumn has been an absolute boon for people engaging in outdoor activities. With the salmon run being long and slow moving this year there has been plenty of fishing to be had on rock, beach and jetty. The herring run is currently in full swing and it has been impossible to avoid catching them even if you tried to. With many fish being around 30cm you would be mad not to keep some for a feed as they

squid have come in with a vengeance and anywhere where the jetty lights shine they will be found hunting the masses of herring who are in turn stalking the river prawns and bluebait. Spending 10 minutes watching the activity at the jetties is enough to make you glad to be on top of the food chain! The tidal movement through the cut has been extremely vigorous of late and as a result there has been a lot of sand shifting throughout the system which has created massive sandbars, uncovered previously hidden structures as well as changing the depth and location of the channels.

been elusive in the lower reaches but further up the river they are pretty prevalent. The biggest activity has been around Molloy Island, Scott River and Alexandra Bridge. By far the best chance to land a big fish has been using river prawns which they are wolfing down. Just remember to let them run for a while where they will pause before swallowing the bait and take off a gain. That is when to strike for the best chance of a solid hook up. They know their best snags and oysters to get rid of a hook so play them strongly as finessing usually results in a bust off for the bigger fish. The blue swimmer crabs are still about but are now

local rock walls and jetties. An always welcome by-catch at this time of year are the mulloway and tailor that frequent our beaches. The last few weeks have been no exception with some horse tailor sessions being had on weightless mulies my personal favourite. The Collie River’s lower reaches have been fishing best for bream after the rains we have had over the last few weeks. The fresh waters have flushed the shrimp and bait fish from the upper end down to the mouth area bringing the bream with them. River prawns and diced mullet

always work well as a bait option for bream, however, for a cleaner and much more interactive approach, pick up some soft plastic grubs or bream prawns as a fun alternative. The freshwater scene peaks around this time of year with the redfin spawning and working up a big appetite. They really come onto the chew and become even more territorial than they already are. Huge numbers are being caught assisting in cleaning them out of our waterways with some solid brown and rainbow trout being pulled up along side them. Don’t forget the redfin are a pest species

that are not native to our area and cannot be returned to the water. Plus they taste fantastic so why send them back! Depending on location the redfin can be targeted in multiple different ways, for example, trolling deep diving lures past timber in the dams, bouncing plastics along a stream or fly fishing to name a few. • For any info, tips or advice on anything you have read, heard about or dreamt about or to have a brag, duck into Whiteys tackle and camping, 1/143 Grand entrance Treendale and say hello, we are always more than happy to help and love a good story!

few and far between with the time taken to locate the odd one not worth the investment of time and bait. They seem to have contracted to deeper holes and dug themselves in. You are better off looking for river prawns if you want a feed of crustaceans as there are many more of them about. If you want to try boat fishing but don’t own a boat then come and see the friendly staff at Augusta Xtreme Boat Hire who can sort you out all manner of water craft for the experienced operator or novice. Part of Augusta Xtreme Outdoor Sports, you can drop into the shop in the main street or visit Emma who will be working at our moorings at the Old Town Jetty. No skippers ticket is required to operate most of out boats and basic instructions will soon get you underway. With a period of 10 days glass off providing perfect conditions in the bays and with demersal fishing back on the table for the time being, people took every opportunity to get a bag out of the usually restricted bounty. Reports were of mainly dhufish being landed from Augusta to Black Point

The author with a 6kg salmon caught on a soft plastic jig in 20m of water. quite a few were taken on jigs and trolled lures. Most of the larger fish were in the 15kg -20kg range, but there were plenty of smaller 5kg fish about. With very little kudoa issues in the area you

A typical autumn rock fishing haul of herring and skippy perfect for eating fresh or smoking. with a few pink snapper and queen snapper thrown in for good measure. Bait caught fish were very common with squid and cuttlefish pieces being very successful, especially if combined with the commonly used Vexed Bottom Meat jighead. Those chasing kingfish out near the islands in Flinders Bay found them to be somewhat elusive, however, samson fish were not so difficult to find and

South Coast

can be pretty confident that they don’t have the issues that metro caught fish often have which makes them ideal to eat. Something that many people don’t bother with choosing to release them to grow bigger. Whale migration is in full swing and it is quite common to meet a few as they travel through the area which makes for some excitement; especially if a 40 tonne behemoth surfaces alongside your boat. You

cannot deliberately approach them but often they will give you a spy hop or a spectacular breech up close as they are quite curious by nature. Rock fishing conditions have been great right through the area and with mammoth schools of herring everywhere you would have been extremely unlucky to miss out on catching a meal. The main food for the herring along the rocks and beaches currently are the enormous amounts of maggots feeding on rotting weed masses. Easy spots to fish for them are the marina rock-walls, Flat rock and Dead Finish with Ringbolt Bay and Lighthouse Bay good when the wind is light. Skippy Rock, Elephant Rock and Knobbies Point are also producing but you need to show caution if the swell is up. Squid pieces, prawn pieces or cockles are great baits and small chrome slice lures or a float with a piece of fluorescent tubing cast out and wound in quickly work better on the biggest fish. • Rock fishing is dangerous at times and careful consideration of where and when you fish must be done. Unpredictable weather can quickly affect the fishing conditions and slippery rocks are a recipe for disaster. Please remain vigilant when rock fishing; wear a life jacket and tie off to something solid. You can hire one for free from Augusta Xtreme Outdoor Sports at 66 Blackwood Avenue Augusta -the local tackle shop, boat hire and font of all local fishing knowledge. Look for the big green sign on the roof, it’s right next to the BP Service Station in the centre of town. JULY 2023 95

West Coast

No excuse to not get out and go fishing this month METRO

Jacob Crispe

As I put this July report together, we have just had our first big rains, with hail as well, and without a doubt the temperatures have dropped even more. All of this means that angler comfort levels have dropped, so a little more commitment is required to get out and wet a line. In saying that, there is some good fishing to be had.

Paul Coelho has been loving the action from the yellowfin tuna. a good place to start. Your main target species will be bream, yellowfin whiting and flathead. For the bream and flathead, look for areas where food will collect for these species. In the case of the bream, it will be in and around natural or manmade structure. For the flathead, it will be the areas dropping into deeper water, whether that is off a sand flat or a channel in deeper water. These species will sit waiting in these areas to ambush any food that may swim past. The better yellowfin whiting fishing tends to be in the shallower water using baits like blood worms, sand worms or prawns. The best results usually come during the dark hours (to minimize to blowfish bycatch). An extra layer of clothing may be required! The mulloway fishing

well). The snapper fishing has been exceptional and should continue in July. Other species to look for are tailor, mulloway and squid. Fresh baits and, as always, berley will optimise your chances of success. As I said, most walls are firing for one species or another, but it is always worth checking out the Fremantle Sailing Club walls, North and South Mole, and Hillarys. Our beaches are fishing very well at the moment. Mulloway, snapper and tailor are your main targets, however the odd samson is also being caught, so just never know. Although the local beaches are producing, if you don’t mind a bit of a drive, the Moore River near Guilderton has opened after the recent rains.

James Ancell with a massive breaksea cod caught while jigging for demersals. the quality (size) of these fish will be excellent. Squid numbers will be down, but you always expect to catch larger specimens through the cooler months, so they are always worth targeting. Broken water around any of the inshore reefs will hold tailor, and skippy numbers this year are out of this world. They can

Paul with a prime example of the southern calamari we get at this time of year just off Freo. SWAN RIVER If you are planning to fish the Swan River, you will be best served to focus your efforts towards

Marco Orifici and the boys from Anglers Fishing World Fremantle wcaught this double header of southern bluefin tuna while trolling.

the mouth of the system. Although still a large area, I believe the zone between Left Bank (Riverside Road) to Heathcote will be

inshore waters are holding plenty of this hard-fighting species as well. Pack a heavier outfit in case you come across some of them. The keys will be to anchor, set a berley trail and fish the light changes. Try fishing the area between Rockingham and Yanchep. OFFSHORE All the talk about our offshore waters has been based around the fantastic run of southern bluefin tuna we have been having. These fish literally seem to be everywhere, and they are not a bad size either (5-10kg). Sitting amongst these fish have been some solid yellowfin tuna as well, up to 30kg. Trolling skirted lures or shallowrunning hardbody lures has been the most effective method to target them. This type of fishing may not be everybody’s cup of tea, and these fish are not your only options in our offshore waters. Species like breaksea cod,

The fish tucker man strikes again! Dom Magoo with a double header of KG. These specimens are as good as they come in shallow water.

Tim O’Donnell is the man with the plan when it comes to catching monster yellowfin tuna in these waters at this time of year. 96 JULY 2023

continues to be a welcome constant in the Swan. Live baits during the cooler months are the preferred option, and the area between Causeway and the E-Sheds will be a good place to start. ROCK WALLS AND BEACHES The cooler months offer some excellent fishing from our rock walls (pretty much all of them as

Anytime this happens it generally means some excellent fishing will be on the cards. Get in quick before it closes again. INSHORE Snapper will remain a big focus for the inshore anglers this month, however there will be some other species fighting for their attention. We can expect the King George whiting numbers to improve, and

Travis Moger with an excellent pink snapper he caught fishing off the local rock walls. be found around these reefs as well. As well as samsons being on the beaches, our

dhufish, pinkies (there are some big fish amongst them) and queen snapper in these cooler months

Anglers need to take opportunities MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

July is sure to be an entertaining month, though anglers will need to be opportunistic when it comes to finding a gap

protected options, such as freshwater, river and inshore boating with harsher conditions much impactful than out wide. Although it can be quite difficult to find the time to head offshore with harsh weather always around,

waters out to 15m will yield plenty of great sized pink snapper which are more than willing to feed on abundant local prey such as mullet, octopus, herring and whiting. If you are chasing a feed of dhufish the same baits will work, although you will

Bunyip is a local legend who loves getting offshore for a demersal fish, and he sure does a good job at it. in the weather and basing their decision around what it permits. With the typical winter weather well among us, many anglers will favour conditionare all available in 20-50m of water. I feel like I say this a lot in my report, but it can pay to look for less obvious structure to fish. These areas will more than likely have seen less fishing pressure, and you may be surprised by the results you get. Give it a try! South West Rottnest always offers some good fishing as well. Samsonfish and kingfish are popular targets in this area. Although there are fewer opportunities to get to our deep drop waters during this part of the year, if an opportunity presents itself, it is always worth giving it a try. Nobody will ever complain about having some 8-bar cod, bass groper or blue-eye trevalla to have for their next meal.

anglers who make the most the permitting windows of time will find that there is plenty of fish to keep them entertained. Fishing the shallow

want to focus on areas with plenty of rocks like ledges, small rock piles or the more evident lumps. Whether you are targeting demersal species on artificial lures or

a freshly caught bait, it is always important to make sure that your presentation is appropriately weighted and has a reasonable drop rate without plummeting to the ocean floor. Whether you are fishing from town or Dawesville, the rocks are a great option provided that the surge and swells are not too excessive or unsafe. Similarly to our rivers, the rocks around Mandurah will always provide some fun for anglers, as they are highways that the fish pass through and are a safe haven for smaller species that want to protect

Tidal Blues boys never cease to amaze with what they find on their lure fishing expeditions.

Ben is a tournament angler who is a great guy that loves fishing for bream on artificials. themselves from the conditions or predators. Even though what you may catch is vast, likely species you will encounter when rock fishing around Mandurah will generally include the usual herring, sand whiting, silver trevally and the odd salmon. When targeting these smaller fish, presenting a smaller bait or lure is most effective and will encourage faster committing bites in the typical current that surrounds these areas. If you are chasing larger species like mulloway, pink snapper or salmon, a larger anchored bait like herring, whiting or mullet that is soaked for an extended period will generally make things worthwhile for the species, provided that you have presented it well.

West Coast

Our local rivers are a year round option, but they become a much more viable when the finer weather begins to drop off and the harsher weather becomes more prevalent. Though the target species are limited, which can be less than appealing to the variety angler, being surrounded by trees and structures will generally make for a much more pleasant experience when mother nature has anything but clear skies in mind. If you are one of the fishers which finds bream or river mulloway a tantalising prospect, you will find that most of the mid to lower sections of river will produce fish and will likely keep you entertained for the duration of your session. Cooler months can

quite often slow down some of the bigger fish, which makes more room for the smaller more active fish to feed and grow as a result. When targeting fish during this time, anglers will generally find that amongst the large amount of smaller fish, a bigger fish will spontaneously make its presence known and be willing to test your skill. Whether you are fishing baits or lures, it can be vital to place your presentation close to structure to account for these fish that are less willing to move and are keeping out of some of faster currents hoping to reserve their energy for as long as possible. Looking to the future, August means to many that the demersal finfish ban will once again be among us until the next lot of school holidays. Anglers as a whole can expect boating to still be worthwhile during the month, with many non demersal species which offer a great feed or sport still very much around. Though most will park their boats up or look at alternative ways to scratch their fishing itch during this time, be assured that if you are willing to put in the work, there will be plenty of fish around and they will be quite willing to keep you busy.

Hools Orifici is all smiles knowing he has fresh sashimi on the menu with this little southern blue.

James Ancell with a lovely 8-bar cod. James loves heading out wide and dropping his jig in deep.

If you really want to test yourself, why not deep jig some of these areas? No gym session will be required on that day if you are doing that. In my mind, having to put on another layer of clothing on is no excuse to not get out and go fishing. If anything, we are just so lucky that we have so many fishing options to choose from, no matter what time of the year it is. Get out and give it a go, and I will catch you next month.

Although demersal fishing from boats is banned, you can always attempt to catch them from the local beaches that are surrounded by good ground. JULY 2023 97

West Coast

Go for the gutters LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

July is generally the time the local gutters form up well and we can expect them to hold up with some decent depth through to November. Gutters offer deep near shore waters

the peak feeding times of sunrise and set are also worth a shot. Lancelin back beach has some great gutters, but surfers like this beach too, so best to hit it up from sunset to dawn and move off once the sun rises. There is a small but great section of gutters between the Nilgen nature reserve

deeper holes even using the gutter as a refuge to lay up during the day. Big tailor and mulloway like to lay under the cover of a rolling wave over the deeper water, so look for where a wave is breaking over a shallow bank across into the deeper water. When the swell is up fish are less likely to

The author was very happy to land a XL baldchin groper from the tinnie. securing a bag of pilchards or fish frames in the beach wash down current from where you are casting baits. The demersal season will close ‘yet again’ at the end of this month for the boaties, while the beachbased fishers can fish

are the main game for the drone fishers with good numbers of fish around that 300m zone right along the coast, something most boat fishers overlook! Whether fishing from a boat or dropping with the drone, berley always gets the

main game when it comes to sports fishing this time of year, with good numbers of these brutes along the lumps outside and along the white bank, nearshore reefs and even patrolling around the bay and harassing the schools of baitfish around

Gordon Jolly cast out a whole large herring as far as he could and exchanged it for a ripper 90cm snapper. sheltered from the largest waves that lose their energy on the outer bank. The deep near shore waters are great for lure casting and make fishing that little bit easier, especially while the wind and swell is up. The top of the tide is the best time to fish gutters, although if they have sufficient depth

sign and Virgin Reef, but weed can be a problem here at times. The best and largest stretch of gutters runs from Narrowneck through to well north of Wedge Island. When fishing gutters think about how fish will be feeding within the gutter, if the swell is down they are likely to be in the

be holding in the strongest current where they need to use a lot of energy, look for an eddy where the current drops out and cast to the edge. Berley can greatly increase success, but just throwing berley into a strong current is going to take the fish away from you. Creating a scent trail to the baits is best done by

Graeme Doodson has been catching a stream of mulloway this winter, he has certainly mastered the art.

A quick picture before release of a nice mulloway, too good to catch once. 98 JULY 2023

the year throughout. The baldies tend to be out a bit deeper at this time of year, while the breaksea cod, snapper and dhufish can all be caught closer to shore. Lobster pots are setup on lumps at this time of year, highlighting any good grounds you might want to mark up for future ventures. Drone fishing has become a big thing the last several years. Pink snapper

results when it comes to snapper. Selecting a likely spot and returning the baits with a little berley to the same area each drop will create activity that bring in the snapper to your ‘drop zone’. Early morning or after a recent storm the best time to be targeting snapper close to the beach. Cool waters means the mackerel are mostly gone and tuna are sporadic at best. Samson fish are the

the jetty. Cuttlefish came inshore in great numbers this year. They will take a demersal bait or jig and be hooked quite easily, though if you pull hard it is likely to break free, if you suspect a cuttle on the line back off the drag a little and just a slow wind to the surface. I have been using a two dropper paternoster with whole whiting on a squid spike and a large squid

Trophy size tailor KALBARRI

Stephen Wiseman

The warm water is still pushing from the north and is hanging at around 23ºC, which is good enough for macks; catches are from north of Baldface to way down south at Lucky Bay. These late season fish are big and fat and are hitting deep diver lures and shallow bibs, with some fish being taken on stick baits. Most fish have been in the range of 10kg+ with some string stretchers going close to high teens. Some other notable catches have been tailor in the donkey class as the one taken by Tim Farnell, which cleared 7kg on the scales and is certainly in the class of trophy fish that jig out in the 25-35m depths to great effect. By the end of the month they will be starting to die off and float. Flathead are in spawning condition while smaller fish are being caught on the whiting grounds in 20m, good numbers of much larger fish are along the beaches and around the nearshore weed to sand edges. The bread and butter species are a great way to entertain and teach the kids to finer arts of fishing. There’s been plenty of herring and skippy around the

powered away on release. That fish was as big as I have seen since the early 70s and would have been the old 16lb mark and going out to over 39” (or 1m). The largest I have details of was 1012mm caught by Garry Lilley in the 90s. So there are still some big fish patrolling the shores around the Murchison River. Tuna have not been around in numbers like normal at this time or year but may still make a showing in the deeper offshore waters later in the season. Small stripies have shown to the north by the Sand Patch late in the afternoons but have been flighty, as per normal for these little speedsters. The river is still producing some very nice catches of mud crabs from the jetty and black bream are

West Coast

still around in numbers from the Pens and up river to the Barbys. Try river prawns for the blacks and don’t cast out too far as the big ones are in by the snags. Pink snapper are thick in the 20m range of reefs running along the coast from north of the river mouth all the way along the coast to well past Baldface. The best baits are mullet or mullies if you can get them, average fish size are in the 650-750 size. Changes to the fishing regs doesn’t seem to be bothering people now as most of the dhufish catches I’m hearing of are all legal size to the old system, so things may stay as is but not effect anglers as much as we all thought. Safe fishing to all visiting Kalbarri.

Tim Farnell caught a monster of a tailor weighing over 7kg.

Casting lures to the wash areas around reefs and gutters can find some solid greenbacks at this time of year.

bay for the dinghy and kayak fishers. Herring gather around the jetty at sunset, small soft plastics work well here or float unweighted prawn baits into the schools. Sand whiting have been very impressive this winter along the beaches in size, you can gather a great feed and why not throw one out whole. Mulloway can turn up any time of day or place at this time of year. Squid have been very good this season, I have seen people with buckets full fishing the predawn under the lights at the jetty. While you can catch

them throughout the day, first and last light is always when they are most actively hunting prey. It is also a good time of year for blue swimmer crabs off the jetty or dropping nets along the near shore of the bay. The mulloway season has been a cracker this year with fish coming to those who put in the time and effort. Fish are at their best around the new and the lead up to the full moon. While tailor fishing has been very hit and miss, quality of the winter fish makes up for the low numbers.

