Fishing Monthly Magazine | June 2022 by Fishing Monthly

• ALL THE BEST WINTER HOT SPOTS • STRIKE GOLD IN THE COLD •

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Features

Understanding fishing structure • Are you ready to fish a tournament? • Kayak: Rainy day activities • The cost to fish consumers • Boat Test: Whittley FF1650 •

Technique Spotlight

Sean Thompson shows us how to find more fish by understanding fishing structure N E W•

D THE S

MPETIT

N•

FIX

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CONTENTS

OUR COVER June 2022, Vol. 3 No.2 VIC

TAS

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

16 18 20 24 26 28 30 34 36 37 38 38 41 42 43 44

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

50 52 53 54 56 58 59 60 60 61 62 63 64 64 66 68 69 70

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

78 78 79 80 82 81 81 84 85 84 85 86 89 88 90 91 91 93 92 93

JUNE 2022

From the Editor’s Desk...

Angus James with a nice Victorian golden perch caught on a TT’S Vortex spinnerbait. An Angus James image. Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.

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

It had to happen eventually, I’m writing this Editorial while isolating at home with COVID. I suppose I’m lucky that I hadn’t caught it sooner, my schedule this last 12 months has taken me to every state in Australia, including Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. It is only now that I appreciate, however, what a machine my business partner and FM’s Production Manager, Matthew Drinkall, is. He built the whole of February 2022 issue while ill with COVID. We have all been working from home since the lockdowns of 2020, and I don’t blame Matt for loving working from home. His unit overlooks the Brisbane River and he can indulge in one of his passions (photographing boats on the Brisbane River) only a few steps from his magazinemaking machine. You can check it out on his Facebook page ‘Brisbane River Boats’ if you’re interested. But ever since he made his first magazine for FM in 1994, he hasn’t missed an issue. Not one. Even with COVID. I get all of the cool jobs – in front of the camera, doing the junkets and going

74 107 108 109 110 111 114 112 114 115 116

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fishing. Matt’s usually the one behind the scenes making it all happen. Taking the spills when the boat tests get a little rough and ensuring the magazine is as perfect as can be every issue. Personally, I find it hard to write this Editorial with the brain fog. So well done Matt and the rest of the team. As much as the readers do, I appreciate the effort put in through all of the adversity we’ve suffered over the years. It’s a tough job I feel we do well.

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REGULAR FEATURES Understanding structure Starlo’s back to basics Sheik of the Creek Kayak: Rainy day activities Cost of Victorian angling gift What’s New Fishing Fun page WIRF Tournament Calendar Tournaments Recfishwest Trades and Services/Tide page Boat Test: Whittley FF1650

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Understanding structure and cover to find fish including beaches, estuaries, freshwater, bays and offshore. THE BEACH The beach holds so many options and so much potential if you know how to make the most of it. Constant waves, swell, changing tides and wind results in constantly shifting

BRISBANE

Sean Thompson

So much is written about the best times, tides, tackle, baits, lures and more to find fish consistently. All of these factors are important. But probably the number one reason for a fish to be in an area is the presence of a combination of structure and cover. In the absence of any underwater structure, fish may travel through an area but will generally keep moving in the search of food or cover or both. While many anglers may be familiar with the terms structure and cover, it is fair to say that they are often incorrectly used interchangeably. Furthermore, it is one thing for an angler to recognise the terms, but another to also understand why and when fish utilise these features. This ability is probably one of THE key ingredients in the make-up of the most successful anglers. STRUCTURE AND COVER So, what is meant by the terms structure and cover? In fishing terms, structure can best be described as the physical features of the bottom and outer limits (shoreline) of a body of water. This structure may have been formed naturally, e.g. currents scouring out a drain over soft sand on the estuary

weeks of strong onshore or sea breezes, heavier waves and swells develop, causing new deeper formations close to the shore as the swell pounds out and removes sand close to shore. On the other hand, calmer land breezes (or offshore winds) have the effect of flattening the swell

Flathead are perfect targets in estuary structure, such as muddy sand flats interspersed with weed. flats, or artificial e.g. a dredge digging out a deeper entrance to a river entrance after it has become silted up. Structure provides a couple of key uses for fish. This includes attracting baitfish (e.g. to hold position in a beach gutter close to shore); as a place to hold position out of the main current; or as an ambush point to attack their prey. Fish also use structure like an underwater roadmap to move around in, e.g.

to move along in a long beach channel. Cover on the other hand is anything that fish can use

Steeply shelving shore-based structure that drops into darker green water is a great spot to target fish like tailor, salmon (down south) and even mulloway.

Structure, such as this long beach gutter on Fraser Island, with two exit points (rips) to deeper water is a perfect location to target fish like tailor.

My sounder’s contour map showing a steep shelving bottom on the left (close contour lines) and two deep holes (close circles).

A close up of the close contour lines, indicating a ledge that has produced fish such as cod, sweetlip and parrotfish. 8

JUNE 2022

sands back towards the shore filling in the structure of those churned out sand formations. For beach anglers, the main formations caused by these shifting sands under the water are gutters, holes, channels and spits. These beach formations are best spotted from an elevated

to take refuge or hide under or around e.g. underwater snags. Cover can also be used by predators such as flathead, mangrove jack and barramundi to hide in or under to ambush their prey. Cover can be either natural features like seagrass, fallen timber, lily pads or rocks or man-made such as dam walls, bridge pylons, wharves and jetties, pontoons and marinas and breakwalls. Artificial cover often provides a dual benefit to the fish, i.e. a place to conserve energy and sit out of the current while also using it as a position to feed on the titbits swept past in the current. TYPES OF STUCTURE AND COVER With that distinction out of the way, let’s now consider some of these features in various waterways

level, either from viewing platforms or dunes above the beach. Basically, you are looking for changes in structure (in this case, the sand bottom) which is obvious by the colour of the water and wave behaviour. Darker water means deeper water scoured out of the sand. Steeply shelving sand into darker water is also a sure sign of deeper water close to the beach. Waves which break offshore before reforming and don’t break until they get closer to shore is a giveaway of the type of bottom structure. Firstly, the waves are breaking over a back shallower sandbank and then reforming and not

Cover in the form of a boat ramp pontoon. Note the rippled water on the windward side, which would be where fish are holding. sands which form the bottom structure of the formations closest to the shore. After several days or

and seas out. Longer periods of land breezes will bring bait in close to shore and will gradually start shifting

breaking over darker deeper water. They break again as the underwater sand shelves up to shallow water.

I go into much more detail on beach formations in my article, “Mastering the art of fishing the beach” in the July 2019 edition of what was Queensland Fishing Monthly, and is available online. But for the sakes of this article, very long stretches of deep water running parallel to the beach are channels, or natural highways for the fish to travel along in search of food or more isolated structure, which will hold bait. Better spots to target on the beach are smaller formations of deeper water either in the form of a gutter with an entry and exit point to deeper water or isolated deep holes close to shore. Smaller species like whiting prefer calmer shallow gutters close to shore at low tide, while bigger species like tailor, salmon and mulloway prefer to hunt the deeper water of gutters, but

steep slope or drop off), or a circular shape with increasingly smaller circles inside it to indicate an ocean trench or underwater rise. Raised-relief maps or terrain maps offer a further advantage as they show a 3-dimensional shaded view of the bottom structure using high resolution sonar. In general, offshore and bay anglers should be looking for areas where the flat bottom surface is punctuated with natural or

green or grey water can be the result of northerly surface winds pushing warmer surface waters out to sea and replacing them with colder, murkier (more sediment rich) water which has come from deep water upwellings. These changes can of course also be picked up by your sounder, noting however it is reading surface temperatures only. Not all fish like the warmer blue waters however, and many

on the last couple of hours of the rising tide can also be ok, but you need to be prepared to float your baits or throw your lures under the cover where the fish will be sheltering. This requires slightly heavier tackle and tighter drags! The use of burley can also be useful to bring the fish to you. Note too the direction of the wind when fishing such locations and fish the windward rather than the calm leeward side. This is

Hooked up on a freshwater bass after using the sounder to find bait near the old riverbed. if you really want to learn to find new or less fished ground yourself you need to learn to read and interpret a sounder fitted with good quality nautical charts/

These can be found by the use of either two-dimensional contour maps that use colours and shades to show different depths. You should examine

Shallow beach gutters are perfect structure to target whiting feeding right on the shore.

Shallow drains either side of a sand spit is great structure to target whiting on a rising tide on the estuary flats. don’t dismiss the offshore sandbank of such gutters covered at high tide even during the middle of the day. Finally, be aware also that isolated patches of cover such as rocky outcrops along the beach will also attract fish around them. Further, don’t dismiss natural cover such as floating dune seagrasses after heavy seas or even flotsam such as wood or material from a shipwreck as a potential fish attracting item in inshore gutters. BAY AND OFFSHORE Bay and offshore fishos are faced with huge expanses of water in which to fish from. This can be both exciting but on also overwhelming to new anglers or unsuccessful anglers wondering where to fish next. This is where the importance of finding structure and cover is critical. A bit of research online, or a chat at the closest tackle shop to the ramp might help steer you in the right direction. But

maps. Such charts will help you discover structural changes to the bottom including ledges, drop offs, pinnacles and holes along with cover such as weed beds and rocks.

these maps for variations in the contours, which is a sign of changes to the bottom structure. Look at where the contour lines get closer together or touch (indicating an underwater

man-made reef, isolated pinnacles, trenches, weed beds or isolated rocks. These will attract bait and with them bigger fish. Offshore anglers are also often on the lookout for more intangible changes in “structure” in the threedimensional layers of the ocean such as changes in water temperature and its associated colour. Water colour and temperature changes can be picked up by a combination of natural observation and your sounder. For example, marlin anglers chase warmer blue waters as opposed to dark green or grey murky waters, which are colder. Colder, darker

Following your depth contours on your sounder is a good option to target the right depth water when trolling for fish like school mackerel in the bay.

bay and inshore reef anglers look forward to the arrival of colder more-nutrient rich waters to attract fish such as snapper. ESTAURIES, RIVERS, CREEKS AND LAKES Estuaries – including creeks, rivers, sandflats and lakes, truly contain a plethora of options for anglers either from the shore or a small boat. By understanding the underwater structure and cover throughout these environments will help you land more fish. Let’s start with some of the man-made cover in our estuaries. These include physical infrastructure in and on top of the water that provides cover for fish such as bridges, jetties, marinas, pontoons. Such locations offer great fish attracting potential as marine growth on their pillars and posts attracts baitfish which in turn attracts bigger predators. These locations also provide a break in the current or flow which provides a place for fish to conserve energy out of the current while at the same time, feed on food floating past with the current. Above water cover from these facilities also provides shade and protection from predators. The peak time to fish these locations are change of light periods of dawn and dusk and as a general rule with a rising tide covering more of the marine growth on the posts and pylons. Daytime fishing, particularly

due to the fact ripples on the water on the windward side provide protection, while it is also the area where food carried with the wind will be pushed to. Many of these features also have permanent light sources that shine on the water. This attracts bait fish and squid and as a result big predators will lurk around the demarcation line of this light to attack prey that strays too far from the underwater protection of the poles, posts and other man-made snags. Another area of structure/cover to target is rockwalls. These provide access to deeper water and also act as a handy location to target fish entering and exiting the estuary with the tides. The underwater boulders provide a perfect environment for the growth of oysters and other marine growth. Likewise, the demarcation line between the sand and the rocks can also be a popular spot for bigger fish as a break in the current as well as an area to either eat the marine growth or target the baitfish it attracts. A good way to fish rockwalls when they are not busy is walking the wall with floats and baits or just baits like ganged pilchards just weighted enough to hold bottom but move with the tide. If it is too busy to do so, you can use lures to either target an area of the rocks – a great option after floods have pushed big predators To page 10

JUNE 2022

From page 9

out the entrance. Some other options are anchoring baits out the front of the wall or drifting lightly weighted or unweighted baits along the wall around the slower change of tide period. Estuaries are also filled with lots of underwater

features that have multiple target areas. These include mangrove lined shoreline where it meets smaller drains or creeks, deep holes around the bends of creeks or other isolated features such as rocky outcrops near the shoreline or isolated patches of fallen trees.

Rock walls provide food, shelter and access to fish entering and exiting the estuary.

Lightly weighted soft plastics jigged from under the cover of the Kingfisher Jetty at Fraser Island. structure and cover in the form of underwater snags and overhanging banks and trees that provide cover for the fish. Some of my favourite natural structure target areas in estuaries include drains and melon holes along estuary flats, the edge of weed beds, isolated pockets of sand amongst the weed, sand and muddy drop offs from shallow flats into deeper water and the entrance of small creeks and inlets. Most of these spots are ideal target areas for flathead in the last two hours of the falling tide as baitfish flees from the shallows into deeper water. Small melon holes, yabby beds and shallow drains on the estuary flats and mouths of creeks are also a top place to target whiting on the rising tides. On a high tide, cover along the edges of the estuary including the edge of mangrove roots and tree snags are a top spot for a variety of species from flathead, to bream to mangrove jack and barramundi in the north. One consideration though is that in some mangrove-lined estuaries there can be almost too many snags to cover! You have a couple of options here and that is to troll along the edge of such features to find fish, particularly in the hour or two as the tide starts to drop, or you find 10

JUNE 2022

such as drowned timber and weed beds. When I used to regularly fish the mountain lakes of Eucumbene and Jindabyne, I use to use my sounder and nautical charts to troll along shore based drop offs and contour lines. I use to also target deeper rocky ledges of the islands and steep rocky shorelines up some of the inflowing rivers. A bit of research online or exploration of your charts

known to stalk their prey along shorelines and in running streams using polarised sunglasses and looking for subtle variations in the bottom or flow rates that will attract fish. Likewise changes observed on the top of the water are another great way to track down freshwater fish. This includes fishing along wind lanes which carry floating insects as well as the fishing the windward sides of banks and islands (where the wind is blowing baitfish and insects towards). So, there you go. Understanding structure and cover will help you find more fish no matter the waterway you are fishing. I hope that helps you to get a few more yourself. In the meantime, be sure to jump onto my social media

will hold fish such as trout, bass or barramundi in the area. These include flooded fence-lines, drowned shorebased timber and also grassy banks which have become submerged due to rising water levels caused either by snowmelt down south or rains. These grassy banks are full of drowned worms, crayfish and grubs. Likewise drowned timber can not only hold grubs and insects, but also attracts

Small lures still catch big fish in shallow estuary flats.

A perfect combo of a deep hole, shore based and underwater snags providing cover for both baitfish and ambush points for their predators. In estuaries where the snags are fewer and further between, then of course you should move from snag to snag and target them. FRESHWATER DAMS AND LAKES Whether it’s the freshwater rivers, dams and lakes holding the likes of barramundi and saratoga in the north, or the trout lakes and streams of the south, freshwater waterways have similar structure and underwater cover that attracts and holds fish. Once again, the use of a quality sounder will help you discover structural changes to the bottom including rocky shoreline ledges, holes, rises; as well as underwater cover for fish

can help you pin point old riverbeds that impoundment bass and trout like to follow. In fact, switched on trout anglers use downriggers during summer to troll along these deepest (and coldest) parts of the lake. I also fished with a friend successfully for bass on Lake Somerset in QLD by using his sounder to find schools of bait along the old riverbed and in turn catching a bunch of fish using floats and live shrimps. Don’t just rely on technology though, as you can also find bait and fish by observing live gannets diving for baitfish. Anglers can also observe a range of freshwater bottom features, which provide cover or current breaks and

small baitfish, shrimps or fingerlings to take cover which in turn attracts bigger predators to prey on them. Trout anglers are also

pages including Facebook, YouTube and Instagram under the name Ontour Fishing Australia for more tips and reports.

Jetties and wharfs provide perfect cover and food for fish.

Are you ready to compete in a tournament? NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Competitions and tournaments aren’t for every angler, but they can be wonderful learning experiences — if you go in with the right attitude. Is there really a place for organised competition in fishing? That question always provokes debate. Some people love fishing competitively, others less so.

good enough, or ready to have a go. I don’t regard myself as an especially competitive person, but I’ve very much enjoyed various forms of competition angling over the decades. For me, it all started with the Australian National Sportfishing Association (ANSA) way back in the 1970s: participating in their annual conventions, chasing lineclass records, or working towards my various “Masters” awards… I loved it!

shares wins” struck a chord then, and it still does. The early days, in particular, were incredibly exciting. We were all on a very steep learning curve. An interesting spin-off from those ABT events took the form of the AFC Outdoors made-for-television series, which I initially competed in and later helped host and commentate. Great times. More recently, I’ve even tentatively dipped my toe into the world of competition fly fishing, when I was invited to

Way back in 2001, Starlo captained the victorious NSW team in what was effectively a ‘state-of-origin’ series against Queensland. The anglers in this image were all extremely successful competition anglers (some still are)… but they all had to start somewhere too.

It feels good to stand on the winners’ podium, even with a bronze medal. But competition fishing is about a whole lot more than winning. This international event in Timor Leste back in 2011 was a remarkable experience in every way. Organised competition fishing clearly isn’t for everyone. That’s confirmed by the fact that only a small percentage of fishers will ever choose to participate in a structured event that pits

Later, I also took part in many game fishing tournaments, as well as competing in AFCA and AAA style bag-weight events. They all taught me important things and,

compete in a round of the Fly Fish Australia (FFA) state and national titles… What an experience that was. Talk about that steep learning curve! From memory, I finished second last… The main thing structured competition angling has taught me over the years is how much I still have to learn, and how incredibly talented and skilled some anglers are. But it has also taught me that you gain none of these benefits if you don’t bite the bullet and have a crack in the first place. I’ve also learned that performing

dismally, blanking or finishing last doesn’t really matter very much, and that hardly anyone apart from you even notices! That said, mark my words when I tell you this: competition fishing is nothing like day-to-day social fishing. I’ve seen many hopefuls make the mistake of thinking that it is. They’re usually in for a big surprise. “Catch five good bream from this estuary in seven hours? Mate, I could do that blindfolded, with one hand tied behind my back! If I was in it, I’d win this comp’ no problems at all.” I’d love a dollar for every time I heard a statement like that from a cocky local at a weigh-in while competing on the ABT circuit back ‘in the day’. Very few of them ever put their money where their mouth was. Far fewer were able to match their bold words with results on the scoreboard. Successful tournament fishing is totally unlike most forms of social fishing. That’s just one reason why people like Steve and Tim

This fresh-faced young chap created a real splash on the ABT and AFC Tournament scene. Carl Jocumsen would later go on to do his nation proud at the ‘big show’: on the prestigious US Pro Bass circuits. Dreams CAN come true. Morgan, Kris Hickson, Carl Jocumsen, Chris Wright and a dozen others you may never have heard

One from the archives of Starlo, Tim Morgan and Kaj ‘Bushy’ Busch pre-fishing the Gold Coast prior to an ABT BREAM round early in the new millennium. them against fellow anglers for prizes, recognition, trophies or kudos. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But I also suspect that many who’d secretly like to give it a shot are put off because they don’t think they’re 12

JUNE 2022

I believe, made me a better angler. Later still, I dived into the world of ABT BREAM and BASS tournaments, and these were my happiest competition days of all. The ABT’s ethos of “who

Starlo found tournament fly fishing especially challenging and bombed badly in his first comp. But failure is just another step on the learning curve and means much more to you than anyone else. Get over it.

of consistently graced the winners’ podium then, and still do… They’re very good at what they do, simple as that. So no, competition fishing isn’t for everyone. But make no mistake: it’s part of the bigger picture that is recreational angling, and an important part at that. Chances are, that breakthrough technique you’re so excited to try, or the new piece of equipment you covet, was honed and perfected on a tournament circuit somewhere by a handful of particularly driven guys and girls. I take my hat off to them. I also strongly urge you to have a crack at a comp’ if you’ve been dreaming about it. The worst you can do is bomb… If you do, the sun will still come up next morning, trust me.

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OLD

Calm winter days are here THE TWEED

Leon McClymont

The current is slowing right down and those calm winter days are here, giving perfect opportunity for the anglers of Tweed to head

found in the 150-200m range. Heading that little bit wider until you hit those peaks and drop offs in 220-300m+ is your best chance for your flame tails and bar cod. You will still get the odd kingfish or pearl perch out here as well, which is always

Nathan Dodd with a snapper he caught on a Tweed Bait mullet. wide and target those tasty ingredients of the deep, such as bar cod, flame tail snapper, pearl perch and many other species. Targeting these species off the continental shelf in such deep water can be very frustrating and a demanding task especially for the non-seasoned fisher, so I’m going to throw a few tips out there to help you get these tasty ingredients to your plate. First of all you want to ensure you have a good weather window, plenty of fuel, water and food on board for a big day on the ocean. Now what depth range for what species you ask, and how to find the fish? Kingies, rosy snapper, and pearlies are generally

JUNE 2022

a lovely bonus to the esky. One of the things that bring anglers out to these depths is the mystery of what fish/ creature might come up next! Most sounders have

difficulty picking up fish at these depths but if yours is one that still reads at this range you want to slowly cruise along these contour lines until you find some good shows on the screen. Whether it be fish shows, peaks or drop offs, these are all good spots to try your luck and the only way to find out what’s down there is to give it a drop or two. When fishing these depths an electric reel is most desired, but not essential. There are some good electrical reels on the market, the ones I have used are the Shimano Beast Master and the Force Master and these reels are great for the job. You will want around 1000m of 80-100pd braid on the reels with a leader of 130-150pd, generally around 3-4m long with three hooks attached. Hook size 8/0-10/0s, along with a very heavy sinker or disposable weight. The sinker is attached to the bottom of the rig using a lighter leader line such as 80-100pd, this will ensure if you get your sinker snagged in the reefy bottom you should only lose your sinker and not your whole rig. To trick up your deep drop rig a little, glow tubing

can be added to the line that the hook is attached to for enhancing reasons and also abrasive resistance from the teeth of these deep dwelling sea creatures. A led glow light is often a great add-on as well, as down in these depths the light is minimal and anything giving off light is generally worth investigating from the fish’s perspective. You can buy these rigs already made up in most tackle stores. The best bait options I have found are cut baits, such as Tweed Bait mullet, stripy tuna, and bonito. Whole baits and livies can also be an option, just ensure you have good hook exposure as you don’t want to bundle the bait up too much on the hook. Generally only one or two hook penetrations are desired. Jigs can also be used in these depths but are often only temporarily used as it is

Nick Pearce with a late season Spanish taken on a slow trolled Tweed Bait bonito. at once but I still recommend using them in sequence. What I mean by that is drop one rig down first, once you have hooked a fish on the first

The author with a beauty of a juvenile marlin that was released after a couple pics.

A lovely flame tail for the author.

very exhausting work. Fishing one set up first is recommended until you get the feel for the current and wind direction on the day. Once you get the line your boat wants to drift in, you can look at using two set ups

bait on the bottom and you are bringing it back to the surface, you get your second set-up ready to send down. I recommend waiting until the first line is around a third the way up to throw your second line in and descend it to the

bottom. This will ensure you shouldn’t get any tangles as getting two lines tangled at a great depth in a bit of current can be a huge task to rectify! It can often lead to cutting off one off the lines, which is costly to the angler. The rivers and estuaries in the region have cleared right up and recovered nicely. Tailor and trevallies have moved in and started to feed on small baitfish within the systems. Using small slugs/ spinners and surface lures are the desired approach for these little brutes on light gear, tossing a pilly or white bait into the mix will entice a bit as well. Plenty of flathead and whiting are being caught in the shallows and off the beaches this time of year. There are some good beach gutters forming along the Cabarita to Cudgen Beach and Fingal Beach that would be worth soaking a bait in. Plenty of mulloway are also moving along the beaches and river mouths this month hunting the annual mullet run. Soak ‘em long.

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Southern

OLD

Putting the past behind us big wahoo on high speed trolled lures. Bottom fishing improves this month and snapper, teraglin, parrot fish and pearl perch start to show on the 36 and 50 fathom reefs. Float lining, soft plastics and live baits are all effective. Fish dawn and dusk for the best results. Mulloway start to turn up in numbers on the inshore grounds at night and live slimy mackerel, tailer and tarwhine are all effective baits. Cobia also show up

GOLD COAST

David Green

This year has had the worst fishing conditions in the last 20 years. Hopefully things will calm down this month and there will be plenty of fishable days on the offshore grounds. As the water cools a lot of the pelagic species move north, but in June there are some big Spanish mackerel and wahoo on the inshore reefs if the water is blue and

the seasons tend to be quite erratic from year to year. There should also still be a few mahimahi around the FADs in 36 and 50 fathoms. Deep dropping in 200-400m will produce bar cod and flame snapper. The area just east of the Jumpinpin Bar is worth a look on the last of the run in tide. This area holds long tail tuna, some big Spanish mackerel and quite a few spotted mackerel. Look for the birds and bait schools and cast metal lures, stick

Aykut Ahmet with a good seaway mulloway. warm. Mackerel have been in good numbers this year despite what the ridiculous stock assessment concludes, and some fish over 20kg will be caught this month. The Nine Mile Reef off Tweed should produce some

in June on the reefs off Southport. Cobia like big soft plastics and large live baits. A lot of berley also helps and it pays to be patient and wait for the fish to come to you. Cobia around 30kg are fairly common in June, although

baits and large soft plastics. If the water is blue and warm the fishing can be very good in this area. Trolling bibbed minnows or garfish is another good alternative to try. The long tails can sometimes be just at the

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back of the surf line. Keep your distance and make long casts. A high speed retrieve is essential, and these tuna are fantastic fighters that can take a long time to wear down. Out on the continental shelf the water generally remains warm throughout the month and it is a good month to chase blue marlin, with increasing numbers of striped marlin showing up as the water cools down a bit. Most of these are caught on trolled lures. Last week I went trolling for blue marlin and didn’t hit good water until 540m depth. Inside of this line the water was green and a bit dirty. We had two bites and caught one nice blue around 170kg, but I’ve never had to go that far to find the blue water. It was over 70km offshore! ESTUARIES AND RIVERS The change in seasons sees a lot of fish movement throughout the estuary and big schools of mullet start to move towards the entrances. The water cools and the fishing generally improves. Flathead and bream start to show in numbers and increasing numbers of big mulloway start to move into the estuary at night. The westerly winds signal the start of spawning season for mullet, bream and black bream and there is a lot of fish activity around the seaway and Jumpinpin entrances. If you are targeting flathead, work the central areas of the estuaries and up the creeks. The fish are yet to start their downstream movement in preparation for spawning and most are feeding actively. There are usually quite a few white pilchards in the estuary in

Jackie Taylor Fox with a blue marlin. June and these attract a lot of attention from tailer and flathead. The water is generally pretty clean in June and this makes for excellent lure fishing. Work the tops of the flats on high tide and the draining channels as the water runs back off. I generally mix trolling and casting at this time of year. While you may catch the odd big flathead, most of the fish encountered are between 40-60cm in length which are the best eating size. Trolled Micro Mullets and Zerek Tango Shads are very reliable and catch flathead of all sizes. For casting I like to use a mix of soft vibes like the Zerek Fish Trap, the ultimate shrimp, the Gulp Nemesis in fire tiger

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Marlin are still around, but you might have to search a bit further out.

and small blades. It pays to experiment as the tastes of our local flathead seem to vary from day to day. Mulloway are another good target this month, and tend to bite best on tide changes in the Seaway and Jumpinpin entrances. Live mullet and live pike are the preferred baits. I like to fish a high tide change between 7-10pm and most of the bites come as the water slows down. I prefer to use mono to braid for this type of fishing as the bigger fish are easily spooked and I’ve noticed that they often drop the bait on braid. The mulloway action increases towards the end of the month and generally peaks in July. During daylight hours the entrance of Swan Bay is a great place to try using live baits. If you spend a few hours catching some pike around the weed beds it is generally a good investment. Not many mulloway will pass up a live pike. Mud crabs slow down this month but there should still be plenty of sand crabs around on the run in tide close to the weed beds. Use mullet, flathead or whiting frames. Sandies are probably the best eating of all the crab species and make a delicious feed when steamed in salty water. Good areas to try for sand crabs are around the eel grass beds in 4-6m of water. They tend to be much more active when the water is clean, conditions are calm and the tide is running in. Let’s hope things settle down this month and we return to a normal pattern of winter fishing. There are plenty of options.

Southern

OLD

Better weather, cleaner water JUMPINPIN

Bo Sawyer

Hopefully you have been out there catching some great fish this past month despite how shocking the weather has been!

wind has been shutting down the bite a fair bit. It’s still worth going out for a flick though, I nailed a 90cm croc in 35km winds during the Pirtek Challenge, which proves you’ve got to be in it to win it! Winter is the best time

This 90cm croc took out 1st place in the Pirtek Challenge for Queensland.

Matt headed out live baiting and caught this stonker mulloway on a 7” mullet.

Shane jumped on Capn’s Charters and got this beautiful 80s model flathead on a soft plastic. We’ve been lucky to get one decent day a week at the time of writing with strong southerlies blowing around 30-40km most days. The good news is we’ve hit winter and with a bit of luck we’ll be treated to some better weather and cleaner water, fingers-crossed. The crabbing has been pretty good at the moment with some quality catches coming in around the Jacobs Well area, Logan River, Eden Island and around Cobby Cobby Island (just be mindful of green zones). Bream have been schooling up hard around bait schools along Millionaires Row, Tiger Mullet channel and Crusoe Island. They are quite easy to spot on the sounder and you can either bait fish with herring, hardiheads or mullet flesh or flick lightly weighted soft plastics at them. They are much more challenging to catch on lures and can be a lot of fun as well. The average size should really improve as the water temps cool down. The quality of flathead catches has been pretty good at the time of writing. With a lot of weed dying off, it’s made flicking the shallows much more enjoyable, however the 20

JUNE 2022

getting a little more active and I have a feeling this might be a great winter for them. Live baiting around the Powerlines, Pin Bar,

should hold some nice specimens. Live prawns work great on the schoolies but I like using mullet between 6-8” to entice the

choice. Try around the banks near the powerlines, Millionaires, Crusoe Island, Kalinga Bank, north lagoon on South Straddie, Eden Island, Gold Bank and Whalleys Gutter. I haven’t been seeing

Andy and Sean have been getting some great catches lately. Excellent work guys. usual look for the bust ups and birds diving. I’m happy to say that the mulloway have been

deep water off Swan Bay, Kalinga Bank or any deep holes all the way up to, and including, the Logan River

A nice mulloway the author picked up while flicking for flatties. if you’ve been thinking about transitioning into lure fishing for these wonderful fish. Flathead around 35-55cm are very active in the shallows around this time of year and are a ton of fun to chase on soft plastics. If you are chasing them on bait then fresh or live prawns, herring, mullet or pillies are a great

as many tailor around with this wind but I completely expect them to be there and feeding hard, especially when the weather improves. Small Halco spinners or pillies are my favourite choice. Try inside the Pin Bar, Kalinga Bank and between South Straddie and the NE tip of Crusoe Island. As

Sean from Archimedes Fishing with a very healthy mulloway caught on live prawns around the powerlines.

bigger models and also avoid other pesky species picking your livies apart. They can be a frustrating fish to target at times but the hard work is definitely worth it when you get that beautiful fish into the boat. Well that’s it from me this month everyone. Let’s hope we get some good weather as I think that will be the only obstacle to some amazing fishing over the coming months. Don’t forget to stop in at Jacobs Well Bait and Tackle if you need any bait or fishing gear, Brett’s always happy to help. Ryan from Capn’s Charters also has some dates available if you’d like to learn how to target fish on lures around the Jumpinpin area. Stay safe everyone, tight lines. • To see more of my fishing adventures on Instagram, follow The Bobo Boat (@ thebobo_boat)

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Southern

OLD

There’s always a silver lining SOUTHERN BAY

Nick Whyte

We have had a lot of rain over the last couple of months. It seems like we just start getting the water to clean up a little and more comes. Nevertheless, this is not all bad news, it has also affected the fishing in some good ways too.

in the Rous and Rainbow channels. Just make sure you keep an eye on the Green Zone boundaries when fishing up there. Bream will start to become the most common captures over the coming month. The fish will be schooling up for their spawning run and will dominate the catchers. Best places to start looking are

There will be big catches on offer with cricket scores not uncommon, make sure you limit your catch, don’t catch you limit. Snapper numbers are starting to increase and have been all the talk of late. Nice pan-sized fish have been common around the reef edges. The better quality fish have been coming from deeper waters around Mud

this time of year. Small soft plastics fished light, or even rolling small cranks like the 69mm Zerek Tango shad, will be killer along the edges. Tailor have started showing up down around the Pin. Plenty in the chopper size range but bigger slab baits or larger surface poppers will give you a better opportunity over bigger greenback. The schools have been moving in with the tide and pushing back out with the bait. It’s worth having a small slug or plastic rigged ready to cast at the schools that pop up. Early mornings around some of the shallow rocky bay island points with 80-100mm poppers will also see some action. Flathead have again been quite consistent. Plenty of good-sized fish have been showing up as well. There’s been plenty of quality fish around the Jumpinpin bar. Numbers of fish have been

There have been good catches of decent nice mulloway around the Pin bar area.

Plenty of longtail tuna are getting around the bay. Snapper, flathead, bream, winter whiting and longtail tuna have remained in reasonable numbers. With reports of prawns still getting caught and being in really good size, it’s worth getting out and having a crack at them. There should still be an opportunity to get into a couple after the recent rains. Squid should start showing up in good numbers

down around the Jumpinpin area, the mouth of the Logan River when it cleans up a bit and around the Amity rock wall. Some of the fish will school up over the sand flats around the back of Short Island, the western mouth of Duck Creek and down around Tiger Mullet Channel. Find any sunken timber in a little deeper water and you should find a bream.

and Peel. Using your sounder to locate these bigger sized school fish will see the best results. Fishing low light periods and light lines while keeping boat noise to a minimum should see you with a few fish coming over the side. Mud Island, Bird and Goat islands, South West Rocks at Peel, the sunken reefs at Peel and Potts Point are all consistent producers

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A nice Moreton Bay tusky. caught on the weed beds in front of Victoria Point and in between Garden and Macleay Islands. Small trolled lures or small soft plastics worked around the drain mouths will see some action. Flathead aren’t really picky with colours but try and keep them natural in

the clean water and a little brighter when it muds up a bit. It’s also worth having a look in Canapai Passage around the top and bottom of Russell Island. Once again the winter whiting have been in good numbers when the schools have been located. Move

around until you find them and then work the area over. These little fellas are tasty morsels but don’t take more than you need for a feed. Best areas have been up the Rous, Navel and the Pelican banks. Fresh bait is best with squid and worms both doing the job. There should be some nice mulloway getting around the southern bay this month. Areas like Marks Rocks in the Logan, deeper water around the powerlines, the southern end of Goat Island, the Peel artificial reefs or any isolated wrecks you know about will be worth a look. Pin bar and Amity rock walls are also worth the time around the turn of the tides. Look for areas holding lots of bait and the fish shouldn’t be too far away. If you have a great capture from the southern bay you would like to share email them through to nick@ techfishing.com.au Till next month Tech-it-easy.

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Coral trout

Common coral trout stock assessment: 2022

in the spotlight We know you love ‘em. We do too! Coral trout is one of Queensland’s most iconic species, and the latest stock assessment estimates that stock levels are at around 60%. Stock levels have recovered thanks to a total allowable commercial catch limit, closed waters and seasons that protect peak spawning, and size and possession limits. In addition to the data we have collected from commercial and recreational fishers, the coral trout stock assessment is informed by over 15 years of fishery independent scientific surveys. The Australian Institute of Marine Science conducts these surveys, and the results are consistent with our fishery data. With compliance rates above 90%, we would like to thank all fishers – commercial, recreational and traditional – for helping ensure this species is in great shape for future generations to enjoy! Visit fisheries.qld.gov.au and search ‘common coral trout stock assessment’ for more information.

Consider yourself a keen angler?

Years 1953 to 2022

Our Keen Angler Program is a citizen science program that relies on voluntary contributions of fish frames and catch information from recreational fishers. Members of the program donate fish frames of species monitored by our fishery monitoring team. We use the biological information from the frames and other information provided by recreational and commercial fishers to assess fish stock health and evaluate the effectiveness of fisheries management arrangements. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the program. If you’re interested in becoming a ‘keen angler’, visit fisheries.qld.gov.au and search ‘keen angler program’ to find out more.

Glenlyon gold Glenlyon Dam continues to produce some nice golden perch (or yellow belly). Keen fisher Sam recently made the trip up from Victoria and was amazed by the beauty of this spot. Glenlyon Dam is stocked with golden perch, Murray cod and silver perch by the Glenlyon Dam Fish Restocking Group Inc. Head to qld.gov.au and search ‘SIPS’ to purchase your permit to fish in Queensland’s Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme dams and weirs.

Caption: (L to R) Fisheries Technicians Jack and Shannon and Fisheries Biologist Jonathan holding pearl perch frames donated to the fishery monitoring team via the Keen Angler Program

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

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

Southern

OLD

Chilly conditions produce killer catches BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

We are right in the thick of the cold weather now. June is a month that promises plenty of quality fishing yet also dishes out some very cold conditions. Those fishing early mornings or into the evening had better layer the clothes to avoid suffering the elements. However, the quality of the snapper, mulloway, luderick, squid, bream that can be caught will soften the discomfort of the elements. In addition, many other species are also on offer for those venturing out during June.

you see baitifish such as gar and hardiheads on the surface then there is a great chance that snapper will be lurking. Your lure will often get smashed as it sinks or your bait engulfed as soon as it settles on the bottom if snapper are on patrol. Snapper will freely roam the bay island margins in search of prey and you don’t need to be on a particular spot to catch fish. However, the edges of drop-offs and small gutters can often be productive spots. The secret element is baitfish, which form a large portion of their diet. If you find spots where baitfish, crustaceans and cephalopods are common, you will likely find

Those who specifically target them are most likely to score quality mulloway, however, plenty are caught as by-catch by those targeting snapper and threadfin. SNAPPER Definitely one of the most desirable species for Moreton Bay anglers during June is snapper. These crimson fish area great sport and awesome table fare. They will respond to a wide array of lures and baits and are available in a broad array of locations throughout Moreton Bay and into the Brisbane River. The shallows of the bay islands can produce some quality fish when the water is somewhat discoloured but as the waters clear due to westerly winds, anglers will often need to fish deeper water or wider out for results. If 26

JUNE 2022

the snapper. The artificial reefs also fish well for snapper. The structures placed here offer homes and sanctuary for many baitfish species and create an entire aquatic ecosystem. The Harry Atkinson, Bill Turner, Curtin, East Coochie and West Peel are some of the better known and more commonly fished ones within Moreton Bay and can all produce species such as snapper, mulloway, cod, sweetlip, tuskfish, flathead and others. Both baits and lures will work well in capable hands. Some of the better bait offerings are fillets (mullet, pike, gar, slimey

mackerel, bonito and tuna), large fresh banana prawns, live squid and numerous live baitfish such as slimey mackerel, yakkas, mullet, herring and pike. However, the easily accessible frozen pilchards and squid still account for a lot of decent fish. When the water clarity is high, finesse rigging with fluorocarbon leaders, minimal sinker weight and hooks well buried into the bait with just the points proud, will increase the bite rate. Allowing the snapper to mouth and move away with the bait before setting the hook will greatly increase results. In the artificial offerings arena, a lot of different styles will work. Soft vibes, paddle tail plastics, jerk shads, crustacean profiles, micro jigs and blades can all produce the goods. Some even like to target snapper on fly, with clousers (and their clones), weighted bend backs, deceivers and game changers all producing the goods. A fast-sinking fly line will be required in a lot of areas to get these flies down into the lower third of the water column. Artificial offerings are usually cast up current and retrieved back with in the same direction as the water flow. This will help to increase the sink rate of the offering as well as the realism of presentation. Often whilst drifting and casting ahead, you can also have a soft plastic shad or crustacean profile dragging aft with the rod in the holder. This dead sticking technique will often produce the fish of the day due to the subtleness of the retrieve. LUDERICK Although not a species that is heavily targeted, the luderick (aka blackfish) is a great sportfish and excellent table fish when handled correctly. Luderick are primarily vegetarians yet will occasionally eat a worm, yabby or baitfish. I have even had them hit a lure and fly on occasion yet fishing with weed baits will increase your chances considerably. These baits are usually presented beneath a float so you can drift them along rock walls, the fronts of jetties, wharves and other structures where aquatic weeds grow and luderick will linger. These floats are weighted so that they are near neutral buoyancy and easy for the luderick to pull beneath the surface without feeling any resistance. Many serious luderick anglers will make their own floats but there are some decent quality floats

available at any decent tackle store. Long rods between 2.7m and 3.6m sporting soft tips and powerful butts are desirable. Centrepin reels allow an easy, uninterrupted flow of line as the floats drift away with the current. Once the float is deployed, with baits at a set depth below the surface, a slight dipping of the float (commonly referred to as ‘a down’) or even a rising of the float (‘a rise’) will indicate that a luderick has mouthed the bait and swam down or up. This is the time to lift the rod tip and set the hooks. The softness of the rod tip will absorb the lunges of the powerful luderick and help to keep the light 6-12lb fluorocarbon leaders intact. Luderick are best kept alive until just before processing. Their black gut lining will taint the flesh somewhat if they are left whole for a considerable time after death. Anglers will often keep luderick in a mesh bag left in the water until just before filleting. Dispatch, bleed, fillet, skin and remove the black gut lining and you are left with some very tasty white fillets. I often soak these fillets in seawater for up to an hour, which helps to leach any blood out of the fillets. Many consider ‘luds’ almost as good as many reef fish species. The coming months should be prime for luderick due

to healthy weed growth spurned from a recent nutrient level increase resulting from flooding, will entice greater numbers into the estuaries. MULLOWAY Often referred to as ‘ghosts of the estuary’ due to their elusiveness, mulloway numbers will be awesome over the coming months. Even at the time of writing this report, many anglers were beginning to score on mulloway in the lower reaches of the Brisbane River. These were taken on both baits and lures, often by anglers targeting threadfin salmon. Mulloway will continue to roam this precinct and will also be caught well out into the bay and up towards the Jumpinpin area in the coming months. The artificial reefs and wrecks throughout Moreton Bay are ideal places to target mulloway. They will often roam these areas in sizeable schools and are easily located using you sounder. They will respond to a broad array of lures and baits. Live baits are ideal if fishing from anchor and trying to attract the mulloway to the area. A strongly kicking bait such as a mullet, pike or slimey mackerel is ideal however herring, banana prawns, yakkas and several others will work. Even dead offerings will produce a few mulloway with big fillets, whole squid and even the humble pillie working well. Most lures put in

front of a mulloway will solicit a strike. However, I prefer soft vibes and large paddle tail plastics to tempting them. Some of my best mulloway have been tempted on Samaki thumpertails, many whilst targeting snapper and other species. These are only a 100mm long lure and seem miniscule in the mouth of a 15kg mulloway but they get the bites. Mulloway sounded in deeper water can be targeted with a micro jig that can be freespooled down right in front of them. This is often the case in areas such as the Tiwi Pearl, Ammo Barge and Captajn Nelson wrecks. Mulloway are a great sport fish and I consider them exceptional eating with a good yield of flesh. I am expecting this season to be one of the best for many years. SQUID Westerly winds quickly produce clean water conditions around the foreshores and islands of Moreton Bay. This produces ideal conditions for many cephalopod species including squid. Anglers pounding the pavement and jetties at Manly, Victoria Point, Wellington Point, Scarborough and Wynnum regularly score on large tiger squid and the occasional arrow during the darkened hours. Many of these are firstly sighted with high-powered head torches and then an egi (squid jig) is cast in the general direction. Some

Any angler would be happy with a winter bag of quality snapper and cod from Moreton Bay.

