Bunbury

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 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

Julian with a nice mulloway.

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!

PRODUCT PROFILE

Rhino-Rack Reconn-Deck

Looking for extra cargo space? Create a bespoke ute tub system with Rhino-Rack’s new Reconn-Deck.

This brand-new ute bed system is as sleek as it is versatile. It’s currently available for vehicles with tub rails (Jeep Gladiator and RAM 1500 Crew Cab models) and will soon be available for the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Nissan Navara.

The modular design consists of four towers, plus crossbars or platforms, and is fully customisable, enabling drivers to create a personalised platform to suit the needs of any fourwheel driving adventure. From camping, snow, cycling, fishing and surfing, four-wheel-driving and trade, Reconn-Deck setups leave no gear behind.

Once the accessoryfriendly tower channels have been installed, drivers can choose between four unique setups (ReconnDeck Bars, Reconn-Deck NS Bars and Reconn-Deck with Pioneer Platform and Vortex

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