Fishing Monthly Magazine | September 2022 by Fishing Monthly

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Features

Grass sweetlip reef catches • Trolling tips and tricks •

VIC

Species Spotlight

John Loeskow shows us how to find grass sweetlip - the working man’s reef fish

Features

AFTA Best of Show Awards • Boat Test: Whittley CR2380 • State Fisheries Advisory Groups •

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CONTENTS

OUR COVER September 2022, Vol. 3 No.5 VIC

TAS

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

16 18 22 24 26 28 30 34 36 38 39 40 40 41 44 46

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

56 56 57 58 60 62 64 65 66 69 68 70 71 72 72 74 74 75 76 77

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

80 80 81 81 82 84 86 87 90 91 88 88 89 90 92 92 95 93 94 96 96 98 93

SEPTEMBER 2022

From the Editor’s Desk...

I wasn’t really that keen to re-start my international travel, but an opportunity to help with the media coverage for the 9th iteration of the Hobie Kayak World titles was an opportunity too good to miss. Of course, during the 40 hours of transit to Amal in Sweden, I was reconsidering the cleverness of the decision, but once there, we got to experience the brotherhood of global fishing. Anglers from 18 countries getting together after COVID and rekindling the love of fishing across the globe. You may have noticed from their stands at the various boat shows, but Hobie don’t muck around when it comes to staging an event, and the venue, organisation and hospitality that the Hobie team provide is really world class. Anglers were supplied each with the latest Hobie Pro Angler 14ft kayak, complete with 360 drive, a PowerPole Micro, Lowrance Elite 7FS and a H-Crate. Targeting the native perch (redfin) and pike with a catch-photorelease format on an App. This allows the event to run live scoreboards, which created global interest during the sessions. But for the last two hours, the scoreboards are blacked out. And anything can happen in the dying minutes. This is exactly what transpired. You can’t script better than what happens in real life and, on his last cast, with his ‘must-leavenow-to-get-back-in-time’ alarm ringing on his phone, Denmark’s Stian Slora hooks and lands a 111cm pike on light gear to take the title from German Florian Linner. It was an epic finish to an epic event

Aaron Blake with the largest flathead taken in a session on the estuary. An Andy McKinstray image. Come and visit Fishing Monthly Group’s official Facebook page for all your monthly fishing information. Download QR Reader to access.

TASMANIA Hobart Offshore

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA Esperance

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French angler, Manon Rocher, landed this magnificent pike on a lure in Sweden’s Lake Vanern during the recent Hobie Fishing Worlds #9. that bounces around the world. The previous version was on the Gold Coast in 2019. The highest placed Aussie was Tony Pettie from Traralgon, who landed 6th place and bragging rights for the next 12 months. If you’re keen to be involved, Aussies can fish qualifying events here to lock in their ticket – if you fish well enough. You can see the full coverage on www. hobiefishingworlds.com or via the Hobie Fishing Worldwide Facebook page. APOLOGIES Apologies to some subscribers who received the magazines a little later than usual last month. The mail house staff had some COVID understaffing issues and this delayed the lodging by a few days. As usual, if you think your magazine is late, call Kym on 1800 228 244 and we’ll get the problem fixed.

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REGULAR FEATURES Grass sweetlip reef catches

Starlo’s: Trolling tips and tricks

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Grass sweetlip – the working man’s reef fish structure, like a wreck or reef edge, the outer fringes will hold the better-quality fish. However, we’re not usually looking for distinct drop-offs, ledges and hard reef when chasing sweetlip. Broken ground made up of scattered coral, rubble and shell grit provides an ideal habitat for the fish and crustaceans that make up

QUEENSLAND

John Loeskow

When people talk about reef fishing in Central and Southern Queensland, the focus usually turns to the glamour species. Red emperor, coral trout and nannygai are highly sought after by all anglers fishing the coral reefs from the Capricorn Coast down into Sunshine Coast waters. And rightly so – they look great, fight hard and are sensational on the plate. But there are a few other species that are available to fishos from

Rizza with a cracking sweetlip caught while targeting coral trout. are handled carefully and placed into a slurry of iced seawater when possible. WHERE THEY LIVE Grass sweetlip are found the entire length of the northern half of the Australian coastline, from Moreton Bay near the QLD/ NSW border to Exmouth in Western Australia. Generally speaking, the waters off Southern and Central Queensland seem to produce larger specimens than northern areas. For more consistent

Isaac with a double header that took up a nice spot in the esky.