FISHING NEWS

Fisheries identifying vital habitats in Cockburn Sound Over the past two years, fisheries researchers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) have joined fellow scientists from Murdoch, Curtin and Edith Cowan universities and CSIRO to carry out hundreds of field trips in Cockburn Sound. Supported by the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), the joint research effort is assessing the abundance and distribution of 25 key fish and invertebrate species and looking at their multiple life stages to identify critical habitats over the course of a year to establish a baseline for future monitoring. The WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program field work will be completed later this year to enable analysis and

interrogation of the broad range of data collected. In addition to pink snapper, blue swimmer crabs and King George whiting, other key species

in Cockburn Sound include small pelagic fish like whitebait, sardine and scaly mackerel that are a food source for resident fairy penguins, bottlenose

dolphins and Australian sea lions. The research is providing an important contribution to the knowledge of Cockburn Sound’s broader marine

A squid swimming away after being checked by DPIRD researchers.

ecosystem and relationships among key species and environmental variables. Under the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program, DPIRD researchers have also been looking at southern calamari or ‘squid’ as they are more commonly known. The sheltered seagrass meadows throughout Cockburn Sound are some of the most productive and popular locations for recreational squid fishing in WA. DPIRD researcher Daniel Yeoh said the project was assessing squid populations in Cockburn Sound and gathering finer scale distribution data for southern calamari than has ever been collected before. “The surveys we are doing each month cover a comprehensive range of sites from Fremantle to Rockingham,” Dr Yeoh said. “The exact location and depth of every squid

caught is recorded using mapping software on electronic tablets. “As part of this important WAMSI research, we measure the squid quickly and note their sex before releasing them. A range of environmental parameters are also recorded including temperature, depth, water clarity, weather, and sea conditions. “So far, we’ve recorded and measured about 1,000 squid and 99 per cent of them were the southern calamari species, while the others were tropical species of loligo ‘arrow’ squid. “As well as being popular in seafood markets and restaurants and prized for their eating qualities, squid are also an extremely popular species among WA anglers of all ages and skill levels.” – WAMSI

JULY 2023 99

North Coast

Dampier Archipelago: billfish haven

active although still present. Closer to shore there are plenty of options to catch a fish if you are holidaying in the Pilbara and fishing land-based or a tinny and unable to get out wide. Coral trout, bluebone, Spanish flag, Moses perch and darktail snapper can be found around any structure such as rocky out crops and jetty pylons. Flicking lures or simply using a prawn on a paternoster style rig is all you need and combine this with fishing one hour either side of tide change will produce enough fish for dinner back at the caravan park, I am sure. On a trip in June just out of the harbour in Dampier, we worked the rocks around the first couple of islands and caught bluebone, darktail snapper and golden trevally. Darktail snapper can often

DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

The long weekend in June saw the annual Auriga Billfish Shootout in Dampier that is run by the Nickol Bay Sportfishing Club. The weekend was during a full moon and weather conditions almost perfect, just a bit of wind building at midday on the Sunday. It was another superb year of tagged fish, both sailfish and marlin numbers were high and all competitors getting on the board. The lead up to the event had most teams out filling their live bait tanks and eskies with gardies which are renowned for their deadly attraction, obviously from being one of the sought after natural meals of billfish in the Pilbara. The competition was a great success with over 140 sailfish and 13 black marlin tagged during the three day event. After a fairly windy start to the dry season, June has seen picture perfect conditions week after week and this has allowed the water to clean up which is a great help when target squid. Squid are visual hunters, and are also tricky to find in strong currents, for this, neap tides on less windy days during the dry season are perfect for a day out squidding around the islands. Squid can be found over sea grass beds and reef all around the islands. Trolling for squid is not very common in a lot of places around Western Australia, with anchoring and flicking jigs the preferred method. This method is used successfully in the archipelago once you located the squid, especially at night with the use of underwater lights. Finding them can be hit and miss and for this, a method to locate them is to troll very slowly, around 1-3 knots over squid

The author in Nickol Bay with a couple of freshly caught blue swimmer crabs. These were caught in drop nets using chicken wings for bait. habitat. This allows you to cover more ground instead of working areas that may not be holding squid and wasting valuable time. Once you find a path of squid, a trick to keep them is to work multiple rods with jigs and leave one in the water with a squid on it, retrieve another squid, and keep swapping to keep the squad of squid around the boat. Often when you pull them all out at once, the rest of the squad retreat and can be difficult to attract them back again. The great weather has allowed all sizes of boats a

chance to head out wide for demersal species, such as red emperor, rankin cod, blueline and saddletail sea perch that are all in good numbers and can be found regularly over small ledges and coral bottom from 40m depths or more. Heading out towards the gas rigs is a common place as well as out from Fortescue and Point Samson, both of which hold solid demersals in less than 30m. Jigs and baits are equally working well and now the water temperature has dropped below 23ºC, the sharks are a lot less

Using a cooked prawn for bait on a size 8 Gamakatsu hook, Marni Alexander landed this 500mm bluebone fishing the rocky outcrops around a Dampier Archipelago Island. be confused with mangrove jack. The easiest way to tell them apart is the gold spots that can be seen in the

Bag limit per person of blue swimmer crabs in the NW region are 20 per person and 40 per boat. Numbers of crabs are prolific from April to August. 100 JULY 2023

Golden trevally fight hard and when cooked fresh, taste superb. Marni Alexander caught this goldie as a by-catch while targeting bluebone.

sunlight over the body of the darktail snappers. They are a superb eating fish and often found in schools around structure close to shore which make them an ideal fish for children to target. The golden trevally we caught were I the 40cm range and normally we would take one or two for sashimi, which I cannot recommend enough. On this occasion we decided to coat in our own herb and spice flour mix and pan fry in a bit of butter fresh the night we caught them. What an absolute treat. These fish are commonly released as they are not the higher prized fish that can be caught in the Pilbara but just give it a try, you will be surprised juts how good they are and this can go a long way towards taking some of the fishing pressure off other species such as coral trout, bluebone and mangrove

jack, which are all heavily targeted species. Blue swimmer crabbing around Karratha, Point Samson and out from Fortescue continues to be very productive. We reach our bag limit in June in just two and a half pulls of our run of nets and every crab was 20mm or more over legal size and full of firm sweet meat. Lower water temperatures are also assisting in the prevention of drop net loss or damage from sharks. Normally I will lose a few nets each session but last session there was no sign of crabs. The prawn trawlers are actively working Nickol Bay, and this will impact the crab numbers as we heading into late July and August but it is still worth getting out there and chasing a feed, you just may need to be a bit more selective with the area you crab.

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…

Chasing pelagics in July INTUITIVE CONTROL

North Coast

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…

INTUITIVE CONTROL

EXMOUTH

Barry Taylor

This month’s report has been supplied by Connor Luff. Conditions haven’t been too bad lately; it has been a bit windy, but OK enough for most guys to get out. The billfish action has been good, with the charter operators getting pretty consistent results. Recreational anglers have also been catching their share. Plenty of customers have been coming in and getting a few lures (e.g. Richter Soft Grassies or Soft Oscars) and going out and getting one or two. Some keen anglers have been getting into the billies from boats as small as 4m, ALBERTON BRAESIDE weather permitting. Most JV MARINE WORLD haveALBERTON been smallMARINE black marlin, averaging between 39 Johnson Street 20-50g, Alberton 878 Springvale Road Braeside and P:sailfish mainly James Fitzgerald took this photo of a school of giant (03) 5183 2344 around P: (03) 9798 8883 20-30kg. In recent weeks there trevally under the boat. Image courtesy of @yimtaro. F: (03) 5183 2219 F: (03) 9798 7554 have been a few bigger blacks W:mix, albertonmarine.com.au W: jvmarine.com.au in the with the odd fish in a few solid gold-band snapper and towards the west side. A the 80-100kg size range. of 5kg plus. Moving further good option is to cast stickbaits MELBOURNE MELBOURNE While chasing billfish, out to 250m, the deep droppers like a Halco Slidog 105, or anglers have been getting good have been picking you canCENTRE just fish with bait off up some MARINE BL MARINE MELBOURNE numbers of bycatch consisting the beach Hwy with salted mulies cod.South Gippsland 612- 614 Plenty Road Preston ruby snapper and 8-bar 393-399 of dolphinfish (mahimahi), Land-based anglers or squid (or prawn baits for P: (03) 9478 1420 Dandenong South wahoo and heaps of tuna have good options too, with bluebone). Look for patches F: (03) 9470 4638 P: (03) 9703 2003 (mainly striped tuna). of sand amongst the rubble. A spangled emperor, bluebone W: E: info@melbournemarine.com.au Theblmarine.com.au bottom fishing has and trevally (goldens, gold running ball sinker rig is fine been pretty steady when the spot and GTs) on chew. so long as you’re casting into W:the melbournemarine.com.au weather has allowed. A few The fishing has been pretty sand and not reef. SHEPPARTON daysBOATS beforeAND the time of writing, good around theMORNINGTON Last month the mackerel Cape, for PENINSULA MORE some guys were able to get out example at Lighthouse Bay turned up in better numbers, 207 Numurkah Road Shepparton MY MARINE as they do each winter. Quite a P: (03) 5822 2108 Cnr Nepean Highway & have been getting few anglers F: (03) 5821 2908 Ponderosa Place intoDromana them trolling bibbed lures between 15-30m, at locations W: boatsandmore.com.au P: (03) 5987 0900 such as Tantabiddy. W: mymarine.com.au FISHING IN JULY MORWELL Pelagics like billfish and CRAWFORD MARINE MORNINGTON PENINSULA mackerel are likely to be 71-77 Chickerell Street Morwell NAUTICAL MARINE consistent this month, and P: (03) 5134 6522 141 Hotham Road will hopefully improve in the coming weeks. With luck, we F: (03) 5134 6455 Sorrento will start to see some longtail W: crawfordmarine.com.au P: (03) 5984 1666 tuna in the gulf as well. E: info@nauticalmarine.com.au • For all the latest news on ECHUCA W: nauticalmarine.com.au what’s biting and where, drop EADES XTREME MARINE in to Tackle World Exmouth at 24 Sturt Street Echuca TOORADIN 3 Maley St, Exmouth or give them a call on (08) P: (03) 5482 2333 P&J MARINE SERVICE CENTRE P/L9949 1315. You can view the range F: (03) 5482 2133 101 Tooradin Station Roadalso Tooradin at www.tackleworldexmouth. W: xtrememarine.net.au P: (03) 5998 3107 com.au, and see the latest catch E: pjmarine_services@bigpond.com photos on their Facebook GEELONG page. This family business EDENCRAFT MARINE stocks a large range of tackle, 22-30 Buckley Grove Moolap MELBOURNE from light spin to big game. The staff have a wealth of local P: (03) 5248 4520 TRIPLE M MARINE This coral trout couldn’t resist a Saltiga Rough knowledge and expertise, and E: admin@edencraftmarine.com.au 117 Northgate Drive Thomastown Ride 140. Image courtesy of @indepthanglerjosh. are always happy to help. W: www.edencraftmarine.com.au P: (03) 9465 8787 and smack the bottom fish, F: (03) 9466 1418 and caught a nice feed. There W: triplemmarine.com.au have been a few rankin cod, red emperor and coral trout being caught in 30-80m of water. The standard approach is to use a paternoster with a bit of squid or strip baits, but if you prefer using artificials, you can get good results on vibes such as the Nomad Squidtrex in the 130 size and 150 size. Of course, basic jigs are also effective, such as the Vexed Dhu Drops in 50-150g. Heading deeper than 80m, Ready to cast a soft vibe into the melee. anglers have been picking up Image courtesy of @yimtaro.

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JULY 2023 101

Chilly challenges for trout anglers FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

Very dry conditions have persisted throughout autumn here in the west, with most dams and streams still very low. The lack of stocking in autumn caused many trout anglers to return empty-handed in our northern dams, but redfin have kept their interest up in a few locations. Trout rely heavily on our winter months to gain weight as the dams flood, and increasing river flow results in better food availability for foraging fish. If rain is delayed (as is the case this year), then the chance of trout achieving any decent size by late spring is compromised. On the subject of size, I am regularly asked the question of just how

Ed Kubiak landed this nice little brown trolling from his newlyacquired Polycraft. He is so dedicated to trout fishing that he travels from Jurien Bay, some 450km north, to enjoy his sport. 1986 by Cliff Leggoe out of the Warren River. Although it’s the official record, it was topped just

line in the future. This goes to show that large trout are still out there, just waiting for a lucky angler.

Wendy Jane is now hooked on fly fishing. Here she is playing a nice rainbow caught drift fly fishing a fast sinking line.

A fly fisher trying his luck at Harvey Dam just south of Perth. Water levels are low after poor autumn rains. Good falls are needed this winter to secure water for irrigation and fishers.

WA Trout and Freshwater Association member Steve Roberts working a fly over the upper Lefroy Brook. This stream can fish well and is worth a visit if you are in Pemberton. big trout grow to in WA. Starting with rainbow trout, the state record was 3.1kg, which was caught in the Serpentine River before the dam was built back in the 1950s. This fish was caught by the late Captain Noel Parker, and stood for many years until it was topped with a fish of 3.3kg out of the Warren River. The current record sits at 3.525kg, and was caught 102 JULY 2023

by yours truly in 1996. This triploid rainbow hit a fly fished over shallow grassy margins in a dam at Pemberton. Just to note, that year was a record wet season, and two other fish were caught that were only slightly smaller, and a 3.8kg brown trout was also caught in the same year. The current state record for a brown trout is 4.1kg, caught in

after by Mr Louskey out of the same river, and it tipped the scales at 4.5kg. It wasn’t listed in the AAA records, but a mount of the fish is still displayed at the WATFAA club rooms today. Other fish that were a lot bigger have been rumoured and documented, like the Eastbrook brown that was 5kg, and other even larger fish being bragged about in pubs all over the southwest for many years. The only real proof came recently with a photo sent to me of a handcaught 5kg brown from a private water. This fish was weighed and carefully released for someone to hopefully catch on rod and

Just to remind anglers that the following stocking figures are well down on previous years, because of a big upgrade of the hatchery in Pemberton. Next year will be back to normal, with possibly even larger numbers of better sized fish available. AUSSIE NATIVES Reports have been slow recently, and I have even found it hard to locate any fish willing to play the game. DAMS Waroona Dam I fished this dam recently for a couple of days and didn’t spot a trout or even a rise. Hopefully, the stocking of 300 ex-brood rainbows and 50 ex-brood browns, plus 500 larger advanced yearlings, should get things going. We did manage some nice redfin, but we had to work

Brown trout can do well in some of our dams, so it’s important to release them to fight another day. This one hit a fly slowly worked in a shallow bay on one of our dams.

hard for them. Drakesbrook Weir A few reports have been coming through of redfin, although trout have been harder to locate. My mate Jonah confirmed this; he said he had done better when casting plastics from the shore recently, catching mostly small ones around 30cm, and occasionally a few to 35cm. This little dam should receive around 250 ex-brood rainbows and 50 ex-brood browns, along

the presence of redfin. Harvey Dam The water is low in Harvey Dam, with only redfin being caught so far this autumn. There were a few trout caught in early autumn, but none have shown up since. This is proof that this dam relies heavily on ex-brood trout to make it a viable fishery, as redfin dominate this water and consume all the food that is so important to trout. This is particularly important throughout the

There have been no reports of trout recently, which is a concern considering they seemed to be showing up last year. Redfin are still getting caught in the Collie arm, and around the farm area is producing a few of the larger models. Only 300 ex-brood rainbows and 100 browns, along with a number of advanced yearlings, are going in this year so I would say finding them will be hard, as this dam is over 20km long. Glen Mervyn Dam No trout showing up with good size redfin being caught from kayaks and boats. Water is extremely low. Big Brook Dam This dam is heavily fished, but good trout are still being caught on both fly and lure. Big redfin have come from the deeper water next to the wall on plastics and deep diving lures. Around 100 ex-brood rainbows and 50 ex-brood browns will go in, along with a good number of yearlings this season. RIVERS Murray River I had a look at this river and tried a few of the runs upstream from Dwellingup with little success, as far as the trout go. A few redfin were caught in the pools, but they were mainly small in size. Northern Jarrah streams I also drove through this area but found that most streams were unusually low for that time of the year. These streams only fire after good rainfall. Collie River below Wellington Dam This section actually fished well in May, which is a result of dry conditions requiring irrigators to use more water. Some nice

A good sounder is the key to finding where the fish are holding. This redfin was sitting on a drop-off in 6m of water, and hit a slowly trolled Berkley Frenzy at Waroona Dam. little rainbows were caught on both fly and lure, with the lower section being the pick. Rumours of a nice brown sitting at the tail of a pool got a couple of Perth anglers excited on a recent visit. Collie River above Wellington Dam Good numbers of redfin are still being caught around the town, with the anglers fishing out of kayaks finding the better sizes around structure. As is the case on other waters, I don’t tend to mention what they are being caught on, because all the main lures and plastics seem to work. My suggestion is to mix it up until you find what’s working. Preston River No reports this month but it’s worth a visit if you

are in the Donnybrook area. Blackwood River A few rainbows were caught just up from Nannup recently, with one rumoured to be around the 2kg mark. Redfin are showing up in the upstream section above Bridgetown.

Predicted Dam levels for Southwest WA Overall storage in our dams that allow public access and recreational activities are currently 52% at the end of May, compared to 59% at this time last year. It has been very hard to predict the levels because of the inconsistent rainfall. A very dry May has not lifted any water levels in dams, so we require some decent falls over the next couple of months. WAROONA DAM DRAKESBROOK WEIR LOGUE BROOK DAM HARVEY DAM WELLINGTON DAM GLEN MERVYN DAM BIG BROOK DAM

This female 5kg brown trout would have been the new state record if she was caught on rod and line. This fish was hand caught from a private stream, and then released. Photo courtesy of WA Landbased Fishing Club. with around 400 advanced yearlings this season. Logue Brook Dam I spent a few days on this water fishing from the boat and also from the shore in late May, with mixed results. The rainbows I caught were mostly of below average condition compared to other years. Could this be the result of stocking brown trout, as some suggested? It’s hard to know. I did manage to land a couple of browns on both fly and lure, so I’m happy that they have seemed to adapted well. Please release any browns caught, as they are in the experiential stage, and spread the word around as well. This dam doesn’t receive any ex-brood trout, because yearlings do well without

summer months, when trout move away from the shallow margins where most of the food seems to be present. We placed a camera at a depth of 10m one summer to see what was down there. The water was a comfortable 21°C, however, there were schools of small redfin showing with no sight of any food around the camera. This dam has to be treated as a spring trout fishery, with possibly early winter stocking increasing the window, as by summer it’s mainly a redfin fishery. Around 600 ex-brood rainbows and 100 ex-brood browns, along with a few thousand advanced yearlings, are earmarked for this water. Wellington Dam

Warren River The lower section has been fishing better for trout, with the majority of the action in the midsection being good-size redfin. The boys from Prestige Tackle got into some very large models paddling well

The current state record rainbow caught by the author in 1996. This fish weighed 3.525kg, however, it lost around 200g of slime and fluid before it was weighed. It was caught in Pemberton on a Mrs Simpson fly and 5lb tippet. The mount is a credit to James Stuart at the Perth Museum, as it has not aged in 27 years.

