Fishing Monthly Magazine | June 2023 by Fishing Monthly

• PACKED WITH WINTER TIPS AND TRICKS •

QLD

NSW

VIC

TAS

Features

Boat test: Anglapro Sniper 444 PRO • Mangrove jacks from the yak • Playing by the rules • Saratoga on lures •

NSW

Species Spotlight

QLD

Dave Hodge brings us catching saratoga at Moura

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CONTENTS

OUR COVER June 2023, Vol. 4 No.2 QLD NSW

VIC

TAS

From the Editor’s Desk...

QUEENSLAND Tweed River

Gold Coast

Jumpinpin

Brisbane

Northern Bay

Noosa

Bundaberg

Townsville

Hinchinbrook

Cairns

Port Douglas

Cooktown

Cape York

Freshwater

Michael with a beautiful gummy shark caught off Port Welshpool. A David Glennie image. Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.

NEW SOUTH WALES Sydney North

Sydney South

Sydney Rock

Ballina

Coffs Coast

South West Rocks

Port Macquarie

TASMANIA Offshore Hobart

92 93 96 96 97 98 99 101 100 103 102 104

Forster

Central Coast

Port Stephens

Swansea

Illawarra

Batemans Bay

Bermagui

Tathra

New England Rivers

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

Hunter Valley

REGULAR FEATURES

Albury/Wodonga

Batlow

Canberra

Catching saratoga Starlo: playing by the rules Jacks from the yak Vic fishing licence Sheik of the Creek What’s New Fishing Fun page Tournaments Tournament Calendar Trades and Services/Tide page Boat test: Anglapro Sniper PRO 444

8 14 42 94 45 50 57 106 106 114 116

COMPS AND OFFERS Find the logo

VICTORIA Portland

Warrnambool

Cobden

Geelong

Port Phillip West

Port Phillip East

Phillip Island

Gippsland Lakes

Port Albert

Marlo

Robinvale

Bendigo

Wangaratta

Yarrawonga

Shepparton

Ballarat

Crater Lakes

Gippsland Freshwater

6 JUNE 2023

102

We’ve come a long way in the last 10 years. It was around 10 years ago to the day when we found that something was wrong with our company. You would have read about it a couple of issues ago and about how former Director and General Manager, Robyn Lawrie, has been jailed for the fraud she inflicted on the company and its employees. Back then, to check the balances on any linked bank accounts, we needed a special modem to call the NAB and also a special computer that would talk to the bank to get your balances and transactions. Now it’s in my pocket. To watch someone fish, I’d have to wait until my favourite fishing show was on TV, or I’d have to buy or rent a fishing DVD - or a VHS cassette if it was earlier. Now that’s in my pocket, too. A video conference wasn’t really heard of unless you had access to a news satellite, and if you saw someone in trouble you’d help them and not film them.

16 28

I just needed to put into perspective how much work the team does to get the magazine together each month. And the technology that’s killing many people’s attention spans also lets us work remotely and be more productive than ever before. Are we happier that we were in the 90s or 2000s? I suppose that it differs from person to person, but I’m sure that all of us possibly yearn occasionally for the simpler life. One that was a little slower and more predictable. It’s why it’s important to take time out and get on or beside the water once in a while. Fishing is still as fast or as slow as you want it to be. The rivers still run at the same pace as they always did and the fish are likely as plentiful as they used to be. I believe better management is having a positive effect on fish stocks in most parts of the country. I’m kind of preaching to the converted here, but I reckon fishing magazines and a distraction-free environment to enjoy them in can also take you to that slower pace. If you can’t get out fishing, you can still read about it, and then give the magazine to a mate when you’ve finished with it, so that they can enjoy it as well. You can close it and merge with the world again when you’re done – and maybe refreshed a little for your next challenge, whatever that may be.

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Making memories at Moura: catching saratoga them both. If you want to make some memories like these, read on. WHAT YOU NEED If you’d like to make a toga trip to this special part of the world, there are a few things you’ll need to take with you. I won’t really discuss camping gear, as it’s pretty much basic camping, although I will mention there’s a shower at the ramp next to the Apex Park camping ground that takes a $1 coin to produce hot water, so take a few coins with you if you’ll be there for a while. The park is a good place to stay, with a toilet block, BBQs, shaded areas and plenty of wide open space. The township itself is quite well serviced. You’re

TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

Moura, a small town southwest of Gladstone, is a spot I classify as special. Not just because of the friendly people, the wildlife and the mighty Dawson River, but because it holds plenty of saratoga, one of my all-time favourite sportfish. The river doesn’t get a lot of fishing pressure due to the lack of people out there, and you can enjoy some great fishing just a few minutes out of the township. ACTION STATIONS My son Tannhym and his best mate Isaac had saratoga at the top of their bucket list, so I decided to take them to Moura. With visions of catching these high-flying sportfish, you could sense the boys’

bet. As far as brands go, I reckon you can’t go past the Aussie-made Bassman range for quality and pre-rigged detail.

Not really seen as a fresh water colour, Isaac thought outside the square and landed this nice fish shortly after rigging it up, and lost several more.

Watching these two celebrate each capture together was special. True mates.

Young Tannhym Hodge with the fish of the trip. It was caught on a chartreuse Paddle Prawn.

The scenic surrounds are all part of the experience. Image courtesy of Betty Seeney. excitement and anticipation as the boat slid quietly to an idle on the first morning’s session. As Tannhym slipped the electric motor into the water, I heard him say to himself, “OK, here we go….” I had previously advised the boys on how to catch toga in the Dawson River, and they quickly got to work, skip casting under overhanging bottlebrush trees and working their weedless lures through spindly branches, allowing them to sink as they cleared the edge. The slightest ripple saw two Halco Prawns flying at bullet speed, dropping perfectly in the middle of the rings. All the while I stood down the back, steering the silent old Polycraft through the drowned forests, trying not to bump into any of the trees and potentially send a saratoga into shutdown. The fishing was a bit 8 JUNE 2023

tough. Many missed bites were registered, and the fish that did have a go were super subtle. The toga always headed towards the boys on the strike, making it hard to set the hooks. Finally though, Isaac set the hooks on a beautifully conditioned Dawson River saratoga. Tannhym grabbed the net, and any attempts at being stealthy and quiet disappeared as the net slipped under such an important fish. Tannhym was so happy for his friend, and after some quick photos and high fives, the fish was cradled just below the surface until it was ready to go. Afterwards, Tannhym’s hooks finally stuck on a high-flying toga that put everything into the battle. His anxious tension was palpable; this fish was really important to him. Isaac made a quick, accurate net shot, and again

the celebrations shattered the quiet surroundings! This scenario was repeated a few times over the next couple of days, and you could really appreciate the boys’ sense of achievement. I was very happy to be part of such a special moment for

around the snags, lures like these can be subtlety worked when conditions are tough, and cast long distances when the fish

are spooky. These fish are also great to catch off the surface. To watch a saratoga eat a popper is pretty cool, and they often roll all over a popper or fizzer before eating it. You can’t mention saratoga without mentioning Bills Bugs, and how well the fish respond to these fizzers. The fluttering, fizzing type action is just what the toga ordered. Regardless of what you throw, make sure your hooks are sticky, deadly

not going to have to take your supplies with you, as everything is available in town, which is only about a 5-minute drive from the boat ramp and campground. Now let’s look at the fishing gear. Lures I’ve caught saratoga in the Dawson on hardbodies, spinner baits, surface poppers and weedless plastics, and you’ll be well served to take all of these with you when packing your gear. 1/4oz double Colorado or tandem spinnerbaits with stinger hooks and soft plastic trailers are without a doubt your best

As the sun rose higher in the sky, Isaac caught this beautiful fish on a pink 5” Paddle Prawn.

There is plenty of fishy structure in the river. Image courtesy of Brian Dawson.

Spinnerbaits are easily fished on both spin and baitcaster combos (although my personal preference is for a baitcaster). The Tilsan Minnow and Tilson Bass are great sized hardbodied lures, and cast well on a light to medium spin stick, with strong actions. Twitched and paused

sharp to penetrate those bony jaws. We’ve found that you can also get good results on soft plastics. I fished with accomplished angler and journalist Helen Abdy on the Dawson, and we discovered that Paddle Prawns are very effective on saratoga. I like the 5”

Prawns in mainly fluoro colours, like the pink, orange and chartreuse. They have been a game changer for me around the snaggy stuff when rigged weedless (I use Atomic 5/0 Seeker 1/4oz). These prawn imitations aren’t all that well known in the area, which means not too many fish have seen them before. I also believe that powder coating your jigheads can aid in getting the fish’s attention. We use Protec Powder Coat in several colours.

expect to hit the odd tree just subsurface. Wherever the river narrows, drop down off the plane, trim the motor up to shallow drive, and poke through carefully.

Apex River Park is conveniently located on the banks of the Dawson River, and has amenities for campers. Image courtesy of Betty Seeney.

A saratoga takes to the air. Image courtesy of Brian Dawson. Gear A lighter baitcaster outfit is a very versatile tool for this style of fishing, and if you’re intending to fish the overhanging timber and trees

During the annual Muddy Water Classic comp, boats run up and down the river everywhere, and this does have an effect on the resident fish. It doesn’t shut them down

then a shorter 5’6” rod will be perfect. A budget option is the Atomic BCL, a light, tippy rod that is great value for money, or alternatively you can go for the Samurai

Refraction in the 12-16lb, for its accurate delivery. Matched to either the now discontinued Shimano Stile, or the Abu Zenon, I have found it to be effortless and easy to cast, with all the drag I need for this style of fishing. However, if I had to take just one outfit it would be the Samurai Infinite 6-12lb baitcaster, which has always been my favourite for this smaller, jumping fish lure stuff. I like to match it to a Shimano Engetsu. When it comes to line, 15-20lb braid and 15-30lb leader works best around the thicker timber type situations, more for abrasion resistance. Electric motor Electric motors are not essential, but will definitely

make the job much easier to do enjoyably. You should absolutely take a spare prop for your big donk, and

Team work definitely makes the dream work.

It was a foggy start to the 2023 Muddy Water Classic. Image courtesy of Janelle Kitchen.

entirely but it does push them down a bit deeper and make them less aggressive. If you’re there at a quieter time of year (which is most of the year), you’re bound to have a more peaceful time. Dryer times of the year are when the water is at its cleanest. MUDDY WATER CLASSIC It’s become a tradition for me to head to Moura for the Muddy Water Classic, a family fishing competition that raises funds for stocking fish into the Dawson River. Species available are

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black bream (smallmouthed sooty grunter), golden perch (yellowbelly), fork-failed catfish, sleepy cod, spangled perch, eel-tailed catfish and a few little natives. During the competition any fish of legal size is weighed in for a chance at the lucky draw. As you may guess by the name of the comp, ‘Muddy Water’, the water clarity isn’t the best, and at times you can’t see your lure more than an inch under the surface. That doesn’t mean you can’t catch one of these incredibly prehistoric fish, but when it’s running murky it does make it a bit more difficult. On the Friday night there’s a huge projector screen set up overlooking the Dawson that has a movie playing for the kids. They all bring their seats down and settle in for a couple of hours in this special setting. This year, all of us adults were sitting a little closer to the riverbank,

away from the bright lights of the screen, to make a decision as to what we should do if the looming lightning storm decided to change direction and head our way. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened. The show came to an end, and everyone

There are hungry yellowbelly mixed in with the saratoga in the Dawson River. Image courtesy of Travis Brady.

Isaac Chaplin with a fish worth all the effort.

A black bream caught by Aimee Marianetti. Image courtesy of Janelle Kitchen.

10 JUNE 2023

started preparing for the deluge. We had camped under a tarp with the swags rolled out, and we weren’t in the gully, thankfully. Double pegging ropes and taking as much ‘flap’ out of the tarp as possible stopped our camp from being destroyed during the

storm. With solid rod racks on the old Prado, me and the boys waited it out in the old girl (away from the trees). During the 20-minute tempest, the huge red gums bent to impossible angles but held strong apart from a few small branches. Finally, the storm passed and the park was quiet again, with the only sound being the hammering of pegs from camps rebuilding. Shortly after, laughter and music filled the air, and a resilient bunch of Aussie campers were back into the swing of things, never letting a ‘bit of a storm’ ruin the mood. We discussed how the rains would affect the fishing tomorrow, and if we’d need to change tactics. Ultimately, it was all speculation until we awoke to find out the results. At sunrise the next day,

I rolled out of a pretty wet swag and wandered down to see how much runoff we had to contend with. There wasn’t a breath of wind, and the fog rising off the water made the best setting for a morning casting lures at our beloved ‘togas. Luckily for the boys, the swag I’d given them was more waterproof than mine, and they slept like logs after a long day diving for freshwater mussels. Because I was paid to attend this year’s event, I opted to not compete.

A regular scenario on a recent trip: one of the boys would hook up while the other raced for the net, hoping for that early shot.

The author caught this toga on a fluoro orange Paddle Prawn in turbid water. Tannhym and Isaac didn’t enter the comp either, although they had a fish just for fun. Tannhym got

just stoked to catch such a trophy specimen. The official winning saratoga of the comp was also a ripper fish of 2.826kg (around 68cm), and it was caught right in front of the weigh station on a piece of steak! Competitors also weighed in some solid yellowbelly and black bream, along with sleepy cod, catfish and spangled perch. All in all, it was a great event for young and old, and everyone is looking forward to next year’s event. I’d like to make a special note of someone

a saratoga that would have been the winning fish, but he didn’t mind missing out on a prize – he was

who’s a driving force for the comp and the fish stocking group. Zelma Lewis is an absolute battler, and just before this year’s comp she had a nasty fall, breaking some pretty important bones. Undaunted, this tough old girl never stopped being involved with the organising, and the comp was a great success. She’s one of the nicest individuals you’ll ever meet, and it’s country people like her who make the town such a great place to visit. If you’d like to enter next year’s comp (which has categories for juniors, men and women), look up “Moura stocking” on Facebook, or call Zelma on 0428 971 932.

Know the rules — no excuses! NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law, and we have fisheries regulations for a reason. Take the time to learn and understand them. Recreational fishing has certainly changed in my half century-plus as a keen angler. Sure, the gear and techniques have evolved over time — often dramatically. But it’s changes in the rules and regulations I notice most, not to mention massive shifts in the attitudes of grass roots anglers. When I was a kid, only

Minimum and maximum lengths for different species are usually measured to the tail tips, but check the rules where you fish for any variations to this system. to reproduce in peace, and bag limits reduce the overall catch, as well as helping to “share” fish stocks more equitably between stakeholders. (Although, that’s a bit of a joke if the commercial sector aren’t

Above and below: Instruct kids on the rules and their importance, and teach them how best to unhook and release fish that must, by law, be returned to the water.

There are also rules governing the harvesting of many invertebrates, such as prawns, whether intended to be eaten or used as bait. a handful of species had minimum size limits, and I’d never heard of bag limits! Your “bag limit” in those days was dictated by the size of said bag, and you could usually squeeze a couple more in if you tried hard enough. An angler’s prowess in those days was measured on the basis of how many fish he or she could catch and kill. Catch and release was virtually unknown, especially in saltwater scenarios. If you caught it and it was big enough to eat and a desirable table fish, it was kept… Simple as that. Times have indeed changed. In most Australian jurisdictions there are size and bag limits for the vast majority of species these days, along with all sorts of seasonal closures, gear restrictions and so on. In the eyes of some, our sport is now over-regulated. I can see their argument, and in a few isolated instances, I might even be inclined to agree to a certain extent. But overall, I welcome the 14 JUNE 2023

tighter and more complex restrictions we all operate under these days. When I was born, at the end of the 1950s, Australia’s population was less than 10 million souls, and a decent road network was yet to reach many regional areas. Today, we number in excess of 26 million, and there are far fewer places that still lie off the beaten track. Had we continued with the laid-back, “she’ll be right” attitudes of the 1960s, I reckon there’d be precious few fish left to catch today! Fact is, size restrictions, bag limits and seasonal or spatial closures are (or should be!) imposed for very good, science-based reasons. The primary aim of minimum size limits is to allow fish to spawn at least once before potentially being harvested. Maximum size limits, although much less widespread, are arguably an even more important tool, as they protect big breeders that have survived long enough to grow large, and which carry especially strong genes

that will greatly benefit fish stocks in the future. Closed seasons allow certain fish some respite

Closed season for species such as trout are intended to allow the fish to spawn in peace.

similarly constrained by quotas or other catch limits!) We can certainly argue the toss over specific rules, and oppose certain proposed changes — and we should, if we feel we have the facts and the science on our side — but we also need to understand that the regulations are primarily there to improve our fishing experience, and to share the resource more fairly. Those are very sound reasons for having rules, and for sticking to them. Keeping up with current fisheries regulations is certainly a much tougher job these days than it was 20 or 30 years ago, and I sometimes end up a little confused like everyone else, but that’s no excuse for doing the wrong thing. As anglers, it’s incumbent upon us to know the rules, and to abide by them at all times. Ignorance never has been and never will be an excuse.

Southern

OLD

Beach gutters, rock ledges and headlands and generally the big fish as well. The best part about headlands is generally the height which then provides safety from the waves and

THE TWEED

Leon McClymont

Beach gutters, rock ledges, and headlands, for land-based anglers these locations are the key to success, but when and where should you be fishing them? All these spots can fish well on either tides, moon phases or time of day depending on the location for the day. With beach gutters you want to find a deep gutter that has an entrance and an exit, and that is feeding straight out into open water.

The author with a big Spanish trolled up on a hardbody. a range of lures can provide great fishing, and sometimes a lot more of an enjoyable session once you work out the depth and where the fishable zones are. Headlands are generally a daytime thing throughout summer for most anglers, as sight casting pelagics is the name of the game when in season. Since we are talking winter species, headlands are generally a sunrise or sunset location, but are also

Ryan Zietlow with a solid mulloway taken on a soft plastic on a late night solo effort.

The author with a GT taken off the top on a popper on a recent trip to the Swains. These zones will fish well on a run out-tide and a run-in tide. As the tide does this, the big predatory fish will push in and out of these gutters feeding with the dropping and rising of the tide. If the gutter is deep enough, big predator fish, such as greenback tailor and mulloway, will comfortably sit in a gutter like this for prolonged times, especially if it’s holding bait. If the gutter is deep enough for them to feel safe they really have no reason to leave, especially if the food source is in the same location. Big schools of tailor and mulloway will hang for days in the same gutter/beach just moving back and forth gorging on bait. Hitting the beach can be done just about anytime of the day but sunrise and sunset, coinciding with either tide pushing in or out of your selected gutter, and one hour either side of the tides can narrow your bite period down. Following this pattern provides valuable information and can be the very crucial piece to the puzzle that will increase your chance of capturing that big one by fishing these phases. Most beach anglers will even fish throughout the night. Fishing both sides of the tide doing this can be very rewarding and give you great advantage, you can 16 JUNE 2023

more rewarding. Well just a quick one this month on the Tweed, as I havent done any fishing in the last month. As I’ve

learn a lot from spending just one full night on the beach. Fishing the whitewashed rock ledges can be fished with bait. However, fishing bait in these snaggy wash zones can be very frustrating rigging up and then casting your bait out only to get a snag within minutes, it can lead to consistently retying knots and huge loss of tackle. You can change up your technique and work different types of lures, such

as metal spinners, poppers or stickbaits, which will bring any big greenback or GT unstuck. Slow rolling hardbodies and plastics in these zones will also tempt huge mulloway and big greenbacks hiding in the suds. This way of fishing can be implemented in areas baits just aren’t suited to and has proven to be very successful. Generally tackling these locations with

Blake Macdonald caught this 20kg beast casting behind the shore break into a deep gutter while slowly rolling a vibe.

Jimmy Clifton caught this GT on a whole Tweed Bait bonito when it wouldn’t eat poppers or stick baits. It always pays to think outside of the box.

great spots to set up for the long haul through the night. Having deep water with a rocky bottom is the pick of the crop, but a headland with a good deep sand gutter running past it is also generally very successful. Once the headland has sanded up they tend to fish very slow. Fishing bait from the headlands is just about always a go to, as the variety of fish that can be taken from a headland is much larger. Soaking a bait out the front has got to be the go, typically gets the first bite

water, which then allows you to soak a bait and possible throw a lure around with a second setup. This will increase your efficiency and chances of a hook up. Fishing for big tailor and mulloway during winter is for the committed angler. It involves long hours, cold nights on the beach baiting up, chilly mornings flicking spinners and hardbodies amongst the whitewashed rock ledges, and plenty of cut fingers and busted knuckles. But I wouldn’t have it any other way as the fish I work hard for make them all that

just returned from a 10-day Swains trip – consistent bad weather and backload of work to catch up on. This month has seen plenty of mulloway caught, ranging from small 1kg soapies to big 20kg+ fish. They have been just about everywhere you can find a mulloway, on the inshore reefs, in the rivers in big numbers also land-based around the river entrances and headlands etc… and the rivers are filled with juveniles. The headlands, beaches and river mouths have been producing the bigger class of fish. The old boys have been out soaking pillies on the beaches for tailor with great success as the early winter chill has brought them on thick. Some good gutters along Pottsville and Wooyung Beach, Kingscliff Beach and Maggie’s hole has also had a good feed of tailor hanging in it. Snapper, pearlies and tuskies are biting well on the 36s out to the 50s. There are slow currents this time of year so heading out deep has been the go-to for most boaties on the Tweed. There are still a few Spanish around but they are very thin and aren’t worth targeting this time of year. Floatlining or bottom bashing on the inshore reefs targeting snapper and mulloway is much more successful this time of year. There are reports of bar cod and flame tails coming in from the shelf and beyond. Thanks for reading, see ya next month tight lines.

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School migrations move north GOLD COAST

David Green

In June the water temperature drops on the inshore grounds and a lot of the pelagics start to move north to warmer waters. As the water cools a lot of the fish that migrated south in summer move back north. June is a good time to target big mackerel and wahoo, with big fish

mackerel. Tuna, bonito, tailor and doggie mackerel all make great baits for big Spanish mackerel. 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

Bream will start to show up in decent numbers. over 20kg being quite common. Trolled baits from a downrigger is the best method to catch big

live slimy mackerel, tailer, yellowtail and tarwhine are all effective baits. Cobia are a common

catch in June and the 20 fathom reef is a good place to look for these fantastic fighting fish. 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 common in June, although the seasons tend to be quite variable from year to year. The artificial reef located in 23m of water northeast of the Seaway also commonly holds cobia. In general cobia arrive on the Gold Coast at the same time as the migrating pods of whales. 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 this year has seen huge numbers of spotted mackerel. Look for the birds and bait schools and cast metal lures, stick 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 tail tuna can sometimes be just at the back of the surf line. Keep your distance and make long casts. A highspeed 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. These fish are a great challenge from a small boat but for best results invest in a few 37kg trolling outfits. On 24 or 15kg gear it can be nearly impossible to

get the fish up to the surface when they go deep. The most productive depth is generally between 200-400m. As the current slows down deep dropping the wider grounds in depths between 250-500m will produce flame snapper, bar cod, nannygai and blue eye trevalla. There have been quite a few broadbill swordfish hooked as well on bigger baits. ESTUARIES AND RIVERS The change in seasons brings with it a lot of fish movement throughout the estuary. Big schools of mullet start to move towards the entrances. As the water cools and the westerlies start to blow 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 to feed on the big schools of tiger mullet. 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 June and these attract a lot of attention from tailor 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. Trolled Micro Mullets and Zerek Tango Shads are very reliable and catch flathead of all sizes. For casting I like to

Flathead are a great target in the winter months. use a mix of soft vibes like the Fish Trap, small prawns, soft plastics and blades. It pays to experiment as the tastes of our local flathead seem to vary from day to day. I particularly like the Gulp Nemesis 4” model in the fire tiger colour. Mulloway are a good target species 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 and 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 pike or big soft plastics. A lot of mulloway over a metre long are caught here. Use a long trace between your sinker and hook and keep your bait in the eddy if possible. June is very much a month of transition when it comes to fishing on the Gold Coast. Conditions are generally good with calm seas and not much rain. There are plenty of good options this month.

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Mountains of mulloway JUMPINPIN

Bo Sawyer

Hope you’ve all had a fantastic month and caught plenty of fish. We are shaping up for a cracker of a winter season and should see plenty of nice fish coming in over June. Water temperatures have come way down from previous weeks and sitting in the low 20s at the time of writing. Expect these to drop further over the coming weeks and take notice of where the warmer water is sitting (most likely closer to the Pin Bar). Water quality has been great but on the bigger tides the run out can bring some dirtier water along with it as the system gets a good flush with the added flow. The flathead fishing should go nuts over the coming weeks with the flats being the best option to

Matt smacked a few nice juvenile snapper on soft plastics along with a mulloway and flatties up to 70cm.

Sean has been smacking some great fish lately.

smack a few of them. Use 10-14lb fluorocarbon leader and 1/4oz weight jigheads with 3/0 hooks. If bait is your preferred method then chuck on pillies, prawns or white bait. You could even

target them. I prefer fishing for them on sand flats at this time of year over mud flats as sand will hold

soft vibes and 7” plastics, however live mullet and pike are a great option as well. The tide changes are definitely the pick of the tides, as the current slackens that’s when they are the most active. Plenty of monster bream are making their way around as well. Logan River mouth has been holding a fair few, as well as Kalinga Bank and Millionaires. Lightly weighted yabbies or white bait are a great option and you can never go past mullet strips. Small 2.5” plastics on 1/8oz jigheads with a size 1 hook are an extremely fun

way to target these species. The Gold Coast Sportfishing Club are holding an amazing bream tournament through the QTS competition and I encourage bream anglers to have a crack. It’s a tonne of fun and there are some great cash prizes available. You can still target whiting in the colder months, however, the numbers will be reduced. The best baits are live worms and yabbies on a lightly weighted rig and long shank hook. Try working the shallow flats and keep your bait moving with the current when

Gaff caught a monster mulloway.

Jye flew up from Sydney and cracked his PB flatty.

more heat- and flathead appreciate this with cold mornings and nights around. This time last year we had multiple sessions of 50-70 fish being caught on 3-4” plastics around the Jacobs Well area. If you can get a low tide lined up with a dawn or dusk period then you should be able to

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book a charter with us and see first hand how good lure fishing can be on this wonderful species. Places to look are Crusoe Island, Tiger Mullet channel, Pandanus Island and any sand banks around the Jacobs Well area. Some stonker mulloway have been showing up throughout the whole system. The Pin Bar is your best bet for the bigger models but you’ll get them all the way up the river systems as well. Sound over deep holes or along deep drop off ledges and look for activity. We’ve been getting some nice models on 95mm

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It’s worth braving the cold BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

With the cold conditions well and truly here, anglers will require a few extra layers and some inspiration to get out and brave the elements. Those early morning starts are less appealing than the warmth of summer, however once you get into the action the effort is worthwhile. There’s loads of awesome species to target over the coming month with snapper, squid, mulloway, tailor, luderick, bream and others coming to the fore in Moreton Bay and the estuaries. Whack on some warm clothes, fill the thermos with warming fluid and go target some of these prime species. SNAPPER Probably the most targeted species in SEQ during the cooler months, snapper are

a great sporting target and exceptional table fare. Healthy numbers of fish abound bay waters during winter due to them being in breeding mode. Larger specimens come from offshore into the shallower bay waters to do their best at maintaining healthy population of their species. During this time there is a broad array of size classes from hand sized pinkies to thumping big knobbies. Regardless of size, handle all fish with care and abide by size and bag limit regulations. Even the small specimens need to be carefully unhooked and released as they are the breeders of the future. Snapper are respondent to both baits and lures. I prefer to target bay snapper with lures, however bait fishing is also highly effective. Key bay areas include the artificial reefs, bay islands, wrecks, deepwater ledges and other structured areas. Sometimes

Although prevalent year round, bream numbers will dramatically increase over the coming months with plenty of stud specimens on offer.

snapper are even caught deep beneath schools of bait being marauded upon by pelagic species. Snapper are relatively opportunistic feeders, being rather aggressive at times. I use a lot of soft vibes (especially Samaki Thumpertails) and soft plastics (including jerk shads, crustacean profiles, curl tails and paddle tails) whilst targeting bay snapper. Micro jigs, blades, minnow lures, octo-jigs and many other presentations can all be put to good use. In most areas the general technique is to drift with the current and present your offerings upcurrent. Using an electric motor to spot lock in position is useful when fishing certain structures, such as wrecks. Offerings are best cast up current or across current to offer the best presentation plus the ability to keep the lure in the strike zone. Working soft vibes and plastics by using a series of hops or slow lifts and pauses is generally a successful technique. I commonly just fish vibes by using a flat stick technique using an irregular and errant winding technique with pauses and occasional twitches. This mostly works for me but on any given day it pays to try different techniques and lures to decipher what they prefer. Trolling deep diving minnow lures can be very successful also. Lures that dive between 5m and 8m are commonly used. The artificial reefs, bay island margins and other structured grounds up to around 12m in depth are all ideal for this approach. Estuary cod, mulloway, mackerel and several other

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species are all respondent to this approach. Deep water structure, such as the Harry Atkinson, Curtin Artificial, Ammo Barge and Comboyuro Ledge can all be probed with micro jigs, generally in the 40-80g size. These allow you to target those fish sounding directly below the boat. Small octo-jigs can also work in this situation. Quality fresh baits and live offerings are ideal for targeting snapper, however previously frozen offerings such as pilchards, squid, mullet fillet and bonito fillet can all work. A small yakka, slimy mackerel or pike presented close to the bottom on a 3/0 to 5/0 snelled hook rig will rarely go unnoticed. Fresh fillet baits from mullet, herring, bonito, tuna, pike or even grinners can be exceptionally successful. Salted fillets from various tuna and bonito species are a little tougher than unsalted and the oils are condensed somewhat making them ideal baits. Always present baits with subtle rigging, fluorocarbon leaders and minimal sinker weights to offer the best presentation and highest likelihood of success. We have several months of prime snapper fishing ahead of us but now is a great time to target a few of these big bay beauties. SQUID As the waters clear due to the effects of westerly winds, squid numbers will dramatically improve in inshore waters. Anglers employing egiing techniques from land-based areas around Manly, Wellington Point, Victoria Point, Scarborough, Sandgate, Amity, Dunwich and other popular locations will generally be rewarded for their efforts. Casting egi (squid jigs) and then retrieving them with a series of hops or a slow winds and pauses will generally get the attention of any squid nearby. Often the squid are very aggressive and will quickly pounce on the jig. However, sometimes they are rather shy and will shadow an egi without striking. Several jig changes can be required to get a strike at times, if at all. Further out into the bay the response is generally more positive and squid (both tiger and arrow) are a little more aggressive. Any locations where clear, clean water flows over rock, reef, rubble or weed is generally worthwhile probing. Even with the water so clear, you will rarely see the squid until they seem to materialise out of nowhere to attack the egi. Several will sometimes shoulder the jig until one finally attacks. Therefore, it often pays to have another rod at the ready because quickly feeding out an additional egi can result in a second secured squid.

Luderick require specific targeting and techniques for capture but a brace of tasty specimens like this from a Brisbane land-based location makes the effort worthwhile. Whilst drifting in the channels such as the Rous, Small Ships and Rainbow, dragging an egi behind the boat with the rod in the holder can also work well. A pilchard pinned on a squid skewer and suspended beneath a near neutral buoyancy float is also deadly at times. Use a soft tipped rod to absorb the lunges of the squid and simply wind the cephalopod in slowly whilst keeping the rod tip high. A small landing net is recommended to minimise the chance of copping an ink spray. There is no size limit on squid but a general possession limit of 20 per person. LUDERICK With water temperatures falling, luderick will begin to come inshore to breed during the coming months. Usually once you observe green weed growing on in water structure, luderick will be around. They will enter the estuaries and rivers en masse, commonly residing and feeding in areas possessing good marine weed growth such as rock walls, harbour pylons, retaining walls and bridge pylons. Luderick are primarily vegetarians although they will occasionally eat a yabby, peeled prawn or marine worm. Occasionally an aggressive one may even attack a lure however targeting them on such could be a tiresome process. Weed bait is best with string and cabbage weed the most reliable. The purple weed and black weed found on some submerged marine structure will also work at times. Weed baits are commonly fished on light fluorocarbon leaders and suspended beneath a float. Small split shot sinkers are added to the leader above the baits so that the float is just above neutral buoyancy. Therefore, when the luderick

mouths the bait and moves off, they feel almost no resistance from the float. This increases hook ups on these pedantic and wary fish. When the float dips (commonly called a ‘down’) or rises (an ‘up’) the rod tip is abruptly and smoothly lifted to set the hook. The soft tip of a good luderick rod now comes into play to absorb the head shakes and lunges of the fish. Palming a dragless centrepin reel will allowing you to apply pressure at the appropriate time. Luderick are best kept alive until shortly before processing. Remove the black gut lining quickly after dispatch to maximise the flesh quality. I believe that soaking the fillets in saltwater improves the flavour somewhat. MULLOWAY A highly prized capture for bay, river and estuarine anglers, mulloway numbers will flourish over the coming months. These large silver slabs are often caught by anglers targeting other species such as snapper and threadfin but specific targeting can definitely increase captures. In the bay, mulloway are most common around prominent structures such as ledges, wrecks and artificial wrecks. Often larger schools can be sounded out using marine electronics and then targeted with lures such as soft vibes, plastics and even micro jigs. Obviously, baits can also work with live offerings reigning supreme over any others. Yakkas, slimey mackerel, mullet, herring, banana prawns and squid all make exceptional live baits. These can be fished in the aforementioned bay areas or in deeper holes, around submerged structure and adjacent ledges in the rivers. In the Brisbane River, try areas such as deeper holes

Southern

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under the Gateway Bridge, Clara’s Rocks, along the Caltex Reach wall, out from the International Cruise Ship Terminal, and the deeper holes at the fronts of most shipping wharves (adhere to distance limitations). Working over these same areas by hopping soft vibes or plastics will also work. During the darkened hours, lighted areas around Citycat Terminals, bankside restaurants and bridges will often attract numbers of crustaceans and baitfish. Both threadfin salmon and mulloway can be caught in these zones during the darkened hours, regardless of tidal stage. Those targeting mulloway closer to the river mouth on either baits or lures are also highly likely to catch some quality snapper. Large live baits are most likely to produce the larger mulloway but the waiting game can be too long between fish for many anglers. TAILOR Surprisingly, tailor have been caught sporadically throughout much of last year, possibly due to good bait concentrations throughout inshore waters. However, the coming months promise some prime action for these aggressive predators. Schools of tailor can often be found aggressively attacking bait on the surface in the bay and around the river mouth.

The shallow areas of the bay islands (Mud, Green, Goat, Bird, Peel and Coochiemudlo), along the Amity Point rock wall, around the Sand Hills and the artificial reefs are all good areas to look for tailor conglomerations. However, they are a possibility no matter where you are fishing in Moreton Bay or the Brisbane River. Trolling minnow lures along the retaining wall at the mouth of the Brisbane River or casting lures around lighted areas at night are good options for inshore anglers. Drifting

out baits such as pilchards, frogmouths, whitebait and hardiheads, either unweighted or under a small float is a good way to target tailor in areas such as the Manly Harbour rock wall, Scarborough Harbour Jetty, Hornibrook Bridge, Woody Point Jetty, Amity Rock Wall and Shorncliffe Jetty. Early morning or evening high tides offer some of the best opportunity, especially the periods an hour or so either side of the high. Tailor numbers will continue to rise for several months with

good numbers around until at least September. BREAM Colder months are renowned to be good for bream fishing. Numbers of larger bream gather in inshore waters to breed once water temperatures fall. Whilst bream are a scavenging species and will eat most food sources they come across, they will aggressively attack lures and flies with gusto. They can be exceptional timid or very aggressive, depending on their situation and tidal movements.

Big bay mulloway are a prized capture with the cooler months prime for targeting them throughout SEQ. This one was tempted with a 100mm Samaki Thumpertail just out from the Brisbane River mouth.

As such, many anglers have made almost an art out of targeting them using special (often purpose-designed) lures and honed techniques. Whilst some anglers invest northwards of 100k to set up a boat and tackle to specifically target bream, they are also likely to be caught by a child with a handcaster and rusty hook baited with some leftover Christmas ham. Bream can offer a lot of fun and are probably one of the most common species caught by anglers having their first dabble at saltwater fishing. They are common in all saltwater inshore areas including creeks, rivers, estuaries, canal developments, jetties, harbours, marinas and even landlocked saltwater lakes. Whilst bait fishing requires little more than a length of line, small sinker, hook and some bait, the lure fishing area is now flooded with specific lures resembling common bream food sources such as baitfish, crabs, clams and prawns. Prawns, strips of fillet bait (mullet, herring, pike, bonito, gar etc.), squid strips, chicken fillet, pilchard cubes, whitebait, hardiheads, frogmouths, beach and estuarine worms and a host of other baits will work. Finesse rigging with light leaders, minimal sinker weights and hooks barely visible in the bait will greatly increase results.

Present these near structures such as rock walls, bridge pylons, pontoons, jetties, moored boats and you are in with a good chance. However, bream will roam readily and therefore any bait in the water around sand banks, beaches, mud banks, gutters and shallow reefs is likely to be pounced upon by a bream. Basically, bream are readily caught almost anywhere in the saltwater on an extensive array of baits or small lures. CONCLUSION As you can deduct, the colder months offer some prime species for anglers to target throughout Moreton Bay and the estuaries. Colder conditions require some extra layers of clothing to withstand the elements but once you get near or onto the water you will often notice that it is a few degrees warmer, especially when the wind isn’t blowing. The variety of species on offer will make the effort of a trip worthwhile in most cases with snapper, mulloway, bream, tailor and others highly likely. For those who target them, squid numbers will also be healthy and regular captures should not be too hard from the foreshore or out into the bay. These can provide a tasty meal or prime baits for larger piscators. You aren’t going to catch anything but a cold whilst curled up on the couch so get out and wet line soon.

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Southern

OLD

Calm winter fishing approaches NORTHERN BAY

Tackle World Lawnton

The end of autumn saw some erratic weather conditions, which made fishing difficult at times. With winter finally here, however, we

prized eating fish. In the bay there has been a ton of bait getting around, and following the schools of bait has been inshore pelagics like longtail and mac tuna, school mackerel and tailor. Matching the hatch with your lures and casting them toward

or weed beds in 1-4m of water should see you cross paths with a few of these tasty cephalopods. The edges of most bay islands have this type of ground. Land-based squidders can also have success during June, and there’s good squid ground along Scarborough, Woody Point, Manly and Raby Bay. Timing your trip with a high tide will ensure the water is at its clearest for the tide cycle.

Bay, Pumicestone Passage and parts of the southern bay are ideal for setting a few pots or dillies while you fish. It’s worth staying near your crabbing gear, as theft has unfortunately become a common problem in SEQ. RIVERS AND CREEKS The estuary fishing in the area through June is usually fantastic, with calm weather, abundant predators and clean waterways all contributing to a

Grass sweetlip will be thick over most inshore rubble patches, and are a common snapper by-catch. should see more calm days with cool mornings, gentle westerlies, and nice T-shirt temperatures during the day. Winter will see a range of different species entering the bay, and open up some great fishing opportunities that haven’t been available for several months. Whether you’re bait fishing with prawns off a pier or sinking jigs down to reefies offshore, June should have plenty in store. Let’s check out what’s been biting! BAY AND OFFSHORE By June the pelagics offshore have generally tapered off, save for a few straggler mackerel and wahoo still lurking about. Attention

any feeding schools is a good way to get a strike if you can get your boat close enough. If they’re a little spooky, try to position your bot so the school comes to you – keep in mind that tuna and mackerel generally feed into the wind. Stickbaits, soft plastics, metal slugs and flies all work really well, so it pays to have a rod rigged with any oif these whenever you’re motoring around the bay in June. Snapper and grass sweetlip are the other popular targets in winter, with the reef edges around the bay islands, as well as with any rubble patches in 3-8m of water good places to prospect with

Suspending jerkbaits can be deadly on impoundment bass in winter, and it’s always worth prospecting the edges of a dam before searching the depths for schooling fish. then turns to the bottom fish, and with the ocean currents slacking off considerably, conditions should be favourable for dropping baits and lures. There have been early reports of big snapper and mulloway hanging off some of the popular deeper marks such as The Cathederals, Deep Tempest and Hutchison Shoal. Pearl perch and trag jew should also be starting to show up in bags in June as well. Floatlining pillies, dropping paternosters with flesh baits, or sending down slow-pitch jigs is a good way to nail these 26 JUNE 2023

soft plastics. Small grub style and minnow designs with 1/8-1/4oz jigheads are perfect for this shallow water fishing. In some areas it’s impossible to let a soft plastic sink without snagging up, so working the plastic aggressively mid-water is the best approach. Tide changes around sunrise or sunset are ideal for this technique. Floatlining a pilchard in these same areas will be effective as well. Tiger squid have well and truly come into the shallows in preparation for their spawning later in the year. Working jigs over any shallow reef, rubble

Throwing big lures in the dark during winter isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the rewards can make the discomfort well worth it. On high tide the squid will be pushing up into shallow water to hunt. Beach fishing will start to become more popular through winter. The main beaches of Bribie, Moreton, North and South Stradbroke islands will be great places to soak baits for species such as dart, whiting, bream, flathead and tailor. More serious beach fishers will be thinking about mulloway and big tailor, especially as we edge toward to coldest part of the year. Throwing small soft plastics on standard estuary spin gear into the same gutters that you would usually fish with bait is a fun way to mix things up at the beach. Keep your soft plastics in the 2-3” range, use light leaders around 6-8lb, and you’ll be surprised just how many fish you catch! Those chasing a feed of blue swimmer crabs can still do so in June, you just need to set your pots or dillies out a little deeper. The deeper weed flats in Deception Bay, Bramble

The beach action will pick up in June, with the ocean side of our major islands providing the best areas for this caper. lures in about 2-3m is an almost sure way to bag a few flatties, just be sure that your lures are making regular contact with the bottom, and you’re not trolling too fast. A trolling speed of 2-3km/h is perfect, and you only need to have your lure about 15m or so behind the boat. As we progress further into winter and eventually spring, the flathead will begin to group up, and casting lures will become more effective. Larger predators like threadfin salmon and mulloway will be chowing down the masses of bait in our local rivers, with the Pine and Brisbane rivers being the

Blue swimmer or sand crabs are an option in spring, however pots and dillies will need to be set in deeper water. pleasant experience. Flathead have started to gather in the lower estuaries like Pumicestone Passage, the Caboolture, Pine and Brisbane rivers, as well as the smaller systems like Kedron Brook, Burpengary Creek, and Cabbage Tree Creek. With the fish still a little spread out, trolling is a great way to find concentrations of fish. Trolling small 40-60mm

Squid will improve in size and numbers as we get further into winter, with the action generally peaking in spring.

pick for these two species. Threadies and mulloway will also get busy at night, waiting along any light lines under bridges or around lit pontoons to snatch an easy feed, so if you’re willing to brave the cold nights you may come up trumps. A range of lures between 60-120mm will work, but the best results will come on presentations that match the size of the bait, so make sure you gaze into the water and try to find out what they’re eating! Live baits of poddy mullet, herring, prawns and pike fished around structure is another effective way to catch these predators, so if lures aren’t working livies shouldn’t disappoint. Big tailor have been a feature in our rivers over the last few months, and there’s no reason why June will be any different. Big tailor to 60cm have been found inside the Caboolture, Pine and Brisbane rivers, with schools spotted

busting up in the middle of Brisbane city at times! If you want to nail a tailor, make sure you have a rod rigged and ready with a slug, topwater lure or soft plastic at all times, as you never know when or where they may show up. DAMS Our two local dams fished incredibly well for both bass and saratoga during the warmer months, however there are still good options in the dams during winter. Early and late in the day it can be worth throwing suspending jerkbaits and small soft plastics in shallow water around the edges. Catches can be few and far between at times, but lot of big bass are caught this way in winter. Just make sure you fish your lures slowly, as the fish don’t want to work too hard for their food at this time of year. During the day, bass like to school up off points and humps adjacent to the old riverbed during winter, and anyone with a decent sounder should be able to find these schools. Getting these fish to eat can be tricky sometimes, so having a range of soft plastics, blades, spoons and tailspinners is handy. Cycling through these lures until you can find what they want on the day is the best way to get into some action. Start your search in 6-9m of water, and head out deeper if you can’t find any schools. WRAP UP June often sees very pleasant conditions to fish in across the South East, and this June should be no different. Remember to rug up if you’re heading out early or late, but keep some light clothing underneath in case it heats up throughout the day, or if you fall over board and need to shed clothing to stay afloat. • 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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JUNE 2023 27

Southern

OLD

Cool changes make a difference to fishing tactics NOOSA

Peter Wells

With the cooler temperatures of winter upon us, the way we fish has changed quite dramatically. This time of year is when we change from top water and pelagic to more bottom, and good old snapper. Thinking about how you fish is almost as important as the lure or baits you use, and moon phase, weather and tide can all play a part. If we get any winter rain then there is a mass evacuation of bait fish from the rivers. These fish move out to sea in search of more saline waters, which in turn bring the more predatory fish to the closer reef to feed. If the weather stays consistent then you are better off heading wide to places like the far side of the Barwon Banks, Caloundra 12 mile, the Hards or even the grounds off Double Island.