The standard fish community that shows up on the underwater footage. Strangely sweetlip are rarely seen on the camera. the shallow reefs to the deeper offshore areas that are worthy targets. Redthroat sweetlip are highly prized for their firm white fillets, and yellow sweetlip (or spangled emperor) take a variety of lures and pull like freight

include a number of small to medium sized emperors and seabreams. Along with red throat, long-nosed and yellow sweetlip, grassies are among the larger and more often targeted representatives from this group of fish. Their brown

haven’t seen an undersize grassy in the areas we commonly fish, and the average size is usually between 35 and 45cm in length. Any fish over 50cm is a nice capture, and we have caught a handful of fish over 60cm. They have been reported to 70cm and over 5.5kg. The bigger fish offer great sport, with a fight not unlike a similar sized red emperor with lots of head shakes and hard lunging runs. They are a great eating fish, whether cooked whole or filleted, with white flesh that is suitable for a wide range of cooking styles. However, these fish tend to bruise easily so make sure they

Lorne with a proper sweetie that thought a live scad was too good to resist. results, you will need to focus your efforts on the middle grounds between the shallow reefs and the deeper offshore areas. In the region we fish off Bundaberg the preferred depth is in the 25-35m range with some form of bottom structure. If you are fishing prominent

the bulk of the sweetlip’s diet. In these areas sweetlip will operate as grazers, moving over fairly wide territories as they hunt for food. You can normally see this happening on the fishfinder as individual and small schools of fish move in and out of the transducer beam. This is probably the

A battered and bruised fish that was at the end of its days. trains when hooked close to structure. However, in this article we’ll take a look at the humble grass sweetlip and the techniques that will bring more fish to the boat. THE TARGET SPECIES Grass sweetlip (Lethrinus laticaudis) are a member of the Lethrinidae family that 8

SEPTEMBER 2022

reason why slowly drifting on the tide changes can produce productive fishing when things get a bit quiet. Covering a bit more ground is a great way to make sure you are presenting your bait or lure to actively feeding fish. One bonus about fishing for grass sweetlip is that they are a year-round

colouration is a little drab in comparison to other reef fish, but they do feature a group of brilliant blue lines surrounding the eye. While juvenile fish often inhabit coastal estuaries and inshore eel grass beds, the adult fish are more common in deeper water between 16-40m. We

Mad Mike with a quality fish caught in near glass-out conditions.

target. Looking at our trip data over the last few years, we’ve caught good numbers every month of the year. In saying that, we usually get better numbers of big fish in late autumn and late spring. They are willing to bite outside the peak times of dawn and dusk and seem more keyed in to tide changes and solunar bite times. Interestingly, during the bigger tides that occur around the new and full moon, the tide changes are far more important triggers for fish activity than moon above/below bite times. During the slacker neap tides with very little current, the minor and major times can be the only period that fish are willing to feed readily. WHAT’S ON THE MENU? Grass sweetlip have a pretty varied diet making them a candidate for a wide range of bait and lure fishing techniques. As far as bait fishing goes, we always make sure we have a range of different baits to suit the mood of the fish on any particular day. Providing the bait is fresh and presented effectively, it will get the attention of the fish. Squid and cuttlefish heads, whole small squid and small cuttlefish are good baits. The only downside of these is their strong appeal to pests like triggerfish and remoras, which often devour your offering before

it reaches the bottom. Flesh baits cut from whiptails, baldy bream, school mackerel and mac tuna are excellent, withstanding the attack from smaller pickers before a bigger fish can get a shot at the bait. We always try and catch at least one legal schoolie to use as bait throughout the day. Scad fillets and skeletons are also very appealing to the bigger models. When the pickers aren’t too bad, large prawns are a great choice if the bite is a bit slow. If you are particularly targeting the bigger models, live baits are a

preferred method. Pending availability mackerel scad are the first choice, but other small live baits will work quite well at times. It’s surprising how often a 40cm fish will scoff down even a big live scad. We’ve done a bit of lure fishing for grassies over the years and at times it can produce some exceptional fish. The neap tides and tide changes are definitely the best times to chase sweetlip on lures. I’ve had limited success with micro jigs but they can work reasonably well. Soft vibes and soft plastics are ideal