Southern

OLD

squid will quickly pounce on the egi and others are exceptionally cautious, often requiring several jig changes to get a result, if at all. Commonly egi in the 1.2 to 2.5 sizes are used for these inshore squid. Further out in the bay, squid can be caught anywhere there is clear water running over reef, rock, rubble of weed. This includes the shallows of the bay islands, weed beds south of Dunwich and along the western side of Moreton Island and the weed beds and discoloured channel edges in the eastern end of the Rous Channel. Here anglers will often use egi in the 2.5 to 4.0 range. These can be cast out and then retrieved with a hop and pause (to allow the jig to again sink) or even a slow wind with occasional pauses. Anglers drifting in the channels will often deploy an egi or baited skewer aft to tempt both tiger and arrow squid as well as the occasional cuttlefish. Whiting fishers will do the same except the offering is often suspended beneath a float due to the shallower water. This will regularly provide a calamari entree to add to the tasty fillets. Cuttlefish will occasionally be taken in

the same areas as squid yet are more common in the deeper channels. Many will add some weight to their egi or fish it on a paternoster style rig to get it close to the bottom in the deeper channels such as where the Small Ships Channel joins the Rous, out the front of Wellington

Point and Green Island and out from Ormiston. These jigs are generally drifted until the rod tip slowly loads up. When retrieving cephalopods, just wind them in slowly with the rod tip held high to absorb the head shakes. Do not pump and wind as you would with a fish otherwise they will be

able to dislodge the jig and escape. There are bag limits and boat limits for squid and cuttlefish (yet no size limits) so ensure to check these before venturing out. BREAM Bream numbers will increase steadily over the coming months with some of the best action in July

With increased nutrient levels in the estuaries, the colder months promise to produce numbers of quality luderick for those who learn the techniques of targeting them.

and August. Bream are a species that can be caught in many different ways on both baits and lures. They can be somewhat of a scavenger eating most offerings they come across yet can also be rather predatory. Therefore, they will respond to may different baits and lures. Many anglers have made a fine art out of catching them on lures with topwater offerings, crab lures, shrimp imitations, numerous minnow lures, blades and more recently even mussel imitating lures getting the bites. Many anglers first fish caught has been a bream. They will respond to even the crappiest of servo bought baits, chicken fillets and livers, dough baits and numerous others. Those keener anglers will usually go to the effort to source some worms, saltwater yabbies or fresh fillet baits from mullet, pike, gar, herring and like. Bream can be located almost anywhere there is a suitable food source and anglers fishing the residential canals, beaches, bay island shallows, creeks, rivers and estuaries are all in with a great chance of catching a few bream. Casting lures such as diving minnows,

blades and Cranka Crabs along rock walls, adjacent pontoons, near bridge pylons and underneath jetties is likely to get you bitten. Bream are a great species to target if you are new to lure fishing and will really allow you to hone your skills. As they are plentiful you will get a lot more bites and your learning curve will be quicker than it is for many other species. CONCLUSION Although the cold weather will make many a little less enthusiastic to venture outside, the rewards of some of the more abundant species to be caught should be inspiration enough. Whether you are into lure, bait or fly fishing, there is a great array of suitable targets. Put on some warm clothes and headwear, grab a flask of hot coffee or milo and get on out there. I am expecting the winter fishery to be one of the best for many years courtesy of the early year floods and subsequent nutrient flush in Moreton Bay and the rivers and estuaries. Baitfish presence will be higher, there will be more predators to be caught and the bites should be more aggressive. What are you waiting for?

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Southern

OLD

Rewards abound in winter NORTHERN BAY

Tackle World Lawnton

I’ve been looking forward to winter season more this year than previous years. Probably because our weather has been all over the place and hoping winter will bring some normal patterns back. Winter can be a great time to get out and about and catch some

RIVERS Winter can be a great time to fish the estuaries. Bream will be about actively feeding through the systems, but most commonly you will see them around structure or towards river mouths chasing a feed. Bream can be taken on a variety of baits, and are aggressive lure takers, which can be great fun. Small profile plastics, especially prawn profiles work well

in for another good one this year. The start of winter is usually the time we start seeing them more regularly in our systems. They are great fun to catch and are a great feed – best eaten fresh. They are often caught along the beaches chasing bait, but they can also be regular catches in our rivers as well. Tailor are a tackle shop’s best friend (sharp teeth means lost hooks) so if they are around make sure you’re prepared. A pilchard rigged up on a some gang hooks with a free running sinker is a great start and adjust

your rig depending on where you’re fishing. If the tailor schools are thick, make sure you’re prepared and have a metal slug on a rod ready to go. A nice fast retrieve through a school is usually too tempting for tailor. If you want to put in some hours, mulloway will start showing up in better numbers throughout the colder months in our estuaries. For best results, it’s worth heading out at night. Look for holes and bait on your sounder around the bridges and hopefully some of those silver ghosts won’t be far away.

Winter time bream on cranks equals great fun.

Mulloway will be around in June. Put in the work and you will be rewarded. fish. Yes, it’s a little harder to get up early with those frosty mornings, but for those that make the effort the rewards will be there! POST FLOOD Finally the rivers are getting back to some good fishing. Excellent catches of flathead and bream throughout the systems, but best catches have been towards the river and creek mouths and hanging off structure, such bridges and jetties. We are seeing more catches of snapper and grunter bream everywhere from the foreshore out to the rubble grounds. There have been some excellent quality bass caught in the creeks since the flood as well.

but they will also take small diving shads and crankbaits on the regular. Last year saw one of the better seasons for tailor we had seen in years and fingers-crossed we will be

Prawn imitations, like the Shads Tough Prawns work great on bream.

Schooled up bass are on the bite.

A quick note for those on boats. The floods from previous months have seen some shallow sand banks build up and other obstacles arise throughout the rivers and creeks. Please be safe and cautious as we navigate the ever-changing systems. OFFSHORE With the waters clearing up and some good weather on the horizon, what’s not to be excited about fishing offshore in winter? Yes the number of pelagics will slow

down, but now is the time to turn your attention to other species, such as snapper, grassy sweetlip, winter whiting, to name a few. It’s also prime time for squid as well. What a feed! Starting with winter whiting try to target the shallow sandbanks anywhere from Bribie through to the northern bay. The good news is they fish well during the day, so you don’t always have to get up early for the bite. As always, with whiting, fish a nice light line and light trace. A long shank hook in size #4 or size #6 is the way to go and make sure you adjust your sinker size so you get to the bottom. The best bait for whiting is beach worms and bloodworms, but they also take a variety of other baits. A little tip: If you can’t get any worms, buy some squid and cut into some fine small strips. Marinate them in a red food dye solution similar to what is done to preserve beach worms. Perfect! Snapper are also going

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JUNE 2022

The odd yellowbelly is always a welcome sign.

to be doing the rounds this month in the bay. Snapper, even though you can catch them during the day, the peak bite is going to be early morning. Try fishing off the points at Redcliffe and the small inshore reefs. The good news is snapper can be caught many ways – from a simple paternoster rig to float lining out pilchard on gangs. Don’t be scared try plastics on them as well, they love them. FRESHWATER The good news is the dams are starting to fish well since the shock of the flood. Some good catches of bass and yellowbelly have been made and this should only get better as we get into the cooler months. Winter means big fat schooled up bass and with some good catching already happening it’s looking like a great winter ahead. Spoons, slow batt jigs and those ultra deep diving crank baits are going to come into play for the lure throwers. But don’t be scared to throw other offerings as well. Unfortunately, the flood also brought an influx of unwanted guests into the dams and creeks as well, with many reports of tilapia being caught. If you do catch any of these pests make sure you don’t release them back into the water and dispose of them in the correct manner. Legal requirements suggest killing the fish immediately and either burying the fish or disposing in the closest rubbish bin. • 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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Southern

OLD

Hoping for good winter conditions offshore NOOSA

Peter Wells

We are hoping for those perfect June conditions as we move into winter. Cooler conditions mean cooler water temperatures bringing on those wonderful winter species at this time of the year. The reefs off Double Island have been really firing with plenty of species from the deeper reefs. Big snapper, pearl perch, cobia, red emperor, mulloway, cod, and some solid cobia were all boated. Those that are still looking for mackerel should not be disappointed with some good Spanish and tuna on offer. Unfortunately, the sharks continue to be a problem with a lot of angler loosing quality fish to the taxman in the grey suite. Anglers that love to jig have had some real success

here with both slow fall and knife jigs both working well. We do get a bit of run in this area so having a good mix if weights and sizes in accentual. Out of Noosa North reef has been popular with snapper anglers, this reef is a great place to set up a good berley trail. Having a berley pot hanging off the anchor rope with a frozen berley log and then further enhancing the trail with cut pilchard dropped at regular intervals has been very effective. Fishing a pilchard floater through the trail should see you with some good results. Sunshine Reef has been worth a look with plenty of juvenile snapper, sweetlip and coral trout on offer. Soft plastics angler have had some great results here with pinks and white jerk shad style lures seeming to be the better performers. To the south, Murphy’s

Reef has shown pearl perch, snapper, sweetlip and Moses perch with pillies and squid the favoured bait. The Outer Gneerings is producing snapper, the odd mackerel and sweetlip with the early morning showing the bigger fish. Currimundi Reef is certainly fishing better late in the afternoon and into dark with big snapper, sweetlip and jew mackerel taking floating pillies. Make sure when fishing these areas to have a good berley trail. Stimulate berley make a great readymade pellet berley, which is perfectly suited to this area. The creek and rivers of the Sunshine Coast are alive with activity with plenty of species to choose from. In the Noosa River the flathead catches have been outstanding with plenty of fish taken on that run out tide, concentrate your efforts around those

mud and sand banks with the water flowing off them, these fish will sit and feed on the food that is being washed off these banks. Prawn profile soft plastics have to be one of the all-time favourites and the Chasebait Flick Prawn is an outstanding examples that have a great colours perfect for flathead. Elsewhere in the system the tailor and trevally have been in great form and there have been some quality fish taken, try fast moving slugs or surface lures in the mornings, remember to upsize that leader as those tailor teeth are sharp. Weyba Creek has been good for the odd winter jack, these fish seem to become more active in the late afternoon on the start of the run-out tide, the warmer waters from the shallows upstream raise the temperatures in the creeks getting the fish feeding. Live baits on poddy mullet or herring are still the number one baits. Whiting numbers are also improving with some nice sized fish taken of freshly pumped yabbies. Fishing areas like the dog beach down to the river mouth has been very productive. In the Maroochy, chopper tailor have been in the river mouth and opposite the Jet Ski run with most fish taken on the top of the tide and the start of the run out. Throwing small metal lures like the Halco Twisty around the 15-30g and retrieving at speed has been the best

Kalani Love with a diamond trevally from the Maroochy River. approach. Good trevally have been around the Sunshine Motorway Traffic Bridge and in the current line outside Nojoor Road boat ramp with brightly coloured soft plastics claiming some nice fish. Winter is a great time to target big bream, as the water continues to cool the larger fish will head into the river to breed. These fish will school up under bridges, pontoons and jetties. Bream can live

The very cute Darcy Martin with a solid dart off the beach.

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Corey Scholes got this very nice 44cm snapper off the rocks at Noosa.

quite some time and a fish between 35 and 40cm can be 20yo. These fish are the breading stocks and are crucial for the continuance of the fishery. Please consider taking a photo and returning the fish when you catch one. In the surf, mulloway continue to dominate during the low light nights over the new moon. Big baits of mullet or tailor were the best baits. The bigger tides around the new and full moons is a great time to target big dart with some nice fish reported from the gutters on the Noosa North Shore. Baits to use include fresh cut pilchards, mullet and salted slimy mackerel fillet. All of the baits have a great smell and oil content so load up those hooks and you never know. Reports have been coming in of tailor moving up the coast. The area from Teewah to Double Island and the bottom of Fraser has been where the action has been, school are still fairly small and fish are a large chopper size. • Now for all the latest information log onto www. fishingnoosa.com.au for up to date bar and fishing reports, don’t forget to drop into Tackle World Noosa, Noosa Boating and Outdoors and Northshore Bait & Tackle in Marcoola for all the right equipment, bait and advice to get you catching. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and remember tight lines and bent spines!

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Central

OLD

Prime time for winter fishing BUNDABERG

Luke Truant

As I mentioned last month, you have to take any weather window you can get, no matter what – and that’s exactly what we did. The results have been absolutely spectacular. As predicted, the live baits have shown up, and the fish have an insatiable appetite for this new dinner that’s arrived on their doorstep. They can’t get enough. Most of the fish we’ve caught on livies have been large, and even on strip baits we’ve been getting lots of good-size fish. Even inshore (up to 15 miles out) the fish can’t seem to get enough of the live bait.

To catch some livies (yellowtail scad), just go to the end leads and drop down a sabiki rig. I rig my live baits with a hook inserted underneath the bottom jaw, and out through the top jaw. This will pin the jaw shit, and they will swim for longer. You’ll also get a better hook-up rate, and most of the fish you hook will be lip hooked in the middle of the jaw, right at the front. This makes it easier to fight the fish to the surface, because the fish is less likely to turn broadside and use the water resistance against you. When it comes to hooks, I use a single 8/0 Elkat Live Bait Hook on a paternoster rig with a very long loop. Try to make your loop at least 20cm long from the mainline to the hook,

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so that when the fish inhales the live bait it can get the whole bait in its mouth. If your loop is too short you won’t get as many bites, and hook-ups aren’t as solid. Additionally, the long loop lets the live bait swim a little more freely. And with regard to the height above the sinker for the loop, it doesn’t really matter so long as the hook isn’t too close to the sinker. The ideal distance would be around 60cm up from the sinker. That way, if the bait drops down it will still be 40cm off the bottom. Unfortunately, in close around Bundaberg the sharks

red, which isn’t unusual, but when we put the livies down the ratio changes dramatically – it’s around 2:1. It shows you that you can have a much more efficient trip if you take that extra time to catch livies before you head out. Spending half an hour on bait will save you time later filtering out undersize fish. In close, if you want to have a lot of fun, the school mackerel are hanging around the end of the lateral markers out of the Burnett. It’s great for anglers in smaller boats, who don’t need to do too many miles to get a good feed.

There will be fewer grassy emperor caught in the coming weeks, but they’ll still be around.

Big cod can’t resist a live yellowtail scad. are still pretty bad at the moment, particularly in water less than 25m. For that reason, we have been fishing deeper (35m+) so we don’t lose too many fish. As usual, the big cod are all over the livies, but for some reason this year there have been more red emperor than at any time I’ve seen them in the past. This is an amazing sign for the fishery. When using strip baits, we have been catching around 15 undersize reds per 1 legal

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All of my cobia spots are full of cobia at the moment, and you can fish for them the same way you’d fish for other bottom fish. Cobes love the livies. As you probably know, cobia go berserk when landed, and it’s not ideal when a 12kg+ model is thrashing around on the deck – and we’ve been catching plenty of 20kg+ fish lately. I like to gaff them just around the wing area, and usually I puncture the heart and they die. If you aim for that meaty area on the wing, your gaff will penetrate right in, and it’s unlikely to slide out. When you get enough practice, as I have, you’ll be able to penetrate the heart most times and stop the cobia thrashing madly on the deck. Besides livies, a good

bait for cobia is a butterflied trevally, with the head on, the tail cut off and backbone cut out. I’m not sure what the species of trevally is; they have a little green stripe and you’ll catch them among the yellowtail scad at the live bait grounds. After I have cut the trevally’s tail out and have butterflied it, I’ll hook it the same way as a live bait. It’s a big bait, but if the big fish are there they’ll inhale it. We have caught several big reds lately on that bait. The grassies aren’t as numerous as they had been earlier in the year, but the sizes are good. They’re ranging up to 5kg, and are taking live baits. JUNE FISHING This month, most of the

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focus will be on fishing in shallower water. Last June a lot of the fish went shallow, up in the 20m stuff. The sharks seemed to disappear last June, and the trout got super thick, and they were really on the bite. That’s when you can fish with live baits with single Elkat, or 2 x 8/0s or 7/0s snelled with a running sinker (if you can get away with 16oz or lighter, that’s ideal) down to the live bait. It sounds like it wouldn’t work because the head of the fish is at the hook, but it’s the most effective rig by a long shot. You can also get good catches on soft plastics with in a prawn pattern in bright pink or orange hopped along the bottom. For some reason, using jigs doesn’t seem to be very effective in our area for trout. June is also one of the few months of the year that I really love to use pilchards, and I’ll run them the same as the live baits – whole on a running ball rig. In the coming weeks, don’t just fish for trout – try the deeper areas for red emperor, too. The reds traditionally come on better in July and August, but this year they have been so thick that they may well be having an earlier/ longer run than they usually do. I have found that red ferny areas with not too much shale on the bottom are good for red emperor. You don’t want too much structure for reds. • 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 $350pp (or $330pp 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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Bait will prolong barra activity MACKAY

Cameron Christian

April saw plenty of rain, which should see extra bait around in the following months and provide some hope for prolonged barra activity. Barra are usually hard to find during June and persistent anglers will have to seek calm sunny days with neap tides. During these times,

typical calm and sunny June weather ensues, the waters around Mackay will be crystal clear once the cold weather sets in. As a result, June is usually ideal snorkelling conditions for those interested and willing to bear the cold water. The prime conditions of June should see an explosion of bread and butter species like flathead, whiting and bream. As the tide runs in, look for flathead over yabby beds, rubble patches or mud

gutters and drains like those seen at the sand flats adjacent to the trainer walls at the mouth of the Pioneer River. At the top and bottom of the tide, flathead can be readily found around structure like rock bars and mangroves feeding on small baitfish and crustaceans. Fresh baits like, prawns, herring, small mullet and strip baits rigged with minimal lead and good quality, abrasion resistant and fine leader should produce great

Jerry Timor with a 1m queenie guided by Inshore Fishing Mackay. barra are commonly found in shallow areas sunning themselves, try targeting these fish using surface lures or lightly weighted soft plastics worked as slow as possible. Electric motors, long casts and stealth are a must however as barra in this position are very skittish. If there are no further unseasonal downpours and

flats as the water just begins to cover these areas. Fishing such shallow water requires stealth, however, land-based anglers should cast well away from the water’s edge and avoid wading through the water. As the tide runs out, flathead will usually fall back to the deeper water. Anglers should target these fish by working any small drop offs,

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results. For lure anglers, soft plastics are an ideal option to work any of the areas mentioned above. Around the flats, edges and drains however, small divers like Little Lucifers, Killalures and Tilsans can all produce when worked right along the bottom. While fishing for flathead around the features mentioned above in shallow systems Reliance Creek and Sarina Inlet, anglers should

keep an eye out for winter whiting. Yabbies are excellent bait and should be rigged on small, long shank hooks with minimal lead and light leader. During a hot bite take care of size limits and try to limit your bag, this goes for yabbies too as it can be very easy to pump far more than needed. Flathead and whiting are best targeted on the light gear and put up a great fight on the right tackle. Anglers can make the most of their light gear by targeting bream through the winter months, pikey bream in particular become increasingly aggressive as this is typically their breeding time. Bream can be targeted around dense structure like mangroves and rock bars or open flats with rubble bottoms using just about anything for bait. For a real challenge however, try casting or pitching small divers and soft plastics right into mangrove roots underneath the mangrove canopy. Anglers will need to be weary of jacks and barra, which will obliterate bream gear in the blink of an eye. Money spent on this gear will never be wasted around Mackay however with the abundance in quality sooty fisheries. Queenfish and trevally have been around in good numbers and in quality sizes lately and action should continue through June. For offshore anglers, queenfish should be available around the islands from Seaforth and St Helens to those out from Sarina Inlet. Queenfish and smaller trevally can also be found hunting around the creeks with the incoming tide, surface action will be a dead giveaway and is a good reason to keep a spare rod with a popper, metal slug or shallow diver ready to go. Alternatively, live herring, mullet or gar worked at the surface or down the bottom around structure should produce great results. June also brings the

Nick Barr with a nice golden trevally caught on a day out with Jason from Inshore Fishing Mackay. Mackay Show and snapper, initially they should be seen further south offshore from Cape Palmerston and over the course of the month will move further north around Hay Point and the islands out from the river mouth. Local tackle shop staff will provide the most up to date information on the progress of the snapper migration along with the best lures and baits. In the freshwater dams, rivers and creeks barra will become very lethargic and hard work to find. Persistent anglers will need to be prepared for the shorter bite times and focus on the warmer areas in the warmest parts of the day. Fortunately, future barra seasons are looking very promising with recent stocking efforts by MAFSA. 9,100 fingerlings all around 100mm long have been pumped into the upper reaches of the Pioneer River (Platypus Beach), paid for using funds

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Tournament angler Finn Gee with a great sooty caught from the treetops at Eungulla.

raised by MAFSA. In addition, 2,400 fingerlings have been introduced into Teemburra and 2,200 into Kinchant using SIP funds, highlighting the importance for local anglers to take the DAF’s SIPs survey and ensure a fair share of funding is provided for our local dams. The 2022 INDT World Sooty Championship has been another great fundraising event for MAFSA and a full write up of the competition is available in the tournament section. With the biggest comp of the year over, local anglers focus on sooties may fade but sooty action certainly won’t. Sooties should become easier to catch as conditions progress into winter and weather patterns become more stable. The downpours during April may delay this stabilisation of the dams and potentially kill back the weed banks currently throughout all the dams. Due to this, targeting the timber should be one of the best options for finding sooties through June. Finding where the bait and shags are holding will help anglers to find the structured areas worth fishing. Once found, the treetops can be worked with accurate casts tight into the structure using grubs, small swimbaits, hardbody vibes and good quality suspending divers worked slow and paused as much as possible. Snagging can be prevented by running single hooks, faced backward on vibes, or rigging snag/weed guards, much like those seen on football jigs, on soft plastics by drilling a hole into the jighead and gluing in short strands of thick fluorocarbon leader. June normally sees the weather patterns stabilising, which means better fishing conditions in both freshwater and saltwater and local anglers will be keen to capitalise.

OLD

Thank heavens for rain TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

The rain that Townsville received in April was badly needed, and the outlook was looking quite grim without it. While the last thing the poor buggers in southern areas needed or wanted was more rain, North Queensland watched each low-pressure system form up and then head south away from where it was supposed to dump its contents. Even though it was just a fraction of what was needed, the rains that were dumped on Townsville area in late April had the effects that many were sweating on. The crabs moved en masse, massive bait schools were found in the rivers and creeks, and there’s no doubt that the prawns will follow suit. Everything revolves around rain up here, so it was welcomed by every fisho in North Queensland. Offshore anglers have enjoyed an incredible few months when the weather allowed. Everything from pelagic species such as mackerel and tuna to

predators out there) pull hard. In the creeks it’s been a bit hit and miss, but with some smart lure choices and a bit of determination, you’ll bend a rod enough times to make it worth your effort. One thing that’s absolutely going to change your results is having lures that can be

For switched-on anglers it’s pretty easy to get a feed of one of the best tasting fish in the ocean.

While not as big as a barra, no one’s ever disappointed when a decent sooty snatches a softy. The lure is an Atomic Prong 4” rigged weedless for thick timber.

When the tide drops back out of the mangroves, it’s jack time. You can get good results skipping weedless prawn imitations, like this Halco Paddle Prawn rigged on an Atomic EWG Seeker 5/0 hook. demersals such as trout, red-throat emperor and more have been caught in good numbers. However, it’s still the red-throat that have been the talk of the tackle shops. This species came from out of nowhere in massive numbers after being almost non-existent for two years, with no indication where they’ve been. In my opinion, they’re every bit as tasty as a trout, and pull some string with the toughest of fish, so it’s all good for lure and bait anglers. Red-throat will take jigs, vibes, jigs, hardbodies and fly. If you’re going to have a crack at the schools of red-throat, I recommend using 30-40lb line with approx. 40-50lb leader fished on either spin, overhead or baitcaster. You’ll want a good smooth drag with plenty of stopping power, because these fish (plus most other

used at different depths, and different sizes. You’ll find that sometimes you’ll need to downsize your lure to get more action. This is generally when the barometric pressure is lower or falling, or when the water temp has dropped. When conditions are right it’s common to spend the whole

day skipping and casting soft plastics and hardbodied lures into the shallower snags, but when it’s hard to find fish, small vibes and plastics rigged on traditional ‘J’ styled jigheads can make all the difference. Those standing timbers that have slid from the bank but are still upright will generally hold good fish. However, unless there is minimal tidal flow you won’t be able to get a weedless rig down to them. Using faster sinking lures that have strong actions at slow speeds (e.g. Atomic Metalz or Semi Hardz) can be a game changer. Generally, if you cast upstream and work the lure back towards you with the tide’s momentum, you’ll be

able to cover water quickly and effectively. This can make a big difference to your results on quiet days. As far as colours go, I usually stick with naturals in clear water, and fluoro/ contrasting colours in the dirtier stuff, through there are exceptions to this rule. Bringing a few different coloured lures is recommended. I also tend to use a lighter outfit for this sort of presentation; many of your fish will actually run away from cover, which helps. Hint number one is, if they’re heading away from cover then just let them go, putting some distance between the snag and the fish before things kick up a notch. We often end up going as light as 20lb leader for this style of lure casting. It’s anyone’s guess as to what will eat your lure, with grunter, fingermark,

This barra couldn’t resist an 80mm Halco Roosta popper in liquid lime colour.

Luke from the Fishing Warehouse in Townsville is no stranger to big jacks. A precisely skipped lure brought this one undone from deep in the mangroves.

Nice grunter can be found in the drains when there’s enough water to let them feed freely. This fish took a Paddle Prawn in fluoro orange. Brightly coloured lures are good when the water is dirty.

barra, jacks and so on being regular offenders. Soft rods allow a little more room for abrasion resistance with the lighter leaders, and you’ll be amazed at what you can land on the skinny stuff if you just take it easy. Admittedly, you’ll get smoked every now and

then, but your bite rate will go through the roof which is a great consolation. When it comes to rod choice, sensitivity is paramount when you’re fishing deep presentations, where every little bite needs to be felt and reacted to by the angler. It’s

also good to have a rod with a soft tip and fast taper, and it should be light weight as well, so you can use it for hours on end without undue fatigue. I use a Samurai Infinite spin rod with a Daiwa Certate 2500 spooled with 15lb braid and 2.5m of 20lb leader when I’m fishing with smaller lures. For larger lures, I use a Samurai Reaction 10-20lb rod matched to a Shimano Vanford spooled with 20lb braid and 2.5m of 30lb leader. Drains with their colour changes and warmer pockets are prime spots to focus your casting also, and with these water temps about to take a drop at this time of year, you’ll need to downsize your lures if you’re to make the best of your time on the water. Many anglers who try this tactic for the first time are surprised at the size of the fish that will take tiny lures. There will usually be a cool spell after the rains have settled down a bit, and this can sometimes last a couple of weeks, but when that is over the fish usually kick back into gear and it’s game on. JUNE 2022

OLD

Go low and slow HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

Now we are in the cooler time of year those fishing in the Hinchinbrook Channel waters should start to take a different approach to get more bites. Most species, especially

building in aggregations again before the end of year breeding cycle starts. Nevertheless, during these colder months, I find that getting on top of these fish and start introducing plastic imitation prawns casting across the school and slow rolling them ever so slowly often does the trick. One such plastic I love using is the 4-5”

down and even offer smaller sized lures as well. June can see the return of much higher barometer pressure associated with the trade winds. Often, I find above 1020HPA can make fishing become quite difficult. Unfortunately, there’s nothing anyone can do about them but it can explain why your day out might have been fruitless. June will have a lot more smaller neap tides, which makes it a great time to look on the deep ledges and holes for fingermark. The Port Hinchinbrook marina is full of mud and greenback herring, which make a great live bait for them. Although, just remember if you intend to release one hooked out of

Jack with a great 87cm barramundi. any water deeper than 9m you are better off keeping it for a feed as their survival rate is not that good. A release weight getting them back down to

There will be plenty of decent captures once the water temperatures stabilise, like this grunter. barramundi, will become quite timid during the fall in water temps that occur in May, but once they start to plateau, they should become a bit more used to it and go about their normal business. They will start pushing their way back up into river systems and start

inch swim prawn made by Holt Productions. They have unique moulded legs, which create a very life-like effect when slowly retrieved through the water. The same technique should be applied when lure casting with hardbodies as well, slow that retrieve right

Even though the barra bite will be more timid in the changing climate, Michael was able to tempt this 98cm specimen.

depth quickly is a good idea. Spanish mackerel have been coming in further close to inshore in greater numbers. Inner islands like Eva and Pelorus, are great places to have fun with them over the coming months as the migratory schools arrive. Metal slices are a great way to chase these kind of pelagic species, faster the retrieve the better. So keep this in mind when purchasing a reel for this type of application, high speed spinning reels are the best option. There are many different brands and styles of lures for this kind of fishing, they will all work as it’s more to do with the retrieve that gets the bite. Keeping a watchout for birds’ dive-bombing bait schools usually does indicate where the Spaniards will be. Another species that

makes a greater appearance this time of year is the golden trevally. There are some great foraging grounds around Garden and Gould islands, Cape Richards and Eva Island where they usually show up in good-sized numbers. Jigging vibes or even live baits will get their attention but unfortunately in these areas they are plagued with now resident bull and tiger sharks and can make it impossible to get a hooked fish even close to the boat. If this happens after one or two hook-ups then it’s best to move on. • We still have quite a few available spots for charters for this year and for next year. Gift vouchers can be purchased if you’re looking for birthday gifts. You can email us at info@ ianmoodysportfishing.com or phone us on 0402 339 459.

Late wet season spells great winter fishing CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

To say our monsoon season was a fizzer in FNQ is no understatement. We barely had enough rain to get the rivers moving, which was a let down considering the early calls for a big drenching. However, as we have moved closer to winter and the southeast trade winds have arrived, it seems the predictions for a later than usual wet is

Smaller barra around the 60-70cm mark have been on the snags and structure up the smaller creeks of the Cairns Inlet.

Cooper Caltabiano recently braved some wet and windy conditions to pull the crab pots and was well rewarded with some quality crabs. June will see them on the move. 38

JUNE 2022

spot on. Whilst an early wet season is ideal, any wet season is better than no wet season so it is a welcome sign for anglers in the Trinity Net Free Zone. The wet weather certainly hasn’t put the fish off and in fact has got them on the chew. The increased rainfall has got the prawns moving on the beaches and the creeks, which is getting the fish in the mood. Barramundi have been pretty consistent, especially in the Cairns Inlet for those targeting the drains and mud banks towards the mouth. Live bait has been

getting most of the better fish but they are still taking lures as well. Vibes and prawn imitations have been working the best. There have also been plenty of barra up the creeks in the Inlet, however the overall average size of the fish is generally smaller. The Barron River a little further north is also producing some excellent barramundi. The Barron River has a reputation for holding big trophy barra and it hasn’t disappointed this year. The ground between the two bridges is still the best producer for these big fish. The Cairns Area Fish Stocking Group has been investing heavily in this area through releases of barramundi fingerlings around 15cm in length. As such we are seeing plenty of smaller fish and tagged recaptures occur more regularly, which is a sign their good work is paying off. The smaller systems, such as Moon River and Thomatis Creek, have been fishing really well for mangrove jack and small paddle-tail plastics, like the Biwaa Submissions, have been braining them.

Mangrove jack have been biting well, especially on the Biwaa Submission soft plastics. Getting your lures as tight to snags as possible has been the best technique and a slow roll retrieve is all that’s needed. The biggest mover in June will be the evertasty mud crab. It’s around June when the female or jenny crabs begin to malt, which will get the male or buck crabs out of their holes. As such, they will be climbing into pots in

good numbers so make sure you take advantage and get your crab pots in whilst having a fish. Next month the water will begin to cool significantly, however the fishing won’t suffer at all. In fact, different species like golden snapper and grunter will come on the chew, which is always something to look forward to.

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nurseries producing a variety of species including barra, mangrove jack, fingermark, javelin fish and river trevally. Some decent run in the tide is required to get the best results and the days are still just warm enough to warrant action from most species. We are due for a cold spell soon, which will only affect the barra strike rate but not the others at this point. Big 1m queenfish will substitute the

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Coops Wolhuter with a great bream he caught in the northern bay, Brisbane. JUNE 2022

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Silver chrome madness COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

The last month has produced some intense barramundi fishing with some great trips and some

month. It’s exciting to see and so much fun fishing at this time. The fish have moved around and the favourite areas are bound to have some new fish taking up residence. However, the cold weather will start to

fishing legends here in Cooktown always drops his lure size in winter and increases it in summer. In fact, the bigger the better in summer, but in winter the size can be down to a 2” Grub. Barramundi are so

A spot of night time fishing produced this barramundi for Martin. active moving and mating in the summer months that they need as much food as possible but when winter cool comes along having a small feed is all they need. So drop the size. ‘Barra lolly lures’ I call the winter ones, as it’s hard to pass up a treat even when you are not hungry so it’s the same for the barramundi at this time of the year. The reef fishing will be so limited at this time of the year as the southeasterly blows for the next few

Rod’s silver chrome saltwater barramundi. crazy missions, but with not much to show for it! There have been some great stories of multiple captures, along with tales of arduous missions luring for hours upstream without any success. It’s all about the timing. Sometimes it’s just not right and no matter how hard you try its doesn’t produce. Fishing the rivers well depends so much on the flood flow down the river, and the clarity can be an issue as well. The rivers have had what I think will be the last big flush out with our late heavy rain in April, so the rivers will start to settle down and clear this

impact the activity and the active window will most likely start to shut down as the waters start to cool. With the cooler temps sometimes the bite window will be in the middle of the day as the sun is at its peak. The shallow areas will be the feeding zones and running shallow water into deep holes will see active fish waiting to boof any tasty morsel getting washed down. Barramundi will be holding to the snags in some areas and luring past them will produce results and sometimes taking time with a few casts can produce a bite so be patient and it will pay off. Roly, one of the local

months. There is always the hope of a window between the high pressure systems but it will only be a day at the most. Red fishing can be great at this time and heading out deep can produce good results. However, there isn’t many opportunities, but one must always be ready for it. The best thing about this time is to get the services done on the boat and fishing gear to make sure everything is set for later in the year. Amazing how

David Kamholtz caught this little beauty off the beach.

much gets neglected when there are more fishing days! The wharf still has some flood waters mixing with the tidal flows, which has seen some nice dirty water lines. They are great areas to target trevally as they move along the lines ambushing the bait that moves in and out of the dirty water. This will start to clear through this month and the bait should start to school around the wharf again. The wharf has seen some nice mangrove jack caught off it this year, so looks to be fishing well. Mackerel will start showing up around the wharf in August and September. If you are planning a trip up here then that is a great time, especially if you are limited to land-based fishing as there can be a lot of action when the mackerel are on the chew. Lakefield National Park will also be open this month so lots of options to fish for some nice barramundi in the large waterholes. Be croc wise as there are some very large resident crocodiles in the park. Lots of campsites are taken but doing day trips from Cooktown is always an option.

SHEIK OF THE CREEK

Bigger is better…? BRISBANE

The Sheik of the Creek

There’s a saying that the larger your boat is, the less likely you are to use it. That may be because as you get older, and hopefully your disposable income is being spent less and less on liquid refreshment, offspring and impressing people of the opposite (and possibly the same) sex, you get to spend more on disposable things, like lighters. Or possibly fishing and boating gear. That means as you get older, your boat gets bigger. Unlike other things that don’t get bigger. But I think the drive to go fishing drops away as you age too, so maybe the fact that bigger 42

JUNE 2022

boats get used less might have more to do with age than ease of use. If there was any fairness in the world, you’d have access to a bigger boat when you’re young and full of sap, not old and desiccated like me. Not that my boat is big, just that it’s on a trailer, and there’s a bit of work towing around to get it in the water. Now if you turn the above around, that is the saying about bigger boats, not the trailer, then the smaller your boat is, the more likely you are to put it into the water, which was part of the reason I got hold of a little kayak. I reckoned I could get out on the water without having to tow a boat to a ramp. Which, like a lot of my critical thinking, is more flawed than a Torana accelerator. I had a spare mount

and transducer for the big sounder in the boat, so a sikaflex that in using old brass tap fittings, zip ties and some poly pipe. Unfortunately the sounder width means I look like John Cleese in an empty NQ Lager carton, but you get that in big jobs. I took it out onto a little dam to make sure it worked...bingo. Neck minnut, Stuffer rings me up with a request for some help with branding. A few days off work are organised and I’ve got several days. Surely I’ll have a good chance to chuck it into the corner hole to see what’s in there. Been fishing there for 50 years; be good to know what’s underneath, especially with that sounder, which could probably do some amazing things if I knew more than how to turn it on. But there’s only a couple of

hundred to brand, and a good two days extra that will give me plenty of spare time to hop into the kayak... Of course, there would have been plenty of time if the bulls hadn’t busted three fences and got into

the neighbours, the weaners hadn’t busted down a gate and got into the bull paddock, and the gas hadn’t run out on the Sunday we were meant to be finishing, meaning branding stops while we run into town,

where they’ve just run out and need to get more in from Roma, and... any way, I got about 20 minutes of kayaking in on the corner hole. Which was almost enough time for me to turn it on.

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Fish are feeding up CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

What do we love about June up in Cape York? Simple, this is a month filled with almost everything good about fishing in the far north.

be following their regular migration trails around Cape York. This often translates into larger fish feeding incredibly close to shore, just wide of river mouths and headlands. School mackerel can be found around most west coast river mouths and sometime Spanish macks

usually begin wrapping round the tip of the Cape, producing some amazing inshore sportfishing almost within casting distance of the shore. Offshore over on the east coast, smaller yellowfin tuna will be grazing around the outer reef entterances, sometime in plague proportions. These

A triple header of northern bluefin tuna.

A nice bludger trevally taken from a huge school. Sure, it is a transition month where we move from higher water temperatures with plenty of actively feeding fish into cooler water temperatures. But fish are generally feeding very well into June, particularly on the west coast of the Cape. Those pelagic fish that have been hanging farther offshore earlier in the season will come close inshore this time of year. It is not uncommon to find meter long queenfish heading up river and belting poppers miles from the mouth. As small baitfish chase the fresh/ salt interface, predators move with them, at times much further upriver then anglers expect. This is a more settled time of year where many of the popular sportfish will have arrived at their haunts for the remaining six months of the dry season. Barramundi fishing can still be excellent on both sides of the Cape if you can locate the fish. Factors such as tide changes, water temperature and moon phase will become far more important than earlier in the year. Areas where warm water flows off shallow flats can be particularly productive. Some of the tropical speedsters such as mackerel and tuna will

will even travel into the bigger systems and shallow bays to feed. A famous run of longtail tuna which often starts earlier to the south between Weipa and Crab Island will

are usually the jelly-beans, which feed veraciously on the incoming tide and will usually be found by following flighty bird packs around the place. Remember tuna usually

Cracking longtail for this young fella.

A big river mouth queenfish.

become quite fixated on a certain baitfish size they are feeding on. Try and match your metal slug to the bait size and if unsure, usually throw the smallest metal capable of being cast to the feeding schools and wound back at high speed. An exception to this role tends to be poppers and larger soft plastics, which are often whacked amongst shimmering schools of smaller baitfish. High speed retrieves and flashy well-presented offerings fished on light leaders are keys to success. The Spanish mackerel fishery is currently in a state of huge uncertainty in Queensland waters. These are a crucial species with respect to the commercial, recreational and charter fishing sectors. Access by all user groups is hotly contested and fisheries

management needs to be proactive, realistic and based in irrefutably good scientific evidence if wholesale changes are to be made. Sadly, none of these sectors feels especially well catered for with recent developments and scepticism far exceeds acceptance. Queensland has arguably the greatest diversity of fisheries available to recreational fishers. With the Great Barrier Reef fitting snugly amongst a huge plethora of other fishing opportunities, we are incredibly blessed regarding options for rec fishers. However, fisheries management seems caught in the past, trying to pander to the commercial fishing industry, when the true economics output of certain fisheries is grossly swayed in favour of the rec and charter industries. The Northern Territory seems to have a better handle on the contribution of the recreational and charter fishing sectors on their GDP. Common Queensland!

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Unprecedented weather means unpredictability TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

I’ll open this month’s report with a disclaimer. As I write, rainy weather is predicted for next week but it is unclear how much is on the way and where it will fall. Based on the fact the meteorologist can’t agree on what we are in for, I reckon I get an exemption from getting things spot on for this month’s report. If all goes well, the rain will stay away and things will be more predictable and waterways will be clearing up and getting more fishable over the winter months. For the past couple of decades of writing for Fishing Monthly I’ve never had such a tough time working

out what’s going on in our favourite freshwater spots. The continuing rainfall across different areas is changing our lakes on a regular basis, making some dirty and the fish are changing all the time. Winter is one of my least favourite times on the freshwater. Things get a bit slower, especially this month but we should see signs of change and there are still plenty of options out there. With full lakes in the South East corner, the fish will have plenty of food and be getting bigger and fatter. With more water to explore it can take a little longer to find them but it amazes me how they still seem almost as easy to find in a full lake compared to a really low one. There should be a few bass edge bites going on and in some lakes we

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST June is a surprisingly good month to hit Cressbrook Dam. The last couple of years have been great provided you can find the small schools of big bass. It is going to be a lot tougher this year with the dam now full. Old spots will be totally different and the fish will find new locations to frequent. Putting in the time to locate fish and work out what time of day they want to feed will pay off with bulky fat bass on offer. The longer points and any flats around 7-10m deep could hold the big bass. The old flooded weed and grass can be annoying on your hooks but if you find fish just outside this it won’t be a problem. Casting spoons is one of the best ways to entice the winter schooling bass. Bait size can dictate spoon choice. Smaller offerings like the Gang Banger G2, Wasabi, and Halco Twisty 20g are ideal when the fish are chasing smaller bait profiles.

If they are after bigger bonies, switch to Raptor Jigs or Palm Slow Blatts in the 30g size. Both hopping and winding can be effective so mix it up to see if they prefer a certain

It’s a good time to go exploring in a kayak. Just remember you need to be above a weir as it is bass closed season in tidal waters. retrieve style. The lake edges will definitely be worth a look. Water quality should have improved and the bass and golden perch will be back in the shallows. You can drop the electric

Golden perch tend to turn up as by-catch over the winter months. This one ate a Spectre but opt for a hopped blade unless you find them really chewing.

Gary’s Marine Centre

3201 6232

217 Pine Mountain Road, BRASSALL 44

JUNE 2022

and set off casting at kilometres of banks and hope to encounter a few fish. Alternatively, try fishing around schooling fish. The more active ones will venture up into the shallows and chase a feed. The slow nature of suspending jerkbaits and crankbaits will suit the mood of the fish and work well in clear water conditions. Soft plastics will also be worth a flick. With the numbers of redclaw around the edges it may also pay to hop skirted jigs. Look for shorter grassy banks or the steeper rocky areas for this style of fishing. • Fish’n’Bits in Toowoomba has all the gear and tips on how to chase the Cressy fish. They are an excellent store specialising in all freshwater lures and tackle. The dam is on winter hours so the gates will be open from 7am to 6pm. SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY Somerset has been fishing very steady since the rain. Lure anglers have struggled due to the dirty water but we should see a notable change in the clarity over the winter months. In the dirty water, fish schools have been difficult to find. Even though the water clarity will be okay this month, the fish are always pretty tough to target at the start of winter. Schools can move away from the deep water, open flats that they usually hold on for most of the year. More fish can be found closer to the edges in schools. These bass don’t always bite well but will sometimes fall for a spoon or soft plastic. If they are close to the bank, try working the shallower water with a big spinnerbait, lipless crankbait, chatterbait or suspending jerkbait. Golden perch will be

quiet for the winter months. A few will be caught as bass by-catch but unless you target them with bait or hopping small blades around the timber structure, you will struggle to find them. Tilapia numbers are likely to increase later in the year so go hard on them now to try to thin the population out. They are fond of worms and can be caught from the bank around most of the boat

will start to see schooling bass loving their winter spoon bite. On the barra scene, the cold days will be tough but winter can dish out some warmer gems and these are the ones to be on the water. I have a good feeling the cod are going to go off in our Queensland lakes this winter. Don’t be fooled, it will be hard work with many fishless days but that’s the nature of cod fishing. It is also just a short skip over the border into NSW to experience the cod on Pindari and Copeton. If the water is clear, I’d be throwing my favourite swimbaits. If it has a bit of colour about it, try something noisier and easier to track down, like a chatterbait or spinnerbait. Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel. ramp areas. • Somerset Fishing has their store based at the area above the day use boat ramp. The store is open over holidays and otherwise from Thursday to Sunday. Orders can also be made online via the website www. somersetfishing.com.au . They have an excellent range of gear suited to fishing for bass and golden perch.

Alex Richards, 14yo, caught this 70cm flathead at Bongaree Jetty. He used a mullet for bait.