There should be some decent catches of mulloway when the baitfish move in. The good old floater is very popular at this time of the year – a large pilchard on snelled or ganged hooks fished through a solid berley trail, but don’t overdo it with

the berley as all you will do is attract sharks. Snapper will follow up the trail eventually finding your bait. Live baits is always a good option so having a bait jig set up and

ready to go and some sort of live tank set up will help put quality baits to the bottom. You can also expect to find, sweetlip, parrot, pearl perch, cobia and mulloway all feeding on the bounty of bait fish on offer. There will be the option of pelagic catches but as we move into the cooler months these fish will move with the warmer currents to the north. For those of you that are really looking to still capitalise on mackerel a trip to the 1770 or further north

to feed on morsels of food disturbed by the tide. Flathead have been in impressive numbers. These fish have been more predominate on the run-out tide, but fishing the edges of sand and mud banks in the shallower water is where you will find most fish warming their bodies in the winter sun, both lures and baits have been claiming fish. For those just getting into plastics fishing, flathead is one of those fish that are relatively easy to target. Small fish and prawn profiles are what works best and in the dirtier water fishing bright colours is essential. From my experience the slow roll across the bottom is the best method so having the appropriate size jighead is very important. Basically, if you are not on the bottom, you are not in the game. This is also the time of the year that bream anglers really start to get excited with plenty of quality fish on offer. These fish can pull hard, and the big ones are one of the toughest fighters out there. Live baits of prawns or herring cast around structure will get quickly gobbled up by a hungry bream. For lure anglers, smaller soft plastics like the ZMan GrubZ in the 2.5” size with a 1/20 size 2 jighead fished on very light braid and light fluorocarbon

have had great success with the Jigpara jigs in the 7-10g as well as paddle-tail soft plastics in the 4” size, like the Keitech Easy Shiner and the ZMan MinnowZ. Tailor numbers are starting to improve in the Noosa and the Maroochy rivers. Anglers have had success trolling smaller hardbodies and casting slugs. Night anglers have also seen fish when casting pilchard baits to the middle of the river. The incoming tide has the better fish. On the beach, things have also improved greatly after some swells hit the coast and created some great gutters in close. Whiting and dart have been in great numbers feeding on all the exposed pipis and beach worm. This is great news for the younger anglers as most of the gutters are close and an easy cast. Mulloway and tailor numbers have also improved with a lot of goodsized fish taken. Fishing the incoming tide early morning or into the evening has seen the best results, mullet fillet pilchards, bonito fillet and tailor fillets have been great baits. Flathead have also been in the gutters and anglers have been taking there smaller 7’ outfits down and working plastics on larger jigheads with some quite interesting results, with

Flathead have been in good numbers and are relatively easy to target.

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would be your best option. In the rivers, winter is a great time to fish. For whiting anglers, we tended to concentrate most of our efforts around winter whiting with the river mouths around the top two hours of the tide your best option. Bait anglers were used freshly pumped yabbies, beach worm, soldier crabs and peeled prawns and getting some outstanding results with plenty of elbowslappers moving into the area

leaders is a great way to target them. Fish areas like pontoons and jetties, and cast to the shadow line and let it sink slowly. With water temperatures dropping in the rivers, we are seeing some great trevally action. There have been some good quality diamonds, GTs and goldens stretching the arms of anglers. Most of the action has been happening at first light and around the high tides. Our junior anglers

both large flathead and goodsized trevally swimming so close in. • Don’t forget to check in to www.fishingnoosa.com.au for all the latest up to date info on fishing and bar crossings. The knowledgeable teams at Tackle World Noosa, Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola our new store The Tackle Shop in Gympie can provide you with the right equipment, bait and advice to ensure success!

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New rules for Spanish mackerel start 1 July To help rebuild stocks of east coast Spanish mackerel, new rules will be in place from 1 July 2023: The recreational possession limit will change to one fish per person, or two fish per boat with two or more recreational fishers on board (the boat limit will not apply to licensed charter fishing trips).

The extended charter trip limit will be removed (currently allows recreational fishers to take twice the in-possession limit for charter trips longer than 48 hours). The total allowable commercial catch will be adjusted from 578 tonnes to 165 tonnes for the 2023 fishing season. Search ‘Spanish mackerel management changes’ at daf.qld.gov.au/fisheries for more information.

World Oceans Day: Compliant pots keep our oceans healthy

If your favourite past-time is spending the day out on the water, then you’ll know oceans play a major role in everyday life. That’s why it’s up to each one of us to conserve its ecosystem and biodiversity for future generations to enjoy. Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers work with partner agencies and conduct regular operations to rid Queensland waterways of abandoned and non-compliant crabbing apparatus. Crab pots that are used incorrectly or abandoned can become lost and may continue to ‘ghost fish’, trapping wildlife. Whether it’s checking your equipment regularly or making sure you’re following the Queensland regulations for your catch, there’s something we all can do to look after the place we spend in our favourite place – the ocean.

You can avoid losing crab pots and risk harming the environment by following these tips: • Check crab pots regularly and remove them from the water when they are not being used. • Ensure crab pots are heavy enough with enough rope attached to the float so they are not lost or pulled under water in strong tidal currents. • Ensure crab pots are set below the low tide mark and in a sufficient depth of water at all stages of the tide. You can also support our oceans by reporting suspected unmarked, lost or abandoned crabbing apparatus to the Fishwatch Hotline on 1800 017 116. For detailed information on Queensland fishing rules and regulations, download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app from Apple and Google app stores.

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Ready to land the fish of a LIFETIME? We’ve invested $100,000 into the Fish’n’SIP$ tagged fish competition run by the Freshwater Fish Stocking Association of Queensland in Central and North Queensland.

The competition has had an excellent start with 3 prizes already claimed. First and second prize were caught at Tinaroo Dam, with both tagged barramundi more than a metre long! Third prize was caught at Cania Dam hooking a 440mm Australian bass. The competition supports the Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme (SIPS) and will see more fish stocked for anglers in the next financial year. Southern Queensland has benefited from flood recovery grants with the equivalent of approximately 800,000 additional Australian bass or golden perch being stocked this financial year. That means there are plenty of fish for you to catch and still $20,000 up for grabs in the Fish’n’SIP$ competition. Buy your SIPS permit to fish in Queensland’s dams and weirs via the Qld Fishing 2.0 app or head to qld.gov.au and search ‘SIPS’.

Celebrating a year of the Women in Recreational Fishing Network Queensland The Women in Recreational Fishing Network (WIRFN) Qld is celebrating their one-year anniversary! Since its launch, the program has achieved significant traction, reaching more than a thousand members on Facebook. It’s been an active year with highlights including: • Workshops at the Australian Fishing Trade Association Trade Show on the Gold Coast • Meet and greet events on the Gold Coast, Cairns, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast • Attendance to the World Recreational Fishing Conference in Melbourne There are more events coming, so keep an eye out for an event near you. If you’re not already a member, search for ‘Women in Recreational Fishing Network Qld’ on Facebook to join the community. We will be calling expressions of interest for the new cohort of leaders to join the WIRFN Leadership Program.

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

Central OLD

Expect the unexpected in the coming weeks BUNDABERG

Luke Truant

Inshore reef fishing, within 15 miles from shore, has served up some of the best autumn bites I’ve seen in the last three years. We have been getting heaps of good hussar, Spanish flag, Moses perch, and dark-tail snapper. Many people have never caught a dark-tail snapper before, but they’re becoming more common here so you may well catch one in the future. They look a bit like

like reefy overhangs and caves (we call it ‘hard reef’, where you get snagged a lot). You don’t normally get them on scattered reef. Tuskfish are also making a small comeback in reef areas, and we’ve had some great catches of them lately. The yellowtail scad have shown up at the end leads and out at the FADs (10 miles from Bundy). We have been filling the live well with them, and the results speak for themselves. The red emperor and trout can’t resist a wellplaced livie.

been. Still, we have managed to get plenty of fish through them. Make sure you take out bucketloads of extra sinkers, hooks and trace to replace biteoffs. And if you get sharked, it’s time to move. I had some guests that brought some shark deterrents, to see what effect the devices would have on the men in grey suits. In the past I have tried the $3000 electrified shark repellents with no success, but I was interested to see whether my guests would have more luck. They had brought shark bands and magnets, and put

The dark-tail snapper is a northern species that is becoming more common off Bundaberg. a reef jack – and fight like one too – and they are great to eat. Dark-tail snapper are more of a coastal fish, which I used to catch further north. Now they’re showing up down here more and more, perhaps indicating that water temps are changing. The most common size we’ve been catching has been around 45cm, but one angler caught a really big 57cm one off Mudjimba Island (Old Woman Island) recently as well, so there are definitely some bigger fish getting around. You can catch them in the same areas as you’d catch reef jacks or Moses perch, i.e. in ‘ledgy’ country, with big overhangs or caves. Speaking of Moses perch, we have been catching heaps of them in the last few months. When you fillet a Moses perch, you’ll notice the flesh looks a bit bruised, blotchy and/or red, but they’re actually one of the tastiest fish in the sea, with beautiful sweet flesh. Small wonder, as they’re related to jacks, red emperor, fingermark and other lutjanids. Lately we’ve averaged around 7-8 Moses perch per trip, up to 2.5kg. They are a schooling fish like hussar, so when you get one you normally get several. They 32 JUNE 2023

At the time of writing this report, the scad are really small so you’ll want to use a smaller jig to catch them more efficiently. We have been using the size 8 Wilson sabiki jig lately. Fill your tanks get as much as you can (up to 30 per person), because the big red emperor and trout are much easier to catch when you have livies. Grassy sweetlip (grass emperor) are also on the chew. Lately the best way to catch them has been with a running ball sinker down to a hook, as opposed to a paternoster rig. A paternoster will still work, but not as well. Normally I would favour squid as a bait for grassies, but lately fresh strips of iodine bream or hussar have been working better than fresh local squid, which is surprising. We have been getting the grassies in depths from 15m out to around 50m, with the best catches coming in about 25-35m of water. The biggest specimen from last month was over 5.5kg, which is a very welcome catch. There has been a random run of spangled emperor (yellow sweetlip) in fairly close inshore reefs. Spanglies don’t taste too great, but they pull really hard and never seem to run for cover, so they’re so fun to catch. The sharks at the moment are as bad as they’ve ever

them near the sinker and some above the hook. Other hooks were sent down without shark repellents, to see if there was any difference. Unfortunately, there was no noticeable difference. There are plenty of school mackerel along the coast if you want to put a spoon behind a paravane/trolling board. Alternatively, you can do super-fast retrieves with a slice (or anything that’s shiny and can move fast) from the bottom up on the inshore reefs/ wrecks. A shiny barrel sinker with a 6/0 hook behind it is

actually just as effective as an any slice I’ve used for school mackerel. Just cast it out, let it sink down, and retrieve as fast as possible. The tip when doing that is to use a really long mono trace, so you don’t end up hitting the top guide with your lure or sinker. The Spanish have been harder to find, and when we have found them the sharks have been so homed in on them that we lose lures left, right and centre. The sharks have apparently learned to follow boats that are trolling, knowing there’s an easy meal of mackerel on offer. We’ve been sharked five seconds after hook-up. It’s pretty clear that the ecosystem is out of balance, and hopefully there will be some policy changes in future to help ease this problem. ESTUARY FISHING Blue salmon are kicking around at the moment, and you can catch them fishing the tide changes in the deep sections of the river. If you’ve never caught a blue salmon, there’s nothing like them for fighting power and endurance. A 50cm blue salmon on 8lb braid may take you 45 minutes to land. Every time they get near the boat they’ll do another long run. A simple way to catch them is to look for schools with your sounder, and send down a 50-70mm soft vibe (the brand doesn’t seem to matter). Hard vibes also work a treat for blue salmon – sometimes even better than soft vibes. Hard vibes can have a heavier vibration action which gets the fish going, and if you’re fishing a bit deeper (say, in 10m+ of water) the hard vibes can sink to the bottom faster. They can be cheaper as well, so don’t discount them from your arsenal. When you’re working your vibe, it’s good to do a varied retrieve to see what the fish want on the day. For example, do four slow lifts, pause, and do four small,

Blue salmon are a fantastic sportfish, and great on the plate. short, sharp jigs. Be sure to maintain the connection when the lure is sinking – don’t let the line go slack because (like most fish) they’ll often take the lure on the drop. It’s good to experiment with different lure colours. Some days the fish will eat fluoro yellow, and the next day they’ll prefer brown or gold, so bring a range of colours to see what works on the day. Bear in mind that blue salmon can take your lure in any part of the water column. Sometimes you’ll catch a blue on the first jig off the bottom, and at other times the fish will strike right at the boat. In my humble opinion, blue salmon are the best eating fish in the entire river. They are guaranteed to be the most forgiving to cook or smoke, because of their high fat content. They freeze very well, both smoked and unsmoked. If you’re interested in trying some smoked blue

A Spanish mackerel that escaped the sharks.

salmon, we produce it locally at The Seafood Smokery (theseafoodsmokery.com. au). Our macadamia smoked blue salmon actually won Champion Product at the Royal Sydney Fine Food Awards, so I’m confident you will enjoy it – just bear in mind that it often sells out. With the floods behind us and winter upon us, it’s likely we’re in for an epic bream season. I personally love to use ox heart or lamb heart on lightly weighted or unweighted hooks (e.g. Mustad Big Gun 1/0) cast right into the rocks. I let my bait drift around the rocks, and wait for an enquiry. I use 20lb fluorocarbon leader because the bream can fight dirty in the rocks. We’ve had a really good run of crabs on the large tides, and June is the last month of the year to catch them. You can sometimes get really good catches in June, especially at the start of June, and the crabs are usually really full. • 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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Smaller lures and lighter gear work well in winter challenge, there are plenty of other winter options for land-based tucker hunts. The same sorts of outfits that I mentioned earlier can be used for hunting whiting, bream and flathead on the flats and around creek mouths with baits or lures. The humble old peeled prawn will undoubtedly catch you

TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

Up here in the north, the air temperatures and water temperatures have been dropping. One week the mercury fell by 6°C, which is a lot to drop such a short space of time. It’s just the seasons doing what they do, though a little later this year than the last few. I’m sure the same scenario will play out as it always does: we get a cold snap, the fishing gets a bit tougher, then after a few weeks we get a warmer stretch and the fish chew their heads off. Many people believe that the

Clear, crisp mornings are prime time to be chasing winter jacks. They’re often found on the shallows up underneath those dark pockets, hunting prawns.

Fingermark are frequent lure grabbers during winter. This fish took an Atomic Semi Hardz 50mm. barra aren’t worth chasing in the winter months, but the truth is you can still catch these great sportfish if you change tactics. We downsize our lures when it gets cooler, whether it be plastics, hardbodies, vibes or whatever – smaller works better in winter. Little vibes and blades (as small as 40mm) can catch quite a few fish in the deeper holes, while 3-4” plastics work well in the drains and flats. It’s strange that a fish with a big mouth you can fit your fist in would bother eating a tiny prawn imitation, but it’s definitely the case. The 4” Halco Paddle Prawn in raw prawn colour has worked well for us, along with the Atomic 3” Prong. Depending on the depth of water being fished, the jighead could be as light as 1/16oz with a number 2 hook. Obviously, we can’t fish the smallest of lures on our heavier 20lb outfits, so we often go down to around 8-10lb braid in order to be able to cast and sink our lures where needed. Leaders 34 JUNE 2023

doggie mackerel have stayed around for the whole year. This would explain why the Spanish haven’t gone anywhere either, as a doggie is a nice-sized snack for a Spanish. Remember that the new possession limits of one Spanish per angler and two per boat will be introduced from 1 July. I’m not sure as to

are sometimes as light as 20lb, but 25lb would be an average and 30lb reserved for when the bigger fish’s raspy jawline needs to be taken into account. Our rods and reels resemble more whiting type gear, with 7’ long spin rods in the 3-8lb or 6-12lb ratings, and 2500-sized reels. This isn’t just for casting the tiny lures, but fighting the fish once hooked. Longer, softer rods are shock absorbers and help to reduce the amount of scuffing the leader takes, and drag settings are reduced so as to be able to release line smoothly without popping a barra off. Not being big on stamina, quite big barra can be subdued with relative ease, and the more they run, the more tired they become, making netting easy. The last few metres of the fight is when most people get a bit overzealous and put the

brakes on a fish that is just seconds away from being netted, and either straighten a hook or pop a leader. Calm, smooth rod work is the key to landing them, although you will get the odd one that just heads for the sticks and there’s nothing you can do then.

In the salt, it’s best to use smaller lures in winter, but this rule doesn’t apply in freshwater. Swampy barra still love average-sized barra lures like this Laser Pro 120.

Chasing flatties on the flats can be productive during the cooler months. This one ate a 4” prawn imitation fished on a 2/0 weedless hook while chasing jacks.

With reduced heat and humidity during the cooler months, JPs and sooties are fun species to chase through the scrub.

BYCATCH A plus at this time of year is the amount of varied species you’ll encounter while chasing the barra and jacks. Grunter, fingermark, bream and more all become more prevalent when you start throwing smaller lures, and this adds to the unexpected thrill of wondering what’s next. Big queenfish love a small prawn imitation, and the GTs and tarpon can almost get annoying they can be that thick, but it’s all fun when that rod bends. CREEKS If you aren’t wanting to take on the winter barra

a feed of whiting etc, but if you have a yabby pump your chances are even better. Other species you can expect to encounter when bait fishing the creek mouths and flats are golden trevally, longtom, permit, flounder and a lot more unexpected stuff as well. Lighter leaders in the 4-6kg class will serve you best. Number 4 or 6 long-shank hooks are the go, and you want them to be sticky sharp and easier to remove from smaller fish that are to be returned to the water. OFFSHORE For some reason the

the wisdom of this bag limit reduction, but it is what it is. Anglers chasing trout, nannygai and so on are still going to be battling the sharks, and this is the reason for so many electric combos being sold nowadays. When it comes to using electric reels, I’ve heard the argument “that’s not fishing”, but honestly, the way we have to fight a fish offshore these days with conventional tackle isn’t the way we used to be able to fish either. Cranked-up drags and straight cranking, only pumping and winding if absolutely necessary on the bigger fish at breakneck speed, isn’t what I call enjoyable either. It’s all about putting what you hook in the esky instead of down a shark’s throat. This is the reality of the modern offshore angler’s plight. Sometimes you can get lucky and find a patch that’s not flanked by big numbers of sharks, but that’s usually pretty rare. Finding lesserknown locations instead of the marks that everyone knows is key to not being hounded by sharks so badly, but when you lose that first fish you might as well bail. Otherwise, you’re just teaching the sharks that if they hang around a boat they’ll get a free feed. I have a string of shows coming up so I won’t be on the water as much as usual, but if you wish to see what’s happening up around the Townsville area jump on our little YouTube channel and look up Hodgie the Barefoot Fisherman. There will be regular videos put up to help those who aren’t sure about what to chase or how to chase them.

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Time to head upstream HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

Wintery weather is now upon us and we are in the cooler time of year. Those fishing in the

barramundi, will become quite timid during the fall in water temps that occurred 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

release one hooked out of 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 depth quickly is a good idea. Spanish mackerel have

Danny with a pretty 95cm threadfin. to believe we now have Spanish mackerel closures and tighter bag limits when most people I know said that last year’s effort was the

best ever on them and have never seen so many. Metal slices are a great way to chase these pelagic species, faster the retrieve the better.

This barra was just shy of the magic metre mark. Hinchinbrook channel waters should start to take a different approach to get more bites. When lure casting with hardbodies or soft imitation swim prawns/paddle-tails, slow that retrieve right down and even offer smaller sized lures as well. Quite often I have found this technique can produce even when live baits won’t entice them. June can see the return of much higher barometer pressure associated with the trade winds. Often, I find above 1020HPA can make fishing become somewhat difficult. Unfortunately, there’s nothing anyone can do about them but it can explain why your day out might have been fruitless. Most species, especially

into river systems and start building in aggregations again before the end of year breeding cycle starts after October. A good plastic I love using is the 4” and 5” swim prawn made by Holt Productions. They have unique moulded legs that create a very life-like effect when slowly retrieved through the water. We have caught some really goodsized fish on them during charters so far this year. June will have a lot more smaller neap tides that 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, but just remember if you intend to

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. It’s hard

Russ Brown with a 97cm barra.

Paul with a great barra measuring 95cm.

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. Keep a watchout for birds divebombing bait schools as it usually indicates where the Spaniards will be. Offshore for red species, such as red

emperor, large mouth nannygai and coral trout, are usually on fire this time of year, biggest problem is getting out during the short weather windows with the associated trade winds. Usually they start to populate better on spots closer to inshore during this time. 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.

Paul Couper had a fun time chasing this golden snapper. 36 JUNE 2023

OLD

Cold water tactics CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

June is one of the tougher months of the year to fish the Net Free Zone in Cairns. Whilst the cool water

options this time of year. The first is to keep fishing like you would through the warmer months and grind away until you get them to bite or change things up and try a few different approaches. Some examples of these include fishing smart and really maximising bite times

downsize your lures. Small well-presented plastics are better options as the fish will more likely be not as hungry due to the cooler weather. Plastics like the 3.5” Molix RT Shad and the ZMan Baby Goat and PrawnZ are really good options, especially for jacks. This goes hand-in-hand with your line and leader choices. I like to drop down to 16lb this time of year with around the same strength leader. My choice is Sunline Plasma X and Sunline FC Rock as they are both super tough for their class and allow the angler to cast smaller lures with ease. Just keep in mind that even though the jacks and barra may not be as hungry, they will still give you a run for your money. The other species, which

Mud crabs will be on the march.

ZMan PrawnZ are a very good small lure plastic for this time of year. temperatures can shut the fish down, it’s important to remember they still have to eat. NFZ anglers have two

around the turn of the tide. Make sure you are in the right spot at the right time, and you will get results. The next approach is to

ZMan Baby Goat are a terrific small skip bait, which will work really well.

will be running hard in the NFZ, will be the mud crab. Crabs love this time of year as the females begin to moult, which gets the big male crabs out of their holes. Dropping in your pots is definitely worth the effort. Some things to remember when crabbing in the NFZ. Don’t use too much bait or else the crocs and bull sharks will take a liking to your pots. Also keep them well marked and use plenty of rope so they don’t lift up and roll away with the tide. Not much will change next month in terms of the techniques described above. However, the waters of the NFZ do tend to clean up in July making lures much more visible to the fish that will increase your chances of catching them.

New dynamics in FNQ PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

We are on the cusp of a new change in the tropics heading into a cooler period or, as we call it, the dry season. The warmer days did linger a bit beyond their expiry date this year but the angling tact must now concentrate on producing the best results for the middle stages of the calendar. The reef fishing is heading in the right direction with catches improving all the time now. The South East trade winds have already made their presence felt and this does tend to bring the fish on the bite. The trick is to navigate these winds for comfortable boating. We are happy to report large-mouth nannygai are up and about and there’s also a steady flow of small mouth nannygai

to be taken advantage of. These are schooling fish, generally found in solid numbers and can be at a hectic pace if you are able to track them down. A good starting point is to follow the contour lines 30m from off the reef and then deeper to isolated pinnacle and rubble patches if you have the marks. Typically associated with the nannygai schools can be various trevallies and also Spanish mackerel mid water. The mackerel are best caught floating a pilchard or trolling garfish and hardbody lures around the vicinity. The nannygai are experts at sourcing bait schools accumulated in deeper water and other target species will follow their movement. The highly valued coral trout continue to be a match winner being caught in depths ranging from 35m and shallower to 20m. They just tend to get stronger in numbers as the cooler months take a stranglehold. Other prized species, such as

red emperor, cobia and green jobfish have played a role on any given day. Sweetlip, stripeys, baldy bream and cod species are the icing on the cake. If calm water fishing the rivers and estuaries is your forté we are still experiencing outcomes with barra, mangrove jack, fingermark, river trevally and grunter all using live bait and fresh dead bait. They will still have an impact more so on the days with a bit of run in the tide and sunny weather. The new players on the scene are some bigger queenfish, which are a great angling experience and they are very partial to taking a surface popper lure. The best time is work the incoming tide, preferably towards the entrances, to these systems. They will also travel in numbers so whilst wetting a livie or dead bait take the opportunity to flick around a surface lure and this may take your day to a new level. We are also seeing a shift

Nannygai numbers are up this season. in momentum for bream, which is great entertainment for the young and old. A quality peeled prawn on the

end of the line will see a lot of action around snags and structured banks like rock walls.

With the change of seasons so does the fishing, but it never stops in our part of the world. JUNE 2023 37

OLD

Big bountiful barra COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

The populations of barra around at the moment is a good sign that the river systems are healthy and they have been active and

come up as the small ones are captured and released. One session with the kids saw us all on and fish running for cover, but the barra seemed to get bigger as we fished the same snag. My son Joshua was stoked to catch a 98cm specimen, so close to the

the extra weight suspends the lures longer on the float back to the surface. I prefer casting at snags, and lures need to float with slow floating allowing more time in the strike zone. The waterfront in Cooktown has seen some

Youngest member of the Coventy clan, Jonathon, getting in on the barra action.

The author and his sons had a very productive session chasing little barra. moving around through the rivers in large numbers. The cooler weather, however, may slow

magic-metre! The timber lures are the go and I know that there are lots of plastic lures that

action with schooling barra moving through the area at times and are easily seen when they are very active. Usually on the last of the run out, and a well-placed lure in the right spot, usually produces results. Scott was walking along the waterfront for exercise one morning and saw the barramundi feeding and then next day brought down his rod and seeing the action again placed his lure next to the last boof he saw. Bang, he hooked, captured and released a 102cm fish. So, it does show observing the times when you can see fish can produce the best times to target them. It’s great to see such big female barramundi around and even better when they are released to

help the big breeders in our local system. Some trevally and queenfish have also started moving around our river mouths and the action can be intense on poppers. The queensfish are so acrobatic in their display as they try to free themselves from the lure. Great fun and put on

so much of a show. They start travelling up and down the river mouth areas on the tides and can be easily found when they are actively feeding. I usually find them when heading out putting in some crab pots and it’s always worth having a popper ready to go. The crabs are still around but not as

Joshua was just shy of the metre-mark with a 98cm barra.

Scott with a 102cm barramundi. things down as the water temperatures start to drop. The lure fishing has been next level with lots of fish around the river mouths with the first couple of isolated snags being very productive. There are multiple fish on them to keep everyone busy and the action is insane to say the least. Small barramundi are usually the first to strike and the big girls seem to 38 JUNE 2023

work but there is something about timber hand-made that produces the goods. I make my own and also use other timber lure makers products and they just work and keep working even when the paint comes off. The plastic ones can get holes and water gets in and it’s done, but timber lures even scuffed up still work and sometimes water in the timber even helps as

much moving because of the fresh water but placing pots in your favourite gullies will still produce a good feed. The reef will be hard this month as no doubt the SE winds will be constantly blowing at around 25kn but there is always an opportunity to sneak out in between highpressure systems. The window

Lure fishing for barra has been fantastic lately.

is usually only small but can be very productive with red fishing at night. So, the motto is always be ready for the opportunity and take advantage if you can as red emperor fishing can be great in these cooler months. The Cape will be busy with visitors rushing up there this month, especially in the school holiday period and the campsites throughout the national parks are near capacity. The waters will be cool and a little harder to get a bite from barramundi but there will be some hungry fish there with the flowing backwaters producing well and the smaller fish always seem keen for a feed. The barra fishing will start to improve as levels drop later in the year and as the weather heats up again and the fish become more active and hungrier.

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June fishing is jumping CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

Following such a fantastic wet season, Cape York will be in its prime throughout June. It really is a magical time of year

start to this year’s banana prawn season with trawlers recording some epic catches. This has a delayed effect on the fishing for most recreational anglers, however the same food webs that created the prawn bonanza will be busily building fish populations

right the way down the Gulf of Carpentaria coast. Anglers of every persuasion from fly fishers imitating shrimps to those casting baits around the coastal shoals will benefit. Over on the East, the situation can be much more limiting throughout June.

An ultra slow retrieve brought this one undone. of predatory fish will be tracking the contour lines up and down the coast. At times the bait schools get pushed further and tighter into the coast and

Having settled into some consistent feeding pattern by this time of year, they can become quite predictable. By the end of the month however,

winter coats. As an all-rounder month for visiting Cape York, June is about as good as it gets. With cooler weather, less flies,

A healthy upstream model.

See what the bigger barra are coughing up, this one was eating cherabin. and the fishing should be represented by estuaries, bays and blue water all doing their thing. Also being one of the first months where travelling anglers can genuinely access much of the Cape. Especially the creeks, rivers, lagoons and billabongs will be productive with a huge freshwater discharge from every crack and pore in Cape York’s vast interior seeping out towards the coast. It was an amazing 40 JUNE 2023

The annual trade winds are likely to be in full force throughout parts of the month. Simply getting on the water and out into the blue yonder can be so hard at this time the exercise needs to be abandoned all together. The coastal bays and inshore reef areas can be just as tricky and anything exposed to a sou’easterly trade wind might be off limits. Anglers who venture out are often rewarded with good captures this time of year and wind often does little to dampen the enthusiasm of fish and their desire to eat smaller fish. Some of the pelagic species, such as mackerel and tuna will be marauding the bait schools which will have begun settling in many of the Cape York bays. Huge schools

You can find big barra sitting around in shallow water. the feeding melee can be intense only just offshore, usually just out of casting range on foot. But a boat on the west coast of Cape York has little distance to travel to be tackling some immense fish. Besides the mackerel and tuna already mentioned, giant queenfish and giant trevally as well as cobia, bludger trevally, golden trevally and sailfish will be giving bait schools a touch up. The fishing for barramundi can still be red hot leading into June.

A colourful frog-eating toga from the lilies.

There are some thick river fish this time of year.

things are normally starting to slow down a bit. This usually coincides with lower water temperatures and more lethargic fish. The first truly cool southerly breeze for the year is likely and the barramundi will be reaching for their

sandflies, mozzies and snakes, what’s not to like? Access to most places in the Cape should be sorted by now with some severely washed-out roads on the mend. It’s time to get out there and get amongst it! Tight lines

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Baffled, but not broken! BRISBANE

Troy Brown

Following months of a forced hiatus from kayaking, the excitement I felt while driving to Baffle Creek was palpable. Besieged by a host of issues

but they are a year-round proposition at Baffle Creek. Numbers may slow a little during cooler weather, but unlike southern areas of the state, the species can still be actively targeted. Ron jokes that mangrove jack are the ‘red bream’ of the area, due to the frequency

Daniel Harvest sharing his filleting technique with some of the crew. It must be good, as those boys were hanging on every word. beforehand, my attendance at the annual Qld Hobie Crew event was under threat. With help from my amazing wife Stacey (who was likely motivated by a few days without an increasingly grumpy husband in the house), I eventually commenced my journey to our camp at Baffle Creek Hideaway. The moment I hooked up my kayak trailer, I could feel some of the stress being stripped away, replaced by optimism and anticipation. Fishing Baffle Creek on a kayak is a great experience, but sharing it with an

of catches. If you want some excitement, it’s hard to beat a mangrove jack strike. It’s exhilarating, but it can also be heart-breaking! The trip from the south of Brisbane to Bundaberg is under six hours, if traffic is flowing well. The road quality is poor, evidenced by the poor state of my rods and reels, which travelled in the horizontal rod holders of my kayak. Shaken, not stirred, with dust, road grime and endless bouncing, I regretted my decision to not transport them in my car. Looking like they’d been in the Sahara Desert for a month, my reels

Monica peaked early, but it was an impressive way to open the weekend. One day later and that fish may have been the winning catch. incredible group of people makes it truly memorable. Organised by local crew member Ron Hess, the Baffle Creek event is focussed on socialising first, with a friendly competition as an additional incentive. Technically, the competition is multi-species, but an individual prize for Best Mangrove Jack adds prestige to the ‘red dogs’. Brisbane-based anglers are accustomed to mangrove jack activity lessening as summer becomes a memory, 42 JUNE 2023

felt like pepper grinders when they reached our camp. One of my kayaks lost a rudder control during the trip, just another victim of some sub-par Queensland roads. Despite this, the satisfaction of reaching Baffle Creek Hideaway outweighed any inconvenience, even if my drags were basically ruined for the weekend. On our first day of our competition, 35 members arose from their camp beds at 5am, with most on the water by 6am. I wasn’t rushing, as the relaxation I enjoyed outweighed my desire to win. The ‘grumpy husband’ had disappeared, and I was revelling in the transformation. I was on the water nearly four hours after the bulk of our members, but I enjoyed a relaxing morning and some great chats. When I

Anita Laszlo with her first jack. It was an impressive start, and she proved afterwards it was no fluke! challenging. There were reports of fish from other areas, but nobody fishing near our small group seemed to be having any success. If I had been logical about

hook and bruised ego, as my drag stuttered and the fish pushed my tackle to the limit. Adding further insult, I lost two more fish in a similar matter.

It’s always nice to be greeted by pristine conditions. finally launched, focussed on catching a mangrove jack, I did nearly everything wrong. I wasted time persisting in unproductive areas, as it was simply too much effort to do otherwise. After a while I decided that avoiding a donut was more important than catching a jack, and I switched to ultralight rods. I managed six late fish, with a mixed bag of species providing some entertainment. It was nothing to brag about, but at least I avoided the dreaded donut! Day two was far tougher, with a different section of the creek proving to be

Ray with a solid trevally.

my fishing, I would have pedalled my Hobie another area, swapped lures frequently, changed my retrieves and made multiple other adjustments. However, due to an overwhelming contentment – primarily because I was weekending with the friendliest crew on the water – logic never factored into my day. I fished the same small stretch of water, tossed the same lures, made lots of noise, lazily cast to whatever was in front of me, and relaxed! Despite my limited effort, activity started to improve, and I was soon to discover the importance of tackle management. My gear had been punished during the journey, with my reels suffering the most of all. The normally smooth drags were suddenly rough, catching and slipping randomly. As the end of the competition came near, the drag became my enemy, along with my waning concentration. After a long delay between strikes, my focus dwindled and when I got that first big hit from a jack, my reactions were far too slow. I was left with nothing but a bent

I was frustrated with how I’d transported my gear, plus my decision to leave my box of spare parts in the garage at home. Gear maintenance is important for any style of fishing, but jacks are particularly rough on equipment. Drag maintenance can be the difference between scoring a trophy fish, or an ego-crushing donut. I managed a couple of small fish, but was left wondering what might have been. Despite the struggles of a few anglers who persisted in the slower sections, there were some solid catches from the group. Gareth Goodhew was a consistent performer on both days, proving that research, lots of effort and plenty of angling prowess will always provide a result. Gareth summed up his success by stating time on the water, along with the

Anita with her second mangrove jack. At this point, I think she’s starting to show off a little!

time you physically have a lure near the fish, is the simplest means to guarantee success. Those two factors are certainly important, but the full story of his weekend

demanded more finesse, so he progressively worked smaller until he found the magic combination on the day. Fishing conditions change and so does fish

they sat in the same spot all day. Luck does play a part in fishing success, but those people who continually achieve good results make their own luck.

early, with their best fish caught on the day prior to the competition. Despite the early peak, they still posted some impressive fish for the competition tally, and cemented their reputations as some of our most consistent anglers. Hamish McGregor landed a stellar flathead, and many other anglers reported personal bests. I was surprised to discover that grub lures dominated the mangrove jack catches, as they’re not a lure I’d normally consider for such an aggressive fish. Overall, it was a great weekend of fishing, with an incredible social atmosphere.

One of the many impressive fish that Gareth caught on the way to victory. I’ve never been a tournament angler, but on my good days, my technique

They don’t need to be monsters to provide some fun. Ray caught plenty of variety over the two days. shows the difference between the ‘fishers’ and the ‘catchers’. Over the two days, Gareth tirelessly covered an enormous amount of ground, noting spots of interest which weren’t accessible at the time (usually because another angler was already there), then he struck when the time was right. Gareth started heavy and large, with big lures, plus fishstopping line and leader combinations. Conditions

behaviour, so there’s no sense in persisting with a losing strategy. While I patrolled a limited area for most of the weekend, Gareth pedalled long distances, constantly seeking the most productive locations. His technique altered numerous times, with lure changes being only part of the equation. When I spoke to those anglers who amassed the largest catches over the weekend, none of them said

Tagging Tales Suntag is a world leading citizen science volunteer fish tagging program that is part of an Australian program that has tagged over 1,000,000 fish and was the first volunteer program in the world to reach that milestone. Data collected through

impoundments. Thanks to the fish, we can provide you with some interesting stories that they tell. OUR NATIVE FISH ARE TRULY RESILIENT Recent blackwater events in the Darling River at

the program is used to improve our knowledge base of recreational fishing by providing near real time information on the status of coastal estuaries and inland

Menindee created headlines with images of massive fish kills including many native fish. Remarkably not long after those events, a tagged golden perch was recaptured in the Darling

Apart from our winner, there were several stand-out catches during the weekend. We had only a few female anglers taking part in the competitive action, but they featured heavily in the hunt for mangrove jack. Anita Lazlo bagged an impressive specimen for her first-ever jack, then backed up with an even larger model. Maz Watters was expected to do well and delivered on her promise, but sadly both she and Monica Crichton peaked

Maz Watters, aka the smiling assassin. One of the nicest people you’ll meet, but you wouldn’t want to be on her target species list!

does include some of the strategies employed by the ‘real’ fishers. One of our mates watched me fishing a Gold Coast canal, noting that I never stayed on a pontoon for more than 1-2 casts. I told him that if a fish didn’t come in that time, it was doubtful it would change in another 20 casts, so it was time to move. I’m not sure why I’ve lost that attitude recently. Perhaps it’s fatigue and a desire to simply relax on the water, or losing the need to compete against myself. That competitive nature is what sets the good anglers apart from the rest of us, but still, your ‘win’ can be found in other ways. Currently, I ignore my normally competitive nature and find more satisfaction in relaxing with some great company. Whether I’m in a competitive mood, or just there for the company, I couldn’t find a better crew to help me find my happy place.

Brought to you by system (it was originally tagged in Toupnein Creek, which flows into the Murray River). To get to its recapture location it travelled some 675km past a number of manmade barriers. Not only a remarkable journey, but another example of our native fish doing their best to repopulate the areas effected by these terrible events. WHAT TO DO IF YOU CATCH A TAGGED FISH The information you will need to report your recapture is. The length of the fish and the location it was captured. Get a photo if possible. To report the details of your recapture you have two options: Call 1800 077001 or go to http://crystalbowl. infofishaustralia.com.au/ suntag/recaptures/recapture_ form_1.html and fill in the form. In return you will receive a certificate providing the details of the tagging and recapture of your fish, as a thank you for providing the information. JUNE 2023 43

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JUNE 2023 45

OLD

Make the most of the mixed species TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

I dread the cold months. Living on top of the hill near Toowoomba

it’s not as pleasant as the lower altitudes or further north. The real cold won’t set in for a while yet so make the most of this month. There will be a large mix of species on offer, so get

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST Cressy is still a tough lake to find a bass. The golden perch have chewed well over the past few months but they will start to slow down a bit. If you want to continue catching them you will need to

forget bass and change your focus making them your target species. Live shrimp and saltwater yabbies are the best baits for golden perch. These can be fished directly below the boat in 5-8m of water. Lure fishers will need to slow it down and use presentations that stay in their face. Small blades

out now while you can. Even those species that are more affected by cold, like golden perch and barra, will still be catchable this month. You’ll find it’s time to change things up to

suit the season, as the fish will react differently to a variety of presentations. There are plenty of options out there. Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel.

and tiny vibes are ideal. The ZX40 blade is a standout for this type of work. The points from the campground all the way up the dam to opposite Eagles Nest rock wall have held good numbers. The bass are ridiculously hard to find. A few have been reported well up the dam in the Cressbrook Creek arm around structure. These fish can be caught on crankbaits

and suspending jerkbaits. Back in the main basin, some bass have been caught on G2 Gang Banger spoons fished around the northern points opposite the boat ramp. Redclaw crayfish numbers have been great over the last few months. You can still take advantage of them over winter but expect the numbers to be lower. To counter this, move unproductive pots every 2-3 hours and be prepared to work harder. • Fish’n’Bits in Toowoomba has all the gear and tips on how to chase the Cressy fish and the redclaw. They are an excellent store specialising in all freshwater lures and tackle. The access gates to the ramp and day use area will be open from 7am to 6pm. SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY The dam has fished reasonably well for this time of year. As expected, the fish have been responding to a mixed bag of tricks. Spoons have been taking their share of fish but once they wise up to your presence they can be hard to fool. Constantly moving and rotating areas is the key to keeping the bites flowing. Spectre Vibration Jigs worked very well last month but the action on these should start to slow down considerably. Still it would be worth a drift or long line over any good schools. The 5/8oz model in darker colours will get the bites. Deep cranks, such as the Rapala DT20 and Imakatsu IK800 can also be used with extra-long casts or long lining. Unlike diving lures which are trolled, these deep divers can be cranked down to the bottom and fished in a stop/start motion back to the boat. It is the mixture of the ploughing action into the bottom and the pauses between them that triggers bites from stubborn fish. Both the Spectres and deep cranks will be effective on the large model bass, which seem to like holding a little shallower and close to the bottom. There is a good chance bass schools will move about in winter. Schools will be common around the Pelican Point area this month but as it gets colder and the water becomes isothermic they will have free range to explore the water column and move into new areas. I don’t think I’d bother venturing too far from the area between

Top and Above: Nick De Giusti found quality Somerset bass. These fish will really start to put on condition over winter months.

Gary’s Marine Centre

3201 6232

217 Pine Mountain Road, BRASSALL 46 JUNE 2023

Cressbrook bass have been very hard to find. Danny Stuart fooled this fish with a G1 Gang Banger spoon. Beams Creek and Bay 13 when searching this month. Smack bang in the middle, both North and South Pelican Point have been very reliable. MAROON CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, RATHDOWNEY The cooler water temperatures in Maroon will create change in bass habits. They will be more responsive to jerkbaits, soft plastics and spoons. Chatterbaits and topwater, which usually perform so well, will slow down as the fish get used to the cooling temperature. There were some good catches by anglers thinking a little differently last month. Quality bass were taken from the deeper trees on suspending jerkbaits. Deeper lures like the OSP Power Dunk SP 57 work well in this environment. On the edges, fish numbers will increase and an assortment of jerkbaits can be used. Jackall Squirrel 67, Halco TB55, Samaki Redic DS60 and Rapala Jack Deep 7cm are some of the trusted and readily available offerings. Schools can still be found and these fish can be caught on soft plastics and smaller sized spoons and metal jigs. The area directly opposite the boat ramp, the points on the right as you head to the timber and just off the edges at the start of the timber will all be places worth searching for schooling fish. MOOGERAH CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, ARATULA Moogerah is shaping up to be one of Queensland’s best bass lakes. Excellent numbers of fish are spread throughout the dam. The timbered area from the Moogerah Lake Houses Point to the Old Caravan Bay has held good numbers of fish. These bass have ranged from undersized to 50cm with plenty of mid 40s amongst them. It seems they are quite

willing to take a range of lures. In the shallower water (3-7m), vibes, blades, crankbaits, chatterbaits and spoons have all scored fish. Out in around 10m, spoons and metal jigs standout when the fish form up into suspended schools. I had a red hot session and boated 60 bass for the morning and at one point had gone 40 bass in 42 casts. The gun lure that day was a 30g Raptor Slow Fall Jig hopped high off the bottom. More bass can be found up in the southern timber of Reynold Creek arm. Most of these bass are well out of the creek itself holding just after the 6 knot zone in deeper water (6-8m). Holding around the trees, the fish can be caught on suspending jerkbaits, vibes, lipless crankbaits, blades and spoons. The cooler water should also see them respond well to soft plastic paddle tails. There are still some big fish mixed in with these bass but most are 40cm or under. Suspending jerkbaits should come into their own over the winter months. Bass will be found close to the timbered areas in both shallow and deep water. I am keen to have a crack at targeting them using live sonar when good weather conditions make lining them up easier. • The lads at Charltons Fishing at Redbank are all over the fish activity at Maroon and Moogerah. Call in and grab your supplies and hit them up for tips on where the fish are biting. It is recommended camping be booked at least a couple of weeks in advance and you can also organise your day use barcode for the gate with Lake Moogerah Caravan Park (07) 5540 5600.