52% 92% 62% 58% 59% 45% 90% away from the heavierfished areas. Lefroy Brook Good fish are holding in the whole system but they can be hard to entice. Using small flies on long leaders and lowering your approach is the key. A few redfin occasionally turn up here as well. Donnelly River With good rains the trout will move further upstream. A good map is essential to avoid getting lost, and the satellite ones are preferred. This wraps up another report and,as can be seen, we have a marginal trout fishery in this state. You need an Inland Freshwater Licence to fish, even if you target redfin. As always, please release any brown trout that you catch, especially in our redfin dams, as they prey on the schools of juveniles. Until next time, stay connected. JULY 2023 103

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

DAIWA 23 SEAJIGGER

GARMIN GPSMAP 67

Land-based shore-casting is an addictive game, and Daiwa’s new Seajigger range is the perfect tool for the job. Daiwa has equipped X45X Full Shield technology into Seajigger, further enhancing casting distance. By incorporating X45X Full Shield for the entire length of the blank, Daiwa engineers could supress the twisting forces of the blank during the casting stroke, then use the stored energy in the blank to propel the lure further than before, rather than losing some of that potential energy through blank twist and distortion. Also new for the 23 Seajigger is its reel seat, a new design that is more comfortable than traditional pipe reel seats used on previous models. The reel seat features an integrated foregrip to make long fights comfortable, especially in those times when you really have to lean on the rod to stop a hard-running fish. A trademark of Seajigger rods, Fuji’s lowrider guides with alconite rings are used in combination with newer generation antitangle guides on the tip to provide the best combination of casting performance and line management. www.daiwafishing.com.au

The Garmin GPSMap 67 is a premium, rugged handheld GPS. It delivers long battery life and multi-band technology for enhanced accuracy, plus preloaded TopoActive maps and access to satellite imagery. With the GPSMap 67 you can see your route clearly on the 3″ sunlight-readable colour display. This handheld delivers 180 hours of battery life in tracking mode, and up to 840 hours in expedition mode. You can track your position in challenging conditions with multi-band technology and expanded GNSS support, and see the terrain you’ll travel with vivid satellite imagery that downloads right to your navigator. Stay tuned to the forecast with active weather on your route when paired to your compatible smartphone. The GPSMap 67 is built to military standards for thermal, shock and water performance, and it’s even compatible with night vision goggles. For a full list of features and specifications, visit the Garmin website. Price: SRP $849 www.garmin.com

ATC VANDAL

The TT Tackle Sling Bag is perfect for anglers that are fishing land based and want to stay mobile. Constructed from quality, water resistant material, the Tackle Sling features a padded back and wide padded strap for comfort, along with a buckle for simple strap adjustment. Swing the bag around to your back and get fishing or swing it around to your front and you have access to everything at your fingertips. Features include a built-in rod holder to keep your rod off the ground, safe and dry, when rigging and accessing the pack, three D ring attachment points for scissors, tools and accessories and a tool pocket with Velcro closure to secure a pair of pliers. Storage includes one main compartment designed to hold a medium size TT Waterproof Tackle Tray, drink, snacks, first aid kit, sunscreen, bug spray or other large items. The two smaller front trays each hold a small TT Waterproof Tackle Tray and are also ideal for soft plastics, scent, leader, and other accessories. These storage compartments are finished with quality two-way SBS heavy duty zips. Price: SRP: $49.95 www.ttfishing.com

The ATC Vandal caters for different fishing applications from ultralight to heavy casting. Constructed and designed in a wide range of sizes from 1000 up to 6000, the Vandal features a CNC aluminium spool and handle for enhanced durability. The body and rotor are constructed from graphite to keep the Vandal light yet strong, and the Vandal is equipped with a copper pinion gear that is paired with a zinc-alloy drive gear to keep this reel rugged and able to handle the pressure of tough fishing situations. A multi-disc drag system gives the reel a smooth drag over a wide drag range and the 6+1 stainless steel ball bearing system adds an all-round smoothness to make this reel feel amazing in use. www.wilsonfishing.com

RAPALA PRECISION XTREME PENCIL

The Precision Xtreme Pencil range has been designed to cover a wide range of fish species, and features three models: the Precision Xtreme Pencil, Precision Xtreme Pencil Saltwater and the Precision Xtreme Pencil EXO. Ranging in size from 87mm to 127mm, there is a model to suit most inshore topwater fishing applications. Each Precision Xtreme Pencil features a full wire construction, durable impactresistant plastic body, and an internal sliding casting weight that doubles as a dual frequency knocker, which drives the predators crazy. This sliding cast weight allows for maximum cast distance and increased accuracy when casting around structure. Designed to walk the dog effortlessly, the Precision Xtreme Pencil glides from side to side with the slightest rod twitch. The ability to walk the dog on the spot has proven to be deadly on ambush predators like Murray cod, barra, jacks and bass. These lures have holographic eyes and printed scales, and come in a huge array of fish catching colours to suit any situation. www.rapala.com.au

104 JULY 2023

TT TACKLE SLING BAG

SUZUKI DF75A

2 Exo

Saltwater

Freshwater

3 5

The DF75A 4-stroke outboard is the lightest in its class at 156kg, and it’s very powerful with excellent reliability. The DF75A’s design makes a larger gear ratio possible, allowing it to turn a large diameter propeller for high propulsive efficiency while providing higher torque. The DF75A is built with a rugged onepiece forged crankshaft, an oil-bathed, selfadjusting timing chain, and Suzuki’s multilayer anti-corrosion system to protect against the harsh marine environment. Built-in technology such as a selfdiagnostics system, oil change reminder system and fuel water detection system help boaters maintain their DF75A outboard and keep it running strong year after year. The motor can be converted to a tiller steer by purchasing the Suzuki multi-function tiller handle kit. The DF75A is available in 20” (L) shaft length and the option to select between black or white. It is backed by Suzuki’s 3 + 3-year warranty program. Price: from SRP $13,490 suzukimarine.com.au

visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS!

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TESTING BOOTH

PRODUCT GUIDE BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Blown away by Hurricane Lures It doesn’t feel all that long ago that I tried a couple of lures from the Hurricane Lures soft plastics range (the Sprat 65 and Sprat 75) for the magazine. You can check it out on the Fishing Monthly website (search Hurricane Lures). This was the first time I had encountered these lures and I quickly realised these two profiles, as well as the colour range available, definitely caught their fair share of fish.

Basically, it’s a tough, durable plastic that offers maximum movement with a natural feel. There are 7 colours in the range, with 5 offering UV enhancement. Not everyone is a fan of UV, but I firmly believe it makes a difference, and I have taken a shine to the camo UV and super oil UV colours. As mentioned, these plastics are super supple, so they are supplied in a hard sleave to maintain their shape and to avoid

that exist in the area. Aaron immediately took a liking to the Hurricane soft plastics (because of the colour range and profile of the lures), so getting him involved in trying the Sprat Hybrid 85 was a no brainer. The first thing I realised was that even

It pays to match the profile the Sprat Hybrid 85 (bottom) and the other Hurricane soft plastics with your jighead. It is then like an extension of the lure and ensures your lure swims straight.

Testing lures isn’t always fun, but at least this flathead caught on a Sprat Hybrid 85 put a smile on Aaron Dunlop’s face.

This time it is a Hurricane Sprat 75 doing the job on a beautiful Logan River bream. The versatility that these size lures offer lets you hedge your bets. They are in their element being fished in our estuary systems for bream, flathead, trevally, and the like, but are also large enough to hit our inshore waters in the hope of picking a reef fish or a feed of snapper. A recent inclusion to the range has been

The Hurricane 2.25” Sub Grub is the smallest plastic in the range. This small flathead ate it before the bream on a pontoon could get to it.

There is no doubt this bream wanted to eat this Hybrid 85 in sickle UV colour. the Hurricane Sprat 85 hybrid. A soft plastic that has a similar profile to the Sprat 65 and Sprat 75, but with a curl-tail. My first thoughts were that it is actually a larger finesse offering, which further enhances their range of versatile baits. I was keen to test it out and with the weather cooling in SE Queensland and the bream and flathead fishing on the improve, there is no better time to do it. HURRICANE SPRAT 85 HYBRID All of the Hurricane Lures soft plastic range is made of an 8X tough FlexiTech material. This material provides excellent durability, a very soft feel and stretches well beyond any limits a standard soft plastic material would.

contamination with other plastic. It is best to keep them in this sleave. THE PROOF IS IN THE TESTING Discovering whether the Sprat Hybrid 85 would be as effective as the other offerings in the range has been an interesting process. The transition period in South East Queensland, from the hot summer conditions to the cooler nights and very comfortable winter days, felt like they almost happened overnight and this changed the fishing almost as quickly. Quick change generally means poor or tougher fishing and that has been the case. In many ways a good test for these lures. At this point I would like to mention one of the anglers who steps in and helps me test many of the products for these testing booths. Aaron Dunlop has been a great help assisting with photos, even just getting me out on the water to try lures out. Aaron spends a lot of time fishing the lower reaches of the Logan River and its surrounds and together it has been fun fishing some of his proven spots, but also exploring other opportunities

though it is the largest soft plastic in the Hurricane Lures range, the bream love them. I guess I should have known that as these lures have a cult following in the East Gippsland region in Victoria. Many a big black bream has succumbed to one of these lures there. I can tell you our yellowfin bream like them too. Having said that, most of my success with them has come on the local flathead, in particular during the quieter (slow flow) periods of the tide. I love fishing a curl-tail plastic during these periods as the finesse tail offers maximum movement to attract a fish’s attention. This means you can slow roll them, hop them or even just let them sit there on the bottom (the tail wiggling in the current) and a fish is likely to grab them. The Sprat Hybrid 85 is a perfect option for this. As far as hitting our inshore waters, that is a work in progress. I have no doubt that the profile of the Hybrid 85 and the colour range will be spot on to fish for our shallow water snapper in Moreton Bay. Watch this space. FINAL OBSERVATIONS All the Hurricane Sprat range of plastics are small in profile and lend themselves to being rigged on a jighead that matches the profile. I am a huge fan of the jighead being an extension of the lure and it is important in the case of the Sprat Hybrid 85 (and the other Hurricane plastics) to rig them straight (there are markings on the top on

the plastics to assist with this) and that the head shape and profile match the lure. This ensures they swim straight and maximise the effectiveness of the lure. For me it has been a pleasure to test out the Hurricane Sprat 85 Hybrid soft plastic, like the other plastics in the range, they fish well and the compact range of colours is spot on. The biggest compliment I can offer comes from Aaron, not only has he tested these with me, he has enjoyed using them so much, he has made several orders of

Aaron helps the author with many of his testing booths. He has taken to the Hurricane products, even sporting their merchandise. them via the Hurricane lures website (www. hurricanelures.com). They have become one of his confidence baits. Enough said. You can check out the website for yourself. It has the full range of products that Hurricane Lures offers as well as stockists and merchandise. It is well worth a look.

The Hybrid 85 is a popular lure amongst bream anglers in East Gippsland in Victoria. The bream in Queensland like them as well. JULY 2023 105

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Real McCoy Fishing Tours Comp

Real McCoy Fishing Tours kicked off its annual weekend of competition down in Bemm River, Victoria. There was a good turnout this year, with over 60 people attending a two-day fishing competition in the lake, channel and surf beaches. Members from Bemm River Angling Club targeted salmon and tailor in the surf, and bream, tailor, flathead and some large trevally in the lake. Soft plastics, prawn baits and trolling silver metal

lures in the channel did the damage. Surf fishing was productive this year, with plenty of great fish caught off Pearl Point and the Entrance Bar Beach, which is open to the ocean. The weather held up for the competition, just barely, with the rain not stopping plenty of anglers late into day two. In the Heaviest Salmon category, Winner Andrew Jeffries landed a 2.79kg Australian salmon from the surf, with second place going to Andrew Vukovic’s

2.195kg and third to Jason Shaw with his 1.77kg salmon. Many more salmon were weighed in over the 1kg mark. In the Heaviest Bream category, young Bailey Stamatis won the bream trophy with a healthy 1.060kg fish, followed by Christian Ellul at 1.055kg and John McCoy at 0.905kg. It was great to see the young ones getting in on the action and having a good go. Fundraising over the weekend also saw over $1,800 raised for the Bemm

River Angling club through raffles and auctions. Bemm River Angling club would like to thank the following sponsors for donating prizes for this competition, and helping this become an enjoyable weekend for all: Aussie Disposals, Acom international, AFN (Australian Fishing Network), Bemm River Hotel, Bemm River Holiday Accommodation, Cosy Nook, Hooked on the Bemm Accommodation, and Bemm River Men’s Shed. – Peter McCoy

Tournament Calendar 2023 Date

Tournament

Location

State

Contact

JULY 22/23 Jul

BREAM R7

Gladstone

QLD

abt.org.au

AUGUST 19-20 Aug 20 Aug

BREAM R8 BASS Electric R4

Gold Coast Hinze Dam

QLD QLD

abt.org.au abt.org.au

BASS Pro R5 BASS Pro R6 ECBS Shimano Round BARRA R1

Hunter River Lake St Clair Botany Bay Lake Tinaroo

NSW NSW NSW QLD

abt.org.au abt.org.au wsbb.com.au abt.org.au

BARRA R2 BASS Electric GF ECBS Grand Final BASS Pro GF

Lake Tinaroo Wyaralong Dam Sydney Harbour TBC

QLD QLD NSW QLD

abt.org.au abt.org.au wsbb.com.au abt.org.au

BARRA R3 BREAM GF BARRA R4 BARRA R5 BARRA R6

Teemburra Dam Port Stephens Kinchant Dam Peter Faust Dam Peter Faust Dam

QLD NSW QLD QLD QLD

abt.org.au abt.org.au abt.org.au abt.org.au abt.org.au

SEPTEMBER 9-10 Sep 12-13 Sep 24 Sep 29-30 Sep OCTOBER 1 Oct 7-8 Oct 15 Oct 28-29 Oct NOVEMBER 23 Nov 10-12 Nov 24 Nov 26 Nov 28-29 Nov

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing jthomas@fishingmonthly.com.au Just supply a date, venue, tournament name, telephone number and contact name. JULY 2023 107

BASS SERIES presented by

Langford wins Somerset at top of Lake Kingaroy’s Matthew Langford is now a full-time fishing guide and seems nearly unstoppable on each arena the 13 Fishing BASS Pro series visits. Backing up that assertion is the fact that he has won four consecutive Angler of the Year titles and is well on track to snare his fifth in 2023. He won the Rapala round of the 2023 tour on

and timber to get the bite and this bait did just that,” Matt explained. Langford’s areas got more attention on the second day, but by the time he was sharing banks with other boats, his limit was securely in the livewell. Matt nearly wasn’t able to get back to his Day 1 spots with motor issues late in the session, but Kilcoy local, Paul Aldous stepped in Scan the QR code to watch the NonBoater Winners Interview

Scan the QR code to watch the Boater Winners Interview

Lake Somerset by nearly a kilo and a half by fishing a combination of jerkbaits and blades well up into the top section of the dam. His first day 6.5kg+ limit was capably backed up with a near 5kg Day 2 catch. Here’s what he did. D1: 5/5, 6.505kg D2: 5/5, 4.870kg Total: 10/10, 11.375kg “Guiding on Somerset I knew that it gets difficult to catch schooled fish when

Always at the pointy end, Matthew Langford relied on a string of big, Somerset bass on jerkbaits and blades to take the win. looked and the better the fish were,” Matthew said. “I would have loved the pre-fish bag in the tournament,” said Matt, along

and loaned him his boat for the Sunday session. “I call Paul ‘The Governor of Lake Somerset’. He’s out here nearly as much as I am and I thank him for his offer. I have to give it a good clean out now before I give it back.

a foggy Somerset morning. He had a two-pronged approach and relied on a jerkbait and a ZX blade to assemble his fish.

Fellow guide, Callum Munro hopped blades in the top half of the lake for second place.

Another $3,500 to the cash pile for Langford. the wind doesn’t blow, and the forecast was for light to no breeze each day. I always prefish with Nick Brown and we headed upstream into the timbers. The further up we got, the better the banks

with dozens of tournament anglers over the years. Matt still headed up into the timbers, even though it took him just under two hours to get up there with the speed limits imposed on

BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 108 JULY 2023

Angler Matthew Langford Callum Munro Shaun Falkenhagen Mark Lennox Braden Schuch Anthony Thorpe Graham Ford Corey Goldie Matt Johnson Keeghan Painter

Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 7/10 7/10 4/10 4/10 7/10 3/10 4/10

The blade was an Ecogear ZX40 in black and the jerkbait was a Jackal Squirrel 67. He fished both lures on identical outfits a Millerods XLFC rod, Daiwa TD Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 11.375kg 9.940kg 9.075kg 7.340kg 5.615kg 4.855kg 4.330kg 4.060kg 3.190kg 3.810kg

Black reel, 10lb Yamatoyo braid and a 10lb Yamatoyo fluorocarbon leader. “My main bait was the jerkbait, it caught more of the larger fish, but the blade was good for bass I could see out from the bank under the boat. “I needed a jerkbait that could get 7-8ft down. You needed to impact the rocks

Payout $3,650 $1,800 + $250 Mercury $1,000 + $125 Mercury $800 $700 + $75 Mercury $600 + $500 Big Bass

The win leapfrogged Langford over Mick Johnson on the AOY race, but there’s still two events to go in the Hunter River and Lake St Clair and plenty of opportunity for movement. MUNRO BLADES HIS WAY TO SECOND “I’m getting sick of that guy beating me,” Callum Munro joked while being interviewed for this story, “I really thought I was on the fish to win.” Indeed, Munro’s first drop of the competition resulted in a 45cm bass on a vertically jigged Little Max (colour 19) blade, rigged with Daiwa’s new assist hooks. The second drop was another legal fish. After 20 minutes he had filled his limit and left the spot for the Sunday. No wonder he was confident.