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SUNSHINE COAST BORUMBA CLOSEST TOWNS: IMBIL, NOOSA, GYMPIE Things are shaping up for a great edge bite at Borumba. The schools of bass have been hard to find with numbers of fish spread out all around the lake edges. Last month they responded well to a range of techniques but cooling water temperature will make them a bit tougher. I have a feeling they will stay on edges until

the end of winter when they will return to big deeper schools. The Junction area is a great starting point but bass can be caught right around the lake’s edges. Saratoga will be slower but can be encountered in better numbers from The Junction upstream into the feeder arms. Suspending hardbodies and skirted jigs will be ideal this month. Longer pauses and smaller movements are key if the water is clear. There has been talk of

trolling swimbaits slowly on the electric motor could be an option. Winter does tend to settle suspended particles in the water and clear it up so take a good look at what you are faced with and use more stealth if it turns very clear. Golden perch numbers were high for the last few months. Winter will make their numbers drop off but jigging blades or soaking a shrimp or saltwater yabbies should get a few bites. These fish have been on the smaller side with only the occasional one around 40cm. COOBY CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS, TOOWOOMBA Cooby has reopened and has been very busy over

on the walking tracks. The Murray cod have been very quiet. Hopefully we see a few more caught during the winter months. LESLIE CLOSEST TOWN: WARWICK The golden perch numbers have been great so far this year. Hopping small blades like the ZX40 will get the bites over the winter months. A lot of these fish are small so make sure you treat them well and release them quickly if they aren’t keepers. Try working lures in 4-7m of water around any drop offs or structure. Bait fishers will also do well on the goldens when using live shrimp or frozen saltwater yabbies. Drop these baits straight

over the side of the boat and keep the line tight or almost tight so the bait is near the bottom. A running sinker all the way to the hook or a paternoster rig with the hook 30cm above the sinker on the bottom is ideal. I like wide gap (J) style hooks for using shrimp. Baitholder hooks, which have the small barbs on the shank are good for the saltwater yabbies. The cold mornings will see the bigger Murray cod roaming the shallows in the lower light. You can fish towards the shoreline or out wider on any shallow flats near the drop offs to deeper water. Running side image or live sonar will let you know if there are any fish in your areas. Swimbaits,

like Jackall Ganterels or the even bigger Giganterel are great for long casts over these shallows. The cod are likely to vacate the flats around mid-morning and hold around structure or drop offs. They can be tougher to catch when they do this but it’s worth a shot with deeper presentations like spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. Shore-based anglers can try casting around the rocks just before to the dam wall buoy line. • 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.

bit but will bunch up in big numbers in locations where they are most comfortable. At the start of winter this is likely to be windblown bays in the main basin where they can be spotted on side image or live sonar. These fish will still be a bit deeper in 1-4m allowing for soft plastic and hardbody presentations. Slowing

down the retrieve to suit the fish will pay off. Longer pauses with suspending hard bodies will draw more interest. With plastics fish lighter weights and wind them more slowly. Slow presentations make it even more important to find good patches of fish. If the numbers are there, the bites will come when they are ready to chew. Don’t expect as

much fish movement as in the warmer months. Find the fish! • Justin Nye from Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing runs fishing charters on the lake. He caters to the needs of the angler and can do fly or conventional tackle trips to target the lake’s barramundi. He successfully guides clients onto fish right

through the year and has a good understanding of fish movements. It is hard to beat time on the water and this is a great way to learn more about this lake and its fish. You can contact him on 0429 223 550 or visit the website gladstoneflyandsportfishing .com.au. • Mark from Awoonga Gateway Lodge always has a few productive secret

spots to share. The Gateway lodge is on the way in to the dam after turning off at Benaraby. The accommodation is great with plenty of boat parking space right beside the comfortable air conditioned, selfcontained cabins each with its own veranda. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 49750033.

CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE Barra fishing is still a possibility over the winter months. All you need to do to find success is chose a nice run of warmer weather and locate the fish. Winter barra tend to slow down a

Rhys Branson caught this 46cm Borumba bass off the surface. The fish was one of many taken in a hot session on a Jackall Pompadour.

the last couple of months. After constant pressure, the council updated their out-dated guidelines around algae levels, which saw the lake closed more often than it was open. We should now get a good chance to fish this lake year round. Since the gates opened, the golden perch have been chewing well. Most fish have been caught trolling with hardbodies and TN60 Jackalls in 4-5m of water. I’d expect the trolling action to taper right off now things have cooled down. Jigging blades or fishing with live shrimp or saltwater yabbies will continue to get a few fish. Fishing off the banks will be a good option. You can try near the boat ramp or the steep wall and pontoon

DARLING DOWNS AND GRANITE BELT GLENLYON CLOSETS TOWNS: TEXAS, STANTHORPE Pack your warm clothes if you are heading to Glenlyon. June should start the run of big Murray cod as they prepare to spawn later in the year. It is not uncommon to see several big fish holding together at this time of year. Topwater paddler style lures can get the bites early in the morning or even in the dark. Swimbaits cast to likely areas work well during the mornings (the afternoons are usually slower). The water still has a bit of colour in it and the clearer it is the better swimbaits will work. If it remains coloured it will help your boat stay hidden from the fish. In this case

more rain so this may not be the case. If there is still colour in the water, then I’d suggest trying the Spectre Vibration Jig. These chatterbaits have a clear plastic blade and make a lot less commotion than a metal blade chatter. The bass love this and they will be ideal even if the water is a bit coloured. There is a new yabby range of colours out and the bass have been loving the olive craw colour in Borumba. Oops! Was that meant to be a secret?

AWOONGA GATEWAY LODGE

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• Minimum 3 night stay • BBQ areas • Saltwater pool Fishing afternoons and into the early night seems to be a good time to get bites from winter barra. The cool mornings are often slow.

www.awongagatewaylodge.com awoongagateway@bigpond.com JUNE 2022

Kayaking

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Rainy day yakking BRISBANE

Troy Brown

We’ve all had days when getting our kayak on the water isn’t possible, regardless of how much we desire it. It may be the wind, rain, broken gear, work or family commitments and a multitude of other disasters. Whatever the reason, these absences from the water can become prolonged, which for a keen kayaker is its own form of water torture. How do we overcome these inevitable separations from our kayak? It’s time to get busy!

‘forget’ they require maintenance becomes a touch overwhelming. I typically only address this maintenance once the box starts to overflow onto the shelf. Repairing regularly makes this task less daunting, rather than the monumental job I normally encounter. To make the repair process simpler, I always have a stockpile of common split rings, hooks and other hardware. To avoid discovery of a pile of rusted misery, I also rinse lures in freshwater and hang them to dry, prior to placing them in the repair pile. Adding rust repair to the job is something you should avoid at all costs,

The author’s PLB is showing signs of many weekends on the water. Its battery is well within the expiry date and it tests fine, so it can stay a little longer. If your commitments allow and you really need that kayak fishing buzz, the best medicine is preparing for your next journey. I’m not talking about simply throwing a couple of rods and tackle trays into a corner, as the best means of overcoming the yakking blues is a full assault on those often forgotten maintenance jobs. The following suggestions won’t just reduce your boredom, they’ll also make upcoming trips more productive, enjoyable and cost effective. TACKLE YOUR FISHING GEAR FIRST If you’re like me, there’s a good chance you may have some tackle lurking in a dark corner, waiting for some new hooks, rust removal or a simple clean. I have a container specifically marked for lure repairs, so after each trip I toss any damaged lures into the container, with the knowledge that I’ll one day return to effect repairs. My tendency to throw tackle into the box and continually 46

JUNE 2022

as I discovered recently. Rusted parts are usually best replaced, but you can save many items with some rust killer and then a quality lubricant. Rusted hooks and split rings should never be saved, as they’ll inevitably fail at the moment you hook that ‘fish of a lifetime’. STAY SAFE Once your tackle repair is complete, it’s time to move onto a boring, but incredibly important maintenance item. Safety gear is generally overlooked, so you should have a regular schedule to check the items, which may save your life, or that of a fellow kayaker. Some tasks are recommended to be completed by the manufacturer, although many can be performed easily at home. If you own an EPIRB or PLB, check the condition of the beacon, plus battery replacement or unit expiry dates. Those test switches are fitted for a reason, so make sure a quick test is part of your regular routine. Check

the general condition of the beacon to ensure there’s no obvious damage, then replace any items that are broken or out of date. We never want to use our emergency gear, but regularly ensuring they’re in operational condition is common sense. My PLB is looking a little daggy, but it’s in good operational condition and well within the battery lifespan, so I can overlook its declining looks. Luckily, my wife does the same with me! Many kayakers don’t wear a PFD, either for comfort reasons, or simply because they’re confident of being able to “self rescue”. The fact remains, a PFD is there to save you, when you cannot save yourself. If you’re injured, separated from your kayak and unable to reach land, that ‘uncomfortable’ or ‘uncool’ floatation device may be your only lifeline. If you do wear a PFD, it’s recommended by many manufacturers that you return your vest at least annually for servicing, especially if it is an inflationtype jacket. If you don’t wish to do that, servicing these devices is relatively simple, with most brands offering a well-defined procedure for annual servicing. As a minimum, check the jacket and webbing for any rips, brittleness, mould or loose stitching. If your vest inflates, check the firing mechanism, weigh the cylinder to ensure there’s been no gas loss, or replace components if they’re outside the recommended expiry date. Manually inflate the vest, then leave it to sit for 24 hours and ensure the vest retains air. I’m always surprised that some will spend a fortune on their fishing gear, but won’t invest

PFDs are vitally important in the event of an accident or health issue. Check general condition, webbing, floatation material and firing mechanisms (on self-inflating models). a small amount to protect their life on the water. TAKE CHARGE OF MARINE ELECTRONICS Quality sounders can be expensive tools, but they’re also extremely effective when used on a kayak. The downside is our close proximity to the water, which places our gear closer to the potential effects of salt damage. Most models are made for saltwater use, plus are waterproof, but connectors are a constant cause of failure. To avoid costly repairs or replacement, ensure o-rings on connectors are in good condition, regularly check for corrosion and apply dielectric grease, if a little extra protection is necessary. If you find corrosion on connectors, deal with it immediately, as this can spread to the pins on your sounder if left connected for long periods. Avoid using petroleum-based lubricants, as these can cause o-rings and some plastics to deteriorate. Lanolin-based sprays are typically safe, but always

check before application. Over-use of dielectric grease can also cause issues, even though it’s both a protectant and lubricant, as it can stop release of air around a connector and make insertion nearly impossible. Frayed or distorted o-rings can do the same thing, causing the connectors to

or while opening hatches in the rain, so it makes sense to secure connectors above any potential water ingress. Pay close attention to the casing of any lithium batteries, as water and lithium are a dangerous mix. WHAT THE HULL SHOULD I DO NEXT? It seems obvious, but

This old rod has a crumbling cork grip. This DIY repair with some flexible filler and sealant will keep it usable, until I can get it to a rod repairer.

Don’t let your tackle cleaning tray get to this point! This photo is only a fraction of the lures that needed attention.

continually dislodge. Don’t use conductive greases (such as carbon grease), as these can cause a short and destroy your unit. Non-conductive products don’t stop connectors from working, as correctly designed plugs are a firm physical fit and always get enough physical contact. After you’re done with your sounder, check all in-hull cable connections, as well as the battery. Ensure all below-deck connections are watertight, rust-free and secured as high as possible inside the hull. Regardless of how water-tight your kayak may be, some water will always enter during cleaning,

checking the hull of your kayak should be another regular maintenance item. Look for any cracks, especially around scuppers, seat supports and any other stress points. If you have floatation or support materials in the hull, ensure they’re positioned correctly and in good condition. If you have a cheaper kayak without any integral floatation material, adding some foam blocks (or even pool noodles) may be enough to stop you from sinking in an emergency. Scratches are an unavoidable addition if you actually use your kayak, but

OLD

are rarely cause for concern. Any deep cuts should be addressed, preferably by an experienced plastic repairer, however you can also DIY these repairs. Youtube is your friend. Fading is a fact of life, but if you wish to slow the effects of sun damage, consider application of a quality protectant designed for marine use. The best of these react with the hull to form a highly protective barrier, while also enhancing shine. Hatches and seals are a common form of water ingress, sometimes in

dangerous proportions. When kayaking in heavy rain or pushing through choppy water, the last thing you need is a hull steadily filling with water, so regular maintenance of your hatch seals is vital. This can be as simple as a coat of silicone spray around a seal, but may require replacement of the complete hatch. Hatches that sit in areas where water may pool, should be the first inspected. It only requires a small split in a seal, or a slightly warped hatch cover, to allow a large amount of water into

Don’t neglect servicing of items below, or in the hull.

the hull. This is a mere inconvenience, unless you’re unfortunate enough to roll your kayak, at which time that small leak can become a major problem. Clean inside the groove of slim hatch seals with a cotton bud, as it only takes a small stone or piece of grit to cause an issue. Check rudder lines aren’t frayed, plus tension and centre the rudder if you have dual steering. Ensure your rudder is straight and if not, replace it, or simply heat and straighten. Inspect bungees, carry handles, mounting screws on all hardware and if you’re lucky enough to own a pedal kayak, service that drive. Time spent now will save many hours of cursing on the water, when any of those key components fail. If you’re not confident servicing a pedal drive, return it to the dealer, as you don’t want to discover the frustration of paddling a kayak back to shore when it breaks. My legs are a lot stronger than my puny arms, so that drive is always kept in good shape! GET CREATIVE Fishing is fun, but kayak fishing takes that enjoyment to a new level. When you can’t fish, you can still be productive and satisfy that urge. It may be as simple

Kayaking

Maintaining your own gear is an economical and sensible step. Basic servicing is as simple as proper lubrication, however periodically changing roller bearings and drag washers will make your reel feel new again. Complete tear-down servicing is best left to the experts! as editing your videos and uploading them to Youtube. You may choose to make a new fishing lure, as there’s nothing more satisfying than catching a fish on something you designed and manufactured. If you want to recycle your old soft plastics, you can easily make a plaster cast of your favourite lure, then bring any damaged lures home, melt them down and make new lures from old! If you do this, there are plenty of instructional videos online,

which outline safe and easy methods of recycling otherwise unusable lures. Take care, as some brands cannot easily or safely be re-melted, so research thoroughly before working with potentially toxic products. If you can’t fish, start planning that next trip, or perhaps consider a joint trip for yourself and fellow yakkers. Get social, reaching out to members of your favourite fishing groups, organising

catch-ups both on and off the water. You’re not fishing, so you’ve got time! When I’m unable to take my kayak out, I admit that none of these activities completely replace the enjoyment and tranquillity it offers. Still, staying busy with fishing-related jobs helps me pass the time, while also better preparing for my next trip to the water. If you do the same, you may be surprised how much you enjoy your time off the water.

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A gift to anglers cost Victorian fish consumers MELBOURNE

Ross Winstanley

Victorian consumers were never consulted and remain unaware that they have lost access to 600 tonnes of fresh local sustainable fish. The 99% of 6.6 million Victorians who don’t fish, lost out so that the 1% who catch fish regularly in the bay, can catch more fish. That’s not what anglers asked for. What began as anglers demanding greater access to fish in Port Phillip Bay, got caught up in a wider political agenda, gifting anglers 100% re-allocation of most fish stocks. In 2015, the Government’s legislation led eight commercial fishermen to lock themselves into a ‘deal’ that was shredded in February 2022. This was just weeks before they were set to begin operating in a hookbased fishery. BACKGROUND It all started with what Port Phillip Bay anglers demanded in 2013 – no nets, and more fish. In November 2014, then Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews promised to phase out commercial net fishing and increase fish numbers for anglers. That’s exactly what anglers had asked for. In 2015, the policy aim

A return to 19th Century methods was technically feasible, but has been made financially unviable. “providing the certainty that commercial fishers need … so they can make decisions about their businesses”. She explained that the rationale for the policy was, “around increasing participation in recreational fishing”. Reducing commercial licence numbers from 43 to eight was, “to ensure that they will be viable licences”. That’s where the balance between

Scenes like this fuelled the start of Geelong anglers’ Corio Bay anti-net fishing campaign in 2013. quickly shifted to what the newly-elected Andrews Government wanted – Target One Million or one million adult anglers by 2020. That’s not what anglers asked for. During four days, the Victorian parliament debated the legal framework needed to put the Government’s policy in place. The Fisheries Amendment Bill 2015 debate covered 40 pages of Hansard. Then-minister Jaala Pulford ‘owned’ the policy and explained the Government’s objectives: to increase fish numbers and to reduce “spatial competition” by removing net fishing and reducing commercial fisher numbers. Having spent time with the commercial fishermen and their families, she repeatedly stressed the importance of, 48

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commercial and recreational interests lay. She confirmed that about 90% of snapper and more than 50% of whiting caught commercially in Victorian waters come from the Bay. But, in over 35,000 words, there was no mention of re-allocating whole stocks, such as whiting and calamari, to anglers. And, no mention of ‘capping’ catches of species other than snapper, let alone an overall limit of 14 tonnes per licence holder. Proposing a, “clear and fair exit strategy for licence holders”, the Government then offered the 43 commercial fishermen the choice: surrender their licences, or remain in a hook-based fishery from April 2022. Eight opted for the latter, based on their assessment that they would be able to operate

viable businesses, taking a quota of 11 tonnes of snapper each, plus whatever else they could take using hooks, jigs and traps. As they were led to believe, that was ‘the deal’. WHAT HAPPENED? In December 2015, the Fisheries Amendment Act 2015 came into effect. Its stated purpose was to phase out nets, provide for a hookbased fishery from 2022, and to compensate fishermen who surrendered their licences. It specified the 11 tonne snapper quotas, the removal of nets, and compensation arrangements for surrendered licences. Neither “jigs” nor “fish traps” were mentioned among restrictions on fishing beyond 2022. Those wishing to continue in the hook-based fishing had to decide before April 2016. After that, they were locked in to the ‘deal’ that specified 11 tonne snapper quotas, but no other limits. Based on the terms of the Act and the Minister’s assurances, eight fishermen assessed their future viability and took the irrevocable decision to stay in the fishery beyond 2022. The ‘deal’ was now set in legislation, or so they believed. By April 2016, 33 licences were surrendered, and 10 fishermen continued to fish under “catch caps” based on their recent catch histories. Between 2017 and 2022, under those catch caps, and still using nets, nine fishermen’s total catch averaged 245 tonnes, including 25 tonnes of whiting and six tonnes of calamari. Neither the VFA nor anglers showed any concern about these catch levels. So, in February 2022, why were anglers suddenly upset about the VFA’s proposal of a hook fishery with a total annual cap or upper limit of 232 tonnes, including 24

tonnes of whiting and 16 tonnes of calamari? CONFUSING JUSTIFICATION It has been said repeatedly that this process was driven by the 2014 political commitment to anglers – not on the grounds of the sustainability of fishing. That’s for sure; we have 20 years of assessments showing that the combined impacts of recreational and commercial fishing in the Bay are sustainable. Minister Horne’s April 2022 media release states that recreational fishing’s statewide value is, “over $3.9 billion … supporting 33,000 jobs”. Then, if the Government values the contribution of fishing to the State’s economy, why is it happily depriving the economy of the additional and proven value of the sustainable commercial fishery? In doing so, it is disenfranchising current and future generations of Victorian consumers. Overall, that’s a nett loss of access to the community and a multi-million dollar loss to the economy. With the reduced fisher numbers, operating without nets, commercial fishing could be guaranteed to be more compatible with recreational fishing, while preserving much of its associated social, economic and employment benefits. We – fishers and consumers – could be enjoying both, as we have for decades, to the greater benefit of the State’s economy. ALONG CAME 2022 On 9 February 2022, an on-line “stakeholder mediation” meeting was held between the VFA, Seafood Industry Victoria (SIV), VRFish, Futurefish Foundation, and five of the licence holders. For the

post-March fishery, the VFA offered each licence holder up to 11 tonnes of snapper, and up to 18 tonnes of other species, including whiting (3t) and calamari (2t). SIV’s starting position was for each to take up to 11 tonnes of snapper, with no limits on other species, for a monitored trial over three years. After discussions held on condition of strict confidentiality, SIV agreed to put the VFA’s proposed 29 tonne catch limits to all eight licence holders. Subsequently, all eight signed their acceptances of the VFA’s offer. Two days after the meeting – on 11 February – VRFish broke that confidence and issued a release citing SIV’s initial ‘no-limit’ position, and urging anglers to write to the Minister in protest. The VRFish release misrepresented the outcome of the meeting; SIV had moved on from their initial ‘no limits’ position. VRFish also misrepresented the 2014 Coalition and Labor pre-election promises; there was no stated intent to ‘re-allocate’ fish stocks or to restrict commercial fishing to taking snapper “only”. And, it misrepresented the intent of parliament in passing the Fisheries Amendment Act 2015. The whole point of confidentiality was to allow for all eight continuing fishermen to be informed and to consider the VFA’s proposal, following the meeting. But, it seems that the damage was done. Without any further consultation, the VFA withdrew the 9 February proposal. Instead, on 11 March, they released a Fisheries Notice limiting each licence holder to a maximum of 11 tonnes of snapper, one tonne of shark and two tonnes

Unintended consequences: anglers lost their prime bait supply when they called for nets to be banned.

of ‘other fish’, but zero take of whiting, calamari, kingfish or mulloway. This restricted each licence holder to a total possible catch of 14 tonnes, and banned them from taking the two top-valued species, whiting and calamari. The VFA cited undisclosed scientific and economic advice as the basis for the Fisheries Notice. WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US? Anglers went from wanting to ban nets to increase fish numbers in 2013, to receiving 100% re-allocation of whiting, calamari, kingfish, and mulloway in the Bay. They were also effectively ‘gifted’ flounder, salmon, mullet, garfish, leatherjacket, trevally, etc, which cannot be taken profitably on hooks within a two tonne total catch limit. That’s not what anglers set out to achieve in 2013. It’s not what parliament imagined when the debate covered four days and 40 pages of Hansard records in 2015. The Fisheries Amendment Act 2015 formalised Government policy: a hook-based fishery, including 88 tonnes of snapper with no mention of limits set for other species. So anglers got much more than they wanted while the owners of eight small businesses were deceived. The Government got their Target One Million, as their Red Fox Report showed: 1,000,841 adult fishers in 2017. Victorian consumers were never consulted and remain unaware that they have lost 600 tonnes of fresh local sustainable fish. Their elected representatives failed them. It could be said that the Government betrayed those eight fishermen, cheated consumers and turned the 2015 parliamentary debate into a farce. The majority of Victorians who don’t fish, lost out so that the 1% minority who regularly enjoy catching fish in the Bay, can catch even more fish. In the process, the Government disenfranchised present and future generations of Victorians – the owners of the resource – of their right of access to Bay fish, unless they catch it themselves. In his 15 November 2014 pre-election statement, Daniel Andrews stated: “We’re on the side of recreational fishers”. So true. • The author, Ross Winstanley, attended the 2013 Geelong meeting that started the ‘no nets’ campaign, and followed developments as this led into the Target One Million policy program. He was part of the February 2022 meeting where the VFA’s 29 tonne per licence holder was discussed.

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Sydney

NSW

More relentless rainfall PITTWATER

Peter Le Blang plfishfingers@bigpond.com

Another month has passed and the rain is relentless. I hope this coming month gives a us a bit of break from these wet, bleak conditions. As at the time of writing this article, Warragamba Dam is still seeing a lot of water flow from it. Of course, this equates to lots of fresh water running down the Hawkesbury River, affecting other rivers such as Pittwater. Not only do we have lots of debris to dodge, there’s 2ft of fresh water running over the top of salt which makes it very difficult to fish, to say the least. On the upside we are still seeing some bonito busting up in small pods around Pittwater and Broken Bay, and they can be targeted with 10g metal lures. If you’re using light fishing gear, you’ll have a ball on these smaller fish. The only downside is the amount of active fish in these pods. There are

generally no more than 20 in each of these schools, but as mentioned they are quite willing to smash a well-placed lure. Bottom fishing for bream and flathead is very sporadic at the moment, and we seem to be catching more undersized jewfish than either of the other species. Flathead and bream seem to be more active on the run-out tide, and aren’t overly fussy on what they eat. On most occasions we have seen both of these species eating squid strips, pilchards, yellowtail fillets and prawns. My suggestion is to take a variety of baits and see what works best on the day. It has been better to cover ground by drifting rather than anchoring and trying to get these fish to come up the berley trial. Tailor are also making an appearance in the dirty water, and once again using any of the above listed baits can see a few being caught. However, when they are busting up, lures seem to be getting the bettersized fish. There have been a lot of juvenile jewfish being

caught along Broken Bay and in Pittwater, with the larger models difficult to find and target. Although we have had some good markings from decent jewfish recently, they haven’t liked our offerings of fresh fish or squid. These larger fish are better targeted near structure towards the change of tide before they move off to their feeding grounds. They are a lazy fish, so accurate anchoring can be required to be able to place the baits in the right areas to tempt one of these better fish.

Anglers have been encountering heaps of smaller mulloway.

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There are some decent bream to tangle with in the deeper holes. For those anglers wishing to catch kingfish along Pittwater it has been a very hard task, with little

results. The water is still warm enough to see some being caught, but the numbers of these hardfighting fish just don’t

seem to be showing up in Pittwater. Squid are also very difficult to catch at the moment with all the fresh water. The usual areas in the shallows around the weed beds just aren’t working. To catch calamari squid at the moment you really need to target the drop-offs and the slightly deeper water areas that have weed. Your other option is to try on the ocean side of Barrenjoey Head around any schools of baitfish that you can find on your sounder. Using a paternoster rig and drifting with your squid jigs close to the bottom will hopefully see you find a couple to take home for dinner. Along our coast seems to be the best place to target kingfish but once again it changes from day to day, as the dirty water seems to be affecting the amount of fish that can be caught. Areas such as Newport Reef and Long Reef should see you tangle with a few, and on the right day and there will be a few larger fish to tangle with as well. Along the coast the kingies can be targeted with yellowtail or slimy

mackerel. They are also responding to store-bought frozen squid, but larger fish seem to like the live bait option. Whilst you are fishing along our coast, there are some decent fish that can still be caught in the deeper water from 50-80m near reefs and over the sand. There are some snapper and pigfish around the reefs, and decent flathead and the odd snapper to be caught over the sand. Be aware there are some toadfish schools around the sandy areas so be prepared to move on to other areas and depths when you start losing your tackle. So, as you can see, even though the rain has had an effect on our fishing along the rivers, there are still a few fish to be caught if you are willing to put in the effort. Hopefully this coming month will see an easing of these conditions so our waters can clear and we can enjoy catching some decent fish again. • Peter Le Blang operates Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters, phone 02 9999 2574 or 0410 633 351, visit www. estuaryfishingcharters.com.au

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A nice tailor that pounced on a 10g metal Halco lure. 50

JUNE 2022

Recreational Fishing Update Al McGlashan Tags Another Sword! Dedicated swordfish angler, Al McGlashan, and his family-based team have satellite tagged another swordfish off Mallacoota, Victoria. The swordfish was estimated to be around 40kg and was the second swordfish of the trip. The first was a fish of around 130kg that was unfortunately hooked in the dorsal fin. This resulted in the fish not being a good candidate for release, likely due to the direction of water flow whilst being fought to the boat, so this fish was kept for the table. The 40kg juvenile was tagged on 16 April and was caught on the last drop for the day. It was in excellent condition with the hook dropping out of the fish when it was boat side and powering away to the depths with the tag in place. Tagging under the ‘Great Swordfish Race’ project provides valuable data on this fishery, including information on the timing and availability of swordfish, whether swordfish tend to return back to the same grounds seasonally and their suitability for catch and release. DPI is undertaking this project in collaboration with the Australian National Sportfishing Association (NSW) and NSW Game Fishing Association and have also partnered with

Another Successful Dollar For Dollar Release!

the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) which has a similar swordfish program underway. For more info head to the DPI website and search

“Great Swordfish Race”. The Great Swordfish Race is run using funds from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust.

The Annual Australian Fishcare Fishing Mentors Needed! Bass and Estuary Perch Closed Season!

Photo courtesy of Col Gordon - Sofala CAS

The Sofala Branch of the Central Acclimatisation Society has released more than 12,000 golden perch as part of DPI’s highly popular Dollar for Dollar Native Fish Stocking Program. The fish produced by Uarah Fisheries and were released into the Turon River by Sofala CAS volunteers. This Turon stocking is only one of a number of Dollar for Dollar native fish stockings that have taken place across the State this season. For more information, including how you can get involved, head to the DPI website and search “Dollar For Dollar”.

Photo courtesy of Col Gordon - Sofala CAS

Anglers are reminded that the annual zero bag limit for Australian bass and estuary perch has commenced from the 1st of May 2022 and runs through to 31 August 2022. This closure provides protection for these key sportfish species as they migrate towards salt water for spawning. For more detailed information head to the DPI website and search “Bass and Estuary Perch Closure”.

If you’ve got a passion for fishing, a love of teaching and an awareness of the importance of protecting our aquatic habitat, then DPI Fisheries would love to hear from you! The long running and highly popular Fishcare Volunteer Program is seeking enthusiastic people aged 18 and above who are keen to help teach the next generation the joy of fishing and caring for the environment, some regions also utilize Fishcare boats to undertake on water advisory. Fishcare volunteers play a vital role in promoting sustainable recreational fishing and informing anglers and the general public about the rules and values of responsible fishing. Applicants from across NSW are encouraged to apply. Training will be undertaken locally. All costs are covered. Just head to the DPI website and search “Fishcare Volunteers” to find out more. The Fishcare Program is your recreational fishing licence fees at work!

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au JUNE 2022

Sydney

NSW

It’s okay to sleep in SYD ROCK & BEACH

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com.au

Winter is one of my favourite times of the year to fish. It’s easier to rug up to keep warm in winter than it is to keep

light ball sinkers from 00 to 1 and a 1/0 to 2/0 size hook. Use light 4-6kg line for more bites, and a 10ft+ rod and reel to suit. Find a deep ledge with 5m+ water depth for better results, and some white water to spread your berley. Berley up with small handfuls consistently.

Jonathan Barthelmess with his PB whiting of 42cm, and a 41cm bream. They’re great fun on light gear, and at this time of year you don’t have to get up super early to catch them. cool in summer, and there are good fish to be caught in the coming weeks. OCEAN ROCKS The trevally are right on the chew from around mid-April to October (although there are some residential trevally pretty much all year in Sydney). Mixed in with the trevally are bream, plate snapper and larger specimens, plus some late season kings and Aussie salmon. If you’re fishing the calmer evenings you will encounter some stud tailor as well. Just remember that night rock fishing is dangerous. Trevally will eat most types of baits but prefer softer baits like pilchards, fish strips, peeled prawns and pink nippers. Squid strips are good but preferably cut them thin for better results for the trevors. Get a bucket and throw in some bread and chopped-up pilchards for berley, and maybe add some prawn heads as well for variety. Next, add water and soak the bread, pillies and prawns, then get your hands in the bucket and start mulching. I recommend using 52

JUNE 2022

Low light periods are best, particularly an hour before dusk and dawn and an hour after. Having said that, when they’re on you can catch them earlier in the arvo and later in the morning. Trevally make beautiful sashimi, and you can cook them in many other ways, too. They’re a great table fish. Rock blackfish (black drummer) have been regular catches off the rocks lately. On the mid or north coast, rock blackfish are best targeted during the cooler months because the water temp is comparatively warm for extended periods, and is generally warmer than Sydney. In the Sydney area, by contrast, rock blackfish can be caught all year round. Lately we’ve been seeing specimens to 48cm mixed in with bream and trevally. As a table fish they are superb, with beautiful firm, white flesh. They are also a great fish to freeze down as they don’t get a strong fishy flavour like some species do after freezing. The go-to baits for the rock blackfish are peeled prawns (king, Endeavour or banana). White bread works well too. Why use a bread bait? Well, you’re already using it for berley, so a bread bait will match the berley. Sliced bread is best because you can peel off the crust easily, and the slice is at the right thickness to be baited on

Catching your PB dusky flathead is a truly memorable moment. James Hutton caught and released this 80cm fish while targeting mulloway with his partner Katie.

Tommy Nguyen, Dario Zivic, Jayson Teng and Will Kwan with four kings from 73-85cm caught on live yellowtail and spinning sea gars. a hook. Alternatively, if you’re in an area where you can scrape in some weed and use cabbage weed for bait, that is a great bait/ berley for rock blackfish. Most anglers have given up on fishing for kings at this time of the year. The warm water pelagics like bonito have well and truly moved on, and the main pelagic targets are salmon and tailor with some kings thrown in. They’re definitely still worth pursuing this month. The usual live baits like live yellowtail are good, and squid strips and whole squid are great of course. Good lure choices include Bait Junkie 7” Jerkshads, poppers, and hardbody stickbaits. Snapper distance casting this month is a good choice. You can use squid strips, or fish strips like slimy mackerel, yellowtail, tailor and salted striped tuna. When distance casting, be prepared to lose some rigs at some locations. If you’re not sure about the bottom, stand up high and look at the patch of water you want to fish. If the water is clear enough you might be able to see where the reef line and sand line meets. Cast beyond the reef line for at least several metres to reduce loss of terminal tackle. Now let’s look at likely locations for all of these species. For the trevally, kings and snapper, it’s best to fish the deeper headlands. Try Bluefish’s eastern front for wash fishing, North Curl Curl 80-90m north of the swimming pool, and south and north Whale Rocks. For the rock blackfish, try Little Bluey ledges, and move around to find

the fish. Long Reef is also a great spot for this species, and is a safer rock fishing option. OCEAN BEACHES The run of whiting has continued, with fish to 38cm being caught.

beach and holds late season whiting, and Manly is quite good too. Bungan Beach produces some whiting as well, but there is a big, steep hill to climb back up on the way out. There was a run of

Yarni Moolman with three beachworms he caught during a worming lesson with the author. After you’ve caught your first worms, it’s crucial to keep practicing so you don’t forget the technique. Most outings have been producing bream as well, and trevally have been part of the mix too. At this time of year there’s the chance of catching whiting on pretty much all of the beaches, but some beaches are definitely better than others for this species. Dee Why is a good

tailor last month but they seem to have dwindled somewhat. I predicted last month that they would be in better numbers, but like any run of migratory fish, they can come in waves. They can be full on for a week and then taper off To page 53

NSW

Sydney

What winter brings SYDNEY NTH

Steve Winser

With the good ‘ol La Niña weather pattern pushing on relentlessly this season (and now BOM are talking

still up, but the persistence of the La Niña style species (bonito, tailor, trevally, salmon etc.) has gone right through the summer, with some quality snapper also in the mix. A pilchard cube trail with cut pilchard baits and

fished well throughout the lower harbour reaches and inshore, with some good-size fish amongst them. However, they have been hot and cold lately, smashing it some days and patchy the next. In the harbour fresh squid are still your ticket to catching kings. The squidding is excellent at the moment, with good numbers of large squid over the kelp and ribbon weed. Size 2.5 and 3.0 jigs in orange or green are my go-to. With the persistence of the warm water, the shallow water bream and blackfish have yet to come on the chew. However, as the water temperatures drop, this will change. Having said that, the harbour washes and surrounds have seen some gear-smashing size drummer moving in. The drummer fishing – plus the blue

Eric with a solid wash drummer. groper – will only improve as temperatures fall. Next month, depending on the water temp change, we should see the continuation

of the good kingy fishing. If temperatures drop we might see them begin to move from the lower reaches and start to push up into the

A snapper released to fight another day. about a third cycle), the regular fishing playbook has gone out the window. Water temperatures in the harbour and surrounds are From page 52

substantially. The rock headlands can produce better numbers compared to the beaches. Dawn and dusk are the traditional times to fish for tailor. Try well into the dark period too, as they come in hunting

squid strips is a good way to catch a feed on pretty much any of the harbour structure or deepwater edges just now. Kings have generally in the beach gutters, seeking any small fish. You will notice Aussie salmon numbers increasing as well. They are often better in the dark rather than during the day. And where there are tailor, bream and trevally are often close by.

Uncle Alan, Jackie and his father Vincent with an awesome mixed bag of fish. A couple of tailor were caught during the same session.

A nice inshore kingfish. Manly/Queenscliff beach can be a good producer for tailor and salmon, and Curl Curl Beach can often be overlooked as a great tailor and salmon beach. When the swell is up around 1.5m, or even slightly larger, the northern end fishes well from the rocks to the surf club. In flatter conditions try the gutters up the beach. The gutters can be deep because it is a very rippy beach, and like Manly has much less kelp on average compared to Dee Why, Collaroy/ Narrabeen and Warriewood and more beaches. Speaking of Warriewood, there have been some good numbers of tailor caught in the evenings there and just past the headland north of Warriewood (known locally as Cooks Terrace). Some stonker dusky and sand flathead are around, but we’re getting towards the end of the season for them in numbers. Sand flathead to 60cm and dusky flathead to 80cm have been taking whole pilchards, live baits meant for a jewfish (mulloway), and even on beach worms meant for a whiting or bream.

Katie Ferguson with her PB 75cm flatty, which she released. Flathead are a common bycatch when fishing for beach mulloway.

upper harbour. The washes and shallow water harbour fishing can only improve from here on. • 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. Great plastics to use for flatties are the Bait Junkie 5-7” Jerkshads and the 4” Grubs. The jigheads should be heavier than you’d use in an estuary – around 1/2-3/4oz, or even heavier if there’s a rippy current. The heavier weight also helps you to get extra distance if needed. Off the beaches the sun at its lowest angle this month, which of course means there is less sunlight. If you don’t feel like getting up early on those dark, chilly mornings, that’s OK – you can have a fish during the day for whiting, bream or Aussie salmon. Off the rocks, having a go at rock blackfish is also an option during the day. Even though all of these species are best caught in the lower light period, it’s perfectly fine to have a lazy daytime fish at this time of year. • For rock and beach guided fishing or tuition in the northern Sydney region, visit www. bellissimocharters. com.au, email alex@ bellissimocharters.com.au or call Alex Bellissimo on 0408 283 616. JUNE 2022

Sydney

NSW

Snapper in our sights SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Lately I’ve been getting amongst the luderick while fishing off the rocks using both green weed and cabbage. Hopefully by now the water in the Woronora, Georges and Port Hacking

Rivers would have started to clear up and the luderick would have made their way into these rivers. Places that are worth a shot from the shore include Bare Island, the break wall in Yarra Bay, the entrance to the Cooks River, Captain Cooks and Tom Uglys bridges, the walkway at Lugarno and the ramp at

A nice snapper caught on a trip with All at Sea Fishing Charters.

Picnic Point. In the Port Hacking you could try the Yowie Bay boat ramp, Gymea and Gunnamatta Bay baths, and near Audley Weir. For those of you with boats you could try along the wall at Trevally Alley, the southern side of the river at Lugano, Soily Point and the rock wall upstream of the Alfords Point bridge. You can also fish on the northeastern side of the baths at Lilly Pilly, Deer Park and the fish trap wall up from the ramp at Swallow Rock drive. If you prefer to target them off the rocks you could try the northern end of Bondi Beach, the southern side of Tamarama Beach and La Perouse in the north, and the Kurnell Peninsula in the south. Northern Garie is also worth a shot, but you will need to check and see if the road has been opened due to landslides. Offshore north and south of the heads at Botany Bay in 20-40m of water there have been a number of good snapper caught. Most have been taken while drifting with paternoster rigs or float lining very lightly weighted half/whole pilchards. To find where the

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Luderick are in good numbers in the Woronora, Georges and Port Hacking rivers. snapper are you will need to find the broken rubble and shale bottom, along with the baitfish. One way of locating this type of area is to use your sounder and drift until you get a bite. Then mark that spot, come back and either drop the anchor or use your electric motor’s anchor mode, e.g. Minn Kota Spot-Lock. There have been Australian salmon and silver trevally caught up as far as the Moons in the Georges River by anglers fishing with either bait or lures. Some of the trevally have been between 50-60cm. Try drifting along the area at the Moons, near the old ferry ramps and up and downstream of the Como Bridge. Whiting are still on the chew at Kangaroo Point and in between the bridges. Sylvania Waters is a good place to try the pontoons and poles for bream, flathead, trevally and the odd whiting on lures. Just remember to keep the noise down and make sure you un-snag your lures and

jigheads from anything that you get caught up on. Woolooware Bay is still producing bream, flathead and the odd mulloway. Try drifting with lures near the old oyster racks and in-between the boat. The boats in Kogarah Bay will also have a few bream, trevally and flathead sitting underneath them. Scotty Lyons reports that Trevally Alley has been

Kingfish can still be caught, either with live yellowtail or trolling along the wall at Trevally Alley in Botany Bay.

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producing the goods, with bream, trevally, salmon, tailor, kingfish and the odd pan-sized snapper being caught. Pillies and prawns have been working for him. You could also try tube worms, live pink nippers and strips of mullet. The Port Hacking is still very dirty and there are still a few big objects floating around. However, I have still been catching bream,

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This snapper was caught while drifting just south of the entrance to the Port Hacking while using a paternoster rig and a half pilchard.

trevally, flathead, whiting, tailor and the odd bonito. When bait fishing, I will always anchor and at the same time have a small and steady berley trail going. This seems to keep the fish in the area once you have got them to the back of the boat. Smashed-up old pilchards or handfuls of chicken pellets work for me. If I’m getting a lot of small snapper, I will stop berleying for a while and they tend to go away. The rocks off Windy Point are worth a shot for trevally, bream and drummer while using peeled prawns or cunje. I prefer to fish as light as I can or suspend the bait under a bobby cork. I have found that a good time to fish for snapper off the rocks is a couple of days after big seas. Once it’s calmed down a bit and it’s safe to go fishing, a very long cast out onto the sandy patches and broken rubble will give you a chance of getting one. Don’t forget to keep those reports and photos coming into gbrown1@ iprimus.com.au.

NSW

What to chase in winter COFFS COAST

Rob Taylor

We’re now heading into winter proper, with short days and chilly nights. In saying that, ocean

temperatures remain quite high and it’s not hard to find 23-24°C water, which makes this time of year an interesting one to fish as the air is cold but it’s still worthwhile chasing pelagics.

There have been plenty of pelagics such as Spanish mackerel, wahoo, tuna and straggler mahimahi being taken by keen fishos who know how to seek out warm water patches and find fish. Time and again I hear local

Laurie Banks returns a pretty little yellowfin.

ba Prawn Blade s” tropical brigade just yet. This shark mackerel “Yam Don’t discount the made a rare visit to our part of the coast, showing just how far the tropical water pushed south this season.

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and visiting anglers decry the disappearance of fish such as Spanish mackerel but trust me, they are still very much here and will be for some time yet. In fact, now is the time when some truly big fish will be caught. In addition, we’ve been seeing some big early winter snapper move into

winter progresses. A few mid-range mulloway have also been taken from local beaches and headlands, so if you’re happy to brave the cold, night fishing can be very productive at this time of year. In the calmer waters of our creeks and estuaries, bream and flathead have been around in good

Working the run-in tides with lightly-weighted yabbies or plastics will be deadly on flatties, and I’d be concentrating on weed beds and sand flats because the fish look for warmer water. Bass always get a bit harder at this time of year, and attention shifts from surface presentations

season. They’ve already begun harassing live baits intended for tuna off the rocks, and there are plenty around off the beaches and headlands. Mid-range mulloway are also feeding off the beaches and I’ll be picking sunset high tides in the lead up to a full moon to target silver ghosts off the sand.

have to swim back up the coast past our ledges. Mac tuna will be frustrating at times, but it’s worth the hassle when you finally hook a rampaging bluefin off the stones. OFFSHORE If the water remains warm (e.g. above 24°C), there will be plenty of early winter pelagics about for the taking. Jellybean yellowfin, mackerel, tuna and even wahoo will still be feeding in our waters, but look to the wider reefs and offshore islands to find fish. We’re moving into prime snapper time off the Coffs coast, so working plastics on inshore reefs and dropping baits into the

deeper stuff will produce some solid fish this month. Bottom dropping around the 100m line results in some good bar cod catches at this time of year. In terms of billfish, there’s still a chance of finding a blue marlin out wide after what has been a dismal year for these brutes off Coffs. We should start seeing the first smatterings of striped marlin hit our part of the coast as the water cools over the next few months. It’s been a tough summer and autumn off the Coffs Coast, so fingers crossed we get a strong finish before winter really takes hold.

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FOR SALE Slavko Grgic with a mid-range Spanno from South Solitary. The Spanish invasion will continue throughout June. to spinnerbaits and divers. Look to the lower reaches of the freshwater systems as the fish will be moving down for their spawning run. The local marina will start holding schools of silver trevally and yellowtail of a night, which makes for a fun session with kids. ROCKS AND BEACHES The good news for rock and beach fishos has been the early start to the tailor

We’ll also start seeing drummer and groper numbers increase as the weather cools, with rock washes being good places to prospect for these bruisers. Make sure there’s no sand being stirred up in the wash as this will lessen your chances of finding fish. On the LBG front, I’ll still be chasing longtails for a couple of months yet. At the time of writing there were plenty of fish south of us, and they all

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numbers and some solid mulloway are following the annual mullet run up the coast. All up, the fishing has been quite consistent so let’s take a look at what June has on offer for the Coffs coast. CREEKS AND RIVERS I’m pretty confident the local creeks and rivers will be fairly consistent for the start of winter, with bream, flathead and the odd whiting worth targeting with lures and baits.

the inshore reefs, and some solid fish have been taken on plastics and float lines. Tuskies and pearlies have also been hanging around the 30-60m reefs and it’s also the time of year when keen fishos start heading wide to seek out bar cod around the 100m line. In terms of landbased fishing, the beaches and rocks are starting to see increasing tailor numbers and the schools will only get thicker as

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NSW

Soft vibes and blades THE HASTINGS

Mark Saxon castawayestuarycharters@bigpond.com

If you’re a lure angler and you haven’t used a vibration lure yet, you are doing things the hard way! Winter angling in our rivers can be exceptional, and fishing deep with one of the many soft or hard vibes will get you most species,

as well as get you too the fish quickly. Let’s start with soft vibration lures. The 70mm size is ideal for bream and flathead, and you may also encounter school mulloway (jewfish), whiting, trevally and even luderick at times. When fishing the Hastings along the walls, bridges and deep holes with soft vibes you can catch a lot of fish. The techniques to use depend

on the tide and bottom structure. I like to cast up or slightly across the tide, and make a small double hop off the bottom with pauses. It’s good to have a long pause before repeating lifts, because a lot of hits come when the lure is paused. Jewfish and bream will both tap at a paused lure before taking off, so be aware. The smaller vibes are great on bream but can be problematic on flathead, especially if you want to release your fish. Flathead can take small vibes right down into their gills, and care needs to be taken to retrieve your lure so that the

Steve with a solid mulloway taken on a small metal blade.

John vibing the bridge structure. Martin with a healthy vibe-caught bream.