OLD

DARLING DOWNS AND GRANITE BELT COOBY CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS, TOOWOOMBA I have a feeling the golden perch fishing will be okay this winter. The goldens seem quite comfortable living in 7-8m of water. At this depth they will be less influenced by sudden temperature drops and should cope well. The coldest periods may be tough but when the weather is most comfortable for us, the goldens should be willing to chew. Fish can be found all over the dam with the northern arm, in front of the sailing club and between the pontoon and rock wall being some of the most

• Cooby is open to paddle and electric motor powered craft. The gates winter hours are back in. They are open from 7am-6pm until September. Frozen yabbies, lures and tackle can be purchased at Fish’n’Bits in Toowoomba. LESLIE CLOSEST TOWN: WARWICK The ridiculous golden perch fishing will slow down over winter. It seems the dam is full of smaller fish around 30-35cm long. These fish love the rocky structure but can also be found elsewhere. While it is colder, the fish may move a bit shallower and concentrate even more around rocky formations. A hot tip is to get on Google Maps and check out the

It is shaping up to be a great winter for cod fishing. Glenlyon is likely to take the title of Queensland’s most productive Murray cod lake. Adam Krautz got in just before the freezing temperatures and buried his hooks into this 95cm slab.

The Queensland rivers should clean up well over winter to provide some excellent Murray cod action. Lure casters braving the cold like Matt Taylor will be rewarded. productive areas. Fishing with frozen saltwater yabbies and live shrimp is the only way to go if you are a bait soaker. Lure fishers will struggle unless they fish with small blades. The assist hooks on the ZX40 blades are perfect and seem to attract and convert more bites.

upper half of the dam. The satellite image shows the lake very low and you can easily spot all the bigger rocks. The action may be slower but bait fishing with shrimp and frozen saltwater yabbies or jigging blades and small vibes will keep them biting even over the coldest months.

Leslie Dam will produce some quality Murray cod this winter. Anglers will be able to venture shallower in their search and throw big swimbaits onto the flats or around the rocky outcrops. Cod should be out searching for a feed early in the morning and this is the ideal time to find them active and

back up in the weed. Inside the weed, will be pockets of warmer water to attract the fish. Exploring the weed formations to find slightly deeper pockets in the weed where warmth will be trapped could be the key to finding fish. It really is a matter of exploring heaps of water when you can’t sound them up and you need to do this with stealth. The barra can be very spooky over winter. At times they will be very shallow and exposed as they soak up the sun’s rays. Any banging noises in the boat, electric motors or even the splashdown of a lure can spook them. Once fish are aware of your presence you may as well forget it and try again later. Long casts and stealth are the key. Weedless or lightly weighted plastics are a good winter option. A suspending hardbody can

also do the trick if fish are spotted in more open areas. Longer pauses get the bites. • Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing (0429 223 550) and Lake Awoonga Barra Charters (0404 151 844) run guided trips on the lake. Both cater to the needs of the angler and can do fly or conventional tackle trips to target the lake’s barramundi. It is hard to beat time on the water and a guided trip is a great way to learn more about this lake and its fish. • Mark from Awoonga Gateway Lodge always has a few productive secret spots to share. The Gateway lodge is on the way in to the dam after turning off at Benaraby. The accommodation is great with plenty of boat parking space right beside the comfortable air conditioned, selfcontained cabins each with its own veranda. To book in a stay give Mark or Lyn a call on (07) 49750033.

CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE A little further north than the other lakes I’ve covered this month, Awoonga will be still holding its core water temperature due to the warmer days. When the weather blesses us with warmth the barra will be willing to bite. Cold snaps will see the action die down especially in the early mornings. This is a good time of year to sleep in and head to the dam after lunch and fish into the first few hours of darkness. The tall weed edges will make it tougher to sound up fish this winter. While a few will be wandering the open water where they can be targeted with soft plastics, many will be

hungry. The period through the middle of the day will be tougher as they tend to retreat to deeper water or hang closer to structure and ledges. Live sonar is being used on this lake by a select few but I think we’ll see a lot more cod fall victim to this technology over this winter period. • The local blokes at Warwick Outdoor and Sport in Palmerin Street can point in you in the right direction and hook you up with the good gear and bait to catch the fish at Leslie. COOLMUNDA CLOSEST TOWN: INGLEWOOD The dirty water of Coolmunda has produced a few fish on lures. The golden perch are tough but some fish are being caught by lure fishers up in the cleaner waters of the MacIntyre Brook. Hardbodies did the trick last month but you may need to switch to blades and vibes fished vertically to get the winter bites. Murray cod are worth a crack and can be caught in 2-5m of water over winter.

They should be up on the timbered flats and moving around. The dirty water makes it hard to get a bite but if you persist they are catchable. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits give off a bit of extra flash and vibrations and are well suited to the

coloured water. If winter helps the lake clean up, big swimbaits will be an option. GLENLYON CLOSEST TOWNS: STANTHORPE, TEXAS The last few months have produced plenty of smaller cod and a few good runs of golden perch. Now, it is time to focus on the big fish. Murray cod will be feeding up prior to spawning and moving about as they check out potential breeding sites. From the hours of darkness to mid-morning, the big cod will roam around holding quite shallow in the water column. June is still early in the season and most fish won’t be shy of boats and lures. It’s therefore a great topwater month. Snakes, lizards, budgies and walkers are the right style of big noisy surface lures to be throwing. Big swimbaits that move plenty of water would be next on my list of lures to try. It will be a different game to previous years with almost triple the surface area and many more kilometres of shoreline to explore.

Jack Rasmussen, rugged up for the cold, found the Glenlyon goldens are still willing to bite.

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Winter species are becoming more numerous numbers. However, given the inconsistent weather patterns of late, it would pay to remain flexible in your approach. Tight lines. • Fishing Sydney Tours takes pride in tailoring every trip to the customer’s preferred species, style of angling,

SYDNEY NTH

Steve Winser

With water temperatures still high at 21°C+, there’s still a fair mixed bag of species to be had just now. We are starting to see a few of the winter species arrive, indicating a temperature drop may not be too far off. The deeper reefs have been fishing well for the bread-and-butter species; snapper, mowies and the blue-spot flatties have been plentiful, and with a few days of light westerlies, the conditions have been good for a drift. Some quality snapper have also been starting to show up in the shallows in close, particularly in the afternoons. These fish have been taken on a combination of bait and soft plastics. The harbour has yielded a wide range of species lately – everything from kingfish, bonito, tailor and salmon to bream, trevally, blackfish and even a couple of teraglin. Squid strips are (as usual) the choice for the kings. A few very large squid have been starting to show over the kelp

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.

Clint with a nice twilight red from the shallows. beds, and a larger jig in the 3.0# to 3.5# size range is a good choice for these. The kingfish will start to push up into the upper harbour reaches as the water cools. An all-round approach of fishing pilchards and squid strips with livies over any of the deeper structure

in the harbour will see you come home with a feed of fish. You can encounter any of the aforementioned species, with some very large bream and blackfish showing up in the shallows often in less than a metre of water. A berley trail of bread and baits fished

under small floats will see you with a feed. With air temperatures dropping rapidly and the water temperatures probably not far behind, next month should see a bit of a changeover as the winter species start to show up in greater

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penalty of $22000 and/or six months imprisonment. OPERATION CONUS NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fisheries Officers from the Greater Metropolitan Mobile Fisheries Squad conducted ‘Operation Conus’ in Swansea between November 2022 and March You2023. can also The operation do your part targeted to the help illegal protect collection the State’s of intertidal fisheries invertebrates resources in by the reporting Hunter Region illegalover fishing the activity busy holiday to the period. NSW DPI Fishers The operation Watch phoneline reported on more 1800 than043300 536interactions or online at with dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/ NSW recreational compliance. fishers, detected – NSW over DPI 50 offences and resulted in more than 20 seizures, totalling over 450 invertebrates. Offences included: • Recreational fishers not paying the Recreational Fishing Fee (for more information on rec license fees visit dpi.nsw.gov.au and search for ‘fishing fee’)

• The possession of prohibited size fish/ invertebrates • Possessing more than the possession limit of fish/ invertebrates. During this operation, Fisheries Officers also prioritised educating recreational fishers on bag and size limits and other fishing rules in NSW. DPI Fisheries Officers provided advisory material including bag/size limit guides and plastic DPI measures for lobster, abalone, crabs and turban snails. Throughout the summer months, DPI Fisheries Officers noticed the uptake and use of these DPI measures down on the rock platform. For up-to-date information on closures, bag and size limits and other info, you can download the NSW FishSmart app on the App Store or Google Play.

FISHERIES NEWS

DPI crackdown on taking invertebrates Two women have been fined $2000 each, with a third woman incurring $500 in professional costs after collecting invertebrates in excess of

the bag limits from Hastings Point rocky shore. Following an Information Report received via the Fisherwatch 1800 number, Fisheries Officers

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apprehended three women (and one dependent) collecting invertebrates, including sea urchins and turban snails at Hastings Point (Tweed Shire). Sea urchins have a possession limit of 10 per person per day. Between the four people, 204 urchins had been collected and put into shopping bags and buckets. Thus, 164 excess sea urchins had been collected by the group. There is a minimum size limit of 7.5cm for turban

snails. Fisheries Officers measured the turban snails and found that 34 of the snails that had been collected were of a prohibited size. The unlawful catch was seized by Fisheries Officers and returned alive to the rocky shore. The three women were each issued with penalty infringement notices, which they later elected to have decided in court. Possession of prohibited size fish (including invertebrates) in NSW carries a maximum

NSW

Soft plastic prawns are picking up the pace SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Believe it or not, the amount of dusky flathead that are still being caught in Botany Bay and the Port Hacking have been the most I’ve seen in years of fishing these areas. Whether you are an avid bait angler or prefer chucking around a few soft plastics for them, flatties should be still on the chew during the month of June – even though there will be a drop in the water temperature. If you like drifting with baits or casting soft plastics

fish trap up from Swallow Rock boat ramp, Bundeena and any of the deep bays. By now the bream should have spawned off the beaches and rocks and have headed back into the bay, rivers and the Port Hacking. Trevally will be starting to school up and they would have increased in size. Remember that if you are going to anchor up and bait fish for them, you will need run in the water, and also deploy some berley. Fish as light as you can in deep water, and in the shallower water have a running sinker down onto the swivel and at least a metre of leader.

Glenn Loveday with a nice Port Hacking River bream that was caught on a peeled prawn. in Botany Bay, some places to try are the entrance to Woolooware Bay, the 3-5m depth of water from Brighton to Dolls Point, wide off the end of the first and third runways, just outside the yellow markers on the western side of the first runway and between the Captain Cook and Tom Uglys Bridges. Further upstream you could try Bald Face Point, the upstream side of the Como Bridge, the Woronora River downstream of the bridge, the stretch of water near Lugarno, Alfords Point Bridge, chipping Norton Lakes and the Milperra Bridge. If you prefer to fish the Port Hacking you could try one of the many dropoffs, Lilly Pilly sand flats, the Ballast Heap, the weed beds at the entrance to South-West Arm, the end of North-West arm, beside the

Off the rocks the drummer, luderick and trevally will be on the chew. There may be still a few bonito, tailor and salmon about, so don’t forget to put in a few metal slugs.

Offshore on the close reefs and gravel patches the snapper will be starting to move about. One place that I like to fish is in 30m off the point at Kurnell. If you don’t find them there, move out to 35m. If you still don’t find them, try 40m. Keep an eye on your sounder to find a concentration of baitfish. For those of you who like getting a bit of sand between your toes, Maroubra and Coogee beaches are worth a shot for whiting, bream and dart on a rising and falling tide. The best baits by far are live beach worms and pink nippers. If you can’t catch your own beach worms, you’re welcome to come and see us at BCF and buy some king worms. The beaches from Boat Harbour to South Cronulla would be worth a shot for bream, whiting, salmon, tailor and dart during the day. Mulloway, sharks and rays are always worth a shot during the night, and a couple of days after we have experienced some big seas. I have had a couple of reports of the odd mulloway been caught off the beach at Green Hills and down south at Stanwell Park Beach. Coalcliff Beach has been producing the odd trevally, drummer, bream and whiting near the rocks on the southern end. FACT 4 In each of the last three issues of Fishing Monthly I have included a helpful fishing fact. Here is fact number 4. If I am going to fish for luderick at a place where there is no weed or cabbage, I will go and collect it a day or so before I go fishing and at low tide. To keep the weed and cabbage in prime condition I roll it up in dry newspaper and then put it in the bottom of the fridge. I will then replace the wet newspaper each day with some dry newspaper, and this will

The author with a sliver trevally that took a liking to a well-presented ZMan motor oil 2.5” PrawnZ on a 1/28oz HSW jighead. last for about seven days. If there is any left after this time, I will freeze what is left and then use it next time in the berley. Finally, I have created a YouTube channel and

I have been uploading a new video every week or so. To check it out, go to YouTube and search for ‘Gary Brown fishing’. If you like the videos, give them a like and subscribe!

Don’t forget to keep those pictures and short reports coming into gbrown1@iprimus.com.au. And don’t worry – I will not share any of your secret go-to places with anyone.

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JUNE 2023 53

Sydney

NSW

Shore-based anglers reap the winter rewards SYD ROCK & BEACH

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com.au

June is a cracker month for lots of species. It seems that I say this every month, but it’s true – I mean it! The rock fishing is great, beach fishing is good for certain species, and the estuaries are cranking too. Let’s look at what’s been biting, and what my predictions are for this month. ROCK FISHING One of the highlights in June is the quality of the snapper on offer, both distance casting and wash fishing. You can pick up sensational fish to 72cm, with reasonable quantities of 40-45cm fish as well, plus the usual pan-size snapper from 32-38cm. The bycatch includes good quantities of trevally, some

Mark George with a 15kg beach mulloway caught on a butterflied yellowtail.

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bream, salmon, tailor and late-season kings. If you’re wash fishing (i.e. fishing in the sudsy white water in closer) using prawn baits you can add rock blackfish and even groper as extra species. If you’re using mainly fish baits or squid, you will generally not catch rock blackfish or groper. Ball sinkers from size 00 to 3, and a strong suicide

You will need to find sand/gravel patches to cast out to, between 60-110m out. You will lose a few rigs distance casting, but the rewards can be worth it, with a wide range of fish on offer. If you find you’re getting smaller bites, they can often be trevally. The 2/0 to 3/0 hook size can be reduced to as small as a 1/0 (e.g. Mustad 92554) for the trevally. Another tip is to match the bait size to the hook size. In other words, in your bag of pilchards or prawns you will notice a variation in sizes. If a pilchard or prawn is large, you may need to cut it in half to suit the size of your hook, to maximise your hook-up ratio. The same principle applies when you’re using fish fillets, squid or cuttlefish strips. Rock blackfish are on the chew, which is typical for this month. Fish to 55cm have been reported, and a porker of that size is a formidable opponent

proportions at times. A way of avoiding them to a large extent is to bait up with weed sourced from our ocean rock ledges (the pickers are generally not vegetarian). A cabbage weed bait well presented on a no. 2/0 or 1/0 2x strong hook works well on rock blackfish and luderick. Most of the anglers who chase kingfish have put their gear away by this time of year, but kings are still available this month. There are some big specimens on offer, with a mix of smaller fish as well. One of my go-to baits for kingfish is the eastern sea gar on a set of four 6/0 7766-D gangs. A plastic occy skirt above the gar adds to the attraction. A great stickbait which is working well is the Saltiga Rough Ride 160mm in the yellowfin colour. Some cracker kings to 117cm are being landed by locals. Locations to fish include Bluefish’s eastern front, Old Mans Hat, North Curl Curl

or bait holder hook in the 2/0 to 3/0 size is preferred. You can go larger, say to a 4/0, but you may miss out on the smaller plate-size snapper and the trevally, especially if they’re timid. A cracker of an outfit for wash fishing is the Daiwa Over There 109MH coupled with a Daiwa 5000 BG MQ. I load it up with 20lb J-Braid Grand Ocean

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The author’s client with a 72cm snapper from the rocks. It was caught while fishing on 9kg line.

54 JUNE 2023

A father and son trip in Sydney harbour produced whiting, bream and flounder. Flathead were caught on other outings. You can generally find a spot to fish safely in the estuary.

Blue, and about 6-7m of 20lb J-Thread X Link FC or J-Thread FC. This is also a great rock blackfish outfit, and a great spin outfit for throwing 30-40g lures for pelagics. For the Alvey enthusiasts, I recommend a MT-4144 to 6144 coupled with Alvey Stealth 650S 8-10kg mono. A wide range of baits will work, ranging from the popular 1/2 to 3/4 pilchard, squid strips, king prawns, and firmer fish baits like a salted striped tuna or salted pilchard. Distance casting Distance casting is a popular and successful way to fish for snapper, and all you need is a 7-15kg or 10-20kg 13ft+ rod with reel to suit. I use 30lb J-Braid Grand braid, 30-40lb leader and snapper sinkers ranging from 3-5oz.

that can easy smash you up if your gear is too light. The wash fishing gear I mentioned above is great for rock blackfish, and like the snapper you can catch a number of bycatch such as bream, leatherjackets, groper, and more. If your fishing platform is high (say, above 4m) and you need to vertically wind up your fish, you’ll likely need more robust gear. Upgrade your rod a notch and use line classes from 12-15kg, otherwise lifting up a big pig (black drummer) may not be possible. The evergreen prawn bait has its advantages and disadvantages. The plus of using prawns is the variety of fish you can catch. However, you can attract pickers such as sweep or yellowtail, which will demolish your bait within seconds. These pests can be in plague

and South Avalon rocks. BEACH FISHING You may think the jewfish action is over in June, but that’s not the case. There have been fish to 15kg being caught lately. Typically, jewfish (mulloway) are rarely caught in good numbers off the ocean beaches of Sydney, but there are some anglers sneaking in a couple of jewies here and there, regularly fishing the cool evenings. You will need to rug up and have some footwear as the sand above the water line gets pretty cold. There are fewer whaler sharks around at the moment, which is not a bad thing. There’s a larger run of tailor around this month, and there’s a good chance that tailor and salmon will be part of your by-catch.

Sydney

NSW

When fishing for jewfish, the freshest baits are the best choice. The reason for this is that jewfish like to target live prey, as opposed to scavenging. Having a smelly piece of mullet or squid out there might catch you a jewfish, but it won’t work consistently. Live yellowtail, live mullet, a fresh fillet of tailor, fresh squid strips, and whole fresh squid are some of the go-to baits.

A bunch of beach worms works well, too. Generally, well north of Sydney and well south, a lot of anglers regularly fish for beach jewfish using large beach worm baits. If you’re using beach worms and packing on a generous amount, I like to use a 2/0 to 3/0 hook. It’s a little too big for whiting but you’re still in with a chance if they’re large enough, or possibly a bream. Tailor and salmon

• For rock and beach guided fishing or tuition in the northern Sydney region, visit www.bellissimocharters.

com.au, email alex@ bellissimocharters.com.au or call Alex Bellissimo on 0408 283 616.

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Chris Lafazanis with a mixed bag of snapper, salmon and trevally. Lots of salmon and trevally were released as well. Pilchards, prawns, squid strips with a pilchard, prawn shell and wet bread mix work a treat off the ocean rocks.

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John Halford with a 60cm snapper caught wash fishing on light gear. Make sure your line is in good condition as you may hook something like this. These fish are a real possibility this month. numbers are good at this time of the year. Dawn, dusk and just after sundown are the most popular times to target them, but I like to fish for the larger tailor at night. This month I am expecting fish of 2kg or more, with an average run of 1-1.5kg fish. If you’re using 6-7kg gear, these fish are a blast. A set of three 4/0 gang hooks and whole pilchard baits are the go. If you have two or three anglers bait fishing close together, all the bits of bait dispersing will potentially keep a travelling school of tailor and salmon in the area. Commercial harvesting of salmon up and down the coast is impacting the biomass of salmon along the east coast, and as a result the average size has decreased over the last few years. There are still sizeable salmon available, and some

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in that 60cm+ size, but it seems to be less common nowadays. I just hope we don’t go back to the bad old days of the early 80s when stocks were getting towards their lowest volume. Manly Beach is a good place to fish. It’s preferable to fish it after dark, especially if there is a surfable wave there. It is one of the most populated surfer beaches, other than Bondi Beach. Other spots to try are Dee Why Beach, North Narrabeen Beach, Newport and Avalon Beach. June and July are the coldest months, in my opinion, but don’t let that put you off. Be prepared by having thermals, jumpers, a beanie and even gloves and booties. If you can avoid getting too wet, that will help you to fish for a few hours extra. Enjoy this great month!

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JUNE 2023 55

NSW

Tempting winter fish with fresh baits BALLINA

Joe Allan

The beaches both north and south of Ballina have been fishing well over the last month, with good reports of tailor, whiting,

really the perfect time to be trying this, and there have been quality numbers caught in this short period. One often forgotten technique along the beaches is throwing soft plastics and blades in the close-in gutters from half tide down. As the

lower reaches of Emigrant Creek, although this time of year isn’t the time the big girls come out to play. You will get some nice fish as bycatch though as the jewies (mulloway) start to become more active. The deeper holes along the town stretch and up past the ferry will produce the best chance for a big jewie, with live mullet being the preferred bait on either of the slack tides. Most of the bream are still hugging the rock walls, but the odd one can be encountered on some of the sand flats during the making tides. There does seem to be some good quality amongst them, and with the water starting to drop in temperature, the big snowies can’t be far off. Fresh prawns and nippers can be productive for these guys,

and can be so much fun for kids. You are always pretty much guaranteed to catch some nice fish with fresh baits and quality hooks. I use the Gamakatsu Baitkeeper size 4 or 2; the barbs on the back side of the hook help to hold the bait up the shank of the hook. If you’re into lure fishing, try a hardbody such as the Atomic Crank 38 Deep. Get your lure tight into the rocks and hang on. With light line these fish can give you some stick, and provide some great sport. Surface lures over the Porpoise Wall can be dynamite, even through winter, and often better in full sunlight. On the run-out tide as the water is sucking out over the top of the wall and washing a lot of food out, bream will often sit in

Harrison Clements is on fire at the moment, with another quality jew caught from he town stretch of river on live bait.

Vinnie Bleakley with a bream caught from the Porpoise Wall in Ballina. bream and dart being caught. Try fresh baits like blue pilchards rigged on 3 x 4/0 longshank hooks (e.g. Gamakatsu Gangsters) for best results. If you are into throwing metal slugs, try the Gorilla Big Eyes in 20g, 30g or 40g, depending on the size of the swell and run in the tide. The last half hour before sunset is

tide drops out you’ll be able to really get in close to these gutters, and blades from about 1/4oz to soft plastics of around 3” will give you surprising results. Quality flatties and whiting hunt close in on the gutters, and will eagerly take both these lures aggressively. The flathead are pushing up past the ferry and into the

Big muddies are on the move, like these caught up Emigrant Creek.

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tight, ready to ambush prey. Small surface lures or very lightly-weighted plastics can often be really effective in this situation. The making tide has also produced some luderick along the walls on cabbage during the incoming tide, and peeled prawns or yabbies on the run-out.

If you can find any weed flies it’s worth giving them a crack too, either under a float or fished on a very light weight, like you would float an unweighted soft plastic down a wall. A lot of old timers will swear by long soft rods for this type of fishing, which are tried and tested. However,

don’t be afraid to give your normal bream rods a go. They just don’t have the same reach when you land a fish on the rocks, which is what the longer rods help with. Offshore fishing off Ballina and Evans has been pretty good of late, although we are coming into a transition period as that warmer water from summer cools off and the winter currents come in. There have been decent catches of snapper off the close-in reefs like Reardons and also up towards Lennox Point. When the tide isn’t pumping, try fishing really light jigheadrigged soft plastics up on the top of Reardons Reef. As light as a 1/6oz or 1/4oz isn’t too light. The snapper will come off the bottom and hit the plastic on the drop most of the time. At the time of writing this report, there are some good catches of mackerel being reported, both trolling live baits and also larger hardbody lures. Until next month, tight lines.

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Harrison Taggert with a late season mackerel caught close in off Ballina.

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NSW

Abuzz with the epic run of mulloway Rob Taylor

You only have to step outside to know that we are well and truly heading into winter. At the time of writing, a cold snap has bedevilled our part of the coast, and temperatures have plummeted. Despite this, ocean water

mackerel and there’s been some good red fishing on both plastics and baits. The bigger fish are moving onto the shallow reefs and their numbers should improve as we move into winter proper. There has also been some epic mulloway fishing of late, with both the beaches and offshore reefs offering up some solid jewfish. Braving cold, early starts

Sam Gilchrist’s epic mulloway took a liking to a Daiwa Bait Junkie soft plastic. temperatures remain relatively warm, so we should still have another month or so left on the pelagic run. The end of June usually signals the end of mackerel fishing for the Coffs Coast. Speaking of mackerel, they have been surprisingly patchy of late. There have been some solid Spanish and good numbers of spotties getting about, but you need to be on the right spot as they’re not widespread. Finding them has proven frustrating. Thankfully we’ve seen a solid start to the snapper season to compensate for the lack of

collecting your weed. In the freshwater, we’re now in bass closure season so bass are no-take to allow them to complete their annual spawn unmolested. There’s a bit of time left before the trout closure takes effect, and there has been some surprisingly good trout fishing up in the New England area, so get up into the hills and chase a few before the season ends. ROCKS AND BEACHES With a solid mullet run underway, the talk of the town has been the epic run of mulloway fishing we’ve been experiencing off the rocks and beaches. I’d expect this to continue well into June and July, so now is the time to brave the cold and

Brodie Hackett with a horse of a greenback. Now is the time to start targeting tailor in the washes.

Joel McCabe with a healthy mulloway caught off the sand just before the sun rose.

Sam Gilchrist with a thumping mulloway he took on a plastic in relatively shallow water.

hit the local headlands and beaches if you want to mix it up with these iconic fish. Anglers are using both baits and lures to find mulloway, with hardbodies and big plastics taking their share of fish. There are few things more exciting than feeing the distinctive thud of a big jewfish hitting a slow retrieved lure.

AVOID THE DELAY

will be some great wash fishing for drummer and tailor. Now is certainly a favourite time to be off the rocks. OFFSHORE As mentioned, the mackerel have been strangely patchy of late but they will still be worth chasing throughout June. I tend to find that the offshore

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Longtail tuna have been patchy like the mackerel. Some days off the rocks we have seen plenty of fish, and then they seem to simply shut down and we can’t turn a reel. There are still plenty of fish to the south, so they should remain a viable target throughout June. The good news is that between longtail bites there

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has resulted in silver slabs for those anglers keen to get stuck into them. The creeks and rivers are starting to slow as the water cools, but we can expect to see bream and blackfish numbers start to improve. Let’s take a look at what we can expect on the Coffs coast for June. CREEKS AND RIVERS With the cooler water we can expect to find flathead and whiting harder to come by, although if you choose your tide and time of day you will still be able to find lizards up on the flats as they seek out shallower water to sunbake in. Bream should be starting to build their numbers in the creeks and rivers, particularly around rock walls and river mouths, so baits and small soft plastics will be the go if you’re chasing bream. Luderick numbers should also start to improve this month. Look to rock walls, bridge pylons and marinas if you’re keen to catch some blackfish. If the swell is up, protected waters are the place to find fish for sure, but just be careful

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NSW

Keep an eye on those offshore water temps SOUTH WEST ROCKS

Vic Levett

May started off slow with some large swells, little to no current, dirty water and average fishing. The water temperatures were also down to below 22°C, and the baitfish were scarce to non-existent. The second half improved though; the water clarity came good, the temps were up and it was business as usual, with some great fish available. OFFSHORE There have been some good fish landed offshore this past month. May/June are generally transitional months, with the warm water pelagic fish being dictated by what the fickle northern currents bring down. To target offshore fish this month, you need to keep a close eye on water temperatures as they can fluctuate daily and influence the target species for the day. There can be a late run of run of wahoo and yellowfin

The last of the spotted mackerel and the odd Spanish mackerel are nearly always encountered in the month of June. Snapper are definitely my target fish this month, and casting soft plastics such as the Berkley 7” Gulps on the inshore reefs has got to be the best way to secure a trophy fish. A long 20lb leader and jigheads of around 3/8oz in weight cast around the any inshore reef holding baitfish is the key. The prime bite time, as per usual, is the chilly dawn and cooling dusk period for the shallows. When the sun is at its highest, it’s time to move to deeper water. A light berley trail and floating baits back such as pilchards is another awesome way to target these offshore favourites. Out in the deeper water there will be plenty of trag, pearl perch and snapper this month. Local charter boat Sea Scout has been consistently scoring plenty of delicious table fish out in

Big cobia are also on the cards, and this time last year, we (Oceanhunter Sportsfishing) landed a 34kg fish out in 70m. Mahimahi are also on the cards, so long as the DPI FADs haven’t been removed for winter. ESTUARY The Macleay River has been fishing really well of late. The mullet run has commenced, and the mulloway won’t be too far behind. The odd trophy jewie has already been taken, but the majority are the smaller school fish to around 90cm. Live mullet and herring have been their undoing, with the local estuary charter boat

Peter Adams with a great looking Spanish mackerel caught on board Oceanhunter Sportfishing Charters.

Zane Levett about to release a stud Macleay River jack.

An awesome snapper taken by Todd drifting a slab of bonito on a trip with Oceanhunter Sportfishing Charters. tuna around Fish Rock, and in June the longtail tuna become more prevalent across all of the inshore reefs. Kingfish are also on the improve, and hopefully the ever-hungry sharks move off with the cooler water temps, allowing us to finally land a whole fish. islands fish well for Spanish mackerel late in the season, so consider fishing a bit wider if you’re targeting Spaniards. As the pelagics head back north, we will start to see a greater focus on bottom fishing, with the number one target being snapper. From the 80m reefs to right into the headlands, some big snapper will start to be on the move, so dust off the plastics and floatline gear and have yourself a ball on our local snapper. Kingish, amberjack, pearl perch, trag and tuskies will all start to fire up now it’s June, so there’s plenty of fun and food to be had despite the frosty starts!

70m of water. Deep dropping the shelf now that the currents are slowing has also been productive. ‘Big Fish’ Brad and Jacky Ginger have been scoring gemfish, John Dory, bar cod and perch in 170m on a recent trip.

(Estuary Charters South West Rocks) scoring plenty of school mulloway, bream and flathead drifting the walls with their clients. The Jew Bite and the Tavern have been producing for the land-based guys. Jerseyville Bridge is also a great land-based location. The blackfish are chewing, which is good news. Zane Levett has been scoring up to a dozen a session, drifting weed flies under a float with the incoming high tide. A few mangrove jack to 60cm have also been

captured this past month in the river, along with plenty of ravenous bream.

BEACHES Even though the swell has been large and consistent, some incredible fishing has been taking place. Mitch from MDC tours has landed some outstanding fish of late, including snapper to over 90cm, longtails to 22kg and some line-burning sharks, all taken land-based and off the sand. Mitch has just started his business and can be contacted via Outdoor Adventure SWR. Mitch has perfected targeting big fish with drones, and can give clients the experience of a lifetime: doing battle with a big fish with your feet firmly placed in the sand. The headlands will also be productive in June, with drummer and bream falling

to cunje fished in a bread berley trail. Tailor have been thick but mostly undersized. The larger ones have been taken off the beaches. Mulloway are also a great target at this time of year. We have landed some great fish on soft plastics fished into the evening off the local rock ledges. June is arguably one of the best months for offshore snapper and estuary mulloway. Luderick and bream are abundant, the whiting are hungry and the flathead are bulking up for the winter. While the mornings are chilly, the days are warm and mostly calm. It’s a great time to take advantage of the low crowds and go fishing on the Mid North Coast.

This solid king fell for a trolled slimy, and was released to fight another day.

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

Contact Zane: 0478 782 522 Vic: 0414 906 569 Email: vic@oceansportsfishing.com.au The author with a longtail tuna off the stones.

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NSW

Deep drop fishing at Macquarie PORT MACQUARIE

Kate Sheldon

One of my favourite types of fishing is deep drop fishing, and on the Mid North Coast you’ll find

local commercial fishers came home with fish that seemed bigger than me, and I dreamed how I’d love to catch fish like that. The most common species caught on the Mid North Coast are blue-eye

affordable for recreational fishers, and technology has advanced since the old days. Now I know a lot of you will say it’s cheating to use electric reels to catch fish. However, there is a lot of skill in deep drop fishing, and when you want to hit a fishing mark the size of a caravan in over 400m of water, the current and wind can make that a real challenge. One of my first deep drop sessions was with a local commercial fisher nearly 10 years ago, and I’ve

been hooked ever since. I used to own a big electric reel called a Miya Epoch, but I found these reels a bit slow for me. I now own two Shimano Beastmaster 9000s and I cannot fault them. These reels have hauled in fish up to 40kg and have lasted me through the years. My partner and I started making a few deep drop rigs for local fishers, and the rigs became so popular that we now sell them on eBay. WHAT’S BITING For the Macquarie Coast fishing update on

The author with a bar cod she caught off Crescent Head. Image courtesy of @bayexplorermarineservices. numbers have picked up noticeably, with both cabbage and weed flies successful. The break

schoolies along the Hastings River break walls, and a few fish have also been found in the Macleay River and in

Troy Boese with a cracking hapuka caught off Lake Cathie. Image courtesy of @troyboese. some of the best deep drop fishing spots in Australia. Deep drop fishing is a technique that commercial fishers have used for many years, targeting fish in depths of up to 600m. I remember as a kid, Dad and I would be at the boat ramp as the

trevalla, bass groper, bar cod, hapuka, kingfish and gemfish. These fish are some of the best tasting in the sea and can weigh over 50kg, so you will want an electric reel to bring them up from the depths. The good news is that electric reels are now more

Gary Randall with a great blue-eye trevalla.

Camden Haven fisho Chris Hayward with a tasty blueeye trevalla. Image courtesy of @chayward93. 60 JUNE 2023

Image courtesy of @gazzarandall.

the beaches, tailor are now consistently the target species, with most local beaches holding great numbers of fish. Lures, pilchards and whitebait will all prove successful, as will slab baits fished on or after dark for the odd larger model. Bream numbers have also picked up around Camden Haven. For those inclined to fish the darker hours, school mulloway remain in solid numbers from most locations, with fresh garfish the go for these school-sized fish. Now the mullet are migrating, look for the larger sized mulloway to shadow these travelling schools. In the rivers, flathead catches remain excellent as we head into the cooler months. Live herring and soft plastics are currently working quite well. On the luderick front,

Port Macquarie local Dan Croft with a monster bass groper he caught off Port Macquarie. Image courtesy of youtube.com/@dancroft4781.

walls and local wharfs are certainly worth a look, and it shouldn’t be long before a few luderick should show up in Lake Cathie. Further upstream in the local rivers, bream numbers remain solid, with both mullet strips and lures working well. On the mulloway front, there are terrific numbers of

Lake Cathie. • Kate is the proud owner of Bay Explorer Marine Services and specialises in making deep drop fishing rigs for blue-eye trevalla, bar cod, kingfish and bass groper. For more info look up ‘Bay Explorer Marine Services’ on Facebook and Instagram, or find her store on eBay.

NSW

Great time for targeting snapper FORSTER

Luke Austin

Despite the bitterly cold weather, June sees a lot of fishing activity and for good reason, as there

and are taking a variety of weed baits, as well as the ever-reliable weed flies. Bream have been interesting in recent weeks. While the majority of fish are still very much hugging the structure situated down

them fairly easily on most drop-offs and deep bends of the river, and they can be fooled easily with a 3”-4” paddle-tailed soft plastic or vibe style lure. There have also been great numbers of fish in around The Cut and

Rob with a beautiful daytime mulloway from the beach! are loads of fish and fishing options out there waiting for you! The estuary continues to fish really well. There has been a noticeable increase in the number of luderick settling back in the system, the rock walls, oyster leases you can see from the bridge, Breckenridge Channel, and the shoreline up around Wallis Island. All these locations have been absolutely stacked with fish, and there are some brutes sitting within the schools. The fish are not too fussy

amount of solid flathead that have been caught. Flathead are definitely not what we would expect to see coming from the surf beaches in winter, and to hear of 50-70cm fish is just weird! There haven’t been a lot of reports from the stones, however those anglers that have hit the ledges on the backside of the recent swell have managed to find some nice drummer. Bream and luderick are also still hiding in the washes in good numbers, and for those anglers casting lures or floating pilchards, there are some cracking tailor and the odd kingfish cruising about. Offshore fishing in June can be insanely good when things line up. Now is an amazing time to be hitting the shallows in search of some big hump-headed red fish! There is nothing better than heading out in the freezing cold to cast plastics and float baits in the shallows. The bite window

around the mouth of the estuary, there has been the odd really nice fish sitting way upriver. If you are chasing a feed of tasty flatties, this time of the year is perfect for it, providing you have a boat. While the bream all move down towards the mouth of the estuary, the mighty flathead do the opposite and move up into the ‘middle’ and upper areas of the system. The Wallamba River is holding loads of nice table fish, with the odd one up to about 70cm. You will find

Leroy with a nice winter kingfish.

Ash with a nice shallow water red.

Fishing the washes can be very productive in June.

up around Regatta Island. I would also say that the Coolongolook River is fishing well for them too. The local beaches saw a bit of swell recently, which made it a little difficult to fish, however now that the sea has settled the fishing has really kicked back into gear quite nicely. Tailor remain the stand-out species, and can be found on just about every beach in the area. The fish are incredibly healthy this year, and most fish seem to be between 35-55cm, which is a perfect size for the table. 7 Mile and Diamond beaches have produced a lot of small school mulloway, which is great to see. Hopefully we can look after these majestic fish a bit better over the coming years than we have in the past! The surprise from the beaches has been the

might be narrow but the action is insane. Snapper are also about in decent numbers up north on reefs sitting in 25-60m. Most fish are only platesized, with not many fish over 1.5kg hitting the decks, but you can also expect to see the odd trag, pearl perch and pigfish mixed in. The same reefs are holding loads of trag of an evening and the average size of fish is pretty good for those wishing to get an easy, tasty feed. Hitting reefs in 60m or more with live baits is definitely worth a shot right now as there have been plenty

of kingfish getting about, these fish should only get better and better as we move through winter and into spring. • Luke is the owner of Great Lakes Tackle - your ‘local’ bait and tackle store. They only sell the best brands and offer sound, friendly advice on where you can go to land your next trophy fish while visiting the wonderful Great Lakes region! They are open 7 days in the main street of Tuncurry, and you can call them on 02 6554 9541 or find them on Facebook to see what they have been up to!

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NSW

Focusing on targeting the right species this month CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

There’s no escaping the fact that it’s rapidly cooling down on land and sea. The standard of fishing, however, should remain rather good this month – it’s just a matter of chasing the right species for this time of year and rugging up. It’s been one of those years when warmer ocean currents have lingered a bit longer, and although temperatures are definitely cooling now, it’s still not that cold. I remember this sort of water in years gone by, and it’s common to encounter species like dart and whiting in the surf, or cobia just off the headlands or around inshore reefs. So, to begin with this month, I recommend approaching things with an open mind and always consider the water temperature. As I mentioned last month, we’ve had plenty

of smaller tailor along the beaches. I thought they would have thinned out more by now, but I’ve still been finding lots of small tailor, around the size you’d normally expect in the estuary. I mean quite small choppers. They’re fun to catch with light spin or fly gear, but they are annoying bait-wasters when you’re trying to aim for a jewfish (mulloway) or bream in the surf. Thankfully though, a few better-size tailor are also showing up now and theoretically, the cooler it gets, the bigger the tailor. We’ll see if that turns out to be true in the coming weeks! It’s interesting that I’ve also found plenty of undersize bream wasting my baits at the beach over the past two months. I’m assuming they are around for the same reason as the small tailor. That could possibly be a result of all the flooding we had in 2021 and 2022. Whatever the reason, it’s good to see healthy numbers of fish, big or small, and

Tailor have been the mainstay of our beach fishing this year. Although plenty of little ones have been around, the sizes should improve as it gets colder.

Offshore anglers trolling, lure casting or live baiting are still getting into bonito and kingfish in close, with a few tailor, salmon and the occasional cobia and tuna around the close-in reefs. Dropping baits in close at the moment is also likely to produce the same species, along with a few pan-sized reds and early season trevally. The weather has been much friendlier to us this year, which translates to better offshore fishing and the ability to head out wider instead of being forced to remain in close. June can have variable winds and is often quite calm, so take advantage of the good times while they last. We all know that the latter part of winter can be very windy! The lakes and Brisbane Water have been fishing well

hopefully a lot of these little ones will get to grow big in years to come. Salmon, jewfish and whiting are the other main

Salmon should be caught more frequently along the beaches in the coming weeks.

Whiting can still be encountered at this time of year, and they love small metal vibes.

species along our beaches at the moment, and as the weeks roll on it’s likely the whiting will fade away and salmon numbers increase.

Silver trevally also start to show up about now, but the general size of the trevally has been a bit disappointing in recent years.

in recent weeks, although it’s certainly slowing down a bit now. The usual bream, flathead, whiting and blackfish have all been

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NSW

Anglers cashing in on the crossover period PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

May would have to be my favourite month of the year to fish the waters of Port Stephens. It’s a real crossover period, with many species’ seasons kicking in as other species start to taper off. In the bay, regardless of what you’re chasing at this time of the year, it can pay off to always have a 30lb casting rod rigged up with a stickbait or 30g metal lure ready to cast. Longtail tuna have a habit of erupting when you least expect, so you want to be rigged and ready to go. The best areas to target them are around the Anchorage rock wall through to Middle Island, with bird activity the

There are some nice mulloway around at the moment. Anchorage Break will be hot spots for them. Fishing the tide changes is the key to catching

luderick, with the first of the run-out tide being the prime fishing time. BEACHES Some really nice bream have been coming from Fingal and Samurai beaches, with fish over 1kg being taken on worms and pipis, as well as some clunker whiting. Late afternoons have been producing tailor along Fingal and Box Beach, with whole pilchards or gar rigged on gang hooks the best way to catch them. ROCKS Longtail tuna continue to be caught from the ocean headlands such as Sunny Corner and Tomaree, as well as a few mac tuna and prized cobia. The preferred method for this style of fishing is to rig up a live yellowtail or slimy mackerel suspended under a float, and then start the waiting game. Spinning off these same ledges with smaller lures (around the 20-30g mark) is a great way to get connected

to some smaller pelagics such as bonito and tailor. Drummer will start to become more prevalent over the next few months around the white water, and will be eager to eat a well-presented, lightly-weighted peeled prawn or chunk of cunjevoi. OFFSHORE Outside it’s still a live baiting lucky dip, especially on the shallow ocean reefs and headlands. Longtail tuna, mac tuna, cobia, kingfish, snapper or even a late season black marlin are all within the realm of possibility at this time of year. Snapper will be a good target late in the afternoon and early in the morning on the inshore reefs, with both soft plastic lures and bait fishing techniques working well. While the inshore marlin have slowed down after an incredible season, the shelf is still producing a few striped marlin, with charter boats averaging a few shots a day.