BASS SERIES presented by Day 2 was a little harder, though, and a combination of this and a few lost fish left the door open that Langford strolled through. Munro fished only 3-4 spots, one just before the timber on a gravel patch and others in the 6 knot timbered area. He fished 12-15ft of water with a Daiwa TD Zero 22 732MLXS rod teamed with a Daiwa Revelry 2500 reel, 8lb J-Braid Grand line and 12lb J-Thread leader. “There was a short bite window each morning and the fish I was targeting weren’t getting much pressure,” he said. Alas, it was another second place for the Sunshine Coast based angler. Being the highest placed Mercury owner, he added $250 to his $1,800 cheque, earning over $2,000 for the weekend.

back of the boat a few years ago on the Richmond River. “Both times I’ve won an event, it’s been with Keeghan Painter, so we’re batting 100%,” Paul explained. The pair had made a move to the Kirkleigh flats Scan the QR code to watch the Field Highlights

Paul Mazaroli went from zero to hero in the last session from the back of the boat. His bag was anchored by this 3kg+ fish.

and found a bait ball wide of the competitors who were already there. They set up on spot lock and proceeded to hook fish. “I’d cast way past the bait and let it sink to the bottom,” Paul said. The retrieve was a mix of short hops and burns, letting the Yamba Blade in Black Prawn hit the bottom each time. “That hit and fight was

BIG BASS PRIZE

Some great kit from Rapala and 13 Fishing was accompanying Mazza on the way home. Sunday is moving day, however, and Mazaroli took advantage of some of the giant bass that live on the Somerset flats to take victory with only two fish. In fact, it was his single, 3kg+ giant that gave him the win. The second fish was just a bonus. His two fish weighed 4.555kg and he easily outdistanced second-placed Greg Rigby. Visibly excited at the final interview, Mazaroli added the trophy to his BASS Pro Grand Final victory at the

Anthony Thorpe weighed the event’s Atomic Big Bass on Day 1 and although challenged, it was never beaten. Weighing 3.19kg, it ate a Flash Union 7g blade on the Kirkleigh flats. MAZAROLI RIDES MONSTER BASS TO VICTORY It is fair to say that Paul Mazaroli’s first day of the event was ordinary. In fact, nearly his whole accommodation group was sitting on donuts at the end of the Saturday session. Brian Everingham bought a donut cake, but Maz refused to eat it. “I’m glad I didn’t eat it,” he explained.

NON- BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Angler Paul Mazaroli Greg Rigby Nikki Sticklen Adam Mears Tyson Everleigh Bridgett Currey Luke Sticklen Rodney Thorpe Phil Nix James Reid

Fish 2/6 4/6 3/6 4/6 3/6 2/6 3/6 2/6 3/6 4/6

like nothing else I’ve felt. It was amazing,” Paul said. He fished the blade on a Daiwa Zillion rack rod paired with a Freams 2500 reel, 10lb J-Braid and 10ln Daiwa X-Link leader. Down to his last two blades, we asked him if he was going to save the winning blade as a souvenir? “Nope, I’m going to keep using it and when it’s gone it’s gone!” He concluded. Paul won a 13 Fishing baitcast combo and a pile of Rapala gear for his efforts.

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 4.555kg 3.110kg 3.030kg 2.650kg 2.105kg 2.075kg 2.060kg 2.035kg 1.995kg 1.360kg

Payout Rapala pack + $250 Rapala bonus Bassman pack Keitech Pack Ecogear pack Nomad pack + $125 Rapala bonus Rapala pack ProLure pack Hideup pack Atomic pack TT Pack JULY 2023 109

BREAM SERIES presented by

Healy goes back-to-back to take Lake Macquarie Local angler Mark Healey backed up his first place at the Hawkesbury River BREAM Qualifier the previous month with a second come-from-behind win at the Maui Jim round of the Daiwa BREAM Series on Lake Macquarie. The two wins were remarkably similar, with Healey backing up a solid Day 1 bag in the 3.5kg range with a 5kg+ bag on the day that counted. The win was assisted with the Atomic Big Bream that bumped up his final payday to over $4,000 – not a bad effort for two days of bream fishing in glorious conditions. Here’s how he did it. Day 1: 5/5, 3.73kg Day 2: 5/5, 5.055kg Total:10/10, 8.765kg Although Healey lives on Lake Macquarie he hadn’t fish the lake for a year prior to the tournament. He used his local knowledge on practice day to consolidate a plan to

you can catch bream so I spent my time fishing a few key areas and one of those was the bridge,” Mark said, “And the bridge isn’t fishing well. I think a lot of people went and checked it out in practice and maybe caught zero or one fish, so they Scan the QR code to watch the Boater Winners Interview

decided to give it a miss.” Indeed, Healey only landed six legal fish on Day 1 (including a 28cm tip specimen) and 7-8 on Day 2. “After winning the Hawkesbury I decided to go all-or-nothing on the bridge and luckily it worked out,” he continued. Healey caught the majority of his fish on a heavy, olive Cranka Crab that he added extra weight to get it down to the bottom in the

All of Healey’s fish came off the Swansea bridge - a structure that has resulted in several ABT wins over the years. One of his Saturday tarwhine pulled the scaled down to 1.35kg, which ended up being the event’s Atomic Big Bream. He used a Shimano 266L Expride rod to extract the fish from the heavy structure and to make it easier to fish under the bridge. It was paired to a Twinpower 2500 reel spooled with 6lb Kairiki braid and a 6lb Ocea leader.

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Healey’s winnings totalled over $4,000 - not bad for a weekend’s work! fish Swansea Bridge. The bridge had been the venue for several tournament wins in this arena over the years. “It’s too big a lake to check out all of the areas that

heavy current combined with a mussel vibe securing a few key fish on the second day. “You can either add a small ball sinker or a Snakelock weight to the crab,

BOATER RESULTS

110 JULY 2023

“That short rod was an extraction tool and although I didn’t catch everything I hooked, it definitely made it easier to get some of them out,” he concluded. Sitting a tight second in the Daiwa BREAM Series Angler of the Year (AOY) race, Healey is contemplating heading north to the Gold Coast Qualifier to try and secure the title.

and the bream and tarwhine still eat it,” Healy continued. Tarwhine played a major part in Healey’s bags each day, mixed with a smattering of yellowfin bream.

The south coast’s Jason Mayberry weighed two consistent bags to finish in second place. His tactic used light line in shallow water around the lake margins.

Full results at abt.org.au

Place

Angler

Fish

Weight(kg)

Payout

Mark Healey

10/10

8.785kg

$3,650 + $500 Big Bream

Jason Mayberry

10/10

7.470kg

$2,100

Jamie McKeown

10/10

7.370kg

$1,100

Mark Crompton

10/10

6.980kg

$900 + $250 Mercury

Kris Hickson

10/10

5.895kg

$800 + $125 Mercury

Drew Griffith

10/10

5.885kg

$750 + $75 Mercury

Craig Johnson

10/10

5.870kg

$700

Ahmad Mahfoud

10/10

5.870kg

$650

Tim Vickers

8/10

5.705kg

$600

Wally Fahey

10/10

5.695kg

$500

Luckily, there are lots of bridges to choose from on that urbanised waterway. MAYBERRY’S CONSISTENCY SNARES SECOND Past BREAM Grand Final winner, Jason Mayberry, lead the field after the first day of competition and weighed a second 3.5kg+ bag to secure second-place. His techniques were vastly different from the winner’s, fishing shallow flats and reefs with ultra light line. His consistency landed him 100g clear of third-place Jamie McKeown.

BREAM SERIES presented by Day 1: 5/5, 3.855kg Day 2: 5/5, 3.615kg Total: 10/10, 7.470kg And although the Sunday was a lot windier than the Saturday, Jason’s areas were quite sheltered and he needed finesse presentations each day to buy the bites he needed. To do this he relied on long casts, straight-through 2lb and 3lb fluorocarbon line and finesse baits. He relied on four main baits to fish the shallow cockle weed and reeks that

Lance fished with fellow Coffs Harbour angler Nathan Gregory on Saturday and landed a string of big bream on docks on white, weightless Ecogearaquas rigged on Scan the QR code to watch the Field Highlights

Scan the QR code to watch the NonBoater Winners Interview

held the better quality fish and he close not to pre-fish on the practice day so that he didn’t hurt the spots that he knew that he’d fish. “I learned from my Hawkesbury River experience and this time I didn’t sting my fish on the prefishing day,” Jason said, “There are several banks that always hold good quality fish for me and I knew that I was going to fish them, so there was no reason to catch any.” The baits were a Shimano BioTough Fish in pumpkinseed fished in a

Non-boater Champion Lance Marsh weighed a string of big bream like this to take his first trophy from the back of the boat, despite being one bream short on the second day. He fished the BioTough in a braid leader combo with a Shimano T-Curve and Twinpower reel, 6lb Kairiki braid and 4lb Ocea leader. “I knew it was going to be a good event when I landed several bream in the mid to high 30s that had buried me in cockle weed but I could

a #1 VanFook Magic Eye worm hook. “One of the big bream had me tied up all around the dock, but it came out again. I ended up throwing out an 800g bream to upgrade it. I asked Nathan to pinch me, it was such a good day,” Lance said. As often happens, Day 2 was a different boater and different style – fishing moored boats and pontoons. Lance boxed a pair of bream for just under a kilogram, but it was enough to retain his lead

get in to get them out. When that happens on the light fluorocarbon, you know it’s going to be your weekend,” Jason said. Ultimately, Mayberry’s consistency was not enough to overcome Healey’s mega-bag on Sunday, but the best-ofthe-rest still took home over

BIG BREAM PRIZE

Based in Coffs Harbour, Marsh won a great selection of Daiwa tackle for his efforts.

Mark Healey weighed a combination of bream and tarwhine to win his second ABT BREAM event in a row. Mark landed a 1.35kg tarwhine on Day 1 that was often challenged, but held up as the Atomic Big Bream of the event. It ate a weighted Cranka Crab (heavy, olive) at the Swansea bridge. 1/20oz TT HWS jighead, a Hurricane Sprat on a 1/28oz HWS, an Atomic mid crank in black and a Hurricane Twitch 50 shallow in UV Prawn. “For me it’s all about long casts with ultra light line and using finesse to get the fish to bite – even in glassed out conditions. I use Sunline FC Sniper in 2lb and 3lb and custom Millerods to get the baits as far away from the boat as I can (a CrankFreak and a GrubFreak),” he explained.

NON- BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Angler Lance Marsh Daniel Reynolds Cristian Bermudez Zack Messenger Neil Kelly Van Ho Nguyen Brian Wilcher Taka Kawasaki Jordan Armstrong Ben Monforte

Fish 5/6 6/6 5/6 5/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 4/6

$2,000 for his efforts. LANCE MARSH BEST FROM THE BACK Coffs Harbour’s Lance Marsh took home his first title from the back of the boat. His first day fish averaged nearly a kilo a piece and he had a nervous wait on the Sunday, weighing only two of his possible three bream. Ultimately it was enough and he scored a great pack of Daiwa kit as well as instant qualification into the Daiwa BREAM Grand Final at Port Stephens, NSW later this year. Day 1: 3/3, 2.875kg Day 2: 2/3, 0.960kg Total: 5/6, 3.835kg

until the end of the event. Lance uses a pair of Daiwa SK INFEET rods with the new, skeleton seats, paired with TD Black MQ reels, 6lb Daiwa J-Braid and 6lb Daiwa X-Link fluorocarbon leader. He also had one of the new Spike 53 in XD configuration that he used to upgrade a couple of times on the first day. Lance loves the non-boater format. “I usually fish from the back of the boat with by son-in-law, so I like it. Also, I get to fish with the best anglers in some of the best parts of Australia,” he concluded.

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Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 3.835kg 3.665kg 3.540kg 3.440kg 3.285kg 3.145kg 3.120kg 2.990kg 2.805kg 2.760kg

Payout Daiwa pack Cranka pack Daiwa pack Maui Jim pack Daiwa pack ProLure Pack Samaki pack Atomic pack EJTodd pack TTs pack JULY 2023 111

BASS SERIES presented by

Johnson goes wire-to-wire at Boondooma Matt Johnson is another local angler who seems to be always challenging the leaders in the Queensland rounds. He is a master of Scan the QR code to watch the Boater Winners Interview

throwing soft vibes and deep crankbaits and did both to perfection on his way to winning the Nomad

a strong favourite in that event where the winner takes home an Alloycraft/ Mercury boat/motor/ trailer package worth around $50,000. “In the cooler months up here the bass school up in the backs of bays and gullies in about 15-20ft and they love eating lures that are hopped up and off the bottom,” Matt explained. His lure of choice was the Jackall Mask Vibe that he threw on a G.Loomis NRX+ S842 rod and

Matt Johnson shot out to an early lead and didn’t get caught at the Nomad Design round of the 13 Fishing BASS Pro Series on Lake Boondooma. Scan the QR code to watch the NonBoater Winners Interview

John Noble dumped nearly 5kg of bass on the scales on Day 2 to jump into second place. Design round of the 13 Fishing BASS Pro Series on Lake Boondooma. In doing so he earned a $3,750 payday that included the $250 Mercury bonus for the highest placing Mercury owner. In fact, the top 11 boats were powered by Mercury engines, even though the bonus is only for the highest three anglers. Matt took the lead on Saturday with a 5.81kg limit and followed it up with a 3.845, five fish limit on the Sunday, outdistancing a fast-finishing John Noble by around 1.4kg and winning comfortably. In doing so, he automatically qualified for the BASS Pro Grand Final, to be held on the very same lake in October this year. It’s likely he will be

Matt caught his bass on a combination of soft vibe lures and ultra-deep diving crankbaits.

Shaun Falkenhagen secured third place with bass on both lure and fly.

BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 112 JULY 2023

Angler Matt Johnson John Noble Shaun Falkenhagen Matthew Langford Braden Schuch Mick Johnson Callum Munro Gregory Burke Mitchell Petty Mike Nelson

Shimano Sustain 2500 reel spooled with 10lb Kairiki braid and 12lb Ocea leader. “For me, that’s a dream outfit for fishing Masks, it’s light in the hand, you can throw them a mile and they’re sensitive enough to be able to detect when a bass eats them – usually

Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 7/10 5/10 7/10 7/10 5/10 5/10

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 9.655kg 8.215kg 7.58kg 7.370kg 5.815kg 5.485kg 5.355kg 4.75kg 3.940kg 3.230kg

at the top of the list off the bottom,” he continued. On the first day, Matt caught a limit early on the Mask and then switched to a HideUp HU400 crankbait to crank fish in 15-16ft of water, upgrading his entire bag. He then switched to the Imakatsu IK800 to fish 22-24ft and caught more, key upgrades. The Sunday heralded a sou’wester change, which Matt said always makes fishing more difficult in Payout $3,300 + Mercury $250 $1,600 + Mercury $125 $1,000 + Mercury $75 $800 $700 $600 + $500 Big Bass

Queensland. His limit reflected this with neither the numbers or size of bass that he encountered the day before. “I dropped a few good fish on the IKs – they seemed to be nipping at the bait whereas the day before they were eating it properly,” he said. Still, with a winning margin of over 1.4kg, he couldn’t complain about his results. NOBLE CHARGES INTO SECOND John Noble found three or four areas that held quantities of bass on the practice day, but settled for an area in front of Sandy Creek to catch his limit on the first day of competition. It weighed 3.325kg and he left it soon afterwards to save fish for the Sunday. He landed all of his keepers on an EverGreen Little Max 1/4oz blade (clown colour) with custom stingers and an upgraded

BASS SERIES presented by Gamakatsu W-hook that he fished on a Samurai Infinite 3-8lb, 7’ rod matched with a Lew’s KVD 2000 reel, 6lb Sufix 832 line and a 10lb Sunline RockFish leader. “I caught most fish vertically in 15-30ft of water and they seemed to bite better when they formed up out under the boat,” John explained. With no need to save fish any more he went to work on the Sunday with the blade, but upgraded his whole bag in the last hours of competition on a longlined Imakatsu IK800 crankbait that he’d run out about 100m before retrieving. He fished that bait on a Samurai 7” Refraction 10-16lb baitcast rod, Lews HyperMag 8.3:1 reel, 20lb 832 Sufix and a 14lb Sunline RockFish leader. “I wish I’d cottoned on to the longline technique a little earlier in the event,” Noble lamented. He had a line up in 25ft of water where he’d get

Sunday, placing him 1.3kg clear of a fast-finishing Christina Tschutura, who boxed the heaviest non-boater limit on the second day. For Steve, the weekend was a master class in casting and longlining ultra-deep crankbaits from his boaters, Matt Johnson and John Noble, who finished first Scan the QR code to watch the On Water Highlights

The non-boater champion was also wearing his free 13 Fishing shirt to get a bonus $250.

and second in the event. Mears displayed his longlining setup in the YouTube interview that can be seen by scanning the QR code hereby. It was a Millerods Switchfreak UL paired with a Shimano SLX DC and a Rapala DT20 tied on the end. “Adam won that bait in a prize pack last year,” Steve said, “and now it’s caught me some of the fish

BIG BASS PRIZE

Tamworth’s Steve Mears has now got a trophy just like his son, Adam. BASS Pro event in 2022. Little did he know that he’d have his own trophy to take home after the Boondooma iteration of the event in 2023. He jumped out to an early lead with a 3/3, 2.555kg limit on Saturday and finished it off with a second 3/3, 1.82kg on the

Chinchilla’s Mick Johnson didn’t land a limit on either day of the event, but sure did win the $500 Atomic Big Bass award for his 1.965kg monster. bitten every time the lure banged across the bottom. “There were other boats there but they were either too shallow or too deep,” Noble concluded, “You had to be around 25ft or you weren’t going to get bit.” STEVE MEARS MATCHES SON Tamworth’s Steve Mears was a proud as punch when his son, Adam, won the Non-Boater trophy at the Clarence Ricer

NON- BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Angler Steve Mears Christina Tschtura Marco Grubb Heath Kimber Paul Mazaroli Garry Wilton David Lonne Phil Hoyt Tyson Everleigh Casey Monagle

Fish 6/6 4/6 4/6 4/6 4/6 3/6 3/6 3/6 3/6 3/6

to win this event.” Sponsor Karma at it again. “You meet such great people and anglers fishing these events. I used to take Adam fishing in the saltwater, but now he is taking me freshwater fishing and I’m loving every minute of it,” he concluded.