Flathead love vibes.

fish has a chance of survival. The 100mm and 120mm lure sizes are more a mainstay for your river mulloway but again, they look reasonably small in a big jewie or flatty. June should be good for mulloway, and I’m tipping there may be a fair few smaller fish about after all this rain, which will be good for coming seasons. I like to run my bigger vibes on rods around 3-6kg and 3000-sized reels loaded with 5-7kg braid and 7-8kg leader. For blades and smaller soft vibes I use 1-3kg gear and a 1000-size reel. I prefer a fast-action rod

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– one that allows your vibe to start working with minimal tip movement. I personally don’t like soft rods for vibing. Metal blades can also be the go-to lure this month. Any angler who is proficient in using metal vibes knows they have a completely different vibration from soft vibes. The vibration of a good quality metal vibe is much more intense. On the days you find fish schooling – whether it’s bream, jewies or bass – they’re sometimes not interested in soft vibes, but will go crazy when you change to metal or polycarbonate blades. The fish’s preference changes from day to day, so it’s good to bring a variety of vibes/ blades with you. If you want to chase fish in the deep this month, your sounder will be important. Many times you can find decent-size schools of bream in holes away from normal structure. Sometimes I’ll turn up to a location on the river where they were yesterday only to find they have moved further down – and the hole that had zip yesterday now holds the fish. If you keep your eyes on the sounder you also can move from school to school, making for a good day’s fishing.

THE GOOD, BAD AND UGLY Now let’s look at the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to fishing with vibes. First up, the good thing about vibes is that they are relatively heavy, cast a

mile, get down quickly and eliminate bow in the line, and you can feel them vibrating so you know they are working. And of course, they catch a lot of fish! The bad thing about vibes is that sometimes they tumble on the cast, tangling up, and forcing you to start again. Or a fish will hit the vibe and the hook will go over the line, and you have to start again. Same thing happens next cast. Start again. And on a fast-flowing tide, these lures like to tangle themselves. Start again. The ‘ugly’, as much as we don’t want to see it happen, is that a big female flathead can engulf a big vibe in its gills. Fighting the fish when it’s hooked like this is generally fatal, but fortunately it doesn’t happen too often. One you have mastered using vibes you’ll find them to be very effective. You can catch big quantities of fish, so be reasonable in what you keep, and release a few to fight another day. Grab a handful of vibes this winter from your local tackle store and get into it.

Mandy with one of many bream caught in an afternoon session.

NSW

Winter bliss on the water FORSTER

Luke Austin

For many anglers June represents a bit of a golden period on the fishing calendar. Yes, the air is chilly and the weather can get a bit rough at times, but the

(and many more lost) lately. The rock walls are also fishing well for bream, particularly for those anglers fishing the rising/ full tide, which is often a major factor in finding success when it comes to bream. For the ultimate rush in light tackle fishing, hit the rock walls on a high tide and flick lightly-

good throughout much of the system, with some very good reports filtering through from up the Wallamba River and up around Regatta Island. While there are no really big fish being caught up there, most fish are between 35-65cm and are loving hardbodied diving lures as well as soft and metal vibes. If you would prefer to target some larger fish, throwing large hardbodied lures about the shallows down toward the mouth of the system is definitely still an option. The number of big fish that we see caught over the cooler months down around the mouth just goes to show that not all of the

this month. Most beaches are still fishing relatively well for bream, and the northern end of 9 Mile and southern end of Blueys Beach have probably been the standout beaches of late. Tailor and salmon seem to be spread all over the place for now, but the one thing that seems to be holding true is that the bigger tailor have all been caught on bait after dark. If you prefer to chase them on lures you will find the bite window may be quite short, and right on dusk or dawn. Reports from the stones lately have been all about the drummer, which is fairly typical for June! While there

Shane Crockett with a tasty bar cod from out wider.

Doug with a cracking June bream. winter angling options really start to peak this month and we can expect to see some cracking fish getting about over the next 6-8 weeks. In our estuaries, most of the action has been in the lower reaches of the system, with the rock walls, bridge and oyster leases holding huge amounts of bream and luderick. The Paddock area of oyster leases is producing some really good bream. Floating unweighted baits into the racks is a very simple but effective technique which has seen quite a few fish up to 40cm+ landed

weighted plastics into the eddies and backwaters, then hold on and wind hard! Luderick have finally started to thicken up along the walls now and are taking both cabbage and string weed as well as imitation weed flies. With the fish about in such high numbers, it’s not all that hard to fish until you hit your bag limit. Please keep only what you need. Keeping more than you need doesn’t make sense when you can easily go back the next day and get more if you need to. Flathead remain very

Big flathead are a year-round target these days. fish travel upriver in winter, and that those fish that hang about down the bottom do still have to feed at some point. While cool temperatures and rough seas aren’t always nice for beach fishing, those anglers that rug up and tough it out will be rewarded with some nice tailor, salmon and bream

have been some great fish caught they are still a little patchy, with a lot of reports coming through of only one or two drummer in the first few casts. Instead, anglers have been met by schools of big,

hungry bream and luderick. There have been a select few anglers who have been heading out to the ledges before dawn in search of winter snapper, and reports have been good so far with most trips resulting in a few fish. The better fish have all come from down around Pacific Palms and Seal Rocks. It’s very hard to beat offshore fishing in winter, particularly if you like your snapper, crossing the bar and heading out all rugged up with teeth chattering and a thermos full of hot tea or coffee. It’s absolute bliss for almost any angler! By far the best results lately have come from those reefs to the north, with some great fish coming from all sorts of depths. The shallow grounds between Blackhead and Old Bar will nearly always produce plenty of action this month. You can easily lose count of how many fish you’ve

caught, and releasing 5-6 fish over 70cm is always on the cards! Snapper are super hungry at this time of the year and will happily smash floated baits, soft plastics and kaburastyle jigs. Anglers heading out a little wider have also been faring quite well lately, and have been bringing home lovely mixed bags consisting of some very nice snapper, trag, pearl perch, morwong, flathead and even the odd bar cod! • Luke is the owner of Great Lakes Tackle – your ‘local’ bait and tackle store. They sell only the best brands and offer sound, friendly advice on where you can go to land your next trophy fish while visiting the wonderful Great Lakes region! They are open 7 days in the main street of Tuncurry, and you can phone them on 02 6554 9541 or find them on Facebook to see what they have been up to!

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Rob Voorby with a nice tailor that hammered his Bent Minnow.

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NSW

Prime winter targets PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

Winter is here but the fishing is still great. There’s always something to chase in Port Stephens. Inside the estuary, luderick will become a staple for many anglers as they take up residence along the Anchorage and Nelson Bay rock walls, as well as the Tomaree Torpedo

any time of day. The best bait for luderick is sea cabbage gathered from the ocean rocks on low tide when conditions are calm. Tide changes are the prime bite window to concentrate your efforts when chasing luderick, and a berley mix of sand and finely cut up weed mixed together will greatly increase your chances. Bream really love this time of year too, and lightly-

4-6lb outfits and cast around structure such as wharfs, pylons, oyster racks, rock bars and points. Soldiers Point holds just about all of these types of environments, so it’s no wonder it’s perhaps the most popular place to target bream in Port Stephens. For anglers fishing off the rocks, there have been plenty of luderick caught along Barry Park through to Boulder Bay. Drummer are also a target

Here is 90cm of Port Stephens winter snapper.

Salmon should be more frequent along the beaches this month. Tubes and Little Beach Jetty. If you’ve never fished for luderick it’s a great species to target at this time of year because they fight well and are great on the plate and can be caught in good numbers at

weighted nippers fished along the edges of rock bars and between oyster racks a sure-fire method to get stuck into them. Hardbodied lures and small plastics are also deadly on bream when used on light

There is some great bream fishing to be had at this time of year.

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species in its prime time this month, with the washy zones anywhere from Tomaree down to Rocky Point producing some crackers up to 4kg. Fresh cunjevoi and peeled prawns rigged unweighted on a 1/0 hook will do the trick, and you’ll also pick up a few bream and squire. There are some great squid to be caught this month, especially when conditions are calm in those sheltered bays and coves, with 3.0 sized jigs working best. BEACHES Quality winter bream will be on the ocean beaches this month, especially in those corners where the rocky coastline meets sand. Nighttime or lowlight periods corresponding with a high tide are the best times to fish here, and the gun baits are strips of mullet, live worms and pipis. The tailor have been on

the chew early in the morning and late in the afternoon around Box Beach and Fingal Spit areas. These fish are being caught by lure anglers spinning with metal and stickbait-style lures, and by bait fishers using whole pillies on gang hooks. OUTSIDE There’s been some amazing snapper fishing over the past month, and it should

only get better as we move into the cooler months of the year. Fishermans Bay through to Fingal Island has seen plenty of action from fish to 4kg, but the bigger models have been much more consistent from Broughton Island up to Seal rocks. Low light periods are without a doubt the prime time for reds, especially in the shallows less then

20m. However, you’ll get fish on those deeper reefs (50-80m) all day. Allmark Mountain will be a great option this month, weather permitting, and should be holding kings to 10kg as well as an array of tasty bottom fish. You can use jigs and live baits for the kings, and cut baits on a paternoster rig for the bottom fish such as longfin perch, bar-cod and snapper.

The right schools SWANSEA

Jason Nunn

Finally we have had some good weather, allowing weekend anglers to get out and have their fix. Out of Swansea, a lot of guys running wide have been chasing kingfish on the deepwater reefs, e.g. The Farm down towards Texas. In recent weeks quite a few kingies have been getting caught, with some over a metre. On most days the better fish have been getting caught on live baits, but not always. On some days the guys who were jigging got better fish than the guys using livies, so it pays to come armed with both live bait and jigs. Unusually in this deep water, even though temps have been hovering around 22.5-23°C, we have been encountering some southern pests in the form of barracuda. Those spiny, toothy, wormy, grubby things will take their toll on your gear, biting off your jigs. Unfortunately, quite a few jigs are a bit hard to come by at the moment, due to disruptions in manufacturing/ wholesale supply, but there are still some good options available. We have found that a jig weight around the 150-300g mark has been working the best. The Mustad Wingman jig, which has a hook on both ends, is working well, as is the Black Magic Deepwater Slim

Jig. Long jigs are good when the current is strong, because they create less resistance in the water. Some popular baits have been a bit scarce lately; the floods have disrupted the supply of garfish, and mullet seem to have either been overfished or swept out to sea. Next issue we’ll hopefully have a better idea of what has happened to the mullet. Anglers fishing in deep water are still catching quite a few snapper, and that will hopefully continue in the coming weeks. We should start to get more consistent westerlies with a bit of luck, and that will make the offshore trips a bit easier. Trag, snapper and longfin perch are all getting caught on the deepwater reefs in around 90-120m of water. That should continue through June for kingfish, trag, snapper and longfin perch. On the inshore reefs (20-25m) along our coastline, the main species being caught are tailor, trag, snapper, flathead, bream and tarwhine. When fishing these reefs, one of the boys got 18 pan-size reds ranging from 35-45cm, plus some tailor and a couple of bream. That’s the sort of fishing we should see this month. The trick to a lot of inshore reef fishing at this time of year is to fish light – no more than 6kg line – and floating baits are preferred (although you can still use a paternoster).

Deploy a solid berley trail with whatever you have on hand, whether that’s old prawn heads, chook pellets, mushed-up pillies etc, and fish your bait down the berley trail. Bait fish will be attracted to the berley, and snapper, bonito, tailor and so on will move into that berley slick. This is where the effectiveness of floating baits is so effective, combined with that light 6kg line. True, you might lose some bigger fish, but you’re not going to catch much on heavier line except maybe flathead. Remember that the berley may take a while to do its job – sometimes you have to wait an hour or two for the berley to work. Some anglers make the mistake of throwing a lot of berley out and then sitting back, waiting for something to happen. You have to keep up a continuous trail at the same pace, tossing in regular small handfuls, uninterrupted. Alternatively, you can use a berley cage or berley bag, which will slowly release its contents. An easy option is to put out a frozen berley log suspended in a keeper bag, and as it thaws out the scent wafts out slowly in the current. You can enhance the quality of the trail by cubing pillies, yellowtail or adding prawn heads. If you keep up a good, steady trail, you’ll find you’ll get better catch rates and sometimes a better class To page 61

NSW

A better class of fish CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

Welcome to the first month of the new season and what should hopefully be a good one on the fishing front. As is the usual case though, how tight our lines are will depend on the weather. But all going well, June is normally quite a decent month for local fishing. Luderick have been moving around a bit more

recently, and although I haven’t fished for them so far this year, I’ve spied quite a few swimming around under The Entrance bridge and through the shallow, sandy channels towards the mouth. If you pick a nice, sunny day and wear polarised sunglasses, it’s worth a walk over the bridge, stopping to look down for a while. If you spend a few minutes looking here and there, you may see plenty of good-sized luderick, bream, mullet and

Silver drummer are often caught by anglers chasing bream, luderick or drummer from the rock ledges. This one is from the rocks below Norah Head lighthouse. Despite their name, they are in fact more closely related to sweep. From page 60

of snapper. Off the beaches the salmon were thick earlier in the year, but since then they have backed off a bit and sat down the coast. However, June is a typical month for salmon and tailor off our ocean rocks. You can catch some very good tailor along our coastal rocks at this time of year, but please be safe when you’re doing it. With rock fishing you

must always wear a lifejacket and always try to fish with somebody, or at least tell someone where you’re going. Be aware of high tides, be aware of swell and definitely wear a lifejacket. If you whack your head when you fall in you have no hope – at least the lifejacket gives you a chance. Through June we’ll start to see salmon move into Salts Bay down as far as Swansea bridge, and the run-in tide is the preferred tide.

Prue with a brace of deepwater kingfish. Image courtesy of Sandy Bottom Charters.

whiting in the vicinity. Anglers have been into a few luderick along the north channel, mainly shore based, and also over on the southern side, west of the boatshed. However, it’s always worth a look down towards the mouth or, if you’re in a boat or kayak, head out around the islands and deeper channels. Brisbane Waters also has no shortage of excellent luderick spots. The public wharves and adjacent to the bridges are popular places and easy to access, but a boat or kayak opens up a lot more opportunities here, particularly in the Woy Woy area. Bream are also well and truly on the cards in the lakes and Brisbane Waters. At this stage of the year, numbers of bream are a bit thinner than the warmer months, but larger fish are often encountered. Although they can still be quite widespread throughout both waterways, better bream fishing is normally had in the lower reaches during winter. In other words, at The Entrance, from St Huberts Island, downstream into Broken Bay and the lower Hawkesbury. They are also more likely found in deeper spots, or at least adjacent to deeper water, at this time of year. At the moment there’s an incredible amount of bream in lake Macquarie on the back of the rains, and the bream fishing throughout June should be very good. My tip is to fish late in the evening and even into the night at this time of year for bream. Bait is the better option, particularly oily baits such as mullet, mullet gut, pillies, chicken gut and so forth. Prawns are good as well. Fish as light as possible, don’t fish too deep, and fish a high tide if you can. Floating baits are preferred if you’re in the lake. If you’re fishing the edges of the channel, use a running sinker to offset the current. A 2/0 octopus hook is ideal, and suits that fleshy bait. Out in the lake, tailor will be caught deepwater jigging this month, along with flathead and mulloway out in around 8-9m of water. Looking for the bait schools; there will be vast schools out there. Just remember that a huge, pristine bait school may not be the best place to focus your efforts. The more desirable schools tend to be smaller and raggedlooking – a sign that there are predators underneath, ripping the school to pieces. On your sounder you’ll see red lines left and right all across your screen, as the predators rip though the hapless baitfish. That’s the kind of thing you’re looking for. All of the the tailor/salmon gorging themselves near the surface will create a natural berley for the mulloway and flathead below, and all of these

Tailor have been the mainstay for beach anglers for months now, and they are sure to stick around this month. The author caught these just after sunset. Mulloway (jewfish) can also be worth chasing in Brisbane Waters or Lake Macquarie this month. These days it’s getting more common to pick up a jewie or two during daylight hours on lures such as larger soft plastics

or other lure types. There’s also no doubt at all that bigger snapper often fall to softies. But once again, we shouldn’t forget that refined bait fishing techniques can often be more reliable, especially when the main aim is to simply catch a

find fish closer in, if possible. Always remember, further out doesn’t necessarily mean bigger fish. This is especially so with snapper. ROCK AND BEACH When sea conditions and weather allow, rock fishing

The author with a solid Tuggerah Lakes bream caught on a vibe. June is a good month for catching quality bream. or sinking vibes. However, fishing after sunset with firstclass bait like fresh squid, fresh or live mullet, tailor or pike still remains the most effective way of tangling with a better class of mulloway. It takes more effort and commitment to fish this way, but it can definitely produce the goods for the more serious anglers. Snapper are another species commonly caught by angers casting soft plastics

feed, rather than chase a trophy fish, which can be a bit more hit-and-miss. In the coming weeks, offshore anglers will mainly be chasing snapper, along with trevally and kingfish. During this earlier part of winter, the fish tend to be found in a range of depths, from closer in (5-10m) or out wider (50-100m). Obviously, with the cost of fuel lately, it makes more sense to try to

is normally first rate in the first half of winter. Bream, luderick, drummer and tailor are the primary target species. Others that can be expected in the coming weeks include silver trevally, salmon, groper and silver drummer. June can also be a good month for larger calamari. We just need the weather to behave itself, and if that happens, a feed of fresh fish shouldn’t be hard to score.

species can be caught on soft vibes and plastics. We like to use Samaki Vibelicious and Zerek Fish Trap vibes. If you want to use soft plastics, my suggestion is a 1/2oz jighead with 4/0 hook and a 5-7” jerkshad, such as a Gulp or ZMan. I personally like Gulp in deeper water because it’s so heavily scented. You can also opt to troll for tailor this month. You’ll want a deeper lure that gets down to 6-9m, such as a Rapala Tail

Dancer or Halco Crazy Deep. That’s it for this month – everything seems to be on schedule. Next month hopefully we will have something to report on yellowfin. • Fisherman’s Warehouse Tackle World has a large range fresh and frozen bait as well as a huge range of rods, reels, lures and accessories. They also sell and service outboard motors, and have a competitively-priced selection

of new and second-hand boats. The friendly staff are all experienced local anglers, and they’re always happy to share their knowledge, whether you’re a novice or experienced angler. Drop in for a chat at 804 Pacific Highway, Marks Point, or give them a call on (02) 4945 2152. You can also find them on Facebook, or check out their website at www.fishermanswarehouse .com.au. JUNE 2022

NSW

Tragedy strikes local angler ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke

I don’t know where to start. Another rock fisho has been swept to his death at Hill 60/ Honeycomb Rocks at Port Kembla. My condolences to the family and friends for this tragic loss. This time it wasn’t a visitor from Western Sydney with overseas heritage, but a young local fella who had fished the area regularly, so had some knowledge of the way the waves work at this place.

over and along it dragging anyone in the wrong place along the rocks for 20-40m depending on where you are standing. Then it comes to a 90° wall of rock and the water piles up before emptying into the ocean in a massive torrent. If you have managed to stay conscious and haven’t hit your head at this point, you will probably be missing a lot of skin, if not fractures, and you will be in shock. Activating your life jacket may not even be possible as you struggle desperately to get to the surface and some air.

A standard bream from the surf on a sunny winter day. But, as usual, that bigger set comes through and catches several anglers in a bad position, and there is nowhere to go. A big wave over this local ledge results in at best a flogging as you get rolled over the rocks, and if you’re lucky you’ll get left on the ledge. More often, however, you’ll get both a flogging and get washed in. This spot is best treated with more than the usual respect you give to any rock fishing location, and generally should only be fished on the calmest of days. Any swell and you can forget it, particularly from the south. The platform is generally safe in any swell from the north as the islands jutting several kilometres out to sea block it almost completely, but southerly and easterly swells hit it hard. The platform faces south so any bigger waves hit the front of the platform from the east first, then roll 62

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If you have a selfinflating vest you may stay afloat, but will then be smashed by the next wave along the rock ledge, and the next, and the next. That’s because swimming and making ground in these devices in the wash is nearly impossible. You may get very lucky and survive. If not, the selfinflating vest will make it easier for the rescuers to find your body. Many people believe that mandatory lifejackets everywhere will eliminate fatalities. However, at most rock fishing spots, if you wear a lifejacket you won’t just get gently picked up by a wave and smoothly plopped into the water. It just doesn’t work like that – there is always a whole lot more going on. Still, wearing a lifejacket/ vest will at least give you a chance, provided you make it through the first 30 seconds and are able to

inflate a manual vest. Then there is education. The best education is experience, and getting experience from the guidance of those who have years of knowledge under their belt. But first you have to want to learn. After the two fatal tragedies where boats capsized and people lost their lives, including a child after running into Peggies Reef at Bulli last year, an information day was set up at the local boat ramp at Bellambi. The weather was bad for fishing, so it was the perfect time for anglers who fish the area, particularly those from Western Sydney who don’t see the ocean every day, to get down and have a chat, and learn how to fish safely. Marine Rescue, Surf Life Saving, water police, local anglers and others were all present to give advice. After two hours, not a single person had attended. What can I say? You can put up signs and advertise in mags and online, but nobody thinks they’ll be the one to drown so they’re not interested. For it to work you need people willing to be educated. Honeycomb/Hill 60 is a great spot for fishing but only in the right conditions. There are plenty of safer spots around that fish almost as well when the sea is up, so don’t take the chance. Also please spare a thought for the first responders who have to put their lives on the line to get you out of trouble or worse, find your body. I know from personal experience that it’s a harrowing thing to do. THE MONTH AHEAD On the fishing front, June is not my favourite month of the year. It’s cold and usually windy and there aren’t a real lot of options. Having said that, this year could be different as the water has stayed warmer for a little longer, so some species are around in better numbers than usual. The beaches are still fishing pretty well. There are good bream and solid whiting in the gutters on most beaches, with tailor and salmon being caught early in the morning and late in the evening. This month is always good for jewfish during the evenings, with the big high tides just after dark. Yes, it’s cold but you are generally home by 10 o’clock. The rocks have summer and winter species available, with drummer, blackfish, bream and a few trevally in the washes, while the deeper ledges are holding salmon, tailor

and even a few bonito and mackerel tuna on lures. Keep those live baits out too, because there may still be a few longtails about (they were down as far as Bermagui in May) and there is always the chance of a stray kingy. Offshore, the snapper should start to come in over the reefs at the end of the month. However, if the water stays warm, they may stay out deeper for a bit longer because the cuttlefish, even the early ones, won’t come until there is a substantial drop in water temp. Kingies are still over the usual spots with bonito, mackerel tuna, salmon and trevally chasing baitfish in close taking small lures. Flathead are about in numbers too for the drifters, rather than tapering right down at this time of year. Samsonfish, small snapper, pigfish, mowies and even the odd trag are over the reefs for the drifters as well. Further offshore we are waiting for a few yellowfin tuna to show up; so far it is quiet on that front. Still, that can change overnight. Dolphinfish (mahimahi) have hung around the FAD during May so they could well stay a bit longer if the water stays warm as they have the past few seasons. A big blue marlin isn’t out of the question either.

There are plenty of tailor along the backs of the beaches. The estuaries seem to be bucking the trend of staying active. The surrounding land mass and cold nights and winter winds cool the water in the lake proper very quickly. The tidal area around the entrance though has a few flathead biting on the run-in tide, along with bream and even a few whiting, but blackfish are the target for most anglers

this month. The jetties in the channel and walls up to the drop-off are all holding fish. That’s it for this month. Remember that no fish is worth risking your life for, so if in doubt or the sea is up even a little bit, stay off the open ocean rocks. At the very least, head for a sheltered, quiet safe area – or just stay home.

BOATING NEWS

Stacer 449 Assault Pro Stacer’s Assault Pro is a vessel set to be reckoned with during competition season. With a winner layout, it serves up the ideal platform to top the leader board at the long line of upcoming tournaments across the country. Drew Jackson, Stacer Sales Manager, says it is this

design that has already taken countless fishos to gold, and will see countless more in its bright future ahead. “The Assault Pro is designed by fishos, for fishos from the ground up and because of this, it’s not only the competition boat of choice but also features as the trophy – occasionally

being the grand prize,” Drew said. “As we knock on the door of competition season, we can guarantee that entrants will find comfort in owning an Assault Pro, perfected from decades of boat building in tow since Stacer’s founding in 1971.” To page 63

NSW

Sickles, thermals, dry boots BATEMANS BAY

Anthony Stokman

Hello winter my old friend, there are many reasons to love you, and one reason to not. That one reason is the cold. However, without it, a lot of great opportunities wouldn’t exist – so it’s time to put on our thermals and good boots and head out to look for some yellowfin sickles. The older I get, the more prepared I am for winter fishing. There’s nothing better than having a great set of thermals, quality warm wet weather gear, good dry boots, hot pies and coffee. Tuna fishing in winter is better when better prepared. I like the Adrenaline thermals by Land & Sea; I reckon they’re the best and cheapest on the market. There’s a variety of wet weather gear out there like Stormline, Desolve, Stoney Creek and Simms. Burke and Henry Lloyd make great boots. Yeti keeps your coffee hot and if you want a hot pie when fishing, then pie ovens like the Travel Buddy installed in your vessel have you living like a king. Once you have ticked these boxes you won’t even notice the cold. Another thing that cuts the cold is being hooked up to a yellowfin tuna. May is the month they start to show up, and June can be

better if they decide to hang around. June can also see bluefin starting to migrate to our waters. Every year can be a little different, so you shouldn’t follow past years and patterns to the exclusion of all else. Be flexible, take into account the commercial movements, the charts and most of all, just get out there.

From June onwards game fishing is all about tuna; we can expect most other pelagics to go on vacation in warmer waters. There’s a slim chance of a marlin, but the other stickface that gets more and more attention these days is the swordfish. There’s probably a greater chance of seeing a sword being caught, as more and

more anglers are targeting them on the south coast. There is data of big swords travelling through our area, although not as many as the sword capitals further south. This is the best time of the year to try for a sword as the current slows down and the weather becomes more stable. Let’s see how our local sword army goes this year.

Tara with a nice cool water snapper.

Georgia Poyner has no problems finding the winter kings.

From page 63

The 449 Assault Pro starts with a revolutionary base – the Revolution Hull to deliver superior ride performance, achieved by scientifically moulding the aluminium side sheet to deliver a strong hull that disperses water away from the boat whilst underway. The sharp entry point coupled with a wide beam adds stability underfoot when fighting a fish. Overall, although designed predominantly for inland waterways, the Revolution Hull delivers an excellent performance within open bays, making the Assault Pro a versatile beast. To stand out from the rest whilst competing, the key is to access those hard-to-reach spots, which is easily achieved with the compact yet spacious and easy-to-manoeuvre 449 Assault Pro. Built as a tiller configuration and rated up to 60hp, it is the ideal vessel to zip to where the fish are on in a flash. A wide-open deck plus generous raised front and rear casting platform deliver 360˚ fishability,

whilst its seamless rear Live Bait Tank ensures baits are easily stored. Also available with a long list of optional extras, the Assault Pro is effortlessly customised to suit a wide range of fishing styles and needs. Options include: bow-mount thruster plate, bimini, rod holders, sound system with speakers, transom step and rail, sealed timber floor, 65L fuel tank, rod storage, side pockets, 2-tone painted, side rails, pedestal seat, Elite Pro

seats, lean seats, maritime seats, Active Imaging 3-in-1 transducer, sounder, vinyl wrap, and more. Off-season, the 449 Assault Pro is a boating allrounder, ideal for days out with the family or friends with a rating of four people. With ample storage space, it serves as the perfect weekender. The fact that it’s affordable and easy to use makes the Assault Pro appealing to both new and experienced boaties.

“We are seeing new customers looking to enter boating more than ever as all Aussies explore new ways to holiday from home,” Drew said. “What boating brings to people is immeasurable for mental and physical health; it’s a way to spend time with friends and family, but also do something that you thoroughly enjoy.” For more information on the 449 Assault Pro, or to locate your nearest dealer, visit www.stacer.com.au. – Telwater

Deep dropping with electric reels is another form of fishing that has grown over the years. It, too, requires less current and stable weather, and this is the perfect time of the year for it. There have been some good catches of ling and in a bit closer, some good catches of bar cod. Bar cod can be found in 100-150m depths, so they can be caught on jigs with a spin or overhead set-up with enough line capacity. However, as you go deeper chasing blue-eye, hapuka, gemfish, perch, ling and so forth, an electric reel is necessary. Inshore reef fishing has been going along with some consistency for the last couple of years, and hasn’t looked like slowing down. Winter always brings a steady bite, so with the anticipated stable weather coming your boat should get a good workout this month chasing snapper and flathead. The stones during winter provides great drummer fishing. Old-fashioned drummer fishing never changes – a running ball sinker and a small, strong hook with cunje and/or cooked prawns. Fishing from the rock ledges can also produce snapper, grouper, bream, salmon, tailor, trevally and more during the winter months, and you can spin metals, cast plastics or live or dead bait for any of these species. There are several ways to catch fish from the stones, and shore jigging has become the latest addition. Using long light, powerful, thin rods that

work micro jigs from the shore is shore jigging. The beaches have had a great run of bream, and that seems to be continuing. The whiting will slow up, and the ever-consistent salmon will always be there throughout winter. We’ve had some big tailor getting around of late, and some trevally as well. Anglers chasing mulloway will be out at night at some of the popular beach haunts. These fish will also be getting targeted in the estuary of a night with fresh squid and live mullet baits. Squid are fairly consistent throughout winter for all the squid fans out there. It’s a good option because the estuary will back off from here on, and will require finer finesse fishing, going down in leader size due to the clear water. If you’re not into tuna, don’t like drummer, can’t spin a metal for salmon, can’t catch a snapper or bream, then it could be a good time of the year to take a holiday. Cairns, Montebellos, Kimberleys, Swains, Exmouth… we live in an amazing country, so you should check it out sometime. If lockdowns have taught us one thing, it’s that life is too short and you should get out and live. Make the most of it, fishos! • For more up-to-theminute information on what’s biting where, drop into Compleat Angler Batemans Bay and have a chat to Anthony or one of the other friendly staff. They’re located at 65A Orient St, Batemans Bay (02 4472 2559). JUNE 2022

NSW

What’s happening now? TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

The east coast of Australia has been smashed this year with record rain falls, floods and severe weather conditions, along with extremely large wave forces carving our coastline. So what is

happening now, and what does it mean for anglers in the future? Already there are positive effects, especially offshore, because those large seas have now exposed reefs that have been covered in sand for some time, often very close to the shoreline. As growth starts to cling to the surface of this structure, all forms

of life will return to these areas, including the fish species we anglers like to target. As the water cools, snapper will be at the top of the list over this new ground. With these newlyexposed areas being in shallower water, you have the opportunity to position yourself over the structure, and with the use of berley, bring the fish to you. Not

Consider some of the smaller estuary systems for some quality fish in the coming weeks.

only will the snapper respond to these methods, you are likely to attract some other predators like kingfish, salmon, trevally and bonito, which have been around in very good numbers this season. The beaches along our coastline have also had a facelift. Those massive waves have gutted them, causing major damage in some places and creating new fishing grounds. Very deep water is now within easy access from the shoreline, where anglers are cashing in on the many salmon schools patrolling the coastline. Both lures and bait will account for many salmon catches. Other species likely to get in on the act are bream, whiting, gummy sharks and even the odd jewfish, which take more of a liking to the baits. Rocky structure adjacent to the beaches has also been exposed again, creating some excellent angling opportunities. Amongst this broken, rubbly ground, all kinds of fish will frequent these zones. Drummer are one such fish that like this To page 65

Bonito can be a lot of fun on light gear.

Flushed with nutrients BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

After the drenching the south coast has endured this year, what can we expect on the fishing front? Well, all the major and minor water courses along the south coast have had a major flushing, and with this comes lots of nutrients. These nutrients are washed out to sea, providing vital food sources for smaller organisms that live out in the ocean, which then provide food for the baitfish and crustaceans that live along our coastline. And naturally, as the baitfish and crustaceans become more prolific, the larger predators will cash in on this bounty. Of course, this doesn’t happen overnight. However, if we anglers are patient (and we all know how patient anglers can be) the benefits will come in time, with hopefully better environmental and fishing conditions. What is happening for now is it’s yellowfin tuna season, and it is looking like a good one. Out over the Continental 64

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Shelf there are yellowfin and albacore with the odd striped marlin thrown in, all pursuing the many schools

of sauries that are prolific in these waters. Trolling is proving productive, along with berleying or cubing.

Cuttagee Lake just south of Bermagui got a severe flushing both from land and the ocean.

However you want to target them, there are plenty of yellowfin to be found.

These tried-and-true methods have withstood the test of time, although now on the front line are fast boats that can get into range of the tuna busting up on the schools of sauries. From there, anglers can launch lures imitating these baitfish on heavy-duty spin gear, providing fast and explosive action. June usually sees great sea conditions, and with this calmness comes the opportunity for deep water fishing off the

Canyons out over the Shelf. Blue-eye trevalla is the target species, mainly due to their excellent eating quality. Gemfish, cod, ling or ocean perches may also be found using this fishing method, which can often be deployed while berleying for tuna or sharks. One shark likely to be encountered is the spectacular mako, with its aerial acrobatics when hooked. Makos pull hard, and they’re often quite large. Closer to shore these

calm seas are allowing anglers easy access to the reefs or bottom fishing. Drifting for flathead has always been a popular way to fish, and they have never been more prolific than they are now. These tasty fish are often acquired in minutes rather than hours. Chasing flatties also gives anglers the opportunity to stop to berley over the many reef areas along the To page 65

NSW

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…

INTUITIVE CONTROL

NSW MERCURY DEALERS A 6-spine leatherjacket. These fish are tasty and are likely to turn up in a berley trail. From page 64 (Tathra)

environment, and as the tide rises these fish will follow. With the use of berley and baits like prawns, cunjevoi and/or fish baits, anglers can have some fun in the shallow water. Other species encountered in these areas are bream, trevally, wrasse, leatherjacket and mullet. Of course, the rivers and lakes have been very From page 64 (Bermagui)

coast, with one of my favourites being the south end of Montague Island. Here you can expect a variety of species to visit these trails, from snapper to morwong. There are usually lots of trevally or sweep for a bit of fun on light gear, along with those ever-present kingfish and bonito. There is always a chance of a mako showing up too,

affected by the rain. These systems have been very difficult to fish, with lots of freshwater coming down them and pushing most of the juvenile fish down towards the entrances in search of saltier water. Here they mix with the larger bream, luderick, whiting, mullet, flathead and more. This provides a problem for anglers bait fishing, as often you’ll get a 4:1 ratio of small

to larger fish. However, if you target your preferred species on a rising tide, the larger specimens will tend to dominate. The other option is to fish the smaller systems such as Wapengo Lake or Nelsons Lagoon, where the water will be saltier. That’s because these areas have less of a catchment volume than rivers like the Bega River.

so have a steel trace ready. And I did mention it’s tuna season, so there may be the odd yellowfin about, taking an interest in what is on offer. Following the flushing of our estuary systems, the rivers and lakes are lingering on with some excellent late season angling, especially for bream as the saltwater pushes into them with the rising tide. Wallaga Lake

and the Bermagui River are within easy access, and both are holding plenty of bream which will tend to move over the tidal flats with the incoming tide. Also have a look around the bridge at Wallaga or the pontoon at the boat ramp near the Bermagui Bridge, as they are both hosting their share of luderick which are quite partial to a well-presented leaf of cabbage weed.

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Wallaga Lake still has some quality bream on hand. JUNE 2022

NSW

Time to slow down and get into the winter feel NEW ENGLAND RIVERS

Adam Townsend

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$199

They usually say the first frost falls around ANZAC Day or later towards the end of April, and even though it has been cold for several weeks now, it was not really up until the first week of May where it started to get that winter feel amongst the New England Tablelands. Definitely a big change from this time last year, with the first frost already happening weeks earlier, just after Easter. It could be a lot to do with how wet it has been this year, but it’s really anyone’s guess. The rivers are all looking in top condition, with nice flows, and the dams are full of water so

it’s shaping up to be another good winter fishing period. Both dams (Copeton and Pindari) have been sitting up around full capacity for many weeks now, which in hindsight has made for some epic fishing opportunities. With the water levels being more stable of late, the bigger fish have been able to feed more comfortably without having to retreat to deeper or shallower water too much, as they’d have to do if the levels were constantly fluctuating. The only downfall to the dams being so full at this time of year is the limited camping spots available close to the water’s edge. With so

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The cod are in top condition at this time of year. Sometimes, slowing down your retrieve speed can trigger the bite.

A greedy Copeton Dam cod with a mouthful of the redfin-coloured GotchaMax swimbait.

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much ground covered now, please be mindful when choosing spots. There are three sides of Copeton which can be accessible, so it does have plenty more space for activities, however Pindari Dam only has one main road leading to the dam itself so camping can be very limited. Loading and unloading of boats is made easy with the higher water levels as the boat ramps are usable, and now way above the water line. This definitely helps anglers at this time of year who are braving the freezing air and water temperatures – especially the keener anglers who take off in the dark. I find the next two months to be my favourite months to be on the water all year, as the bigger fish are on the move. Sometimes XOS fish (such as 1m+ cod) can be seen free swimming throughout the day, taking advantage of the cooler weather. Sight casting these beasts has to be experienced to be believed. Anything can happen this time of year and it just comes down to spending time on the water to see how the winter bite unfolds. Golden perch can be very fun to target at this time of year also. True, the numbers definitely dwindle compared to the warmer months, but it’s not uncommon to catch a golden perch on a lure intended for a big cod. There are plenty of lure types that work at this time of year, but there are a few that always seem to stand out from

the rest of the baits on the market. Without getting too specific with brands, I would recommend any type of swimbait, surface lure and chatterbait. All three just keep proving themselves at this time of year. The most important factor is your retrieve speed. Fish slow and fish confident. With the air and water temperatures being so low, the bait and other fish life become more

lethargic, so the longer you can keep your lure or bait in front of the fish, the better your chances should be. Looking ahead, the full moon will be on 14 June, and the new moon falls on 29 June. At the time of writing, Copeton Dam is at 95% capacity, and Pindari Dam is at 100% capacity. The Severn River, both above and below Pindari, is looking in awesome shape heading into winter and should fish really well

Throwing massive lures at this time of year can be very fruitful for big cod. The Entice GotchaMax is 15” long (38cm) and up to 17oz.

NSW

with the more consistent flows of late. The only thing to consider is that the trout season closure will be this June long weekend, which only leaves a couple of weeks before many systems close around the area (including Beardy River, Deepwater River as well as parts of the Severn, Macintyre

and Gwydir rivers, except above Copeton Dam) for the 3-month spawning season, so now is the time to get out on the water and make the most of it. Although there could be more than just trout in a particular waterway, targeting other species in a trout spawning closure could still get you in trouble. Do some research in the area

you are fishing or check the DPI website for more details on which rivers, or even parts of rivers are closed. This could save you a lot of hassle down the track. Good luck to everyone getting out and braving the cold weather this month – the fishing should be worth it. Stay warm, fish slow, and tight lines.

Trout season comes to an end this June long weekend, so get out and make the most of it while you can.

FISHING NEWS

Repeat offender caught NSW Fisheries has reported that a repeat offender has had his vehicle, jetski and trailer seized last month at Ulladulla. Fisheries Officers from the Batemans Bay District and the Statewide Investigations and Operations Group Regional Mobile Squad South apprehended the man with an indictable quantity of abalone and a commercial quantity of eastern rock lobster on the state’s south coast. The officers were conducting routine compliance patrols around the Ulladulla area when they came across a wellknown fisheries offender diving from a jetski. After observing the man diving, Fisheries officers then apprehended the man and allegedly found him in possession of 61 abalone (30 times the legal limit) and six eastern rock lobsters (three times the legal limit). Fisheries officers later allegedly found a further 33 abalone hidden in the jetski. Fisheries officers seized the abalone and rock lobsters along with the alleged offender’s vehicle, jetski, trailer and dive gear. The matter will now be

progressed to prosecution. The recreational bag limit for eastern rock lobster is 2 (a combined limit with southern rock lobster), with a slot limit of 10.4cm-18cm. The bag limit for abalone is 2.

Anyone observing suspected illegal activity should call the DPI Fishers Watch service on 1800 043 536 or report it online at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/ fishing/compliance. - FMG

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JUNE 2022

NSW

Big, fat winter bass! HUNTER VALLEY

Nick Price

The winter bite is currently insane, with big, angry bass. As predicted, the bass in Glenbawn are growing fast and have become big, powerful brutes.

ways, from out on deep suspended fish to weedless plastics in tight cover. Before we start, however, I’d like to give a big congratulations to the members of Aberdeen Fishing Club who (along with the Dollar For Dollar program) recently released 12,000 bass fingerlings

there should be a very good survival rate for these fingerlings. PLASTICS DOWN DEEP This month I will look at catching the deep schooled fish using plastics. The fish will be found schooled off points, along rock walls or on flats. Look in these areas

Graham Ford from Australian Inland Fishing Charters with a thumping Glenbawn bass. jigs or plastics. If a school doesn’t bite or stops biting, move onto another school. When fishing plastics to suspended school fish you can either fish

reaction bite by jerking or dropping the rod tip, or another change in retrieve. Try a variety of things to try to induce a strike. If you’re feeling confident,

The Brains Trust from Aberdeen Fishing Club, which recently released 12,000 bass fingerlings into Glenbawn. Last month I focused on jerkbaits, which have been producing big fish. Over the next two issues I will look at plastics fishing. Winter is plastics time, and these baits can be fished in a variety of

into Glenbawn. These fish were spread out throughout the dam, with members taking them out in boats and releasing them in suitable cover. With all the inundated vegetation and ample food sources,

but also keep an eye on your sounder when moving from spot to spot. Once you’ve found the fish, try a variety of techniques until you find what the fish are biting on, including using blades, tail spinners, ice

Jerkbaits and plastics are the go-to over winter.

Bass are in fantastic condition with the rise in water and abundant food. 68

JUNE 2022

vertically or horizontally. I always try vertically first. Drop the plastic down and slowly wind up through the fish. Keep an eye on your sounder and watch what the fish do when the plastic moves up through the school. Are they interested? If not, perhaps you entice a

try winding your reel backwards (a trick used by a select few anglers). When fishing horizontally the trick is to cast to the school and then keep the plastic at the correct depth. This is made much easier with a sounder like the Garmin

Panoptix where you can watch your plastic. Again, it also allows you to watch the response to the plastic from the fish. I like to use a 7g or 1/4oz jighead when casting out to schooled fish. This heavier jighead allows the plastic to track straight through the water column for a bit longer before it starts to rise. Often the fish move under the boat because it provides cover in the form of shade, so you may find it necessary to keep moving the boat off the fish and then casting back to the fish. Again, keep an eye on your sounder. The size of plastics matters when chasing these fish. Sometimes the fish want a 2” plastic with a slim profile, while at other times they want a larger 3” plastic, or even a 3” cut down! When it comes to colour I always throw a natural colour and a chartreuse plastic. Generally, I find the fish want one or the other. Size and colour definitely matter when throwing plastics. I always put scent on my plastics in winter, too. I keep the scent in my pocket so it stays warm and easy to use. It definitely makes a difference. Next month I will continue looking at winter fishing, with the second instalment of fishing plastics, specifically fishing plastics shallow using weedless and dropshot techniques. Remember if you’re heading to Glenbawn or St Clair, please drop into the shop at the turnoff to Glenbawn in Aberdeen and ask about the different techniques and what they are biting on. We stock all the quality tackle that you need.

NSW

Sensational redfin fishing BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

Blowering Dam has been really firing of late, with cricket scores of redfin being caught by boat and land based anglers. The most successful technique by far has been jigging with either lures or bait, however many redfin have succumbed to a deep trolled lure. If you want to experience redfin fishing at its best, I’d suggest you plan a trip to Blowering Dam sometime this winter. REDFIN Bait anglers have been getting plenty of redfin jigging with worms and small yabbies on

the redfin in Blowering hold deep – anywhere from 20-60ft – although the majority seem to hang around in the 25-40ft mark. There are plenty of lures on the market that will get you to these depths on the troll. The extra deep 30+ AC Slim Invaders are my favourites, but Ferralcatts, Strike Zone Squirts, Halco 8m+ P50s and LuhrJensen Deep Secrets are all worth a shot. Soft plastics such as Berkley Gulps or any 2-3” plastic are worth a troll as well. Yes, that’s right, a troll. The key to getting them down into the strike zone is the weight of the jighead you rig them on; 1/2-3/4oz jigheads will see you trolling in 30-40ft of water no worries at

The redfin fishing at both Blowering Dam and Jounama Pondage has been sensational this season, and this should continue this month. selection for trout I could go on for hours, but I find the best lures are soft plastics, sinking minnows and lipless crankbaits. MURRAY COD Night trolling for Murray cod is still quite popular at Blowering Dam. Most cod lures will do the job when trolled in the right place, but we find the bigger the lure the better when targeting the resident green fish. It’s hard to beat big hardbodies like the

The Tumut River is one of the most consistent trout fisheries in the country. It’s a great place to fish during the last few weeks of the season as there are crazy numbers of fish to be caught, and fewer anglers than the spawn-run streams, like the Eucumbene River.