TOOLS OF THE TRADE No specialised gear required here! Light to medium threadline outfits are suitable for bait fishing, provided that have a nice, smooth drag. Lighter line in the 10-15kg class will stop most sweetlip, but the presence of other species, like coral trout and red

soft tip rod can help convert bites into hook-ups. I fish a Daiwa Saltiga LD 20H overhead reel on a Saltist Hyper Jig PE 4 rod and this rig has stopped some pretty impressive fish. During winter I sometimes swap to a Shimano Talica 8 on a Grappler Type J B 604, which is also ideal. These rods feel very light

A nice sweetlip caught on a Nomad Vertrex soft vibe. The iridescent stripes around the eye are quite unique.

This is pretty typical of the bottom structure fished for sweetlip. Broken fern, wire and soft corals with plenty of sand and rubble mixed in.

choices for anglers chasing these fish on artificials. In the shallower water where triggerfish aren’t as prevalent, soft plastics really shine. Using 4-5” jerk shads rigged on an appropriate jighead will get hit pretty hard on the drop, with most fish hooked in the bottom third of the water column. Prawn and squid imitations also work well. Soft vibes in the 80-100mm range are perfect for prospecting over likely areas. Nomad Vertrex and Samaki Vibelicious vibes have a great action on the drop and take minimal rod work to get them vibrating. Small subtle lifts close to the bottom produce the best results.

Blue Maori cod aren’t a common capture but Bruiser wasn’t complaining about catching this fella. emperor, make this choice far too sporting. We fish 20-25kg braid mainline with 2-3m of 30kg mono or fluorocarbon leader. At times the bite of a big sweetlip can be deceptively gentle, and this is where a

when you pick them up but their pulling power is unbelievable. When fishing live baits, heavier gear can be used as the bigger fish will hit the bait with gusto. In winter the fish To page 10

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will sometimes play with the bait before inhaling it so wait until the rod really starts to load up before striking. For lure fishing a medium threadline outfit is a good compromise that can fish lighter soft plastics while maintaining enough power to pull fish away from the bottom. For both live and dead baits we use the modified paternoster or Smithy rig. This setup looks a bit back to front but on the broken ground that we fish it is highly effective. The rig is made up of a short, twisted dropper loop around 30cm long with a 60-100cm leader running to the hook. Sinker size can be changed easily as the current changes and

the bait is presented just off the bottom. Bait size will dictate the hook setup that is used.

Smaller baits are fished on a single hook and for this a 4/0 or 5/0 Mustad Big Gun is pretty hard to beat.

feeding your bait back as it starts to lift up too far. We have even caught big sweetlip on unweighted baits fished out the back of the boat for mackerel, so it goes to show how much of the water column they are exploring to find food. WELCOME BY-CATCH When chasing sweetlip you can expect a wide variety of by-catch, and almost all of them are very worthwhile targets in their own right. Smaller baits will see a number of species including pink hussar, tuskfish and Moses perch coming to the boat. Larger

A big late afternoon sweetlip that beat the sharks back to the boat.

Late spring and summer coincide with the storm season. Make sure you keep an eye on the weather.

Larger cut baits, whole squid and skeletons work best with two snelled 5/0 hooks or a swivel ganged three hook rig. For live baits we use a snelled rig with an 8/0 Octopus hook on the front and a 6/0 Mustad Big Gun as the rear hook. Additionally, when the current is minimal a simple running ball sinker rig can be deadly for hooking fish that are just mouthing the bait before committing. Use just enough lead to hold the bottom and keep

Bigger sweetlip will happily take live and dead baits if presented suitably. cut baits and live baits open up the spectrum to include the bigger demersal fish we all love to catch. Red

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Now that’s some by-catch! Azza with a massive red emperor that ate a strip of mackerel flesh intended for smaller demersal species. It’s better to be lucky than good!

emperor and coral trout are very partial to the same live baits that sweetlip like to hunt, and I haven’t seen

anyone complain about catching one of these. Other species that show up from time to time are Māori cod, blue Māori, nannygai, gold spot estuary cod and cobia. When the postcard fish are conspicuous by their absence, we’ve come to rely on catching a feed of grassies to ensure a nice feed of fish making it to the esky to provide some firstclass fillets for the table. Hopefully some of the information in this article can help you do the same. For more information check out some of the action on the Whiplash Fishing YouTube channel.