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) Payout 4.375kg Rapala pack + $250 Rapala bonus 3.015kg Bassman pack + $125 Rapala bonus 2.605kg Keitech pack 2.580kg Ecogear pack + $75 Rapala bonus 2.325kg Nomad Design pack 2.260kg Rapala pack 2.115kg ProLure pack 2.075kg Hideup pack 2.060kg Atomic pack 1.745kg TT Pack JULY 2023 113

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20HP 4-stroke

3,653 MO 1807 0.73

• Stacer Alloy Trailer • Mercury 30HP 4/s

4-STROKE ENGINE SPECIALS

© Da Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can FREECALL: 1800 228 244 or email nkelly@fishingmonthly.com.au 11,737 © Copyright Commonwealth of Aus Tim 114 JULY 2023 Datum of Predictions is Lowest Ast IN CLASS LIGHTWEIGHT Mo REASONS BEST PERFORMANCE & COMPACT % Times are in local standard time (U TO CHOOSE STACER 429 SEA MASTER

429 22,279 STACR ASSAULT PRO Including GST (Tow Away)

26,699

75HP 4-stroke

10,049*

Including GST (Tow Away)

90HP 4-stroke $

• Stacer Alloy Trailer • Mercury 40HP 4/s • Bimini Top • Engine Fit Up & PD

• Registration

• Stacer Alloy I-Beam Trailer • Mercury 40HP 4-stroke • Side Console • Rod Locker • Sealed Timber Floor

• Live Tank Fit Up • Bow Mount Motor Bracket • Two Tone Paint • Fit Up & PD • Registration • Safety Equipment

*Engine price is motor only. Excludes installation & Rigging Kit. (Tow Away)

ON BOAT PACKAGES

New South Wales Tide Times

Victorian Tide Times

SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALESPOINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA 38° 18ʼ S LONG 144° 37ʼ E LAT 33° 51ʼ S LONG 151° 14ʼ E LONSDALE –LAT VICTORIA DENISON) – NEW SOUTH SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – WALES NEW SOUTH POINT WALES POINT LONSDALE – VICTORIA

2021

Times and Heights POINT of HighLONSDALE and Low Waters Local Times andWALES Heights of Time High and Low Waters SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH – VICTORIA POINT –33° NEW NEW SOUTH WALES WALESLAT LAT 38° 18ʼ S 2021 LONG 144° 51ʼSOUTH S LONG 151° 14ʼ 33° 51ʼE S LONG 151° 14ʼ E LAT 38° 18ʼ S37ʼ E LONG 144° 37ʼ E

2023

LAT37ʼ 33°JULY LONG 151° 14ʼ E LAT 38° 18ʼ S LONG 144° E 51ʼ S NG NG151° 151°14ʼ 14ʼEEMAY AUGUST MAY JUNE and Heights of HighJUNE and Low Waters Time Times and Heights of High and Low Waters nd Heights of HighTimes and Low Waters Local Time Times and Heights ofLocal High and LowLocal Waters Times and Heights of High and Low Waters Time Times and Heights of High and Low Waters Time hand and Low Low Waters Waters Local Local Time Time Time Time m Time mJULY Time Time Local m JULY Time mMAY m Time m Time MAY m Time mm Time mm Time m Time JUNE AUGUST JUNE JULY JUNE AUGUST JUNE MAY JULY DECEMBER SEPTEMBER OCTOBER MAY JUNE 0452 JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER JULY JULY0519 AUGUST Time m Time Time mm Time m Time Time mm 1.36 Time Time Time NOVEMBER Timem m Time m 0006 1.68 0.58Time m AUGUST 0633 0.53 0145 1.34 0150 1.40 1.26 m 0554m 0.36 Time 0037 1.78 m 0057 1.60 0557 0046 0.69 1.41 0623