Catching your first Murray cod on a lure will put a smile on your face. Savannah Cooper recently learnt that whilst on a fishing charter with the author. paternoster rigs, and the best results come from having the bait moving slowly up and down off the bottom. Bait anglers have also been doing well fishing from the bank for redfin at the dam wall area, and many other deep drop-offs. Lure fishos jigging for redfin have had the most amount of success using ice jigs, but there have also been plenty caught on soft plastics and on lipless crankbaits, both the rattle versions and the silent plastic/rubber versions. Jigging for redfin is great fun, but first you have to find them. You can either cruise around and search for schools with your sounder, or you can troll likely-looking areas until you catch a fish, which is a sure giveaway that you have found a school. At this time of the year

all, and if you want to go deeper you simply go to a heavier jighead. It sure beats messing around with downriggers and lead lines. This technique works well on the trout also. TROUT Trout anglers should be out in force this month as the beginning of the unofficial trout season in the lakes begins. Most flat lined lures will do the job. Your usual Tassie-style lures in any gold colour are always worth a shot, but it does pay to experiment with colours during the day until you find the right colour for the conditions. Fly fishing or lure casting, either from the banks or in the many wind lanes, is another good way of targeting the trout. Fly anglers seem to do best after dark with big wets like Hamills Killers, Mrs Simpsons and Woolly

Buggers. However, by targeting the wind lanes during the day it is possible to get a few on the dry as well. When it comes to lure

The running water trout season closes at the end of the June long weekend, so it’s time to get that last trout fix. Red copper John Nymphs teamed up with a Glo Bug will be hard to beat this month.

The redfin bags will only get bigger as the weather cools.

AC 120 and 150 Invaders when it comes to this style of fishing. Bait fishing can also be very productive this month. However, but bait fishing with worms or grubs can be a bit of a lucky dip at times, as most fish species in the dam will eat these baits. If you want to target the Murray cod in particular, I would recommend you use yabbies for bait, and preferably fairly big ones. This will keep most other species away from your bait, increasing your chances of hooking a big cod. Alternatively, a large chunk of chicken meat will give you a

great chance of catching a big Murray cod without having to worry about the non-target species. TUMUT RIVER The first two weeks of June will see many anglers out in their winter woollies, hoping for one last trout for the season. The fishing in the Tumut River just before the close of the trout season is incredible to say the least. The fish are preparing for their annual spawning run and are gorging on anything that swims below the surface or lands on the surface. As the river is in low flow, you one can access most of the river making it possible to get to your favourite hole with ease. Your usual trout techniques will work at this time of the year but I think that the most important thing is to cover a fair bit of the river as the trout will definitely stack up in the better runs. If the hole your fishing hasn’t produced a fish within 10-15 minutes move on and continue to do this until you catch fish. Also another observation worth noting is that the majority of the biggest fish for the season are caught on the last weekend of the season, food for thought maybe. Until next month, good fishing. JUNE 2022

Canberra

ACT

Downside to the upgrades CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

The ACT Government a re undertaking significant building works along the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. This has been going on for some time, beginning with the new boardwalk beneath Commonwealth

shallow diver. That being said, there is hope that the fish won’t venture too far from their original haunts as is evidenced by the foreshore development on the opposite side of the lake. All the old wharves here were removed many years ago and replaced by a new restaurant district. The fishing slowed for a while

perch, but don’t forget to drop a few plastics right at the edge of the pontoons as the yellas will also sit underneath the structure. The Murray cod have been hitting surface and it is possible to catch more than one in a session. Try the points opposite the Governor General’s residence and cast as close to the half-submerged reeds

Lake Tuggeranong is a bit hit and miss and this has been the case for some time. Although the redfin fishing has been reasonable of late, the natives have started to shut down with fewer and fewer fishos catching anything of merit. It could be that the lake is starting to settle after all the rain and when Lake Tuggeranong settles, the fishing does get tough. That said, I do know of a few anglers who are still hooking into some good cod. These anglers mostly fish at night and keep their fishing on the down low going so far as to refrain from posting their fish on any social media platform. Hopefully though, the lake will fire up again during winter. The Murrumbidgee River is starting to come

Googong is producing good catches.

The old Paddle Boat Wharf is gone but new wharves mean new opportunities. Avenue Bridge. Now, I’m all for making the lake more accessible to children, the elderly and the disabled but it has saddened me to see many of my favourite fishing pontoons ripped out and replaced with some new infrastructure

after the redevelopment but there have been some great captures along the new foreshore boardwalk in recent months. LOCAL LAKES Lake Burley Griffin is still fishing quite well. There are redfin hanging

as possible. Lake Ginninderra is providing consistent action for those fishing weedless offerings along the bike path from Diddams Close round to the college. Creature baits attached to a ‘punch rig’ are the lure of choice and it is a case of slowly working the lure along the bottom, which allows the yellas plenty of time to latch on. Redfin will also be fooled by this technique and there are some truly enormous reddies in Lake G. If fishing for cod, be prepared to put in a lot of work and focus on fishing surface after dark. Big paddlers are a great choice, but snake-like lures also work well.

Now is the time to try the river. good. I don’t know how long this will last but at the time of writing this piece, the water is clear and even the fast water is fishable. There have been some nice cod caught over the past few weeks including a big

104cm specimen, which came from a large pool and took a liking to a slow rolled spinnerbait. There is some significant rain forecast over the coming weeks so now is the time to get down the river and

The yellas are firing. that now covers some of the most productive golden perch fishing in Canberra. The old Paddle Boat Wharf is a perfect example. I caught countless yellas off the old wharf and also witnessed some epic captures, like a 62cm golden perch, which tore under the pylons and took several minutes to land. This little spot was a winter favourite as the natives would seek refuge under the wharf through the colder months but could be coaxed out by a well-presented plastic or 70

JUNE 2022

around the shallows and these fish will readily take a plastic slow rolled around the rocky ledges behind the museum. This spot is a great choice when the wind is up, as the trees provide a weather break and the action can be incredible, especially at dawn and dusk. If after a golden perch, try the three pontoons, which sit behind the play equipment at Weston Park. Casting out deep here and slow rolling divers is a sure way of hooking up to a golden

The shallow areas around LBG are worth a look.

throw some surface lures around. It is even worth going for a quick walk and sussing out some of the new snags, which have formed after the floods. These areas will be prime areas and should hold willing fish. SURROUNDS Googong Dam is producing plenty of native fish at present. There was a lull in the fishing action during late April and into early May but things are picking up. Golden perch are feeding up along the steeper areas of the dam and these fish can be caught using a variety of lures and techniques from twitching Wriggler style plastics on the spot or slow rolling swimbaits. The cod are on the bite and are sitting close to the bank near the drop offs on the edge of the halfsunken timber. The redfin are holding in the shallows and will hit a slow rolled paddler plastic attached to a beetle spin.

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PRODUCT GUIDE

VERSUS TAI JIG CASE

When you invest so much in your Tai Rubber jigs you need to make sure they are well looked after and easily accessible when on the water. To that end, Versus has developed the ultimate case for this purpose, with individually cut out areas that hold your lures and hooks in a perfect position. The Versus Tai Jig Case is available in two sizes. The VW-2010NS is the smaller version, holding eight jigs, while the larger VW-2020NS model holds 12 jigs. Each case has a crystal-clear lid and superior locking clasp with stainless steel pins. Being part of the Versus Wave series, it also allows you to wash your jigs at the end of the day. There are drainage ducts positioned throughout the case, so you can feed freshwater in and let the case do the work for you. Visit the Versus Meiho Australia on Instagram and Facebook (@versusmeiho) for more information and stockists.

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The Strike Pro Crash-SP is a new super deep diving minnow of the highest quality. The Crash-SP crash dives to approximately 4m and is ideal for fishing deep drop-offs, over the top of deep weed beds, and when fishing cockle beds and pole bases in deep water where you may use a metal vibe lure. It suspends in saltwater so you can keep it in the strike zone and maximise your chances of success. This new lure has proven to be very effective on bream, estuary perch, flathead, bass and trout. It weighs 5.2g and has a Weight Transfer System for increased casting distance. It’s available in eight proven colours and measures 4.8cm long. To find out more about the Crash-SP and other new lures from Strike Pro, visit the Juro Fishing website. www.jurofishing.com

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Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Up and coming fishery HOBART

Andrew Large

June sees Tasmania slip into a little bit of winter dormancy, with warmer water species having moved away over the last month or so. That being said, many summer species such as tailor, bream swordfish, SBT

side of the Huon River, an Inland Fishing Licence will be required. The vast array of tuna we had only a few weeks back has dispersed, and where they had been in full swing over summer the action has slowed for variety and choice. The following areas continue to fish well for SBT: Storm Bay, Eagle Hawk Neck,

The author’s father with a school sized (approx. 18kg) SBT off Bruny Island in Storm Bay close to the Hobart CBD. remain while others such as seatrout, greenback flounder and garfish become more prominent. Let’s take a look at what’s happening in the salt around the state. Large bait schools and estuary shrimp are livening up bream action for the moment. These fish continue to be caught above the Bridgewater in the Derwent estuary (anglers will require an Inland Fishing Licence to fish above the Bridgewater Bridge). Further downstream, the action is really heating up with bream taking lures, bait and fly around the rocky edges of Lindisfarne, Cornelian and Prince of Wales Bays. The Huon River has also been producing good fish around Castle Forbes Bay. Please remember this too is the cut-off for salt and inland waters. If you plan to fish any further upstream of the southern end to this bay, on either 74

JUNE 2022

and Cape Raoul and the wider Tasman Peninsula in and around Fortescue Bay, Hippolyte Rocks and Tasman Island. Some good albacore are still being caught in places although there is no rhyme or reason to these fish at the moment, with larger specimens seeming to resist cooling waters. Larger Australian salmon have been widely reported, particularly along the east coast surf beaches, with smaller fish scattered throughout the Derwent estuary, South Arm and Cremorne areas. In recent weeks, good numbers of smaller snapper and a few good models from 50-60cm have been caught on the reefs and rocks off Betsy Island. At this time of year the snapper will start to move to deeper water, so the opportunity of catching in other areas may improve. Southern calamari have been building throughout

autumn and will continue to do so into the foreseeable weeks of early winter as they spawn around our coastlines. The East Coast has really started to produce fantasticsized squid recently, and the bays around Southern Maria have been the standout. Storm Bay close to Hobart and Northern Bruny Island have provided good catches. Slimy mackerel have all but disappeared with the retreating EAC, but jack and yellowtail mackerel continue to be caught under lights around coastal jetties across the state. Although the season showed glimpses of promise a few weeks back, with a few fish being caught in quick succession, swordfish have also slowed, but only in recent weeks. Many anglers have been really trying their luck on the swords, with some fish landed and missed. This year has been one of the best seasons yet. Freshwater anglers are hanging up their rods for the year and taking solace in the slower pace as our season winds down. The month of May realistically saw 90% of Tasmanian trout waters close for the season, leaving only a handful, including our rainbow waters (closing end of May) open until 31 July. Sea-run trout anglers wishing to fish the two major southern waters (the Derwent and Huon rivers) can do so right to the townships of New Norfolk and Huonville respectively.

Two Halco Laser Pro 190 XDDs or Crazy Deeps in custom R19 (Spot On psychedelic pink head) and H80 (dorado) are working well on Storm Bay SBT recently. This option has only been in place for the last few seasons. As with all 12-month open waters, a current Inland Fishing Licence is required. The Bradys Chain, which includes such waters as Bronte, Bradys, Binney and Tungatinah, fished well right up to close. The fishing really came alive over the last week, with healthy rainbow and brown trout being taken by anglers both trolling and drift spinning these waters. Bait fishers got good results on the humble garden worm and wattle grubs. As some trout action winds down, other action ramps up – in particular, the southern rivers with the Derwent and Huon rivers seeing the start of the sea run-trout activity

that realistically won’t stop until mid-November. Trout aren’t chasing bait at the moment, but instead 20% of the population is preoccupied with running upstream to spawn, giving anglers plenty of opportunity to chase these fish from the many tidal rocky points lining these rivers. The other 80% of seatrout are quite happily still searching for bait and waiting for the August and September runs of whitebait. Open for 12 months of the year (1 Aug – 31 July), Lake Pedder has been turning on the weather lately. This is due mainly to the easterly weather patterns we have been experiencing in recent times, pushing back the predominantly wet West

Coast weather this lake is famous for. Great Lake, also a ‘12-month open water’, has been a tad chilly, with reports already of -11°C nights and ice pushing up onto the shorelines of a morning. Surprisingly, it has been producing good brown and rainbow trout to 2kg. Brown trout are nearing spawning but rainbow trout are 6-8 weeks away and in prime condition. Tasmania can be notoriously cold during winter, but milder days at sea and at altitude in the highlands can still be found. Keen anglers who make the most of milder winter conditions will enjoy some quality fishing over the next few months. Good luck, and rug up!

FISHING NEWS

Tackling plastic pollution A number of inventors around the world are trilling different ways of addressing the problem of plastic waste in our oceans. One of the novel approaches being trialled to extract plastic pollution from rivers and harbours, before it can reach the ocean, is the Bubble Barrier. This device generates a wall of bubbles that pushes plastic

waste to one side and towards the surface where it can then be collected. Fish can move easily through the bubbles, so this method does not impact on fish passage. Another approach is the Trash Wheel, a conveyor-belt system powered by currents and solar energy. It uses long booms with submerged skirts to funnel waste into a central hub where autonomous rakes

scoop the collected waste onto a conveyor belt that deposits it all on a barge. Another more high-tech invention is the WasteShark, an electronically controlled boat-drone that preys on plastic – up to 350kg at a time. The WasteShark moves around the waterway, and then back to its docking station autonomously, where it can deposit the collected plastic and

recharge its battery. Of course, it could be argued that the best solution to plastic pollution is to drastically reduce plastic production and consumption around the world. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look like happening any time soon. In the meantime, scooping up our aquatic rubbish seems to be a worthwhile endeavour. - FMG

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www.vrfish.com.au #makefishingbetter

VRFish is your Peak Body I often get asked if VRFish is part of the government when recreational fishers confuse us with Victorian Fisheries Authority or Better Boating Victoria. The Victorian Recreational Fishing Peak Body (VRFish) is an independent, not for profit, Peak Body that was formed to represent the views of recreational fishers. While we work very closely with all three levels of government, particularly our State fisheries manager (Victorian Fisheries Authority), VRFish is not part of the government. VRFish is a part of our recreational fishing history.

How is VRFish Different?

recreational fishing spectrum. Many of these clubs and associations are still foundation members of VRFish today. While Victoria had an inland recreational fishing licence, the concept for a recreational license to cover all waters was advocated for and in 1997 the Fisheries Co-Management Council made its recommendations on the form of a recreational fishing licence for Victoria. It proposed a universal recreational fishing licence (RFL).

OUR 12 PURPOSES The purposes for which the Victorian Recreational Fishing Peak Body is established are to:

In December 1989, then Minister for Conservation, Forest and Lands directed an inquiry into the allocation of fish resources in Victorian bays and inlets be referred to a parliamentary committee, with one final report recommendation to establish a general recreational fishing licence. At this time, it was not accepted by Government.

1. Encourage, develop and promote Recreational Fishing in Victoria;

By 1995, recreational fishers were again raising serious concerns raised about the sustainability of Victoria’s bay and inlets fisheries, particularly the impact of commercial net fishing and scallop dredging. Recreational fishers were concerned about the health of the bays, the poor quality of recreational fishing and called on the State Government to do more to manage recreational fisheries effectively.

3. Educate and engage the Recreational Fishing Community on sustainable Recreational Fishing, adoption of ethical and best practices, safety and any other issues or matters that affect Recreational Fishing;

At this time, there were substantial reforms taking place within recreational fisheries management and consultation, including the creation of the Fisheries Act 1995, Fisheries Co-management and the Recreational Fishing Peak Body Working Group. VRFish was formed in 1995, from a coalition of 19 foundation and affiliated members from across the

Victoria introduced an ‘all waters’ or general RFL on 15 July 1999 and was the first Australian State to do so. An annual Recreational Fishing Licence cost $20; a 28-day licence costs $10 and a 48-hour licence costs $5. During the first 18 months of the licence’s operation, major initiatives were funded by the new Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL) revenue. The buyback of over 100 commercial fishery access licences was one initiative.

2. Represent and advocate the interests and rights of members and Recreational Fishers on any issues affecting the participation, development, quality and sustainability of Recreational Fishing;

4. Provide membership support, coordination, advocacy and representation, and research and policy development services for all Recreational Fishers; 5. Facilitate, assist and lead research that supports Recreational Fishing access, improved habitat and water quality; 6. Encourage and support Recreational Fishers

to participate in and lead activities that benefits Recreational Fishing; 7. Maintain a high level of liaison and co-operation as may be necessary for the fulfilment of the other objects of the Peak Body with National and State Government departments, agencies and authorities and with other organisations; 8. Encourage community health and welfare by ensuring Recreational Fishing is accessible to all; 9. Recognise the heritage, culture and contribution of our nation’s first people, and to give practical support to the issue of indigenous reconciliation through Recreational Fishing; 10. Facilitate co-operation between members of the Peak Body and external organisations, bodies and individuals; 11. Encourage membership of Recreational Fishing clubs and associations and encourage networking to lead activities that benefit Recreational Fishing; and 12. Implement activities for the mutual and collective benefit of all Recreational Fishers.

www.vrfish.com.au/snappersurvival

PO Box 4574, Geelong, VIC 3220, AUSTRALIA

In November 2000, the Government amended the Fisheries Act 1995 to allow for the establishment of a formal Trust Account for RFL revenue. This is where our operational funding comes from. VRFish is funded under a notional portion of every one-year recreational fishing licence sold (approximately 5%). While VRFish runs on the sniff of an oily rag, everything we do is governed by a constitution and the ‘12 Purposes’ for which VRFish was established. VRFish is ultimately here to provide a trusted voice for recreational fishers.

Victorian Fisheries Authority Fisheries management has a long and rich history in Victoria. In 2015, the Andrews Labor government’s Target One Million plan committed to establishing a ‘focused, dedicated authority for the management of this precious resource’. Formerly known as Fisheries Victoria, which sat within the Department of Agriculture, the Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) was established by an act of parliament as an independent statutory authority, in 2016. Ably led by CEO Travis Dowling under an expertise based board, the VFA continues to shepherd the best recreational fisheries in the country.

Better Boating Victoria The Andrews Labor ‘Better Boating Promise’ before the 2018 Victorian State election was a dream come true for boat based recreational fishers. The promise

P 03 5221 1104 E info@vrfish.com.au

has been delivered, with Better Boating Victoria being formed under the Department of Transport in 2019, the appointment of the Fishing and Boating Minister in the same year and most importantly, the passage of an act of parliament in 2020 to quarantine and return every cent of recreational boating licence and vessel registration fees to a stated purpose. The Better Boating Fund (Trust Account) came into effect on July 1st 2021 and all fees must be fully collected and spent on the following: a) for the purposes of provision and maintenance of boating facilities and services for the public; and b) for the purposes of provision of boating safety, boating education and boating promotion programs for the public; and c) for the purposes of safe use of recreational vessels; and d) for the purposes of safe use of State waters Best of all, Better Boating Victoria moved from the Department of Transport to sit within the Victorian Fisheries Authority in 2021. The powerhouse team of VFA chief Travis Dowling and Better Boating Victoria’s Katherine Grech are delivering on making both recreational fishing and boating better than ever. 3 Brownlow votes right there.

Ben Scullin - Executive Officer

Here are the priorities VRFish are working on to make fishing better, for everyone:

ACCESS

Fixing our boat ramps and defending your fishing rights to access our waterways.

HABITAT

Improving our vital fish habitats through protection, restoration and enhancement.

WATER

Keeping our rivers flowing and defending recreational and environmental water allocations

PROMOTE

Promoting fishing in Victoria, creating new and vibrant fisheries and supporting the next generation of fishers.

BEST PRACTICE

Supporting our fishers to take a lead role in the stewardship of our fish and waterways, fish responsibly and promote fish for the future.

VICTORIA'S RECREATIONAL FISHING PEAK BODY

HABITAT

WATER

Visit the VRFish website www.vrfish.com.au to join and contact us on issues affecting recreational fishing.

ACCESS

BEST PRACTICE PROMOTE

#makefishingbetter

VIC

Smaller boats cash in PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

Our tuna season has fired up over the past month, with some mixed sizes, ranging from school tuna up to barrels over 100kg. The southwest coastline has certainly given most anglers a chance of catching a fish of a lifetime, and we are seeing

both locals and out-oftown regulars hitting the water, keen for a fish. We now have a good handful of charter operators, from our local guys to our regular operators outside of Portland, so get on board for your chance of catching a popular sportfish. We can help you with contact numbers and cards to get you on board. This year’s Hooked

On Tuna competition has been run and won, with Jaime Cauchi taking out this year’s top prize with a 81.5kg tuna. Rounding out the top three were Stephen Cauchi with a 63.6kg fish, and local man Marcus Jarrett with a 42kg fish. Congratulations to all the prize winners. Hopefully this month the fish will still be on the chew, providing anglers with some great catches. Most times we now see the tuna in shallower waters, ranging from 30-50m, from Lawrences Rock to Bridgewater Bay. The barrels are certainly

The winners of this year’s Hooked On Tuna.

Matthew Hunt Fishing Services with a tasty feed of school tuna.

James and Ashby with a nice 115.7kg barrel.

still on the cards also. When the weather is on our side we will also see the bigger boats and some charters head to the shelf to try their luck on albacore

Local Game On Charters with school tuna. 78

JUNE 2022

or a deep drop for the everpopular blue-eye, pink ling etc. There have already been good-size albies caught from the shelf and beyond, which is a great sign for more to come. This year we have also seen a butterfly mackerel and some slender tuna caught, which are rarer in these parts. They say that the slender tuna are one of the healthier meats to eat, being very high in omega-3. Sometimes in past years when we have encountered different varieties of tuna, there have also been a few dolphinfish (mahimahi) around, so we will wait and see. Fishing in June can be good for salmon cruising around our winter coastlines. We do see salmon here pretty much all year, but as the water cools down and the waves crash in, the big boys come out to play. Salmon ranging from 2-4kg are awesome fun to catch, and aren’t bad to eat fresh or, even better, used as bait for larger fish. Breakwater and Pivot

Rocks have been good salmon hot spots lately. Winter shark fishing is another popular pastime for our locals who brave

the elements off the beach, boats or walls. Another good winter fish is flathead. Some good numbers should be caught around Cape Nelson and Bridgewater Bay when the weather permits, but we can generally get some good sizes around Lawrences Rock and back towards the bay as well. You don’t always need to make big trips to catch some, and if you have a smaller boat you still have access to a good feed closer in. Plus, there’s a good chance of catching a winter gummy, because flathead are one of the gummies’ favourite prey. • If you are thinking of coming to Portland this winter to try your luck, call in to Portland Compleat Angler for all your bait and tackle needs, and to find where the fish are biting. The store is located at 61 Bentinck Street, Portland right next to the Gordon Hotel. You can also contact the team on 03 5521 1844 or check out their Facebook page for more information.

Erin and Darren with a feed of blue-eye and grenadier.

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Bringing in the barrels WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

A few weeks ago on the way in after a fun session on the school tuna, I lamented in that it would be nice if the big tuna would just turn up in closer proximity to all the local ramps rather than miles down the coast like the last few seasons. Well, it looks like that wish was granted. The next week my son Luke was taking good mate Gage Wright of Spinwright Lures out to exactly the same area that had been full of smaller bait and school tuna in the 8-12kg range, in the hope of getting him his first tuna. Next thing Luke was sending me a video of his workmate Jananka Kandage back at the Port Fairy ramp with a 90kg tuna across the back deck that he and his son Max had just caught. I looked at the heavy rods still in the rack on the wall of the shed and wondered what would happen if they also came across tuna of the larger variety. Well come across bigger fish they did. After managing a 30kg fish initially the boys were soon tight to a bigger fish that had also eaten a cast Jackfin Lara stickbait. The

A bream boat barrel – the boys with their big tuna on the cast.

Ducking out straight after footy, Xavier Ellul and Luke managed this 99.5kg fish that had a friendly bite taken out of it by a great white.

12-year-old Saltiga held up well, and soon enough a 75kg fish was on the deck. The next day Adrian Lieuter caught one in an even smaller (420) boat. Dan Hoey of Salty Dog Charters put his clients onto some massive fish. His daughter Ashby and the Cauchi boys also began racking up some big fish, and it was game on! Many tuna between 60-120kg were taken, with the biggest locally weighed being a 141kg beast which

was the lucky angler’s first tuna. The big fish then switched on over at Point Mac, and soon enough barrels began coming from the Portland area as well. Many hours and litres of fuel are being put in by a lot of boats, but these determined individuals are being rewarded with the best season on bigger tuna for many a year. If the run of big tuna is the awesome news locally, the bad news has been the

massive fish kill in the Curdies River. It wasn’t just dead fish either – dead cows were also found floating in the putrid, green water. Whatever the cause for such an unfortunate situation, it’s going to be off the fishing radar for quite some time. Hopefully some good winter rains will clear things up a bit, but there needs to be a good look at rivers management before it returns to being an estuary fishing destination.

The cost of a tragedy COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

The recent situation regarding the fish kill in the Curdies River and lake has unfortunately worsened over time, which comes at no great surprise. Adding to the mix of literally countless dead fish are cattle carcasses (I’ve been told 24 to date) floating and rotting down the river. On a normal day sometimes a cow will fall in trying to have a drink and quickly become a meal for many eels. However, this many bovine deaths are a sign of mass poisoning by ingesting river water. Much of this river is surrounded by farmland. Many farmers do the right thing when it comes to protecting the river banks from cattle erosion and fertilizer and animal dung run-off into the river. However, other farmers seem not to care at all. Recently Fisheries and volunteers have been

down working on the river in an attempt to clean up the carnage to prevent further poisoning of the water. Unfortunately, the big problem is that when these dead, bloated cattle are roped and attempted to be towed back to the boat ramp, the carcass breaks up due to being so rotten. So stabbing and sinking the carcasses has been the go. Out of sight out of mind? Maybe, but ongoing poisoning of the water will keep building. The really sad thing is that it was obvious this would happen sooner or later, but decision makers have done little about it. In recent years we have had smaller but still devastating fish kills occur, pointing to that fact that one day, a major event would occur. Unless we act now, the river might reach a point of no return. And that’s what’s happening right now. No one really knows the full extent of the kill, but we can assume that the majority of fish including large, trophy bream and estuary

perch have succumbed. Based on that thought, if the river and lake fully recovered overnight, it would still take one to two human generations (up to 40 years) for the fish to not only fully recover but regain the size and weights that they achieved up until recently. A 45cm+ bream approaching 4lb in weight takes almost as long in human years to achieve this size and weight. It’s a similar story with a 50cm perch. So now this onceviable fishing waterway is no more. For bream and perch anglers, this will put more fishing pressure on nearby estuaries such as the Hopkins, Yambuk Lake, Fitzroy River and even the Glenelg. To the east, the focus will be on the Gellibrand and Aire Rivers, and those smaller rivers and creeks that flow from the Otways into the ocean might also see more attention. A certain amount of property value that exists in and around Peterborough will no doubt fall. This is due to the

Countless fish have perished in the toxic water. fact that a percentage of holidaymakers come here primarily to fish the river and lake. This percentage, however big or small,

will vanish, and take their money elsewhere. So this tragedy has and will have many repercussions on the

community, besides the fact that it will prove very difficult in the future to catch a halfdecent fish here. JUNE 2022

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Keeping on the move GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

June should see a shift in angler tactics as the waterways cool down. Kingfish have left the building and snapper are a little harder to target successfully. Salmon will invade the surf beaches whilst lure casters set their sights on bream in the salt and trout in the fresh. Freshwater fishos keen on a trout should try Wurdiboluc Reservoir near Moriac, or Stony Creek Reservoir near Anakie. Both reservoirs are nice and full, and I have seen a few nice trout caught at Wurdi and large redfin at Stony Creek on the social pages. A little over a year ago, VFA built three recreational fishing reefs in Corio Bay. These basalt and limestone reefs were seeded with mussels and native oysters. So far, the reefs have thrived, and VFA have footage of pinkie snapper and other fish cruising around them. You can check it out at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/ rockyreefs. The King George whiting have been biting very well

Recently 8yo Chelsea Young went fishing with her dad Rob down to Limeburners rock wall for an after-dark session. Using a Black Magic bleeding pilchard 3/0 Snapper Snatcher rig baited with squid, Chelsea hauled in a whiting that measured in at 42cm. Not bad for a first fish! Rob says Chelsea was so stoked to

Jo landed this solid gummy out off Portarlington recently.

Catherine and Jo had a good day out on the bay bagging a few flatties.

Plenty of salmon have been smashing baitfish inside Corio Bay. around Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula. Point Henry to Queenscliff has seen consistent captures of whiting up to 43cm on pipis and squid. The stretch of water between Point Henry and Portarlington has seen a lot of boat pressure, so be prepared to keep moving to new spots as the fish do move around a bit. At some places we’ve found whiting one day, and struggled for a bite the next. After a tough day, you get back to the ramp and hear, “We struggled at Leopold so moved to Point Henry and found them.” Dammit! So don’t feel like you have to hang around a pack of boats if you’re not catching anything. They’re always biting somewhere! Dad came down from Queensland to get out on Corio Bay and enjoy the whiting fishing. I got him out twice with myself and my 14yo son to catch a few up to 39cm, using mainly squid for bait. 80

JUNE 2022

Corio Bay. Most fish have been either side of 40cm but super fat and real tough on the end of a 2-3kg whiting set-up. Dave Reynolds and I shot out from Limeburners on a whiting trip recently and noticed a few baitfish flicking out near the mouth of the boat ramp. We tied on a metal slice each and got stuck

catch her first fish that she was still smiling the next morning and bugging him to take her out again! Australian salmon have also been marauding the local baitfish population inside

into a few salmon around the 40cm mark. They were fairly fussy, only grabbing small 5cm slices, but round as a footy and put on a great show. The same day, similar-sized salmon were busting up over near Point Henry, and they have been putting on a bit of a show along the Geelong waterfront. I invited one back for the smoker and then we shot around Point Henry for some whiting and calamari. The Curlewis bank has also seen solid captures of calamari for those drifting in 4m of water. It hasn’t been very clear here, so to get a few is encouraging. The ones I’ve caught have been around 22cm hood length. Other anglers have been bagging out on squid drifting around the whiting fishers, so if you luck out on one, switch to the other

and always have a squid jig dangling over the side when whiting fishing. One thing I did notice when we were coming back into the Clifton Springs boat harbour from a whiting session was garfish. They were everywhere in less than a metre of water, and in schools of five to 30+ fish, well within casting distance of both the rock wall and pier. They were solid fish too, easily up around 40cm. Flathead have also been quite thick inside Corio Bay, with a few fish being caught over 50cm on bait and plastics. Jo Borgia fished with 91yo Catherine Wallace out off Portarlington recently, where Catherine caught five nice flathead and Jo managed a solid pair of gummy sharks. Gummies have also been busy out off St Leonards in the deeper water, while in shallow, the whiting have been turning it on with fish to 40cm caught throughout the day. They have been patchy, so if you’re not having any luck, make sure you move a few times until you find them. The mouth of Swan Bay and nearby Coles Channel has seen good captures of whiting and calamari when the tide runs. Bass Strait still has a few school tuna from 10-15kg biting either side of the Rip. Larger barrel-sized tuna were being caught further down the west coast so keep an eye out

for the big ones offshore. Flake lovers have enjoyed quality gummy sharks to 15kg and bronze whaler sharks to around 30kg drifting out off Torquay at the time of writing. Lorne has seen good numbers of pinkie snapper for anglers drifting in close, plus some solid King George whiting over 45cm. Anglers fishing the Lorne pier have enjoyed catching salmon, whiting and trevally.

The beaches and rock platforms along the Great Ocean Road can see good numbers of Australian salmon patrolling over winter. They love a metal lure or a pilchard or whitebait cast out on a paternoster rig, and can get up around 3kg at this time of year. Don’t forget that since 1 March, we are required to wear lifejackets when fishing from those rock locations identified as ‘high risk’. The Surf Coast

Chelsea with a 42cm whiting she caught from Limeburners rock wall.

Two very different photos of the sea floor. The first (left) was taken before Wilson Reef was deployed, and the second was taken one year later. Images courtesy of VFA.

has two of these locations: Artillery Rocks and the rock platform opposite Sheoke Falls, both southwest of Lorne along the Great Ocean Road. For more info visit www.vfa. vic.gov.au/rockfishing. Fish HARD – Die Happy! • Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterfish@ gmail.com with ‘FMG’ in the subject field or give me a call on 0408 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).

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East Coast

Good signs for salmon PORT PHILLIP NE

Jared Standish

Favourable weather has continued, and so has the fishing. The snapper have been biting through April and into May, as the

about working through multiple schools on the sounder to find those hungry patches of fish. By the time you read this report we will be well and truly into our Australian salmon season. There have been some great numbers

Australian salmon fishing are great to experiment with if you’re looking to try something different. Just bear in mind that, like other species of fish, salmon can have their fair share of lockjaw. On one crisp day with sunshine and mild breeze with some very clean and clear water off Mt Eliza, a friend and I came across a school of fish in 6m of water. We could see them below the surface and reasonably hard up against the bottom, and they appeared to be rather good sized fish and in reasonable numbers. We thought we were definitely in with a chance as the school surrounded the boat while remaining hard up against the bottom.

Mark Whitford with a PPB salmon from the shallows. I hovered the soft plastic straight under the boat thinking one had to pick it up, however not one fish took my friend’s or my soft plastic. We had changed

Now is a good time to chase salmon. weather conditions have allowed fishos to spend the time getting out and giving them a go. The fish have been somewhat easy to find in the deeper waters between Frankston to Dromana, however the bite windows have been short, which has made people frustrated. Still, persistence has paid off for those dedicated anglers. The bite time hasn’t been consistently morning, daytime or night; it’s more

and quality sizes being landed between Patterson River and Dromana. I know this is a quite large area, and if I was to narrow this down to some areas that work better than others I would be focussing my efforts on boats and kayaks around Davey Bay, Canadian Bay, out the front of Mornington Pier in approximately 8m, and the same depth out from Martha Cove Marina working my way towards Dromana. The techniques used for

Andrew Bromley with a nice Mornington snapper.

Getting back to normal MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

With the rivers running at a steady pace and not breaking their banks

and causing flooding of dirty water, the estuary is getting plenty of ocean water pumping through its arteries, curating a pristine river system again. And with the estuary back to normal,

so is the fishing. With no dirty water flowing out to the ocean, the big bronze whalers have reappeared in sizeable numbers, giving land-based game fishers plenty of action with their catch, tag,

and release fishing. Along with the big bronze whaler sharks there are plenty of other big sharks to capture and release, including hammerheads and small great whites. The big ones just keep going, and there’s no stopping them light gear. We mustn’t forget the surf fishing fraternity who have been fishing the beaches for years landing salmon, tailor, flathead, snapper, gummy shark, and many other species. They are still there plying their trade,

colours and patterns of plastics for an hour or more as the salmon hung around, teasing us. We got super annoyed and decided to put the rods in holders and leave the lures out the back, and drive off them. Luckily, it took no more than 30 seconds driving off them with the lures out before one fish was hooked, and then another. You would think that a motor would spook them in such shallow waters, but apparently not. Trolling soft plastics requires a 1/4oz jighead weight and size 1 hook, and the methods are endless. Hardbodied bibbed lures around 70-100mm diving to depths of around 4m are great for working depths of up to 10m, and the lures that are thicker in profile are more beneficial. Another method for trolling and attempting to raise fish holding lower is rather similar to game catching fish for the table and taking only the size species allowed. Offshore the fishing has been particularly good with plenty of flathead, gurnard, pinkie snapper, morwong, salmon, squid, barracoota, and gummy shark on the chew. With the estuary back in pristine condition, the fishing has been great. Anglers have reported getting plenty of bream throughout the whole estuary system on a variety of baits and lures. Luderick have remerged and are schooling in their

fishing, however much smaller – barrel sinkers size 3 pushed into occy skirts with some beads as spacers to your hook in basic colours such as white and pink. Running four rods with this setup is a great way to spark the interest of salmon, and raising them to surface. Changing up to casting gear is essential and you can have fun throwing stickbaits and poppers, again, in sizes no bigger than 100mm. On the garfish front it hasn’t been as productive this year as it was at the same time last year (when we were allowed out from lockdown). However, there are plenty of fish around Frankston, Mt Eliza, Mornington and Safety Beach. These can be caught in slightly choppy conditions or the much calmer days, so if you have time to go then take the chance because you never know until you go. usual spots – the rock groynes that surround the islands and riverbanks, and along the mud banks along both rivers. Estuary perch are holding on snags and other structures in both rivers. Big dusky flathead are being caught along the sandflats in the lower estuary, with the best results coming on lures. Salmon and tailor are entering on the incoming tides, and are in their biggest numbers down towards the entrance. Most fish have been caught on metal lures.

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Battling the cold PPB WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

And just like that the temperature has dropped, starting our slow descent towards the depths of winter. It can be a challenging time of year for fishing those bitterly cold mornings. The water temperature has dropped too, and some of the usual bread-and-butter species become a bit more challenging to catch. However, it’s important to remember that fishing around Melbourne is seasonal. During the warm months, certain species like snapper fish really well. In the colder months ahead of us, species like garfish, salmon, gummy sharks, squid and bream will fish really well, so it’s all about setting your sights on the target species that match our current conditions.

This is a great time of year to focus your energy on gummy sharks. They are active and in good numbers, and particularly active on evenings and nights. I have spent some nights on the water chasing these beautiful fish. Fishing in the dark requires patience. It can be cold and slow at times while you’re sitting eagerly waiting for the rod to buckle. It also requires patience because you are likely to come across a lot of species as bycatch. Port Phillip Bay is chocfull of banjos, Port Jackson sharks, toadfish, skates and other usual suspects. Even the humble flathead can be a pest when you’re targeting gummy sharks. One trick is when setting up your rigs to have the hook elevated from the ground higher than normal to avoid those flatfish. However, all of that is quickly forgotten when the reel starts screaming. The fight of a gummy is

unmistakable – powerful runs, big thumping head shakes, and often they change direction and run towards the boat, creating a tense moment as you work overtime to get tension back onto the slack line. Unfortunately, you will lose the odd gummy during battle. I have learned over the years to resist the urge to play with the drag tension, and just let the shark go on runs when it needs to. You may be in for a big battle, but landing a 10-20kg gummy shark is a special thing no matter how many times you land them. Around Port Phillip Bay you can catch gummy sharks all around, however the big ones seem to be caught more commonly in high current waters closer to the heads. There are a few channels around Mud Island that are great options worthy of trying. In terms of gear, there are plenty of options here. Much of the choice really

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Big gummies are always a welcome catch. depends on whether you’re catching smaller or bigger gummies. You can easily land the smaller gummies using your snapper gear. However, when chasing the big ones I usually use a 15-40lb class rod and 30lb braid on a 6000 or 8000 size reel. Ideally it should be finished with a small length of shock leader and fluorocarbon leader. My go-to in recent years has been a Shimano Terez 15-40 paired with an 8000 size Saragosa SW. Bait selection is critical when chasing big gummies. A big bait pinned underneath the spine with maximum hook exposure is

my preferred method, and this works well when using baits like salmon, trevally, mackerel, wrasse, garfish or snook. The fresher the bait the better, and if you can dedicate some time that day to catch fresh bait before targeting gummy sharks then your success rates will increase. This past month I have found myself sticking local, and fishing on my Hobie kayak quite a lot. I have been enjoying the reduced travel time, and some later than normal starts. At this time of year I don’t think you need to be on the water at the crack of dawn; I’d

rather start a little later once the temperature has risen to a comfortable level. Lately I have been out fishing with many mates targeting flathead, squid, pinkies, salmon and whiting. The whiting bite has started to quiet down but with some persistence and frequent moving around, you will find them. I’ve had success finding them around Werribee and Avalon, or you can travel along the Mornington Peninsula around Blairgowrie and Bellarine Peninsula towards St Leonards. My recent videos targeting whiting with soft

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There are some good size flathead getting around.

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plastics and stinger hooks have grown in popularity, and many local anglers have been sending me photos and stories of their recent catches trying this technique. For me, the key to finding whiting is to stay nimble. Fish an isolated area for 15-20 minutes, and if you’re not getting any

action then move on and try another spot. Keep repeating this process until you find the school. Don’t be afraid to give soft plastics a go and on the drift, and always look for an area that has a good mix of thick weed and sandy patches. This is also a great time of year to target big

flathead in the shallows. I have been doing this quite a lot around areas between Werribee South and Altona, and I’ve been finding most of the decent size flathead between 3-7m deep. I always drift with one spin rod in hand, and I constantly mix up the soft plastic choices. I have been

The author with a nice gummy.

s t a c e r. c o m . a

doing well with 4” paddle tails like the Keitech Easy Shiners, the 3.75” paddle tails like Munroe’s Glass Monkey, and the everreliable Berkley Turtleback Worm in camo colours. There is a recent vid on my channel that shows some helpful techniques to catch flathead, and right on cue I caught a beautiful 58cm flathead whilst running through some techniques, so you may want to go and check that one out.

Whiting are still being caught.

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Until next time, good fishing everyone. Please feel free to contact me directly to share your fishing experiences, photos and catches around Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay and beyond which we can feature in next month’s article. You can contact me by email at alan@fishingmad.com.au. Please consider becoming a FishingMad member at w w w. f i s h i n g m a d . c o m . au/member for fishing workshops, podcasts,

detailed reports and exciting monthly giveaways. Also, don’t forget to follow my fishing adventures on the FishingMad YouTube channel (www.youtube. com/c/fishingmad) and on social media on Facebook ( w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / fishingmad.com.au), Instagram (www.instagram. com/fishingmad.com.au) and on Channel 31 Tuesday evenings at 9:30pm and Saturday afternoons at 3:00 pm.

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Big bream are back in town GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

As promised last month, this report is all about the big bream that the Gippy Lakes are known for. And with plenty of news on that front, let me get straight into it. LAKE VICTORIA AND HOLLANDS It’s been a real joy to see some very big bream

out into Lake Victoria to fish the shallow margins. On each occasion I was joined by a few mates, and we all caught some cracking bream. Mitch Chapman was the first to cash in, and caught around 30 bream out in the lake, with his biggest going a ripper 46cm. He also released plenty around 40-43cm, and he caught them all on a hardbody lure worked in the shallows. He also said there were plenty of smaller bream around the 30cm mark.

Hardbodies are the go now out in the lakes. This chunky bream took a Hurricane Twitch 40 in pink. around over the last month, and even more impressive is the sheer number of fish. It’s been incredible. I’ve put in six trips to Hollands Landing recently, heading

This has been the trend for all of us, with bream of all sizes showing up. There are massive schools of smaller bream around 24-28cm that nearly black out the sounder

in some places. The trick I found to find bigger bream was to move past the schools of small fish in the deep water and seek out the solitary bream in the shallows that often don’t appear on our sounders. Catching them often requires long casts across the flats and a slow pause retrieve. Anthony Havers joined me on two trips to the same area and I watched him release just over 50 bream for the session, with his two best going 40cm and 44cm. There were heaps around 34-38cm, and interestingly he caught them all on small blade lures jigged under his kayak in depths of 2-3m. I followed his lead and scored about 30 bream, with my best 10 fish ranging from 35-39cm. On another day I met up with Owen Pierce there and watched him wrestle in three big bream to 44cm on hardbody lures, and he got roasted by three other trucks in the shallow lake. I headed up into the Straits towards Seacombe that day, and fished the deeper snags. I was kept very busy and got a shock at how many big bream were attacking my sinking hardbodies. I landed 28 cracker bream during that very hot session, and most of them were 36-43cm. It was a white-knuckled three hours of mayhem, and luckily I was using 14lb leaders, and I only got shredded once. I returned two days later for more sport in the snags, but failed to get a single bump – and I got that same ‘donut treatment’ a week later. Typical bream. I’m destined to never work them out.