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Trolling tips and tricks NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.fishotopia.com

Trailing a couple of lures behind a moving boat can be a great way to find and catch fish, especially

colours, actions and running depths to help work out what’s producing best on the day. Obviously, you’ll be limited by factors like the number of people on board. Plus, you don’t want to be constantly crossing and tangling

turns. Using outriggers or downriggers also greatly helps to separate troll lines. Regardless of how many lines you troll, consider keeping one lure quite short in the wake — not far behind the main prop wash. It’s amazing

Trolling for trout in a cold, overcast weather at Lake Eucumbene. Fishing early and late in the day can often be extra productive.

A big trout taken on the troll comes to the net on Lake Jindabyne, in the Snowy Mountains of NSW. how often this ultra-short line will be the first one to get hit. That’s because your boat is effectively acting as

a giant ‘teaser’ to arouse the curiosity and interest of predatory fish. Equally as important as that short line in the spread can be a much longer one, set well behind all the others, back in what offshore fishers call the ‘shotgun’ position — usually straight down the centre of the wake. Some days, this longer line will account for a lot of your hits, especially if the fish are extra shy or spooky. Experiment with your boat speed, too. Not enough trollers vary their revs

Outriggers can really help to separate lines and lures in the spread.

The skipper monitors the sounder and GPS while another crew member scans the horizon for any signs of life. A third crew member should be watching those troll lines like a hawk! if you apply a little bit of extra effort and thought to the process. First up, a confession: Trolling of any sort is just about my least favourite form of fishing. That said, I also accept that towing lures behind a moving boat can be a very effective way to catch all sorts of fish: from trout to tuna. However, as with any style of fishing, there are many tips and tricks that can dramatically swing the odds of success in your favour and pump up your strike rate. For starters, it makes sense to troll more than one or two lines and lures, if you possibly can. Within reason, the more lures you have in the water, the greater your odds of success. Trolling multiple lines also allows you to mix up lure shapes, sizes, 12

SEPTEMBER 2022

your lines. But you can minimise that hassle by staggering the distances of the lures behind the boat, and making more gentle

Trolling for bluefin tuna and albacore off the bottom of Tasmania. Note how the brightly coloured line makes it easy to see exactly where the lure is, and helps to avoid crossovers.

The author with a school-sized southern bluefin tuna trolled up in Tasmanian waters.

throughout the day to see if a change of pace might trigger a strike. Making gentle turns or occasionally pulling the motor in and out of gear can also act as a ‘strike trigger’. Mix it up. Most important of all, have some sort of game plan for your trolling session. Don’t simply troll aimlessly about and hope that you might eventually cross paths with a hungry fish! Have a pre-determined course or track in mind. This might involve zig-zagging back and forth over a particular piece of sea bed, or circling around a feature such as a pinnacle or a FAD (fish aggregation device), or it

could be following a chosen depth contour or a certain water temperature gradient. In an estuary or freshwater scenario, it might mean thoroughly working back and forward several times through one particular river bend, or past and over one set of submerged snags, before moving on to the next likely spot. The moment you score a strike, punch a waypoint into your GPS plotter, or take a quick landmark, if you don’t have GPS. Later, troll back through that same waypoint several times from different directions. It’s amazing how often this trick will produce repeated hook-ups. My take-away message here is that trolling should never be a lazy, ‘set-andforget’ form of fishing. Good skippers and crews are constantly tweaking things — watching their spread of lures, lengthening and shortening lines, swapping out lures, adjusting boat speed and course… all while carefully scanning the horizon for birds, splashes, rippling bait schools or other potential signs of life. Stay active and be a hunter rather than sitting back and waiting for something to happen. Trolling is not only a lot less boring when it’s done this way, but you’ll also catch a lot more fish!