LAT 3 Times Time an

Time

0034 Time m1.30 m 1 1 Time Time m0.43 m 11 0807 Time Time m0.49m 16 Time m0.5416 Time m 1 0735 T 16 1 1ime 16 Time m Time m 0735 0646Time 1117 m1.28 1238 0750 Time 0.51 0.62 16 1155 m1.39 16 0740 0744 1.30 1148 0.55 1041 0.38 1158 0.58 1 13580623 1 0.69 160034 1 0049 16WE 1245 0 1 16 1 0557 16 16 SU0633 11.40 16 13031.34 1.43 16400.53 0.75 1804 0.76 1430 1.59 0.58 1446 1.43 0.51 17251.78 0.65 1345 1.33 1.3816 A037 TU SU1904 MO 1245 0006 1.68 0145 0150 1.26 0057 1.60 0.80 1900 1.50 1748 1.58 1.54 SAFR MO FRTH TU 1.36 0046 0452 1.41WE 1848 0.66 2110 0.56 2359 1.88 1911 0.79 1940 0.78 2314 1.71 2114 0.76 16 16 1 1 1 1 16 16 1 16 1 16 1 16 1 16 1 16 1 16 16 1 16 16 16 1 1 1 1 16 16 0646 1148 0.43 0.55 2319 1238 1.30 0807 0.62 0.58 0750 740 0.49 0744 0.54 0.38 16 1.44 1.35 1928 0.74 11 0 1 1158 1 1041 16 0.51 1 0735 1.47 1935 16 0748 0735 1.30 1303 1.43 1430 1.59 1446 1.43 345 1.33 WE 1804 0.76 1358 1.38 TH FR SU MO 1900 1.50 17481.66 1.58 1904 SA 1 SA MO FR TU 1245 WE 1245 TH 1257 0030 1.68 0.61 0255 1.18 0.75 0135 0301 1.25 0.87 0130 0138 0148 1.471.54 2110 0100 1.58 0.80 0043 07000.79 0.43 0023 0.74 0.68 0534 1.38 0.65 1848 0.56 0.78 0.74 2114 0.76 17 2 2 17 2 17 1935 1.44 1922 1.42 2 2319 1928 1.54 17 17 17 0608 2 2 0.66 2 17 2 17 2911 21940 2 17 0.52 17 1207 1.25 0858 0.65 0853 0.56 0835 0.54 17 0724 0828 0.58 0733 0.45 1300 1.31 2 2 2 1121 0.42 17 0656 1.29 0735 1.40 17 0842 1.32 0849 1335 1.34 1726 0.80 1542 1.47 1538 1.64 1447 1.35 1451 1.41 1359 1.49 1825 0.74 TH MO1256 TU U138 1.66 0255 0043 1.47 0100 1.58 17 0.89 1231 0.65 20.68 1836 1.52 170301 17170.68 221336 1717 TH 13452 0 21906 21.18 17SA2FR 1719571.25 170.821.38 2TU 20023 20.8117 17 17 1.68 2222WE0148 17 17 22 MO0030 SUSA WE 0.74 0135 0534 0.65 0.77 2227 0130 0.72 0.47 2230 0133 0.50 0.57 2019 20450.65 0.67 17 0858 835 0.54 17 0724 0.52 0828 0.58 0733 0.45 0853 0.56 1.40 1.37 2023 1947 1.44 1959 1.51 21 17 17 17 2 2 2 0842 1.32 0848 0656 1.29 1121 0.42 0735 1.40 0849 1.50 2019 1.47 18 447 1.3518TH 1335 1.34 1.41 SAPOINT 1359 1.49 1.64 MO 1542 FR 1451 TU 1538 18 18 3 3 3 LONSDALE – VICTORIA 3 3 18 3 18 18 1336 0.89 1347 0.95 1231 0.65 1836 1.52 1256 0.68 1345 0.85 0000 1.66 0406 1.16 0239 1.56 0245 1.37 0200 1.48 0422 1.22 0100 1.77 0126 1.63 SU 1 SU 0.67 WE 0.50 FR 0.65 SA 0.81 TU 0.75 TH 1906 0.77 2227 0.72 0.82 2045 1957 2230 2022 0116 0.75 0001 0144 0.59 0230 0230 3 18 3019 3 3 18 LAT 38°0.50 18ʼ1.44 S LONG 144° 37ʼ E1.51 2019 1.40 2009 1.38 1947 1959 2023 1.50 0953 0.66 0925 0.57 18 0815 0911 0.61 0825 0.47 1001 0.57 0809 0.49 18 0702 0.62 18180422 18330945 3of SA 3 1637 3 09583 2 0628 1.44 0808 1.26 18 18 18 3 18 3 18 18 18 18 3 3 1.52 1544 1.40 FR 1543 1.46 14581.22 1.573 3 TU0858 1645 1.36 1.72 14141.56 1433 1.41 18 18 331.28 TU0126 18 1813031.631.24 33 3TH0245 Times and Heights High and 1.34 Low WatersSU Local Time WE O239 0406 1.16 1.37 0200 1.48 0.48 0.78 1321 0.75 0.96 MOMARCH SU WE 1402 TH 1438 0 0116 0.75 0230 0001 0.75 0144 0.59 0230 18220.50 0.83 3 0911 2330 0.65 0.43 2341 0.41 0.55 2129 0.81 0.7919 21140.57 0.64 19340.57 0.8018 0815 2015 0.75 3 1209 18 18 18 0953 0.66 1001 925 0.61 0825 0.47 JANUARY FEBRUARY APRIL 19 19FR 1453 4 2155 4 0.65 4 0223 1930 1.47 2058 1.48 1.55 2108 2124 2036 1.38 1.37 1.40 19 4 4 4 19 19 19 3 18 18 3 3 3 1 0628 1.34 0858 1.44 0958 0808 1.26 0945 1.36 0949 1637 1.52 WE 1645 1.72 544 1.40 FR 1433 1.41 1543 1.46 SU 1458 1.57 TU SA 00560.75 1.62 0513 1.17 0.92 0534 1.25 1.01 0339 1.49 0344 1.310.78 2341 0310 1.41 0.96 02090.81 1.68 0228 1.59 1 1209 0.48 2114 1402 1453 1321 0.75 2330 1438 1449 MO MO TH SA SU WE FR 0.65 0.41 129 2155 0.79 0.64 2015 0220 0.75 0329 0.61 0052 0.74 0252 0.51 0338 2 4 19 4 19 4 0914 440.53 1919 1940905 0800 0.61 44144 1009 1046 0.66 1.47 1106 2102 0.54 0.59 0954 0.62 0919 0.4941.37 16 1 16 16 16 120360.4819 1 1930 1.47 2058 1.48 2124 1.38 2108 1.35 19 19 4 19 19 4 19 4 4 4 19 19 4 19 4 19 19 19 19 4WE1014 0735 1.33 0922 1.27 14071.59 1.26 1728 1.58 19 1746 1.80 204 1103 16331.31 1.47 SA 1.5220 15581.25 1.66 15251.49 1.30 WE 15301.41 1.52 4SU TH 1044 MO U339 0513 1.17 0534 0310 20 1.53 5 1632 5 TH 5 1.42 50.51 5 4FR0344 5 0220 20 20 20 2019 0228 1307 0.57 1517 0338 0.85 0.39 1422 0.83 1.00 0.53 2234 0.78 2300 0.7419 22300.54 0.56 0.61 19290.48 0.84 20500.59 0.82 2128 0.70 TU 1106 FR 1550 0320 MO SA 1608 0 0.75 0329 0052 0.74 0252 4 19 1046 0.66 009 0905 0954 0.62 0919 0.49 2031 1.44 2200 1.48 2126 1.35 2200 1.36 19 19 19 4 4 4 41 1.33 1014 1.53 1103 1.61 0922 1044 1.42 1050 1.46 2229 1.58 1.80 633 1.47 SA 1530 1.52 16320735 1.52 1.66 1.27 WE 1728 TH 1746 MO 1558 171.45 17 2 2 MO 2 17 2 17 0020 1608 0.57 0.94 0039 1600 0.32 1.02 0433 0333 1.56 0442 1.28 0422 1.36 1.00 03200.78 1.62 01580.70 1.61 SU 1307 0.57 1517 0.85 1422 0.83 1550 234 2300 0.74 2230 0.56 2128 FR 0.71 5 5 50402 SU 0.56 TH 0.70 SA TU 202229 20 5 201016 200.591.4420TU 521260.4620 51 200330 50956 5 50.6221 20 550426 2020 1.34 20 20 5 1012 550.55 20 20 20 20 20 0157 0.43 0445 0607 1.20 1.46 0633 1.31 1038 0.50 0858 0.58 55 55 1049 6 6 21 6 21 2031 2200 1.48 1.35 2200 1.36 2203 6 TU0039 21 6 211.28 6 1.36 21 TH0333 5MO0900 5TH1122 5 1205 1136 1.64 0.63 20 1206 1.51 0.49 1718 1.54 SU 1626 1.64 21 17171.35 1.5920 16580.32 1.77 16261.45 1.36 15121.56 1.33 1030 1.32 FR 1137 E433 0020 0.57 0422 2331 0.73 2240 0.61 2357 0.68 2342 0.46 22030.59 0.7920 0956 1814 1.65 1842 1.87 20430.46 0.81 3 1539 0.89 1418 0.66 1636 0.88 1701 1.00 1720 0 5 20 5SA0442 20 WE SA TU FR SU 0607 1.20 0633 1.31 049 1038 0.62 1016 0.50 0330 0.71 0426 0.56 0422 0.48 0157 0.70 0402 0.43 0445 0.36 18 2137 1.433 3 2300 1.50 18 18 3 18 1.35 2215 2255 1.37 1.52 2331 20 20 20 5 5 56 0 5 1136 0.63 1.64 1206 0.49 718 1.54 SU 1626 1.64 1717 1.59 1.35 1658 1030 1.77 1.32 0900 1122 1137 1.51 1147 1205 1.67 TH FR MO TU 0102 0.49 0129 0.25 0522 1.42 0438 1.54 05366 1.2722 21 05311.87 1.35 04230.73 1.59 03040.61 1.62 66 6 2357 7 7 22 7 22 6 21 21 6 21 6 21 6 21 21 6 6 21 6 21 21 21 6 6 21 21 2240 0.68 2342 0.46 1814 1.65 1842 1539 0.89 1418 0.66 1636 0.88 1 1701 1.00 1709 0.99 1720 0.92 WE SA MO TU FR WE SU 7 7 22 7 22 22 22 6 21 6 6 21 6331 21 21 0652 0.34 1.24 0724 0.50 1.37 1127 0.59 1046 0.44 11210.62 0.62 11150.64 0.49 1100 0.55 0950 0.52 0313 0507 2215 1.35 2137 1.43 2300 1.50 0432 2255 1.37 2308 1.356 0545 1 2331 1.47 0516 1221 0.59 1300 0.43 1758 1.61 1719 1.78 1800 1.65 1755 1.87 1716 1.44 1609 1.44 4 19 19 4 19 4 4 19 21 6 6 21 FR1224 1.74 SA 1225 1.59 SU WE H522 1.42 FR 1129 0.25 1.40 1301 0102 1.44 0.49 0129 0536 1.27 1.35 0438 1.54 1856 0545 1.72 0.33 23070.59 0.7421 1046 21540.44 0.74 6 11210313 1931 0520 1.91 0.43 2346 0.50 6TU1025 21MO0531 0652 0507 1.24 21 127 0.62 0.62 1115 0.49 1656 1.37 0.90 0.50 1541 0.72 0.86 0.96 TH 0724 WE SA 1746 SU 1758 MO 1822 0 0432 0.64 0.34 0516 8 6 1224 8 7 2359 23 8 1240 23 1221 0.59 1300 0.43 758 1.61 1.65 1755 1.87 22 1.46 2304 1.36 1.52 1.7277 2349 1.39 60021 67 0 21 6221301 21 FR 2240 SA22 WE 21 71129 22 70.6023 22 7 1800 220.671.44 22 2222 1.59 70540 1.40 1025 1.74 1225 22 22 22 2204071.78 8 77TU 8 23 23 23MO 1719 8 23 0141 0.42 0516 77 1.57 1.52 00437 00441.91 0.3571.59 1.65 0213 0.22 1856 1.72 1931 2346 0.50 5 201.40 5 20 5 20 20 1656 0.90 1541 0.72 1 1746 0.86 1758 0.96 1822 0.87 1807 0.93 7 7 1142 0.54 22 1039 0.45 5 7WE0607 22 7 22 22 TH TH SA SU MO TU 0732 0.28 1.29 1136 0.44 06260.49 1.28 06350.57 1.37 0810 0.44 1.42 0522 0428 0604 0601 0030 1 2240 1.46 2304 1.36 2359 1.52 2349 1.39 1303 0.54 1759 1.52 1202 0.59 1812 1.90 1202 0.62 1212 0.48 1700 1.57 1349 0.40 R021 0.67 MO TU SA SU 1310 1.66 0141 1.57 0.42 22TH 0540 1.52 0043 0.60 0044 0.35 0213 77WE1138 7SA1320 7 0639 1218 0.22 1.509 1.81 22 240030 9 0010 9 18400604 18351.28 1.6822 0635 1.37 1.7124 18501.42 1.96 22590.44 0.63 7 0626 2017 1.90 24 1353 1935 1.79 22 22 0732 1.29 607 1.4024 1136 0810 1755 0.89 1844 0.82 1844 0.92 1703 0.73 FR TH SU MO TU 0522 0.57 0.28 0601 0.44 0428 0.49 1.49 1.39 9 8WE 986 0.48 2323 2423 24 8 8 6 23 24 230639 86 91.81 23 23 1.57TH 22 80047 80.54 232350 8822 0611 2323 0.38 191578 00 880.68 TU 1812 23 2305051.901.67 23 868 1202 21 21 21 21 0.40 1303 202 0.59 0.62 1212 SA 2339 SU 1349 1.38 1.50 7 22 7 7 1218 1.50 1320 1310 1.66 1138 0.31 0254 0104 0.61 0124 0.54 0139 0.27 0000 0.39 0.22 0216 0.37 1935 1.79 1.68 1.71 1.96 2017 1.90 81840 23 231850 8835 2310 1755 0.89 8 1844 1703 0.73 0649 1.39 0711 1.290.82 07321844 1.39 0.92 8 0811 0601 1.55 23 1125 0.40 0641 1.50 0852 1.45 1.65 1.33 1.75 FR SU MO FR 1 TH TU 1353 WE 1329 0533 0.37 0053 1.55 0040 1.43 0123 0603 0.50 10 25 25 10 25 2350 1.38 2 2339 1.50 1915 0.81 1237 0.59 1242 0.61 1306 0.46 1217 0.53 1228 0.44 1748 1.72 1435 1856 0.39 0.85 1344 0.50 TU TH FR A104 0.61 WE SU MO SU 0124 0.54 0139 0.27 0047 0.39 0254 0.22 0216 0.37 8 8 23 8 23 1242 1.71 0657 0.25 0644 0.40 0729 1300 1.60 25 25 25 10 10 25 10 22 7 22 7 22 7 7 22 1910 1.74 1919 1.77 1944 2.01 18361.39 1.59 1903 2.01 2100 1.85 2015 1.84 23 8 23 23 8 649 0711 1.29 0732 1.39 0641 1.50 0852 1.45 0811 1.33 24 9 24 9 9 24 9 24 9 9 24 9 9 24 9 24 9 24 24 99 24 24 99 12420533 24 24 0.72 1.55 1.84 1.50 1.72 1.44 1840 0040 0.86 FR 1813 MO 1411 0123 TU 1352 0105 WE 1440 0 SA 1435 0053 237 0.59 WE 1228 0.44 0.61 0.37 1306 0603 0.46 0.50 0.39 1.43 0.50 MO TH 8 FR 23 SU 1344 1934 0.78 1926 0.87 2005 8 23 8 23 80 0144 0.56 0202 0.48 0145 0.30 0045 0.63 0000 0.51 0331 0.25 0230 0.22 0253 0.32 1242 1.71 0657 0.25 0644 0.40 0729 0.33 0659 0.35 1300 1.60 1.74 1919 1.77 1944 2.01 1903 2.01 2100 1.85 2015 1.84 26 11 26 11 26 11 9 9 24 9910 24 24 9 0730 1.38 0752 1.311.84 0740 1.48 0642 1.53 24 0600 1.68 0933 1.47 1.70 0826 1.41 0849 1.37 1.75 1 1813 0.72 1411 1352 1.72 1440 1414 1840 0.86 SA FR MO TU WE TH SA 8MO0144 230.60 TH0230 8110.78SA0331 23 0.25 8 0.22 23 1.56 1.46 0032 1.54 0033 1.42 26 26 MO0145 11 26 11 26 1311 1322 0.60 1319 0.45 23 12490.56 0.53 12100.30 0.37 8WE 1519 1942 0.41 0.76 0213 2 1359 0.45 0.87 1425 2005 0.46 0.75 FR U144 TU 0128 1934 1926 0202 0.48 0253 0.32 10 1.412.07252599 0629 2520331.47 251.7924 0826 101.8124 10 24250933 101956 100.26 1010 9 0746 25250.26 10100724 2525 9 0815 0642 0.44 25 2518361.481.8610 1010 101.6624 0740 25 25 1945 1957 191110 2141 0.37 1.76 2.02 2053 1.86 24 9 0752 730 1.38 1.31 0849 1.37 1459 1.84 1434 1.75 1522 1338 1.81 1339 1.68 TU WE TH SA SU 0 0144 1.56 0128 1.46 0213 1.50 0157 1.49 0032 1.54 0033 1.42 311 0.60 TH 1319 0.45 1322 0.60 SA 1359 0.45 0.41 1425 0.46 27 TU 1519 MO12 12 0.379 2022 27 27 2052 01251.79 0.58 00572.07 0.40 FR 0407 0.31 0.34 0318 0.22 0330 0.29 0.36 12 0221 0.52 0241 0.24 0241 0.44 1919 0.83 0.75 2007 0.82 1908 0.70 9 9 24 9 24 9 9 24 9 24 9 24 24 0 0746 0.26 2141 0724 0815 0745 0629 0.26 24 0642 0.44 945 1956 1957 1.81 1.76 2053 1.86 2033 2.02 121.84 27 27 27 27 25 0656 12 0 0719 1.51 25 1013 10 0929 2512 10 TU 25 WE 1.67 10SA 1.47 1.73 09151434 1.42 1.75 1.41 1.73 0812 0837 1.46 0832 1.32 1 1459 1522 1456 13381.36 1.81 1339 1.68 SU TH FR SU 1.55 0214 1.48 0259 0123 1.58 0115 1.45 132011 0.54 12560.24 0.3711 1602 2027 0.46 14490.31 0.45 1509 0.45 0.71 1345 0.62 1411 0.48 1401 0.590.75 26 11 11 11 26 11 26 26 11 26 11 O221 TU WE SU TU0230 TH SA 11 26 11 26 11 26 11 26 0330 0.29 0407 0318 0.22 0.52 0241 0241 0.44 11 26 26 11 26 26 1919 0.83 2022 2007 0.82 2052 0.67 1908 0.70 FR 10 10 0859 2 25 1013 19431.36 1.7125 0837 19241.46 1.98 10 0832 2218 0.36 1.65 28 21211.47 1.98 2133 1.85 25 13 20191.32 1.8225 0915 20471.42 2.0910 20350.20 1.8428 0833 0.30 0804 0720 0718 0.39 10 0929 1.41 812 13 13 28 10 25 10 25 25 10 25 10 1.80 1.49 1.76 1.53 1.87 1416 0.46 1.73 1.48 WE 1544 0259 TH 1515 0246 FR 1600 0 SU MO 1602 1509 0230 0.45 13 1449 0.45 1.45 345 0.6228FR 1411 0.48 1401 0.59 1.58 1.55 0214 0123 0115 TU 1430 28 13 28 13 02021.82 0.55 0407 0.72 0.28 0441 0.38 0259 0.50 SU 25 03341.98 0.23 28 03180.68 0.42 WE 2218 04031.65 0.25 01532.09 0.31 SA10 2107 2047 0.77 2136 1957 1957 0.80 10 0 10 25 10 25 2133 1.85 2121 019 2047 2035 1.84 0833 0.30 0804 0.36 0859 0.41 0831 0.35 0720 0.20 0718 0.39 1 075712 1.48 26 0751 1.63 11 0852 1.35 26 0932 1.44 11 0912 1.33 26 1002 1.42 11 1011 1.45 26 1051 1.47 12 27 12 27 12 12 1 12 27 12 27 27 1544 1.80 1515 1.76 1600 1.70 1535 1.73 1430 1.87 1416 1.73 12 12 12 27 12 27 27 27 12 12 12 27 27 27 27 MO WE TH FR SA SU MO 13490.50 0.56 WE 1554 0.45 1645 1.49 0.52 29 0343 14220.42 0.64 SA 1503 0.51 26 SU 14421.59 0.5829MO 1539 0.48 13430.23 0.40 11 FR U259 WE0315 TH14 1.52 0258 0209 0156 1.47 0441 0.38 0407 0.28 0334 0318 0403 0.25 14 14 29 11 11 26 26 11 26 2107 0.72 2047 0.77 2136 0.67 2113 0.58 1957 0.68 1957 0.80 20151.35 1.7626 0932 2215 0.36 1.80 26 0845 2255 0.37 1.52 11 0939 2 20561.33 1.8326 1002 21391.42 2.0711 21150.19 1.8526 1051 22071.47 1.90 11 0918 20131.44 2.06 11 0912 11 0809 0755 0.37 1011 1.45 852 29 29 14 29 14 29 14 1554 0315 0.45 1.52 422 0.64 SA 1503 0.51 14420209 0.58 1.59 1539 0156 0.48 1.47 1.74 1.46 1556 0335 1.74 1.55 1.87 1454 0.52 1.76 1.49 WE 1517 TH 1625 SA 1633 0 TU 1645 0258 0512 0.72 0.45 04461.52 0.31 0446 0343 0.29 FR 2129 03381.85 0.49 MO 2207 04281.90 0.27 MO 03570.67 0.41 TH 02391.83 0.52 02492.07 0.26 SU 2115 2255 2215 1.80 2139 2152 0.71 2217 2043 2033 0.78 11 11 11 26 11 26 26 1 0809 0.19 0918 0.36 0845 0.37 0939 0.47 0918 0.40 0755 0.37 27 12 12 27 12 27 2056 27 13 13 28 13 13 13 28 13 28 28 28 13 13 28 28 13 13 1130 1.46 1.41 1.48 1027 1.3430 28 1048 083413 1.44 0848 1.5713 1214541.4128 27 12 0932 271.33 27 15 0953 12 27 1556 12 1055 13 13 28 28 28 28 15 30 15 30 1 1517 1.87 1625 1.74 1.74 1633 1.66 1614 1.71 1.76 TU MO TH FR SA SU TU 1730 0.58 1627 0.53 1644 0.47 1500 0.66 1557 0.56 1523 0.58 14190.49 0.58 1430 0.45 FR TU TH SA SU MO E338 TH 0512 0446 1.58 0.29 0428 0.27 0357 0.41 0446 0.31 0254 0400 2217 1.48 0.64 0343 2159 1.49 0.50 0426 2 0236 0.45 1.48 15 15 30 15 30 30 30 2043 0.67 2152 0.71 2129 0.72 2033 0.78 2332 0.40 1.39 12 1016 22501.46 1.78 12 1000 2300 0.44 1.72 27 0929 21331.34 1.8327 1048 22291.41 1.9912 21540.21 1.8427 1130 20461.33 1.7827 1027 21021.41 2.10 12 0953 12 0856 1055 1.48 932 0830 0.36 1730 0.58 1644 0.47 500 0.66 SU 1557 0.56 15230254 0.58 1627 0.53 FR TH MO TU 1603 1.82 1704 1.68 1634 1.71 1532 1.75 13 28 13 28 13 28 13 28 TU FR 0527 0426 SA 0544 0425 SU 1704 0 WE 05280343 0400 1.48 1.49 1.58 0236 1.48 1.56 0.33 1.43 0.52 04171.84 0.50 0519 0.32 0437 0.4031 0.38 03451.99 0.25 14 2154 03161.83 0.51 31 14 29 14 29 29 14 14 1 29 14 29 14 14 29 29 29 29 14 14 2332 1.39 2300 1.72 2229 2250 1.78 14 14 14 14 29 29 29 29 2127 0.67 2235 0.70 2212 0.66 2256 2110 0.76 12 27 12 12 27 27 12 13 28 28 3133 28 13 28 13 1000 0.44 0929 0.40 1016 0.54 0856 0.21 0830 0.36 1006 0.47 1142 1.51 1210 1.45 1015 1.32 1120 1.39 1036 1.35 1133 1.40 0945 1.50 0913 1.41 31 FR0519 31TU 31 1704 1634 1603 1.82MO 1532 1.75 0.50 1.61 1820 0.64 1.68 1540 0.68 1649 0.61 1608 0.591.68 1715 0.59 1.71FR 1737 15210.32 0.51 14500.50 0.62 FR SA 0.52 SU 1704 TU WE MO 1652 WE 1 SA 0430 SU WE H417 0544 0527 0.33 0437 0.40 0.38 0338 1.55 0315 1.48 0446 1.42 1.49 0.43 0510 2235 0.70 2212 0.66 2256 0.62 2127 0.67 0.76 2245 2 2347 1.60 2213 2318 1.87 2235 1.81 2331 1.64 21541.39 2.08 13 21191.32 1.7928 1120 28 13 28 0528 1210 1.45 1142 1.51 015 1.35 1133 1.40 142110 29 14 1036 291.81 14 29 14 13 13 0942 0.28 Commonwealth 0906 0.37 1042 0.52 28 1014 0.46 13 1053 © Copyright of Australia 2019, Bureau of Meteorology 1820 0.64 1737 15 0.50 540 0.68 MO 1649 0.61 0.59 0.59 3030 SA FR 1647 WE 1715 15 15Predictions 15 1608 300.511.55 150315 300606 15 0 1.75 1611 1.73 1.61 1.68 150610 15 3030 15151714 3030 1.55 15TU 30 30 150.52 30 3004431.87 WE TH30 SA 1743 SU MO 1735 0015 0519 1.28 0.45 0609 0.38 1.40 0.2815 0500 0.40 0518 035515 0338 1.48 0446 1.42 0430 1.49 0510 Datum of 0.41 is Lowest Astronomical Tide 2347 1.60 213 1.81 2318 2235 1.81 2331 1.64 14 29 29 29 14 29 14 4Copyright 2209 0.67 2146 0.75 2318 0.70 2257 0.61 2332 Commonwealth of Australia 2020, Bureau of Meteorology 13 28 13 28 13 28 13 0.59 0.55 1.40 0.46 1232 1053 1.54 0.62 0619 1053 1044 1.43 1059 1213 1.37 1122 1.360.52 12181014 0952 1.37 09421.30 0.28 0906 0.37 Times 1042 are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) wh1 151611 30 15MOWE 300.71 15 30 15 1.43 1.63 1804 0.66 1.68 0.55 1.56 0.59 1622 1744 0.67 1656 0.611.61 1524 0.66 of 0.51 Predictions is1614 Lowest Astronomical Tide 1647 1.75 TU 1.73 WE 1730 1743 1714 1735 SU 1254 TH SA 1838 SA Rum 0015 1.28 0609 0.38 500 0610 0.40 0518 0.41 0606 0.45 TH TU TH 1 SA SU MO New Moon0534 1.37 First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols Moon 0421 1.50 0355 0.59 1.46 0521 1.47 0558 1919 2331 0.69 0.39Full 22461.37 2.01 2254 1.78 2319 1.7629 2155 14 29standard 14 29 2209 0.67 0.75 2318 0.70 2257 0.61 2332 0.60 es are1.30 in1.78 local time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect 0619 1232 1.54 059 1213 1122 1.36 1218 2146 1.40 14 29 1254 14 1131 1025 0.36 0943 0.39 14 1120310.61 29 1101 0.54 310.53First 310013Last 31 31 3105420.67 31 31 1.43 1838Moon 0.55 SU31 622 0.71Symbols 0.61 0.66 SA 1731 TU 1744 WE 1656 TH 1804 New Moon Quarter Quarter 1819 on Phase Full 0041 1.46 1.50 0.34 0545 0007 1.74 0601 0.42 0435 0.54 0106 1.17 1.67 1650 1.69 1.55 1754 1.63 TH FR SU MO TU 1806 0 1.46 0620 1.53 0534 1.37 1919 0521 1.47 0558 1.37 1.78 23190421 1.76 31 1.50 31 0.69 15 14 302225 302906580355 5254 30 2344 0657 1131 0.45 0.70 0645 0.52 0.54 1146 0.47 1211 1.390.61 1033 1.32 30 1143 1.38 15 0703 0.65 0.65 2252 0.69 0.74 0.56 14 29 14 0 14 29 10251.29 0.36 0943 0.3915 1141 1120 1101 1.56 1.51 13041.17 1.40 1.63SU 1328 17091.74 0.66 1710 0.73 1305 1.36 1749 0.641.55 16000.53 0.71 SU 1.42 1.58 FR TU A545 MO 1346 0041 1.46 0007 0601 0.42 0013 1.50 0106 1731 1.67WE 1650 1.69 TH 1813 1819 1754 1806 TH FR WE FR 1 SU MO TU 0507 1.43 0437 1.44 0622 1.46 0010 1948 0.70 0.57 18590.65 0.72 0.56 0001 2341 1.91 15 2339 1.73 1839 0.73 22321.29 1.7530 2030 0.70 15 30 30 0657 0.45 146 1211 1.39 0645 0.52 0703 2252 0.69 2225 0.74 2344 © Copyright Commonwealth Australia 2022, Bureau of Meteorology © Copyright Commonwealth of Aus1 ©ofCopyright Commonwealth of Australia 2022, Bureau of Meteorology au auofofMeteorology Meteorology 0658 0.47 15 30 1107 1023 1.42 0.43 15 0630 1.32 30 1151 0.64 15 0650 © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia Bureau Meteorology 1328of 0.45 1.56 710 0.73 WE 1305 1.36 1749 0.64 1304 1.40 2021, 1346 SU TH FR MO Datumofof0507 Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Predictions is Lowest 06420.73 0.42 Datum 00580.70 1.37 1.46 0213of0018 1.10 Datum of Predictions is1815 Lowest0001 Astronomical Tide 1.58 1731 1.64 0.70 0.59 1838 1.58 1212Ast0 FR SA MO 1200 0010 TU Datum WE Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide 1.43 0437 1.44 0.70 0.37 0622 1948 0.57 339 1.73 1839 1859 0.72 2030 31 31 31 1244 1.34 0723 0.58 0800 0.70 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 (U0 2336 0.71 2305 0.72 1857 1.49 15 30 15 30 15 30 15 Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect ylight ylightsavings savingstime time(UTC (UTC+11:00) +11:00)when whenininTimes effect effectare1107 in local 0.45 standard time 1023 (UTC +10:00) savings1.32 time (UTC +11:00) in effect 0.43 or daylight0630 0650 1.35 0726 1.51 1842 1151when 0.64 13531.10 1.41 1448 1.42 MO 1807 0.73 Moon SA TU 0058 1.37 0213 Moon Phase Symbols New Moon First Quarter Full Moon Last Quarter Moon Phase Symbols New1 1815 1.58 1731 1.64 1200 0.70 1212 0.79 1230 0.75 1838 1.58 New Moon First Quarter Last Quarter Phase Symbols Full Moon Moon Phase Symbols MO New Moon First Quarter Last Quarter FR Last SA WE Full Moon TH 0.68 SA TU 1.42 First FirstQuarter Quarter LastQuarter Quarter Full FullMoon Moon 2001 0.76 2148 31 0723 0526 0.58 0.72 0800 0.70 2336 0.71 2305 1857 31 1.49 1842 1.47 1900 1.52 1 31 1107 1.42 0.49 SA 1353 1.41 TU 1448 Tide predictions for Port Phillip Heads have been formatted by the 2001 National0526 Tidal Centre, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Copyright reserved. All material is supplied in good faith and is believed to be 1815 0.68 1.59 0.76 1.42 SU 2148 0110 0.37 Copyright ofthat Australia Bureau ofthat Meteorology correct. ItCommonwealth is supplied on the condition no warranty is2020, given in31 relation thereto, no responsibility or liability for2351 errors or0.69 omissions is, or will be, accepted and that the31 recipient will hold MHL 0832should 1.50 1107 0.49 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 not atum of Predictions is Lowest Astronomical Tide Time m 0452 Time Time mm Time Time Time m 1.681.41 Time m m 0145 Time Time m0.69 m Timem 0150 m0557Time Time Timemm m 0633 Timem 1.60 m Time Time mm 0037 Time Time Time mm m Time 1.36 0046 0623 1.40 0006 0.58 0.53 1.34 1.26 1.78 0057 0735 1.30 1148 0.62 0.55 1041 11580.51 0.58 0807 0646 0.430.38 1.28 1238 1.30 0750 0740 0.49 0744 0.54 0247 0.35 0333 0.40 0414 0.53 0300 0.09 0406 0.21 0446 0.53 0315 0.49 0338 0.47 0119 0.69 0510 0.50 0326 0.38 0043 0.82 0157 0.71 0201 0.54 0140 0140 0.48 0.48 0227 0227 0.39 0.39 0152 0152 0.24 0.24 1900 1.43 1.50 MOMO 1748 19041.59 1.54 TU 1245 0.80 1303 1.431.58 SU 0.75 1430 1358 1.38 FR FR SA1446 TU 1345 1.33 WE 1804 0.76 1.611.33 1021 1.80 1.491.56 1049 1034 11061.68 1.54 21101119 0815 1.37 TH0903 12301.84 1.45 1116 1.52 0707 1.23 0822 0911 09361.791.47 0728 0728 1.26 1.26 1911 0745 0822 1.32 1.32 0745 1.39 1.39 1935 1.44 2319 2114 0954 0.76 1848 0.660.74 1.71 0.56 0.79 1940 0.78 0855

Time m m 0.51Time Time m m Time 0049 0.58T 0034 0748 1.35 0735 1.47 0452 0.52 0500 0.64 0032 1.32 0541 0.36 0 WE 1245 0.75 TH 1257 0.87 1135 1.75 06361.93 0.54 1.420 1248 1.561.541128 1922 1928 14551408 0.240.94SA FR 1636 1806 1450 0.420.97 SU SA 1614 1735 13090.27 1.43 1532 16030.38 1.01 WETU 1334 0.70 FR TH 17520.34 0.90 FRFR1829 16170.38 1.02 THWE 1252 0.67WE 14330.231.03MOSU 18190.45 0.64 SASA1818 1148 0.55 0.55 SU 1250 0.62 0.62 TU 0.58 0.58 SA 1355 1355 0.52 0.52 1318 1318 0.42 0.42 SU 1 SU1250 SA1148 TUMO WETU 00232214 0.74 0135 0.68 0534 00432225 0.65 0130 0.47 1905 0133 1.68 0608 0255 1.18 1.66 0148 1.47 2101 0100 1.581.38 1.25 0700 2116 1.951.38 2244 1.611.45 2333 0.60 0.571 2159 22151.45 1.37 0301 2046 1.46 23481.29 1.29 1.37 2011 1.35 0030 2055 20501.621.40 1829 1.86 1.86 0.61 1930 1930 1.79 1.79 0138 1955 1.85 1.85 0.43 1829 2023 2023 1.74 1.74 1955 2.05 2.05

mm 0.36 Time Time 0519 mm 0554 1117 1155 1.39 0.53 0.53 0023 0023 0.54 0.54 1725 0.65 SU 1640 0607 1.36 1.36 1.37 1.37 1.88 0607 2314 2359