Steve with a monster 97cm winter flathead. greatest indicator of where to concentrate your efforts. Smaller pelagics such as frigate mackerel, bonito and mac tuna are also feeding in these same areas, and can provide great fun on light gear while you wait for the big boys to show up. Flathead in the bay are starting to slow down, but it’s still worth fishing for them around North Arm

Cove, Tilligerry Creek and Tahlee areas. May is probably the best month of the year to chase bream inside the bay, with big numbers along the rock walls and oyster racks around Soldiers Point and Tea Gardens areas. Anchoring up in these parts on high tide, casting unweighted nippers or prawns down a berley, trail

is a super effective way to fish for bream. Alternatively, if you prefer lure fishing, slowly cover ground with your electric motor casting either hardbodied crank style lures or a lightly weighed 1-2” soft plastic. Luderick will really start to move into the bay this month, and the Tomaree Torpedo Tubes and Nelson Bay and the

caught throughout both waterways, with a sprinkling of jewies in Brisbane Waters and even a few smaller jewfish showing up in Tuggerah Lakes. Over the years I’ve known of quite a few school-sized jewies to be caught in these shallow lakes (and have caught one myself), but they’re certainly not a common catch, that’s for sure. No doubt the fact that The Entrance channel mouth has been so wide and

flowing strongly in recent years would encourage mulloway or other larger fish to venture inside. Once here, there’s no shortage of food for them, with millions of baby bream and mullet throughout the lakes. Rock fishing has been reasonably productive so far this year. Once again, tailor have been one of the main players, but salmon, bonito, kings, bream, luderick and drummer have been caught at all of the main venues from South Avoca up to

Catherine Hill Bay. At this time of year we can get some periods of bigger swell, which can at first appear to be calm and safe for rock fishing. Looks can be deceptive though, so firstly I suggest keeping a close eye on weather and swell forecasts or reports and secondly, just take a good long look at the waves coming in before you decide to walk down onto the rocks. Aside from that, June is normally one of our best rock fishing months here.

Joe Lennon with an average Port Stephens snapper.

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Lake Mac trolling in a winter wonderland SWANSEA

Jason Nunn

It looks like our gamefishing season has started to peter out; I’ve had two shelf trips recently and caught hardly anything. On a trip in April the water was 24.5°C and very blue, but on my most recent trip the best I could find was 22.2°C, so winter

big numbers and the FADs were on fire. However, it has to stop some time. Kingfish numbers have started to build in the deepwater reefs areas such as The Farm and down towards Texas. However, we’re starting to now see the barracouta reappear, which is something to consider when you’re fishing the deeper water and inshore. They can be a pain in the neck on

That will continue through June and July. There are a lot of bait schools in the lake, and in the middle of winter they’ll become more prolific. We’ve had an incredible run of tailor, both coastally and in the lake, and they are currently working all areas of the lake. We’re also seeing salmon on the beaches and in the lake, working the bait schools. Flathead have also made a resurgence as they move back in after spending time off the coast. There are some really nice snapper in the lake too, with quite a few fish above the 50cm mark. A lot of them are being caught on vibes or soft plastics in amongst the tailor schools. Trolling is an effective approach in the lake at the moment. The best lure for trolling for tailor in Lake Macquarie is the Rapala Deep Tail Dancer TDD 11, as it can get down to 9m, near the lake bottom. I recommend that you put out two Deep Tail Dancers, and shorten one up so it’s around 6m and the other longer so it gets down to 8-9m. With this setup you can catch not only tailor, but mulloway, big flathead and squire. One angler fishing in the lake caught a good size cobia on a Tail Dancer, and there have been kingfish caught in the lake on them as well. These lures have also been reported to catch snapper down in Port Phillip Bay, so they’re definitely versatile. They also have sticky sharp, chemically-

sharpened hooks. When it comes to colours, I like highcontrast, matte patterns like red/white or green/ orange down deeper. At these depths it’s hard to see natural colours, but those bright, matte patterns will stand out in the gloom. In mid-water, I prefer my lure to have a shiny chrome finish, usually with a base colour of green, silver and/or blue. The Tail Dancer’s big bib causes the rod to pulse, and the lure vibrates strongly and reflects the sunlight. That chrome finish helps to catch the light, causing it to flicker and flash. We are seeing a big variety of tailor sizes. Some schools are made up of solid 50-60cm fish, while in other schools they’re only 30cm – and some schools have a big mixture of sizes. If you’re catching a lot of small tailor, stick it out because you should eventually catch a better one, and maybe some good bycatch as well. Flathead in particular are a common bycatch when the water gets a bit shallower (e.g. around 7m) and your lure bumps along the bottom. This kind of fishing makes for a great day on the water with the kids. They can watch the rod tips while having a hot drink or a few biscuits. You can start the morning trolling around for tailor, then later in the morning use vibes or soft plastics jigging the bait schools for flathead, mulloway and so on. It’s very enjoyable through the

This 107cm mulloway was caught at Belmont Beach by Ian Menzies.

Ja khan with a 75cm flathead. conditions are certainly setting in. We had heard reports of a few yellowfin but we didn’t catch any. A marlin came past and winked at me but I couldn’t catch him. Strangely enough there still have been quite a few dolphinfish (mahimahi) hanging around, but in the coming weeks they will dissipate as the water temperature continues to drop. The dollies had a great late run; they turned up in 64 JUNE 2023

some days. We have had a really good offshore season this autumn, with quite a good increase in snapper and trevally. Trag are also still being caught, and this should continue through until late June-July. It has been a very good travelling season for tailor, bream and mulloway. The mulloway have moved into the estuaries, and we’ve had a cracking time in lake Macquarie for them lately.

Ryan with a cracker Lake Mac red caught on a Samaki Hardlicious. Image courtesy of @hook__in.

winter months. The other highlight that we’ve seen lately has been the quality of the bream in the lake. A friend of mine has been getting some really good fish in recent weeks, including eight quality fish to 42cm, and he’s not alone. My bream tip for June is to fish into the evening. I know it’s cold after dark, but no pain, no gain! Yes, you can still catch fish during the day on soft plastics, blades and vibes, but you’ll get a better class of fish if you baitfish into the evening on the high tide. A light berley trail will always enhance your catch, and it may also entice a squire, trevally or even a few tailor into your stream. The most consistent bream baits in winter are oily baits such as pilchards, mullet, mullet gut, chicken gut, bonito and so forth. You’ll still catch them on Hawkesbury prawns, but I personally prefer those more oily baits at this time of year.

NSW

Making the most of all that’s on offer in June ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke

The winter solstice is this month and it is already cold and windy, which means we have to do the best with what we have – and it isn’t a great deal. There will be a few bream and snapper about which isn’t too bad for starters, but you will have to work for them. The bream are all along the coast hunting the beaches, rock shelves and sheltered coves. If you are on the rocks, working the white water washes with pilchard pieces or cubes of tuna will be rewarding, while a session off the beach in the evening on the rising tide should provide a few fish if there is a decent gutter. The boaties can work the washes around the offshore islands and bommies with pillies, or anchor and berley in the calmer bays and protected sheltered waters along the coast. Towards the end of the month the snapper should start to get into gear as a few early cuttlefish begin spawning over the close-in shallow reefs just off the coast. The best method of securing a feed is to pick and berley as the reds are not in great numbers or aggressively hunting. They will be next month, but for the time being they need to be attracted to you and presented with something they cannot resist. Late evening (which is

only 5 o’clock at this time of the year) seems to be the best time to look for them, so rug up and get out there. The same applies to the beaches, and with some good tides at the end of the month there is every chance of some big mulloway action. By all means fish for the bream in the early stages of the afternoon and evening, but as the darkness looms it is time to get out the stouter tackle and look for the big jew. Quite often the bream will be biting and then they

will disappear – a classic sign that something big has just moved into the area, so send out the big baits. If the bream return then you can target them again with the light gear. However, don’t get caught using the light gear when the bream go off. You don’t want to hook a monster jew and lose it due to inadequate tackle. There are still a few nice salmon and tailor on the beaches mixed with the bream in the evenings. They’ll give you a great tussle on bream gear. The rocks don’t fish

The kings are still around the bridge, and some really good kings are running around the lake. A good portion of them seem to be resident fish, and they should stick around through winter. In April the squid made a bit of a late, unseasonable resurgence and that continued into May. Overall though, it has been a sub-par year for squid, and we are hoping they’ll return to normal next year. At the time of writing this report, there are still a few crabs around. If you want to do some crabbing in Lake Macquarie this month, you’ll need to be deep, around the 7-9m mark. They crabs like to head deeper in winter. Luderick will start to improve in the coming weeks. We are starting to see them caught coastally, with really good catches off the rocks. There haven’t been as many in the estuary, but that won’t be too far away. The best time to

fish for luderick is August and September, when they gather in big numbers, but it’s still worth fishing for them in June. There are big tailor on the rocks too, so get down to your local headland. The best times are early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Most of the tailor are being caught on chrome lures and pillies (garfish are very scarce). The casting weight is between 60-85g normally, whether that be a slice or pilchard. Those heavier weights allow you to achieve a bit of distance for the cast, which is what you want. No doubt the guys catching tailor off the rocks will start to encounter a fair few salmon as well this month. In recent weeks there have been reports of salmon at locations like Blacksmiths Beach, so we may see some good catches in the coming weeks. That said, last year we didn’t see salmon in big numbers until July, so we’ll see what happens.

That’s it for this month. In the next issue I’ll hopefully be able to talk about yellowfin tuna off the shelf. We had a little run of fish around 20-30kg, but they were out at 1000 fathoms and you had to chase them to get the bite, so fingers crossed things will improve soon. Watch this space! • Fisherman’s Warehouse Tackle World has a large range of fresh and frozen bait as well as a huge range of rods, reels, lures and accessories. They also sell and service outboard motors, and have a competitivelypriced 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. fishermans warehouse.com.au.

A few bonito can still be found around the islands in June. too badly at this time of the year, particularly after a bit of a stir up from a storm. Just remember to be careful, because you won’t survive for very long in the water if you get washed in. If you have any reservations on the safety of the spot you’re fishing, give it a miss until another

of tuna oil for flavour, and fish unweighted pilchard pieces in the berley stream. Don’t be too surprised if you attract the attention of bream, drummer and even any snapper that may be nearby. Still on the deeper ledges there are some nice salmon patrolling the washes looking for whole pilchards. You may even score a few late bonito or even a stray king or longtail as the water has stayed warm right up to this month so there is always a chance if you have a live bait out. If it’s calm, a spot of groper fishing could be in order, particularly the ledges on the south side of Bass Point, Bombo or Kiama out in front of the blowhole. Whole red crabs for bait, and a powerful rod with a reliable reel loaded with 15kg minimum line should do the job. Groper over 10kg are surprisingly common but you still have to separate them from the water – easier said than done from the stones. The estuaries are a bit on the quiet side at the moment, with mainly blackfish and bream. The bream are mainly well up into the feeder streams of the lake at the moment and are very fussy in the still,

winds and bumpy seas, but as mentioned earlier the snapper should start to get into full swing towards the end of the month as the cuttlefish start to breed. So, there is light at the end of the tunnel. There could be some big yellowfin tuna out on the shelf in the coming weeks, or even closer if the currents are right. There were a few about during April and some in May, with fish up to 75kg being hooked. I’m sure social media will let you know when they show up, and there is always the chance of a late blue or striped marlin. If the water stays as warm as it has been, there is every chance there will still be a few mahimahi about if you can find a FAD. The dollies hung around until June last year. Closer in, there are the ever-reliable salmon around the islands and Bass Point, and trevally are starting to gather over most of the inshore reefs. You will pick them up when chasing snapper, and they can at times be a nuisance. A few bonito and the odd king can be found around the islands and Bass Point using live baits. For the bottom bouncers it is not too bad. The flathead are still about but

Salmon often gather in the beach gutters late in the afternoon. day. Fishing is supposed to be fun, not deadly. Drummer are about in good numbers in the washes. Prawns and cunje are the top baits, with Bass Point, Bellambi and under Wollongong lighthouse always worth a look this month. Trevally are starting to make an appearance around the deeper spots. It’s best to use a bit of berley like pollard, bread and pilchard mix with a bit

clear water, particularly if you are chasing them with lures. There are a few large fish hanging about in the shallow waters along the rocky shorelines and weed beds in the main body of the lake, and these can be a better option at this time of the year. The blackfish are in the main channel around the bridge and the jetty in front of the bowlo. Offshore it can be a tough month, with strong

in reduced numbers, mostly up north around Stanwell Park. The mowies are a bit scarce but enough to keep you interested, along with a few leatherjackets, and some small snapper and reefies, for some even pike and Sergeant Baker are looking good. June is a pretty tough month, and next month can be even tougher. However, after that it is all downhill, so hang in there over the winter and look forward to the warmer weather. JUNE 2023 65

NSW

Enjoying cool, crisp days fishing in Batemans Bay Live mullet is a common bait choice, but it’s fresh squid strips that do the damage. The preferred time to fish is either side of the new or full moon into tide changes, and the actual change. Focussing on ‘jewie holes’ was once a thing, and deep holes where the fish lay low were often targeted. However, anywhere out of the current has potential, like at the back of an eddy or behind a bridge pylon. These situations can be in

BATEMANS BAY

Anthony Stokman

Being a Game of Thrones fan, I always say “winter is coming” as if I’m Jon Snow, and when winter comes, so do the tuna. It feels like only yesterday I was writing about tuna, and the funny thing is, I probably was – I’ve been mentioning them all year because there have been a lot of tuna species around. But the one species we are all here for and the reason why we bought a boat, is because of the granddaddy of tuna, the one and only yellowfin! Now before we get too excited, let’s look at past seasons. Over the last few years we have had amazing winters with yellowfin, but prior to that there have been a few decades of drought, with only the odd 60kg fish getting caught here and there. What makes me hopeful this

Marlin Mclaren has been getting into some salmon. There will be plenty of these fish around this winter.

Naite Turner has been micro jigging up some nice snapper lately. winter is we have seen goodsize yellowfin, and schools of them lingering around over the warmer months. So, as winter begins and we move into the tuna months, let’s hope they will return in good numbers again. I expect everyone with the same tricks up their sleeve this winter. I prefer to troll Trophy Hunter Profidgies (once known as Bluewater Livies) with a stickbait rod in hand. Some boats will persist with trolling skirts and hardbodies 66 JUNE 2023

at a repeat of last year, which would mean good numbers of salmon and massive tailor. The biggest tailor caught last year (that I know of) was Jacob Poyner’s ripper that went 96cm. With the amount of 60cm+ ones being caught lately, it seems like things are warming up and we could experience a run as good as last year’s. After a great run in the estuary over the last six months, it’s time to look back on what good times we

and sometimes they will catch good fish, but for some reason the Profidgies seem to be more successful. Some boats have given away trolling altogether or in intervals when fish can’t be spotted. If fish are around and there are visual signs of them, you can pull up the lures and cast at them when you get the chance to. This can be a cat-andmouse game as you chase them all over the ocean as they chase the sauries. Using a shiny lure, the size of the

sauries they are feeding on, would make sense. So far, casting stickbaits seems to be getting the most strikes. STICKBAITS There are a lot of stickbaits on the market these days, and pretty much every fisho has bought one of all of them, and probably too many! Here are some of the once that have worked for me. I’ll start with Maria lures, which smashed the bluefin when they came back on strong about 10 years ago. Maria makes the Loaded, Legato and Rapido, all made in Japan and have a shine that would blind you and divert any yellowfin away from a saury school. They swim beautifully and ooze quality, and have a price tag of $40-$50. Next, we have the Tackle House Calypso, made in Japan again. It swims like a dream. Put your rod tip down and wind and sweep, or stab as you wind her in, and you can’t take your eyes off her as she swims back towards you. It’s priced at $60 to $70, but that’s still half the price of some lures that do the same or less. Then there is the Sea Falcon Saury. It too is made in Japan, handmade and is the top of the line of stickbait. This guy comes in a few sizes, and uses the shiniest of materials. It is designed to cast far, and swims like a dream. There is very little effort to make this lure perform, and with any added sweep or stab it reacts with a beautiful natural zigzag glide. These guys are top shelf, and their price tag reflects this, with prices ranging from $100 to $150.

OFFSHORE Offshore the warmer water is now retreating more north and taking the other gamefish with it. If you’re not chasing swords, the only other option offshore is deep dropping. Deep dropping or bottom fishing offshore with electric reels has become as popular as fishing for flathead with a paternoster rig. It seems everyone is fishing every which way possible these days, and if you have a boat, why not? Offshore bottom fish are great on the plate, and can come in all sizes, from small ocean perch through to big blue-eye trevalla, hapuka, ling, gemfish, bar cod and other large species. The slower winter currents will favour this fishing. We have already seen some good catches, and this should continue. INSHORE Inshore reef fishing has been seeing some large snapper caught, and the odd boat has also been catching good numbers of spawning mulloway. At the end of summer and into autumn we see mulloway spawning in numbers and in separate schools out in the snapper grounds, and every now and then a boat parks on top of them by accident and gets the surprise of catching mulloway one after the other. This rare phenomenon only happens during this window, so by the time you read this it may be over. BEACH AND ESTUARY During autumn the mulloway come out along the beaches chasing the mullet, and they’ll still be around this month. They are also found out the front of the estuaries and lurking further upstream.

Josh from Badenoch Charters with a nice brace of mulloway. shallow water and not just holes, so think outside of the box as these fishy weapons move around in all waters and move in a way to conserve energy. The most popular bread-and-butter species coming into winter would be the drummer. There is an abundance of drummer along our coastline, and targeting them is a sensible choice over the winter months. Nothing has changed in regard to catching this species – a cooked prawn or freshlyharvested cunje is still the go for these guys, along with a handful of moist, sandy bread for berley every 10 minutes. You can expect the odd grouper or bream to turn up as bycatch. Along the beaches, the mullet were thick during autumn coming into winter, and the salmon and tailor have been picking up in numbers and sizes. The way it’s going, we may be looking

had, with big crocs, loads of bream and all of the other species that make summer, summer. Water temperatures are now dropping, but the flathead are available if you look hard enough. The bream are difficult though, and the conditions are hard and cold. Still, the estuary isn’t as busy as it is in summer, and although it’s cold, it still has its beauty and is a great place to cast a lure. Other than that, it’s a great time of the year to travel and get away from the cold to travel to locations like Weipa, Exmouth or Kimberley to experience what our amazing country has to offer. • For more up-to-the-minute information on what’s biting where, drop into Compleat Angler Batemans Bay and have a chat to Anthony or one of the other friendly staff. They’re located at 65A Orient St, Batemans Bay (02 4472 2559).

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NSW

Some big fish down south BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

It is that time of year when we see big tuna, cooling water, and vast amounts of food. Additionally, with the close proximity of the Continental Shelf, and usually the best weather of the year, it’s happy days for anglers. It is bluefin and yellowfin tuna time, as these

fish are travelling from the southern waters to their northern winter-feeding grounds, coming within range of Bermagui anglers. If you consult sea surface temperature charts, it’s quite predictable to know when these fish will pass, although sadly we can’t predict how long they will stay. Last season was short, only lasting a few weeks, but it was intense and some excellent captures were made. All indications are

showing that the fish are on their way, and the season should be another good one. The unseasonably warm currents off the east coast have stalled the fish arriving, but this may be good news for anglers because when the fish do arrive, they may stay longer. Following the tuna are sharks, makos, blues and whalers. There are often a lot more sharks accompanying the tuna than reports would indicate, because when the

This longtom followed the warm waters all the way into the Bermagui River.

The crew of Fishing Australia found out just how easy it is to catch luderick in the Bermagui River.

tuna run, anglers tend not to target sharks. A well-placed berley trail laced with tuna will bring these sharks to you, where the likelihood of encountering a very big mako may become a reality. If you have an electric reel, you can fish the abyss while waiting for the shots, encountering species like blue-eye trevalla, gemfish, hapuka, ling cod, perch and many others coming from the depths. Also on offer offshore are the many winter reef fish, with snapper being top of the list. They can be found on

most reefs, although the more prolific are the ones south of Bermagui where the snapper will be accompanied by many species like morwong, nannygai, perch, and those ever-present leatherjackets. There are also some flathead on offer, mostly sandies, and the occasional gummy shark. Onshore it is cold, so what cool options have we here? Well, the rocks are one option, with black drummer top of the list, and you don’t have to go far to find them: the main headland right around to the blue pools. Mixing with them are

trevally, bream, luderick and silver drummer, which are all too willing to take a wellpresented piece of cunjevoi, prawn or piece of cabbage weed. If you use a piece of red crab, you’re also in with a chance of catching a blue groper, in addition to the other species. On the beaches, passing schools of salmon can be sighted in the calm, slight shorebreak created by offshore breezes. These fish can be targeted by anglers wishing to cast lures. Small metal lures or even poppers can create

Tathra Wharf gets upgraded with a new makeover TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

The first phase of the Tathra Wharf renovations have been completed on the western side, and

construction is now moving onto the eastern side. What has been done so far is a substantial improvement in gaining access to the platform, and once completed it should be a whole lot better for those wishing to fish from here.

Anglers have still been able to fish from the wharf while work has been carried out, however, be aware there are restricted areas. The Wharf is a very popular angling spot in Tathra, and the water is extremely clear at present.

A new walkway through the old cattle race is the first phase completed for Tathra Wharf renovations.

Renovations taking place on Tathra Wharf. 68 JUNE 2023

Anglers will often spot fish here before targeting them. Species like trevally, slimy mackerel, yellowtail scad and garfish are all being caught drifting amongst the pylons, while closer to shore black drummer or luderick may be observed amongst the rocks. You’ve gotta love shallow water fishing,

especially at this time of year because more often than not this water is clear, providing excellent sight fishing. Whether you lure fish or love soaking a bait, the Bega hosts a variety of fish that like to patrol shallow water, with black bream being one of the most sought-after species. Areas to target bream are sand or gravel beds that are

being covered by the rising water, as well as the rocky shoreline, where these fish can be observed fossicking with their heads down and tail protruding from the surface as they search for small crustaceans or invertebrates. Often a small, shallow-running hardbody stealthily placed near them will gain a

some spectacular visual angling for those who choose to patrol the beaches. The news from the estuaries isn’t great. They have cooled rapidly, and in those estuaries that are open to the ocean, most fish that migrate have done so. Those lakes that have closed recently to the ocean do have land-locked stocks of

fish which may offer those cool options. Areas like Wallaga Lake may be one option, with fish like bream, whiting, luderick, flathead, or mullet cruising the flats. Lures may tempt some of these fish, although baits like nippers, squirt worms, prawns or even small black crabs found under seaweed along the shoreline may work

better in the cold conditions. There is some good news for anglers wishing to target luderick in the Bermagui River – there are plenty of them on offer for those who like to fish with a float and weed. Most of the rock walls are holding their share, while around the boat ramp near the bridge you can catch them from the pontoon.

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Sharks like this tiger will often turn up in burley trails when fishing for tuna. reaction. For those anglers who like a more relaxed form of angling, you can just set a few fresh baits like nippers, squirt worms or prawns and lay back, waiting for the action to start. Mixing with the black bream are whiting, flathead, mullet, luderick and southern yellowfin bream. Also on the chew are those elusive estuary perch, which have a liking for the deeper rocky areas adjacent to the shallower margins. Here anglers may often find them with the aid of electronics, sounding them in schools. You may need to make many casts before achieving a result. The rocks adjacent to the boat ramp are one likely place to

catch blackfish, and the same species are also lurking around the pylons of the nearby bridge. Traditionalists using floats and either green or cabbage weed have been encountering plenty of these fish, enjoying many hours of entertainment. The beaches in the area are worth a look. Passing schools of salmon are easily located by scanning the waters, where offshore breezes are keeping the shorebreak minimal. If you want to rustle up some action in a very rewarding way, just follow these schools with a pocketful of metal, casting chrome lures at them. Out at sea, those looking for a feed of flatties should think about the shallower water out from the beaches where the likelihood of

encountering sandies is increased. Drifting these areas will often yield a good bag of these tasty fish, along with the odd surprise like an occasional flounder, red gurnard, or gummy shark. Further afield on the reefs, snapper are making their presence felt. These fish are hanging on most reefs in various depths as well as size. However, avoiding those tasty, pesky leatherjackets may prove a problem. The Brogo Bass Bash dates have been set for 2023, with the event running from 1-3 December. If you would like to attend the comp, or get involved or sponsor it, you can visit the website at fscbsa.weebly.com or email fscbsa_brogobassbash@ hotmail.com. I look forward to seeing you there.

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A double hook-up on two different species from the shallows of Wapengo Lake. JUNE 2023 69

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NSW

Hunting for big, fat Murray cod NEW ENGLAND RIVERS

Adam Townsend

The New England Tablelands have seen some inconsistent weather patterns as well as some fairly chilly air temperatures in recent weeks. However, the month

of June officially kicks off the start of the winter season, which means the really cold weather is here and will be hanging around for a while now. That usually means it is time to go find those big, fat Murray cod bulking up for the spawn period in the months to come.

Trout season closes this June long weekend. It’s hard to beat throwing small lures around in the small streams for healthy fish, so get out and make the most of the few days left. Although most anglers’ minds will be on big natives this month, one thing to remember is that trout season closes this June long weekend (which is the 12th of this month), so if you do want to chase trout again this season, just remember you only have a few days to do so. The trout season will re-open on the October long weekend in three months’ time. During this time, any stream, creek or river posted as a ‘trout’ waterway is prohibited from fishing, even if you intend to target other species in that waterway. If

A double hook-up shared with Jacko Haussler around this time last year.

you are unsure on the rules in the area you are fishing, just jump on Google, talk to local DPI Fisheries officers or check the DPI website. There are so many different places to fish and explore around the New England area, and this is the best time of the year to be out doing exactly that. The rivers are in good condition, dam levels are sitting relatively high compared to previous seasons, and the quality of fish being caught is awesome to see. Additionally, with the days not as hot now, it’s a lot

A beautiful example of a healthy New England rainbow trout. They don’t have to be native species to be a fun fish to target. more enjoyable to be out all day long, venturing about. As mentioned earlier, the smaller creeks and streams are still open for a few more days and it’s pretty hard to go past throwing small hardbodies and artificial flies around for a healthy rainbow trout or redfin perch. The larger river systems

have been fishing well for Murray cod and the odd golden perch, and are another fun fishing option this month. However, a handful of the larger impoundments in NSW are in really good shape as we head into winter, and I would say that is where most keen cod anglers will be spending their time.

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Fish are heading down deep for the winter months also be the most difficult to master. The plastic needs to stay at the required depth and be in the strike zone for as long as possible. If you’re using LiveScope this can be done easily. Without LiveScope, a fair amount of skill is required. Count

HUNTER VALLEY

Nick Price

Winter is a great time to fish, and is overlooked by most anglers. Excluding the November reaction bite, this is my favourite time to fish. The days are nice, particularly after a frost and some fog, and the fish are hungry, responding to techniques that I love. I enjoy fishing the edge with jerkbaits, slow sink Jackall Spytails and plastics. I will cover these techniques in detail in the July report. This month I will focus on deep fishing in winter, using soft plastics fished both horizontally and vertically, ice jigs, skirted jigs, micro skirted jigs and Gulps. But before I move

The Carp Muster comp will be held this month. There has been an explosion of carp in Glenbawn since the influx of water.

The store’s latest team member, Cooper, with a Glenbawn bass. At the time of writing this report, here are the dam levels: Copeton Dam - 94%, Pindari Dam - 86%, Keepit Dam - 97%, Split Rock Dam - 100%, and Glen Lyon Dam - 98%. Copeton Dam always seems to attract many

much fun as the techniques change continually, and a minor adjustment can make the difference between an average session or a blinder. Next month we will look at the winter edge bite. Nothing beats this for fun! Remember, if you’re

people from all over the country in search of that fish of a lifetime, and it is not hard to see why. There are several big cod dams in Australia, and Copeton Dam has definitely lived up to its reputation as one of them, with monster fish being

on this month, I want to mention the Lake Glenbawn Family Carp Muster, which will be held on Saturday 10 June. It is a family-friendly event with lots of prizes up for grabs, and you can find all the details on Facebook. The carp numbers have exploded in Glenbawn since the rain, with lots of big and small European carp. Over winter, schooled bass can be caught Gulping with the same technique that is used in February. In winter, try changing it a bit by using a micro jig with a Gulp. Then fish it like a Gulp with slow roll and shakes. Make sure you cut the skirt of the micro jig to length, and if it has a weed guard, cut it off. The bite is the same as February Gulping, so don’t strike. Fishing deep football

jigs in winter also works, using a Gulp as a trailer. This technique can be very effective once mastered, and involves shaking the jig on the bottom followed by a long pause. It is commonly referred to locally as the ‘Sump Shake’, after Liz in the shop first mastered the technique and taught her husband ‘Big Sump’ how to do it. Fishing paddle-tail plastics on school fish during winter is the most consistent method. Fishing vertically is easy, and only requires slow rolling the plastic up through school. Colour is important, so swap colours around if the fish are not interested. Bringing the paddletail plastic horizontally through the school is the most consistent, but can

A nice bass caught off the edge. down the jighead to the depth required and then keep pausing so the jighead stays at this depth. The bass usually gently take the plastic with a tap, tap, tap. Sometimes you will need to stop winding, and at other times keep a steady retrieve. Bass fishing is so

heading up to the Barrington, Glenbawn or St Clair, please drop into the shop at the turnoff to Glenbawn in Aberdeen and ask about the different techniques and what they are biting on. We stock all the quality tackle that you need.

caught consistently for many years now, all year round. Lake Keepit, Split Rock Dam, Pindari Dam and Glen Lyon Dam (which sits just on the QLD border) are all not too far away from each other, and are good choices for the different

Walking along the bank of Copeton early one winter’s morning, the author caught this 98cm cod out the front of a camp where bait rods had been most of the night without a touch.

This massive cod ate a 200mm swimbait right against the bank at 8am on a bright, sunny morning.

fishing opportunities they present as well. Replicating the bait-life in and around the waterways with lures the best way you can will give you a really good shot of finding big, active natives such as XL cod and even big golden perch. Throwing lures from the bank at this time of year can be a very fruitful way of fishing,

too; you don’t always need to own a boat to catch fish like these. Throwing swimbaits or chatterbaits under the moonlight, or even surface lures under the cover of darkness, can be an exciting way of catching big cod, and these lures will bring their fair share of fish this month. Just remember to fish confident in

the gear you like most, rug up, and be prepared to make a lot of casts. Winter fishing can be tough but the rewards are always worth the effort when the bites come around. The full moon will be above on the 4th of this month, with the new moon falling around the 18th. Good luck and tight lines. JUNE 2023 71

NSW

Last chance to fish for wild trout BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

The 12th of June spells the end to the 2022/2023 trout season, and you’d be silly not to get amongst them before the choice is taken away from you. The trout fishing in all the creeks and rivers in the greater Batlow area has been nothing short of spectacular all season long, with insane numbers of fish present and all of these fish

anglers have also been getting amongst plenty of fish as well. Up and across stream spinning has accounted for plenty of fish this season, with flashy spinners like Bling Spins, Rooster Tails, Celtas and Sebile tail spinners working best when the river first drops. Once the water clears and the fish feel a bit of angling pressure, it is best to go to more natural lure selections like soft plastics and small hardbodies like the Rapala F3, CD3, CD5 and F5s, Sso Minos or IMA Sukaris.

Winter is big redfin time, and there’s no better lure for the deep holding pre-spawn schools than the ever-reliable ice jig. have been in great nick. TUMUT RIVER The majority of the trout in the Tumut River have averaged just over a pound this season, which is close to twice the size of the average fish over the last couple of years. Some of these fish could easily be mistaken for lake fish, they are so thick, fat and healthy. Catching these big healthy trout in the fast water that the Tumut River is famous for is about as challenging as it gets, particularly on light line. As usual, most anglers have caught their fish indicator nymphing this season, with the exception being at sunset, when educated anglers been getting amongst the risers with small dries. 30-90 fish sessions have been the norm whilst fly fishing in the low flows this season, but bait and lure

drag myself away from the creeks and rivers, and have hardly fished a lake recently. However, this will all change once the season closes as I will be happily hitting the massive redfin schools that Blowering Dam is famous for. BLOWERING REDFIN The redfin fishing at Blowering has been great for the last few months, with plague proportions of small to medium sized fish being caught all over the dam. However, this month will see a transition from large numbers of small fish in shallow water, to large numbers of big fish in deep water. This is a great time of the year to target redfin – not just because the large fish are more prevalent, but also because of the trout season closure, when your options for good numbers of fish are limited. Add to this the fact that redfin are the only freshwater fish I eat, and you can see why I opt for redfin jigging to get my fishing fix in winter. Vertical jigging is the best way to catch insane numbers of fish. Schools do not move around much at this time of the year, and once a school is located it’s not uncommon to

The 2022/2023 trout season ends at midnight on 12 June. There’s still a bit of time to catch some of the prettiest fish that swim in freshwater. Bait anglers have been getting amongst their fair share of trout also. Wood grubs and bardi grubs have been the pick of the baits, but I expect there will be plenty of trout caught on PowerBait over the last couple of weeks of the season. The trout fishing has been so good I have struggled to

sit in one spot and catch close to 100 fish. Some sessions you may catch even more. I generally continue to exploit a school that I’ve found until the bites drop right off, then I go and find a fresh school and continue the fun all over again. Jigging with bait such as small yabbies, prawns or worms will account for plenty of fish. However, the time it takes to rebait and drop back down can decrease your catch rate compared to

BJ Jones went on a guided trip with the author and was rewarded with some nice wild trout for his efforts.

Big Murray cod will be at the top of many anglers’ lists this winter. Make sure you look after them prior to release to ensure they are still healthy and survive the stress of being caught. someone using the right lure. There are a number of lures that work well when fished vertically, including blades, soft plastics, lipless crankbaits (rattling, silent and rubber models), tail spinners, spoons, Sebile Vibratos and ice jigs. All of these lures will catch fish when used correctly, but the ice jigs are my first choice when vertically jigging for redfin. There is no need for any fancy retrieves with these lures, simply drop them all the way to the bottom, take up

the slack line and start jigging. The most important thing to remember is to stay in contact with your lure on the drop, as more than 90% of the hits will come whilst the lure is dropping back to the bottom after a lift. If you feel a little tap as the lure is sinking, strike like there is no tomorrow, as redfin are notorious for spitting lures very quickly. Staying in contact with your lure and striking hard will ensure you fill your keeper bag this winter.

BLOWERING COD Most people now know that big Murray cod seem to pop up on the end of people’s lines much more often at this time of the year. As a result, more and more people are braving the cold in hope of a trophy fish. Fishing for big Murray cod at this time of the year can be very slow and challenging, but those anglers who put the hard yards in will be the ones rewarded. Long trolling runs after dark seem to account for most of the bigger fish, but each year more and more big cod are getting caught by knowledgeable fishos casting with big lures. Although braving the freezing nights is the best way of targeting the big cod, it is possible to hook a few of the smaller ones during the day. Occasionally the big models also let their guard down during daylight hours at this time of year, but it generally only happens on really overcast days. All in all, things are shaping up for a great winter of fishing in the greater Batlow area, so rug up and go get amongst them.

Sluggish fish need encouragement ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

Coming into June is always an exciting time for Murray cod anglers. While the fishing is generally slow and the days and nights are cold, the effort you put in is well worth the potential results.

This season so far has been a bit up and down. We’ve had times where all the local rivers have been ideal to fish, and also times where the flow and clarity hasn’t been the best. Still, conditions have been better than last season, so things are shaping up for a good winter for fishing the rivers – in particular for those

A very healthy river fish caught on a recent float.

BJ and Tim Jones with a beautifully marked trout. These ‘cod’ anglers now understand why trout anglers get addicted. Great fishing in even greater locations – it doesn’t get much better than that. 72 JUNE 2023

A nice high 80s model from a snag that was exposed on low flow.

very special Murray cod. In winter in our part of the world, the metabolism of native fish slows right down. I think it’s very important to slow your fishing down too. While Murray cod are an aggressive fish much of the time, and will smack your lure on the first few casts of a good log or other structure, they can also be stubborn – and

unless you present your lure to them in a way they will comfortably eat it, they may not even bother to come out for a sniff. You will have to make accurate casts and really pick snags apart to really get the lures on the nose of these fish, and hopefully elicit a strike. I tend to spend twice as long fishing a likely-looking

NSW

The best spots to focus your efforts CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

The cold weather has well and truly set in, and the angling options in Canberra are becoming increasingly limited. Now is the perfect time to get stuck into some serious rod and reel maintenance. I fish both salt and freshwater locations on a weekly basis, and this means that my gear cops some serious punishment, especially in the build-up to winter when the fishing is

but there are now so many great products on the market designed for rods and reels, and if used properly will add 10 or more years to a quality set-up. So, if the weather is particularly nasty over the coming weeks, spend some time preparing your gear for when the weather warms and the fish really come on the bite. LOCAL LAKES The fishing has been relatively quiet on Lake Burley Griffin. There were some periods of heavy rain through May, which resulted in an early

up a decent catch. One of my favourite winter spots is the concrete ledge which sits directly behind the museum café. Though this is only a small area, the fish do push into this location as the water is deep, and it is possible for predators to sit close to the

eventuated, and the cod seem to be laying low until the water warms and clears up a bit. That said, some anglers using beetle spins coupled with grub-tail plastics have landed a few decent-sized reds near the back of the college. Also, the weed beds which line

Lake Ginninderra is worth a look.

Cold days can still yield good fish.

If you put the hours in on Googong, the rewards are there. particularly good. During those sub-zero days when the rain pours in seemingly endless waves upon the windows, I head out to my shed and oil, grease and service my rods and reels. I use a low viscosity oil that can creep into even the tiniest crevices of my reels, and reel grease that has been specifically developed for fishing applications. Back in the day it was all WD-40, spot in winter than I would during the warmer months. The fish just sometimes need that little bit more convincing to make it worthwhile using their energy to smack your lure. With the Murray River being a main focus of many cod anglers around the region at this time of year, it’s very exciting once the river gets to a lower level with flows. On a low flow, the water tends to slow down and the level drops,

shut down because the water cooled quickly and sent a lot fish into hiding. Traditionally, LBG can be relied upon by anglers looking to pick up a few redfin during short winter sessions, but even the redfin have (for the most part) moved into deep water. That said, there are a few pockets of the lake where the fish are feeding, and it’s about being in the right place at very specific times to pick

shoreline but still in 4-5m of water. Golden perch feed in this location during the coldest of days, but are especially active at dusk while there are also large reddies here that do look for an easy meal. Slow rolling plastics parallel to the concrete walls is the best way to connect with a fish, but be prepared to make a lot of casts because the fish can take some convincing. Lake Ginninderra is in much the same condition as LBG. The rain in May caused the water to cool quickly, and the water has remained discoloured ever since. The cod in Lake G usually fire in early June, and can be targeted using surface lures. However, the surface bite hasn’t

A solid river fish that took some convincing to bite.

A solid 80s model river fish off the surface caught by Jarrod on a recent float.

exposing snags properly, and also revealing structures you otherwise wouldn’t know were there. Picking all of this apart, even the areas with a strong flow pushing through can be prime areas for a cod willing to eat. At this time of the season, you have a good chance of hooking a decent fish. So the flows are looking good as I write this, the clarity is the best it’s been in a long while, and it’s go time. By putting in the time and effort, anyone will get results. Best of luck everyone, and enjoy!

lakes, the fishing at Lake Tuggeranong is improving. The lake often fishes well through the winter months, and it seems like winter 2023 will be another good season to target reds, yellas and cod. This is in part due to the rain through May, which topped up the lake, but also because a lot of the fish released into the

Pejar is a good winter option. the bike path from the college to Diddams Close playground are good for spinning Jackall TN50s for yellas. I will make mention of the fantastic carp fishing. The carp in Lake Ginninderra are really on the bite, and are hitting soft plastics and small diving lures right around the margins of the lake. The good thing about flicking plastics for carp is that inevitably, at some point, a good-sized redfin or yellowbelly will eat your lure. Lake Tuggeranong seems to be bucking the trend. While the fishing has been slow across the other urban

lake around five years ago are now reaching catchable size. This is evident in the golden perch catch rates, with anglers landing big numbers of golden perch to 30cm (although there have been few caught above this size). The same can be said for the cod. Most of the natives have been caught by anglers using vibes or blades and fishing near the bridge while the reddies have been landed in a variety of different locations. SURROUNDS Googong Dam is finally starting to slow up. From February right through until the end of May, the action on Googong was exceptional with big cod, yellowbelly and huge redfin all hitting lures with abandon. This is in stark contrast to the here and now where the fish have, for the most part, shut down. The roving packs of surfacefeeding redfin are nowhere in sight. This should come as no surprise, as Googong has always been a summer

Redfin can be caught behind the museum café.

There some small cod still willing to hit a lure.

fishery, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to catch a big cod. In fact, the largest cod caught in the dam was landed during August, and some the bigger yellas also turn up in the cooler months. It is simply a case of putting in plenty of time on the dam and braving the sometimeschallenging conditions when the wind whips up. Pejar is also worth a look at this time of year. I have caught bass and trout here recently, and while I never catch big numbers, catching bass in winter is always great fun. JUNE 2023 73

VIC

It’s happy days in Portland for offshore anglers PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

We are pretty much in full swing here with our bluefin tuna season. The school tuna have moved in, in bigger numbers, with big tuna still lurking about in between the smaller ones. We have also seen a very nice mahimahi caught by the crew on Matt Hunt’s Fishing Charters. It’s been a few years since

the shelf line and beyond, but the weather really needs to be on your side to make these big trips safe and comfortable. The shelf has also produced some very nice feeds of blue-eye, pink ping, gemfish and blue grenadier. As most people would know, the big electric reels make this type of fishing a little easier reeling from big depths. Also, we have had some better winter weather for boaties making the trip to Cape Nelson to Bridgewater

Nelson the fishing has still been productive, with sharks, snapper, nannygai and so forth. All are great table fish and great fun to catch. The bay can sometimes slow down a little in the cooler months, but you can generally pick up a feed – you may just have to work a little bit harder. Although the flathead can get a bit bigger around Lawrences Rock back towards Pivot area in the cooler months, and you can pick up some

The team on Gone Fishing Charters with a 78kg tuna gilled, gutted and bleed. breakwater, Pivot Rocks, Bridgewater Bay and other great spots to chase some decent salmon. With the bigger winter seas and the swell crashing

some great fish during these periods. Inside the harbour, whether you’re in a boat or fishing off the piers, you never know your luck at

not far away you have the Glenelg River system for all of the above. So if you are a mad fisho or just want to get away and throw a line in,

Young Oscar with a nice mixed bag from the harbour fishing with his family. we have seen these fish so we certainly may see some interesting fish over the next couple of months. Portland also has a good range of charter operators working the tuna schools if you wish to get some action on these great fish. I have also heard of some reports of albacore off

Bay, chasing flathead as the main target. We have seen good numbers so it does make these trips well worth worthwhile most of the time. Also in the mix are gummies and schoolies, which make for an even better trip. Most of us can’t resist some great flake. Back towards Cape

nice sizes for a feed. You could also get lucky and score some winter whiting. They’re not always in big numbers, but they’re good-size fish. Salmon are also firing up, and we get some great sizes in the colder waters. Salmon are great fun land-based. We have the

Young Kodi with a cracking 22kg blue-eye.

Sharkmen Charters caught this mako after bagging out on school tuna. 74 JUNE 2023

around the Corkscrew and the lee breakwater, the land-based fishos will hit the wall as it settles. Here you have the chance of a big snapper or shark, both of which love it when the breakwater gets stirred up after a big swell. However, as it settles right off, so do the snapper until the next swell. There is some good timing and luck required, but we generally do see

this time of year, and can go home with a nice mixed bag. We have still seen squid, whiting, salmon, luderick and small pinkies, just to name a few in this area. Also, this is a great spot for children and families to get into the action. Our river systems are also producing some good quality fish. Surrey River for mainly bream, estuary perch and mulloway, then

come on down to Portland and check out what we have on offer, and while you are here, why not call in and see the team at Compleat Angler. You will find us at 61 Bentinck Street, next door to the Gordon Hotel, or contact us on 03 5521 1844, plus we are on Facebook under Portland Compleat Angler. Have a great month, and happy fishing.

VIC

Bream and EP are still active in the estuaries especially if the mouth was recently opened. Despite the massive fish kill that occurred here a little over a year ago, fish have survived. Recently avid angler Michael Moore travelled over from the Bellarine Peninsula and made Peterborough his home base for a couple of days. Michael and a mate managed some excellent bream and perch in the river working surface poppers and medium diving hardbodies along the river’s reedy edges. I believe all fish were released after a pic or two, which is fantastic as these fish will be needed as future broodstock to repopulate this estuary. In the Gellibrand, perch can be found upstream opposite bankside tea tree growth, which is found near the Kangaroobie canoe launching area. However, when the mouth is open at this time of year, the fish can be picked up along the

COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

Our estuaries are fishing well, especially for estuary perch as these fish have congregated down near the mouth in search of salty water in which to spawn. Plenty have been caught in the Hopkins, not only in the deeper water near the danger board near the mouth, but either side of the road bridge, within a cast of Lyndoch aged care facility, as well as the mud flats opposite. Fish to 49cm have been caught in recent times, mostly on soft plastics and minnow lures. In the Curdies, the perch are often found in and around the ‘Aquarium’, which is the area where the river runs into the lake. However, schools have been known to travel down towards the town channel near the main boat ramp,

Hopkins River bream and perch in all sizes are succumbing to surface poppers and shallow divers worked in low light conditions.

reed beds below the footy oval/campground bridge. So, in summing up, bream and estuary perch are quite active in all three estuaries, and are moving around in search of a feed as well as preparing to spawn. The general rule of thumb is when the respective river mouths are open, you should fish the lower reaches, and when closed, bream can be found scattered right along the river’s length, including right upstream. Don’t discount the odd mulloway either. They are currently believed to be present in all three estuaries, although it’s anyone’s guess how many there are. In another month or so, the bream will begin to school up in anticipation of doing their own spawning run upstream. How far upstream? Depends solely on how much freshwater flow is working its way downstream.