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OLD

No rush for new species THE TWEED

Leon McClymont

Spring has arrived, so long winter! As the water temperature starts to rise again, the target species will start to change for the anglers of the Tweed. However, don’t rush into to it too early there are some good winter species still to be had and it can be slow going fishing for those spring/summer species early in the mix.

we were out fishing one of the FADs when another boat was just constantly on the motor trying to remain in front of the FAD driving into the current while flicking lures or baits out the back just metres from the FAD. After watching this fellow struggle as we drifted by the FAD, he has then proceeded to motor a figure-of-eight around the FAD then motor straight over the top of our lines/baits. I had to restrain myself – I threw my hands into the air in disbelief and

will ensure not to spook the fish and leap frog each other giving each boat time and space to catch a feed. Starting well above the FAD is the best, this gives you time to get your baits ready and sneakily drift into the fishing zone and the fish will just focus on the drifting baits that are presented – not the revving engine that’s going to distract and spook them. If the skippers on the day are onto it, it will work in the angler’s favour giving everyone space to

This GT was caught by the author at Central Queensland while on a fishing trip.

Spanish mackerel were on the chew up north, even though the water temp was 19°C. Winter whiting are still on the chew and are in great numbers. They are a simple bread and butter species that all anglers can appreciate. Tailor are also still in good numbers along the beach gutters and estuaries. The top five greenback captures this season, that I know of, would be 66, 70, 78, 90cm and a whopping 96cm. Some real trophysized tailor in the mix. Snapper are on the chew from the 50 fathoms right into the headlands. A few good mates managed to pull half a dozen snapper landbased in one hour using the drone to drop baits out 200-250m. Pearlies, trag jew and tuskies have been found on the 36s in good numbers and there are still plenty of mahimahi hanging around the FADs. Speaking of the FADs and mahimahi, I thought it would be a good chance to bring up a technique some of the anglers of Tweed should adopt. Just recently 16

SEPTEMBER 2022

disgust. The skipper has then replied ,“You guys stopped right where I was going,” which I’m unsure how we did or how that is even a valid response, as fishing out there you drift through pretty quick so it’s not like you’re stopping in anyone’s spot. He then motored back over to just metres from the FAD and repeated his poorly thought-out technique (as I never saw him catch one). So what I’m getting at is the fish don’t like to be driven over and have the motor revving over their heads they will move down the chain or move on and not feed so neither of us are going to catch a feed. If you’re fishing the FAD and particularly with other boats around, pick your line, turn the motor off and drift down into the fishing zone. This will allow your baits to drift down and look natural, once past the zone then proceed to motor around the FAD leaving a 50m+ radius from the FAD. This

work. The fish will remain excited and keep feeding with the constant berley and bait in the water and less motor noise. I have fished commercially for mahimahi and they will just keep feeding if this technique is performed properly and you keep a good stream of berley up to the school. So hopefully that gentleman is reading this or any other angler that may perform like this on the water and gain something that will work for all on the water, we all need to be more courteous of each other on the water. There are plenty of amberjacks and kingfish being found on the 50 fathoms. They are eating just about anything, live baits, jigs, cut baits, squid and pilchards. As mentioned at the start of the issue, changing species

just yet can be a bad choice. September is probably the hardest month of the year to catch a mackerel here off the Tweed as the warm currents push this time of year. The islands just north of us, such as Fraser, Moreton and

the big barrels. Finding the good water, bait balls and birds are the keys to success when chasing big yellowfin. AFTA Fishing Expo just passed and it was a beauty. It was great to see so many new products and what treat

David McAndrew caught this mulloway off the beach on a cut bait.

Kobi Warlosz with his PB mulloway going 125cm and weighing 18kg.

Straddie direct the current carrying the warm water wide off the Tweed reefs and comes back in just south of Byron. Places like Wooli and Coffs will often see the first mackerel of the season caught down there before the Tweed anglers manage to capture one. Heading real wide, there has been some talk of big yellowfin out on Chincogan Canyons and up off the sea mounts off the Gold Coast, which is a bit earlier then normal so we could see an early start to the season on

the anglers will have testing some of the gear once they hit the shelves. The best part was seeing how much the companies/exhibitors were getting involved handing out free merchandise, stickers, lures, it was endless. And not just freebies, they had hands on activities for the kids, such as lure colouring comp and photo comps, tackle testing stations, and fishing simulators to test your arms on. So if you didn’t get down there this year, make sure you lock the date in for next year.