0842 1.32 1121 07350.56 1.40 0656 0.65 1.29 0724 0.52 1207 1.25 0858 0835 0.54 0828 0.58 0733 0.450.42 0853 1300 1.31 1336 0.89 1836 1256 0.68 12310404 0.65 SU SA 1.34 1726 1542 1.47 1.35 1451 1.41 0315 1359 1.491.52 1538 1.64 1825 0.360.45 0.130.64 0445 0.31 0003 1.24 0415 04380.43 0.46TU 0233 0.63 FR0343 06060.57 0.48 0441 0.35 WE0500 0138 0.83 0256 0259 0.48 0218 0218 0.45 0.45 1447 0241 0.49 0.49 0.74 0115 0241 0.16 0.16 0258 0258 0.38 0.38 0115 0.43 0.80 TH 1335 MO 0.43 MO WE SA TU 2019 1.40 1959 1.51 19471030 1.44 0.77 2227 0.72 0.82 2045 0.81 0927 1957 0.50 1134 12031.71 1.56 2230 0940 1.42 13151.82 1.49 1.531.620.671105 1136 0950 1.651.42 0527 0.62 1220 1.59 0821 1.20 1906 1020 10421.791.54 0808 0808 1.28 1.28 2019 0837 1.34 1.34 0837 1.45 1.45 0855 0855 1.35 1.35 0703 0703 1.37 1.37

0849 1.50

0848 1.37 0.950 1.380

1347 1345 FR1.33 TH 0027 1.20 0120 1.41 0049 1.520.850019 2009 2023 0644 0.351.500547 0544 0.69 07160.55 0.53 1645 17120.39 0.99 TH0144 1448 0.80 SA FR 18480.37 0.81 1336 1.630.43 13401.88 1.48 1730 0.94 FRTH 13460.37 0.76TH 15450.291.06 1529 0.430.98 1656 1830 1216 1.66 15481522 0.261.00SU SA 1730 1202 1.72 1331 1331 0.61 0.61 0239 0.61 0.61 1.77 1413 1413 1431 1431 0.50 0.50 1238 0.53 0.53 MO WE WE SU TUMO SUSU1219 MO0.75 MO WE WETU TH SU SU1238 0116 0.75 0230 0.65 SASA 0223 0001 0.59 0230 0000 1.66 0406 1.16 1.560.37 0245 1.37 0200 1.48 0422 1.22 0100 0126 1.63 2253 23131.38 1.36 1001 1916 0.481.551912 2144 1.45 19390.30 0.51 2345 1.41 21072.09 1.32 0815 2149 21491.461.39 1.551.43 1914 0.51 2205 1.821.38 2135 2332 1858 0.46 2009 2009 1.80 1.80 0925 2045 1.87 1.87 0.49 1918 2045 2056 2056 1.74 1.74 1918 1.96 1.96 0.62 0628 0858 1.44 0958 08082254 1.26 0945 1.36 0949 0702 0953 0.66 0.572.09 0911 0.61 0825 0.471.34 0.57 0809 0.50

MO 1 0.55 1.402 FR 1453 0.92 SA 1449 1.01 02001.34 1.49 1.350 0150 1.621.470116 0115 1.18 2124 2102

1209 14021.72 0.78 TH 1438 0.96 1321 1.52 0.75 WEWE MO1637 1303 1.24 1.40 FR 1433 1.41 1543 1.46 SU SU 1458 1.570.48 TU 1414 1.28 TU 0.33 TH 1544 0328 0346 0.55 SA0425 00431.25 1.33 02500.13 0.80 2015 0357 0510 04030.420.42 05330.48 0.45 1645 0551 0.31 0.390.42 0029 0.210.56 0344 0524 0055 1.16 0.47 0.47 0.80 0206 0206 0.33 0.83 0254 0254 0.44 0.44 0328 0328 0.38 0.38 1930 2058 1.48 2108 1.37 20360437 1.38 1822 2330 0.65 2129 0328 0.810.13 2155 0.79 2114 0.641.47 2341 0.41 1934 0.75 1052 1.52 06540.62 0.46 0946 1.23 1122 1.53 1229 1.68 1145 1.61 1256 1.58 1315 1.65 07520.58 0.54 07380.74 0.37 1000 1.56 1107 1.71 0631 0552 0647 1037 1.68 1150 1.75 0612 0.70 1.32 1.32 0758 0758 1.39 1.39 0846 0846 1.29 1.29 0927 0927 1.49 1.49 0928 0928 1.37 1.37 0220 0.75 0329 0.61 SUSU 0320 0052 0.74 0252 0.51 0338 1608 0.85 SU SA 13501.77 1.53 1458 0.84FR 1641 1747 16590.381.04 18120.41 0.94 0534 1835 0.82 SAFR 14101.79 1.51 1421 1.670.39 1609 0.450.951.41 1742 1300 1.58 1229 1644 0.321.01 1825 1248 1.62 0056 1.62 0513 1.17 1.25 1.49 0228 1.59 0344 1.31 0310 0209 0.63 0.63 1.68 1329 0.51 0.51 TU 1411 1411 0.60 0.60 0339 1506 1506 0.34 0.34 1508 1508 0.50 0.50 TH MO1314 MO TU TH MO SU WE MO TU FR MO MO1329 TU TH THWE FR 0735 1014 1.53 1103 09222340 1.271.31 1106 1044 1.42 1050 2241 1.45 19320.40 0.73 22022.06 1.33 0905 2245 2346 20100.34 0.43 2007 0.351.612006 1.471.43 2000 0.55 1929 2254 1.641.39 1953 0.53 0800 1046 0.66 0.54 0.59 0.48 0954 0.62 2212 0919 0.491.332255 1.40 0914 1.87 1.87 0.53 2009 2009 2.04 2.04 0.61 2045 2045 1.80 1.80 1009 2136 2136 2129 2129 1.70 1.70 Time m Time TH m 1517 0.85 Time m SA 1608 0.94 Time m Time2.06 m Time m Time m Time m 1307 0.57 1422 0.83 1550 1.00 1600 TU FR SU MO 1.58 1.80 1.66 1525 1.30 WE 1407 1.26 WE 1728 TH 1746 FR 1633 1.47 SA 1530 1.52 SU 1632 1.52 MO 1558 2031 1.44 2200 1.48 2229 1.46 2126 1.35 2200 1.36 2203 0445 0.91 0400 0.90 0152 0041 0330 0.85 0028 1.48 0413 0348 0.85 0515 0052 1.34 0449 0.46 01300448 1.38 0.70 0207 02381.36 1.56 0414 0.72 2128 0559 0507 0007 1.36 0054 1.491.41 0130 0453 02461.18 1.70 0.440.39 0.55 1.23 0215 0505 0.320.47 1.300.36 1.12 1929 0.78 0.70 2300 0.74 2230 0.560023 2050 0357 0357 0.38 0.38 0.47 0.47 0.82 0257 0257 0.26 0.26 0.84 0328 0328 0.44 0.44 2234 0415 0415 0.14 0.14 1048 1.21 1020 1.15 0704 0632 0953 1.34 0536 0.86 1036 1015 1.27 1150 0623 0.87 08250.61 0.55 0827 0.410.360752 1156 1.62 07351133 0.47 1100 1.33 1001 1317 1244 0624 0.43 0.290.62 0653 1.571.71 1.69 0726 0.77 0.66 11251218 1.671.64 0603 0.541.68 0.76 1001 1.40 1.40 1.31 1.31 0852 0852 1.41 1.41 0923 0923 1.30 1.30 1017 1017 1.53 1.53 0330 0.71 0426 0.561.34 0422 0157 0.70 04020653 0.43 0445 1717 0.41 1623 0.55 1710 0.71 1302 1.40 1600 0.28 1150 1.31 1630 0.36 1212 1.18 0020 0.57 0039 0.32 0433SA1.45 0333 1.56 0442 1.28 0422 1.36 0320 1.62 0158 1.61 WE TU1800 WE SA 1.71 TU FR 14411.68 1.52 1501 1.681.67 1723 0.86 MO SU 1420 1.56 16290.36 0.87 SASU 1838 13410.45 1.61 SA1122 1406 1.70 SUSA 1653 0.490.92 1834 1.50 1327 17411746 0.410.98 1236 1.680.99 1339 1.53 0900 1.64 1205 1030 1.32 1137 1.511.39 1147 1545 1545 0.51 0.51 0.66 0.66 TU 1422 0.49 0.49 WE 1448 1448 0.60 0.60 1049 1601 1601 FR TU FR MO1348 THWE MO TUTU1413 WE1.35 TU1422 FR FRTH 2352 1857 0.55 23430.36 1.50 SA 1808 0.62 0.24TUMO 1838 0.43 0607 1.20 0633 1.31 0.59 0956 0.46 1038 1016 0.50 1012 0.55 0858 WE 0.58 0.66 0.88 1720 1539 0.89 1701 1.00 1709 2040 0.37 2055 0.250.922100 2334 1.47 20110.41 0.65 2255 1.35 2202 1902 0.88FR 1636 1933 0.68 SA2031 2341 2251 TU 1.371418 2049 0.57 2344 1.441.42 1923 0.47 2052 0.58 WE1136 MO0.38 SU 2202 1.64 1.64 1.85 1.85 1.36 2100 2100 2.08 2.08 1.33 2121 2121 1.79 1.79 1718 2226 2226 1.97 1.97 0.63 1206 0.49 1.54 1626 1.64 1717 1.59 1658 1.77 1626 1512 TH 1.39 SA SU TU0142 2137 TH 2331 1.47 2215 1.35 1.370.56 2308 0043 1.40 MO 0131 1.54 0000FR1.29 2300 1.50 1.40 1.43 0005 0134 1.47 22550545 0447 0.89 1814 1.65 1842 1.87 2331 0.73 2240 0.61 2357 0.68 2342 0.46 2203 0.79 2043 0.81 0559 0.90 0532 0.86 0257 0727 0.79 0730 1059 1.33 0654 0.77 0445 0519 0.81 0031 02151234 1.42 1.49 0304 03141.41 1.60 0511 0.61 0426 0035 0003 0058 1.38 0155 1.560.50 0238 0542 0.38 03391.21 1.72 0.501.44 1.23 05460545 0.450.38 0117 1.181.44 1.11 1.24 0316 0501 0501 0.20 0.20 0426 0.41 0.41 0.48 0.48 0348 0348 0.23 0.23 0401 0401 0.44 0.44 04320600 0.64 0313 0.34 0516 0.500.70 0829 0545 0520 1147 1.21 1143 1.17 0507 1315 1.23 0.62 1405 1712 0.22 1306 1.36 1115 1145 1.28 MO TH TH0645 SA SU 1816 WE0608 0812 0.49 08590.63 0.57 1200 1.45 0438 0709 0.43 0748 0.311.51 0803 1309 0912 0.470.330901 1251 1.72 WE 1.570.39 0.62 1214 1.631.73 0646 0.650.31 0808 0.80 0.68 0.80 1107 1107 1.55 1.55 1036 1036 1.42 1.42 1.30 1.30 1.59 0945 0945 1.43 1.43 1.62 0959 0959 1.31 1.31 0522SU 0102 0.49 1.42 0536 1.27 0531 1.35 0129 0.25 1.54 0423 0304 1224 1.74 1225 1.59 1301 1.72 1240 1129 1.40 1025 1816 0.38 17481.62 1931 1.72 0.40 1.441337 1954 1917 0.94 0.21 0.37 14481.66 1.58 15121.56 1.52 1744 0.86SU 1401 1419 1451 1.740.54 1837 1540 1.66 WE 1821 0.84 TUMO 1743 0.531541 1240 1.65 0.56 1844 0.500.62 13261758 1.591.74 1439 1.45 1432 1443 1.43 1658 1658 0.40 0.40 1626 1626 0.54 0.54 0.68 0.68 0.55 1516 0.48 0.48 TH 1527 1527 0.60 0.60 1127 SU WE1515 SA SA 1.24 0.59 1121 1115 0.49 0724 1.37 1046 0.44 1100 0950 0.52 WE TU FRTH THWE SU1746 MO SA SAFR SU WE WE1516 TH 0.86 1758 0.96 TUTU 1656 0.90 0.72 TH0652 WE SA SU MO 1822 0.87 TU 1807 20450038 0.58 21110.41 0.33 2028 0.551.51 2134 21400.58 0.21 2345 1.38 1719 1923 1856 1948 0.82 1.270.88 0.49 2029 0.550.91 2151 0.60 0.40 2153 1221 0.59 1.61 1755 1.871.46 1300 0.43 1.78 1716 1609 0220 0224 1.46 0049 1.59 0131 1.45 TU 1800 0229 1.65 1.60 2337 0110 1.45 0056 1.34 2315 1.81 1.81 2236 2236 1.56 1.56 1.82 1.82 1.44 2151 2151 2.08 1.44 2156 2156 1.75 1.75 FR SU 1758 2315 WE SA MO FR 2.08 2359 1.52 2349 1.391.45 2138 2240 23041935 1.36 0814 0.69 0630 0.43 0604 0.86 23460700 0800 0.66 0644 1856 0.71 1.720652 0.76 0716 0.39 1931 1.91 0.500.85 2307 0.74 2154 0.74 1410 1.30 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0403 1.66 06120337 1.56 0254 1.57 0224 1.47 0203 1.53 FR SA MO TU WE TH 15450757 1.58 1335 1.69TU 1655 1.560.75 1614 1.720.28 16151.38 1.47 1515 1515 1521 1.63 1423 1.80 TH 1444 1258 1.531.70 1407 1.531.81 1531 1.451.78 1449 1.59 1649 1.41 1650 1.59 1.35 MO MO WE 1800 1800 0.63 0.63 0.73 0.73 0.53 1711 0.53 SA 1647 1647 0.65 0.65 1252 1252 1.57 1.57 SA FR SUSA TU1934 WETU THTH1645 FRFR1730 0.59 1242 0.61 1306 0.46 1217 1748 1.72 1228 0.44 1435 0.39 1344 0.50 0.78 1926 0.870.23 2005 1942 0832 0809 0.70 0834 0.72 0947 0.43FR TH 0929 0.49 0843 0.45 0817 0.51 TU FR FR1711 SA MO MOSU TU 1237 TH FR SU 0.53 WE MO SU 1914 0.81 1903 23030.55 0.25 21461500 0.46 1.80 2310 2207 0.361.69 2324 22160.47 0.30 2108 0.71 1949 0.80 2008 0.590.81 2115 0.610.84 0.600.72 0.47 0.55 0.36 2333 1522 1418 1.45 1426 1.31 1604 1.51 1955 1544 1.46 1506 1.52 2200 1445 1.49 1.74 1919 1.77 1944 2.012248 2.01 1836 21002332 1.85 2015 1.84 2356 2356 1.35 1.35 1.72 1.72 1.59 2336 2336 1.91 1.91 2307 2307 1.63 1.63 1910 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0.62 1053 0655 1.44 1145 0.38 2008 1122 1219 0.38 1134 0.39 0625 1.49 0.27 1908 1131 0.18 2154 0.75 0519 2219 0.78 1852 1.470.40 2032 2000 1.251.562112 2321 2314 0.71 2320 0.53 19181.28 1.30 0544 0.52 0528 0.381.75 0527 0.33 0316 0345 0.50 0.32 0437 0.40 1951 1.45 1.43 1.34 1808 1.580.65 19131151 1.55 1.73 2356 0.57 0.57 2249 2249 0.53 0.53 0.83 0.83 0.51 2147 2147 0.67 0.67 0.25 2037 2037 0.75 0.75 0417 2356 1647 1611 1.73 1743 1.61 1714 1.68 1735 1730 WE TH SA SU MO TU 1303 0.32 1902 1.52 1815 1.47 1855 1.39 1802 1.43 1232 0.20 1838 1.51 1827 1.63 TH1036 1.35 FR 1133 1.40 TH MO MO 1.32 TU FR SU 1210 1142 0913 1.41 0945 1.50 1015 1120 1.39 2209 0.67 2146 1.51 0.75 23181.45 0.70 2257 0.61 2332 0.60 2331 2346 0.76 2005 1.38 2338 0.48 1931 1.50 2356 0.63 0400 1.49 1649 0422 1.40 TU0051 0105 0.40 0003 00000.42 0.36 02120.50 0.53 0546 0530 05580.23 1.44 18200150 01220.55 0.41 0.64 1715 1737 0130 0.50 1450 1521 0.68 0.61 1608 0.59 0018 0.44 0146 0.451.46 0.231.360.590139 0.420.45 0216 0237 SA WE FR FR 1.33 SU 1540 0542 MO 0542 1.14 1.14 0339 1.33 0.51 0439 0439 1.17 1.17 1.43 1.43 0.62 0339 0222 0222 1.27 1.27 2331 1.641.50 2347 1.60 2119 2154 1.81 1.87 2235 1.81 1024 0.51 0951 1.301.370914 1002 0.31 2318 0831 1.461.32 0847 0701 07160015 1.44 1131 1107 1126 0.77 09081.85 1.35 0421 03550743 1.46 0620 1.37 0521 1.470.74 0822 0558 0815 1.67 1.82 0648 1.270.57 1.430.70 0747 1.411.52 1.68 1.88 0111 0.69 0621 0552 0019 0.50 0615 1.53 0054 0.67 0004 0.61 0604 1.48 0534 1100 0.67 0.67 0941 0.57 0.57 2.08 1008 1008 0.61 0.61 0.60 0.60 1.79 0941 0830 0830 0.61 0.61 2213 1100 1025 0.36 0943 0.39 1141 1120 0.61 1101 0.541.36 1131 1720 1.58 TUMO 1440 0.910.70 1711 1.68SU 1315 0.880.45 1207 12260642 0.87 1755 1752 1.52 14030.35 0.83 1156 0705 1.51 1211 0.34 0705 1.44THWE 0615 1.43 1214 0.21 0728 1.37 1438 0.43 1505 0.36 12231831 0.571.61 1204 0.391.55 1341 0.520.73 1350 0.31 1528 0.30 1602 FR SA SA SU TU TU TH WE 1745 1745 1.63 1.63 1619 1619 1.64 1.64 1653 1653 1.69 1.69 1.43 1.43 1516 1516 1.52 1.52 SU TU WE FR MO WE SA SA WE WE SU TH TH 0609 0.38 0015 1.28 0500TU0.51 0.401.43 0518 0.41 0606 0.451.67 0355 0.52 0443 0.28 1900 1301 1852 1315 0.22 1225 0.31 1916 1.55 1341 0.35 1830 1731 16501959 1.69 1813 1819 1.55 1754 1.630.49 2055 1806 FR MO TU 1238 WE SA2350 FR1846 SA TH FR WE1.28 SU MO2122 TU 2256 0.78 2111 1.201.512156 2236 0.38 0.74 0610 1941 1.401.40 1.58 1833 1.39 0.67 2354 0.50 2045 1.28 2031 1.44 1.34 1847 1.63 1.87 1949 1.57 1.70 1.37 2301 2301 0.64 0.64 2351 2351 0.40 0.40 0.81 0.81 2154 2154 0.70 0.70 0619 0.59 1059 1.30 1122 1218 1.400.69 1915 1232 0952 1.37 1044 1.43 1955 1.35 1213 1.37 2030 1.44 1.45 2054 1.36 1.33 2252 2225 1.54 0.74 23442004 0.561.45 1838 0.55 1254 0156 1.43 0.45 0.671.35 WE 1656 0.61 TH 1804 0.66 0052 1524 0.66 SA SU MO 1622 0.71 TU 17440502 SA 1614 0.59 0016 0.61 0623 1.36 0.43 0651 1.44 0046 0.36 0326 0.57 0241 0.47 0447 1.46 0123 0.411.76 0.160507 02090040 0.39 0.68 0.24 0.69 0.48 0222 0.44 0.81 0257 0.50 0.590318 0.56 0043 0.51 0445 1.26 1.26 2.01 0545 0545 1.25 1.25 1.38 1.38 1.78 0445 0335 0335 1.23 1.23 2254 0043 0153 0.77 01030140 0.75 1.43 0024 01000.51 0.61 0021 0.57 0038 0018 04370211 1.44 0001 0.70 06220117 1.460.75 0228 0010 1919 0.69 1.78 2319 2155 2246 0930 1.42 1147 0805 1.51 1208 0.85 0822 1.40 1054 1.30 1018 1.37 1048 0.38 1115 1058 0.58 07220703 1.331.44 1.550.78 0819 1.49 0827 1.78 0930 1.90 0955 1.84 0849 1.75 0905 1.89 0805 1.30 0707 0803 1.31 0753 1.38 0637 1.26 0741 1.44 0650 1.49 0647 1.37 0648 1.43 0631 0631 1.19 1.19 1030 1030 0.60 0.60 1115 0.53 0.53 0.60 0.60 0927 0927 0.61 0.61 0726 1107 0.45 1023 0.43 0630 1.32 1151 0.64 0650 1.35 1422 0.39THWE 1405 0.26 1234 1344 0.39 1251 0.29 1300 0.35 1259 0.27 1411 0.940.52 1223 0.84 1828 1.47 13171341 0.93 1614 0.890.79 1533 0.76 1759 1.61MO 1756 1.53 WE TU 1301 0.510.69 1300 0.291.50 1418 0.46 1444 0.26 1615 0.30 0.37 1518 0.37 1550 0.30 SA SU1831 TU WE WE TH SA1256 SU SU TH MO WE SA SU 0041 1.46 0.53 0007 1.74 0601 0.42 0013 1.50 0435 0542 0.34 0106 1.17 1153 1153 0.63 0.63 1714 1.69 1.69 FR 1754 1754 1.82 1.82 1.52 1.52 0.54 1615 1615 1.61 1.61 0545 FR1.58 SAFR TU THTH1642 MO1200 WE 1230 1815 1731 1.64 0.70 1838 1.580.60 1212 SU SU TH TH1714 MO FR TH FR SA MO TU WE 2147 1.30 19192138 1.39 1954 2053 1.33 1957 1.39 2014 2036 1.331.34 2210 1920 1932 19302106 1.35 1.41 2144 2227 1.201.472236 22191.28 1.33 2323 0.74 06581948 2334 0.78 0657 0.45 1.29 0.471.42 1211 1.39 0645 0.520.71 1033 1143 1.38 0703 0.65 1922 1.661.56 1.902336 2024 1.571.52 1.64 1.47 1.32 2113 1.41 1.35 1900 23052048 0.72 1857 1.49 1842 1831 1.67 1.67 0.75 0.75 1.32 2306 2306 0.60 0.60 1146 1831 1.360.67 TH 1749 13040.82 1.40 1600 0.71 SU 1709 0.66 1346 1.42 SU 1328 TU 1710 0.73 WE 13050108 FR0235 MO0.75 0145 0.72 0242 0.64 0.85 0117 0.74 1.560124 0110 0.84 0239 0.73 05260250 1.42 0110 0257 0.491.21 0337 0029 0143 0033 0.46 01450932 0.38 1.32 0313 04440.50 0.57 0541 1.42 1839 0548 1.31 04110.58 0.49 1948 0.57 1.73 0.73 1859 0.720236 2232 2341 20300256 0.70 01520114 0.370.56 0.370.44 0.53 0359 0.130.63 0.28 0.46 0005 0.58 0.58 1.91 0121 0.46 0.46 0044 0044 0.27 0.27 1.35 1.35 1.75 0005 0448 0448 1.23 1.23 2339 0121 0819 1.36 0730 1.44 0851 1.24 0146 0854 1.32 0724 1.31 0741 1.36 0735 11070911 0.49 0832 1031 1.410.59 1013 0724 0750 1.44 0936 1.40 0.69 0950 11501.94 1.34 1137 0.47 FR 1134 0.66 11201.81 1.42 07530821 1.391.46 0850 1.561.51 1.87 1033 0752 1.661.37 1.85 1.81 1428 0.41 1335 0.26 1513 0.43 MO 1507 0.32 1337 0.40 1348 0.35 0926 1322 0547 0547 1.24 1.24 0713 0713 1.24 1.24 0639 0639 1.35 1.35 0.59 0.59 1027 1027 0.60 0.60 TH SU SU0906 MO WE TH 1458 0642 0.42 0058 1.37FR 0213 1.10 1815SA 1.59 1324 SU FR0.40 2151 1.32 2052 1.42 2247 1.29FR TH 2253 1.37 2046 1.33 2121 1.40 2056 1521 0.971.31 1234 1350 0.93 1256 0.93 14252206 0.95 1.40 17340.27 0.81 FRFR1719 1850 1.54TU 1835 1.48 THWE 1657 0.62 13381319 0.460.81 1456 0.42 1700 0.34 1352 0.220.88 1534 0.23 1601 0.34 MO TU TH1637 SU MO 1119 0.62 0.62 1238 1238 0.59 0.59 1214 1214 0.43 0.43 1.63 1.63 FR 1713 1713 1.72 1.72 SA WE SU TU TH FR1119 MO MO TU SA SA 2351 0.69 1954 1244 1.34 0723 0.58 2022 1.46 0800 2140 0.70 1.28 1912 1.46 1911 1.43 2045 1.32 2335 1.24 2010 1.51 2339 1.45 1956 1.67 2059 1.55 2257 1.27 2315 1.27 2008 1.86 2137 1.54 2157 1.38 2233 1.34 1803 1803 1.73 1.73 1912 1912 1.71 1.71 1847 1847 1.94 1.94 0.65 0.65 0343 0.90 0400 0.66 0234 0.81 0200 0.76 0200 0.81 0220TU0.79 0211 0.85 1448 1.42 MO 1807 0.73 SA 1353 1.41 0950 1.19 1049 1.38 0901 1.30 0817 1.39 0808 1.25 0850 1.30 0852 1.19 2001 0.76 2148 0.68 0405 0.51 0112 0.59 0238 0.46 0119 0.43 0300 0.39 0015 0.72 0016 0.78 0214 0.52 0547 0.55 0530 0.48