Attractive options for freshwater anglers in June WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

The beginning of winter may seem like depressing time in the far south coast, but there are plenty of exciting fishing options available, from big tuna out to sea, to quality trout in our rivers. On the tuna front, the focus of the barrel fishing has moved from Portland to Pt Mac in recent weeks. However, with the sheer number of these

There have been good numbers of school fish off Port Fairy and Warrnambool lately, and these will continue to be an option throughout June if the weather holds. If tuna aren’t your thing, there has been some excellent bottom fishing happening. Dan Hoey from Salty Dog charters has been producing some excellent mixed bags of shark and finfish like snapper, morwong, and nannygai. Out further towards the shelf, local anglers have been taking trumpeter, pink

the WDAC Easter fishing competition. Plenty of kilo plus fish were brought in, with the largest catchand-release bream being a 1.546kg behemoth taken by Ray Dorman. To even get into the top ten in the junior section you needed a fish over 830g. With good schools of small baitfish present, many fish are being taken fishing lures to the edge, or glassies or other small fish baits on the bottom. The mouth is still open, and plenty of blue water is coming in on the tide.

Harry Jenkins with a Hopkins bream.

Winter time is big trout time in the South West. big fish present along the coast this season, you could have them turn up anywhere, so have the big gear with you and keep an eye out on any long sea journey this winter.

ling and blue-eye when the conditions have allowed. The Hopkins River has been fishing very well for bream recently. This was evidenced by some of the excellent fish taken during

There still has been no sign of any mulloway catches despite seemingly perfect conditions for them. In the freshwater, estuary perch have been responding to topwater

lures, with fish over 40cm being encountered. These bigger perch will start to move downstream as we head into winter, and can be taken on vibes and heavily weighted plastics as they begin to school up in the estuary section. I haven’t heard of any big runs of salmon at Killarney Beach yet, but it’s a location that is always worth a look at this time of year on a nice winter’s day when the wind is from the north. Wandering along towards the east from the boat ramp, throwing metal slice lures, is the best way to locate any schools

present in the area. WINTER TROUT Trout fishing is also popular locally at this time of year, with the Hopkins, Merri and Moyne rivers and Mt Emu Creek remaining open during the traditional closed season. This means most of the prime local trout waterways are fishable all winter. It allows anglers to target the trout in what is the most productive time to fish these waters; the higher water levels and cooler water temperatures are perfect for trout fishing. Also, all these South West coastal rivers are reliant on annual fish

stocking, with research showing very little if any natural recruitment. This reduces the need to ‘lock up’ the rivers to protect spawning fish at the best time to be fishing them. With all the snakes in hibernation, it’s safer and more pleasurable to make those long treks along the rivers without the constant dread of stepping on a ‘wiggle stick’. If you encounter one of the many dreaded carp present in the river, please don’t release them. Instead, dispose of them away from the water’s edge. JUNE 2023 75

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Local catches are well worth the numb toes GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

Colder months from now onwards will see the snapper taper off and kingfish vanish, while bream, salmon and trevally will be the focus for inshore anglers. There are resident snapper

Australian salmon have made their presence known inside Corio Bay, with increasing numbers over the last few years. Anglers have seen them busting up on occasions along the Geelong waterfront, and other landbased locations such as Griffins Gully Jetty and Limeburners rock wall. I’ve had a few colleagues who walk the waterfront send me

pop up and nick off pretty quickly if the bait schools are sparse. However, the fish are chunks at 50cm+, and always willing to scoff a metal or plastic piffed into the madness when they are smashing bait on the surface. Silver and snotty trevally to 32cm have been caught by anglers bait fishing with chicken along Cunningham pier around the end of April. The snotties used to draw quite a crowd when the June high tides corresponded with dawn or dusk at Cunningham pier – keep an eye on these fish for their fighting and eating qualities. Fish light or unweighted baits such as raw chicken, pipis or pilchard fillets to give you the best shot at this time of year. Trout and fewer but larger reddies will make themselves available at

Taylor and Anthony have been enjoying the hot tuna bite off Barwon Heads. Wurdee Buloc and Stoney Creek reservoirs, while those anglers keen on offshore work could jag the

caught a few, it was Oliver’s turn. Ian said Oliver was standing holding his new rod when a whiting hit so hard it caused Oliver to jump! Oliver fought the beast like a seasoned angler, and called it a “monster” as it was hauled aboard! Ian measured it in at 40cm, so not a bad first whiting! Bruno Lombardo fished out off Clifton Springs with his fiancée Kristy recently. Kristy caught a ripper snapper weighing in at 3.1kg, while Bruno caught

and the Surf Coast trying out a few land-based possies. The pair have caught some respectable pinkie snapper around the 40-50cm mark, which have provided great sport and tucker. They gave the Queenscliff cut a go on the after dark slack tide, and managed to haul in a cracking snapper of 71cm, which sure got the blood pumping! Great land-based snapper there! Dave Reynolds loves a bit of offshore work around the Surf Coast, and loves his

Corio Bay snapper have been biting well as we lead into winter – check this 3kg model out Kristy bagged off Clifton Springs. inside Corio Bay that can be caught by beanie and thermos users (i.e. cold night fishing) so if you are keen, they can be caught. In years gone by, Corio Bay inner harbour used to hold some rippers up over 7kg, so it’s well worth the numb toes. I’ve always thought King George whiting bite fairly well up to the end of June around the Curlewis Bank and inside Stingaree Bay. However, last winter, they were fairly consistent so consider this as your head’s up that they could be well worth a look this June right around the Bellarine Peninsula. Six meters of water off Leopold was my go-to last year, but they were biting very well from St Leonards to Queenscliff too. My son Max and I have had a few goes out off Limeburners and Clifton Springs, with mixed captures of squid and whiting. Without setting the world on fire, we’ve gotten a fair feed each time. Calamari caught that day and fishing between 2-6m has always been a successful plan for Clifton Springs and around the Bellarine Peninsula to Queenscliff. 76 JUNE 2023

videos of topwater salmon mayhem at Cunningham pier and around the western walk past Griffins Gully. Salmon have been quite hard to predict inside Corio Bay for boaters, as they

Oliver with the 40cm whiting he caught with his grandad Ian off Clifton Springs!

Wayne was pretty pumped with this 71cm snapper he caught from the Queenscliff cut.

odd tuna or gummy shark. But remember, there are no rules and kingfish were still being reported offshore and pinkie snapper were going great guns into the last week of April. The land-based possies inside Corio Bay have been producing pinkies to 50cm for those that have been prepared to put in the time. Mick Lane fishes these land-based areas in Corio Bay’s inner harbour a fair bit, and has been catching quality pinkies to 50cm, plus the odd whiting and flathead. Mick did say things were quietening down, but it’s still worth a look. Ian Clissold took his grandson Oliver out off Clifton Springs in search of whiting recently. Oliver was dead keen on catching some after he’d watched a few YouTube clips on them, and Ian had told him how hard they fight. They headed out off Clifton Springs at 5am to one of Ian’s favourite whiting spots. After Ian had

Bruno with a fine gummy he caught out off Clifton Springs. a nice gummy shark at 5kg. After seeing Bruno catch a gummy, Kristy was keen to catch one as well. She did land one that day, but unfortunately for her it was undersized and went back for next season. Wayne Tempest and his partner Angie have been cruising around Geelong

gummy sharks as well. Dave has been out a few times and always seems to boat a gummy. On his last trip out, he and a mate boated two, with Dave’s fish being the best at about 8kg. Dave caught this one down near Jan Juc in about 35m of water using squid for bait, and regularly catches

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Great time to target southern calamari Trial by ice in the UK PRODUCT NEWS

The southern end of the bay around Rye in the south channel has been a go to spot lately for gummy sharks anywhere up to 25kg – and if you are lucky, even bigger! Sitting on the edges of the channel is the go, using fresh baits if you can get them. Fresh Australian salmon, yakka, squid or slimy mackerel are ideal baits. Gummy sharks have a very good nose on them so getting a fresh bait out in tidal areas such as Rye is crucial to having a successful fishing trip. The rig of choice has been a running sinker rig with an 8/0 circle hook. Make sure to pin your baits with plenty of the hook showing, allowing that ultimate hook up. As you move closer to the entrance near Portsea, the same approach applies, just as if you were fishing Rye. Fishing the south channel will find you hooking a lot of by-catch such as banjo sharks, Port Jackson sharks and sting rays, so make sure you have plenty of tackle on board as you might find yourself losing a lot of gear. Offshore out from Barwon heads in around 40m of water has been fishing very well lately, but to be fair it usually does all

year round. The best baits are freshly caught wrasse or Barbers perch. SOUTHERN CALAMARI SQUID Southern calamari squid is one of the more popular species to be chasing this month, with plenty on offer all over Port Phillip Bay. A good place to start is up around Black Rock in the shallow waters over the broken ground in around 3m of water. Using smaller jigs is the key – no bigger than a size 2.5. The better colours are green with a gold belly, and your more natural colours. Moving down to Mt Eliza in front of Sunnyside Beach, there have been great numbers of squid caught. There is a large scattered reef out the front of this beach that holds squid in anywhere from 2-6m of water. As per usual, Mornington and Mount Martha are still producing the goods, with reports of the larger models hanging around. This is music to all squid fishers’ ears. Yes, there is still some tiny squid hanging around, but this makes it all the more exciting because you just don’t know what size you will get with the mixed bag size hanging around at this point in time. If you are after a larger squid then look no further than Rye! The reports have been amazing from this area, with anglers reporting that

them off Black Rock in 45m of water, anchored and drifting. Taylor Hunt has been out off Barwon Heads a few times chasing southern bluefin tuna. Taylor has shared his boat with good mates Anthony Forster, Corey Green and

Cliff Rossack, and caught a few casting poppers, stickbaits and soft plastics into fishing working bait schools. Taylor says most of the fish have been between Barwon Bluff and The Rip, in 30-60m of water. • Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula

PORT PHILLIP

Gerry Morsman

they are bagging out in no time, and the size of the squid has been more than impressive. Using size 3.5 jigs in blue/green or red has been the go. Moving across to the other side of the bay, Chris from Trelly’s Geelong reports great numbers of squid around the Queenscliff area. Drifting over reef in around 4m of water using 3.5 size jigs in the red colour has been productive. KING GEORGE WHITING Fishies Beach off Mornington has been fishing well through the colder months. Your best option would be to set up just before dark and fish well into the night off the land. You might come across some smaller fish, but the bigger schools will move through at times. Getting in close over the sand flats around Dromana and Safety Beach at night is sure to see you getting on to a few King George whiting, by all reports. These fish love to come in close at night to hunt down their dinner, so fishing land-based is a great approach. Using a 9ft rod with a nice, sensitive tip is a great choice if you are looking at purchasing a new rod. Fishing squid strips off the beach is a much safer option than soft baits like pipis, because a pipi can fall

off on the cast and you won’t even know because it’s dark. Getting down to places like Portsea has been quite productive also, in water depths anywhere up to 8m in the sand holes. Sorrento, in between the boat moorings, has been seeing a lot of reports lately also, with squid strips and pipi being the pick of the baits. Fishing late in the evening or early in the morning will give you the best chance around this area. GARFISH Garfish would have to be one of the most underrated fish that Melbourne has to offer. Most people think that they are just bait, but believe me when I say that garfish are one of the best table fish you can eat around this area! They are also quite easy to catch, whether you have a boat or are land based. Winter is a great time to target garfish, and places like Altona, Frankston, Mt Eliza, Mornington and Mount Martha will hold them in great numbers. Silverfish and maggots are the go-to baits, fished under a float. Visiting your local tackle store is your best bet if you want to learn the rig. Constant berley is important to get these fish in. Once you have them sucked into your berley, they will generally stay until you catch your bag limit of 40 per person, or your desired amount.

Nobody loves a gummy like Dave. He caught this one out off Jan Juc.

Mick has been catching plenty of land-based pinkie snapper lately with this one of 50cm being the best.

or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterfish@gmail.com with ‘FMG’ in the subject field or give me a call on 0408 997348. Please include where

Raymarine’s testing centre in the UK provides a comprehensive range of accredited marine environmental testing, from hard drops, prolonged vibration, extreme temperatures, wireless emissions, relentless rain and spray, full submersion, and the simulation of months at sea inside a salt mist chamber. Vibration is the hidden enemy for both electronics and mechanical structures. Constant shaking across a range of frequencies can create loose connections, fatigue wires, damage solder joints and result in equipment failure. During Ramarine’s Vibration testing, vertical and horizontal shakers perform swept sine and dwell tests, subjecting items to a vibration sine tone across a broad

to a powerful radiated electromagnetic field. The walls of the chamber are covered in pyramid-shaped material designed to prevent reflections, so that only the direct signal from the antenna is received. Temperature testing takes place in specially designed thermal chambers, where products are repeatedly tested and soaked overnight to ensure they start up, restart and function over a temperature range between -25°C and 55°C, and also survive non-operational storage in temps between -30°C and 70°C. Thereafter, the salt mist room exposes products to continuous salt spray for two hours before they are left for seven days in a warm, damp atmosphere. This process is repeated four times, taking

frequency range. Where a resonance is found during the sweep, testers dwell on that frequency for two hours, then check for fatigue damage. Following brutal vibration and drop testing, products are taken to the EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) area, where power supply tests are performed. Interference from switching on other boat equipment can disrupt the shared power supply, so these tests ensure that products will continue to work over the various voltage ranges they might experience. These tests cover issues such as voltage drops, inrush current and surges. Products are then moved to a radiated immunity chamber, to see whether the products can still operate efficiently when exposed

the test duration to 28 days. The next testing is in the wet room, where IPX6 tests are carried out. Products carry this rating if they can withstand arduous tests designed to assess an item’s water and/or dustproofing capabilities. One such test requires products to be continually sprayed with at least 100L of water per minute from a fire hose, for a minimum of 30 minutes, and for the unit to continue to function both during and after the test. Subsequent IPX7 tests determine products’ abilities to withstand immersion at a defined depth for a specified duration. Raymarine also employs AIS simulators to test AIS transceivers, DSC base station simulators for radios, GNSS simulators, Wi-Fi simulators and more. - Raymarine

(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). JUNE 2023 77

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The fishing is still going strong PPB WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

2023 has gone fast, and just like that, winter is here. However, the fishing is still very productive and I’m finding this season to be a little different from past seasons. Let me elaborate a little. Historically, I have done incredibly well for breadand-butter species like pinkie snapper, flathead, squid and whiting between February and April. This year, even though water temperatures have been similar to previous years, I’m finding these fish are coming into peak bite times a couple of months later than usual. I have been catching big hauls of flathead, snapper, whiting, squid, salmon, garfish and so on in recent weeks. Generally, I keep only a few for a good feed, and release the rest.

It’s getting colder!

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This good fishing will hopefully encourage more anglers to get out more often, despite the dip in water temperature and air temperature. I’ve been staying local the past month, and for good reason – there has simply been no need to travel to catch big numbers of fish. This has included surrounding areas

Chris Chimo has been catching some ripper pinkies around Port Melbourne. Altona Reef. I’ve been fishing quite a lot with my mate Chris Chimo around Port Melbourne – he on his Hobie Outback and me on my Hobie Pro

schools identified on the sounder, or hard up against structure, has been key. We both managed a good-size snapper or two amongst the chaotic pinkie action, which

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Pinkie snapper are still biting well. such as Port Melbourne, Altona, Werribee, Avalon, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula. Some crazy sessions have happened at places like the Princess Pier Poles, Geelong waterfront, Avalon, Campbells Cove and

Angler 14. We have fished around the Webb Dock rock wall, Princess Pier poles, Station Pier structures and out further. The volume of pinkies between 30-60cm has been amazing. Working soft plastics very slowly across

was great and so welcome for this time of year. It’s been amazing to see so many land-based anglers out at these spots frequently as well. I have seen a couple of big snapper landed on St Kilda Pier and Webb

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Dock on the evening. It’s so rewarding to see landbased anglers catch good fish, especially as our local land-based legends often put in long hours waiting for that moment. At this time of year, land-based fishing requires much dedication and patience. It can be cold and a bit slow, but thankfully the pinkies have been around in good numbers, which will hopefully keep you busy. If not, it’s a great idea to berley hard and throw out some small hooks, as the garfish have slowly come on strong. The land-based fishing has also been quite good for bream on the Nong and Yarra. I have fished with

some good mates locally, and have caught some great size bream up to 40cm around Flemington, Essendon, Footscray and the fringes of the CBD. There have also been some great catches around the docklands. Most of the fish have been caught on baits, but we are also seeing a growing popularity of jigging lures slowly, including Cranka Crabs and Mussel Vibes. Soft plastics for me continue to be a stand-out technique choice. It’s the pure simplicity of only needing one spin combo, a few jigheads and a few packets of soft plastics or scented soft baits. You can cover a lot of ground,

The author with a nice brace of flathead.

working them slowly with subtle lifts and pauses. This simple technique requires less gear and less preparation, and yet brings in big hauls of fish consistently. At this time of year I typically rig up quite light, with my go-to being a 1/12oz jighead in size 2/0. I use a variety of soft plastics, including 2.5” paddletails, 4” worm imitations, 2.5” grubs, yabby imitations, crab imitations. The array of choices is almost endless, and I love the experimental side of trying new profiles and colours, and catching a few fish. Baits are also working really well. Locally at this time of year it’s very difficult to beat small strips of pilchard or squid on a running sinker rig or paternoster rig. It’s best to stick to smaller size hooks, anywhere from size 1 through to size 3. The water temperature and outdoor temperature will start to decline fast from here. By mid-June, the water temperature usually hovers around 12°C, and that’s when things will start to get a little more challenging. The bread-and-butter species we are catching in big numbers now will slowly go off the bite. With that in mind, you should fish our local bays as often as possible now whilst the bite is still going strong. I will spend quite some time chasing king George whiting, squid and flathead, which should still fish well for a few weeks. Once the cooler water temperatures really kick in then you can do a variety of other things, such as chasing trout (which thrive in the cooler water temperatures) in rural Victoria, or head offshore and chase some barrel tuna. There is always something to target if you are keen and don’t mind some cooler temperatures. That’s it for this

The author has been catching some good squid lately. month. Don’t let the drop in temperature stop you from getting out there and catching some quality fish. I know I will be, and I hope to see you out there. Until next time, good fishing everyone. 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 www.fishingmad.com.au/ member for fishing reports, workshops, podcasts, and exciting monthly giveaways. Also, don’t forget to follow

my fishing adventures on the FishingMad YouTube channel www.youtube. com/c/fishingmad and social media on Facebook page www.facebook. com/fishingmad.com. au, Instagram page www. instagram.com/fishingmad. com.au and on Channel 31 Tuesday evenings at 9.00 pm and Saturday afternoons.

Graeme Findlay with a nice Lake Elingamite redfin caught on a soft plastic.

JUNE 2023 79

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Bracing for bigger bluefin tuna PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

Someone asked me for a summary of the season, and I told him that in the 17 years we have had the shop, it was one of the best and one of the worst. It all

much sums up the last 17 years as well. Every year someone is having a good one while someone else is having a bad one. As much as people think they have it sorted and worked out what to do, things change, and the successful anglers are the ones who adapt.

fish have been reporting the bigger tuna for months. They said the bigger ones were just sitting deep, and not even looking at coming towards the surface. We have also had much bigger fish reported showing up on the sounders, sitting almost on the bottom. Once the school fish disappear (and as I write this they are doing just that) the bigger fish will head up a bit higher in the water. The other trigger is when the big pilchards or redbait show up, and I’ve had several reports from offshore anglers finding huge schools of very

big pilchards. If you have been chasing the school fish this season and you are thinking of heading out to chase a barrel, you won’t get away with the basic gear that caught you plenty of 25kg ones. Although many of the lures will be the same (possibly with bigger hooks), you can’t use the snapper gear that you were using on school tuna. Generally, if you use snapper gear on big tuna, the tuna will win. Unlike school tuna, which can school up in their hundreds, the bigger ones will typically be loners, or

There is always plenty of sibling rivalry on this boat, and looks like Jack won this day.

There’s no better way to start the day. depends on what species you target. If you are a tuna fisher, you have had the best season we have ever seen, but if you are a calamari or snapper fisher, it’s been ordinary at best. That last sentence pretty

At the time of writing this report, a few nice tuna have recently been caught. By the time this goes to print there could be barrels everywhere! They have been here all the time, and those who have been diving on the school

With so many school tuna around, many of our younger customers managed to get amongst the action. Oliver was stoked with his first.

FISHING NEWS

Closure at Lake Wendouree VFA is giving trout stocks in Lake Wendouree a helping hand to ensure they provide fishing fun for future generations. At the request of local fishers and rec fishing organisations, the VFA has introduced a 200m two-month closed area at Lake Wendouree near the Ballarat Fish Acclimatisation Society (BFAS) hatchery. The closed area comprises a 200m stretch along Windmill Drive on the western side of the lake opposite the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, and will be in place from 1 June to 31 July inclusive. The remainder of the lake will be open to fishing year-round. The location is adjacent to the hatchery’s outfall pipe, which is often congregated with spawning trout. Lake Wendouree is one of the

80 JUNE 2023

most productive trout fishing lakes in Victoria and is stocked annually with trout from the VFA’s Snobs Creek Hatchery near Eildon as well as the BFAS hatchery. The Ballarat hatchery has been in operation since 1870 and plays an important role producing fish that are stocked into other waters throughout the state. The area will be marked with signage on site, and you can find more information at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/ wendouree. STOCKING NEWS The Snobs Creek Hatchery team recently stocked 15,000 brown trout yearlings into Lake Eildon at Jerusalem Creek. Another trip was made further afield to the lower Macalister River, between Lake Glenmaggie and Maffra, to stock 2,000 browns. These fish will grow to catchable

size within 12 months, but there’s no need to wait that long because both waters have a long stocking history, so they already contain good fish and are worthy of a visit with the spin rod, fly rod or bait.

VFA has also stocked another 3,500 Chinook salmon into Lake Purrumbete, one of Victoria’s finest freshwater fisheries, that offers big trout and salmon, as well as redfin. – VFA

in small groups of up to four fish. You really need to know how to read your sounder because it will be your best friend. Rather than trolling blindly, you want to be sounding around while looking for surface life. Find the arches, work them with everything you have, and hopefully you’ll trigger a response from the fish to attack. Finding them is actually the easiest part; hooking and landing are the hard bits. Whiting continue to amaze, and just when you think they are going to run out because they have gone a little quiet, they fire up again and seem to be everywhere. We started to see lots of very small whiting through the summer, then the bigger ones started showing up in the autumn but very patchy, and now we are seeing the winter ones that are the best eating whiting that we see all year. Over the last couple of months the whiting have been much better in some of the shallower areas, especially around Reef Island and Bass River. In Cleeland Bight and Dickies Bay we have had several reports of schools of kingfish, only rats but enough of them to keep the whiting from biting. In the shallows, along with the whiting there have been a lot of calamari as well. Reports of both have been good for numbers and size. Before we know it the daylight hours will increase, there will be more sun than rain, and we will all be rigging up for the upcoming snapper season. In the meantime, there is plenty of fishing to be had. It’s the

best time of the year for bait collecting, i.e. salmon, mullet, garfish, couta and calamari. If you get yourself a vacuum sealer, your frozen baits will stay as fresh as the day you caught them. Vacuum sealing is a great way to pack your caught fish as well, because it stops the freezer burn and keeps your catch fresh until you are ready to eat it. If you don’t have a boat and it’s a bit windy for the jetties, don’t forget the local rivers. We see quality fish come from both the Powlett and Bass. Not so long ago we weighed a couple of 700g+ whiting caught from the Bass, got a report of a mulloway that was lost just before netting, and a couple of pan-sized pinkies as well as dozens of other fish. Then, from the Powlett there are plenty of bream, estuary perch are coming down the river within reach of most, and towards the entrance there are small salmon, flathead and even a small gummy. The Powlett is also a great place to go and practice your casting and lure fishing. CONGRATS MEL For those of you who are customers but haven’t been in the store for a couple of months, here’s an update on what’s been happening. Melanie and her husband Jack have welcomed to the world a baby girl, their first (and a third grandchild for us) Malia Kathleen Rogers. All are well and just getting used to parenthood. For this reason I will be flying solo over the winter, with Mel looking at returning back to the shop for the season in the spring.

More fish habitat into the Gippsland Lakes Your recreational fishing licence fees have helped OzFish Unlimited create more fish habitat in the Tambo Bay area of the Gippsland Lakes. Triangular wire mesh frames were filled with recycled scallop shells to create ‘fish castles’. The complex internal structure of these castles make ideal surfaces for mussels and oysters to settle and grow, providing an all-round boost to the aquatic ecosystem and benefiting popular recreational species like bream and flathead. The project has been a community effort with help from businesses too, complementing the Gippsland Lakes Recreational Fishery Plan which aims to return the system to a recreational fishing mecca following the removal of commercial net fishing in 2020. Check out all the projects funded by your fishing licence fees at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/fishinggrants

East Coast

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Winter whiting, flathead and bream on offer the deeper lake. Just about everywhere I looked for them I found those bream in colossal schools. There must have been an incredible spawning event a few years ago to seed the lakes with millions of fish. Some bigger bream are also cruising around and, as usual, infected with lock jaw disease. Thankfully the lakes are still producing excellent numbers of bream on hardbody lures, and some of them are around 45cm. Nikki Bryant assures me they are still biting flat out around the Mitchell flats, and she stacked

GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

Winter in Gippsland means big bream and thumping flathead up the rivers. Additionally, over the last few years we have also seen the whiting continue to bite all year round. Already the signs are looking excellent for the next few months, so let’s look at the prospects ahead and some of the recent action. BIG DUSKIES ON THE MOVE Right on cue, the flathead are heading up the rivers and into the western lakes areas – and they are big! First I saw them arrive at Hollands Landing in late April, with a few small 35cm fish, and then bigger models from 50-70cm quickly followed them. Historically, that is about a month early and it tells me the numbers may be much higher than usual this winter. In recent weeks I have been hearing about even bigger flatties to 80cm moving up the Nicholson and Tambo rivers. Of greater interest are the reports of duskies to 75cm from Loch Sport and Wattle Point, and that area provides excellent shallow water action. Simon Kindred recently headed up the North Arm at Lakes Entrance, and with just

big tallies with hubby Blair on the Hurricane hardbodies. Lake Victoria continues to deliver cracker bream to 45cm, and once again they are crunching hardbody lures in about a metre of water. When fishing with two mates on three separate occasions we managed to release about 60 bream between us, and interestingly they were also just as aggressive on small blade lures too. Working blades across the shallows is surprising deadly for those who haven’t tried it. All you have to do is cast as far as you can and work the lure at a

Nikki Bryant has scored big tallies of bream on Hurricane hardbodies in Lake King. his second cast of the morning landed a 64cm flatty while walking the bank. For those anglers who might not be aware about chasing duskies in winter, let me assure you they are not just a summer species. In fact, nearly all my Gippy Lakes flatties are caught in the cold months as by-catch when I target bream and perch. SURPRISE YELLOWFIN WHITING Everyone knows about the explosion of King George whiting in the lakes over the last three years, and we have

all rejoiced in their comeback. Recently I was walking the jetties at Paynesville and fishing small blades in search of bream or flathead. You can imagine my complete disbelief when after a few small bream grabbed my lure, I landed a yellowfin whiting. I have never heard of yellowfin whiting being caught by anglers in the Gippy Lakes before. I told Matt Jenkins, who used to be a commercial fisherman, and he assured me they did indeed turn up on rare occasions, and were always big fish. My catch measured 39cm

and was a very pleasant shock, especially as it was caught on my homemade blade lure. I’m tipping the King George whiting will be caught from Metung or Nungurner and all around Raymond Island all winter, if the water stays this clean and salty. BREAM NUMBERS INCREASE While walking those same jetties, I was dumbfounded by the immense number of juvenile bream around 24cm. I’m talking about never-ending schools stretching from about 1m deep water, way out into

The author got a big surprise when a big yellowfin whiting attacked his blade lure at Paynesville.

FISHING NEWS

TTs supports oyster reefs TT Fishing is proud to support the OzFish Shellfish Revolution, restoring oyster reefs through the creation and deployment of robust oyster baskets. This community driven project will create a

sustainable fishery that future generations of anglers can enjoy for years to come. What are shellfish reefs? Shellfish reefs are living vertical structures, 82 JUNE 2023

found in bays, estuaries, and nearshore coastal waters. These complex structures are made up of millions of shellfish, including mussels, oysters, pipis, and cockles. They form a hard substrate by clustering together and attaching to older shells,

rocks, piers, or any rigid, submerged surface. Fish and other aquatic life rely on shellfish reefs for habitat, providing places where they can shelter, breed, and source food.

They are also a natural filter, improving water clarity and promoting the growth of seagrass. These benefits create better fishing, with every hectare of living shellfish reef able to produce an additional 2.5 tonnes of harvestable fish per year. Replacing what was lost With 99% of Australia’s oyster reefs now functionally extinct, this project is integral to improving our water quality and creating habitat for marine life. Shellfish reefs are declining due to sediment runoff and human impacts such as pollution,

overharvesting and reef dredging for shells. This not only reduces shellfish numbers but also takes away the hard substrate

they need to re-establish naturally. Basically, they can’t multiply if they have nowhere to anchor. It’s not all bad news though, with mammoth efforts being undertaken by conservation groups, businesses, communities, and everyday Aussies to restore our reefs to their former glory. It is an ongoing project that will take many years to accomplish, but so far, the results are promising. The restoration efforts take advantage of oysters’ natural tendency to grow together in clumps. One method involves collecting recycled oyster shells, and after a period of sanitation,

placing them in degradable mesh baskets that are deployed in the water. This creates a natural hard surface for baby oysters to attach, with one shell housing up to 10 baby oysters. Now that’s a lot of mouths to feed! You can get involved by becoming an OzFish member, getting hands on with the OzFish Chapter in your region, or supporting TT Fishing in their partnership with OzFish Unlimited. To see the project in action, head to the ‘Tackle Tactics TV’ channel on YouTube. To look at becoming an OzFish member, visit ozfish.org. au. – TT Fishing

VIC

East Coast

Here come the salmon and perch PORT ALBERT

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

It’s that time of year again to get ready for the salmon and perch, which have both arrived early this season. However, first up for this report I’m starting off with some tips on where and how to fish the jetties as winter begins. PORT ALBERT JETTIES Even if it’s too windy and cold for boating, keen anglers can always rug up

and catch a wide variety of fish from the safety of the top-quality jetties in the area. The jetties are kid friendly, suitable for wheelchairs and there’s room for dozens of anglers. They often have permanent rod holders and cleaning tables, and at Port Albert you have a fish and chip shop on the jetty right next to you. Just recently I saw a couple of anglers set up for a big afternoon, with plans to fish well into the night with bluebait and squid. They ended up catching

The cooler weather means you need to get your squid jigs in order, and they have arrived early this year. fairly brisk rate. When you detect a few bumps or knocks, just slow the lure right down and let the bream eat it. You cover vast areas of water and often stumble across small, tight schools of bream or get a by-catch of flathead and even whiting. TAILOR One very noticeable difference this year are the prodigious numbers of big tailor that are found almost everywhere across the whole Gippy Lakes. There have been countless numbers busting up on bait at Hollands, and it’s nothing to hook 20 or more if you target them. They range from 35-50cm, and make for top sport if the bream and flathead are shut down. I seem to hook at least four or five every trip to that area while I’m really only chasing the big bream. I have kept a few tailor to eat, and I’ve discovered they are excellent eating as sashimi with sesame oil, chilli jam and honey soy. Toothy tailor will always remain a pesky and costly lure thief, but I will now look forward to keeping a couple for some raw fish dining.

trevally, good tailor, nice flathead to 36cm and heaps of small salmon, all from the same spot and working the changing tides. My best tip is to cast one bait out wide and drop another one down beside the pylons, and eventually the fish will ‘tell you’ where to cast. The new Port Welshpool jetty is an impressive structure at 800m long, and flathead, salmon, garfish, whiting, leatherjackets, and squid are a regular catch. The jetty extends right out into deeper water, where you also have a chance of catching a kingfish or a nice snapper. Quite a few anglers fish the jetties well into the night, and target squid with a whole range of coloured jigs. If you can find ink-stained areas on a jetty as you walk its, length you can bet the locals have been busy, and it will be one of their hotspots. SALMON ON LURES The early run of salmon has been a nice surprise this winter, and although the big fish have yet to arrive, the schools of smaller fish have been bigger than usual. The real hotspots for salmon are the entrance areas of McLaughlins and Manns, especially two hours each side of high tide. The interesting thing I’ve found just recently is that these salmon have pushed deep into the estuary, and can be caught almost anywhere you have deeper channels. You will at times locate the schools while busting up on bait, however I also find that allowing your lure to sink to

the bottom before you begin your retrieve can be even more effective. Salmon can often school up very deep, and won’t always rise to faster lures near the surface. Besides, by fishing deep and slow you can also jag a few flatties, too. THUMPER EP Estuary perch are, for the most part, fairly easy to trick when lures are cast accurately along weed beds or deep into structure. However, they are a hard species to locate. They are incredibly mobile, and just when you think you’ve worked them out and found them in big numbers, they will disappear overnight. Sometimes never to return for years! At other times perch can do the reverse and turn up in huge numbers where you have never caught them before. It was a total surprise to me while fishing one of the many creeks and rivers of South Gippy that I bumped into an absolute trophy perch after hours of finding nothing. I was about to call an end to my perch search for that morning, and go and chase flathead, when I nearly had the rod pulled out of my hands. I eventually netted one of the best EP I’ve ever caught.

A very happy author with a 54cm and 2.61kg perch caught on a Tomahawk Sprat 65 soft plastic. back with the flow to make sure you cover the whole water column. At dead low tide, find the deepest holes you can and work your jigs in a teabag method, and vary the retrieve from super slow to a few fast rips and a pause. The best-known trick when catching squid is to cast another jig in behind the squid you’re about to

land. More often than not, there will be one or more squid following behind. It even pays to leave your catch in the water until someone else can cast behind you. Check with the locals before heading out because the best squid locations can vary from week to week, and pay attention to which channels other boats are drifting along.

Salmon are possibly the best fun on lures. Justin Deenan loves to chase them on the surface, or with lures worked deep.

The bigger flathead are moving up into Lake Victoria as water temperatures drop.

At 54cm and a whopping 2.61kg, she swam away strongly after a few quick pictures. For the record, that EP ate a Hurricane Sprat 65 in the Tomahawk pattern on a lightly weighted size 2 jighead. The cooler months can be prime time for chasing EP, as they often push far up into the rivers, so that’s where I’ll concentrate my efforts next. WINTER SQUID The best time to target squid is about two hours each side of the high tide. Size 3.0 and 3.5 jigs are your best bet, and if the tide is flowing fast, cast upstream into the current and retrieve your jig

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East Coast

VIC

Heading down to the beach in June MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

As winter arrives, the fishing typically quietens down a bit, and many

anglers start following the local football and netball teams. However, the keen anglers will of course continue fishing through all seasons. The whole estuary is still in excellent condition

and the fish are plentiful, and we’re getting reports of quality fish being caught. Bream can be found in good numbers from the Marlo entrance all the way up the Snowy River to the highway bridge at

Kingfish can be caught on a range of lures.

Orbost. Some of the young local anglers have been getting bream from 30cm up to 40cm+, as well as bass fishing, and getting excellent results using several diverse types of lures. The Brodribb is fishing identically, with bream being caught all the way up to Lake Curlip, and estuary perch being taken on the snags and structures in the same area. Luderick are schooling along the rock groynes that surround the islands, riverbanks and mudbank drop-offs. Estuary flathead are still on the sand flats that run from the Marlo jetty all the way down to Frenchs Narrows, sharing the space with the last of the prawn run and eating their fill before the prawns run to the ocean. We’ve been getting reports from many anglers of big schools of salmon and tailor coming into the estuary on the incoming tides. The salmon and tailor have been

A solid bronze whaler caught during a night session off the beach. so big you would think you were landing kingfish. With the big salmon and tailor coming into the estuary, it’s no surprise that the surf beaches are also firing, with plenty being caught on all the surf beaches in our area. With all of those fish about, of course the big bronze whaler sharks are here in big numbers, giving the

game-based anglers plenty of action. Offshore naturally is also fishing well, with plenty of flathead, gurnard, salmon, barracoota, morwong, pinkie snapper, squid, and gummy shark on the chew. And don’t forget the kingfish are still schooling around Marlo Reef and taking several different lures.

reef complexes of 33 reef modules each. The reef modules range between 170-340kg in weight and 50-60cm in height, and have numerous external openings to allow movement of currents and fish through the modules. By positioning clusters of reef modules within casting distance from

these piers, fish species targeted by shore-based anglers become more available. You can learn more about Rhys Reef, and the other recreational fishing reefs in and around the bay, by heading to vfa. vic.gov.au. – Victorian Fisheries Authority

FISHING NEWS

Rec Reef renamed to Rhys Reef

A popular recreational fishing reef in Port Phillip has been re-named to pay tribute to a budding fisher. Rec Reef, off Aspendale, has been re-named Rhys Reef in honour of Rhys Gillard. Rhys was a passionate local fisher who passed away suddenly in 2021 from sudden cardiac arrest,

aged just 17. For Rhys, this reef was a favourite spot to fish from his kayak. He spent many happy hours fishing the reef with his brother and friends. In April 2022, Rhys’ ashes were spread over the Reef by his family and friends, laying him to rest in this special spot. Rhys had strong ties to his community and was especially

passionate about fishing and maintaining a healthy marine environment. He is described as having displayed all the qualities required to be a good fisherman – patient, observant, determined, adventurous and respectful. RECREATIONAL FISHING REEFS This reef is one of many deployed into Port Phillip to provide fishers with lasting memories like those Rhys enjoyed, making the renaming a fitting tribute. The reefs provide even better recreational fishing opportunities in the now net-free Port Phillip, meaning there’s more snapper, King George whiting, flathead, calamari and kingfish for families to catch and take home to enjoy with loved ones. The first recreational fishing reefs placed in Victorian waters were installed in May 2009 with the aim of improving fish habitat and enhancing recreational fishing opportunities.

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The first three reefs were deployed in a water depth of 11m, approximately 2km out from Aspendale, Seaford and Frankston. Since their installation, the reefs have provided excellent fish habitat and fishing for recreational fishers for species such as snapper, King George whiting and calamari. Building on the success of the recreational fishing reefs deployed in 2009 for boat-based anglers in Port Phillip Bay, the Victorian Fisheries Authority deployed a further three reefs for shore-based anglers in 2012. The reefs are in a water depth of between 3-4.5 metres in three locations: approx. 40m seaward of Frankston Pier; 40-70m seaward of Portarlington Pier’s rock-wall section; and approx. 40m from the end of Altona Pier. Each reef consists of 99 hollow dome shaped reef modules of different sizes arranged in three

VIC

East Coast

Scoring cool catches on our chilly local beaches MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

This autumn, visitors to our area have been enjoying some great weather, and those who came for the fishing were not let down. The local beaches have been fishing well for a variety of species, with bream, whiting, salmon and tailor all being caught, along

with a few gummy sharks. Tip Beach down to Betka has been a good area to go fishing, with fish also being caught at Bastion Point around the lake entrance area. Fresh bait is the key to catching a variety of species, with beachworms and fresh prawn working well. We’ve had plenty of swell over the past month, and this has really stirred things up, creating good gutters for fishing. A rising

tide is the best time to chase a feed, especially when the tides line up with sunrise or sunset. If you’re chasing salmon and tailor, it’s lot quicker to find the fish by using metal lures walking along the beach, fishing the different gutters until fish are found. With winter on the way, the colder water will see more salmon along the beaches, along with some bigger tailor. The boat ramp

With plenty of flathead on the chew, keeping a few of the smaller models for a feed is no problem.

A healthy yellowfin bream caught on a soft plastic lure.

at Bastion Point has been relatively sand-free, making for safer launching and retrieval. Boats heading offshore have been rewarded some good catches of flathead, both sandies and tigers, along with gummy shark. The fishing will start to slow down as the cold winter water makes its way up the coast. The fishing in the lake

has been good, with plenty of flathead being caught. Good catches have come from the Bottom Lake right through to above Gypsy Point. A variety of lures have worked well, with soft plastic lures and the ever-reliable blades catching plenty of fish. Yellowfin bream and sand whiting have also been caught, with the Bottom Lake around the entrance area, and out around Goodwin Sands, a great place

to chase a feed. The good flow at the entrance has been great for the lake, allowing fish to move freely, and giving the lake a good clean up. This, in turn, helps to establish good weed beds. With good numbers of jewfish in the lake, the winter months should see more fish caught. You can expect the best action from the Top Lake up to and above Cape Horn.

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Regal Marine

JUNE 2023 85

VIC

The fishing at the moment is full-on in the flow ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

With the water temperature steadily dropping along the Murray River, anglers are enjoying an increased bite of native fish. It happens

every season, and spells the start of the big cod run that rolls on into the cooler months. With the cooling water temps comes the disappearance of shrimp and yabbies, and the predators feed heavily in preparation for the loss of this easy fodder.

Along the Murray River, Swan Hill has yielded a few smaller Murray cod and golden perch on baits, with scrub worms, small yabbies and shrimp working well. The best cod of late taken on the troll near the road bridge measured in at 89cm on a purple lure.

Clinton Hann with a 1m+ cod landed on the new Scope Bait from Bassman.

A 1m+ cod landed in the Murray River near Mildura on a trolled StumpJumper.