Thankfully on that occasion I left the snags in time to work blades out in deeper water at about midday, and scored a good tally of about 20 bream to 40cm that saved the day. Bait anglers are also being rewarded with a lot of bream around 30cm, and also good numbers of bigger fish to 40cm. Most of those anglers have been parking their boats in the lower section of the Straits and using live shrimp or frozen prawn. One bait angler used cut crab and scored some real truck bream to a thumping 47cm. Mick Gned from Traralgon took his nephew, the gun angler Noah, to the Straits and the boys had a ripper trip with over 20 bream released. They were all caught on Hurricane Sting 37 blades in the spiny prawn colour, with the biggest fish going 44cm. THE RIVERS The big bream have also been caught mainly in the lower Tambo and Nicho rivers, but I fully expect the Mitchell to also feature this month. Peter Nord has released some of the biggest bream in recent times, with most caught in those areas on the Hurricane Slam hardbody. He sent me a video of him releasing some thumping bream that all looked over 1.5kg. The stunning feature was that these bream were so big and healthy that Pete described one 45cm fish as a fat, round pig! There’s been a real common theme of hardbody lures catching a lot of bream over the last few months and I have followed suit, using a pink Hurricane Twitch 40 as

Owen Pierce with a Lake Victoria 43cm bream caught on a hardbody lure in shallow water. It was one of six big fish over 40cm he caught in glassed-out conditions. my go-to bream lure. They’ve been deadly out in the lakes but I’ve also found these lures cleaning up in the lower rivers. If you’re fishing deep timber, remember to switch out your treble hooks with snag-resistant double hooks. Also known as ‘W’ hooks, I’ve been using them for about 15 years and I swear by them, as they always increase my hook-up rates. They require no split rings and, unlike trebles, are easy to quickly replace if broken or blunt. On a negative note, I recently explored my local Avon and Latrobe rivers and I was shocked to see them almost devoid of fish, including carp! I not only caught zero for two trips but my sounder could hardly find a fish in the shallow or

deep areas. LOOKING AHEAD As usual, as winter moves in the bream will start to school up in the deeper parts of all the rivers. For this reason, you’ll need to change tactics and try both snag fishing and then start searching the river depths. The first places they will school up will be the Nicho River around the bridges, the lower Tambo near the boat ramp and especially the Silt Jetties in the Mitchell. The best deepwater lures are soft plastics on jigheads up to 5g, and of course blade lures or hardbody vibes. The best baits are usually shrimp or frozen prawn, but a few cagey anglers have had good success with small yabbies and scrub worms.

Quality catches on the chew BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

Winter has arrived and we are seeing an abundance of quality bream right throughout the system. The surf is continuing to produce great catches of salmon and tailor, especially on the run-in tides. These fish have created wonderful sport for anglers on light gear, i.e. bream rods and tackle. A tip for the salmon anglers – if these fish are filleted and the blood line cut out straight away, they are quite good on the plate. The favourite bream spots appear to be the Mahoganies and the entrance to Mud Lake and back towards Siberia. The flathead have slowed down due to the cold weather but the odd good frog is still 84

JUNE 2022

being caught. The river is producing a nice run of fish now that the water has settled following intense rain just prior to Easter, and this has been great for the land-based angler. The water is still low so anyone venturing into the river need to be extremely

mindful of snags, trees and so on. The entrance remains open at the time of writing. A reminder to all the boaties – remember to service your life jackets and ensure your flares are to date. • For on the spot and up

to date fishing reports check out Robyn’s website: www. bemmaccommodation.com. au or ‘like’ us on Facebook – Bemm River Holiday Accommodation Phone: (03) 5158 4233/Mob. 0427 584 233 Email: bemmaccomm@ bigpond.com.

There are some good salmon and bream getting around.

A nice gummy shark and salmon.

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Good flatties and bream MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

There has been plenty of rain in recent times, with the rivers and creeks still clearing up after being the colour of mud. Thankfully, we’ve had some great weather over the past month, with clear, blue skies and little wind making for great days on the water. The beaches have plenty of good gutters as there has been no shortage of swell to keep things stirred up. Salmon are about, and their numbers will only increase as we head into winter. Along the main beach there are plenty of fish, with the lake entrance being a reliable spot to fish; the fish are moving in and out with the tides, with good numbers in and around Harrisons channel. Salmon are also being caught along Tip Beach down to Betka Beach. Any good gutter fished on a rising tide is worth a try, with lures being the way to go because it’s easy to stay on the move and find the fish.

Mikey Vucic with a great Mallacoota bream.

Flathead were about over the Easter period, but catching them in numbers wasn’t easy. With all the rain the little creeks and rivers have had a good flush and are still open to the ocean, allowing fish

the chance to move around. The Betka River has seen some good flathead and bream being caught in the

front section. Offshore, sand flathead and tiger flathead are still being caught as we head into winter. As the water temperature drops the fishing will slow down, so now is the time to get out there and get amongst a few fish, as flathead fillets are still great eating after being in the freezer. With the water in the lake starting to clean up,

the fishing has been good. The bream have been really going well in the dirty water, with plenty of fish being caught in the Bottom Lake. Fresh prawn is a great bait, along with a variety of lures. At the same time all reports were saying the flathead had slowed down, but as the water is clearing up there have been reports coming in of numbers of fish being caught alongside the

weed beds. There have been some good size fish amongst them, with a variety of soft plastics working well. Quality tailor are also being caught throughout the Bottom Lake, with fish found not far from the baitfish schools. The coming months will see the baitfish schools forming up, with the back of Goodwin Sands a reliable area to find the baitfish in numbers.

Returning to peace and quiet LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

It’s that time of year again when we are greeted with cold crisp mornings and heavy dew. Our small coastal town has returned back to its quiet seaside village. LAKES ENTRANCE Over recent months, the Gippsland Lakes has experienced a massive blue green algae bloom that has been wide spread from Lakes Entrance to

Sale. Unfortunately, this has affected many locally businesses as people are advised not to eat anything from our lake system at this time. Hopefully as winter sets in, the algae will die off and we will be set for an awesome summer season. Our local beaches have been reasonably productive for Australian salmon, especially with water quality improving. Beaches, such as Eastern Beach and Lake Bunga, have been productive spots with baited paternoster rigs cast into likely gutters.

This is the author’s favourite hardbody at the moment, the Atomic Shiner working its magic.

The author with 95cm flathead caught while targeting bream at Lake Tyers.

Alternatively, working metal lures along the beach has been an ideal way to target these hard fighting fish. Out wider the many small reefs offshore have begun to hold good numbers of pinkie snapper. Anglers have had good results fishing the 6 and 8 Mile Reef with paternoster rigs matched up to fresh baits, such as pilchard and squid strips. LAKE TYERS The lake has been red hot lately with bream and flathead being plentiful. The many weedy edges throughout the lake system have been highly productive, and tapered edges dropping in to 1.5-2m have been extremely productive for bream. Minnow and shad style hardbodies, like the Atomic Shiner 45, have been the go, especially in clear prawnlike patterns. Working the

The quality of bream over recent months in the main lake of Lake Tyers has been outstanding. hardbodies with combination of twitches and pauses has been a deadly approach lately. Lake Tyers is well known for its monster flathead. With winter on its way, they’ve begun to shut down but anglers concentrating their efforts late in the day when the water is at its warmest have had good results. Similar shad style hardbodies have produced plenty of flathead, especially when the hardbody has been ripped into the bottom causing

sound and vibration. Fishing the deeper drop offs with blades has also been very productive, and produced quality eating size flathead. 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. JUNE 2022

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Top water tucker time ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

The fishing in our local waters in the run up to the cooler weather has been very good. Numerous 1m+ cod have been caught from the Murray River around Swan Hill on both bait and lures. Surface fishing has proved quite popular and very effective, with

runners working best. The perch bite has begun to drop away slowly as the water temperature drops, but there are still a few about if you put in the time. Bait seems to be most effective option, with the shrimp-worm cocktail being the pick. Bait fishing has also produced some good-sized cod from the Murray River in the Swan Hill area, especially between Pental Island and Brooks Lane.

good numbers of Murray cod caught on both bait and lures. Once again, the surface bite has been very good, with several topside boofers stretching out past 90cm on the brag mat. A good hatch of bardi moths saw the top water bite escalate for a week or two, with literally thousands of these giant bugs finding their way into the river. These giant moths would have to be the worst pilots ever; it seems God gave

Mildura Tackle proprietor Kym Sykes with a nice-sized cod he caught on the troll from the Murray River downstream of Mildura. and small yabbies working best. A few larger cod have also been landed on bait, with chicken, cheese and bardi moths at the top of the menu. The Murray River at Robinvale continues to be a hard ask. This oncegreat cod fishery and a favourite haunt of mine is still yet to recover from the past blackwater events. Catches of smaller cod on bait are common enough, but the big fish of old are few and far between.

fish schooling and cruising the surface layer like they own the river. I guess with little threat of predatory assaults from below, they pretty much do own it. Back in the glory days of plentiful big cod numbers in these waters, there were few small carp to speak of. They were quickly scoffed by the true kings of the river. The Murray River at Wemen has yielded good numbers of small cod on bait, but few bigger fish have been reported. The perch bite has also

The biggest reported was a thumping 124cm model. Several other fish pushing this mark have been caught, mostly by anglers trolling deep divers, but a few have also been caught by anglers casting spinnerbaits. The perch bite too has slowed up a little, but a few overzealous goldens have been caught on lures trolled for cod. It’s win-win on the troll, and a very effective method for targeting big cod. With the draining of Lake Mulwala lifting river

Carp numbers have exploded in some areas, and while most are small there are always a few big ones like this thumper landed by Kelsie Gull. good numbers of cod falling to the top water option. Other fish have been caught mainly on trolled lures, with a selection of shallow

Yabbies, grubs, cheese and chicken have all proved effective. The Wakool River at Kyalite has also fished very well of late, with

them wings and neglected to provide a radar system. A few good-sized perch up to 50cm have also been biting in the Wakool on bait, with shrimp, worms

Greg Gull with a standard sized golden perch from the Murray River at Wemen.

Shallow divers like the Bassman 100mm Tubby have been very effective on the troll for Murray cod around Swan Hill in the Murray River. 86

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Perch have been biting well on bait, but this too has slowed in recent weeks as the water temperature continues to fall away. If there is one fish of abundance in the river, it’s carp. Their numbers have exploded this season, with literally millions of small

slowed in this area, but with a bit of work there are always a few that will take well-placed baits of shrimp and worm. The Murray River in the Mildura area has fished very well lately, with some ripper-sized Murray cod landed on lures.

heights substantially, it will be interesting to see the effects on the great fishing we have had this past month. Hopefully it will continue to fish well, but I guess we will have to wait and see. Until then, it has been pretty good in most areas this season.

Arcadia native fish farm up and running Our new native fish farm at Arcadia is now operational and has grown more than 480,000 Murray cod and golden perch in its first season. The $7 million native fish farm is a key element of the State Government’s $35 million Go Fishing Victoria plan to get more people fishing, more often. The first fish out its door were 20,000 golden perch fingerlings that were stocked into the Goulburn River nearby, marking the start of a new era of native fish production to complement our Snobs Creek hatchery. The Arcadia native fish farm, near Shepparton, is set on 170 hectares and includes 32 ponds, 20 of which are plankton ponds that grow larvae into fingerlings for release. The remaining 12 ponds hold parent Murray cod and golden perch, called broodfish, from which eggs are sourced each breeding season. When the farm is fully operational it will produce up to 1.6 million native fish annually, mostly Murray cod and golden perch. The next milestone will be construction of a $3 million Visitor Centre, complete with fish-themed playground, fish out pond and interactive displays. To learn more about the Go Fishing Victoria plan, including how we recently stocked a record 10 million fish, visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/gofishingvic

Go Fishing Victoria More people fishing, more often

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

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Great start to winter BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Wow, that’s all I can say. What a way to end our autumn fishing and start off our winter fishing around the Ballarat and Central Highlands region of Victoria. Anglers have been truly blessed with some excellent weather and fishing over the past month. Great reports have been coming from

Moorabool has definitely seen angler numbers increase, with reports filtering through social media, magazines and word of mouth that the trout have been on the bite. A couple of months ago you would hardly see a car there, but now you will see up to half a dozen cars at every access point. I’m sure the fish have now seen every fly and lure going around, but they are still willing to eat them, as Nathan Angee can attest. On a recent dawn

anyway). There are plenty of smaller fish around the 35-45cm mark that will not spawn this year, which will still provide us with some winter fishing action. Water levels are now dropping slowly, exposing plenty of weed, which will make fishing a challenge in some areas. We have been very lucky that Moorabool has basically remained full for the best part of a year now, which has provided us with

Nathan Angee landed this 8lb brown trout on a Bent Minnow lure at Moorabool Reservoir. Image courtesy of Nathan Angee. It’s been a similar story with the yabby population. There are yabby holes everywhere in the water; they have taken advantage of the higher water levels moving into the shallows, and no doubt they will be breeding up in numbers as

well. Trout and redfin love to eat them, so it’s a win-win situation for all. Lake Wendouree has seen plenty of angler activity over the last month, with catches reported from both land-based and boat anglers. Wendouree, like

Brown nymphs and shaving brush fly patterns, once again we look forward to the spring months when our hatches start once again. The trout and redfin in Wendouree have been very active over the past month as they normally do at this

Lake Wendouree produced some big reds for Trev Holmes casting Bent Minnow lures. Image courtesy of Trev Holmes. most of our local fisheries, and fingers crossed that will continue in the coming weeks. I recommend that you hit the water and make the most of the opportunities while you can, as I’m sure our cold, dreary weather will not be too far away. Moorabool Reservoir has been fishing exceptionally well over the past couple of months. The mayfly hatches were excellent and now just a distant memory. Anglers did cash in on them whilst they lasted, with some rippers being caught. I cashed in myself, landing my new Australian PB on fly with a brown of just over 4kg on a small brown nymph at the start of a mayfly hatch one session. This brown was in magnificent condition and tested myself and my gear out during a lengthy battle. We took a few photos and she was released for someone to enjoy the challenge of catching her. During another session I landed seven trout – a mixture of browns and rainbows in varying sizes, generally 40-45cm. I caught them on a brown nymph, once again during the mayfly hatch. It shows the importance of offering the fish exactly what they are feeding on. I, like other fly fishers, can’t wait for spring to come and the return of the mayfly hatches. 88

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patrol Nathan was casting Bent Minnow surface lures around the edges when he nailed two brown trout in two casts, one being 5lb and the other 8lb. After a few happy snaps both browns were released to fight another day. Nathan mentioned it was one of the maddest 20 minutes of fishing he’d ever had, and one he’d never forget. At Moorabool the fishing will slow down over the coming months, as the trout will start to focus on spawning (the bigger ones,

excellent fishing. The high water levels have provided the reservoir’s aquatic life with nutrient-rich fertile water and ground, which has resulted in population explosions of aquatic life over the past year. This has never been more evident than when I talk about the mayfly hatches. I have never seen so many nymphs (the subsurface stage of the mayfly) swimming in the water, under rocks, logs and sticks, and the trout responded in kind.

Joel Smith is still shaking after landing this magnificent rainbow whilst fishing for redfin at Tullaroop recently. It was caught on a pearl white ZMan 2.5” GrubZ. Image courtesy of Joel Smith.

Wayne Rigg landed this 59cm brown trout whilst casting Bent Minnow surface lures. Image courtesy of Wayne Rigg.

Moorabool, saw the mayfly hatches last a lot longer than in previous years. They were also in large numbers, and the fish were willing and eager to eat them. Over the past few years the trout have been a little hesitant to eat the mayfly off the surface, preferring to eat them subsurface before they hatch. This could be because of the birds, mainly seagulls, which feed on them off the surface. The birds aren’t very graceful when they pick the mayfly off the water, and actually scare or put the fish down. Other birds like swallows and terns hardly make any disturbance at all, and don’t seem to worry the fish. I fished the dunn hatch on quite a few occasions landing some nice-sized brown and rainbow trout in varying sizes 40-45cm on

time of the year. There have been plenty of reports of some excellent sized trout and redfin being caught on a variety of lures, with the standout being the Bent Minnow surface lures which are ideal for Wendouree. Myself and my son Maxi have been hitting Wendouree frequently landing some ripper browns up to 55cm and plenty of smaller redfin up to 35cm, casting lures out of a drifting boat. Wayne Rigg and Trev Holmes have been out on the local as they call it (Wendouree) nailing some absolute rippers, casting once again bent minnows. Trev on one trip caught a bag full of big redfin, which included two big reds that measured in the high 40s size. Rigzy wasn’t going to be outdone by Trev To page 89

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Tricky but rewarding BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

Fishing at this time of the year is not for the faint-hearted. If anyone tells you that winter fishing is easy, they are probably fooling themselves and you. So why do we fish at this time of year? The answer is simple: while the fishing may not be easy, it can be very rewarding. It’s often not about the numbers of fish anglers catch, but the quality of the fish being landed. LAKE EPPALOCK The water levels have steadied in Lake Eppalock in recent weeks. The irrigation season has now finished, so we should hopefully see the amount of water being released from the lake reduce over the next couple of months. At the time of writing this report Lake Eppalock was at 48% of capacity. The region has received a good amount of rain, which has been welcomed by farmers and anglers alike. The water catchments for Lake Eppalock are not quite saturated yet, but they are well on the way. If the area continues to receive some good rainfall, it won’t be too long before we start to see water levels rise in the Upper Coliban, Lauriston and Malmsbury impoundments. When these impoundments reach near capacity, this is when Lake Eppalock benefits from increased inflows. It may be several months before this occurs (if it does occur) but the early signs are very good that we may see good From page 88

on that trip he landed a ripping 59cm brown trout as well as a couple of smaller models. Lake Wendouree will continue to fish well for at least another month, I believe for the trout really focus on their natural urge to breed spawn, however due to the stocking program by Victorian Fishing Authority we should see the smaller trout 40-45cm model provide us with some excellent winter fishing due to them not wanting or needing to spawn this year. Tullaroop Reservoir has still been producing some good bags of redfin for those anglers who have been chasing them; they have been caught mainly on vibes and jigs. Redfin catches will slow right down during the winter months. This, I believe, is due to a couple of factors. First, anglers stop chasing

inflows into Lake Eppalock during winter and spring. The fishing at Lake Eppalock over the last month has been steady. Redfin continue to make up a large proportion of anglers’ catch rates. Trolling deep diving hardbody lures and casting and retrieving soft plastics have been the most popular techniques. Anglers vertically jigging ice jigs and blades have also been getting reasonable numbers of redfin. There continues to be some quality golden perch being caught. The numbers haven’t been high but the average size of the fish has been good. On another positive note, there have been small numbers of Murray cod measuring up to 75cm being landed. CAMPASPE RIVER With the recent rainfall the water clarity had reduced in the Campaspe River. However, now the irrigation season is over and reduced flows should be coming down the river system, we should start to see water clarity improve again. How long the water clarity improves depends on the amount of rainfall the catchment receives over the next couple of months. Over the last month there have been reasonable captures of both golden perch and Murray cod. There have been low numbers of redfin being landed, with the majority of these being small in size. During this month there will be a significant drop in water temperature. As temps continue to fall, we see a migration of bait and larger fish

moving into deeper water. For those anglers who walk the banks and fish the shallow sections of the river system, the fishing can become very tough. If you are walking the banks, a good tip is to concentrate your fishing efforts in areas where the water is deeper. This can often be on the outside of a bend, where over the years the current has created a deep hole. Good lure options for the Murray cod have been surface lures, swimbaits, spinnerbaits and large lipless crankbaits. Good lure options for the golden perch have been small lipless crankbaits and medium-sized hardbody lures. CAIRN CURRAN Water levels have also steadied in Cairn Curran over recent weeks. The water clarity remains pretty good but it’s cleanest in the bottom half of the reservoir. The catchments for Cairn Curran don’t currently have the same moisture levels as the Lake Eppalock catchments have. This is because at this stage the rainfall has been less in this area. However, there is still a very good potential for early inflows to be coming into Cairn Curran over the next couple of months. The productivity has been good at this location over the last month. Reasonable numbers of golden perch, redfin and Murray cod have been caught at this location. With the rapidly cooling water temps in June, the productivity in the golden perch fishing will reduce significantly. The numbers of Murray cod will also reduce, but it’s

a great time of year to catch a quality Murray cod. The consistency of the Murray cod fishing continues to improve in this location, due to good fish stocking from Victorian fisheries. There will be a small number of keen anglers putting in the time to land a quality Murray cod. It’s a great time of year to think about spending some time targeting the trout population in this location as well. Cairn Curran has received some reasonable trout stocking over the last few seasons. The numbers of trout being caught in this location has not been great over the last few years. However, with the improved water clarity currently in this reservoir, conditions are a lot more favourable this season. Whether it is trolling small hardbody lures, winged lures or bait fishing off the bank with worms, corn or gents, if you put the time in there are some quality trout here waiting to be caught. LODDON RIVER The fishing in the

Loddon River continues to be good but not easy. The system is definitely feeling the effects of a large amount of fishing pressure over the last six months. There are a lot of educated fish here which have seen many lure presentations. I reckon some of the smarter fish would nearly be able to tell you the brand names on the lures as the swim by. As always, if you are fishing a location that receives a lot of fishing pressure, it’s a good idea to present the fish with lure presentations that they are not familiar with. That may be a lure in a new colour or different swimming action, different rattle etc. The water temperatures can cool quite quickly like the Campaspe River system often does at this time of the year. The same trends happen in the Loddon River as the Campaspe River. The productivity of the fishing in the shallower water reduces, and greater concentrations of bait and larger fish can then be

found in the deeper sections of the system. Trolling large hardbody lures and large, heavy spinnerbaits can be a great tactic for targeting a large Murray cod in the system. Over the past month the productivity of surface lures has been very good due to the recent hatches of bardi moths. As this food source reduces in the coming weeks, and water temperatures continue to cool, the numbers of Murray cod being caught on surface lures will reduce. However, this style of fishing is still a good tactic when targeting a large Murray cod. Fishing with swimbaits is also a great technique when targeting Murray cod at this time of year. Some quality golden perch have been landed at this location lately, but like other systems the productivity in the golden perch fishing will reduce during June. Still, if you put in the hard yards, the rewards are there for the taking.

them because it’s too cold for some, and second, the yabbies slow down in the cooling water. Yabbies are

the redfin’s main food source. Joel Smith has targeted the redfin at Tullaroop over the past few months. He

prefers to cast soft plastics for the reddies, and on one of his most recent trips he was casting a pearl white

ZMan 2.5” GrubZ at a weed bed when something nailed it and took off at a rate of knots, peeling line off his reel. Joel thought, “this is not a redfin” when all of a sudden a rainbow trout launched itself out of the water. Joel was shaking at the knees at the sight of this fish, and lots of thoughts started running through his mind: “Will my line break?” “Will my knots hold?” etc. He managed to pull himself together and took his time, and eventually landed a magnificent rainbow trout. He didn’t have a brag mat or scales, but I estimate the fish to be somewhere around the 3kg mark. After a few photos the rainbow was released, with Joel still shaking! Winter time on Tullaroop over the past couple of years has been an excellent time to chase trout. They generally move in around the edges/ weed beds feeding on smelt/ small baitfish, and hopefully

this year is no different. I have ventured over to Tullaroop a couple of times over the past month, trying my luck walking the shores casting lures. I have been able to land some nice little rainbows and browns ranging from 35-40cm on Bent Minnow lures and wasabi spoons. I did encounter the samesized rainbow trout that Joel Smith caught, but unfortunately my hooks didn’t hang on long enough. When I hooked into this beast and it launched out of the water, I thought, “Wow, how big is that thing!” but unfortunately, we parted ways at the same time. The experience has made me very keen to head back and try and catch one of those big rainbows. On my trips I haven’t seen any trout smelting but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before I do, which I am looking forward to.

This 71cm Murray cod was caught on a 6th Sense Trace Swimbait slow rolled along the edge of a stump in 8ft of water.

Moorabool Reservoir gave the author a new PB on fly: a 4kg brown trout.

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Cray fishing season WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

Welcome to June and welcome to winter. Many of the more popular fishing activities have slowed right down, or even stopped by June,

the Queens Birthday long weekend, so you only have a week or two at the start of the month to get your trout fishing fix in. In that time, the trout fishing can be very hit-andmiss because most brown trout are already spawning and it can be hard to entice

fishing from boats in June, as it is every year, but at 94% capacity, and with over 3.6 million megalitres in storage as I type, there will be plenty of room for people to disperse. I didn’t realise Lake Dartmouth was so full until I just searched it up while writing this

Crayfish are subject to a minimum and maximum size limit. This crayfish was 20mm oversize and had to be returned last winter.

Terry Alexander caught this Murray cod in late May last year at Lake Buffalo. This lake will be worth fishing for Murray cod, and even redfin, in June. but some species are still biting and we have a new species to target in June: the Murray crayfish. MURRAY COD For the common angler, the Murray cod fishing is usually quite slow during June. Most of my regular fishing spots have slowed right down, and fishless trips far outnumber successful trips. By far the most reliable spot to go fishing for Murray cod in June is Lake Mulwala. Each year Lake Mulwala out-fishes the Ovens River in the cooler months. But there’s just one problem: Lake Mulwala is being drained this winter and access will be limited and difficult. Based on that, I suspect the Murray River downstream of Lake Mulwala will be the place to head during June. Or, perhaps Lake Buffalo might be worth a try. I caught a few Murray cod in Lake Buffalo last May while targeting redfin, so I think it will definitely be worth a try this June. The dedicated big cod specialists will be catching big fish during June. The Murray River between Lake Mulwala and Tocumwal is a hot spot, with many large cod caught there each winter by anglers keen on spending hours, and even days casting huge lures for that once-in-a-lifetime fish. Up here on the Ovens River though it is a different story, with very slow cod fishing in June. TROUT Trout season closes at midnight on the Monday of 90

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a strike with a lure. That being said, a larger lure may entice a strike from an aggressive trout. The good news is that the lakes do not close for the trout season. The whole

report. If the giant lake hits 100% this winter and spills over, it will be well worth a drive up there just to experience that. Later in June, just before the school holidays,

Murray cray fishing season opens on the 1st June and stays open all winter. Cray fishing can be cold and wet, but it’s a lot of fun. idea of having a closed trout season is to protect the spawning trout, and trout need running water to spawn. So after the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, it’s time to hit the lakes for our trout fishing fix. My favourite is Lake William Hovell. I love it up there. It can be very cold in winter, and to be fair I never catch a lot of trout up there in winter, but it’s a special spot to sit with a thermos and a couple of bait fishing rods while waiting for or a nibble. A bit further away is Lake Dartmouth, the king of trout fishing lakes in Victoria. It will be very popular with people trout

Victorian Fisheries will stock catchable-sized rainbow trout into the region’s many familyfriendly waterways. I will have more to say about that in next month’s report. REDFIN Redfin can still be caught in June in some places. They can be harder to find, and catches are usually a lot less, however June can be a great time to catch the really big redfin. Both Lake Buffalo and Lake William Hovell have been known to produce the odd June monster redfin. A lot of dedication usually goes into catching them, but they are definitely there for those willing to brave the cold and risk fishless trips. These monster redfin are not a common catch, which makes them even more special for those who do manage to tangle up with a few. For the best part though, the redfin fishing will be really slow in June. Last June I caught a few tiny redfin on worms at Lake William Hovell while targeting trout from the banks, and Lake Hume fished quite well for redfin, but that was about it. YELLOWBELLY Yellowbelly in June… forget it. They will turn up

occasionally as a by-catch in the Ovens River, but on the whole June is a very slow month for yellowbelly fishing in North East Victoria. Redfin tend to

Murray crayfish can be caught in many waters in North East Victoria during winter. They have a 3-month open season, and that is the three

A carp caught at sunrise at Lake Moodemere last winter. still bite, albeit slowly, in winter but the yellowbelly tend to disappear off the face of the earth until the weather starts to warm up. OTHER SPECIES It’s cray fishing season.

A 40cm redfin caught at Lake William Hovell recently. These big fish can still be caught up there in June.

winter months. I love cray fishing and am excited to head back out again, although this wet year we are experiencing could throw a spanner in the works. I am unsure where I will go at this stage. For anybody planning on heading out cray fishing, it is always a great idea to refresh yourself with the cray fishing rules as they are usually the most complicated. And lastly, the ever so despised European carp will also be on my hit list this June. My favourite winter fishing destination for them is Lake Moodemere. Once again, if the Murray River floods, this option may become unavailable to me, but I’m sure I’ll be able to find somewhere to go carp fishing. I have even been known to fish for them in table drains on the sides of roads in wet years.

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Little snacks for cod SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

After some rain in late April/early May we saw a little natural rise in the Broken River, and with that came a great bite period. The water was settled for a while but it may dirty up, so it’s good to use bigger lures and baits so they have more presence in the water. Single bladed Old Mates are perfect in dirty water, and so are the vibration bladed Pirate Spinnerbaits. Bait fishing will still be a great method this month, with baits like chicken, cheese and scrub worms best after these rises.

Downstream of both weirs will be areas to target, as well as the Junction where the river runs into the Goulburn River. The topwater bite has not dropped away this past month and should continue after the flush of water. Bassman Aussie Crawlers and Jackall Pompadours have been the standouts lately. GOULBURN RIVER It was a successful Easter Classic for the Toolamba Fishing Club, and by all reports everything went well both on and off the water. There were some huge fish caught, showing that the Goulburn River is a premier destination for cod fishing. Brendan Leitch caught a 121cm monster cod to take

This huge cod was caught on a ZX40 by Cooper in the irrigation channels.

out the Biggest Cod for the event, with some other fish measuring in around the 80cm mark. Since the environmental flows the Goulburn has fished well not only in Toolamba, but also Murchison, Arcadia, Shepparton and Undera areas. Old Mates and Codgers worked well for those trolling, and TN60 Jackalls have been productive for anglers chasing yellowbelly on the cast. Worms and chicken were the stand-out baits over the Easter period, with plenty of legal cod reported. WARANGA BASIN Trolling bright coloured lures yet again has been successful in recent weeks, with heaps of fish being caught over Easter. There were plenty of small fish but also some 30cm+ redfin caught. The caravan park and main rock wall were stand-out areas, with Harrimans being a little quiet, mostly due to boat traffic. There is some great news for those who launch at Harrimans, with works underway to improve the high-level boat ramp. The 155m ramp will be doubled in width and have its gradient adjusted to ensure better accessibility. The works are expected to be complete by mid-May. During this time, there will be some minor

The biggest cod in the Toolamba Fishing Club’s Easter Classic was this 121cm beast caught by Brendan Leitch. access delays at Harrimans Point and an increase in heavy vehicles in the area. The low-level boat ramp (pictured below) will remain accessible. Other alternatives include Sapling Point boat ramp and the Waranga Basin Western Channel boat ramp. IRRIGATION CHANNELS Wowee, there has been a giant 1m+ channel cod caught recently, and no it wasn’t on a big cod lure it was on a little ZX40 blade, fished by young Cooper. These blades just catch fish, and it goes to show how good the hooks and rings are on

the lures as there have been many 1m+ cod caught on the blades in many different water ways. These blades can be retrieved in many different ways, including a slow roll, hop and roll, fast burn or even vertically. If you’re not into throwing blades, then cheese and worms will be your best bet in the coming weeks. SHEPPARTON LAKE The weed chopper has been very active at the Shepparton Lake over the past few weeks so hopefully this makes fishing access a lot easier for us all leading into winter.

There have been a few reports of trout being caught on small spinners and divers, and redfin have also been caught on fly and bait at the rowing club boat ramp. Those fishing the deeper water have caught yellowbelly trolling TN50s along the rowing markers. The trout are slowly starting to take baits under floats. Powerbait or worms about 30cm under a float have been working the best. The grass hill and skate park boat ramp has always been a bait fishing stand out area, and we would expect this winter to be the same.

Final trout fix as season closes WEST/SOUTH GIPPSLAND

Billy Auldist

The fishing in our region is slowly starting to taper off this month, as the cold weather and high flows make it tricky for a South West Gippsland angler to find their quarry. The trout season closes on the 14th, and things might start to shut down for a while, but there are ways around this. The fishing in the La Trobe, Toorongo and Loch rivers around Noojee has still been worthwhile, however most anglers aren’t experiencing the same numbers being caught as in our warmer months. The same spinners and hardbodies are catching fish, along with small soft plastics rigged on a light jighead. When the water gets up a little, there is success being found using an anchored bait like a worm or grasshopper. There have been a few rainbow trout getting around Noojee, which is a bit more unusual for our area – a welcomed bycatch by most anglers.

The Blue Rock Reservoir has gone a bit quiet on the bass front lately with the cold temperatures. Anglers are still catching a bass here and there but at a very slow rate. There are still redfin to be caught in the lake when using hardbodies or vibes in

the timber. It’s a great time to head out and do some trolling on the lake if you are a boat owner; trolling Tassie Devils or similar winged lures throughout the lake is sure to turn up a trout or two. The Bunyip and Tarago rivers are still producing fish,

A typical West Gippsland trout.

and will continue to do so until the season closes. Most of the trout being caught are on brightly-coloured hardbody or soft plastic lures, which the trout seem to hit out of aggression. Some of the larger trout in our region are found in these two rivers, so they are definitely worth a look. They both hold numbers of blackfish also, which can be a handy option once the trout season shuts. When fishing for a blackfish you can’t go past a worm or small yabby as bait. Either of these with a small splitshot sinker is your best bet. An important notice is that the Victorian trout season closes on the 14th of this month. It is important we remember this and let them rest during the off season. There are still plenty of options like redfin, carp and blackfish in our region when anglers need a fishing fix. Local estate dams hold redfin and carp, it’s just a matter of trying a few. Using small soft plastics will surely turn up a redfin, whilst bait fishing might be the better option for a carp. Most rivers and creeks in our region will hold blackfish, and finding a deep hole and fishing it on

Matt Bow Shows off an impressive redfin caught while casting a spinner. dark is an ideal situation. With this cold weather, higher flows and the closure of trout season upon us, there is no doubt the fishing in South West Gippsland is going to shut down over the next few months.

However, while many anglers hang up the rod for a few months, there is still opportunity for keen anglers to catch a fish. Feel free to send in a report or picture to billy. auldist@gmail.com. JUNE 2022

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Great competition catches EILDON

Peter Burtchell

Cooler temperatures increase the distance that sound travels. This provides an advantage for the angler who tentatively listens for that familiar surface-breaking action that large, surface-

your chances of hooking into that fish of a lifetime. Anglers trolling for trout are generally distanced from the Murray cod anglers, with the former targeting the open waters and the latter hugging the banks and inlets of the lake. This provides an opportunity to find a nice, quiet space to concentrate

Charlie was excited to catch his first ever yellowbelly. first return to Lake Eildon. Kate was a presenter at this year’s Victorian Fisheries Authority’s Codference

place went to an overall 256cm of fish caught over the 7-day event by Simon Lowe and daughter Haylee.

Ravi and son enjoying a day on the water.

Daniel and son with a nice, healthy Murray cod. feeding Murray cod produce during winter. Many anglers prefer this time of year for chasing trophy Murray cod as there are minimal ski boats and jet skis on the water. Another benefit is the big cod are finding it harder to find prey, because the smaller fish in the lake are hibernating. This increases

your fishing skills on where the fish will be. One seasoned campaigner, Kate Norman, knows the tactics of these larger fish very well. Kate was out of action during most of summer and autumn with the birth of her first child, but she made up for that lost fishing time with a cracking fish on her Kate Norman enjoyed her return to Lake Eildon.

Relax and enjoy delicious food and warm hospitality.

Open for breakfast from 6am 7 days a week (Closed Mother’s Day)

Coffee Light meals Pastries Cakes Bread 10 Main St, Eildon Victoria 3713 03 5774 2362 0438 881 629 92

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where her talk about location preparation and how to target these fish in safety was well received. Her angling set-up is just as impressive, with a Venom Swim Bait rod, Concept A3 reel with Custom Gomexus 120mm Handle, and Megabass Vatalion as the attraction. Late autumn saw an influx of school holiday visitors to the lake, and many young anglers joined their parents in the Easter Fishing Competition hosted at the Jerusalem Creek Marina and Holiday Park. The competition was well supported by the Victorian Fisheries Authority, who provided showbags for all competitors. 60 anglers in total participated, with a total of 23 fish caught. First

It was not all about winning though – it was time in the outdoors, connecting with nature and having fun that took centre stage. Due to the popularity of the event it will again be hosted during the winter school holidays from 2-10 July. To sign up or obtain more details of this familyfriendly event, simply send an email to peter@ equipmentstrategicservices .com. June is both the beginning of the Murray cray and trout fishing seasons. Murray cray abound in the lake, with many anglers opting to use drop nets to bide the time between their planned fishing session in order to catch one of these amazing crustaceans.

Average rainfall is predicted for this winter, so anglers will need to be prepared with rainproof and warm clothing for when the lake turns rough. The rain will keep the rivers running hard with the spawning trout heading upstream, and smelt and other species following the current into the lake, providing a much-needed food source for the larger winterfeeding Murray cod. In the July report we will be covering the Lake Eildon Fishing Challenge and Lake Eildon Cod Masters events. This year has seen an increase in the number of great Australian businesses funding the events, which have now become an annual tradition for many anglers. The organisers and To page 93

The young fella awaiting the next hit.

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Lake Mulwala is empty! YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

As the ink is drying on this report, the plug has been pulled from the mighty Lake Mulwala. This ‘drawdown’ of approximately 5m (15ft) is done for several reasons, primarily to try to get some frosts onto the ever-increasing weed to kill it off. Also, it allows for remedial work to be done to both the weir and other lake structures, piers, jetties, retaining walls and so forth. The lake will remain emptied until early August when it will be filled once again. For those who haven’t seen the lake empty, it’s certainly worth a visit. It can give you a completely different perspective on how you would fish the lake once filled again. Access is very limited, with the ramp at the Yacht Club being the last ‘usable ramp until the water has gone

from that also. The river below the weir remains fishable. Traditionally during the cooler months catch rates reduce, but overall, the size of cod caught greatly increases. The trend nowadays is surface fishing. You are sure to see numerous great fish taken out of the river by those prepared to put in time on either a cool, crisp evening or chilly morning. Looking back, April was very productive with many visitors over the Easter and school holiday periods. Many people tried their hand both in the lake and downstream in the river. To mention everybody who supplied us with reports would fill many pages, but a special mention goes to a couple of young fellas. First up is local lad Riley Bone. Riley came in-store and purchased a Jackall Doozer on the boss’s recommendation. Hitting the lake, Riley came up trumps almost immediately, with his new

purchase being engulfed by a 102cm beauty. Next up was a young fella from around the Nathalia way, Hugh Stone. I was lucky enough to meet Hugh and his father when they came in-store for a look around. Having never caught a cod off the surface, I invited both back when conditions were spot-on a few nights later. Unbelievably, Hugh’s second cast was hit by a smaller cod. After missing five hits off the top, Hugh hooked up and landed a 60cm beauty. To say he was happy was an understatement. For those planning an assault on the Murray crays this season, keep in mind you can only target them from 1 June through to 31 August. As per usual, effort will be rewarded with return. Make sure you are fully up to speed on bag, size and net limits before you head out. If you’re visiting town, call into Lake Mulwala

Hugh Stone with a 60cm cod taken off the surface. Fish Camp & Ski, the shop with the big green cod out the front (opposite the Post Office) in Mulwala or our Yarrawonga store located between Rivers and One Zac in the main street,

Yarrawonga and say g’day. We’re Yarrawonga/ M u l w a l a ’s fishing specialists, and specialise in all things ‘green’! For any information on the upcoming events or

fishing reports, give us a hoy on 03 5744 3133. For the most up-to-date report on Lake Mulwala, check out the Lake Mulwala Fish Camp Ski Facebook page.

Brag-worthy fish bags CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Despite the algae in Bullen Merri, some boaters have done well in the Chinook salmon department. Flat line trolling or static bait fishing in 8-10m depth has seen a variety of salmon caught all in various weights and measurements. Lofty’s Cobra winged lures and cut pilchard have been the favourite choice attractant for some. The From page 92

committees cannot thank the sponsors enough for their support of the fishing

odd rainbow approaching 2kg has also been caught. Remember it’s best not to eat any fish taken from a waterway that has algal blooms. It’s simply not worth the risk of consuming the fish then ending up sick. Unfortunately, most of our lakes and rivers currently have an outbreak, and only cold weather and plenty of rainfall will put a halt to this. Lake Purrumbete continues to provide some but not all boaters and anglers with quality fish. It can be tough work, but every fish landed is worthy

of a mention. Trout to almost 5kg have been landed by the lucky few here in recent weeks but you never know, next time it could be you. There are plenty of redfin taken casting, on the troll as well as at depth, jigging. Any time these methods are employed you should be aware that something bigger could very well come along. Two or so years ago whilst jigging for reddies, I hooked up to and eventually landed a rainbow trout just shy of 2kg just off the bottom in 18m depth. The year before, whilst trolling a medium

events, which contribute to making Lake Eildon such a great fishing destination. A full list of sponsors for

the Lake Eildon Fishing Challenge can be found at lakeeildonfishingchallenge. com. Similar info can be found for the Lake Eildon Cod Masters on their Facebook page. • For more information on fishing events at Lake Eildon you can contact the Jerusalem Creek Marina & Holiday Park, a friendly, family-orientated annuals cabin park, that makes the perfect home away from home. If you’re visiting Lake Eildon you can opt to hire one of their floating apartments (Boatels), hire a fishing vessel, visit the tackle store or book a guided fishing tour. For more information on all of these services and other attractions in the area, visit jerusalemcreek.com. au, give them a call on (03) 5774 2585 or email info@ jerusalemcreek.com.au.

Steven Grindley opens his account with a nice brown trout.

A 1.5kg Chinook salmon from Lake Purrumbete taken on an OSP Bent Minnow in gold. Image courtesy of Shane Stevens.

diving lure out from the bank at 11am on a hot, sunny morning and the water was like glass, I thought, “I am well and truly wasting my time” and then the rod went off. It took probably 15 minutes of playing the fish before I finally landed an 8lb 6oz Chinook salmon. It goes to show that fishing, by and large, comes down to patience and perseverance. Eventually that trophy fish will come your way. In saying that, good friend and fishing pal, Shane Stevens from Ballarat recently paid a visit to the lake and managed two great fish for the trip, both taken on OSP Bent Minnows in the gold colour. The first fish was a tiger trout that pulled the scales down to 2.5kg, and it was followed by a Chinook

salmon weighing 1.5kg. The weather is slowly but surely becoming cooler as we approach winter, but we could do with more rainfall down our way. This

will help get rid of any algal blooms and raise water levels and flow. As far as the salmonid fishery goes, this should only keep improving.

Shane Stevens with a 2.5kg tiger trout from Purrumbete. JUNE 2022

No signs of slowing down WIRF

Cara Cummings

As we roll into winter, we would expect fishing across the state to slow down, but this is not the case. Saltwater fishing is still firing, and doesn’t show signs of easing up. The freshwater scene is exciting for those who chase the winter Murray cod, and I suspect we are going to see some absolute beasts caught this season. HOOKED ON PORTLAND This fabulous annual event, run in partnership

cooking whilst Lee Rayner and I showed the quick easy home cooking of our own ‘catch and cook’. The kids’ clinics went well, with a wrasse and grass whiting caught, along with plenty of sweep and Tommy’s (herring) to see.” Robyn Grellet ended up having a much more adventurous weekend than she had anticipated. “I arrived in Portland on the Friday night, ready to run the WIRF stand at Hooked on Portland festival,” she said. “I took my Hobie kayak with the plan to hopefully get some fishing in. As I was parking my boat trailer, I happened

The ladies after their successful fishing trip. to meet the rest of the crew. The weekend was already off to a great start. “The next morning, we set

It wasn’t long before we had our first double hook-up on deep divers in about 50m of water. Mima and I reeled in the first two while Tibby and Jerry manned the Go Pros and gaff. Jerry and I then reeled in the next two, and I was

Amy Day with her calamari catch.

The Bass Coast WIRF local catch-up squidding session at San Remo, hosted by WIRF Leader Amanda Keilar. with the Victorian Fisheries Authority and Glenelg Shire Council, celebrates the fantastic fishing and seafood

to run in to Mima from ‘Happy Fisherman’. Mima was thrilled to see a fellow fisherwoman and invited me

Shea Bloom with her PB Aussie salmon. the south-west region has to offer. Hooked on Portland provided a jam-packed day, with fishing clinics, seafood cooking demos, markets, kids’ educational activities, live music, food trucks and fishing celebs! WIRF leaders Michelle Brittain and Robyn Grellet were busy bees over the weekend with manning the WIRF stand, helping with fishing clinics and assisting with live cooking demos. “The weather certainly turned on for the weekend,” Michelle said. “Plenty of people came down for all the fun. I’m a huge fan of Paul West from ‘River Cottage’ who showed us the ‘fancy’ 94

JUNE 2022

up the WIRF stand at 8:30am and prepared the goody bags to hand out. It wasn’t long before the crowds arrived, and they were keen to learn all that ‘WIRF’ is about. I had my personal photo album that my mum had made for me, full of photos from my past four years of fishing. People were delighted to flick through the album, and my moto for the day was, ‘If I can get out on my kayak by myself fishing, so can you!’ “Sunday morning, I was invited to go on board with Mima, Tibby and Jerry from ‘Happy Fisherman’ to try and catch my first ever tuna. We headed out past Laurence Rock at about 10am and looked for signs of birds working the water.