1.35 1.35 0.57 0.57 1.74 1.74

0057 0057 0.53 0.53 0007 0007 0.47 0.47 0642 0642 1.24 1.24 0554 0554 1.27 1.27 1206 0.63 0.63 SU 1126 0.55 0.55 SA SA1206 SU1126 1848 1848 1.77 1.77 1809 1809 1.85 1.85

0100 0100 0.35 0.35 0652 0652 1.33 1.33 1223 0.49 0.49 MO MO1223 1902 1902 1.96 1.96

0156 0156 0.42 0131 0131 0.16 0.16 15160.42 0.42 SA 1427 0.25 FR 0647 1.37 0729 0645 1.28 2249 1.33 2202 1.42 0748 0748 1.28 1.28 0729 1.45 1.45

02201616 0.350.46 MO 08240930 1.441.50 2351 1.30

0227 0.15 0304 0.38 0.46 0330 0.35 0.45 0332 0.49 0.66 0418 0.59 0.74 0400 0.51 0439 0.60 FR 1620 MO 1419 TU 1452 TH 1424 1134 1.421.31 1054 0830 1006 0856 1.45 10492303 1.43 1.42 1038 12341.95 1.38 12151.76 1.49 0837 1.741.41 0921 1.631.52 1.88 1.84 1.82 1111 2145 1.28 0954 2231 1.37 1006 2200 16410.33 0.96 THWE 1329 14530.390.99MOSU 13510.25 1.00 WETU 15490.39 0.92 FRFR1727 1231 0.58WE 1215 0.75 FR TH 18270.26 0.70 SASA1756 18010.43 0.45 14141422 0.440.91SA FR 1444 0.200.96 SU SA 1534 1625 1646 1744 1318 1318 0.55 0.55 1309 1309 0.33 0.33 TU TUMO WETU 0500 0.92 0507 0.56 0333 0.88 0259 0.85 0251 0.87 0339 0.80 0327 0.80 22461.34 1.271.23 2342 1958 1.42 2116 20021.43 1.39 22151156 1.33 1.49 2325 1.33 19471.73 1.49 1939 1917 1.44 20292103 1.651.47 2135 1.511.40 1.23 2354 1.26 1948 1948 1939 2.01 2.01 1100 1.16 2056 1.76 09511.73 1.24 0915 1.34 0906 1.19 2226 1021 1.27 2243 1017 SA 1615 0.43 2347 1.36

TU 1731 0.46

SU 1530 0.26 0103 0.75 0216 0216 0.10 0.10 2316 1.43

0755 1.28 0816 0816 1.53 1.53 0413 0.89 1306 0.85 1402 1402 0.26 0.26 TH THWE 1028 1.31 2004 1.41 2028 2028 2.02 2.02 1647 0.26 MO

TU 1513 0.52 WE 1616 0.52 0216 0.41 0.43 2253 1.27 0408 2339 1.37

10061.86 1.48 1036 0514 0.74 1500 1.04 1715 0.30 TUMO 11481.37 1.30 2108 2315 1.33 1745 0.55 TH

FR 1542 0.71 2300 1.34

1734 0.75

SA 0424 0.38 1.44 2355 1153 1.49 TH 1712 0.80 2340 1.41

0.53 TU 1 1.462 1.02 1.340

0.480 1.52 WE 1 0.992 1.35

0.431 1.59 TH 1 0.93

1.390 0.381 1.65 FR 1 0.852

1.44 0 0.35 1.701 SA 1 0.76

1.49 0.340 1.730 0.671

1.531 0.35 1.730 0.580

MO 1

1.551 0.40 1.710 0.50

TU 1 1.56 0.472 1.68 0.430

1.551 WE 0.55 1.632 0.39

1.531 0.65 TH 1 1.582

0.37 1.511 FR 1 0.75 1.52

0.370 1.500 0.84 SA 1 1.471

0 0 SU 1 1

0519 0.63 1148 1.69 SU 1832 0.47

1815 to 1.59 FR 1324 0.84 used for navigational Use of these tide predictions willSU be deemed include acceptance of the above conditions. straliabe2020, Bureau purposes. of Meteorology 1954 1.47 2351 0.69 mes are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect © Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2019, Bureau of Meteorology JULY 2023 115 tronomical Tide oon Phase Symbols Full Moon New Moon FirstDatum Quarterof Predictions Last Quarter is Lowest Astronomical Tide UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect

Stessco Albacore SC640 with Yamaha F200 is a silver bullet

RE ONLI NE

CON

CAN THE Q

TE N T -

-S

self-draining deck, because I was expecting this tinny to sound tinny. The one concession to any sort of luxury in this rig was the fancy Stessco seats and the padded gunwales. The console is substantial, and I like Stessco’s new MFD mounting solution that involves a large piece of

DE FOR E XT FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Over the years that we have been testing Stessco boats, it seems as though the Albacore line has evolved the furthest and fastest. From its factory on the northern side of Brisbane, Stessco has expanded the range of these plate aluminium boats to five models from 4.8m to 6.4m, and they’re customisable to a centre-console or a sideconsole variation. On the test day we had a fairly special craft to ride in. It was destined for a coral farm in Western Australia.

PERFORMANCE

Main: Now this is a serious side console! 6.4m of workhorse that’s bound for a coral farm in Western Australia. Above: Unloaded, this rig is quick off the mark and shows marvellous fuel economy for a boat powered by 200hp – up to 2.2km/L.

Stesscos come with a serious set of boarding stairs at the transom. The 6.4m side console was fitted with a Yamaha F200 4-stroke outboard, and was a massive working space that could carry huge loads. If fact, I’m sure that the performance figures quoted in this article should come with a disclaimer – “boat tested empty” – because I think that in its working life it will never be as lightly loaded as when we tested it. Maybe that’s why some of the performance figures 116 JULY 2023

of aluminium boat design, and they’ve tackled it with a welded lip and drainage channels built in to let the water flow around and away from the edge. Since it wasn’t belting down with rain on the test day, I didn’t get to see exactly how well the concept worked, but rest assured I’d rather my dry clothes and expensive fishing tackle in

were so sweet: economy of 2.2km/L at 41km/h and 3,500rpm is fantastic for a Yamaha F200 outboard. And it might also explain why Donovan Weeks looked like he was having so much fun running the boat back and forth during the video and photo runs. It looked like a rocket sled! At wide open throttle and 6,000rpm it went 79km/h but the range halved – you got only 1.1km per litre of

fuel burned – so as always, it’s a balance between economy and fun. All of these figures were achieved with a Yamaha Reliance 17” stainless steel SDS propeller. As expected, there’s a substantial (220L) fuel tank underfloor which gives a theoretical range of nearly 500km at the most efficient cruising speeds. Interestingly, when you watch the slow-motion runs of the boat in the Test Video (scan the QR code hereby) you can see the newly released SRH (Soft Riding Hull) in action. It has fully

welded reverse chines from bow to transom. “The older Albacores only had pressed chines that went up around half way,” said Donovan, “but these go all the way to the bow and make for a much drier ride.” Behind the wheel, this was a much quieter hull than I expected it to be. There must be some good flotation and insulation under the

RPM ............ Speed (km/h) ... Economy (km/L) Idle ............................................ 3 .................................. 3.0 1000 .......................................... 8 .................................. 2.4 2000 .........................................14 ................................... 1.7 3000 ........................................33 .................................. 2.2 3500 .........................................41 .................................. 2.2 4000 ........................................48 ................................... 1.9 4500 ........................................ 57 ................................... 1.8 5000 ........................................63 ................................... 1.5 6000 ........................................ 79 .................................... 1.1 perspex covering the console opening. Anything that makes flush-mounting easier is a thumbs-up in my book. And on a personal note, well done Stessco for having a go at making the underfloor storage areas actually dry. I’ve been banging on to aluminium boat manufacturers for years about this disadvantage

this hatch than 95% of the other hatches on the market. Post COVID especially, boats are not as affordable as they used to be, however this boat motor and trailer package from Stessco with the 200hp Yamaha comes in at $90,036. For more information you can visit Stessco’s website on www. stessco.com.au.

SPECIFICATIONS Length .........................6.495m Beam .............................. 2.45m Depth................................1.53m Bottom sheet...............5mm Side sheet......................4mm Max HP................................200 Capacity...............6 persons

It goes without saying that the stability is pretty good. This boat is designed to have all sorts of compressors, product and work gear on board.

Top: The raised front casting deck gives you a large amount of storage underneath. Above: The raised front casting deck gives you a large amount of storage underneath.

That’s a meaty console with a removable panel you can flush mount your electronics into.

Top: The electric motor plate is now standard on Albacore hulls. Above: This Stessco finally has channels that direct water away from the hatch opening. Amen! This is potentially a dry storage area.

There’s no denying that there’s a mountain of work space in the 640 SC, complete with a little luxury in the form of padded gunwales.

Can you imagine this rig full of compressors and live coral?

Top Left: There are some substantial side pockets for your commonly used items. Top Right: We’re unsure why the coral farm needs a live bait tank, but there it is in the back starboard corner. Bottom Left: There’s a transom door on the port side. Bottom Right: These hatches on the transom give access to the electrics and isolators.

Top Left: It’s a broad and sturdy bait station with a shelf underneath and out of the mess. Bottom Left: The support from the duckboard also acts as a grab rail. Top Right: The kill tank runs across the boat rather than along the keel. Bottom Right: There’s another small access hatch at the bottom of the console. JULY 2023 117

Fun Warning!

ADVERTORIAL

The Suzumar Inflatable Range Has Docked

versatile, value-packed “ The packages in the Suzumar

range have ready-to-go pricing and are equipped with everything needed to get on the water – with no hidden add-ons whatsoever. Truly a perfect example of Sail away with no more to pay.

We are delighted to announce, to appropriately complement “The Ultimate Outboard Motor”, the introduction of the simply superb Suzumar range of inflatables and RIBs. This quality range of compact, stylish, and lightweight inflatable boats naturally incorporates the levels of quality and durability required to perfectly partner Suzuki’s outstanding outboards. Inflation, deflation, assembly, as well as attachment of accessories and the motor, are a breeze, the essence of simplicity, and the carefully chosen and perfectly matched with a selection of Suzuki outboards ensures there is a package to suit everyone.

MODEL

240 Slatdeck (2.4 meters)

250 Airdeck (2.5 meters)

320 Airdeck (3.2 meters)

250 Aludeck (2.5 meters)

270 Rib (2.7 meters)

320 Rib Deluxe (3.2 meters)

118 JULY 2023

FAMILY

Slatdeck

HORSEPOWER

SAIL AWAY

DF2.5S

$2,859

DF4AAS

$3,419

DF5AS

$3,529

DF5AS

$4,274

DF6AS

$4,454

DF8AS

$6,379

DF9.9AS

$6,579

DF5AS

$4,454

DF6AS

$4,634

DF8AS

$7,607

DF9.9AS

$7,807

DF15AS

$10,059

DF20AS

$10,459

“

Suzuki Australia Pty Limited is pleased to introduce, with great pleasure and with more than a little excitement, some fun new additions to our Marine range.

Because they are exclusively available from Suzuki Marine dealers, purchasing one will be as pleasurable and user-friendly as the boats themselves. Every Suzumar package will, of course, be prepared and handed over by a professional to whom care, and customer satisfaction are bywords.

Airdeck

Aludeck

Rib

Rib Deluxe

These timely and welcome additions to the Suzuki Marine family are coming very, very soon to the dealer network. They will be available to purchase from mid-June 2023. Customers looking to purchase a Suzumar package will be able to pay a $1000 holding deposit through www.suzukimarine.com.au to reserve their package. The widget will advertise the packages as a Sail Away price, which also includes all pre-delivery charges. Their nominated dealer will then be in touch to organise a time to collect the order. Interested customers are encouraged to visit www. suzukimarine.com.au/suzumar-inflatable-boats/ to find out more or contact their nearest Suzuki Marine dealer.

JULY 2023 119

MERCRUISER REPOWER TODAY

GUARANTEED MINIMUM

TRADE-IN OF UP TO

$5,755

Why Repower with MerCruiser? • Proven power from the market leading sterndrive brand • Unbeatable combination of performance and fuel efficiency • 4.5L, 6.2L and 8.2L models are purpose built by Mercury for the marine environment *Offer available from participating Dealers from 1st May 2023 to 31st August 2023. Example given is based on the purchase of the 8.2L MAG HO Bravo3x SeaCore DTS. Program excludes installation. Alpha, Bravo 1, 2 & 3 complete packages excludes propeller. No controls, cables and gauges are included in the offer. Prices are correct at the time of printing and are subject to change. Applies to 4.5L, 6.2L and 8.2L Sterndrive bobtail and packages only. Not to be used with any other offer.

mercurymarine.com.au 120 JULY 2023