In the local Kerang Lakes, the redin continue to bite well, with Lake Meran the pick. Several anglers have boasted sessions of 10-20 solid fish, some more than a kilo in weight, on blades and ice jigs. Lake Kangaroo also has good numbers of redfin on jigs and plastics, with the odd solid golden perch

muscling in. Some of these have measured up to 55cm. Along the Murray River downstream, Robinvale is producing golden perch and the odd Murray cod on both bait and lures. Cod to 75cm have been taken on the cast and troll, with the perch scoffing down scrub worms. Carp numbers continue to be a problem, with some

absolute thumpers scoffing baits intended for the soughtafter native fish. Further downstream along the Murray, Mildura and Wentworth continue to be the pick of the fishing spots, with several goodsized Murray cod over the metre mark landed. Most fish are being taken on the troll, and the best bite has

Putting in the hard yards is producing the goods BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

Fishing during the coldest months of the year is not easy. With temperatures falling, anglers need to prepare well with suitable clothing to cope with the tough conditions. Thermal clothing, gloves and bennies become essential parts of the fishing arsenal. Anglers also need to be prepared for days with reduced catch rates. It can be common to fish for a full day during the coldest months of the year, and not even get a single enquiry for the day. If this does happen to you, don’t let it deter you as on your next trip there is a chance you may land your personal best fish. That is the mixed bag of results that fishing at this time of the year gives you. LAKE EPPALOCK Water levels are currently steady at Lake Eppalock. The productivity in the fishing remains relatively good, and redfin continue to make up the majority of anglers’ captures. The redfin have been caught on a wide range of soft plastics and soft vibes, and blades and ice jigs have also been working well. Trolling small profile lures in medium to deep diving models has been producing a few redfin, too. 86 JUNE 2023

This large golden perch was a good reward for putting in some hard yards. It was caught on a 6th Sense Quake 80 lipless crankbait. Small numbers of golden perch are still being caught at this location, and a good approach is to troll medium profile hardbody lures around the rocky shorelines and edges of standing timber. Casting lipless crankbaits and small profile spinnerbaits in these areas have also produced small numbers of golden perch. A few Murray cod are also being caught at this location, mostly as a bycatch by anglers targeting redfin or golden perch. The majority of Murray cod have been small, measuring between 45cm and 58cm. There is, however, the occasional large Murray cod being caught. A local Bendigo angler recently

landed a cod measuring over the metre mark. He was specifically targeting Murray cod, and caught the fish targeting a rocky shoreline casting a large soft plastic lure. This is a great sign of what will be available in the future, with the great fish stockings that have gone into the lake over the last few seasons. With more good stockings planned for the future, angling opportunities should only continue to improve over the next few years. CAMPASPE RIVER The water clarity continues to slowly improve in the Campaspe River. The most productive fishing has been in the section from Barnadown upstream to

the spillway below Lake Eppalock. Anglers walking the banks have been producing small numbers of golden perch and Murray cod. Spinnerbaits, hardbody lures and lipless crankbaits have all been good options. The occasional larger Murray cod has also been caught on surface lures and swimbaits. The water clarity should remain relatively good for the next couple of months, before increased flows again will see this trend reversed again. It was disturbing to receive a report from a couple of good friends about some illegal fishing equipment that they recently found while fishing the Campaspe River. There were two Murray cod

which were hooked on this equipment, with the largest Murray cod measuring 95cm. The guys contacted Fisheries and made a report. If you are fishing and you happen to see any illegal equipment, please contact Fisheries on 13 FISH (13 34 74). CAIRN CURRAN Water levels are slowly rising at this location. The productivity in the fishing has slowed down at this location over recent weeks. The numbers of golden perch and Murray cod being caught is low. If you do put the time in there is still a good chance you may land your biggest golden perch or Murray cod at this location for the season. Good options for the golden perch are lipless crankbaits. Trolling large hardbody lures or casting or trolling swimbaits are also a good option when targeting that quality Murray cod. Redfin are still making up the majority of anglers’ captures. Fishing the edges of the drop-offs with soft plastics, soft vibes and ice jigs are all good lure options for the redfin. If you are planning a trip to Cairn Curran at this time of the year, it’s worthwhile targeting the resident trout population. Bait fishing around the shallow edges of the lake with worms and gents is a good approach. Trolling the lake’s edges with winged lures or small minnow style lures is also a good option for those anglers targeting a trout. LODDON RIVER The water clarity had

been pretty poor in the Loddon River recently after some environmental flows were released down the system towards the end of the irrigation season. The irrigation season has now finished, and the flows running down the Loddon River have settled down and the water clarity is slowly improving again. How long this trend continues will depend on the amount of rainfall the region receives over the next few months. If rainfall is minimal, the water clarity should continue to improve. If the region receives heavy rainfall then the subsequent inflows will see the water clarity reduce again. Fishing the Loddon River at this time of the year is not easy. Anglers need to be patient and fish slowly. That means slow your retrieve speed down and spend more time at each location you are fishing. Be prepared to put a large amount of casts into a likelylooking piece of structure before moving onto the next location. Fish will often need a lot more presentations from a lure striking at this time of the year. The benefits are a significant reduction in fishing pressure; at this time of the year it is not uncommon to have a god amount of the river to yourself. Again, if you put the hard yards in you will be rewarded.

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Another giant Murray cod taken on the Scope Bait. This new technology has inspired new lure designs and a different understanding of these giant fish.

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this past month, and explore smash it like it’s starving. At the new potential this other times you’ll witness the technology brings to the puzzling spectacle of a single angling forefront. “Mind snag holding a dozen or more blowing” is how it can metre fish, finning stationary best be explained, and the in the flow, while other snags possibilities it opens for new in close proximity hold ROCKHAMPTON anglingNORTH opportunities, tackle nothing. This new technology development and further has promoted more questions RIFEN BOATS insights into fishStreet behaviour than answers, and has me 6 Dooley North Rockhampton is just next level. more excited about chasing P: (07) 4927 9150 If you combine this with giant cod than that first trike E: rifen.boats@bigpond.com accumulated knowledge that led me down this path W: www.rifenboats.com.au

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Graeme Findlay with a brown trout from Lake Wendouree. JUNE 2023 87

VIC

Time to take winter walks along the river banks WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

With winter comes a certain level of excitement for me, particularly around the

bardi grub will probably be your best option. YELLOWBELLY The region’s yellowbelly will be very hard to find during June as the cold water slows them right down. A

trout here in the Wangaratta region, and it usually fishes OK in June. Winged lures such as Tasmanian Devils trolled behind a boat or kayak are the best up there. Bait fishing off the bank can

A legal Murray crayfish caught last season in the Ovens River.

A pair of crayfish caught last season using a chicken frame as bait. Murray cray fishing, which dominates the fishing scene in the winter months in North East Victoria. Before I talk about the cray fishing, let’s run though what we can expect from the other species caught in this area. MURRAY COD Although I have caught a few Murray cod in June, the cod fishing is generally quite slow. I can only ever remember catching two cod in the Ovens River system on lures in June, and the rest have been caught on bait. In saying that, I rarely go lure fishing for cod in June. Nearby Lake Mulwala is a much better option for

few might be caught by people just drowning a worm and hoping for anything, but on the whole they will be very slow. REDFIN The redfin fishing could go either way this month. Lake Buffalo and Lake William Hovell can fish very well for redfin in June, but not always. Some years they’ve slowed down by June, and other years they’re still biting well. My suggestion is to get up to these lakes early in the month, because if they haven’t slowed down they will soon. TROUT Trout season closes at midnight on the Monday of King’s Birthday weekend, so

opens 1 June each year, and is a popular form of recreational fishing here in North East Victoria. Spiny Murray crayfish are subject to some quite strict rules and regulations to ensure the sustainability

crayfish per person per day, and they have a minimum size limit of 10am and a maximum size limit of 12cm. This is a measurement of their carapace, and I suggest that you check with the Victorian Fisheries Authority

Crampons used by people hiking in icy conditions are invaluable when crayfishing from the muddy banks of the river. They give you a lot of traction and prevent you from slipping over. of this species, which can be vulnerable to over harvesting. At the time of writing there is a bag limit of just two

Recreational Fishing Guide before you head out crayfishing. This will show you how to measure

the crayfish correctly, and if I have made a mistake in this article, or there are any changes are made to the rules, the fishing guide will be up to date. I love crayfishing and look forward to it each winter. It is a wonderful and enjoyable activity, but certainly not a means of harvesting food, as two crayfish does not provide a lot of meat. For me it’s all about the campfire, the wintery weather and seeing those giant white claws appearing from the murky depths when I lift my cray nets up. OTHER SPECIES Probably the most reliable form of fishing in this area during June will be carp fishing. I will be spending a fair bit of time carp fishing in June. The Winton Wetlands and Lake Moodemere are the two spots that I will most likely frequent the most. These places both hold a lot of carp are easy to access. Also, it is quite relaxing to sit in the sun for lengthy periods of time in between winter nibbles on my line.

A relaxing way to spend a winter’s morning at Lake Moodemere. anybody wanting to catch a June Murray cod on lures. If you do want to catch a cod in the Ovens River system during June, bait will be your best option. A bait of cheese, chicken or a 88 JUNE 2023

you only have the first week or so of June to catch a trout in the rivers. After the season closes you can still catch trout in the lakes. Lake William Hovell is the main lake for

produce a few trout here and there, and maybe the odd redfin, however it is the winged lures that usually catch the most fish. CRAYFISH Crayfishing season

Lake William Hovell is worth fishing for trout during June. Trolling winged lures from a boat or kayak is a great way to fish for them, but be careful when kayaking as the water in this sub alpine lake is icy cold.

VIC

Locals catching crankbait-crunching golden perch SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

I have been receiving some positive reports from the Goulburn River lately, with some nice fish caught around Arcadia, Murchison and in the heart of Shepparton. Single-bladed spinnerbaits, Old Mates and Tremors have all featured in recent reports, with dark colours working best. Bait fishing for natives has slowed up a little, but there is still a heap of carp on offer for those anglers using worms, and who are just keen to catch a fish. Worms or corn floated around the shallows has been the best way to target carp recently. BROKEN RIVER The Broken has slowed up a little bit recently. Sessions of 6-10 fish have been replaced with sessions of 2-3 fish. Casting small hardbodies around larger timber has been a great way to target cod. Lipless crankbaits with single hooks have been working well for yellowbelly. Gun spots recently have been the two weirs, below the Benalla Lake, and also the Goulburn Broken junction.

The author with a couple of nice yellowbelly from the irrigation channels near Shepparton caught on the Hideup 150 crankbait.

Worms are outstanding carp baits, and chicken has been working well for cod. IRRIGATION CHANNELS It won’t be long until we see the channel system around Shepparton drop for the winter period. However, prior to this you can still have some fun chasing cod, yellowbelly and redfin in the channels. The bridges seem to be holding more fish currently, with some reports of 2-3 yellowbelly being caught in a half hour session under a local bridge. Slow rolling Hide Up 150 crankbaits with the odd pause has worked well. Some fish have smashed the crankbaits at the feet of the anglers, so make sure you retrieve your lure right to the bank. KIALLA LAKES Catfish, yellowbelly, redfin, cod and carp have all been reported recently from those fishing Kialla lakes. They aren’t in high numbers, but there is still plenty of activity in the lake. Carp and catfish have been caught on worms just off the edge of the drop-offs, which are usually 4-6ft from the banks. These species seem to bottom feed around these areas, so you can run your

sinker just about your hook. Casting small cranks and jerkbaits has still been a great way to target fish on the edges. The odd redfin is also being caught off the top on small cicada type lures, with the ‘shake and pause’ method working best. Out a bit deeper it’s best to be casting small chatterbaits or beetlespinrigged soft plastics, and slowly rolling them back with the odd pause. SHEPPARTON LAKE Trout amongst the weed are now being reported, with some nice fish being caught early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Small jerkbaits, crankbaits or plastics have been the best way to target these fish. You will get hung up on the weed a lot, but if you can get a decent run through the weed you will get plenty of action, with the trout very active at the moment. There have been some redfin caught on Bent Minnows running just below the surface, with both boat ramps being the best areas. Bait fishing with PowerBait and worms has also worked well in the low light periods, especially for those anglers fishing their baits under a float.

There are fewer fish but bigger sizes this month YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

As our daylight vanishes and the moccasins get pulled out of the cupboard, our cod fishing tends to slow down. For those anglers who are switched on and can put up with some ordinary conditions, this is the time of year when the big girls tend to appear. If you put in the hard yards, the rewards can be great. Upsizing your lure presentations can be the difference between catching 1-2 fish of average Mulwala size, to a fish of extra-large proportions. At this time of year, personally I would be using 1oz mumblers/ chatterbaits cast along the edge of the channels, 100mm+ hardbodied lures with shallow diving bibs (Cod Dogs and Big M 2.0) cast in the 1-3m/3-9ft depth range, or swimbaits slowly worked in the deeper water. Surface lures are another great option, but the surface action tends to slow at this time of year. Looking back, April was a very consistent

month, with many cod reported. Those trolling the open section of the lake around the town end tended to turn up the best numbers of fish, with the majority in the 40-60cm size range. As per the last couple of years, the ‘scopers’ landed the majority of the bigger cod with meteries being fairly common. One fella had an amazing few nights on the scope, and that was Mick Massier. Mick managed exactly 50 cod over three full nights, with 30 being landed in one hectic 12-hour session. Two meteries and the remainder measuring over 60cm made for a memorable evening. Downstream in the river below the weir, the fishing has been phenomenal. Those who have been lure fishing have been achieving super results trolling shallower mid-sized lures. Local character Pete Megarrity accompanied by ‘Squeaker’ Lewis & Co had an amazing day out recently, landing close to 30 for the day. Over the school holidays the number of smaller fish (especially carp) reported was crazy, but kept most kids entertained. One individual fish that deserves special mention

is that caught by Mike Proctor. This fish is the third biggest I have heard of here in 30 years, and measured in at an amazing 133cm! Mike was using chicken as bait, and fishing about 600m below the weir. After a few quick photo’s this monster was released for some other lucky angler to catch one day. Great effort Mike! For those interested, in my 30 years of fishing in and around Lake Mulwala, the biggest two I have seen both measured 135cm. Murray cray season opens from June 1, and as per usual, putting in the effort will reap the rewards. 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 Fish Camp & Ski, the shop with the big green cod out the front (opposite the post office) in Mulwala, or check out our Yarrawonga store located between Rivers and One Zac in the main street. We’re Yarrawonga/ M u l w a l a ’s fishing specialists and specialize in all things ‘green’! For any information on the upcoming events or fishing reports, give us a hoy on 03 5744 3133.

Mike Proctor with an amazing 133cm monster. JUNE 2023 89

VIC

The winter bite is underway BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Our days have shortened, the temperatures have dropped, and frosty mornings are here. Winter has definitely arrived in

and spring rains raise the water levels and cover it all up again. Admittedly, in the case of Lake Wendouree, the landscape doesn’t really change (unless the weed is not cut/harvested in an area and it becomes unfishable,

Kelsi Gull has been catching some goodsized rainbow and brown trout land-based on Wendouree, casting small hardbody lures and soft plastics. Image courtesy of Kelsi Gull. the Central Highlands of Victoria. However, it seems that someone has forgotten to tell the fish that, because over the past month the fishing has been excellent around the Ballarat District. Judging by the reports coming in, and the photos on social media, there are plenty of fish being caught at the moment. The fish haven’t slowed down before their annual spawning time, and angler numbers around our waters haven’t slowed either. Obviously, this is due to the fish still biting, which is great to see. It’s a product of the stocking programs in place by Victorian Fishing Authority. At the start of winter, we see our lakes’ and reservoirs’ water levels being drawn down, due to environmental flows and irrigation. This reduces the amount of fishable water. Because these waterways have lots of weed in them, the reduction in water is good for the fish and aquatic life, but bad for anglers. Still, it provides an opportunity for anglers to take notice of the exposed landscape before the (hopefully) steady winter

is good at the moment, which is due to the City of Ballarat weed harvesting program. They have three weed harvesters running, which has kept the weed down. This has provided anglers with a lot of fishable water. Kelsi Gull, who is one of the keenest female anglers going around and a member of WIRF (Women in Recreational Fishing), has been catching some magnificent trout, both rainbows and browns, land based on Wendouree. Kelsi has been using soft plastics and small hardbodied lures to catch them. Some of her recent catches were caught on slow rolled ZMan Slim SwimZ plastics and twitching FishArt Wriggling sinking stickbaits over and around weed beds. Nathan Angee, one of the best and keenest anglers you will meet around the traps, has been out on Wendouree

Donny Rogers nailed this 57cm brown trout on Lake Wendouree on a Jackall Timon hardbody lure, using a slow roll retrieve. Image courtesy of Donny Rogers. or a new artificial weed reef has been formed). The Wendouree water level is stable and it only drops down – there is no receding shoreline that is exposed. However, in Hepburn Lagoon, Newlyn Reservoir, Moorabool Reservoir and Tullaroop Reservoir, it’s a different story. In these waterways the water recedes back down the bank/ shoreline, due to irrigation or environmental flows. This

Mick Fanning has landed some big redfin recently at Hepburn Lagoon using ZMan Baby GOAT soft plastics. Image courtesy of Mick Fanning. 90 JUNE 2023

lets anglers see all the gutters, tracks (made by sheep or cattle), drop-offs, structure (rocks, tree stumps), weed beds and generally anything which a feeding fish might use to travel from deeper water into the shallows to feed. I call these ‘fish highways’. When water levels rise again, I then target those areas, and the results speak for themselves. In Tullaroop Reservoir, for example, there are some deep gutters that run into shallow bays/inlets that I like to fish. Last spring I fished them early in the season and was rewarded with some excellent fish. Moorabool has some very distinct points/areas and structures that I like to target prior to the weed growing, which makes them unfishable, or when the water level is down. If you take notice when you’re out and about wetting a line, and try

to think like a fish, you can use this to your advantage later in the year. WHAT’S BITING As mentioned, the fishing has been excellent around the Ballarat and District. Lake Wendouree Wendouree is fishing extremely well for both trout and redfin, which are being caught from boat and landbased anglers. Donny Rogers has been getting out on Wendouree with fishing buddy Hayden Wilson who has recently acquired a boat. The boys generally fish land based most of the time, catching plenty but now Hayden has the boat, their options have opened up. The boys have been getting stuck into some nice brown and rainbow trout casting lures out of the drifting boat. On one of the boys’ recent trips after work, Donny landed a ripper brown measuring in at 57cm, which he caught on a Jackall Timon hardbody lure, using a slow roll retrieve. The weed in Wendouree

targeting both trout and redfin. He has caught some magnificent fish over the past month, both trout and redfin, caught from either his kayak or boat. Nathan has been using the latest and greatest technology to assist catching the redfin, using the sounder and LiveScope set-up he uses in the tournament scene to his advantage on Wendouree. The results speak for themselves. I witnessed firsthand Nathan and his mate Tyler Ridgewell clean up, catching fish after fish, casting soft plastics at these schools of redfin, which included a couple of big reds measuring in at 45cm each. This session wasn’t a one-off – he has been consistently catching them over the past few months. Moorabool Reservoir Hayden Wilson hasn’t just been fishing Wendouree – since he purchased a boat, he has been back out at Moorabool Reservoir targeting the redfin. He has them pretty much

Nathan Angee has been getting amongst the big redfin on Wendouree casting soft plastics, including these big guys measuring 45cm apiece. Image courtesy of Nathan Angee. worked out. Over the past few months, Hayden has been catching some ripper redfin around and over the 40cm mark, casting soft plastics. He has been using a high stick, slow rolling retrieve when targeting the redfin. The high stick means he holds his rod up high instead of parallel to the water surface, which keeps his soft plastic up high in the water column, reducing the risk of it getting caught on the weed. This method has worked well at Moorabool, and has been adapted by other anglers in weedy waterways. Whether you’re chasing trout or redfin, if you get weed on your lure or plastic, it won’t work properly and the fish will generally not eat it. I speak from my own experiences. Hepburn Lagoon At Hepburn Lagoon the fishing reports have been very lean over the past few months. This is most likely due to the extensive amount of weed and lack of fishable water, plus there are other waterways fishing well in

the district, attracting more angling attention. Hepburn holds some very big trout and redfin, but it flies under the radar with a lot of anglers. Mick Fanning is one angler who persists with Hepburn, and he is rewarded for his efforts. Recently Mick has been out targeting redfin with soft plastics. He has targeted the pockets of water clear of weed with ZMan Baby GOAT soft plastics slow rolled along the bottom, with excellent results, landing some rippers in the mid-40cm range. Hepburn generally fishes quite well throughout the winter months, especially for trout, which like to feed on small baitfish during the winter months, given the insect life is basically non-existent. Don’t expect to go out there and bag a few fish every time. There will be days when the fish are smashing the smelt around the edges, while on other days you will see nothing. On those good days, be sure to make the most of your opportunities.

Hayden Wilson has been targeting redfin at Moorabool Reservoir with excellent results, catching them on soft plastics using a high stick, slow roll retrieve. Image courtesy of Hayden Wilson.

VIC

Luring up some tasty redfin at Lake Elingamite CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

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

Some plump Elingamite redfin are engulfing medium divers such as this Damiki trolled or cast close to the weed beds. lures. The redfin have been averaging around 600g, with the occasional

specimen to over 1kg, and they have been responding well to cast

deep divers worked just out from the weed beds. The fish seem to caught

in around the 3m depth. Browns and rainbows to just under 1kg are taking shallow to medium divers flat line trolled out the back. Electric propulsion is winning over 2-stroke power when on the troll. The water level at the boat ramp is more than adequate for boats up to 4m in length, and possibly slightly bigger. Chinook salmon of various weights and sizes continue to be taken from Lake Bullen Merri. Flat line trolling Lofty’s Cobra style lures or medium diving minnows, or bait fishing at depth using pilchard, has seen plenty caught. Tiger trout approaching 3kg are also plentiful at times. There is blue-green algae here but it’s not thick, and does move around depending on which way the wind is blowing. Newly stocked fish can be a nuisance, but the 4-6lb+ specimens

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

Aggressive pre-spawn trout are on the chew WEST/SOUTH GIPPSLAND

Billy Auldist

With the end of trout season approaching quickly, it is now that we experience the best trout fishing our region has to offer. The systems will have more water than previous years, but the trout will still be there and they will still be angry as they start their spawn run for this season. This is the time of year most anglers yearn for all season, so it is a

great time to be a fisho in South West Gippsland. RIVERS The Loch, Toorongo and LaTrobe rivers in and around Noojee are firing as usual, and local fishos have been taking advantage of it. As the trout spawn approaches, the fish become extra aggressive, and even if they aren’t hungry, they’ll often hit lures out of pure aggression just for being in their vicinity. Usually around this time of year, anglers opt for brighter more vibrant coloured lures, with

orange being a common favourite. Spinners and hardbodies will still catch fish towards the end of the season, but I personally find soft plastics a real stand-out at this time of the year. A brightly-coloured soft plastic threaded on a light jighead bounced slowly off the bottom in front of an aggressive spawnminded trout is sure to entice a strike. Towards the end of the season, the Tarago and Bunyip rivers host some spectacular fishing. It is no secret that both of these rivers hold the biggest trout

The author with a quality late season trout.

An aggressive end of season trout.

in our region, and once the trout head upstream from the lower reaches, provide us with some entertaining fishing on some proper fish. The spawn-crazed fish will hit the same lures as mentioned above, although hardbodies with a larger profile (upwards of 10cm in length) are generally the lure of choice when you’re after the bigger fish. A bigger profiled lure will mostly be hit out of aggression rather than hunger (as opposed to the

beginning/middle of trout season). When trout season does finish on 13 June, it is important that we let the fish have their time off and leave them uninterrupted during the off season, ready for a good start when the season returns in September. BLUEROCK LAKE Bass are still being caught in Bluerock Lake, but not in the numbers they were during the warmer months. Boat fishers will be turning their attention to trout in the lake now, which

can be caught trolling winged or bibbed lures. Redfin are still around during winter, and can be caught on the same lures as usual such as soft plastics, hardbodies or spinners. Bait fishers will catch fish this time of year, as fish tend to be slower and more lethargic, meaning they don’t want to chase their food. An anchored worm is sure to entice a fish of some sort in the lake. JUNE 2023 91

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Making the most of winter weather windows OFFSHORE

Kelly Hunt

When most people think of June in Tasmania, they assume there is no fishing to be done. Yes, the days are short and it can be bitterly cold, but there is a great deal of fishing to be done. Find a weather window and make sure you have all the right wet weather gear, and you will enjoy some great days out on the water offshore, or poking about your local estuary. SOUTHERN BLUEFIN TUNA June in Tasmania is when a peculiar kind of sickness starts to spread. It starts with reports of a few people coming down with it. All the 37kg tuna outfits will come out as a precautionary measure to fight against

disappointment. Lures will be rigged heavier and with bigger stronger hooks to fight the symptoms. I speak of the sickness that sweeps anglers across Tasmania at this time of year: jumbo fever! We have seen the first few dustings of snow on Hobart’s Mount Wellington, and the old timers would always say this was sign to start looking for tuna. The usual haunts of Southport and Whale Head, and to Eaglehawk Neck and around the Hippolyte Rocks, are traditional grounds to try your luck at hooking a jumbo bluefin tuna. Success story The southern bluefin tuna, commonly called SBTs, used to suffer under the weight of heavy fishing pressure, with the reported catch reaching 80,000 tonnes in the 1960s. In the mid-1980s it was looking pretty dire

for the species, and numbers of fish had drastically reduced. At that point, the main SBT catching nations got together and applied strict quotas on their fishing fleets in 1985, and then in 1994 this voluntary management arrangement was formalised, and the Conservation of Southern Bluefin established. This led to the fishery growing from strength to strength, and in Tasmania I have witnessed this recovery with my own eyes. Back in the olden days when I was a young man, I used to fish for SBT and not even look like catching one. Then we started to pick up a few schoolies, and the fishing continued to improve each year. Fast forward to today, and we have an all year, around the calendar southern bluefin fishery here in Tasmania. The jumbos are a lot

Pedra is a great destination for southern bluefin in Tasmania on the right weather window.

PRODUCT NEWS

New releases from Daiwa

Four of the latest releases from Daiwa for 2023 are the Tanacom 800, Tanacom Braid, Rainmax Stretch Rainwear and the Infeet Spike 53EXDR. TANACOM 800 2022 delivered a reworking of the Tanacom electric reel platform with the release of the Tanacom 1200, and new for 2023 is the smaller Tanacom 800. Featuring the design, and advancements in

feature in the Tanacom 800, while a 25kg drag, PE6/800m spool capacity, and an aluminium ball knob combine with other significant features to see the new Tanacom 800 set the bar on what is achievable in smaller size electric reel design and performance. TANACOM BRAID Designed and developed specifically to match to Daiwa’s growing range of deep-drop electric reels such

Tanacom 800

technologies and features that made the 1200 a major evolution of the Tanacom platform, the 800 model shows that quality, performance and power can come in a small package. The Tanacom 800 sports the new design incorporating the motor housed inside the spool giving the Daiwa engineers the ability to increase the efficiency of the powerful motor, the same reliable unit that’s been used on Tanacom 1200. An aluminium body, DOT LCD Display, Line Counter, and Power Lever 92 JUNE 2023

as Tanacom, Seapower and Seaborg, the new Tanacom Braid is the perfect match if you’re looking to dominate the deep this winter. Built around 8 strands of the finest quality Japanese fibres and made to the highest tolerances in Japan, Tanacom Braid is the perfect partner for spooling electric reels. Available in either 60lb and 80lb test in 1000m spools, the 80lb is the ideal length for larger electric reels like the Tanacom 1200 and Seaborg MJ 1200, while the 60lb is perfect for the smaller 750 and 800 size electric reels.

Spooling your electric reel is made super simple with Tanacom Braid the perfect length spool. Simply program the reel to spool your desired length and hit the button. RAINMAX STRETCH RAINWEAR Daiwa’s Rainmax wet-weather gear has gone up a notch, with the introduction of Rainmax Stretch, a lighterweight, thinner material with inbuilt stretch, making rainwear more comfortable than ever. Rainmax Stretch as the name implies has a level of inbuilt stretch to the fabric, enabling unencumbered movement better than ever before. No longer will you

feel bound and restricted by a tight wet weather gear or be bogged down by something thick and heavy. Rainmax Stretch is super lightweight, by increasing the waterproof rating to 27k/7k Daiwa has been able to reduce the number of layers required, making the garments lighter weight and cooler, making them much more suited to the

warm climate of Australia. The Rainmax Stretch Jacket features YKK AquaGuard zippers and an ergonomic 3D cutting pattern to minimize that annoying ‘flapping’ when you’re out in the elements, while double cuffed sleeves minimise rain seepage down your forearm and a 3-point adjustable hood can be sinched down for highspeed boat rides. Rainmax Stretch pants also feature YKK AquaGuard zippers in a flapless front fly design, while a gusseted crotch area maximises movement for long days on the water. A zip open bottom allows pants to be slid over boots with ease, while a D-Ring on the front of the pants allows for the attachment of tools or lanyards. Available in a stylish dark-blue indigo colourway, and sizes S to 3XL, Daiwa’s new Rainmax Stretch Rainwear will sure to be a hit with the anglers looking to stay comfortable and dry on the water regardless of the

Infeet Spike 53EXDR

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Rainmax Stretch Rainwear

Tanacom Braid

species holding in deeper water, the Infeet Spike 53 EXDR weighs 6g, suspends in freshwater (slowly floats in salt) and features a shifting weight inside to make casting a breeze despite the extra-long bib. Fitted out of the pack with BKK Spear 21SS treble hooks, it’s ready to fish out of the pack and comes in a variety of awesome Australian designed colours to appeal to a host of predatory species in both fresh and salt water. – D&S Media

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Pick your day and pick your location this month HOBART

Andrew Large

What an autumn it has been so far in Tasmania, with many popular salt and freshwater species still running well. With the start of an El Niño weather pattern, this doesn’t look like changing any time soon. Southern bluefin tuna are running well in Storm Bay, and have been doing so now for six weeks or so. These tuna really do present the Hobart CBD based angler with a real chance of success, anywhere from the mouth of the River Derwent to Cape Raoul. Dart Bank situated off White Beach has been a consistent go-to for most of the season so far. Storm Bay snapper have been biting well over the multitude of reef systems throughout this bay. Anglers anchoring up and berleying have done really well in Frederick Henry Bay and Storm. Snapper have been so plentiful that anglers drifting for flathead or chasing morwong perch have taken good fish as a bycatch. The new interim sand flathead size and bag limits have been in play for a while now, with a final decision to be announced in October for a November commencement, as part of the 5-yearly Scalefish

Review. Bag limits were reduced to 10 from 20, and the minimum size has increased from 32cm to 35cm. As a result, catch rates have been down, but legal fish are available for persistent anglers. Still nights and good tides have been very conducive to those seeking greenback flounder with light and spear. Some good bags have been taken in the South East in recent weeks. Garfish too have been in good numbers, and targeted

successfully by those fishing with a bubble float and small baited rig, with breadcrumbs and tuna oil berley. Sea gar to 40cm have been taken in the Dunalley area, with the best bait being tiny squid cubes. Albacore tuna have been encountered out wide along the edge of the continental shelf in 180m of water, but these are disappearing quickly for the season, as water temperatures head toward their winter levels. Surprise captures

more prevalent, and the SBT fishery is exploding across the entire North West coast – it’s nothing short of amazing. The big schools of school tuna off Wynyard, Burnie, Ulverstone, Devonport and the Tamar is a phenomenon and a most welcome one by anglers around the state. What a story of fisheries management success! This is what a well-structured catch limit mechanism can achieve in a relatively short time. SBT TIPS In this month’s report I will share two of my simplest yet important tips for the beginner and avid tuna fisher alike. The biggest tip while tuna fishing is maintaining concentration and keen eyes. Watch for weed on the lures, and watch for surface action and birds. The minutes soon run into hours while trolling for tuna, and it’s all too easy to lose focus – and that inattentiveness can cost you. If you don’t maintain a high level of concentration you will be burning fuel for no reason, and wasting your time.

Lures with weed attached will not swim correctly, and will not entice fish to strike. With deep diver lures it will be obvious when they have weed on them, as they often pop out and cause some mischief in the spread. It pays to keep on top of this, as it can lead to some nasty tangles if not noticed quickly. Skirted lures will run with weed on them, but of course to the detriment of a strike. If they are running along the surface and not popping under water from time to time, they most likely have some weed on them and need clearing. Your lures are not the only thing that demands your attention if you are looking to maximise your catch rates. You must look skyward and also keep a keen eye on the water’s surface all around. Birds are your biggest friend when you’re at sea looking for tuna of any sort. The birds will see any activity long before you do, and it’s crucial to keep them in the picture. When a group of gannets come together and start to gain height slowly, it’s a giveaway that a bait school is in the area. The birds are

indeed the bluefin angler’s friend, and after you have spent years staring at them and observing their activity, you will know just by their body language and flight patterns that something is about to kick off. Sea surface disturbance is also something to concentrate on, although it’s a little harder to see at times because of wind and swell. Tuna have really big eyes for the size of their bodies, and are therefore susceptible to bright conditions and sunny days. Some chop on the water and some white water will cause the sunlight to refract and diffuse, and the tuna become a lot braver. This will have the fish get their backs out on the surface from time to time. You may also see smaller bait being fed on by bigger bait, and this often looks like a shimmer on the surface of the ocean. Visual cues like these are going to give you a head start, and a greater chance of a hook-up if spotted. The key to spotting them is keen eyes and concentration. If you have a crew of three of four on board, you can break the areas around the boat into sections and be

Stuart Large and Nathan Gittus with a school-sized SBT at Tasman Island out of Eaglehawk Neck recently. The fish took a Halco Laser Pro 190D in H51. so far this autumn and winter include Port Beagle sharks off Eaglehawk Neck again. These sharks are very closely related to the shortfin mako, but can tolerate more temperate and cooler waters than the makos can. The size of the Port Beagle sharks has been around the 60-80kg range. Winter tiger flathead have also been caught wide of Bicheno on Tasmania’s Mid East Coast. Deep water of 100m+ provides shelter for these fish during winter.

In the estuaries, in the South East, black bream have been crashing the many remaining bait schools inhabiting the rocky tidal shallows of these systems. Sea trout are also making the most of these baitfish while on their upriver migration to spawn. Here’s an interesting fact: only around 20% of a trout population will spawn in any one year, leaving 80% still feeding and going about their business, as per normal. Fly anglers have

really capitalised on calmer weather conditions and small wet baitfish patterns to take these fish. Strong runs of mature Australian salmon have been encountered at Marion Bay and the Denison canal at Dunalley. These are winter run salmon, and they have been approaching 3kg in size. Halco 40g slice lures have been getting results, mimicking the many pilchard schools in this region. In the highlands, Great Lake, Barrington, Burbury, King William, Huntsman and Craigbourne, Pedder and Meadowbank all continue to fish well. These are designated ‘all year open’ waters, and offer the angler varied altitudes, species and water choice, depending on weather and temperature. These waters also offer the travelling angler the chance to fish for trout at all times of the year in Tasmania. Be mindful though – Great Lake is situated at 1100m, and it is not uncommon to have your line snap freeze to your runners in the time it takes to lift your lure from the water and make a cast. As with all things in Tasmania in winter, you’ll want to pick your days and pick your location. These two factors will generally determine the species you’ll be targeting. Good luck this month, and be sure to rug up and have fun!

Jonah Yick likes to put big tuna in little boats. responsible for maintaining a constant vigilance of sea and sky. You can make it a game, and offer a prize of some gold coins for the kids to the first one to spot a diving gannet. We often rotate through the roles on the boat, to maintain interest and concentration. The skipper, first mate and deckies all get a turn at

each other’s positions as the day progresses. This is also good for safety and feeling comfortable at sea. If all your fishing mates have a good understanding of the boat and its systems when aboard, that stands you in good stead should something arise. This can be from the twin battery system and switches to something as

simple as where the gaffs are located on the boat. So rug up and watch the weather systems, as it may be cold and wet like most June days in Tasmania. The fishing is still worth the effort, so stay alert and your effort will be rewarded. Until next time, be safe, and tight lines. JUNE 2023 93

Victoria’s fishing licence: how to boost revenue MELBOURNE

Ross Winstanley

Coinciding trends are on a collision course for Victoria’s recreational fishers, and one possible solution could be to replace fishing licence exemptions with low-fee licences. While considered in 2016 and 2019 reviews of the Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL), the Government has opted to retain the current system for now. To d a y, despite population growth and annual fee increases, as annual licence sales are falling, the rate of increase in licence revenue has stalled, averaging $8.2M since 2016/17. At the same time, the Victorian Government is shifting more of the costs of its core responsibilities and policy programs to the licence fund. This is reducing the RFL Grants Program funding available for recreational fishers and their allied interests, which was the original purpose of the RFL fund. On top of this, fewer fishers than ever now take out the recreational

fishing licences that support essential programs; in 2018/19, just 31% of adults who fished bought licences. The minority are subsidising the majority of fishers, as well as funding Government programs. Two things could help the RFL Grants Program to operate sustainably: require all adult fishers to contribute as stakeholders, according to their means, and reduce governments’ share of RFL funds.

Figure 3. Plan for the Grants Program to receive 75% of RFL funds from 2003/04. 94 JUNE 2023

STALLED ANNUAL RFL REVENUE After increasing for 15 years, annual licence numbers peaked in 2014/15, then began a continuous decline, reaching their lowest-ever level in 2021/22 (see Fig.1). This occurred despite Victoria’s 40% population growth since the licence began in 1999. And, it occurred while participation in fishing had risen to 16% of Victoria’s adult population in 2018. Further still, it occurred while the Government invested $90 million trying to boost annual participation to one million adult fishers. The slide in sales counteracted indexed increases in annual fees. As a result, annual licence revenue has plateaued since 2017, averaging $8.2M over the past six years (see Fig.2). Part of the explanation for the declining sales may be disinterest among young adults. Released in March 2023, the report of the National Social and Economic Survey of Recreational Fishers, 2018-2021 found that the highest level of disapproval of recreational fishing by Australians was among 18-24-year-olds. If this continues while they age, and if future entrants to that age group hold similar views, then the percentage of Victorian fishers holding licences may decline even further. DECLINING GRANTS FUNDS Why does this matter? If fishing is managed for the benefit of fishers, and helps all who wish to fish to do so, why should we care if annual licence revenue has stopped increasing every year? While there may be other reasons, the most immediate concern for fishers is the impact on

funding available to them through the RFL Grants Program. When the licence was established in 1999, its main purpose was to establish a large and growing annual funding source for projects developed by or in conjunction with fishers to improve recreational fishing in Victoria. It was created with the understanding that it “applies the user pays principle equitably across the adult recreational fishing population.” Governments’ longstanding funding commitment to the recreational fishing program was to be maintained on behalf of the fishers who are exempt from the licence, and recognising governments’ responsibility to conserve the public fish resource. If the userpays principle is observed today, the Government’s annual contribution to the recreational fishing program should be $28M. Before the RFL’s introduction in 1999, the Amateur (or ‘freshwater’) Fishing Licence contributed about 40% of the Recreational Fisheries Program annual budget; the State budget provided

the other 60%. Now, the increased cost-shifting of state-funded functions to the RFL trust account has negated governments’ commitment to the user pays principle. Most “users” aren’t paying, nor are governments paying on their behalf. From the introduction of the licence in 1999, governments’ promise to fishers was to focus licence revenue on building the annual RFL Grants Program. This was made clear in ‘Your Licence Fees at Work’ brochures, which showed the target of 75% of funds to be allocated to the Grants Program, for projects of up to three years, developed by or in

Catchment Management Authorities have benefited significantly, with RFL funding for ‘habitat improvement works’ featuring prominently each year. While these projects have some fisher input or endorsement, to a large degree, fishers have become ‘project takers’, instead of ‘project makers’. After increasing steadily for 17 years, combined annual RFL funding commitments have flattened out at just under $4M pa, for enforcement, education/information, Fishcare, VRFish, fish stocking, and Target One Million/Go Fishing Victoria. Now, in the postpandemic times, it seems

conjunction with fishers (see Fig.3). That target was to be reached once repayments for the buyouts of commercial fishing licences were completed. The remaining 25% was to be allocated to ongoing compliance, VRFish, and RFL administration costs. However, by 2021/22, the Grants Program received only 14% of RFL revenue, while compliance and administration received 35% (see Fig.4). At 32% of RFL funding, the “Go Fishing Victoria” initiative now takes major credit for fish stocking, kids fishing events, festivals, and access. FISHERS’ LIMITED CAPACITY How has this happened? Governments don’t like to leave money unspent in trust accounts. So, when recreational fishers showed limited capacity for developing and delivering a steady stream of substantial R&D projects, government agencies, universities and other bodies capitalised by obtaining funding for works and research programs. For example,

inevitable that the RFL costs for most of these will continue to rise. The main concern for recreational fishers is that the funds available for competitive grants are at the lowest point since 2002/03 (when licence revenue totalled $3.9M). Additionally, of grants to ‘new’ projects reported in 2018/19, 60% went to the VFA’s projects, leaving just $732,000 for other projects. That is a concern for recreational fishers and their partners in R&D projects. It will be a particular concern as Government finances are set to tighten in 2023/24, increasing the Grants Program’s focus as the prime alternative source of funding for Go Fishing Victoria and other Government policydriven programs. So, how can recreational fishers get back more influence over the Grants Program? For a start, a group drawn from a crosssection of fishing interests could identify and prioritise R&D needs and invite expressions of interest from a range of potential

‘contractors’ from within or outside the recreational fishing sector. EXEMPTIONS At the heart of these issues is the question: who are the large number of adults who fish without licences? Every one of them is a stakeholder in RFL-funded programs and is entitled to a say on future

while a little more than 500,000 adults fished unlicensed. As compliance with the licence is so high, can it be that about 60% were exempt from holding a licence on account of their senior, pensioner, veteran, carer, disabled, or Aboriginal status? From the national survey, we have clear

that included examination of “the costs and benefits of expanding the categories of recreational fishers required to hold a licence (i.e., current exemptions).” However, the only form of assessment of expanding the licence was an informal discussion among a limited group of fishing stakeholders. Earlier, in

Figure 5. Adult participation in fishing, by age group, in 2020. (National Social and Economic Survey of Recreational Fishers, 2018-2021).

Figure 4. The Grants Program now receives 14% of RFL funding. RFL investments, as well as enjoying the opportunity to fish. But is it fair to expect a minority of adult fishers to buy the licences that pay for benefits they all enjoy without making any contribution? Released in March 2023, the National Social and Economic Survey of Recreational Fishers, gives us the best recent estimate of the numbers of adult fishers in the state: 840,900 in 2018. That’s an important starting point in examining the matter of exemptions. VFA statistics indicate that about 95% of adult fishers comply with the requirement to hold a licence. It is also suggested that, under the current suite of licence exemptions, the cause of the declining percentage of licensed fishers is increasing numbers reaching ages where they become exempt from holding licences. Now, with the 2018 estimate of adult numbers, we can look at ‘exemptions’ in relationship to the number of licences sold and resulting revenue for each year. First, the number who fished in 2018/19 while holding licences is a combination of those who bought licences in that year, plus those who bought 3-year licences in the previous two years. That’s a total of about 333,000 licensed adults who fished in that year,

evidence that over-65-yearolds make up the smallest adult age group, comprising just 15% of fishers in 2020 (see Fig.5). That suggests that the other non-age linked exemptions largely account for most unlicensed adult fishers. That’s a lot of active, unlicensed fishers that qualify for exemptions – exempt fishers outnumber licensed fishers by a factor of two. This seems disproportionately high and means that every RFL-holder today is subsidising two non-paying adult fishers. It’s simplistic to propose that exempt fishers are less able to contribute to the RFL program at some level. As Fig.5 shows, most fishers are 18 to 44 years old, spanning the age-group of young families and householders, many of whom face comparable financial challenges to those older age groups. A PATH TO A SOLUTION In 2019, VRFish wrote to then-minister, Jaala Pulford, seeking a review of the RFL arrangements. Among their major concerns, they pointed to the need for “A more stable and equitable revenue base for improving recreational fishing.” VRFish stated their concern about the minority – RFL-holders – subsidising the non-licensed majority. The review proceeded under terms of reference

2016, when referring to unlicensed adult fishers supported by licence holders, a government review of the RFL fees and licence structure observed that, “Such cross-

subsidisation should be avoided,” but didn’t evaluate reduced-fee licences. The Government’s response to the 2019 review was, “The current and longstanding exemptions for holding a RFL should be retained, as the benefits of any changes are unlikely to outweigh the costs.” However, four years on, I think it might be worth having another look at this issue. So, here’s a quick sketch of the potential cost benefit. As outlined above, in 2018/19 there were about 500,000 unlicensed fishers. Setting aside those who might take out short-term licences, if 250,000 took out 1-year licences at halfprice ($19 at the 2023 rate),

the boost to RFL revenue would be $4.75M. The net benefit would substantially outweigh the added administrative costs. CONCLUSION On the recent 20-year trend, Victoria is heading to where fewer than 30% of adult fishers hold licences, while the available annual Grants Fund share dips towards less than 10% of annual RFL funding. This position has been reached under the administration of successive governments over the past decade. Coinciding with the steady decline in annual RFL sales, the post-2014 Victorian Government has invested about $90 million aimed at boosting participation to one million

fishers. However, although this may have stimulated regional economies and business interests, I doubt that the decreasing number of RFL-holders would want to subsidise even more unlicensed fishers. In their 2019 letter to Minister Pulford, VRFish stated, “A long-standing concern is a minority of recreational fishers are subsidising the majority of Victorian recreational fishers who do not need to purchase a licence.” If current fishing trends continue, the government will hopefully reconsider the benefit of low-cost licences without exemptions, so that 30% of fishers don’t have to carry the cost for all.