Amanda Keilar with her first Kingfish caught inside Western Port Bay. granted the pleasure of reeling in another three. We landed a total of seven tuna before heading back in, where I learnt how to fillet and prepare the tuna for eating. “That night they taught me how to make tuna steaks the ‘Happy Fisherman’ way. “Happy Fisherman have a wonderful YouTube channel that you should check out, as they happily share very useful information, locations,

and experience with their viewers. I cannot thank them enough for the opportunity to go out with them and get onto some beautiful tuna. We also got to see a gorgeous pod of dolphins that swam and played in the boat’s wake. The footage from my adventure will soon be available to view in a new episode of Happy Fisherman coming soon.” WIRF/OZFISH EVENT A collaborative event

The cooking demos and fishing clinics were popular at Hooked on Portland.

between Ladies Fishing Charters, San Remo, OzFish, WIRF, Bass Coast & South Gippsland WIRF Locals, BCF and Reel Big Fish Project proved much fun for all. Amanda Keilar (Ladies Fishing Charters and WIRF Leader) said it was a memorable event. “We had a fabulous weekend of fishing, friendship, fun, food, music and prizes,” Amanda said. “We discussed and brainstormed the Westernport habitat along with future plans to help look after it, and had a tour of the magnificent coastline at Cape Woolamai and came across a frenzy of big salmon. There was a videographer onboard and we look forward to seeing his work. “I highly recommend the valuable work that OzFish does to make local fishing grounds healthier and more productive. If you are interested in giving back to your fishing hobby and improving, restoring, and protecting fish habitat, look up OzFish Unlimited, join and get involved. They are planning on starting a Westernport Chapter and would love to have you on board!” WIRF LOCALS Our local groups have kicked off and are currently underway. These are small groups run by our leaders across Victoria to run clinics and catch-ups in their areas. The response and feedback has been wonderful and it’s great to be actively out and about running these interactive events, not only to encourage and teach but to also make new friends who share the same passion. These catch-ups are open to people of all levels of fishing experience. So far, local catch-ups have been held across the Bass Coast, North Metro, South Metro, Bellarine and Bendigo regions. For updates

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Robyn with her first ever tuna.

and future events, details Amanda Keilar. groups/womenrecfishing/, can be found on the WIRF • To stay up to date and see @wirfnetwork Instagram what else has been happening page or via the VFA website/ ROCKLEAFacebook group. NORTH ROCKHAMPTON The Bass Coast WIRF within the network and for Facebook page. Are you a BRISBANE BOATING & LEISURE RIFEN BOATS local catch-up squidding upcoming events, please WIRF member? If not, we’d 1713 Ipswich Dooley North Rockhampton sessionRoad at Rocklea San Remo, head 6 to our Street Facebook love to have you on board! P: (07) 3875 4927 9150 hosted1600 by WIRF Leader groupP: (07) www.facebook.com/ Join us on FB today. E: sales@kareemarine.com.au E: rifen.boats@bigpond.com RECIPES THAT ARE ‘WIRF’ ITW: www.rifenboats.com.au W: www.kareemarine.com.au

Tasty Fish Wellington

NORTHERN GOLD COAST AIRLIE BEACH ONSHORE MARINE WHITSUNDAY OUTBOARD CENTRE INGREDIENTS Horizon Shores Marina Woongoolba 17 William Murray Drive and allow to Cannonvale cool. (SERVES 4) 5. Placing P: (07) 5546 2480 P: (07) 4946 7286 one sheet of pastry on a 600g fillet trout/salmon flat surface, spoon the spinach mix E: onshoremarine@ozemail.com.au E: woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au Salt and pepper onto the middle and spread out so W: www.onshoremarine.com.au W: www.whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au 1/2 red onion, diced it’s approximately the same size as 250g cream cheese, chopped your fish. Ensure there is a good 5cm EVERTON HILLS 4 cups baby spinach leaves KARUMBA margin within the pastry. HOLT MARINE JONES MARINE 1 tbsp sumac 6. Place your fish on top of the mix and egg,Everton whiskedHills brushKarumba the edges of the pastry with 25 Queens 1 Road 30 Yappar Street 2 sheets puff pastry the egg. P: (07) 3353 1928 P: (07) 4745 9159 7. Cover with the top sheet of pastry E: info@holtmarine.com.au E: jonglo@bigpond.com and crease the edges together, W: www.holtmarine.com.au W: www.jonesmarine.com.au METHOD pushing out any trapped air. Fold the 1. Season the fish with salt and pepper edges to seal the pastry together. CAPALABA and set aside. IPSWICH8. Transfer to a lined baking tray. 2. Heat the oil in a hot pan, and IPSWICH sauté 9.MARINE Make a criss-cross pattern across the MIKES MARINE the onion until soft, turn the heat top of the wellington using a sharp knife. 9 Smith Street Capalaba 45 Huxham Street Raceview down to medium and add in the 10. Brush the egg over the top of the P: (07) 3390 3418 P: 07 3294 3944 cream cheese. pastry. E: sales@mikesmarine.com.au E: stir enquiries@ipswichmarine.com.au 3. Once the cheese has softened, 11. Bake in a pre-heated oven at through the sumac. 220°C for 25-35 min. W: www.mikesmarine.com.au W: www.ipswichmarine.com.au 4. Add in the spinach and mix well COAST *As seen weekly on Ch 31’s ‘Talking Fishing’ SLACKS CREEKuntil leaves have wilted and are GOLD well combined. heat TV show or catch up via YouTube. AUSTRALIAN MARINE CENTRE Remove from TR MARINE

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NOOSAVILLE SUNSHINE COAST MARINE 122 Eumundi Road Noosaville P: (07) 5449 7633 E: sales@sunshinecoastmarine.com.au W: www.sunshinecoastmarine.com.au

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ALBERTON ALBERTON MARINE 39 Johnson Street Alberton P: (03) 5183 2344 F: (03) 5183 2219 W: albertonmarine.com.au MELBOURNE BL MARINE 612- 614 Plenty Road Preston P: (03) 9478 1420 F: (03) 9470 4638 W: blmarine.com.au SHEPPARTON BOATS AND MORE 207 Numurkah Road Shepparton P: (03) 5822 2108 F: (03) 5821 2908 W: boatsandmore.com.au

MELBOURNE MELBOURNE MARINE CENTRE 92 Hallam South Road Hallam P: (03) 9703 2003 W: melbournemarine.com.au MORNINGTON PENINSULA MY MARINE Cnr Nepean Highway & Ponderosa Place Dromana P: (03) 5987 0900 W: mymarine.com.au MORNINGTON PENINSULA NAUTICAL MARINE 141 Hotham Road Sorrento P: (03) 5984 1666 E: info@nauticalmarine.com.au W: nauticalmarine.com.au

MORWELL CRAWFORD MARINE 71-77 Chickerell Street Morwell P: (03) 5134 6522 F: (03) 5134 6455 W: crawfordmarine.com.au

TOORADIN P&J MARINE SERVICE CENTRE P/L 101 Tooradin Station Road Tooradin P: (03) 5998 3107 E: pjmarine_services@bigpond.com

ECHUCA EADES XTREME MARINE 24 Sturt Street Echuca P: (03) 5482 2333 F: (03) 5482 2133 W: xtrememarine.net.au

MELBOURNE TRIPLE M MARINE 117 Northgate Drive Thomastown P: (03) 9465 8787 F: (03) 9466 1418 W: triplemmarine.com.au

BRAESIDE JV MARINE WORLD 878 Springvale Road Braeside P: (03) 9798 8883 F: (03) 9798 7554 W: jvmarine.com.au

JUNE 2022

East Coast Bream Series Rd 2

The second round of the East Coast Bream Series, proudly sponsored by Shimano, was held at Lake Macquarie on 18 April. Round one was unfortunately moved back to June, so anglers were glad to be back on the water so soon. Competitors who arrived on Friday were greeted by strong winds all day. This was matched to Saturday’s constant rain that refused to give respite to anglers. However, Sunday finally broke the streak of bad weather and anglers woke to bright sunshine with a slight

breeze – a perfect day to go fishing! The final event numbers were down from previous years with only 37 registered for the start, but most teams found fish with 13 teams registering over 3kg bags. Most teams realised early on that the edge bite was off, so most anglers found their fish in deeper water. First place getters were Vex Performance Lures, consisting of David Dobson and Simon McAlpin. The pair were excited about their

First Place: Vex Performance Lures David Dobson and Simon McAlpin

winning bag of 5 fish for 4.39kg, and declared they had a great day on the water. “We caught fish all day, and most were accounted for on Vex Bread N Butter 35 in shrimp pattern. We also caught a few smaller fish on ZMan Slim SwimZ. We were very happy with our catch and even happier to finish in first place. Thanks to organisers and for running the event.” The Biggest Bream prize went to Team ZMan Okuma Tosland Building, Gary Brown and David Tosland, who caught a monster

RESULTS Place 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th

Team Vex Performance Lures BST/Ghost Recon Lures McBarron Construction B & F Fishing Daydreamers Compleat Angler/Garmin Team ABU Garcia/Euinrude On the Chew Shimano/Lowrance Bassnhcips

specimen of 1.34kg. The East Coast Bream Series organisers, the Western Sydney Bream & Bass group, would like to thank Shimano for sponsoring this round. A special thanks also goes to Mark Healey who represented them and presented the prize money at the end of the day. Great to have an AFC Champion attending our event. Full results can be found on website www.wsbb.com. au. Congratulations to all the prize winners and we look forward to the rest of the year. – Alan Newton, WSBB

Second Place: BST/Ghost Recon Lures Adam Amos and Adam Martin

Third: McBarron Construction Jarryd McBarron and Brendon Spinks

www.wsbb.com.au

Anglers David Dobson, Simon McAlpin Adam Amos, Adam Martin Jarryd McBarron, Brendon Spinks Matt Babbage, Rod Ford Rashid Ammoun, Khalid Aja Dane Tomaszewski, Dane Tribbia Cannizzaro, Codie Stewart Tim Staunton, Brock Harmer Mark Healey Matthew Starr, Damien Skeen

Fish 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5 5/5

Weight(kg) 4.39 4.08 3.77 3.67 3.61 3.44 3.35 3.31 3.30 3.25

Payout $2000 $1000 $500 $300

OOD SPO GSW RTS KIN

East Coast Bream Series 96

JUNE 2022

Fouth: B & F Fishing Matt Babbage and Rod Ford

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BREAM SERIES presented by

Crompton cruises to St Helens with Day 1 bag Mark Crompton missed the first two rounds of the Daiwa BREAM Series this year because his new boat wasn’t ready. Instead of rushing it, he focussed on getting it right for the Tasmanian leg of the tour and hit paydirt in both of the events. After winning a paycheque in the Derwent, he finished first at St Helens in Georges Bay and christened the new Mercury-powered rig in style. In the process, he won $3,000 plus an extra $250 for being the highest placed Mercury owner. Here’s how he did it.

Mark Crompton and his son, Alvey, check one of dad’s winning fish. This is what all breamers want: cash, novelty cheques and a cool Joseph Urquhart trophy for the mantelpiece.

Jesse Rotin bagged out in all Tassie boat events as a non-boater. COMPTON’S BIG BAG Day 1: 5/5, 5.38kg Day 2: 5/5, 4.09kg Day one saw the lake fish as well as we have ever seen it fish in the history on ABT visiting, with a majority of the field registering a limit over 3.5kg. There was only one 5kg+ bag, though, and that belonged to Crompton, with a mix of flats and rack fish giving him a 1.1kg average and a half-kilo lead over the rest of the field. “I made my Day 2 plan on the morning, where I chatted to some kayakers about to launch and I bribed them with a couple of packets of BaitJunkie plastics not to fish the bridge. I was the first boat out and knew I could get a decent fish or two there,” Mark said. The plan worked to

perfection, with his first stop yielding a kilo-class fish from the pylons. “After that I fished around the boats near the bridge and ended up with four fish. There was a real session under the fish and chip shop, with a boil of trevally being fed, but there

that his 4kg class bag wasn’t enough to get the job done, but in the end he easily outdistanced a consistent Alan Lister by over 500g to take the trophy. Crompton’s main pattern involved flicking soft plastic stick baits on the flats, in particular the Hurricane Sprat, which he fished on a TT 1/24 and 1/32oz jighead with a prototype Daiwa rod, Daiwa Revelry reel and Saltiga braid. Crompton’s a particular fan of the Daiwa J-Thread fluorocarbon (main line) in 4lb as leader for the setup. He uses 2.5 rod lengths. “It’s a complicated, simple technique, that’s more than letting the lure sink to the weed and then flicking it up,” Crommo continued, “I have boxes of the same bait graded in different hues of the same colour and I work out exactly what the

JUNE 2022

Scan the QR code to watch the Non- Boater Winner Interview

Scan the QR code to watch the Boater Winner Interview

were a couple of decent bream in there as well,” Crompton continued. Leaving the start zone with 4 fish, it took him a couple of stops to fill his bag with the 5th. After a few small upgrades, he thought

David Shanahan transitions well between kayak and boat events and is currently leading the Non Boater Angler of the Year race.

BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Brendan Ayres landed the Buck-n-Big Bream of the event. A 1.62kg monster that made him $500 richer.

Angler Mark Crompton Alan Lister Mario Vukic Adam Crick Steve Pryke Peter Nord Byron Hill Shane Ling Josh Williams Peter Breukel

Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 8/10 10/10 8/10 8/10 9/10

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 9.470 8.910 8.580 8.070 7.840 7.160 7.160 7.150 7.110 7.090

fish want on the day.” Nobody can argue with the results. LISTER’S CONSISTENCY BAGS SECOND Day 1: 5/5, 4.65kg Day 2: 5/5, 4.26kg ACT’s Alan Lister is an arborist by day, but a real contender on the Daiwa BREAM Tour on the weekends. Indeed, his four events that he fished on the Tassie Tour (two boat and two Hobie kayak events) results in four top 10 finishes – a remarkable feat. Two of those finishes were second places, the most recent of them the final event of the tour at St Helens. Each day, Lister started just metres after crossing the start line and bagged several quality fish in 3-16ft of water using a jighead rigged ZMan motor-oil grub and a

Payout $3,000 + $250 Mercury bonus $1,500 + $125 Mercury bonus $1,000 + $75 Mercury bonus $750 $600 $500

BREAM SERIES presented by Hurricane Sprat on a 1/8oz TT 1/0L jighead. After the tide rose more, he ventured to the flats to fill his bag and upgrade. His bags each day were over 4kg. My main spot was a flat in the back of Molting Bay where I threw a LuckyCraft Flash Minnow, but my non-boater, Tani Konsul, was crushing me on a Scan the QR code to watch the Day 1 Highlights

Zipbait Rigge 66. At the end of each day, I’d finish on a flat near the mouth close to deep water that was too shallow to get a boat on. I’d make long casts with the wind and hold the rod high to find the balance between keeping the lure in the water and getting it snagged. The bream here were big and mean, with several burying Alan in the weed. On Day 2 it took until this last spot to bag his 5th fish. Alan’s outfits consist of a mix of Daiwa Aird, AirdX and Excelers matched with various rods, including a 7” G2 Loomis. He fishes 10lb Castaway braid and Sunline

Shanahan was another angler who fished all four Tasmanian rounds, kayaks and boat. After a strong finish at the Derwent, David stepped up to win his first non-boater trophy at St Helens, refining a flats pattern in the process and leading the non-boater AOY in the process. Fishing with Zane Wyatt and Shane Ling, Shanahan explained that part of the motivation for fishing as a non-boater was the opportunity to learn from his boaters, and he drew two locals who knew what to do. Fishing a Murasame

Shane Ling and Jordan Armstrong enjoyed their time catching Tassie’s big black bream. fish each at 3pm (end of session was 5pm), but a drift across the edge of the racks and into open water gave him several important upgrades. After four events, David now leads the non-boater Angler of the Year race with 387/400

Scan the QR code to watch the Day 2 Highlights

points, with a gap of 15 points over the everconsistent Stuart Walker.

Canberra arborist, Alan Lister scored a couple of second places on the Apple Isle – one in a kayak and one as a boater at St Helens. back up,” he said. And the bream liked the method. David and Zane fished the front of the system on Day 1 and David landed just 4 fish. On Day 2, he and Shane had just one

Lister’s pair of 4kg+ bags reflected his consistency across the entire Tasmanian tour.

BUCK-N-BASS BIG BREAM

In 2022, non-boaters are fishing for a three-fish limit. FC 4lb leaders. “I’ve loved Tassie since I started coming here in 2016,” Al concluded, “Where I got a second place in the Derwent comp. It’s been good to me.” SHANAHAN WINS AND TAKES AOY LEAD Day 1: 3/3, 2.89kg Day 2: 3/3, 2.83kg Victorian David

6’3” rod with a 2016 Certate spooled with 6lb Silver Thread braid and 4lb FC Rock leader, Dave used the popular Hurricane Sprat 75 in machete colour, rigging it on a light HWS jighead to slow down the sink. “I was afraid of getting snagged in the weed all of the time, so as soon as it hit the bottom I’d pop the bait

Brendan Ayres landed the event’s Buck-n-Big Bream on Day one of the events at 1.62kg. It ate a Squidgy bio-tough bait on a clear flat to the south of town. He won $500 and some Buck-n-Bass gear for his efforts.

NON- BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Angler David Shanahan Jesse Rotin Stuart Walker William Thorpe Michael Sammut Neil Kelly Xabi Kumar Allan Lavell John Parkinson Jarrad Stevens

Fish 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 4/6

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 5.720 5.210 5.110 4.950 4.680 3.990 3.970 3.940 3.940 3.550

Payout Daiwa pack Daiwa pack Daiwa pack Samaki pack Samaki pack Atomic pack ProLure pack Rapala pack Ecogear pack Keitech pack JUNE 2022

BREAM SERIES presented by

Crick wins with day 2 Derwent bomb Try talking to Adam Crick about Ralph’s Bay in the Derwent ABT Daiwa BREAM Series arena and he goes all quiet. Mention a camera and it’s like he doesn’t speak English anymore. It’s a big, open bay to the south of Hobart that’s been fished by plenty of ABT BREAM competitors over the years but has been mastered by only a few. Adam Crick, however, has been known to drop a massive bag on the scales on the second day of a Derwent BREAM event. He’s done it before and he did it again in 2022, adding a near 6kg bag to his Day 1 total to win the Daiwa sponsored event by nearly a kilogram over his closest rival. We have extracted as

Adam just loves the ABT novelty cheques.” They’re better than a trophy,” he said. He’s got a few now.

Ralphs Bay specimen. Locals call it “Issac colour”. And the one tied to his winning rod had copped a fair hiding. “It’s a pretty standard twitch-and-pause technique. The slower the better,” Adam explained. It’s Crick’s second ABT win on the Derwent and we’re sure he will be a force in future visits to the island. WYATTS FIRST LIMITS PAY OFF Launceston’s Zane Wyattdidn’t catch a limit on any of the four tournament days the last time ABT visited Tassie in 2020 - just before the great COVID toilet paper rush. The Mercury dealer from CJ Marine upgraded his boat for this version and had done his practice. His remarkably consistent sub-5kg limits

Nobody could argue as he dropped 5.99kg - including the 1.50kg Buck-n-Big bream onto the scales and registered another 7th to first place effort. Crick’s tackle included a BX Custom 7’, 2-4kg rod (a little heavier than most), Daiwa Steez reel, Sunline 10lb braided line and 4lb V Hard fluorocarbon leader. And the bait was a Smith Panish DD in a colour replicated from a Scan the QR code to watch the Non- Boater Winner Interview

Rhys Harris reckons that the Derwent is the best river in the world.

Liam Carruthers makes the Tassie Tour a family affair. much information as we could for this report. Day 1: 5/5, 4.68kg Day 2: 5/5, 5.99kg The Derwent event was an event of two, different days. A little breezy and cloudy on Day 1 and sunny and calm on Day two. The conditions on the first day didn’t pay massive rewards for Crick. Weighing a little over 4.5kg, he sat in 7th place. When the river calmed off on Day 2, Ralphs still had a little breeze and the sunny conditions suited Adam’s sight fishing style.

Scan the QR code to watch the Boater Winner Interview

It was game-on with big bream biting jerkbaits in the clear water. “I probably saw 90% of my fish eat the bait in the clear water,” Crick said, “and Ralphs always gets a little bit of wind, even if it’s calm in the Derwent, so the conditions suited me on the second day.”

Launceston Mercury dealer, Zane Wyatt didn’t catch a limit the last time ABT visited in 2020. In 2022, his opening event yielded 10/10 and second place!

BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 100

JUNE 2022

Angler Adam Crick Zane Wyatt Steve Morgan Declan Betts Dylan Loh Mark Crompton Steve Pryke Josh Williams Peter Nord Alan Lister

Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 10.670kg 9.790kg 9.710kg 9.13kg 9.090kg 8.980kg 8.840kg 8.760kg 8.650kg 8.520kg

Payout $3,000 + $500 Big Bream $1,300 + $250 Mercury bonus $900 + $125 Mercury Bonus $800 + $75 Mercury bonus $700 $600 $500

BREAM SERIES presented by topped the field of anglers who stayed in the Derwent river itself. Day 1: 5/5, 4.90kg Day 2: 5/5, 4.89kg Apart from being theMrFix-It for the boat side of the tour, Wyatt milked fish fish from a run of spots up the Derwent river proper between the Tasman Bridge and Otago. Most of his bag fish Scan the QR code to watch the Day 1 Highlights

came on jerkbaits - including the ZipBait Rigge 70mm in a purple/orange belly colour. He fished with non-boater Champion, Jarrad Stevens on Day 1 and ended up finding a ‘magic pontoon’ that afternoon. “We pulled up to this spot and Jarrad said that it looked ideal for an EcogearAqua,” Zane said, “trouble was, he didn’t have one. I did, though and he showed me how to use them. Jarrad pulled a great fish off it on Day 1 and I caught two, key upgrades off it on Day 2.” Who Shares Wins. Zane’s gear consisted of a Black Hold NS1 Micro (7’, light) with a Daiwa Luvias 2500S LT reel loaded with 8lb Siglon braid and a 4lm Siglon FC Rock leader. “I concentrated on banksearly that were in the shade. With the tide high I found that the fish would stay up and biting longer in these conditions,” Zane continued. At the end of the day, though, he was stoked with his

first, two ABT limits, a $1,300 paycheque and an extra $250 for being the highest placing Mercury owner in the field. STEVENS BACK TO WIN Western Australia’s Jarrad Stevens had takes a break from ABT events, with nearly a decade on the sidelines, but the keen breamer couldn’t resist the temptation of Tasmania, which has always been on his bucket list. Comfortable with black bream from the south-west of the country, Jarrad’s skills transferred seamlessly to win on his very first trip to the Derwent. With the new 3-fish

Stevens concluded that the event was all about having fun fishing, rather than treating it as a serious tournament. Have fun, share the knowledge and the fish will come. Amen!

Scan the QR code to watch the Day 2 Highlights

All the way from WA to Hobart - Jarrad Stevens’ WA breaming skills held him in good stead on the Derwent. This was his first win from the back-of-the-boat. non-boater bag, kicker fish are as important as ever. Jarrad averaged over a kiloper-fish on the way to his 6/6, 6.22kg bag. Being a non-boater

Isaac Harris’ big Day 2 bag wasn’t enough to catch WA’s Jarras Stevens.

NON- BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Declan Betts (left), Zane Wyatt (middle) and Steve Morgan (right) enjoyed the Mercury Bonus money.

Angler Jarrad Stevens Isaac Harris Jesse Rotin Simon Morley Jack Morris Ruth Beeby Stuart Walker Andrew Breward David Shanahan Leighton Beer

Fish 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6

means that you have to adjust for different locations and conditions each day and Stevens fished upstream on Day 1 and downstream on Day 2. His kicker fish on the first day came off the same shagfilled pontoon that helped Wyatt to a 2nd place in the boater division, but most of fis other fish came on a jerkbait - in particular the shallow 70mm ZipBait Rigge in a silver/olive colour. He made long casts with his Duffrods Crank-n-Bones Jr rod, Daiwa Freams 2000 reel and 6lb braid and two rod lengths of 4lb leader. “It was important to make long casts - especially on day 2 in the clear water,” Stevens said, “and that bigger bait probably didn’t get bit as much, but it did get me the distance to get the bigger bites.” And the results speak for themselves.

It was fitting for the Mercury dealer to win the Mercury bonus. The top three Merc owners win extra cash.

BUCK-N-BASS BIG BREAM

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 6.220kg 6.130kg 5.680kg 5.580kg 5.330kg 5.320kg 5.220kg 5.010kg 5.000kg 4.800kg

Payout Daiwa Pack Daiwa Pack Daiwa Pack Samaki pack Samaki pack Atomic pack ProLure pack Rapala pack Ecogear pack Keitech pack

Part of Adam Crick’s monster final-day bag included the $500 Buck-n-Big Bream. The 1.5kg, sandy coloured fish ate a jerkbait in Ralphs Bay and looked like a “solid kilo fish” as it slid into the net. It ended up measuring just over 40cm and anchored Adam’s bag. JUNE 2022

101

BASS SERIES presented by

Clarence River a post-flood success The 2022 13 Fishing BASS pro AOY race is beginning to heat up with NSW angler Mitchell Cone winning his second event for the season, the Maui Jim round five qualifier on the Clarence River. In a year that hasn’t seen him finish outside the top Scan the QR code to watch the Boater winner interview

five so far, he’s managed to snatch back the AOY lead by a few points over good mate Matthew Langford – the pair alone have won every BASS qualifier this year with Langford winning three and Cone winning two, to make for one of the most competitive years we have seen in a while.

however this year due to recent flooding the fish have pushed further downstream chasing an abundance of bait in the form of prawns. This made the decision to head downstream on practice day an easy one for Cone. “There’s two ferries downstream and everyone knows if only one ferry is running, the bass school up under the stationary one so that’s where I chose to focus my practice. There, and the reef at Maclean throwing blades,” he explained. Sticking to the old adage ‘no run, no fun’, the current became a key factor for the weekend for when he chose to fish his spots. With the reef being located on a point, it had a lot more current than the banks did, especially in the mornings when the tide wasn’t running as hard. As such, he chose to spend the first few hours

His second win for the year puts boater Mitchell Cone on top of the AOY leaderboard after some other consistently high placings. Can he fend off good mate Matt Langford and stop the AOY three-peat? the bass can hold tight and wait for food to come to them,” he explained. The technique required some casting accuracy tight to the structure with his Millerods Blade Freak and Daiwa Tatula 150 combo being is go-to. All the bait needed was a slow roll back to the boat with

the occasional pause when it bumped the structure and when they needed extracting, 15lb Daiwa J braid and 12lb Daiwa J thread leader made sure they got to the boat. Tournaments can be won and lost on a decision and Cone made plenty of the right ones. “I nearly didn’t make the move back

The gentleman’s sport – first place non boater Adam Mears (right) shakes hands with second place Tommy Wood who briefly held the lead on day 2 but fell just short of chasing down Mears’ lead after his monster 5kg day one bag. SECOND WIN OF THE YEAR FOR CONE Although he won’t admit it, Mitch cone can now consider himself a river rat through and through as he tore away from the field by almost 2kg in his second win for the season. Typically the Clarence qualifier rounds have been won either in the far reaches of the main river or the Coldstream River,

Scan the QR code to watch the Non-boater winner interview

of each session on the reef throwing a Damiki Vault 42 Blade in pink gill colour and filling his bag until the tide began to run hard and he could fish his good bank that

he’d been saving for the right time in the tide. In the last few hours of each session, Cone moved to the bank that he’d been saving and switching to an OSP Blitz MR crankbait in chartreuse colour, and was able to consistently upgrade as the tide began to run hard. “I was targeting shallow pockets of laydown timber, or what I like to call a ‘current break’, somewhere

BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 102

JUNE 2022

Angler Mitchell Cone Steve Morgan Nick Andersen Bill Latimer Simon Wilson Braden Schuch Anthony Duff Mick Johnson Brian Everingham Mark Lennox

Fish 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 9/10 10/10 10/10 9/10 9/10 10/10

Second place boater, Steve Morgan came close to being able to call himself a BREAM, BASS and BARRA guy. Morgan actually used patterns found in the bream grand final on the Clarence River last year to fool the bass this year.

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 14.415 12.864 10.953 10.876 10.770 10.548 10.277 10.255 9.865 9.740

Payout $3500 + $250 1st Merc bonus $1600 + $125 2nd Merc bonus $1200 $1000 + $75 3rd Merc bonus $800 $600 $500 Buck n’ Big bass

BASS SERIES presented by to my good bank after I caught a 42 and 43 forker off the reef but I did go and ended up catching 6 or so more fish including the 45 fork length kicker,” he explained about the decision to fish his good bank late in the session. MORGAN JERKBAITS TO SECOND PLACE Steve Morgan’s already won a BREAM and BARRA event in the last 12 months and was keen to add a BASS Pro trophy to the list. Ultimately, though, he fell over a kilogram short of Cone. “I saw on the leaderboard that Mitch hadn’t submitted a fish all day, so he was likely out of range, so I didn’t get too excited when I started driving back to the finish Scan the QR code to watch the Day 2 Highlights

on top of the leaderboard,” Morgan said. The live scoreboard allows competitors to know exactly who is catching what in real-time. Steve’s plan was pretty simple – refine a pattern on the reef at Maclean that he’d sampled at the BREAM Grand Final in

December 2021. “In the BREAM event, I’d catch lots of bream on the shallow areas of reef if I could get a crankbait or jerkbait deep enough to Scan the QR code to watch the Day 1 Highlights

impact the rock. This was in 6ft of water or less. Cast into the deeper water off the edges and we were catching solid bass. Those fish were suspending in 10-20ft of water off the edges of the reef,” he explained. He avoided the bass in the BREAM event, but reversed the pattern to catch them in the BASS version. Spot-locking off the edge of the reef, he could see fish actively feeding – both off the surface and on the Garmin LiveScope. The freshwater and strong currents from recent flooding helped the prawns get stirred up as they got caught in the structure upwelling and both the birds and fish were taking advantage. “I rotated through a few baits on practice day, but settled on a Daiwa Spike 53SP jerkbait in a couple of colours, suji prawn and brown suji UV. Cast them

up current and either roll or twitch them down across it,” he said. Morgan caught around 15 legal fish on day one and a dozen on the final day. He delivered the presentation on a Daiwa Infeet bream rods (7’8” and 6’8”) and a combinations of Freams, Exceler and Exist reels spooled with 6lb Sufix and J-Braid with a 7lb Yamatoyo Chinu Harris leader. “The LiveScope in Perspective view was pretty important for me,” Morgan said, “I could see the fish out to the sides of the boat and target them with confidence. Several times I could see the fish charge and eat the bait and that’s fun fishing,” he concluded. MEARS MAYHEM ON THE CLARENCE BASS Bouncing straight off the Corcoran Park dock and straight into first place, Tamworthian Adam Mears claimed his first ABT Victory from the back of the boat after a cracking day one bag to the tune of 5.003kg for just three fish. This put him leaps and bounds ahead of the competition for day two where he was able to fight off second place Tommy wood to win by over half a kilogram. Mears’ day one boater Simon Wilson chose to fish the shallow reef at Maclean

Mitchell Cone found a lot of his upgrades on a bank loaded with laydown timber, he just had to wait for the tide to pick up later in the day for the bite to heat up.

NON- BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Angler Adam Mears Tommy Wood Brett Castle Tony Neal Anthony Melchior Benjamin Crispin Sean White Nigel White Troy Parsons Jake Hardie

Fish 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 5/6 6/6 6/6

Weight(kg) 7.753 7.182 6.774 6.671 6.473 6.132 5.991 5.927 5.759 5.757

A Clarence River pony, all it needs is a saddle! Boater Mick Johnson landed this 2.344kg fish on an OSP Dunk on day two to claim an extra $500 cash. This fish hit Mick’s personal scales at just a tad over 3kg. (the same reef as mentioned by Morgon) in the first session, a roughly 2m deep rocky section of river that the bass were hunting prawns up onto and feeding on with the strong current and dirty water. To fish the shallow water, Mears chose a crankbait in the form of a deep-diving Jackall Chubby in brown suji shrimp colour. “The fish were facing into the current so I’d make a long cast up and across the current about 45º and begin a slow roll back in, bumping the lure into the bottom,” Mears said, adding that the fish were so actively feeding close to the surface sometimes they would eat the lure as it hit the water. Tuning into this technique accounted for his whopping day one bag, which saw him break his personal best twice, the second time being a 1.910kg beast. “I’d never even seen bass that thick before in my life, I was over the moon,” said Mears of his Saturday bag. He found the best rod and reel combo for the task

to be a Millerods XFLC at 7’3” and 2-4kg paired with the smooth drag of a Shimano Stradic FL, which could cast a light crankbait a long way yet still have the power to turn those almost 2kg bass and get them into deeper water. 8lb Berkley braid and 8lb Ocea leader was the braid and leader combination for the whole weekend. In line with what Steve Morgan had to say regarding LiveScope, Mears – fishing for the first time with it this weekend – found it a definite advantage when he could see the fish following his lures on his boater’s sounder. Thanks to the hospitality of his boater on day two (local Anthony Duff), Mears was able to fill his bag in the last 20 minutes of day two to put himself back in front and take the lead gaining an automatic entry into the Grand Final back on the Clarence River in October. BUCK N’ BIG BASS PRIZE The event’s $500 Big Bass prize went to Mick Johnson for his 49cm, 2.344kg giant that ate an OSP Dunk.

Full results at abt.org.au

Payout RAPALA prize pack + 13 Fishing Concept reel RAPALA prize pack + $250 1st place RAPALA Bonus Bassman prize pack $125 2nd place RAPALA bonus Maui Jim prize pack + $75 3rd place RAPALA bonus Molix prize pack Prolure prize pack Keitech prize pack Maui Jim vip card Toadfish prize pack JUNE 2022

103

INDT 2022 World Sooty Championship comp In the week leading up to the INDT 2022 World Sooty Championship Mackay experienced rain and gusty windy conditions, which are not ideal to stage the event. However, the last 20km or so to the dam was dry and dusty. At Eungella Dam the MAFSA volunteers erected all the gazebos and control tent area with intermittent misty rain showers coming across. Saturday morning, 100 anglers fronted up for the last of the registration and the briefing on rules. Then at 8:30am, 59 boats from 3.7m tinnies to full blown ‘BASS’ boats roared off up the dam as the general opinion was ‘fish the timber’. By 9 o’clock, defending champion Nick Moore had two scoring fish for 805 points and Will Simms kicked off

size of 389mm. The most popular lure seemed to have been a white grub and senior winner Ricky Wetherall used either the grub or a Jackal TN60,

Craig Birkett from INDT with World Champion Ricky Wetherall and junior champion Balin Tweddle. his tournament with a beaut 460mm sooty, for 460 points. Despite that good start the fishing was very tough in the cold, windy and misty rain conditions. Most competitors found fish on their sounders or live scopes but the sooties were not playing the game. During session one, 30 seniors and two juniors scored fish. Five seniors bought in three fish, and the biggest for the seniors was a 490mm sooty caught by Jack Hislop. Balin Tweddle presented two fish in the junior division scoring 791 points while the biggest sooty for the juniors was a 466mm fish caught by Darcy McFarlane. Saturday afternoon, session two, saw Ricky Wetherall and Nick Moore get into upgrade territory having presented seven fish each by the end of the session. Only 46 points separated them at first and second place. In the juniors, both Balin Tweddle and Darcy McFarlane caught one fish to take their respective scores to 1209 and 805 points. Largest fish for session two was taken out by Dakota 104

JUNE 2022

decided to stay in the main basin area and fish the points targeting fish he picked up on either side scan or down scan. All eyes were on Ricky and Nick Moore, but Ricky managed three fish for the session while Nick most unusually drew a donut which let a couple of other anglers move up the ladder. Shane Snell and Geoff Newby landed one fish each but the big improver was Mick Slade who has almost always been among the top scoring anglers. Mick Slade scored two good fish for the session to increase his score by 860 points. Meanwhile things were hotting up in the juniors with Darcy Mcfarlane adding two fish to his overnight total and Balin Tweddle bought in one for the session. Cohen Olsen scored two fish, one a 508mm

2022 World Sooty Champion angler was declared to be Ricky Wetherall with a score of 2581 and second place went to Mick Slade only 14 points behind on 2567. Shane Snell came in 3rd place with a score of 2449. In the juniors Balin Tweddle emulated his older brother’s feat from 2019

All fish are kept live in an above ground pool at the event and William Swan places another one in the pool.

Dan Curry looks pleased with his 501mm sooty grunter caught in the INDT World Sooty Championship.

MRC Councillor Belinda Hassan releasing some of the 20,000 sooties stocked into Eungella dam. Norgate at 476mm. Sunday morning saw brighter weather and a slight easing of the wind and again most boats headed for the timber. Ricky Wetherall though

specimen that was the largest fish for the session. Isaac Mcfarlane and Jesse Sheehy scored a fish each. Final tallies were checked and rechecked and the INDT

when he took out the junior division champion with 1699 points with Darcy Mcfarlane runner up with 1597 points from Cohen Olsen on 889 points from two fish. The full score sheet is available via MAFSA Facebook page along with plenty of photos and posts of the event. Biggest sooty for each session was awarded as follows: session one, Jack Hislop 490mm; session two, Dakota Norgate 476mm; and, session three, Cohen Olsen 508mm. 52 anglers out of 100 nominations scored fish and a total of 141 fish measuring a collective total of 54,792mm gave an average

while junior champion Balin Tweddle used either a pearl ZMan Grub or a green 80mm Raid vibe. After session two on Saturday afternoon, 20,000

sooty fingerlings were released in the dam making a total of 80,000 stocked this year. The very lively fish were again supplied by Bass, Barra and Barcoo (Redgate Fish Farm) and MAFSA enlisted Councillors Justin Englert and Belinda Hassan and what seemed like dozens of kids to help with the release. Fun times for everyone involved. All competitors enjoyed the event regardless of the tough fishing and most will return next year. This was a great effort by MAFSA to organise and staff the event, and a huge thank you to all the sponsors. A full list of the sponsors can be seen among the posts on MAFSA Facebook page. Planning starts now for the 2023 event, so lock it into your calendars. – Keith Day

Junior angler Cohen Olsen with the biggest sooty of the tournament, a whopping 508mm specimen.

Pirtek Challenge creates new world record It was another huge year for the world’s biggest fishing competition! 11,711 anglers fished the Pirtek Fishing Challenge over the weekend of 23-24 April 2022 creating a new world record. Fishing commenced at sunrise and concluded at sunset on both days of the competition. Anglers had until 7am on Monday 25 April to upload their fish photograph to the website for judging. With over $280,000 in cash and prizes to be won there were thousands of

keen anglers trying their luck in waterways across Australia and doing battle with the weather conditions in some areas. A huge thanks goes out to our partners Pirtek, Berkley, BCF, Stacer, ABU Garcia, Lowrance, Valvoline, Sea-Doo, Club Marine, Minn Kota, BAR Group and Mako Eyewear who have put up the cash and prizes for the winning brag mat entries, mystery length prizes and the hugely popular On The Water prize draw. With entrants from every Australian State and

Territory, the Challenge is a major fundraising initiative assisting to raise funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) and the Peter Duncan Neurosciences Research Unit, with over $1,400,000 being donated over the last 14 years. There were some impressive fish caught, including several barramundi over the magic metre mark; cracking trout in Tasmania; huge flathead in New South Wales and some thumping big Murray cod throughout the Murray Darling Basin.

Pirtek provides $88,000 cash, which is divided between 22 mystery length target fish, providing all entrants with the opportunity to win big without necessarily catching the largest fish. One of the highlights of the Challenge is the On The Water prize draw and this year’s major winner was Gary McIver who won the Stacer 469 Outlaw boat/motor/trailer package thanks to Stacer valued at over $39,000. Second place went to Rory Burton who will take home a Sea-Doo FishPro Scout valued at over

$22,000; and third place to Ronald Sutton who won the Club Marine Territory Striker boat/motor/trailer package valued at over $14,000. Tournament Director, Michael Guest, was delighted with the 2022 results. “Not only was it a record-breaking year overall but we had the highest number of junior anglers ever. It’s wonderful to see so many young fishos and families supporting the event. I’m extremely proud of the funds and awareness our competitors have raised for our charity partners this year.”

Pirtek Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Stephen Dutton, said the success of the Pirtek Fishing Challenge was something all his company’s staff, suppliers and franchisees could be enormously proud of. “It is hard to believe that the Pirtek Fishing Challenge has just completed its fourteenth year and we have again notched up record numbers,” said Dutton. The 15th Pirtek Fishing Challenge will be held in April 2023. For full results go to pirtekfishingchallenge. com.au. – Pirtek

Tournament Calendar 2022 JUNE 5 Jun

East Coast Bream Series R4

Hawkesbury River

NSW

wsbreambass@gmail.com

5-6 June

BASS Pro Cania Dam

Monto

QLD

www.abt.org.au

12 Jun

BASS Electric Lake Macdonald

Cooroy

QLD

www.abt.org.au

18-19 Jun

BREAM Tweed River

Fingal

QLD

www.abt.org.au

9-10 Jul

Humminbird BASS Electric Aus Open

Hinze Dam, Nerang

QLD

www.abt.org.au

16-17 Jul

Samaki BREAM Queensland Open

Brisbane

QLD

www.abt.org.au

27-28 Aug

Rapala BASS Australian Open

Somerset Dam

QLD

www.abt.org.au

28 Aug

East Coast Bream Series R1

Sydney Harbour

NSW

wsbreambass@gmail.com

9-11 Sep

Venom BARRA Aus Open Lake

Awoonga, Gladstone

QLD

www.abt.org.au

10 Sep

BASS Electric Wyaralong Dam

Beaudesert

QLD

www.abt.org.au

17-18 Sep

BREAM Gladstone

Gladstone

QLD

www.abt.org.au

18 Sep

East Coast Bream Series R5

Botany Bay

NSW

wsbreambass@gmail.com

3-4 Oct

BARRA Lake Tinaroo

Yungaburra

QLD

www.abt.org.au

5 Oct

BARRA Tinaroo (all night)

Yungaburra

QLD

www.abt.org.au

9 Oct

East Coast Bream Series GF

Sydney Harbour

NSW

wsbreambass@gmail.com

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

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. JUNE 2022

105

Valuable angler input

Recfishwest has received an excellent response to our west coast demersal survey so far as part of the first phase of a five-month consultation process to give recreational fishers the chance to have their say in the future of

members of the fishing community with significant interests and experience in this fishery. The expert working group is assessing ideas and feedback from the survey, and will provide advice about preferred management options.

Max Foley with a thumping Geographe Bay pinkie. the fishery. The survey wrapped up on 29 April, and Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland thanked everyone who had their say. “The survey will help us understand your preferences for potential management approaches — as well as hearing any other ideas you may have about how the sustainability targets might be achieved,” said Dr Rowland. “This will help us develop our advice to DPIRD to inform their consultation process planned for June/July.”

economies. Recfishwest is pleased to see a dedicated focus on upgrading the State’s hatchery capacity to support our inland fisheries, said Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland. “We believe there is massive potential for expanding the trout stocking program and fishery, and commend DPIRD’s Aquatic Freshwater Research and Development team for championing this cause from within the Department,” he said. “Changing up the stocking regime, putting in place a more robust research program associated with it, exploring new potential freshwater/trout fishing locations and potential stocking of Aussie natives could evolve and secure the fishery well into the future, and could take pressure off some of our other fisheries. It’s

The Pemberton Freshwater Research Centre is in need of an upgrade to underpin the future evolution of WA’s freshwater fishery. good to see the Government recognise this potential and take steps to better understand the true value of the fishery, and give the Pemberton Freshwater Research Centre a long overdue upgrade.” Evolving freshwater stocking programs for the future The business case will look into developing plans for expanding the centre, which

Ben-Douglas with a dhufish from Rottnest Island. Image courtesy of Shaun Wieffering. includes upgrades to existing facilities such as ponds, the hatchery, management systems and offices, as well as the construction of a new trout yearling nursery to increase production and supply of fish stocks. The upgrades would support research that demonstrates how releasing larger fish improves survival rates and in turn, enhances recreational fishing experiences. It will also examine the feasibility of a new interactive educational tourism attraction and aquarium connecting the science and history of trout and marron fishing, along with the unique aquatic flora and fauna, of SouthWest forests. Fisheries Minister Don Punch said the investment will play a vital role in boosting freshwater fishing stocks, such as trout, and supporting important restocking programs. “Every year, more 450,000 trout are released across 75 South-West freshwater dams and rivers, with recreational fishers injecting more than $20 million annually into WA’s regional economies while on

trout fishing getaways,” he said. “By investing in this business case, the McGowan Government is investing in the future of the South-West and the world-class fishing experiences it has to offer.” KUNUNURRA BARRA STOCKING The Lake Kununurra Barramundi Stocking Group (LKBSG) has launched its new website – lakekununurrabarramundi. com.au – which is designed to help locals and travelling anglers catch more barra

Tom Howe with a lovely rainbow trout from near Pemberton. Image courtesy of Angus Line.

Recfishwest has always highlighted and celebrated the value of freshwater fishing in the South West, including through events like Troutfest. The consultation process follows DPIRD’s west coast demersal stock assessment which has shown that while there are some signs of recovery, west coast demersal stocks are not recovering fast enough to meet the 2030 sustainability target set in the recovery plan launched for these species in 2010. As part of the consultation process, Recfishwest has also set up a West Coast Demersal Expert Working Group, comprising of leading 106

JUNE 2022

BOOST FOR TROUT FISHERY The WA State Government has committed to undertaking an economic analysis of freshwater fishing in the South West, and to develop a business plan to upgrade DPIRD’s Pemberton Freshwater Research Centre. The plan, the Government says, is to boost trout stocking programs and related tourism across the South West, which injects more than $20 million annually into WA’s regional

from Lake Kununurra. The website, developed in partnership with Recfishwest, includes information about fishing the lake, including informative ‘how-to’ videos. It essentially has all the information needed to experience a barra fishing adventure of a lifetime in a safe, stunning East Kimberly setting. The ongoing Lake Kununurra stocking program has seen 1.3 million barramundi fingerlings released into the lake since

An ongoing stocking program sees barra like this regularly caught in Lake Kununurra.