FISHING NEWS

Spying on yellowtail kingfish Have you ever wondered where all the kingfish go? Well so has Deakin University, and thanks to a $216,000 grant through fishing licence fees, they’re conducting a 3-year study to better understand the residency and movement of kingfish in our waters. So far, the team has tagged 10 kingfish with help from local fishers and charter boats off Portland, Port Fairy, Port Phillip Bay,

Western Port and Wilsons Promontory, to see just what these kingies get up to. It’s been a great way to share with the community what goes into research projects like this. Where are the kingies going? How long are they spending in each place? Are they coming back to Victorian waters? These are the types of questions the team at Deakin and collaborators are hoping to answer. For now, the researchers

are sitting tight until they get a ping from one of the satellite tags, and those with acoustic transmitters to swim past the network of listen stations that have been deployed. As the water cools the team are gearing up for the next season to tag some more. Deakin Associate Professor of Marine Science Daniel Ierodiaconou said the team are also deploying advanced baited remote

underwater video systems, specifically designed to meet industry needs for documenting pelagic fish. “Our previous surveys focused on fishes close to the seabed,” he said. “The data we capture now wil complement this information, with species found closer to the surface filling a significant knowledge gap for this region.” – Victorian Fisheries Authority JUNE 2023 95

South Coast

Cool winter nights fishing off the beach ESPERANCE

Murray Johnson

Esperance and the south coast has seen plenty of fish caught, with the usual winter varieties coming in to play. Anglers beach fishing around town are still catching plenty of salmon, with the schools heading back from the west coast and hanging around local waters. The best beaches around town are Salmon Beach and Fourth Beach, with a few also turning up at Stockyards. Further out of town, areas like Roses, Munglinup, Alexander Bay, Thomas River and Poison Creek are all yielding plenty of fish. There are some bronzies around as well. The most popular way to catch salmon off the beach is

with a traditional paternoster rig using pilchard and squid, with a 4/0 or 5/0 gang for the pilchard. Most guys when

they’re fishing with fresh or IQF pilchards tend to leave them lying in the bag before putting one on and casting

and other slices as well. Mixed in with salmon are plenty of herring, a few flathead, and some bigger

Some days, it’s just great to be out there – and catching a fish is just a bonus. Image courtesy of @lachy_warren.

Oli Stevenson with a quality silver ghost off the beach. Image courtesy of @olistevensonn.

Lachy Warren has had some great sessions this past month. Image courtesy of @lachy_warren.

it… and then seeing it fly off the hook in mid-air. A better option is to use a salted pilchard because it’s a bit tougher and stays on the hooks better. Just get a bucket of seawater, put the frozen bait in there and ideally add another handful of salt. They’ll sit in there for hours and get slightly firm, and won’t fall off the hook. If we’re going camping for a week, we’ll ‘super salt’ the water and keep adding pilchards to it, and it keeps them quite fresh. The salt helps to preserve herring fillets, too. If lure fishing is more your thing, there are plenty of salmon taking Halco Twisties

skippy up to 4kg. Roses and Thomas River are the best spots to chase those. We are still seeing the occasional smaller mulloway and gummy sharks, with the gummies going up to 6ft. Anglers fishing off the jetties around town are catching plenty of squid, with the best times still being early in the morning and late in the afternoon into the dark. Popular squid jig colours have been the whites and light greens. A standout jig at the moment is the 3.5 Shimano Egixile BB in the ‘B chart’ colour. The jetties are also

producing plenty of garfish, and there’s still the occasional bonito coming through. Anglers fishing in the bay are picking up plenty of squid, with guys getting their boat limits and big sizes, with some tubes going 35cm+. The bay is also still producing some snook, and the Bomber Long A in the brown/orange belly colour is always a good go-to. Out wide there are plenty of nannygai up to 60cm, and mixed in with those are good numbers of breaksea and harlequin. There are also big Samsonfish around, with samples going 30kg+, and some small yellowtail kingfish mixed in. There have also been plenty of sea sweep around. Back in town, local bream lakes are yielding some good fish over 40cm, although because the lakes are full, you

have to search a little bit harder to find them. The Daiwa Infeet Sazanami is the gun lure at the moment, and has very realistic colours. It’s effective when slow trolled with the occasional twitch. JUNE In the coming weeks, as the water temperatures continue to drop, squid numbers will get better and better. Bigger skippy will continue to stay around, and we should still see plenty of salmon hanging around too, with bronze whalers chasing them. We will still see plenty of herring being caught this month, because they don’t mind the colder water. And also more yellowtail kingfish will start to turn up. The best place to target kingies is around the bommies and white water close to the islands, as they like hiding in messy water.

Prepare for a land-based assault BUNBURY

Whiteys Tackle and Camping

This has to be my favourite time of the year for a landbased assault. Whether you’re fishing the local beaches, the cut or inside the marina, our famous Australian salmon can pop up out of nowhere and in huge schools. I’ve spent many mornings and afternoons chasing the salmon up and down jetties, rock walls and beaches around Bunbury

just to feel that screaming run on light gear that we don’t always have the opportunity to experience fishing land based locally. If you’re fishing the jetties and rock walls, I’d suggest a well-balanced soft plastic around 6” length, as those areas have sharp drop offs or ledges that benefit from having your lure get close to the bottom, something a diving lure can’t always accomplish it. Whilst fishing the beaches, I’ll take the heaviest metal slug or minnow profile hardbody lure that my rod will allow. Having that bit of extra

Ben White with a decent black bream. 96 JUNE 2023

weight with a well matched line can be the difference of 20m on your neighbour’s cast and ultimately first punt at the school of bruisers. With winter rapidly approaching, thoughts turn to the inshore pink snapper fishery with these pink slabs coming in close to shore in great numbers. The rough weather presents a good opportunity for the pink snapper to forage for food that gets bashed around and dislodged during (and following) the numerous cold fronts that will be coming through over the next few months. Since they move around a lot looking for their next meal, the best results usually come in the form of setting the pick and getting a solid trail of berley snapper cubes going, bringing the fish to you. Some days it will only take minutes for them to appear and once they come up in the berley trail the fishing is generally hot with fish coming one after the other. A berley that consists of fish frames, old bait and scraps works a treat but can be a messy job to do at home. Nowadays though there are quality frozen/premixed

berley options available in good tackle shops that are perfect for the job. Once the berley trail is established all you need to do is present an unweighted or lightly weighted mulie/scalie on a gang or snelled hooks with hook size determined by the bait used, 4/0 to 6/0 sizes are the most common. I have found occasionally they will go off the bite (usually when you drop a fish!) and then it is a good idea to change it up to get them switched on again. By that I mean put the baits away and try a couple of lures. Good results have come on soft plastics, especially vibes, as they can change the mood of fussy pink snapper. Some of my favourites are the Nomad Vertrex Vibes in a 150mm size, or the McCarthy paddle-tails in a 5”. With lures they will hit it out of aggression and can get them feeding freely again. Another technique to get them biting again is to drop down a micro jig in the 5-20g range. This smaller offering flicking and darting off the bottom will replicate a small baitfish. You could also get a bonus by-catch of any skippy that are milling around the berley trail.

Lachlan Atkinson with a nice salmon. Black bream are a popular target over winter with the Collie and Brunswick River always holding a few. While they can be tough to find sometimes the quality makes up for it. With the cooler freshwater flow leading into the river, the winter bream get sluggish and that means time to get out the soft plastics and vibes. Slow your retrieves down using long pauses, and small movements are the key to targeting winter bream. There

are certain plastics on the market that have a large amount of scent built into them to provide the bream a smelly scent-filled target in the dirty water. In this situation some of the most successful plastics would be the Berkley Gulp Crabbies. Generally, you will need a little bit more weight on the jighead to counteract the harder flowing water, so look at using between 1/16 and 1/8 jigheads with a hook size to suit your plastic choice.

It’s salmon time, baby AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

They took their time, that is for sure and it has certainly been one of the most drawn out salmon seasons, but eventually the schools arrived. At first there was the occasional

Laser pro redhead lures with shallow and extra deep diver was the easiest way to locate the individuals that had split off from the main schools. Once you located one the others soon followed with aggressive hits from all directions. The surface schools on the other hand made it

state. As there are so many schools yet to come through, this looks like playing out as the longest salmon run for a very long time. The action in the Blackwood River and Hardy Inlet continues to be well worthwhile putting a dinghy in or having a fish off the jetties. There continues to be plenty of whiting and herring around especially near the main channels and sandbars and up into the Deadwater. The occasional tailor also makes an appearance so it pays to have a bit heavier leader just in case you get bite offs. Black bream on the

Sea pike or snook as they are also known locally make a great meal, these were taken while trolling for salmon near Dead Finish. Plenty of dhufish were located between 12-40m with fish in the 80cm range reasonably frequent. Most people using soft plastics did well, however, there are currently lots of wrasse about which quickly chop the tails off. If this starts happening Vexed Bottom Meat jigs are the go. Load one up with a small squid, fish fillet or octopus tentacle and get ready for the action. Don’t forget that there are a number of sanctuary areas and restricted use areas in the Ngari Capes Marine Park so ensure you are fishing in an authorised

The best way to start the opening of demersal fishing, a decent dhufish added to the Morgan Clan’s tally caught on bait by Sandra in Flinders Bay. school that would make its way from the deeper waters and skirt along the beaches, then they became more frequent, in numbers that made it worthwhile spending a few hours of your day at the beach or off your favourite rock hopping spot. It was boaties that most benefited from the salmon run though as many schools stayed out wide in the 30-40m depths where the water was cooler. The schools were not hard to locate as the sea birds were a dead giveaway for the surface feeding schools. Trolling a spread of Halco In regards to vibes, the River2Sea Baby Vibes are an absolute killer with either the darker colours or baitfish colours that give off a bit of flash doing the damage. If you are in the mood for sitting back on the riverbank and chilling out, a small ball sinker running down to a baitholder or shiner hook laced with a fresh strip of mullet will usually fool these cunning fish. Call into the store to get the latest info on where they are biting! • The crew at Whiteys Tackle and Camping in Treendale are always more than happy to share their knowledge of the southwest and fishing techniques so don’t be shy, come on in and say hi, show off your catch and ask any questions you may have.

simple as you just needed to idle up to the periphery and drop anything with a hook in it near them and you could watch as half a dozen fish would barge in to take off with it. With many fish in the 80cm+ range there was a flurry of action bringing them in close enough to net after multiple blistering runs in all directions. At this stage there are fish all the way along the coast from Albany to Fremantle which means there is still the chance for people to get in on the action from wherever they are in the southern half of the

South Coast

some great fun. The marina rock-wall and rocks in the area heading around to and including Skippy Rock have been pretty hot for all the usual species as has Elephant Rock and Knobbies Point. The latter two also showing shark and samson fish on occasion so take some heavier gear. • Rock fishing is dangerous at times and careful consideration of where and when you fish must be done. Unpredictable weather can quickly affect the fishing conditions and slippery rocks are a recipe for disaster. Please remain vigilant

Breaksea cod are a welcome addition to the demersal bag and can be caught all year round off the rocks in Augusta. other hand seem to have contracted back up towards Molloy Island and Alexandra Bridge. Trolling a small hard bodied lure around 4-5 knots brings the best results. They are taking river prawns and soft plastic grubs with motor oil being a favourite colour. The crabs remain around and although numbers are dwindling the average size is

Harry Fowler with a pinky from the kayak.

17cm across the carapace and they are full of meat. West Bay seems to be the best place to locate them easily. Chicken necks and spleen in a bait pot are the best baits to avoid the stingrays. If you want to try boat fishing but don’t own a boat then come and see the friendly staff at Augusta Xtreme Boat Hire who can sort you out all manner of water craft for the experienced operator or novice. Part of Augusta Xtreme Outdoor Sports, you can drop in to the shop in the main street or visit Emma who will be working at our moorings near the Old Town Jetty. No skippers ticket is required to operate most of out boats and basic instructions will soon get you underway. The latest demersal fishing closure has ended giving us the opportunity to go and catch a dhufish or pink snapper for a couple of months. With the weather being a bit average out on the oceans, that meant only a few days good enough to venture out. That being said, the results were pretty spectacular for those lucky enough to get out on the water.

Big fighting barrels, these salmon were taken on an assortment of lures in 40m of water at Flinders Bay by Blake Gillam. area by downloading and using the maps feature on the Recfishwest app for smart phones. Fishing in these zones can attract serious fines regardless of your excuse. Rock fishing has been pretty good for the last month as the herring and skippy have been huge lately. Throw in the odd salmon to the mix and it makes for

when rock fishing; wear a life jacket and tie off to something solid. You can hire one for free from Augusta Xtreme Outdoor Sports at 66 Blackwood Avenue Augusta -the local tackle shop, boat hire and font of all local fishing knowledge. Look for the big green sign on the roof, it’s right next to the BP Service Station in the centre of town. JUNE 2023 97

West Coast

Going beach prospecting is well worth it METRO

Jacob Crispe

As I sit down to write this report, I have to admit I’ve been a little distracted. The beach fishing around the Perth Metro area has gone

beaches, I mean areas like Floriet, Trigg, Swanbourne and Cottesloe. These beaches produce good fishing on a consistent basis. Bread and butter species like herring, skippy, sand whiting and tailor are regular captures at all of these locations. Like

with a feed of the species mentioned, what excites them in these cooler months is the prospect of tangling with some big mulloway in the wash, and species like pink snapper and samsonfish. Drone anglers are certainly driving the success on these species, however a drone is not an essential component of beach fishing success. Fresh bait, the right gutter, a bit of berley and being prepared to endure the cool morning temperatures are generally the real reasons for success at this time of the year. It is something I love, so I will see you out there. Similar to the beaches, the rock wall fishing can be very good in the cooler months. The squid are bigger, the pinky snapper fishing steps up a notch (60-90cm average size fish),

Chris Avery caught this cracker mulloway from a gutter on fresh bait. month, however our inshore grounds will also fish well for King George whiting, sand whiting, squid and the occasional flathead.

Josh Nowicki landed this reef bruiser from the sand. It would have been one epic battle! up a notch. It is almost like the cooler conditions have sparked a beach fishing smorgasbord. The exciting part about this is that it should continue into June. BEACHES AND ROCK WALLS It only seems fitting to start this report with what is happening on our Perth Metro beaches. When I say Metro

any waterway, it is important to maximise your chances of finding fish. On our beaches, this means identifying the best gutters (likely to hold fish), so taking the time to do this before wetting a line will only improve your results. A berley bag pegged into the wash will also help. Although beach anglers will always be happy

Dom ‘The Fish Tucker Man’ Magoo with a quality flathead caught as a welcome bycatch while on the hunt for whiting. 98 JUNE 2023

Any time I think about inshore fishing in these cooler months I think of Middle Ground. This area defines what you are looking

A lovely King George whiting. Dom Magoo is no stranger when it comes to putting these tasty fish on the deck. while species like King George whiting, herring and skippy are all present. Early morning starts are your best option, with areas like the Fremantle Sailing Club, South Mole, North Mole and Cottesloe groyne all worth a look. Just take care during bad weather. THE SWAN RIVER The three main target species in the Swan River this month will be bream, mulloway and tailor. To find any of them, the key is to locate areas with structure that holds the food that they love eating. As an example, the Swan River tailor tend to be found in the deeper channels beyond the sand flats and shallow water, ambushing food as the water drains into the deeper water. The bream love natural or manmade structure. They hide in it while they wait for an oppotunity to grab anything that swims past. The area between Causeway up to Maylands and around Guildford has plenty of this structure, so it produces consistently good bream fishing. A good familyfriendly option is Garvey Park; the fishing access is

good and there are some other distractions on offer if the fish aren’t biting. Another option in June in the Swan are blue swimmer crabs. The deeper sections of the river between the Old Brewery and the Canning Bridge is a good place to start. INSHORE Pink snapper will be on most people’s minds this

The Z Brothers are becoming very consistent thanks to the lessons they have learnt from their dad.

A bucket of herring caught by Paul Coelho around Woodies.

for if you are targeting any of these species. Areas of reef, sand patches and weed all mean these fish are available. With the snapper, fishing at night (or at least the light changes), at anchor and with a berley trail will offer you the best chance of success. OFFSHORE Again, pink snapper will make up a large part of the angler effort in June in our offshore waters. These fish are such a big part of our DNA on this part of the coastline. Having said that, although they should be thick in the 20-40m depth zone, they are not your only targets. Breaksea cod, baldchin groper and dhufish are all attractive targets in this depth zone.

Scratching that itch MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

Most anglers will be wondering where the year has gone, as we approach the halfway mark in 2023 and continue to look

target species. Rock fishing from areas through town to Dawesville is very viable at this time of the year, as these areas are easily influenced by the tides, free of large clumping seaweed and are also less impacted by the

will work well if you are fishing for some of your smaller species like herring, whiting or trevally and anglers are often surprised by unexpected by-catch like a late season salmon or samson fish which are patrolling nearby looking for an easy feed. If anglers are chasing some of the larger species like samson or pink snapper from the ocean side rocks, you will generally want to soak larger baits like whole whiting, herring or mullet fillets and a good berley trail will entice fish further into commitment. Though a few fish will get caught during the day at these locations, a great rule of

This is a quality land-based pink snapper that you can expect at this time of year.

Bayer from Tackleworld Mandurah gets out once and a while – evidently showing that she has skills with this beautiful dhufish. for ways to satisfy our fishing itch. Whether it be offshore, river or out on one of the local freshwater dams, there is generally something available for every type of angler, although it may take some persistence and searching to find the Other offshore options are the ever-present yellowtail kingfish on the southwest side of Rottnest, and some big Samsonfish inhabit this area as well. It is also worth your while heading out a little deeper (50m) as some XO dhufish have been caught recently. Trolling for tuna also remains an option (yellowfin and southern bluefin tuna). It has been an excellent season for them so far. Like always, if the weather plays the game, deep drop fishing in the 300-500m zone is option well worth considering. Our deep drop species are ever present and are considered

abundant fresh water that pushes down from the hills. Depending on your bait as well as setup, species like your herring, whiting, silver trevally and snapper are all likely catches when opting to fish from the stones in Mandurah. Smaller cubed baits like prawn or squid

Beautiful golden slabs of mulloway are all throughout our local systems once you go looking, so trying different things eventually has to pay off.

Paul Coelho may not get out on a boat often, but when he does... a 5-star pair for the family!

Peter ‘The Z Man’ Zahradka puts a solid slab of pink on the sand on a cool, crisp night.

some of the best eating fish in the ocean. So, that is another month’s fishing broken down for you. I think it is time for me to go and dust off my beach fishing gear (and a few warm clothes) and head off for some beach mulloway fishing. I hope you have the opportunity to do the same, and I will catch you next month.

West Coast

thumb is to spend your time focusing around first or last light. These times are quite often peak feeding times, but are more importantly times where the fish feel a sense of security in the low light conditions and roam to hunt as a result rather than defensively sitting tight up on structure to keep themselves safe. The river fishing is consistent during June, as our brackish loving species benefit from the water rejuvenation provided by the runoff coming from further upstream. Species like bream, mulloway, whiting and grunter tend to find a sense of security in the discoloured water where they cannot fall victim to prey like birds, dolphins and larger specimen that pass through our waters. Your main viable targets throughout both of the local systems will be bream or mulloway and anglers are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a landbased location as fish are well spread throughout. If fishing from a boat or kayak, you are further blessed as your potential

location choices are endless when it comes to catching fish. When picking spots to fish during June, you will generally want to avoid heading too far upstream as larger quantities of non residential fish may find it hard to acclimate to the freshwater following a good flush and upstream locations are also less effected by the tide which brings salt in. Boat fishing anglers will find that there is plenty to go after dependent on the species targeted, with some great opportunity to get on to a few pelagic and demersal fish during June. Though boat size will be a limiting factor to what you can catch, many fish will present in shallow and deeper waters alike. Most anglers will go out in search of iconic demersal species like pink snapper or dhufish which can be caught as far out as you are willing to travel, though they are also very present in water depths right down to a couple of metres. Especially when fishing shallow from the boat, it can be important to

make sure you are fishing relatively light weighted rigs, if unweighted is unachievable or too difficult to maintain. Aside from the main mentioned species, pelagic species like samson fish, kingfish and tuna schools are a likely occurrence when either fishing their likely structures or keeping a keen eye out on the sounder or bird action. Tuna schools are a great option for a feed, as plucking a couple out can be quite easy and are also fun when approaching the fish correctly. Anglers will find great success in trolling with plenty of line out, as this will allow you to reduce the presence of the boat and position your smaller skirts, metals or bibbed divers right into the middle of feeding schools at the same time. Though many prefer to troll for these fish, another great option is to equip a casting rod with a suited metal slice or stick bait and manually casting to fish from a distance. Though it can be hard to place your lure in the ideal spot without proper boat placement, when you get it right it is very rewarding and feeling the fish strike on your lure is unparalleled. Despite what type of adventure you wish to take on whilst fishing during these winter months, it is especially important to keep safety are the forefront of your mind and planning. Common sense prevails when it comes to knowing your limits, as nature can be rewarding yet disastrous in the form of slippery rocks, large swells, heavy winds and their potential to change a situation in the blink of an eye. So, to keep yourself as well as potential fishing friends safe, be sure to plan accordingly and enjoy yourself in the process of being aware. JUNE 2023 99

West Coast

Glory between the chill LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

Later this month we experience the shortest day of the year, which is kind of helpful not having to get out of bed so early for those predawn fishing sessions. But it is also bloody cold, especially on clear days with offshore winds to fish off the sand. Passing fronts will bring big swells, but in between those times you can still expect some glorious days. Some might be surprised

around the bait schools, it’s far more effective to use live baits this time of year and dead slow troll around the perimeter of the bait school. Mackerel follow the schools looking for any strays to pick off. Tuna can still be found offshore, mainly striped and southern blues. Next season we can look forward to some FADs being placed out from Lancelin. Recfishwest have given two to the Lancelin Angling Club. They arrived late to deploy this season but are ready to go as soon as the winter storms pass.

etc. Wearing life jackets leaving the bay is advised and if unsure don’t go. The big pink breaksea cod we normally associate in deep water come into shallower depths. While there are plenty on the coral patches and ledges outside the white bank, many can be caught on the inside lumps in 10-15m depths. I find one of the best ways to target breaksea on the shallow lumps is to use large white soft plastics, I prefer the paddle or curl tails to work slowly a metre or so off the bottom. Sounding out each lump and dropping a few times down the side before moving onto the next and you will certainly pick up a fair number of dhufish in the process.

Graeme Doodson always makes a big impression at this time of year with a series of great catches. This day he landed a cracker of a snapper off the cast, rebaited and backed it up with a pearler of a mulloway next cast!

Aiden Roe has been loving his new Assassin low mount surf rod, on this occasion giving it a good workout on a spinner shark.

Graeme with another of his great catches, they don’t call him ‘Mulloway Doodson’ for no reason. our windiest month is January, so be prepared to make the most of the lulls between the fronts and experience some great fishing days. Midyear the last thing on the mind of most fishers is usually tropical species, like Spanish or shark mackerel, but they are still here. Usually schools of pilchards and blue mackerel show up in our local waters around the 15-25m depths, this can make mackerel easier to target than during the warmer months. While you can have success trolling bibbed minnow lures 100 JUNE 2023

We can expect to see plenty of mahimahi out there and a few wahoo too. It is also a great time to target demersals, and the small boats have an advantage this time of year as they are much easier to launch off the beach if a bit of swell is running. Great catches can be had without the need to head west to direction bank. A word of warning though if visiting, the safe passage may break in anything forecast over 2.5m, dependant on the period between the swells and tides,

There are plenty of snapper along and inside the white bank, we find more out around the white bank while the swells are down and the water clear but soon as the swell picks up better numbers come right into the shoreline. Setting up a berley trail in a likely spot early morning gets the best results and it is certainly a good time to send out some baits with a drone to any near shore reefs. Samson fish have been busting up on bait schools around the jetty pylons early mornings and can be found around many of the inshore reefs, even within casting distance of the beach. Skippy have been teeming inside the bay this year and there are plenty along the inshore reefs. The shallows in front of sea rescue is where we normally like to troll up some herring, so far this year it’s been a problem to get past the skippy! Great fun on ultra-light tackle in the shallows. The herring are throughout the bay and

plenty of big snook are over the weed beds. There have been some

great squid catches from the near shore weed banks, I have seen some bucket

loads from fishers who get up predawn to cast a few jigs from the jetty. The weed banks inside the bay do get hit up pretty hard by fishers chasing the squid, there are plenty more fresh grounds to the north and south and even outside in 10-15m. Cuttlefish have been taking baits and jigs out in the mid 20s and 30s, they seem to be suckers for a big soft plastic and manage to hook themselves on them fairly easily, whereas they might need to be left to play with a bait a little longer before being caught on the hook. Bread and butter species of herring and whiting are widely available along the beaches, sand whiting are better average size at this time of year, good numbers can move into the bay where they become a popular target for fishers off the jetty. Most beach casters are looking or wishing for a mulloway or pink snapper this time of year.

This cheeky shark has been hanging around a local fishing spot with a scar on his face. He’s been caught and released on at least three occasions.

Watch out, there’s sharks about KALBARRI

Stephen Wiseman

With the river still brown, the mulloway are moving in under the runout water for some easy pickings to be had along the sand spit and around to bird island in front of VMR. The best bait is mullet or scalies, and make sure you put in some long hours as you could get lucky and back a ‘metre-y’ on your first cast. or your last. The catch rate has been two or three per night so there are plenty to go around. Macks are harder to find unless you can get into some clear water. I’ve tried up around the Sound Patch and down along the cliffs; many long hours trolling did get us some fish but the sharks are still around, as Abbey found out. We did get the lure back to swim again and managed two nice fat macks to around 10kg each for the box. Our While there are still some tailor around, the numbers are down and they are less active so the best catches are usually around the new moon. Larger green back

There are lots of macks around, but there are also plenty of sharks too! heaps in the shallows in front of sea rescue, they can be fun to cast small soft plastics to and often in a single session several other species may take a jig, like skippy, herring,

Kyle celebrated his birthday on the beach dropping baits from the Cuta Copter finding a couple of perfect pan snapper. tailor will start to become resident along reef breaks and gutters. Tarwhine have been abundant off some of the beaches, in bay and off the jetty. Often there are

flathead, and flounder. Big cobbler have been along the shallows, in periods of low swell and tide walk along with a hand spear and bright light. The delicate meat is a real treat.

fish were caught on both shallow and deep diver lures, so it’s all trial work as nothing seems normal this year. Reports of some nice size yellowfin tuna have been circulating but, as yet, no nice photos or reports of any getting to the scales. The only one we hooked was lost at the boat and estimated at about 20kg+ but the big schools shouldn’t be too far away. The tailor have shown in good numbers around back beach and along the beach down to the blue holes, although they are in good numbers they are playing hard to get on baits or lures. Divers have done well at Lucky Bay with good catches of coral trout, baldies and a good feed of crays. One lucky angler going out from the beach managed a nice mack in the clear water in front of the reef.

West Coast

Look for the clear water when searching for macks. River activity has been very selective with most people chasing the mulloway but those that

have tried for black bream have managed some nice fat fish to 420mm around the pens using river prawns.

FISHING NEWS

Demersal $10m support package The WA Government has heralded its $10 million funding boost, as part of the west coast demersal management changes package announced in December, as “the biggest investment in the recovery of a fishery in WA history”. However, there has been little detail provided of exactly how the money will be spent other than the following breakdown given to Recfishwest by DPIRD and given in question time in the WA parliament. West coast demersal $10 million support package break-down: • Voluntary Fisheries Adjustment Scheme (VFAS) – $2.5 million • Public education and awareness campaign – $1.75 million • Science and monitoring – $1.8 million • Statewide FADs – $1.5 million • Snapper restocking – $1 million • Digital catch reporting for recreational fishers – $674,000 • Charter tourism business diversification – $500,000 • Charter sector management reform – $260,000 Recfishwest believes it is crucial that the Government closely involves the recreational fishing community and industry in the design and delivery of the package. Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “This is a significant amount of public money and the

Government has got to get it right this time. Invested properly, this money can go a long way in redressing the fundamental inequity in the way this valuable public resource is managed. “It can plug significant knowledge gaps that can inform much better management of the fishery and promote better fishing behaviours that can speed up the recovery and… lead to optimising the social and economic benefits these fish provide for our community. This, after all, is the goal of fisheries management enshrined in WA law.” COMMERCIAL BUY-BACK SCHEME The VFAS commercial licence buy-back scheme earmarked for $2.5 million of the package will provide operators compensation to voluntarily reduce the number of commercial fishing units. “We are keen to understand how the VFAS will work, given it can potentially pave the way to a fairer and more equitable sharing of the overall sustainable catch between recreational, charter and commercial fishing sectors,” Andrew said. “This is long overdue with 64% of the west coast demersal catch currently reserved for private profit, and only 5% of demersal fish caught in WA waters taken by recreational fishers.” BETTER KNOWLEDGE Other elements of the support package, including the science and monitoring, and digital catch reporting

investment, can help plug some of the knowledge gaps scientists and fishery managers have around west coast demersal scalefish. Examples of these are to what extent the recovering Gascoyne pink snapper stock underpins numbers of those fish in the north of the west coast bioregion, and how climate change might be impacting on spatial movement of the west coast demersal stock overall. “Combined with clearer recreational catch data, better scientific understanding of dhufish, pink snapper and other prized demersals will help DPIRD fishery managers make… more informed management decisions when the latest west coast stock assessment is due next year,” said Andrew. “A comprehensive education and awareness campaign can also have a positive impact on fisher behaviour, reducing postrelease mortality, spreading fishing effort away from west coast demersal species and ultimately speeding up

the recovery. This campaign needs to involve fishers as well as charter operators and tackle stores.” CHARTER FISHING Andrew said the charter fishing sector has been neglected in the new management package, putting significant pressure and risk on the $110 million the sector contributes to the economy every year, and the 830 jobs it supports. “Twenty tonnes of the available 375 tonnes is not in line with significant benefits this sector provides to the Western Australian public,” he said. GETTING ANSWERS Recfishwest will continue to ask the questions of Government that need to be answered on how this money is invested, and how a fairer, more equitable way to manage the fishery can established. “This is a golden opportunity to set things right,” said Andrew, “but it has to be done right and it has to be done transparently – it’s simply too important a chance to squander.” - Recfishwest JUNE 2023 101

North Coast

Pilbara visitor paradise DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

Holiday season is in full swing in the Pilbara so I thought it best to report fishing that visitors will be targeting with an emphasis on shore based. The shore-based fishing in the Pilbara, especially

options and range from easy to extremely difficult to access with the latter often being the most rewarding. Fishing Karratha in June and July can produce species such as nearshore, pelagic, sports and demersal fish, squid, octopus, crabs, crayfish, prawns, plus an abundance of oysters, clams and pipis.

2023 is proving to be one of the best seasons in a long time in Karratha for blue swimmer crabs. around Karratha, Dampier and Point Sampson must be experienced to be believed. The many fishing spots offer are wide variety of species

Squid are all over the place right now in Karratha and can often be seen swimming past when rock fishing for other species. It

is well worth sending out a float in the tide with a squid jig about a metre underneath it when fishing from the rocks or dedicating some time to casting squid jigs over the beds of seagrass and reef and retrieving them. It won’t be long at all until you have a few squid in the esky. Clear water is always the best time to target squid, which is often around high tides and when the tides slow down to change direction. If it is crabs you would like to have a go at while in Karratha, there are two options at this time of year, blue swimmer and mud crab. Blue swimmers are thick in Nickol Bay and right around to Cossack, you will also find them in Dampier Harbour and King Bay and all areas are accessible by boat. If you prefer scooping, then try Nickol Bay, either at Back Beach or Hearson Cove on the incoming low tide on the spring tides, i.e. new or full moons. When the water is around 6”-1’ deep, follow the tide back in and you will see plenty coming out of the mud. Always wear good boots when scooping for crabs as there are stone fish about. Mud crabs are being caught in big numbers around full moon when they generally go on the walk, in search of food when the moon lights up the nights. Try throwing nets in off the creek banks during high tide or walking the mangroves

Land-based fishing is much more challenging than boat fishing when it comes to demersals, catching a 60cm coral trout on first cast shows just how good the fishing is in Karratha. with a wire hook and poking it down all the holes, there are plenty about and a fun way to spend a few hours. King prawns are turning up in Nickol Bay with fishers throwing cast nets from

and can’t get out to the island reefs are off 40-mile campground, Dampier and Murujuga. Pipis and clams are found in the shallows off Back Beach and Hearsons

from shore in 2m of water on first cast. Fishing doesn’t come better than that when you are looking for some dinner. Other species such as rock cod, mangrove jack, Spanish flag, crimson

The author often searches the 20-30m lumps for big blueline emperor, such as this 54cm one caught last month in the archipelago.

Coral trout are everywhere throughout the archipelago and offshore of 40 mile and Point Sampson. The author caught eight in a two hour session last month off Dampier. 102 JUNE 2023

shore at high tide or walking into the ledges at back beach on low tide. Dabbing for prawns from boats under lights in the bay is also producing good numbers of prawns, just anchor up during the running tide with a light and they’ll be coming past in no time. Ornate crayfish are abundant in Karratha and while not quite as good tasting as the western rock lobster, they still make for a tasty meal. Walking the rock pools around Cleaverville on low tide can produce a couple although snorkelling the waters will be a better option. Other areas to try if you don’t have a boat

Cove, early morning or late evening low tides on the spring tides are a nice way to spend hunting these delicacies. You will find them in the mud just below the surface, taking a bucket and small spade with you, head out at least a hundred metres from shore and you will see the air holes in the mud, turning the mud over is the easiest way to find them. Make sure you keep within the catch limits and protect this great resource for future generations. Shore fishing in Karratha is always a mixed bag, on a recent morning of bluebone fishing I caught a 60cm coral trout less than 5m

perch, diamondscale mullet, bream, and bluebone can all be easily caught from any of the rocky outcrops or marinas. Fresh bait is always best so having a cast net or going to catch rock crabs on low tide is highly recommended if you want to enjoy great fishing. Putting in the effort here will pay dividends when compared to using frozen shop bait. We are coming into the best time of year for sports fish such as sailfish and marlin and I am looking forward to bringing you the latest reports in the next edition with how the 2023 season has kicked off.

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EXMOUTH

Barry Taylor

This month’s report has been supplied by Josh Cheong The action offshore has continued to be very good. A run of mahimahi in the area has kept our offshore anglers busy. Mahimahi are not a common capture in this part of the state, however a build-up of floating weed on our offshore grounds may have been enough to see these fish spend more time here. This weed has since cleared, but the action was red hot while it lasted. Inshore anglers have also been enjoying a nice run of black marlin. Fish in the 40-50kg range have been ALBERTON common. Trolling small to ALBERTON MARINE small/medium skirts have been the goods. 39 producing Johnson Street Alberton P:Another (03) 5183option 2344 on our inshore grounds have been F: (03) 5183 longtail tuna.2219 They have W: albertonmarine.com.au been flighty and at times simply frustrating, however MELBOURNE with a little patience you can

VIC MERCURY DEALERS Josh Cheong with a nice trout caught on a Saltiga BRAESIDE Rough Ride. Image courtesy of @indepthangler_josh.

JV MARINE WORLD

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North Coast

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JUNE 2023 103

Trout and redfin are flourishing FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

Things have been looking up in the freshwater scene here in WA in the way of trout and redfin. With the

the bottom and stirring mud. A fairly good fight followed and this was Wendy’s personal best in five years of fishing freshwater. I have only achieved two better redfin in five decades of fishing, with the

up in. This would be good news for those that opposed any stocking of east-coast native freshwater species to this state however, it is bad news for thousands of Western Australians that pay the highest freshwater

After suggesting a spot on the opposite bank, our camping neighbours Kody and Kye managed to get into some nice little redfin the next morning. decent late April rains and cooler temperatures, it seems freshwater anglers have been getting into some nice trout and redfin throughout the south-west of the state. I wasn’t so lucky on my trip to Wellington Dam recently with possibly the leanest session I have had in many decades. Although, trout were absent and redfin were hard to locate, we did manage to boat the biggest redfin in 20 years with an impressive specimen of 48cm. This redfin hit Wendy’s lure that showed up on the sounder sitting next to a log in 8m of water. After making a few passes over the spot it decided to hit the Poltergeist that was tapping

biggest going 50cm, caught at Harvey Dam back in the early 2000s when the dam first flooded. I also caught a similar size specimen on fly in the Pemberton town weir back in 1983. Others have done well around the Pemberton area with both trout and redfin turning up in most locations. AUSSIE NATIVES It’s been hard to come up with any good reports recently as most are keeping quiet about their ventures, and rightly so. The illegal stocking that took place a few years ago seemed to have failed, as I would imagine most would have fallen victim to the hordes of redfin that were present in the locations they ended

After three days of constant trolling, Wellington Dam released one of its treasures. This redfin hit Wendy’s lure in 8m of water and, at 48cm, it’s her personal best! preferably with plastics on a drop-shot rig. Glen Mervyn Dam Water very low but big redfin are there for the taking. Wellington Dam As reported earlier this

Redfin prey heavily on native marron and have no aquatic predators. Could the introduction of a predator species like golden perch or Murray cod actually help the marron stocks by reducing the redfin numbers?

Big well conditioned wild rainbow trout are available in some of our dams. The full tails result in great fighting fish on light gear. 104 JUNE 2023

fishing licence fees in the country, and have to endure with the poorest freshwater fishing in the continent. Having said that, the government is investing huge amounts of money to improve the trout hatchery with better guidance and technology. This will definitely give us better numbers and size categories of both rainbow and brown trout, however, it still won’t tackle the warming, drying climate that is predicted to take hold in the near future. The introduction of better suited species is the only answer, but then again who am I to know? DAMS Waroona Dam Reports continue to be scarce so hopefully I will have a better report next issue after spending a few days fishing this water in May. Drakesbrook Weir Local angler Jonah Chiera reports that surface activity has increased recently and a couple of anglers he was chatting to had caught a few rainbows around the 40cm mark. Even the redfin are

improving with some showing up around the edges towards dark. Light jigheads fished on 6lb braid is the key to get distance if you are shore based, patterns aren’t as critical but I would change up until you find what they are taking. Logue Brook Dam A couple of fly fishers from WATFAA fished the shallower bays and landed some nice rainbows on killer pattern fished on long fine leaders. Lure fishers didn’t fare so well. Harvey Dam Trout have gone quiet but plenty of redfin are turning up off the Causeways. Some bigger models are sitting deep around Quarry Bay and off Nicholson Point. Look for schools and fish to the depth they are sitting at,

water hides its treasures and only releases them to those that are patient and persistent. On my recent trip we trolled for three days and covered over 30km of water for only six redfin. In actual fact, I didn’t have a hit on

my rod until the fourth day, whereas Wendy had all the action on her rod, including her personal best redfin of 48cm. I’m not sure if she has the special touch, or the fact that her reel is spooled with 10lb braid, resulting in her lures getting down to where they were sitting, opposed to my 20lb braid restricting my lures achieving that depth. Even though we were using the same lures, hers were getting constantly snagged so it seems they were running deeper than mine. It wasn’t until the last day when we headed up the Collie arm next to the highway around the farmland and found a patch of redfin that were hitting shallow running lures trolled dead slow. There were a couple of young lads fishing next to our camp on kayaks with no luck, so we put them onto a spot on the opposite bank where we know the redfin were sitting. A quick visit to that spot resulted in a great little session for them, and they were all smiles with a dozen between them. Goes to show that you don’t need an expensive boat and electronics to catch fish. I was very disappointed with the trout fishing as not only they didn’t hit any of

Predicted Dam Levels for South West WA Overall storage in our dams that allow public access and recreational activities are currently 50.7% at the end of March compared to 58.9% as of the same time last year. Perth and the South West has experienced a record dry period, placing a huge strain on irrigation needs. Some very heavy rains fell in late March with mainly inland areas receiving the better falls. Our dams are very low and good rains are needed this winter. WAROONA DAM DRAKESBROOK WEIR LOGUE BROOK DAM HARVEY DAM WELLINGTON DAM GLEN MERVYN DAM BIG BROOK DAM

45% 92% 58% 55% 56% 35% 70%

my normally successful patterns, I also didn’t have any action fly-fishing off the bank at first light, dusk and even at midnight, which is a favourite time for me. I heard the southern end of the dam is fishing better for trout so might be a go next time. Lake Kepwari Redfin continue to be caught by those that put the effort in. Big Brook Dam A few trout are still getting caught around the top area of the dam with the guys using fly gear having all the action. RIVERS Murray River A good dumping of rain recently has stirred action with a bit of flow coming down. Redfin are more reliable than trout. Northern Jarrah Streams This is the time to be exploring these small streams that meander through the jarrah forest along the scarp. It normally takes a week or so after good rains for the trout to move up

Working a lure over one of the many dams in the Western Wheatbelt that are home to big silver perch and the occasional Murray cod. be the better areas. Redfin are also being caught right through the system with any of the lures or plastics being used on trout working well.

is the case in all situations lots of leg work gets the better result. You will find redfin in most locations with those that get on the water with kayaks having most of the fun. Any of the popular lures or plastics work well here with possibly those having red working better. Lefroy Brook This little water has copped a hammering recently with all the popular spots receiving lots of attention. Try to find the secluded spots which could be difficult if you are new to the area. There are a couple of leaflets printed by the WA Trout Foundation on the area so I would try the local Tourist Bureau to see if they have copies. Donnelly River The upper section normally fires later in the season when trout move up

from the more permanent water. I would give Boat Landing a go but only if you can get onto the water. As can be seen we have a variety of waters available if you want to try your luck in our southwest freshwater locations. The streams can be tough and we don’t compare to what is on offer on the east-coast however, I have travelled the whole country and can say we have some truly amazing scenery that is bordering on majestic down in the Karri country around Pemberton. You need an Inland Freshwater Licence and at $50 for a year with no option of a day, week or month licence it can deter any travelling tourist from out of the state. Until next time keep your lines tight.

Blackwood River A bit more water coming down should stir action in this river. A huge amount of trout gets stocked into this water but unfortunately

Big silver perch are widespread throughout private south-west dams. They offer great sport on fly and could be the answer to our lack of decent freshwater species during hot summer conditions.

Heading up the Collie leg of Wellington Dam is a line of trees that offer plenty of structure. these waters Brunswick River Worth a look as not many fish this little water. Collie River below Wellington Dam Not much flow so I would give it a miss as the fishing can be very slow. Collie River above Wellington Dam Some impressive redfin are being caught from both above and below the town of Collie. It is better to have a small tinnie or kayak to explore the better structure that lines this water, move around until you find where they are holding. Preston River This newly stocked water is producing some impressive trout recently. The going can be tough with long legwork required to get to the better spots. The section between Boyanup and Donnybrook seems to

the rewards don’t mirror the stocking effort. Warren River Trout are showing up in increasing numbers with more flow and cooler water. All the popular runs are worth exploring however, as

A quality Wellington Dam rainbow caught fly fishing at night on a previous trip, unfortunately, even after an intensive effort of trolling and fly fishing we didn’t see one this time.

Stephanie King has been doing well on the sailfish in Exmouth. JUNE 2023 105

ECBS ROUND 2 RESULTS Lake Macquarie Round The weather forecast for round 2 of the East Coast Bream Series was not favourable, and it changed four times in the four days prior to the event. Fortunately, on the day the weather gods were smiling, and competitors were greeted with a glorious morning. A total of 58 boats lined up for the start, and round 2 was off and running on beautiful Lake Macquarie. 1ST PLACE - $2500 Michell and Matthew Simons (Team Off The Scales) took out first place, and Matthew said it was a great day. “Sometimes it just all comes together,” he said. “I fished with my son Mitchell who fished his first bream competition at St Georges Basin when he was 10. Now he’s 20, and he was lucky enough to land the two biggest fish at 1pm after not landing a fish all day. “We fished the southern end of the lake using Vex 40mm blades, swapping and

changing different colours and sizes. There was no pattern to the fishing – we would just cast 10 times each in a spot, and then move. We fished in 4-6m of water, trying to avoid the tailor schools chopping off our blades. It was a great day, and one we will never forget.” 2ND PLACE - $1300 Jason Graham and Cristian Bermudez (Team fishin.com. au) were the runners-up. “We pre fished on Saturday North and South fishing but found Chain Valley Bay in the South the best option,” Jason said. “As we caught fish quickly, we marked a spot on the sounder after catching a big fish. “Sunday morning took us straight back to Chain Valley Bay. We caught two fish and then decided to give it a rest, moving to hit some boat hulls. This landed our third fish, and we were ready to upgrade by 8:30am. “We headed back to the spot we previously marked where we landed our best fish on Saturday, and on the first drift upgraded two of our fish in the well. We continued to rest that spot in between fishing boat hulls, giving us the 1.35kg kicker fish and

TOP TEN PLACINGS Place Team 1 Off the Scales 2 Fishin.com.au 3 Hunts Marine/ Hurricane Lures 4 Bait Shop Toukley 5 Garmin/ Touring Marine Solutions 6 Flat Nacky 7 Sniff & Stiff 8 Messo Boys 9 Stratosfear 10 Zman Okuma Tosland Building

landing us the biggest bream prize at the end of the day! “We continued to fish our spot in Chain Valley Bay, and every time we hit the mark, we upgraded fish. When the wind changed direction around noon, the bite went away for us. “We caught all fish on a mixture of VX40 Ecogear, vibes in 439, and Berkley Big Eye blades. A big thanks to the sponsors and organisers who make these events happen.” 3RD PLACE - $800 Coming in at 3rd place were Ryan Jamieson, Troy Parsons and Dean HenrySmith (Team Hunts Marine/ Hurricane Lures). “The plan for us for comp day was to target shallow edges with cockles/weed beds, throwing lightly weighted Hurricane soft plastics,” Ryan said. “From the start we ran up to the north end of the lake to fish an edge, and we got a good one on the pre-fish. The edge produced plenty of fish, and we filled our bag by 7:40am. “From there we stuck to our plan up the north end of the lake, upgrading slowly through the day. With about an hour to go, thinking we would just go back with an average bag to weigh in, we hit an edge that

Left: This 1.35kg fish earned the Biggest Bream prize for Team fishing.com.au. Right: Winners Michell and Matthew Simons from Team Off The Scales. had a few cockles right up close to the bank in no more than 3ft of water. I watched a 36 forker swim out of the cockles and eat my lure in the clear water. Magic! “On the next drift, Dean banged another 36 forker. Even better! “Back to the weigh in saw us weigh 2.57kg for three bream, securing a 3rd place spot out of the 60 teams. It proves that you should never give up. Just persist and stick to your plan.” 4TH PLACE - $600 Adam Amos and Paul Harmston (Team Bait Shop Toukley) came in at 4th place.