2013, with 1m-plus barra now caught on a regular basis. The website was made possible by the State Government’s COVID recovery fishing package, which also included a three-year commitment to supporting the ongoing stocking of the lake. “It’s great to see the Government’s commitment to fish stocking programs like these which provide fantastic regional fishing experiences and an economic boost to local communities,” Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said. “In the case of Kununurra, anglers chasing barra inject an estimated $7.6 million annually into the local economy.”

South Coast

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…

Lots of choices in June INTUITIVE CONTROL

LIGHT, POWERFUL, DURABLE…

INTUITIVE CONTROL

ESPERANCE

Murray Johnson

Anglers in Esperance have been enjoying some good fishing despite the occasional winter conditions. We are seeing good catches coming from both land-based and offshore anglers in recent weeks. The Tanker Jetty in town is producing heaps of squid, with plenty of samples over a kilo. Size 3.5 jigs are the go, and the best colours are still lighter patterns, such as whites and light greens, with the clear waters allowing for plenty of sight casting. One of the more popular jigs at the moment is the Yamashita Live Search in acacia yellow, MELBOURNE ALBERTON which has a rattle for added MELBOURNE MARINE CENTRE ALBERTON MARINE attraction. Another good one 39 Johnson Street Alberton 92 Hallam South has been the Yo-Zuri Aurie A tasty nannygai caught onRoad a tripHallam with Blackjack (03) 5183 2344 colour P: Image (03) 9703 2003 Q P: Finace in BLRR Charters. courtesy of Blackjack Charters. (pink). F: (03)Squid 5183 tend 2219to come W: melbournemarine.com.au in W: groups, so leaving a jig paternoster rig using pilchard Anglers are also getting albertonmarine.com.au in the water white retrieving baits. The peak MORNINGTON good catches of big flathead. times are at PENINSULA another quite often results in dawn and dusk, or the end Flathead don’t mind chasing MY MARINE MELBOURNE catching multiple squid at of a rising tide. The average soft plastics, and they like CnrisNepean & MARINE theBL same time. size of the salmon around Highway lots of movement so we tend Ponderosa Dromana 612614 with Plenty the Roadsquid Preston4kg, with some Along modelsPlace to use a paddletail such as a 3” ZMan MinnowZ. there are9478 still1420 plenty of up to 7kg. P: (03) P: (03) 5987 0900 When conditions have herring being caught and lots The local beaches are F: (03) 9470 4638 W: mymarine.com.au of garfish too. We are also also producing plenty of allowed, boat-based anglers blmarine.com.au stillW:seeing the occasional herring, skippy around the have been picking up the MORNINGTON PENINSULA sweep and small skippy 1kg mark, the occasional occasional bluefin, and NAUTICAL MARINE SHEPPARTON being caught. plenty of garfish and herring tailor and gummy shark. 141 Hotham BOATS Tailor AND StreetMORE Jetty is still Samples of gummies in the bay. The local islands up to Road have been producing good Sorrento 207 Numurkah Road Shepparton numbers of queen snapper, P: (03) 5822 2108 P: (03) 5984 1666 groper, sweep and harlequin. F: (03) 5821 2908 E: info@nauticalmarine.com.au Heading out wide, there are W: boatsandmore.com.au W: nauticalmarine.com.au reports of lots of nannygai going 60cm, samsonfish TOORADIN MORWELL up to 20kg, plus queenies and breaksea. P&J MARINE SERVICE CENTRE P/LWe are also CRAWFORD MARINE still seeingTooradin the occasional 71-77 Chickerell Street Morwell 101 Tooradin Station Road yellowtail kingfish. P: (03) 5134 6522 P: (03) 5998 3107 Next month we will F: (03) 5134 6455 E: pjmarine_services@bigpond.com continue to see colder weather, which will result in W: crawfordmarine.com.au larger skippy being caught, ECHUCA MELBOURNE with samples going up to 7-8kg off the beach. Beaches EADES XTREME MARINE TRIPLE M MARINE such as Roses, 14 Mile and 24 Sturt Street Echuca 117 Northgate Drive Thomastown Thomas River are good P: (03) 5482 2333 P: (03) 9465 8787 spots to try. F: (03) 5482 2133 F: (03) 9466 1418 In the coming weeks we’ll also still see plenty W: xtrememarine.net.au W: triplemmarine.com.au of gummies being caught, as well as salmon. Colder BRAESIDE conditions will probably JV MARINE WORLD slow down the bream in 878 Springvale Road Braeside the lakes, but there should still be some good models P: (03) 9798 8883 to be caught. Also, when F: (03) 9798 7554 fishing off the jetty you W: jvmarine.com.au A nice gummy shark caught aboard Blackjack can encounter plenty of Charters. Image courtesy of Blackjack Charters. squid and garfish, which tend to hold all winter in producing the occasional 18kg+ have been reported good numbers. King George whiting from 14 Mile, Thomas River, • Established in 1986, with a few samples up to and Alexander Bay. There are Southern Sports and Tackle 35cm, along with the squid still plenty of bronze whalers specializes in the supply and herring. around, which continue to and servicing of fishing Moving to the beaches harass the salmon schools. equipment. They have an around town, we are still The best beaches for those extensive knowledge of the seeing plenty of salmon are Roses, Poison Creek and local area and provide all being caught, with returning Victoria Harbour. brands, whether you’re migrating fish from Perth Moving further out of fishing from beach, jetty or bolstering their numbers. town, heading to Israelite Bay boat. Come and chat to the Most fish are being caught there are plenty of gummy friendly staff at Shop 16, on slices like the Halco sharks, bronzies and small The Boulevard, Esperance Twisty, or on your standard mulloway being caught. or phone 08 9071 3022.

VIC MERCURY DEALERS

WA MERCURY DEALERS BUNBURY BLUEWATER MARINE 18 Hawkins Street BUNBURY P: (08) 9791 1499 F: (08) 9791 1497 E: bluwater@bigpond.net.au W: bluewatermarine.com.au MANDURAH MANDURAH OUTBOARDS 53 Gordon Road MANDURAH P: (08) 9581 7224 F: (08) 9581 6305 E: james@mandurahoutboards.com.au W: mandurahoutboards.com.au ALBANY RUSTY’S MARINE U2/205 Chesterpass Road ALBANY P: (08) 9842 1022 E: rustysmarine@bigpond.com W: www.rustysmarine.com.au WANGARA HI TECH MARINE 12 Uppill Place WANGARA P: (08) 9309 2888 F: (08) 9309 2397 E: sales@hitechmarine.com.au W: hitechmarine.com.au

JUNE 2022

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West Coast

Salmon schools keep on coming AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

Slowly but surely as winter arrives the hope that this salmon season will crank up to anything other than a faint murmur slowly drains

of the beaches. Some of the sizes have been extraordinary with one lucky visitor to town currently waiting for the ratifying of his pending Australian record with a 38cm, 658g monster snaffled while having a family holiday during Easter. They have been

always excellent baits for all these species with glass shrimps and bloodworms also readily accepted. Shore-based fishing locations that are currently hot spots for King George whiting and herring are not hard to find. The channel at Colourpatch, the jetty at Turner Street and the East Augusta side of the Dead Water have been alive with both species and with the clarity of the water currently excellent it is not hard to spot the fish as they swim around in front of you. Combine that with a good pair of polarised sunglasses and it is pretty easy to spot the fish. If using soft plastics or hardbodies lures any of the smaller prawn styles will work. For kayak fishing and small boat fishing success in the river move around while concentrating on the obvious channels. Great catches can be had especially around the turn of the tides that correspond with early morning and late afternoon. Some of the best

fishing I have found has been in less than 1m of water and sight casting to specific fish. Another excellent way to pick up fish is by trolling a hardbodied lure behind you, this allows you to cover plenty of water and serves to hone in on where the more aggressive species are currently feeding. I have recently picked up herring, whiting, tarwhine, black bream and salmon this way. At other times pink snapper and tailor are added to this list so there are not many desirable river dwellers that won’t have a try. In regards what speed is best, I find that slow trolling picks up most fish, however, if you want to narrow down what you are looking for, herring and tailor seem to be more aggressive strikers once you get around 6 knots. There are some excellent black bream right throughout the system at the moment from Sues Bridge right through into the Dead Water and they are one of the more

Gavin Pedrochi with his pending Australian record herring landed while shore-based fishing one of the bays in Augusta. This fish took a set of ganged hooks suspended under a plastic blob.

The gape on this dhufish illustrates just how big their meals can be. away with every receding tide. Frustratingly few and far between the schools have been small and on the whole most have stayed out in the deeper water preferring it to avoid the warmer waters in close. That being said, schools keep coming along so the opportunity remains to satisfy the yearly salmon fever. One thing that has been obvious is that the herring migration has been in full swing despite their salmon cousins not playing the game. There have been herring thick and fast everywhere, in the river, along the rocks and all

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taking lures and bait without really having a preference, if it was put near them it was fair game and was just a matter of which was first to take the hook. If one throws the hook another is there to take its place. The herring are in full force in the Hardy Inlet where they are competing with a plethora of King George whiting, tarwhine and black bream. It is not unusual for a mixed bag of these species to end up going home with you, often with some garfish and salmon trout thrown in for good measure. River prawns and cockles are

Jithu Stephen and Blake Muller show how it’s done with a great dhufish double in Flinders Bay.

A nice round 40cm salmon trout landed while kayak fishing for whiting in the Hardy Inlet.

aggressive strikers currently getting about. With plenty of tidal activity recently there are numerous tree branches and even small trees and bushes that have created the perfect environment for black bream to strike from cover. They will hide out before ambushing anything that looks like a meal passing by. Taking advantage of the water clarity an angler can target these areas for the best results. Get in as close to the wood as possible and work a lure or drift a bait into the zone. Prawn style hardbodied and soft plastic lures are definitely in favour at the moment as are whole large river prawns. When rigging prawns, successful hook ups all seem to be on those that are rigged from the tail through to

the head rather than the other way around. Once the fish is hooked make sure to keep the pressure on as they will cut you off on their favourite snag in a heartbeat. The crab numbers being caught in the river has just about dropped to zero, so overall it was a pretty disappointing season. Although there was a bit of a surge for a while it wasn’t really anything to talk about. It seems the crabs and salmon are determined to play hard to get. There’s always next year! Flinders and Hamelin Bays are still fishing well and although there have been some monumental showers of rain and the odd gale force wind, overall there have been plenty of good days on the water. Best catches have

been in the deeper waters from around 50m upwards and on some of the bigger lumps that show up on the sounder. Squid, mulies and octopus are definitely the best baits for the bigger fish and as usual soft plastics are killer on dhufish, pink snapper and breaksea cod. Berkley Gulp 6” paddle tails in glow white continue to be the best of the lot, however, it always pay to swap and change if you are not getting results as the favourite can change from day to day. Beach fishing along the coast is still providing salmon and herring with Hamelin Bay to Boranup popular. Deepdene and Cosy Corner are also having good showing of skippy and small bronze whaler sharks. It pays to check them all out if you are looking for a feed as the best catches seem to move around from day to day. It doesn’t take long to find where the fish are, just look for all the cars. Rock fishing at this time of the year, especially with some of the heavy rainfall, is dangerous at times. Careful consideration of where and when you fish must me 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 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.

West Coast

Great scores offshore BUNBURY

Whiteys Tackle and Camping

With the few premium weather days before the demersal ban, boaties have been getting out far and wide in search of big dhufish and deep drop species. Plenty of big

blue-eye and bass have been hitting the deck. Most people have been running a traditional paternoster rig consisting of 3 x 14/016/0 stainless steel circles and running sinkers in the 64-80oz range to hit bottom in those deeper depths. While most anglers don’t bother with deep

Chad with a solid apuka.

jigging, it can actually be very rewarding. The anticipation as your jig falls the 400-odd meters to the bottom is intense. These big, bottom-dwelling fish sure do fight hard when hooked with some fish being well over the 40kg mark. They have big tails and broad shoulders, and you’re in for a workout. The most popular (and my personal favourite) deep jigging combo is the Oceans Legacy Elementus PE5 with a Shimano Ocea Jigger 2000HG spooled up with a good quality 20-30lb braid, which allows you to get the capacity required to hit the depths. The boaties have been absolutely killing it offshore from Bunbury, with great sizes and numbers of King George whiting being reported in around 17-26m beyond the shipping channel. The artificial reefs have also, as usual, had their fair share of sambos, giving anglers a good run for their money. These hard fighting, low blowers can’t resist a nice fresh squid or a fastpaced metal jig, and can really be a great sportfish, especially when your gear is matched to the fish you’re catching. There seems to be a real increase in numbers calling the area home. Southern bluefin tuna have been in surprisingly

Julian with a nice mulloway. close lately, and have made for some great fun. Casting small metals into a ball of tuna is something any angler will enjoy, and these fish really can give your arms a stretch on the light gear. Trolling a skirted lure or a bibless minnow like the Halco Max 110 between spots is a sure way to pick up a couple of tuna. Squid have been around in great numbers and sizes; the thumpers aren’t all gone yet. Numbers are higher than ever for the boaties who take the time to target these delicious cephalopods, and there are plenty of landbased spots to target them

as well. With the water cleaning up, the season is only going to get better. Night sessions on the weed banks through Koombana Bay or from the local jetties will produce a feed. Black bream are a species that we find to be very underrated. They are an excellent sportfish, especially when targeted on lures. They can be caught all year round, no matter the weather, making them a great target for taking the kids on a quick afternoon flick. The new bridge joining Treendale and Millbridge has held a lot of bream throughout the

year, with some good sizes in the mix. And none of the above tickle your fancy, this year the trout stocking program has really taken off. Plenty of fry, yearlings, advanced yearlings and ex-broodstock are being released into the popular systems like Harvey Dam, Collie River, Drakesbrook Dam, Logue Brook Dam and a few other small systems this year. • Call into the shop at 1/143 Grand Entrance, Australind for the latest fishing reports and what’s biting, or simply to have a yarn. Until next time, tight lines and screaming drags!

Bars), all of which create room for bulkier cargo, are lightweight, easily installed, and compatible with a wide range of Pioneer Accessories. Stephen Stonehouse of Rhino-Rack said, that when designing the deck, they aimed to hit the brief of maximising the use of each ute tub. “The Reconn-Deck essentially doubles your cargo space, allowing you to mount your gear and accessories up top, while keeping your tray free to load up with bulkier cargo,” he explained. “The product is not only totally modular and compatible with the RhinoRack range of accessory holders, it also features our unique Rhino-Rack styling DNA. It looks just as good as it operates.”

Features include: fixed height of 280mm leaving enough room for easy access to gear; secure core locks on Vortex, Reconn-Deck Towers, Reconn-Deck Bars and accessories; additional secure locking covers available as accessories; channels on the ReconnDeck Towers provide multiple points to mount accessories; no drilling required; lightweight aluminium construction; quick and easy to install or dismantle (includes tools); designed and engineered in Australia; city crash and vibration tested by independent test labs. You can learn more about the Reconn-Deck system at www.rhinorack. com.– Rhino-Rack

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JUNE 2022

109

West Coast

Cooler wet weather will bring sea change METRO

Jacob Crispe

For a number of months, it has felt like I have been writing about the same thing in different ways. The Perth metro area has fished consistently for what feels like a very long time. June,

from the Narrows Bridge to East Fremantle. The other change will be that fishing during the low light periods will be more effective. Baitfish will feel more comfortable (more active) during these times and the predators will never be too far away. Your main target species

beach angler’s lips at the moment is mulloway. It seems most beaches are producing good mulloway captures at the moment both North and South of Perth. If anything, this will only improve in June. The key is to find a good gutter to fish and this may mean getting to your location early (daylight hours) and taking the time to watch the surf and see where they are. From there fresh baits fished in these areas will produce the best results with gummy shark and tailor often caught as by-catch.

may be a little uncomfortable but the results can be amazing. The calm after the storm can also result in some good mulloway fishing in the same areas. North Mole has been a hotspot in the past. INSHORE GROUNDS The focus in our inshore grounds will continue to be around the local reefs, around areas of broken ground and the shipping channel. The reefs will hold plenty of skippy, and where there are skippy the samson fish won’t be too far away. King George whiting will still be present

A trophy dhufish caught by Chad Knox in 26m of water on a strip bait. Like the rock walls, squid are a constant in our inshore grounds. Broken ground with weed patches in 3-6m of water will more than likely hold squid. In the Sound, pink snapper

A lovely land based catch of southern calamari by Ian Moyle caught from the south mole Fremantle. however, should see things change up quite a bit. SWAN RIVER Rain will create the biggest changes to our fishing opportunities. The Swan River fish have been widespread throughout the system; however, the influx of freshwater will push their food source towards the mouth of

will be bream, mulloway and tailor, with the odd flathead still being caught. The keys being, fish dawn and dusk, focus on the lower part of the system, look for concentrations of baitfish and fish deeper water than you would have during the warmer months. The fresh sits on top of the salt water so deeper water ensures more

and gummy shark will be popular targets. OFFSHORE In between the poor weather at this time of the year can produce some of the best fishing we have in the

Jarrad Prieto is no stranger when it comes to boating these horse Cockburn Sound pink snapper. He says berley is the key!

Emilio Orifici, aka ‘The Little Kahuna,’ following in his dad’s footsteps with a whopper sand whiting, he says his big one makes up for his dad’s three. the river and the predators will follow. Meaning the focus of your fishing should be based in the lower reaches of the river. For many this means 110

JUNE 2022

water for those fish you are trying to catch. BEACHES AND ROCK WALLS The one species on ever

For those anglers looking to fish during the day, herring and sand whiting are the key target species. Set up a burley bag in front of a likely gutters to entice the fish in close and fish with small hooks and fresh baits. It can be a fun and addictive way to go beach fishing. Our rock walls will continue to fish well, with many anglers focusing on silver bream, tailor and sand whiting. Cottesloe is a very popular location to target these species. Squid are a year round target and the Fremantle rock walls will be best at this time of the year. The weed patches that the squid love to hide in are within easy casting distance from these walls, hence the better fishing. Rock wall snapper anglers will be praying for big swells and unsettled weather as the turmoil this creates brings the snapper in close, feeding on the debris dislodged by the breaking waves. The fishing

in the broken ground areas, you may just need to move around a bit more to find concentrations of them and the focus for sand whiting anglers will be to drift the edges of the shipping channels to find schools of them.

The legend Deano Dibra with a wild capture on 8lb line in Cockburn Sound while targeting whiting.

James Close with a ripper yellowfin tuna caught trolling between spots behind Rottnest Island.

offshore grounds. Dhufish, baldchin groper and Breaksea cod are just a few of the species available in 25-50m of water. Another constant is the snapper. Their numbers increase during this period and they can be caught in quite shallow water to very deep water. The Northern side of Rottnest has been a hotspot, with snapper widespread in this area. Some big dhufish have been caught with them as well in 40-50m of water. I like to fish for them with big paddle tail plastics. It tends to ensure smaller fish leave you lure for the big fish to eat. Yellowtail kingfish will continue to be present around the South West end To page111

West Coast

They’ll be dam good fishing MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

June is a great time to check out the dams for a spot of freshwater fishing. Regardless of the spot you choose to fish, all of our local dams hold both some good sized redfin and trout. When heading up to the

around rocks and then fish habits are able to be honed by their habits on the day. Opting for lures is a great option when fishing fresh as they offer plenty of versatility, with regards to retrieves and the applications, which they are useful. Making use of spinners, shallow diving bibbed minnows, deeper diving minnows and even

rivers, you are also likely to come across some river mulloway and some good sized ones at that. If you are fishing up the rivers with bait, lightly weighted river prawns are hard to look past, with mullet and pilchard cubes also being great options if you are hoping to get stuck into some fish in the rivers. If using lures, prawn or bait

from 10-30m of depth and either work soft plastics on the drift or anchor up. If anchoring up in attempt to bring on a pink snapper bite, a good berley trail is always great assistance and will complement lightly weighted baits drifted down the trail. Anglers are also reporting that there is some good mixed bags showing up, with a large variety including bald-chin, break sea and some great sized schools of tuna working bait on the top water column. If you are fishing from the rocks at Dawesville or Mandurah, there is a good mix of species available. Reports indicate that there is some stray tailor getting around, plenty of herring, the odd pink snapper and sporadic schools of salmon making their way around. What bait or presentation to use will be dependent on

Tailor off the rocks are a fun fish to catch, which are both willing to smash baits and lures of all sizes.

Wayne landed this pink snapper casting off our local beaches. Although a drone will help, it is absolutely not needed to land some quality fish. dams it is preferable that you cover a bit of ground, whether that is by walking the banks or launching your kayak and exploring different sections of your chosen body of water. When covering ground you are able to become a lot more successful by gauging whether or not the fish are holding on structure, like vertically submerged trees, deeper sections of water,

fly can be quite effective. River fishing is also a great option if you want to get out and have some fun in the calmer waters. Legal sized bream are quite prolific throughout the river systems, though there are some bigger specimens around if you spend the time covering ground and trying different presentations. As the water starts to dirty with an increase of flow in the

imitations are ideal as they replicate what is in the river well and fish can be more partial to the presentation as a result. Fishing from the boats, there are plenty of dhufish from 20-80m, pink snapper are also beginning to really show their presence as we feel the winter conditions start to pick up. Fishing for pinks, it is a great idea to sound around in waters

what sort of fish to catch, but a mix of moderately weighted soft plastics and good quality fish bait will work well. If you are able to find a weed free section of beach around Mandurah, the possibilities of what you may catch are endless.

From page 110

of Rottnest island. The size of the fish can vary from smaller fish around 60cm to 1.2m monsters that will try and rip you out of the boat. So much fun. Both southern bluefin and yellowfin tuna are likely to be about in June. Keep an eye out for birds to tell you where these speedsters may be. As I mention in every report, should the weather allow our deep drop grounds hold some amazing table fish just waiting to be caught. You need the right gear (good tackle stores will definitely be able to help), but the reward is well worth it. June should see a transition happen in our fishing in the metro area. It doesn’t mean that the fishing is no good, it just means that the routine you have got into over recent months will need to change a little. For me, that is one of the great things about fishing, figuring out what the fish are doing. I will catch you next month.

Rainbows are a gorgeous fish that grow to a size that can provide a lot of fun for anglers.

Joe Orifici showing us how the ‘Big Kahuna’ gets it done with a triple header of 5-star sandies.

Soaking larger baits, there is still a good chance at catching mulloway, some larger stray tailor and even some land based pink snapper. If you are droning, options as usual are quite endless, though it can be difficult to contend with lumps of seaweed that lie

further out and though it can quite often result in lost line; it will definitely be worth trying. Using smaller baits there is a lot of fun to be had with the family, with a good chance you will encounter plenty of great sized herring, whiting and silver bream too.

Black bream are often overlooked as a target fish, but an increasing amount of anglers are chasing them on lures and enjoying the thrills that go with it. JUNE 2022

111

West Coast

Beach proves best LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

While winter may have arrived, great fishing opportunities still exist from the boat and beach in between the passing fronts. Whales are on their annual migration, seeing these majestic creatures leaping out of the water or slapping the surface with pectoral fins

increasing season on season, with offshore small ones a pest! Perhaps we are seeing the benefits from protection of the spawning grounds in Cockburn Sound. Surprisingly, the largest snapper at Lancelin often come from within a few hundred metres of the shore. Drone fishing has really opened snapper to the shore fishers. Rather than having to wait for rough weather to bring them into casting range;

plenty of school and Spanish caught trolling lures or garfish baits. The water is cooling and the first winter storms have arrived, some may have forgotten about them. They are still here through June, and it is probably the easiest time of year to get one to bite. Look for schools of pilchards or blue mackerel that gather at the back of the white bank in 15-20m. When feeding they are less timid to take the lure or bait. Use a Sabiki jig to catch a blue mackerel and rig as a live bait to tow around the school, it’s usually not very long at all before it is hit. If you sight birds offshore, tuna are likely to be what’s causing the commotion,

Find the bait, find the fish! This mack was full of chopped up slimies, but still fell for the red and white Halco Laser Pro. shore, size is up compared to the warmer months. Some good feeds can be caught from the jetty, casting towards the shore during the day. Lately there has been a good

run of yellowfin whiting along the bay’s shallows, and when the sun goes down they can be caught under the jetty’s lights along with the usual schools of herring that move in.

Nolan Unwin hit the sand and landed a beast shovelnose shark while chasing mulloway. He carefully released it after removing the hook. and flukes, adds an extra element to the day’s fishing. The last few years there has been a pod of killer whales frequenting our area during the migration. I was lucky enough to come across the pod, it’s a sight when those massive dorsal fins appear. Occasionally a whale will curiously come right up to the boat, otherwise you are required to keep a safe distance: ‘No vessel, whether powered by a motor, paddle or sail, may approach closer than 300m within a 60-degree arc to the front or rear of the whale, or 100m to the side of the whale.’ Some demersal species are known to move inshore at this time of year. Dhufish are one, so high 20s and 30s can be a productive depth. Breaksea cod are another, for the next few months we get an influx of those big pinky orange specimens on the shallow lumps. Fish for them, along with the odd dhufish, using the sounder to send soft plastic lures to the drop-off edges of lumps in 10-15m. There are plenty of suitable grounds near the bay so it’s great for a quick fish in the tinny. Many say they are best eating fish in the sea, and it’s hard to argue. It’s been harder to find larger dhufish in the numbers they once were on the inshore reefs, but snapper have been everywhere. Size and numbers seem to be 112

JUNE 2022

in Lancelin that’s when it’s near impossible to get a line out along most of the beaches! Getting the bait out that little

Tuna are back closer to the beach. This little stripy was caught from 10m.

Last bait of the day! After a slow session the truck packed and ready to head home, John Scully managed to pull this 8.5kg snapper out of his hat. further to the near shore reefs has seen a boom in land-based catches, even in fine weather. Pink snapper are quite active under the moonlight, so if wanting to specifically target them consider the moon status as to fish pre-dawn or post-sunset. Now that we have a few years’ experience at chasing snapper on the drone, we are starting to work out where and when they feed. One thing that has been very surprising is how shallow some of the feeding grounds are, less than 3m can find some very large fish. It’s been a cracker of a mackerel season this year with

mostly southern bluefin and striped at this time of year, always a bit of fun on matched gear. Skippy have been schooling along the inshore reefs, success is greatly enhanced using berley for these tough little fighters. Floating cubes of pilchard down the berley trail will get the results and going light for the challenge with a 2-4kg outfit will increase the fun factor 10-fold, testing your ability as an angler. The activity is likely to attract the attention of pink snapper and samsonfish, so it is always worth tossing a larger bait out

the back on a heavier rig too. Chopper tailor numbers have dropped, most of the fish move north following the warm water. The ones left are less active, with best bites around the new moon. Larger green back tailor and mulloway can be caught around structure like reef breaks and gutters. At the time of writing, the mulloway action has been slow trickle start but it should be in full swing by now. Winter is the best time to chase sand whiting from the

Lee Hannam tackle testing his new Alvey baitcaster on a quality dhu.

Neil Ferguson opened his snapper account, after catching a fresh herring and sending out the fillets.

Tarwhine are another winter fish that are great fun on the light gear, mostly found on or near reef or weed. There have been heaps in the shallows in front of sea rescue, casting small soft plastics and vibes has also caught skippy, herring and the odd flathead here as well. It was a difficult summer to get onto the squid in any numbers inside the bay, mainly due to water quality from seaweed wrack. Now the bay has been getting a flush out from larger swells, squidding has greatly improved. Improvements in water quality has also seen some good blue swimmer crabs caught from the jetty.

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113

South Coast

Mulloway run continues KALBARRI

Stephen Wiseman

The hot run of mulloway continues with fish being taken from all the regular spots, from the sand spit all around to Chinamans, and from many of the tinnies anchoring in the river. I was delighted to catch a nice 15kg cromey on my one evening relaxing in the

river. The secret bait of salted mullet strip worked a treat. My first bait in the water only lasted five minutes before the line started to peel off my little charter special. The larger fish know were all the marker buoys are and run strait around them, my fish was no different and I could feel the chain rub on the line just as I was able to turn its head and gain some line. A short time after that it was

happy snap time. Tuna have still been on the chew amongst the numerous bait balls all along the coast with the main concentrations being around the dirty water still trickling out from the Murchison River mouth. A mix of longtail and yellowfin tuna have been taken on deep diver lures, mostly around the 8-10m depths has been the most productive. The morning after the

Tuna have still been on the chew amongst the numerous bait balls all along the coast.

The author with a decent 15kg mulloway he caught on a salted mullet strip.

mulloway session we headed out for a quick trip to the 3 Mile and the reward was a double hook up on tuna with both fish going around the old 30lb mark. Offshore the dhufish have been thin but some nice fish have come from north of Bald Face with most of the snapper being taken inshore in depths of 10-15m, but that close in

watch the swell. Reports of a big red and a dhufish, as big as they get around here, came from the local charter boat while working the waters well to the north. The morning crayfish cruise is a great way to get a feed of crays with the morning hall being around the maximum 80 range, which means plenty to go

around for those on board. The river has fished well for some very nice cod with fish going around 500mm from around Bird Rock. Some nice bream are showing around the pens with the saltwater pushing back up river on the high tide. They are very hungry and taking any bait offered. Safe and happy fishing.

Pilbara fisherman’s basket DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

The only thing holding anglers back from being on the water during May and into June

ordinary for the time of year and only those lucky enough to be not working on the lesser windy days were fortunate to get the boat out. Land-based options were the most productive with plenty of mud

and this will continue for the next couple of months of June and July with the prawns and blue swimmer crabs. Big numbers of crabs are being caught in Nickol Bay and surrounding bays all the way to Mardie in the south and Cossack in the north. Plenty of blue swimmers are also being caught further north in Port Hedland. Joining the blue swimmers in Nickol Bay right now are the king prawns and it is looking

to be another great run. These can be caught from land by wading the shallow incoming tides with nets and scoops and also by boat, with the most popular method being anchoring and using bright prawn lights to attract them to the boat where they can be scooped as the tide brings them past. If freshwater is your preferred option, and with the weather being ideal for camping at this time of year, the rivers, creeks,

April to July in Karratha is peak time for blue swimmer crabs and there are plenty in the bays this year. It is hard to find a more stunning fish than the rankin cod and its looks match its table fare. Mathew Howard got onto a great patch recently on the outside of the Dampier Archipelago. along the Karratha coastline is work and wind. Besides those two, you’ll be hard pressed to find a reason to not get the fishing gear out with all the options firing right now. The wind during early may was out of the 114

JUNE 2022

crabs, whiting, flathead, bluebone, diamondscale mullet, trevally and queenfish being caught in and around Karratha. There were quite a few mangrove jack caught in both salt and freshwater. Crustaceans are all the rage in Karratha right now

Mathew caught this hard fighting saddletail sea perch on a pink and white Neap Tackle Chubby jig last month.

and waterholes still holding water in the western and central Pilbara are holding large numbers of red claw with this years red claw size being better than ever. We are coming up to nine years since the species was first discovered in Pilbara waters and the average size is getting larger every year. Southern squid are being caught in large numbers right through the Dampier Archipelago, all around the Burrup as

well as off the rocks lining the Port Sampson coastline. If you prefer the larger northern squid, commonly called tiger squid, try the deeper water behind the shoals off Enderby and Rosemary Islands where quite a few have been caught throughout May. Both species are commonly caught in Karratha during the dry season. It is not reported To page 115

South Coast

Wintertime target species EXMOUTH

Barry Taylor

This month’s report has been supplied by Paul Bourne The bottom fishing has been really good lately,

and the dollies like to hang out underneath it. If you see some weed, troll up the edge of the current line and follow the weed along, as could be some dollies under there. There is still the odd whiting being caught off the

Mackerel catches should be picking up in the coming weeks. You can catch them by trolling diving lures (e.g. Strada Tracka 160s) or you can run garfish on gangs. If you haven’t rigged up a gar before, you can drop into the store and we’ll help you out. Some solid spangled emperor are being caught inside the reef. I haven’t heard many GT reports lately, but I have heard of a few longtail in the Gulf towards Exmouth reef. If you see a boil, cast out a tiny stickbait or chrome lure and retrieve as fast as you can. You should always have one rigged and ready to go for

times like these. The squid should start to come on now that winter is here. You can catch them off Learmonth Jetty, or slow troll for them – troll as slow as your boat will go in 2-3m of water. Good jig options include Shimano Sephic Clinches, which have little flashing inserts inside them, and Daiwa Emeraldas Nudes. A good size for jigs is 3.5 if you’re trolling, or 3.0 if you’re fishing land-based. JUNE FISHING June weather is usually pretty decent for getting out, after the change-of-season blow. There are some good targets at this time of year,

Cooper Watson with a black marlin.

Josh Cheong holds up a hard-fighting queenfish. and we’re also still seeing good catches of inshore black marlin and sailfish. Good results have been coming from 50-150m of water strolling 6-8” skirted lures, such as the Richter Soft Grassy. A fair few dolphinfish (mahimahi) have been caught lately on trolled skirts meant for marlin. There is a lot of weed around at the moment, From page 114

by fisheries that that the southern squid are found this far north. Both species have a bag limit of 15 per fisher and a boat limit of 30, which is a total mixed bag. Sailfish numbers

beach but they’re starting to slow up. The marina has still been fishing well for bream and jacks, but the jack catches will dwindle in the coming weeks, as water temperatures continue to drop. Bream will still be biting though, and you can catch them drifting down an unweighted prawn bait, ideally with a bit of berley to bring the fish to your area. are continuing to improve each week. Sports fishers working the ships, west to the oil rigs and east to Rosemary are raising the majority of sails but they are also turning up between Eaglehawk and Cod Bank where a few have

Josh Cheong with a GT that inhaled his stickbait. Image courtesy of @indepthangler_josh. been caught as bycatches by anglers trolling for mackies. Sailfish numbers will continue to increase as we progress towards the end of the dry season so if a sailfish is on your bucket list, then Karratha is the place to head for

Big reds is what dry season fishing in Karratha is all about. Using a Neap Tackle Chubby jig, hooking into big reds and rankins is common practice amongst all locals.

All along the mangrove-lined edges of Nickol Bay during high tide you will find a number of species, such as bream and mangrove jack feeding. Using light gear and medium sized minnow lures, the author worked the snags and was rewarded with an action packed morning fighting jacks.

your mid-year holidays. When the wind allows, demersal fishing in Karratha has been spectacular with endless catches of red, spangled and blueline emperors, saddletail sea perch and rankin cod. Shark activity has lessened now the water has cooled off although they can still be a pest, especially on neap tides. Most fish have been caught in the 40-50m range but there are still some good emperors and cod coming

including mackerel, inshore blacks and sailfish, squid, and of course all your bottom fish. • For all the latest news on what’s biting and where, drop into Tackle World Exmouth at 3 Maley St, Exmouth or give them a call on (08) 9949 1315. You can also view the range at www. tackleworldexmouth.com. au, and see the latest catch photos on their Facebook page. This family business stocks a large range of tackle, from light spin to big game. The staff have a wealth of local knowledge and expertise, and are always happy to help. from the shallower depths. Coral trout and bluebone are being caught in huge numbers both nearshore and just beyond the islands. Further out in the deeper water there have been coral trout over the 700mm size being caught by anglers targeting the red emperors and ranking cods. June will be the month to catch a last feed or two of blue swimmer crabs and king prawns as the trawlers will be working the bays and reduce the numbers significantly. While the sports pelagic such as big GTs is quiet it is time to turn to spanish mackerel for a great family day of fishing and there is less risk of shark depredation so makes for the perfect target species.

When the wind is preventing a day out in the boat, the author hits the creeks for some land-based mud crabbing. JUNE 2022

115

Trout top the target list FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

It was good to see a number of trout being caught throughout the southwest in early autumn. These fish were presumably from last year’s stockings or natural

their aim being to free up pond space and bulk up some of the yearlings to catchable size in autumn. The good news on the freshwater trout scene is that the government has pledged around $300,000 for a study into improving the freshwater fishing in this state, which includes a major

figures for our rivers in the May edition. AUSSIE NATIVES Not a lot to report in this issue with most anglers refusing to come forward with information on their fishing. There was a nice cod taken in the Albany region that was once home

The author’s first ever Wellington Dam rainbow caught on fly. This well-conditioned fish was only stocked last year as a yearling and has done well in what was previously a redfin dam.

Redfin perch are widespread in the South West dams, however they have a tendency to overpopulate and stunt. Our Fisheries department suggest you don’t return them even if they are small. Wendy was happy with this larger specimen. recruits, as no trout from the hatchery made their way to our waters until May because the Translocation certificates were delayed, even though plenty of time was given this time to avoid the delays of previous years. I can’t understand why this would be an issue as

upgrade to our Pemberton Hatchery. I believe this is a positive for us WA freshwater fishers, however, questions are being raised on why so much money is being spent on a study and why a better suited species are not being considered to supplement the existing trout program, as climate

of the biggest Murray cod population in WA back prior to the 1950s. Silver perch are still being caught in private locations but bass seem to be harder to locate recently. DAMS Waroona Dam Big numbers of redfin were caught over early

Winter nights can be cold on our inland dams so sitting around a good camp fire with a nice red is relaxing after a hard day on the water. most of the dams and rivers have been on the same list for a number of decades, and only the numbers get altered with possibly an edition of brown trout being added to the list in recent years. This puts unwanted stress on the staff at the hatchery with 116

JUNE 2022

change is a real concern in the near future. For those of you that missed all the dam stocking figures of both yearlings and x-broods for this year and would like a comprehensive list, then view the April edition, I also listed all the stocking

autumn, however size was on the small side. Trout are still hard to locate but expect better fishing when the larger hatchery fish go in. Drakesbrook Weir It appears the size of the redfin have increased of late with good numbers coming

from the bank, as well as from the deeper water near the middle. A few trout in both yearling and fish over 40cm have shown up prior to any stocking. These fish were in good condition considering that we experienced a very hot summer. I believe it may be attributed to the cool water coming down from Waroona Dam further up the valley, which can be as cold as 14ºC when it’s let out of the bottom. Logue Brook Dam This dam continues to frustrate some with its tendency to shut down from one day to the next. Some good trout can be had by those that persist in times of low ski boat and jet-ski activity. Harvey Dam Reports of good trout have come through with some of the x- brood rainbows making their way to both boat and shore. The best areas seem to be Quarry Bay, Browns Bay and the flats along the Cattle yards with trolling hard bodied lures being the most successful method. Redfin have been active with nice numbers of medium sized fish falling to those using soft plastics fished deep. I normally troll lures and when I find the schools hit

Big majestic karri trees line the streams and rivers around Pemberton, offering a tranquil setting for both visiting and local anglers that chase trout in their tea coloured waters. Photo courtesy of Simon Holland.

PREDICTED DAM LEVELS FOR SW WA Overall storage in our dams that allow public access and recreational activities are currently 64.6 % as of end of April 2022 compared to 31.9 % at the same time last year. Lower than average rainfall fell over our catchment dams in March and April, however, this was not the case in other areas with Perth city recording its wettest April in 6 years. The Esperance region also recorded a massive amount of rain, unfortunately, none of our stocked waters are in that area. WAROONA DAM 47% DRAKESBROOK WEIR 82% LOGUE BROOK DAM 69% HARVEY DAM 58% WELLINGTON DAM 79% GLEN MERVYN DAM 46% BIG BROOK DAM 67%

the spot-lock on my Minn Kota and drop plastics down to where they are sitting. Glen Mervyn Dam Some big redfin turned up in autumn however, things have slowed down of late. A small number of trout have been caught by those that put in the effort. Wellington Dam I spent the Easter weekend here and tried out my new Stacer Crossfire using the trolling motor only. It was sad to see a number of petrol powered boats and even a couple of jet-skis on

with some really nice size fish being caught. The best section seems to be down around the weir below the bridge but, the area below down to Wellington Dam has fished well also. Any of the good redfin lures are working well with red spinners, minnow paddle tail plastics and RGM lures being the better choice. Blackwood River No reports but trout are available from Bridgetown down to just past Nannup. Warren River By far the huge amount

down in winter. Trout are still showing up in the flowing sections closer to Pemberton by those either throwing small Celta style spinners or fly-fishing the gentle rapids. Lefroy Brook This little brook that flows past the town of Pemberton is arguably one of the most fished freshwater location in our south west. The Hatchery is situated on its banks and pumps a lot of trout into its whole length. Both browns and rainbows are

of most of the waters in the area. All the favourite trout lures and flies that work elsewhere in Australia will also be effective on our trout. There are also a couple of angling clubs that are willing to help the travelling anglers and contacting the Southern Forrest Freshwater Angling Club could help boost your chances of getting yourself a nice trout or tasty redfin. Donnelly River Another good river that is situated about half hour drive out of Pemberton,

A good boat is handy at places like Wellington Dam. We covered around 20km one day trolling with the electric motor only catching trout and redfin. the water at the back of the dam that is strictly electric powered vessels only. Better signage may be required to avoid possible issues in the future. We headed off early

from the 5 weight fly reel and cartwheeling across the surface, then settling down to a slow powerful fight. Hopefully with more stocking this water will flourish into a

through lack of irrigation can make fishing very difficult. Collie River above Wellington Dam Some great fishing for redfin has occurred recently

A beautiful conditioned rainbow out of Bigbrook Dam. Adrian Spacey is a member of the well run Southern Forrest Freshwater Angling Club and loves the spectacular scenery and fishing the area offers.

A nice Wellington Dam rainbow caught on a Tassie Devil trolling the Collie arm. Can this dam offer up some good trout fishing in the future with continued stocking? on the first day and headed down towards the dam wall some 7 klms until we arrived at Farm Bay with little result, apart from a couple of small redfin. It was surprising to see the lack of fish on the sounder with constant tinkering with the settings still making little difference. The next day we headed up the Collie leg and hooked and lost a good 40 cm rainbow, this was great news as it showed that some of the yearlings stocked last year have not only survived but have grown well. A young lad landed another from the bank as we went past, so they must of been hanging in that vicinity that particular day. Only 3 redfin were caught on the trip however I managed a beautiful rainbow at night on fly by our camp-site. It put up a great fight tearing line

reasonable trout destination Big Brook Dam With the heavy stocking taking place over winter this water will be worth a look if you are down that way. A few redfin are still being caught around the wall. RIVERS Murray River It’s been quite on the trout side however my mate Bretton caught some good redfin on both hard bodied lures and casting larger soft plastics around the timber. Some nice size specimens were in amongst his catch which is a positive for this river that is renowned for its smaller sizes. Collie River below Wellington Dam Although this section fished reasonably well over autumn I would give it a miss this month as low flow

of redfin turning up throughout the whole river has been the highlight of all those visiting this water. It seems you would be pushed not to get yourself a good feed of redfin from any one of the dozens of pools that this river is famous for. The upper reaches are possibly the better option however, this can change as heavy rain will shut things

available with easy access to many sections however the bigger and better fish are normally found in the heavy timbered areas well away from the more accessible locations. If you are a visitor from the east-coast then I would encourage you to check this beautiful part of our state with breathtaking giant karri trees lining the banks

A well conditioned silver perch from a South West dam. They seem to do well in dams that are overrun by redfin.

the Donnelly can turn on some great fishing at times. I would not recommend this river if you are visiting from the east or are new to the sport because access can be hard and rewards can be low however, with the recent decision to stock brown trout into this water it has added a new opportunity with good catches in recent times. If you happen to have a boat or kayak then the best chance would be to launch at Boat Landing and troll lures or cast into the brooks that flow in on the way downstream. The trip down to the mouth is spectacular but it is some 13km from the ramp. As you can see WA can offer some marginal trout fishing for both the local anglers and those that are now once again visiting our state. Don’t expect big number however sitting around a camp fire in a scenic location is a reward in itself. You need an Inland Freshwater Licence to fish for trout and even redfin and unfortunately they don’t offer a day licence or even a month licence so you need to pay the full $50 which could deter any passing visitors to this state. Until next time tight lines. JUNE 2022

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SA 160 223

54 55 25 59

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Fishing Monthly Magazine | June 2022

Articles inside

Boat Test: Whittley FF1650

Freshwater

Karratha

Mandurah

Metro

Lancelin

Augusta

Bunbury

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance

Recfishwest

Bendigo

Fun

Wangaratta

Ballarat

WIRF

Tournaments

Tournament Calendar

Eildon

Geelong

Robinvale

Cobden

Hobart

Batlow

Canberra

Hunter Valley

Batemans Bay

Central Coast

Illawarra

Sydney South

Sydney Rock

Cost of Victorian angling gift

Kayak: Rainy day activities

Pittwater

Freshwater

Sydney North

Port Douglas

Townsville

Understanding structure

Southern Bay

Mackay

Jumpinpin

Northern Bay

Starlo’s back to basics

The Tweed

Noosa