Anglers Mitchell Simons, Matthew Simons, Jacob Wickerson Jason Graham, Cristian Bermudez Ryan Jamieson,Troy Parsons, Dean Henry-Smith Adam Amos, Paul Harmston, Jake Amos Jake Neville, Matt Neville Steven Cole, Daniel McLovin Hayes Marcelo Manuelian, Nathan Young, Emilo Manuelian Peter Messenger, Zack Messenger David Masters, Adam Richards Gary Brown, David Tosland, Jorg Van Husen

Fish 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

“We got most of our better fish early in the day with slow rolling small Ghost Recon cranks in dark horse, liquid sand and purple tiger, mixed in with some topwater Recons,” Adam said. “We had a solid bag after two hours with a few missed opportunities. We then started our spot hopping, looking for upgrades. “This is when we started junk fishing using Force Lure and tackle plastics (grubs and paddle tails in motor oil and bloodworm) bio baits, minnows, and some blading only to upgrade a few more times. “All in all, it was a good

day’s fishing.” OTHER WINNERS Jake and Matt Neville (Team Garmin/Touring Marine Solutions) rounded out the top 5, and took home $400. Teams 6 to 9 all received product supplied by Shimano, and all entrants received a Shimano drink cooler. The Kingswood Sports Club Biggest Bream went to Jason Graham and Cristian Bermudez (Team fishing. com.au), whose 1.35kg fish won them $200 plus a $50 club voucher. For more info on upcoming events, visit www. wsbb.com.au.

Weight (kg) 2.82 2.69 2.57 2.45 2.3 2.18 2.17 2.09 2.07 2.07

OOD SPO GSW RTS KIN

For full results and placings go to www.wsbb.com.au

Tournament Calendar 2023 DATE

Tournament

Location

State

Contact

BREAM R5 ECBS Tackle Addiction BREAM R6 BREAM QLD Open

Lake Macquarie Hawkesbury River Blackwood River Moreton Bay/Gold Coast

NSW NSW WA QLD

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

BREAM R7

Gladstone

QLD

abt.org.au

AUGUST 19-20 Aug 20 Aug

BREAM R8 BASS Electric R4

Gold Coast Hinze Dam

QLD QLD

abt.org.au abt.org.au

SEPTEMBER 9-10 Sep 12-13 Sep 24 Sep 29-30 Sep

BASS Pro R5 BASS Pro R6 ECBS Shimano Round BARRA R1

Hunter River Lake St Clair Botany Bay Lake Tinaroo

NSW NSW NSW QLD

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

JUNE 3-4 Jun 5 Jun 17-18 Jun 24-25 Jun JULY 22/23 Jul

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.

106 JUNE 2023

2023 Great Northern Cod Nationals The Great Northern Cod Nationals tournament has been run and won at Lake Mulwala. 90 of Australia’s premier cod fishos gathered from as far afield as Qld and Tasmania to compete in the event, hosted by the Mulwala Football Netball Club. The Cod Nationals is fished over four days, with five varied fishing sessions to challenge all anglers. ‘Scoping’ was only allowed during the first two sessions. The red-hot favourites, Derek and Kade Blow of Bendigo, fished extremely well throughout the five sessions to blitz the field. In the three weeks before the Nationals, Derek and Kade had won the Da$h 4 Ca$h, Central Vic Lures Casters, and His & Hers Partners Classic events, all held on Lake Mulwala. Their top form was recognised on the first night when the team auctions/Calcutta got underway. The usual favourites went for some good prices, but it was the Blows, Team KD Fishing attracting a bid of $3500 that went for top dollar. The winners of the previous three Nationals – Steve and Thomas Pinter – were clear second favourites, and attracted a bid of $2000 during the team auctions. DAY 1 – SPINNERBAITS The comp got underway with perfect weather conditions. Day 1 saw

competitors only allowed to use spinnerbaits, and any legal size Murray cod caught on a Bassman Spinnerbait earned bonus points. On days 1 and 2 only, teams were also allowed to use ‘scope’ technology. Over 200 50cm+ cod were captured for the day. Glen Joyce (Team Coddog) landed the biggest one, coming in at a healthy 72.6cm. Ultimately it was the pairing of Brad Murray and Daniel Mutch (Mutchy’s Contracting) who took overall honours for the day, thanks to their use of their multiplier bonus. 2nd place was filled by Anthony Pavlou and Mike Haley (Team Venom), again thanks to their use of their multiplier bonus. Derek and Kade Blow (Team KD Fishing) fished extremely well to finish in 3rd. To round out the evening, the traditional ‘Sportsman’s Night’ was conducted with a couple of well-known guests. Appearing were Peter ‘Buzz’ Bosustow, ex Carlton footy legend, and Mark ‘Jacko’ Jackson, AFL personality. They kept everyone entertained with tales of their escapades. DAY 2 – HARDBODIES On Day 2 the conditions were a fair bit breezier, and close to 140 cod were landed. Team KD Fishing had their multiplier bonus chosen for this day, and they fished very

well to maximise its use and score a swag of points. To top things off, Kade managed to land an 80.9cm cod, taking out largest fish for the day also. Peter Pejkovic and Damian ‘Mr Whippy’ Scholten fished very well, taking out 2nd place, whilst Steve and Thomas Pinter (Black Widow) kept the pressure on the leaders with a solid 3rd place effort. Thursday night saw a casual evening held with competitors gathering to swap a few yarns and enjoy the Great Northern party night. DAY 3 – MORNING This session was fished under a ‘Dash 4 Cash’ format, with the use of swimbaits and plastics only. To make things a bit harder, all scopes were now not allowed to be used for the rest of the event. Fish numbers were reduced due to the fishing style, but there were still some nice ones caught. There was a full set of Bone Focus lures up for grabs for whoever caught the largest cod on one of the new Bone Focus colours. Kade Blow took out this award with his 71.2cm fish, which was the biggest for the day. Lance Curry and Zac Jury (Curry Munchers) had a brilliant morning’s fishing and took out 1st place, and Ian and Matt Rogers finished in 2nd. Brad Murray and Daniel Mutch kept the pressure on the boys at the top of the tree,

finishing in 3rd place. DAY 3 – AFTERNOON The arvo session only let competitors use lures that were manufactured by the event sponsors. It was wonderful to see a few teams pop up at the top of the list who had not featured prominently in the past. Gage Wright and Kane Bolwell (Spin Wright Lures) took the winner’s cheque, followed by crowd favourites James and Helen McGhee, thanks to Helen’s efforts of four cod for the afternoon. 3rd place was taken out by the improving duo of Shane Melrose and Jessy Pinter (Central Vic Lure Casters). The Venom Rods ANZAC Memorial Award trophy was presented to the most consistent team over the two sessions. This was awarded on countback to Derek and Kade Blow just ahead of Steve and Thomas Pinter. Friday night saw the running of the ever-popular Trident Group Fishing Triathlon and games night. Scenes were hilarious as teams raced each other in joined plank race, followed by a few extra activities and finishing with a casting comp. DAY 4 – ANY LURE The final day got underway with the chasing pack hoping for a miracle to beat the runaway leaders – KD Fishing. Fishing well on the final day was the ambition for

Derek and Kade Blow took out the Champion Team title at the Cod Nationals. most, as it was critical to their overall standings. A bad day could see teams drop out of the top 10. Jamie Kelly and Jamie Robinson had their best day of the Nationals to finish the daily winners, and Jamie landed the biggest cod for the day at 76.9cm. Derek and Kade Blow finished off strongly, finishing in 2nd. Rounding out the top three were Steve and Thomas Pinter (Black Widow). WINNERS! Team KD Fishing, Derek and Kade Blow, were the clear winners, with 64.71 points. They also picked up the Venom Rods Anzac Memorial Award, and Kade also took out the Champion Angler title with 6027.45 points. In 2nd place was team Black Widow, Steve and Thomas Pinter. Thomas also took out Runner-up Champion Angler.

3rd place was filled by Mutchy’s Contracting, Brad Murray and Daniel Mutch. Brad also finished 3rd in the individual section. A few new awards were presented. First was Boothy’s Best Newbie, which went to Kane Bolwell, who fished very well to finish in 5th place individually. Next up was Jones Doyle Plumbing – Most Improved Individual. This went to Shane Melrose, who improved his finishing position by 81 places on his 2022 effort. Team Fishing Mates, James and Helen McGhee, who took out the Fish Camp Ski – Most Improved Team award. James and Helen rocketed up the final leader board to finish a creditable 14th, 34 places in front of where they finished in 2022. For more info on the comp, look up ‘Mulwala Cod Nationals’ on Facebook.

2023 World Sooty Championship

Friday 28 April dawned fine and clear with light winds at Eungella Dam, for the start of the World Sooty Championship. MAFSA Inc volunteers soon had the catering area all shipshape, and the marker buoys deployed. Meanwhile, the rigs kept rumbling in throughout the day, and camps were set up around the grounds. The new hot water showers and toilet facilities proved a great success over the weekend. Friday night was BBQ night, with steak burgers on the menu, and after registration the competitors drifted off for an early night

after a bit of fellowship. After the 7am briefing, competitors lined up in a record number of boats (67). After the 7:30 horn blast, the boats were off, with most heading up the dam towards the timbered areas. Councillor Alison Jones with husband Rick headed across the dam in a small tinny, and on her 2nd cast she caught her first ever sooty grunter (421mm) and first ever fish on a lure. To say she was excited is an understatement! After about 20 minutes Mick Slade was back with two fish (413mm and 354mm) to kick off his scoring. Other good fish in the first session

Alison Jones with her first ever lure-caught fish, first ever sooty grunter and first fish of the tournament caught on her second cast.

included junior angler Darcy McFarlane (310, 367 and 491mm) and Blake Waring (433mm). Experienced competitor Peter Behrens lobbed in with seven fish over the session, but they were smaller sizes. Overall, the session from 7:30am to midday yielded 55 fish. Session 2 on Saturday afternoon saw special guest Mark Berg boat a solid 446mm fish under the experienced guiding of Peter Price. Mark’s mystery guest Andy Dixon from Brisbane also caught his first ever sooty at 352mm. Other notable captures included Cohen Olsen (440mm) Phil Lyons (488mm) and Trent Power (494mm). Meanwhile, Mick Slade continued to accumulate points with 382 and 454mm fish. By the end of the session the big movers up the leader board were Trent Power, Keegan Hayden, Dan Grech, Dan Curry and Robie Brook, who scored a massive 496mm sooty. Sunday morning was very still, with some cloud cover, and most boats again headed for the top end of the dam. Anglers seemed to concentrate more on the shallows on

Sunday, and it wasn’t long before fish started to come in. Keegan Hayden scored with two fish early, and Trent Power lobbed in with another two fish in the mid-400s. Competitors cannot check their scores for the last session as they are covered up, to add a bit more uncertainty to the scoring. Mick Slade came in with a nice 456mm fish, and it was evident that he would feature near the top of the board. Previous winner Nick Moore was a big improver, with five fish for the session. In total, 72 fish were bought in, about a 50% increase over the first two sessions. After all boats were in, the scores were double checked before the final presentations. In the junior division, it was a battle between the two McFarlane boys and Finn Gee. Darcy McFarlane ran out the winner with 2377 points, from Finn Gee 1794 points and his brother Isaac on 1200 points. Mark Berg presented the junior winners’ prizes. Andrew Camilleri from Reef Marine presented the senior winners with their prizes. Mick Slade was a popular winner after placing 2nd so many times previously. Mick won by nine points from

Mick Slade brings in a nice sooty to add to his score. Trent Power, with Nick Moore coming in 3rd, another 11 points behind Trent. Only 20 points (20mm) separated first and third place. Mick received a timber plaque, Wilson Blade and Tails rod and reel, a brag mat, engraved Yeti cooler and a $750 Tackle World voucher. The Largest Sooty winners included Darcy and Isaac McFarlane and Robie Brook, who took out largest overall at 496mm. Robie was competing in his 16th World Sooty Championship, and he won $350 Tackle World

vouchers and a Dobyns Fury Series rod donated by Mick Hassett. The most popular lures included Jackall TN60s, Crackerjack lures, curly tail grubs and soft vibes. No style or make of lure was a real standout. At the end of the event, many competitors remarked that they enjoyed the camaraderie, hospitality and friendliness of the tournament and will be back next year. To see the full results, visit MAFSA Inc’s Facebook page. JUNE 2023 107

BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN SERIES presented by

BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Morgan doubles up on epic run to take BASS Open Brisbane’s Steve Morgan won his last and only ABT BASS event 17 years ago. Over two days and over 320km of travel in his boat over two days from the Grafton start, he outdistanced the field to take out the Rapala BASS Australian Open in the Clarence River. Both days he targeted fish in the Esk River, a Clarence River tributary flowing north from Iluka. He followed up his day 1 (5/5, 5.593kg) with the second highest limit on day 2 (5/5, 4.925kg) to stay ahead of a fast-finishing AOY leader, Mick Johnson by a 1.2kg margin. For his efforts he pocketed $8,000 and a pair of 13 Fishing baitcast reels. Here’s how he did it.

about 80% of the river because I couldn’t catch a fish in it and also learned that it was possible to get in and out of there on a halftide. This meant that I knew I wasn’t going to get stuck. Probably wasn’t going to get stuck…” “I’d never actually made the full run from Grafton to the fish, but I calculated that I should have enough fuel capacity to do it. Still, I took a little spare just in case,” he continued. As it turned out, the spare wasn’t necessary as he burned 85L per day to make the 160km round trip – great economy for a V8 200hp Mercury on a 19’8” BassCat. “I’d built my latest BassCat with all of this in mind. The Pantera Classic

Braden Schuch won the BASS Pro Grand Final last year on the Clarence. The river was unkind to him, however, on day two. surface bite died down. After a couple of hours and with fishing time running out, I started rotating other baits.

First cast with the Rapala Shad Rap Elite 55 that I tied on straight out of the angler SWAG bag and a small EP

Mike Nelson is a 13 Fishing sponsored angler who won two BASS Pro events on the Clarence previously.

Dane Pryce managed a pay cheque with only 9/10 bass for the event. “I always wanted to go and fish the Esk River in an ABT event. It always seemed like such a challenge to make the run, catch the fish and get back safely each day. This is why I took a day before the practice ban kicked in to learn the water a little and to be confident that I could navigate the ultra shallow mouth,” Morgan explained. “On that day, I eliminated

is a hull that sacrifices rough water ability for shallower draft and with a full lithium battery setup and hydraulic jackplate, I navigate water down to around 30cm deep,” Morgan said. “On the first day I ran the sandbars on pad, but hit plenty of times, even with the jackplate and trim all of the way up, so day two, with a lower tide, I chose to crawl in

BOATER RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 108 JUNE 2023

Angler Steve Morgan Mick Johnson Mike Nelson Kris Hickson Joey Urquhart Corey Goldie Bill Latimer Dane Pryce Tom Slater Brian Everingham

Fish QLD QLD NSW NSW NSW VIC NSW NSW NSW NSW

at idle. It cost more time but I’m sure it saved my motor from any damage.” Once in, he headed to the fishy water and started throwing a 1/4oz beetle-spin and a Tiemco Bass Tune Cicada topwater. “On the practice day, the beetle spin was the only thing that they wanted to eat, so I committed it to it pretty heavily, especially after the

Sponsor karma is a thing. Morgan used the brand new Rapala Shad Rap Elite 55 that was gifted to all anglers in the SWAG bag at the briefing.

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 9/10 8/10 10/10

Payout 10.518kg 9.314kg 8.557kg 8.341kg 8.164kg 7.443kg 7.324kg 7.009kg 6.999kg 6.895kg

$8,000 + 13 Fishing Reels (x2) $4,000 $2,500 $1,750 $1,500 $1,400 $1,250 $1,100 $1,000

jumped on. After that the fish started coming quickly,” he explained. Wanting to save some water for the Sunday, Morgan left an hour early with his 5.5kg limit and made it home without incident. “I was nervous about actually being able to get into the river at all on the Sunday – the tide was lower and later, so there was no way I was going to try it at speed. We idled in over

the shallowest banks and got across them before the water dropped out.” “After that, I put the Shad Rap in the hand after a few casts with the topwater and didn’t put it down all day,” he explained. “I learned that the squar-ish bill and the slight positive buoyancy of this bait makes it fantastic for working through heavy cover, and that’s what a lot of the fish came from. Maybe once a day I had to go in and retrieve it when it was properly stuck.” Each day, Morgan also accessed a section of the river by jumping a log that had fallen across the river. “My boat is set up for this – all of the transducers are tucked up beside the jackplate and there’s nothing to damage as you slide off the other side. And I’m glad I turned around early on day one – the fish were definitely more shy on the Sunday in the water I’d already fished.” His key fish (44.5cm) came off a snag and buried deep in it. He went in and

Steve Morgan’s efforts to get to untouched water paid off big time. Sponsor-karma is a thing! JOHNSON’S STREAK CONTINUES The 2023 13 Fishing BASS Pro Series AOY leader, Mick Johnson, is on a tear – he has finished 1st, 2nd and 2nd in the three BASS events this year. He nearly made it two wins after a Sunday comeback that

Mick Johnson is on a roll this year – he was one place away from his second win of 2023. tried to untangle it at which point it untangled itself and swum up to be netted. “When things like that happen, you know it’s your time to win a BASS event,” he concluded. Morgan threw the Plated Bone Craw coloured Shad Rap Elite 55 on a 13 Fishing MUSE BLACK 6’8” light action rod paired with a 13 Fishing Concept TX2 reel and 20lb braided line matched with a 12lb Daiwa J-Thread X-Link FC leader. He caught 10-12 fish each day in the 4 hours of fishing time that he had left after travel. As an added bonus, Rapala offered a 13 Fishing Concept C2 reel each day for the biggest bass caught on a Rapala lure. Morgan took both of these with a 41cm fish on Saturday and the 44.5cm fish on the Sunday.

raised him from 21st place right up into the second spot. Ultimately his 5/5, 3.022kg and 5/5, 6.292kg bags fell short by around 1.2kg, but he still pocketed $4,000 for his efforts. Mick explained how his weekend went down. “After a slow prefish when I only landed a couple of bass, I knew I was going to have to keep an open mind and learn throughout the tournament on what and where the bites were going to come from. I had a plan to catch a limit and then go try some different techniques. But it ended up taking us all session to scrape together a little over 3kg, throwing small crankbaits to timbered or rocky edges,” Mick said. He finished the day sitting in 21st, around 3kg from the lead. “Over a few beers, thinking about how much weight that we needed to catch up on, Mitchell Cone and I spoke the night before about the potential of better quality fish being up shallow. I made somewhat of a game plan for the following day and Mitchell tied on a soft plastic frog for me.” Day two started well for Johnson, catching a good

on 12lb, 131 Sufix braid and 12lb Sufix Invisiline FC leader. “I don’t claim to know much about tides, but as soon as the tide turned the fish turned off like a switch. Going from attacking the frog until they had it, to barely sipping at it. I continued to throw surface for the rest of the session with only a few weak bites and bycatch,” he continued. His frog technique involved skipping the bait unto the nastiest, bushiest looking snag piles that he could find and slow rolling it out. If a bass showed interest, the next cast would be a slower, twitching retrieve.

BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN SERIES presented by

BASS AUSTRALIAN OPEN

$4000 is a pretty neat payday for second place. sized bass from a rocky edge up in super shallow water. He then made the decision to put his game plan to work and see if it would pay off. “I headed up the Coldstream where I had several swirls and missed hook ups on surface during practice. By 10am I had 7 bites and boated 6 – all coming on the one frog Mr Cone tied on for me the night before. It was a floating soft plastic frog that he rigged on a VMC #2 EWG hook and fished on a 13 Fishing 6’6” OMEN BLACK rod and Shimano Stella that he threw

Morgan’s victory gave him a ABT BREAM, BASS and BARRA win in a 12-month period.

NELSON ALWAYS A THREAT With a couple of ABT Clarence River BASS Pro victories under his belt, Mike Nelson was always going to be a threat at the Open. The two events he’s won, however, have been at locations a long way apart. Hence his pre-fish covered a lot of miles and wasn’t very productive. “I only caught two, legal sized fish in practice,” Mike said, “And I burned about 80L of fuel doing it. I fished the Coldstream River, the main river up to Rogan’s Bridge and the South Arm.” Ultimately, he settled down and fished the bland looking, grassy banks in the South Arm throughout the event and weighed two decent limits to take third place. He only saw one boat on the Saturday and no boats at all fishing the areas he was in on the Sunday. He used two main baits to assemble his fish – a Rapala BX Brat in the white (hot dang) colour and a willowbladed beetle-spin with a 3” plastic paddle-tail. Mike delivered the Brat on a 13 Fishing MUSE BLACK rod (7’, ML) and a Concept C2 reel while the beetle spin las rigged on an OMEL ML 7’ rod and a Daiwa Caldia 3000 sized reel. “I didn’t have a fish on the board at 9am on the Saturday, so I was pretty happy to take home a decent cheque in the end,” he concluded. JUNE 2023 109

BREAM AUSTRALIAN OPEN presented by

BREAM AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Brisbane’s Steve Morgan updated the history books at the recent Daiwa BREAM Open by being the first angler to take home the Greg Lee Memorial trophy three times. It’s awarded to the winner of the 3-day event on Sydney Harbour that features a boater-only format. In doing so, he became the first angler to won both a BASS and BREAM Open and did so in the same year - something ABT doesn’t think it will see happen

Morgan completes rare Open double the tougher events and on arenas where the fish get hard to catch, when there are changes in the season or the weather. Sydney Harbour definitely got harder to fish with the cold snap that happened over the week of the event.” Expecting water temperatures around 20°C , Steve was greeted with colder water in the mid to high teens on practice day, which called for a change in his game plan. “The last time I won the BREAM Open was in May 2017, and it was a full-on Bent Minnow bite that got me over the line,” he said. “This May was nothing like that. They wouldn’t commit to a topwater in practice.” Because of this, Steve

Fish like these make the difference on Sydney Harbour. Although not landing a bream over a kilogram, Morgan’s consistency over three days proved the key while the bream were in transition between their summer and winter patterns. Scan the QR code to watch Steve Morgan’s Day 2 Highlights

many times in the future. These are the bags that were weighed each day at the Drummoyne Sailing Club event base, which landed him 810g heavier than his closest competitor. Day 1: 5/5, 3.515kg Day 2: 5/5, 3.895kg Day 3: 5/5, 3.505kg Total: 15/15, 10.915kg “I actually hadn’t been having a very good [tournament] year to date,” Steve said. “I was sitting well down in the AOY races in both BREAM and BASS, but it seems that a series of decent decisions have turned this around. “I tend to do well in 110 JUNE 2023

went looking for deeper fish, and refined the depths the fish were holding at to the 10-20ft mark. “My Garmin LiveScope was a big help and let me dial on very quickly to the range the fish were comfortable suspending in,” he explained. “I ran the LVS 34 transducer Place

in Forward mode attached to the electric motor, and used the live sonar to see where bream were sitting under boats or deeper docks. After that it was a matter of deducing what they best wanted to eat.” Ultimately, the majority of his fish came on the Outback Breamer Baits Muss in both light and heavy iterations, depending on the depth of the water. If Steve was fishing a dock in 10ft, the Light Muss was the bait of choice, and the bream liked the slower sink speed. Scan the QR code to watch Steve Morgan’s Day 1 Highlights

On deeper boats (up to 20ft) where the fish were lower in the water column, the Heavy Muss came into its own. “If you saw a patch of 10 or 20 bream suspending off the bottom under a moored boat, they’d eat whatever you sunk down to them,” Steve said. “Fish would race up off the bottom when they saw the bait, so it made sense to use a faster sinking lure.” He mainly fished the Muss on a Daiwa Infeet 7’8” ‘Crab Rod’, with a 2500 Caldia MQ reel spooled with 3lb Daiwa J-Thread fluorocarbon straight through to the lure. “I reckon the straightthrough FC allows the lure to sink more naturally than any braid/leader combination,” Steve said. “In the clear water it was important to cast accurately and then lay the line down on the water in the wind to ensure as vertical a sink as possible.” He said that most bream would eat the lure on the drop, but if there were multiple fish following it down and not committing, a quick rip or a slow roll would sometimes trigger an aggressive response and a bite. “I can confidently say this, because I was blown away (and so was a majority of the livestream audience) with how clearly you

Angler

BOATER RESULTS

Queensland’s Steve Morgan became the first angler to have their name etched on the Greg Lee Memorial Trophy three times. His 2023 victory added to his 2010 and 2017 titles. could see the bream on the LiveScope,” he said. “I’d only used it as a structurefinding tool for bream in Perspective mode in the past, but this is a whole new world. I confirmed plenty of theories and learned more in four days about bream behaviour that I would in a year of fishing ‘blind’.” Indeed, it seems as though forward-facing live sonar has come of age in the BREAM ranks, and we

look forward to how anglers will employ the Garmin and Humminbird transducers in future events. “It’s interesting to note that I didn’t land a single kiloclass fish in the three days of the Open,” Steve said. “It was all about consistency, and I was aiming for that 3.5kg average per day which will always keep you up there when the Harbour is fishing tough. When I won the Open in 2017, my total

weight was 10.96kg. This year it was 10.915kg. That’s only 3g per fish difference.” All of his bream came from Middle Harbour, and he managed his spots to ensure that there were fish left for the final day. “There were more boats on the final day than I’d seen all event, but they were a blessing in disguise,” Steve said. “They were fishing mainly banks I’d hit earlier in the week, and I was forced

Tom Slater (2nd) and Kris Hickson (3rd) made it a Daiwa clean-sweep at the Daiwa BREAM Australian Open. Sponsor karma is a thing. Full results at abt.org.au

Fish

Weight(kg)

Payout

Steve Morgan

15/15

10.915kg

$6,000

Tom Slater

15/15

10.105kg

$3,500

Kris Hickson

15/15

9.885kg

$2,500

Mario Vukic

15/15

9.720kg

$2,000

Daniel Bonaccorso

15/15

9.235kg

$1,500

Jamie McKeown

13/15

9.185kg

$1,000

Ahmad Mahfoud

15/15

8.650kg

Daiwa Exist + Infeet SK Rod

Liam Carruthers

14/15

8.450kg

Daiwa Revelry + Infeet SK rod

Jesse Rotin

15/15

8.400kg

Daiwa TD Sol + Infeet SK rod

Frank Carabetta

15/15

to explore new country. This is where the biggest three fish in my final day bag came from.” The Greg Lee Memorial trophy was last seen headed to Brisbane. SLATER FALLS SLIGHTLY SHORT Daiwa’s Tom Slater has always been at the pointy end in the BREAM Australian Open, finishing in the top five in three of the last four iterations of this event. He has developed a milk run and a pattern which seems to always put a decent

BREAM AUSTRALIAN OPEN presented by

at Sydney BREAM event bag together – he has just been lacking that big kicker fish to get him over the line. Here were his 3-day results. Day 1: 5/5, 3.385kg Day 2: 5/5, 3.590kg Day 3: 5/5, 3.130kg Total: 15/15, 10.105kg “Every day I started by fishing a different wash in the lower section of the

crankbait in a variety of colours (mainly sunnygill, suji and moebi) on a Daiwa Infeet EX 722LRS rod coupled with an Exist 2500 reel and straight through 5lb J Thread Finesse. He also caught fish on the deeper version of Daiwa’s Rolling Crank. Each day for the first two days, Tom landed a kilo-class

BREAM AUSTRALIAN OPEN

either fill his limit - or go close to it - on that initial period on the top of the tide. After that, he’d work his way back from Manly towards the CBD, fishing a variety Scan the QR code to watch the final day weigh-in

of jetties, boats and docks that he’d manage, so that he wasn’t fishing the same structures every day. “Every day was a little different. On Day 1, the structure fish were plentiful, but smaller. On the second day I caught several upgrades of the same types of cover. Tom finished Day 1 in

Nearly all of Morgan’s bream fell to a sinking mussel lure. Harbour,” he said. “Mainly it was ferry wash and not ocean swell which gave the fish the white water they needed to feed up shallow. I went through a lot of Daiwa Spike EXDR 44s over the week, but they got me the bites I needed through the rock and kelp patches.” Tom fished the Daiwa

fish off a section of rock on the morning milk run, which substantially helped his bag. Every day, he would Scan the QR code to watch Steve Morgan’s final day Highlights

BREAM AUSTRALIAN OPEN

5th place, but improved into a solid second after Day 2. Tom’s structure fishing rig was a Daiwa BaitJunkie Risky Critter in Bloodworm rigged on a BaitJunkie 1/30oz 1/0 light wire jighead, and fished with 6lb J Braid and 6lb J Thread X Link leader on an Infeet Z 681LFS rod and Revelry 2500S reel.

Tom Slater relied on a crankbait/wash pattern early and upgraded later on with a plastics presentation to structure. Day three started slower for Slater, with only four fish in the limit by the end of his wash run. The balance of his limit and several upgrades came from Berrys Bay, upstream of the Harbour Bridge. “I checked the estimated scoreboard at 9:30am and saw that I still had plenty of work to do, but those bigger bites just didn’t happen for me,” he concluded. HICKSON COMPLETES TOP THREE Taree’s Kris Hickson is another angler always hov ering at the pointy end of most BREAM events, and his overall adaptability took him to within a couple of upgrades of a second BREAM Open title. Here are his final numbers. Day 1: 5/5, 3.420kg Day 2: 5/5, 3.415kg Day 3: 5/5, 3.050kg Total: 15/15, 9.885kg “I took my typical run-and-gun approach for this Open, and tried hard

LiveScope readings like this made Morgan stop and thoroughly fish several boats in Middle Harbour.

structure, I switched between a 2.5” Bait Junkie bloodworm grub rigged on a 1/20oz #1 Bait Junkie jighead or Cranka Crab, with the odd light creature bait thrown in the mix,” Kris explained. The ’20 Infeet 6101LFS, Caldia 2000, PE.6 in a soonto-be-released braid and 6lb J-thread X-Link FC for leader were the tools of choice. On the rock and wash, Kris used the Infeet baitcast 732LFB, Tatula 70 and 8lb straight-through fluorocarbon to cast a Ghost Shad Spike 53SP, and really muscle the fish with relatively good success. A couple of good fish

Kris Hickson is the master of runningand-gunning the Harbour. not to have to fish the same areas twice,” Kris said. “In previous opens where it’s been three days all on Sydney Harbour, I’ve tended to do a day east, a day west, and a day of anything I think is worth still fishing. “A scattered practice day reaffirmed that I should probably take that approach into this event. Aside from some execution issues, it worked to plan.” Fishing hard structure and boats on the first day, good numbers of fish made it into his boat. However, size was lacking aside form a couple of standout fish. Rocky points, washes and docks on Day 2 saw fewer fish but better quality. A mix of everything on Day 3 was almost a fail until the dying minutes of the day, where a patch of boats threw Kris some key upgrades. “On the man-made

also came on a deep Rolling Crank through the morning. “Having the live scoreboard was a cool feature of this event, however I never look at it so there’s no added pressure,” Kris said. “It was like a proper weigh-in tournament for me, where you find out how you go after everyone has dropped them on the scales. While everyone knew the fishing was tough, to come away with a 3rd place with the bags I produced was both a surprise and a delight.” OPEN A SUCCESS Despite the challenges of running a top level BREAM event in Australia’s busiest city, the Daiwa BREAM Australian Open remains a success, with over 7,000 people checking in to the event centre at www.abt.org. au to keep up to date with the live estimator scoreboard and weigh-in results. JUNE 2023 111

BREAM SERIES presented by

Healey Drops 5.24kg on Final Day for Hawkesbury win Perennial BREAM event contender, Mark Healey, dropped a massive 5/5, 5.24kg limit on the scales on Day 2 to jump into first place and win $4,250 at the Daiwa round of the Daiwa BREAM Series on

Here’s how he did it. “I really like how this arena fishes in summer – with topwater, crankbaits and other reaction baits coming into play – but in May I had to change my tactics and use a deeper soft plastic

and crab presentation,” Mark explained. And the Saturday didn’t start well for him. He did half an hour in Pittwater and then headed upriver. After several fruitless hours, he headed to his milk run of washes in

Mark Healey dropped a bag of monster yellowfin bream like this on the scales on Sunday to jump into first place. They mostly ate Cranka Crabs fished through the kelp. Broken Bay with a single fish in the livewell at 11am. Catching two fish in two casts and identifying a patch of bream, he spot-locked the boat and didn’t move until he had his Day 1 limit onboard. “I used a variety of plastics rigged on a 1.5g jighead and fished it right in close to the wash,” he said.

Healey earned $4,250 and instant qualification to the Daiwa BREAM Grand Final at Port Stephens later in the year where he will be in the running for a $50,000 Alloycraft/Mercury boat package.

braid and 6lb Ocea leader. “I have six or eight of these outfits and I use them for everything,” he continued. “They’re light in the hand and I can throw any lure on them.” Healey experienced a change on the Sunday, although he couldn’t put his finger on the cause.

the Hawkesbury River. The win qualified him instantly for the 2023 BREAM Grand Final, to be held at Port Stephens in November. Last time the BREAM rounds visited Port Stephens, Healey was also at the top of the Boater leaderboard at the end of the event. The BREAM Grand Final Scan the QR code to watch the Boater Winners Interview

DUO Designed by Ultimate Organizer

just got a whole lot more competitive. Healey assembled a 5/5, 3.56kg bay on Day 1, which provided the ideal platform to go big on the Sunday. His total weight of 10/10, 8.79kg outdistanced last year’s champion, Michael Colotourous, by 165g.

Taka Kawasaki loved clinching his first ABT Trophy from the back of the boat, but we are sure that he already has a lot of the Daiwa gear he won to complement the win.

Two, consistent 4kg+ bags left Michael Colotouros in a strong second place, 160g behind Healey.

BOATER RESULTS

112 JUNE 2023

Full results at abt.org.au

“It was just what the bream wanted on a day when I didn’t really have any big bites.” He fished all his presentations on a Shimano TwinPower 1000 or 2500 reel on Zodias L or UL rod spooled with 6lb Kairiki

Place

Angler

Fish

Weight(kg)

Payout

Mark Healey

10/10

8.790kg

$4,250

Michael Colotouros

10/10

8.625kg

$2,000 + $250 Mercury

Kris Hickson

10/10

8.610kg

$1,100 + $125 Mercury

Liam Carruthers

10/10

6.245kg

$900 + $75 Mercury

Hayden Wadsworth

10/10

6.120kg

$800

Grant Oliver

10/10

6.045kg

$750

Andrew Moore

10/10

5.915kg

$700

Steve Morgan

10/10

5.895kg

$650

Jamie McKeown

10/10

5.785kg

$600

Ryland Sainsbury

10/10

5.535kg

$550

“It may have been the sou’wester change, but the fish were bigger and hungrier on the Sunday in the same places I caught them on the Saturday,” Mark said. “I would have thrown back an entire limit of 32cm fork length fish, which was crazy.” Mark bagged an early limit on the Sunday in overcast conditions on the UV coloured Cranka Crab, but then switched to the spotted colour to catch bream later in the sunnier conditions. At the end of the 20-fish session, his limit topped the magical 5kg mark and surpassed a steady Michael Colotouros by 165g. COLOTOUROS GAVE 150% Michael Colotouros always quantifies his effort in percentages, and he

BREAM SERIES presented by definitely gave 150% to try to retain his Hawkesbury title. And he nearly did it. He was only stopped by Mark Healey’s mega-bag on Day 2. Day 1: 5/5, 4.395kg Day 2: 5/5 4.230kg Total: 10/10, 8.625kg

Shell and Bones 1-5kg rods matched with a Daiwa Certate 3000 HiGear reel spooled with 12lb PowerPro braid and 8lb Yamatoyo Chinu Harris leader. After every cast, he’d have to check the leader for

this heavy structure,” he said. His second tactic, which he used later in the session when the tide receded, involved pitching plastics to oyster racks. In particular, a bloodworm coloured Squidgy Wriggler rigged on a 1/16oz #1H jighead and attached to 10lb Chinu Harris leader and his 12lb braid on the same reel. He’d deliver it on an older 13 Fishing 6’10”

Omen rod that he’d lock the drag on. “I fished as a non-boater with Ian Miller years ago and he taught me this technique,” Colotouros explained. “It completely changed my fishing in the Hawkesbury.” His consistent bags would have been enough for back-to-back titles if it wasn’t for Healy’s heroics.

On both days he got to fish rocky and kelp-filled washes with the Daiwa Spike 44 in the EXDR configuration in sunnygill colour. He fished it on the base model Infeet 702LRS rod and Infeet X reel spooled with Daiwa J Braid and terminated with J-Thread X Link 8lb leader. Crawling the lure through the nasty country, Taka

Taka proved that a bigger bag on Day 2 than Day 1 will rocket you up the Non-Boater standings. Mick said that he came into this event totally prepared after not fishing the BREAM Australian Open in the preceding days. He may be onto something there – Healey also missed out on the banner event in the Harbour just down the road. As such, he spent a couple of hours each night rigging his tackle for just two

Scan the QR code to watch the NonBoater Winners Interview

oyster-nicks and also test the knot strength. “Not being vigilant cost me a couple of fish each day, but that’s the cost of fishing in

Grayson Fong was kind of happy to lose to his friend and fellow Daiwa angler. KAWASAKI CHANNELS SPONSOR KARMA Sydney’s Taka Kawasaki is a product developer at Daiwa Australia. He used one of the lures that he designed to take his first ABT trophy from the back of the boat. Day 1: 3/3, 1.77kg Day 2: 3/3, 2.310kg Total: 6/6, 4.080kg Fishing with two Queensland boaters, Taka

BIG BREAM PRIZE

Scan the QR code to watch the Field Highlights

Adam Viksne announced his presence at the event in style. He weighed three fish for 4.095kg over the two days, including the second biggest bream ever weighed at an ABT event. This fish went 1.95kg and secured the Atomic Big Bream with style. techniques. The first he employed on the high tide, targeting drowned oyster ledges in the river’s clear, lower reaches. He’d pitch a heavy Cranka Crab up into the oystercovered rocks and slowly drag it across them until the bream – which spook as the lure splashes down – come back and investigate the crawling crustacean. He did this on six, identically-rigged Duffrods

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

Angler Taka Kawasaki Grayson Fong Harry Schofield Gavin Atkin Lance Marsh Brendan Parry Aaron Booby Zac O’Sullivan John Glover Chris Wilson

Fish 6/6 6/6 5/6 4/6 6/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 5/6 3/6

got to fish the techniques he loves and beat his friend and successful ABT non-boater Grayson Fong into second place by around half a kilogram. Taka came off a less than spectacular BREAM Australian Open with a strong finish at the Hawkesbury, proving that you never know when it’s going to be your day.

reckoned that the bigger bib helped with snag resistance. He should know! Often the non-boater life involves having to adapt to different fishing styles every day, but Taka was blessed with being able to fish his favourite technique both days. His best advice to aspiring non-boaters? “Make sure that you ask questions and learn every time you go out on the water. Everyone in the bream community seems happy to help. Absorb as much as you can.” ATOMIC BIG BREAM Adam Viksne announced his presence at the event in style. He weighed three fish for 4.095kg over the two days, including the second biggest bream ever weighed at an ABT event. This fish went 1.95kg and secured the Atomic Big Bream. It was only 40g short of Chris Wright’s 1.99kg fish from Forster, and it ate a black Mussel lure from Outback Breamer Baits.

DUO Designed by Ultimate Organizer

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 4.080kg 3.585kg 3.190kg 3.095kg 3.035kg 2.880kg 2.515kg 2.380kg 2.330kg 2.160kg

Payout Daiwa pack Daiwa pack Daiwa pack Maui Jim pack Daiwa pack ProLure pack Samaki pack Atomic pack EJ Todd pack Toadfish pack JUNE 2023 113

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• Stacer Alloy I-Beam Trailer • Mercury 40HP 4-stroke • Side Console • Rod Locker • Sealed Timber Floor

REASONS

• Live Tank Fit Up • Bow Mount Motor Bracket • Two Tone Paint • Fit Up & PD • Registration • Safety Equipment

*Engine price is motor only. Excludes installation & Rigging Kit. (Tow Away)

BEST IN CLASS PERFORMANCE

LIGHTWEIGHT & COMPACT

Datum Times

Fishing Monthly Magazine | June 2023

Articles inside

GEN III

Anglapro Sniper 444 PRO with Yamaha T60 4-stroke

Healey Drops 5.24kg on Final Day for Hawkesbury win

at Sydney BREAM event

Morgan completes rare Open double

Morgan doubles up on epic run to take BASS Open

2023 World Sooty Championship

2023 Great Northern Cod Nationals

ECBS ROUND 2 RESULTS

Trout and redfin are flourishing

Pilbara visitor paradise

Demersal $10m support package

Watch out, there’s sharks about

Glory between the chill

Scratching that itch

Going beach prospecting is well worth it

It’s salmon time, baby

Prepare for a land-based assault

Cool winter nights fishing off the beach

Spying on yellowtail kingfish

Victoria’s fishing licence: how to boost revenue

Pick your day and pick your location this month

New releases from Daiwa

Making the most of winter weather windows

Aggressive pre-spawn trout are on the chew

Luring up some tasty redfin at Lake Elingamite

The winter bite is underway

There are fewer fish but bigger sizes this month

Locals catching crankbait-crunching golden perch

Time to take winter walks along the river banks

Putting in the hard yards is producing the goods

The fishing at the moment is full-on in the flow

Scoring cool catches on our chilly local beaches

Rec Reef renamed to Rhys Reef

Heading down to the beach in June

Here come the salmon and perch

TTs supports oyster reefs

Winter whiting, flathead and bream on offer

More fish habitat into the Gippsland Lakes

Closure at Lake Wendouree

Bracing for bigger bluefin tuna

The fishing is still going strong

Trial by ice in the UK

Great time to target southern calamari

Local catches are well worth the numb toes

Attractive options for freshwater anglers in June

Bream and EP are still active in the estuaries

It’s happy days in Portland for offshore anglers

The best spots to focus your efforts

Last chance to fish for wild trout

Fish are heading down deep for the winter months

Hunting for big, fat Murray cod

Tathra Wharf gets upgraded with a new makeover

Some big fish down south

NEW FROM RAPALA! RAP-V BLADED JIG

Enjoying cool, crisp days fishing in Batemans Bay

Making the most of all that’s on offer in June

Lake Mac trolling in a winter wonderland

Anglers cashing in on the crossover period

Focusing on targeting the right species this month

Great time for targeting snapper

Deep drop fishing at Macquarie

Keep an eye on those offshore water temps

Abuzz with the epic run of mulloway

Tempting winter fish with fresh baits

Shore-based anglers reap the winter rewards

Soft plastic prawns are picking up the pace

DPI crackdown on taking invertebrates

Winter species are becoming more numerous

THE FREEDOM To Escape.

Gary’s Marine Centre

Make the most of the mixed species

Tagging Tales

Baffled, but not broken!

June fishing is jumping

Big bountiful barra

New dynamics in FNQ

Cold water tactics