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Southern

OLD

Snapper run slows GOLD COAST

David Green

So far the waters off the Gold Coast have produced good quality snapper and mulloway throughout the winter months. The snapper season reopened on the 16 August. By September, the snapper run starts to slow down a bit as most of the fish have spawned and are returning to deeper water. The best spots in September have been on the 36 fathom line from the Tweed right through to the reefs north of Jumpinpin. Float lining with cut fish strips and pilchards have been very effective, and soft plastics have also caught some good fish. As well as snapper, there have been reasonable numbers of Venus tusk fish, Moses perch and pearl perch. Out wider on the 50 fathom line and beyond there have been good catches of pearl perch and snapper, with quite a few big amberjacks. The deeper reefs in around 120-150m have produced some monster pearl perch, along with bar cod. Deep dropping using electric reels has become increasingly popular off the Gold Coast, producing flame snapper, nannygai and bar cod in depths around 250m. Out in 400-600m blue-eye trevalla and Bass groper are common. If you are targeting flame snapper use small hooks about 3/0 in size and use a small sized bait. Squid works very well when deep dropping. In closer to shore the blocks, just north of the seaway, have been consistently producing good numbers of mulloway with most fish between 100 and

120cm in length. These four artificial reefs have been a great success and always hold big schools of yellowtail and slimy mackerel. You need quite heavy gear to pull the mulloway away from structure and it is common to get cut off. Cobia are another fish to target this month. Big live baits and large soft plastics are very effective and most of the close reefs on the 20 fathom line will hold cobia if there is plenty of bait around. They also hold on wrecks and the artificial reefs north of the Seaway hold cobia at times. Cobia like bigger baits, such as tailor, goatfish, big slimies and tarwhine. They are one of the toughest fighting fish in the ocean

can be very productive at times, particularly when the sauries and other winter baitfish are in numbers. A jet head style lure trolled in the shotgun position is a very good option this month as they work well on both yellowfin tuna and marlin. The water temperature on the shelf should be around 22ºC. Silver and blue or silver and black are good colours this month as sauries are the main baitfish this month. There are also often good numbers of striped marlin on both the 36 and 50 fathom lines this month. ESTUARIES AND RIVERS September is the best month of the year to chase flathead in Gold

between 36-70cm. In recent seasons fishing for flathead with surface lures in shallow water has become increasingly popular. Bent minnow patterns, the Lucky Craft Sammy and cup-faced poppers can all be productive. The surface strikes from a big flathead are quite exciting. Work the flats on a rising tide and make long casts before starting on a retrieve full of sweeping rod work so the lure rises and falls. As the water warms up a bit this month whiting become more active,

and a big one often takes more than an hour to land on light tackle. Out on the continental shelf, options include yellowfin tuna on the thousand fathom line, blue marlin and striped marlin. Lure trolling

Coast estuaries. The fish are constantly moving towards the river mouths and entrances this month and there will be plenty of boats out chasing them in preparation for the upcoming Flathead Classic. After

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on bigger fish like pike, tailer and mullet. Big live baits can be very effective. My mate Chris Metcalfe recently caught a 138cm mulloway on a soft plastic near the Jumpinpin entrance. The upcoming Flathead Classic is one of the biggest events on the fishing calendar and in preparation for the event everyone will be looking for their own private honey hole. A few good lures that have been producing well in recent times include ZMan Prawn Patters, the smallest Fish Trap in darker colours, and the ever-faithful

Yellowfin tuna are a popular catch out on the continental shelf.

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Get ready as the upcoming Flathead Classic is one of the biggest events on the fishing calendar.

Covid it will be great to get back to the venue so we can all mingle. After a lot of rain in autumn and winter, the flathead fishing this year has been excellent, with catches of over 40 fish per session being common. There has been plenty of bait in most of the Broadwater. This month deep jigging using soft vibes, large soft plastics and blades comes into its own, and the deeper channels around Jumpinpin and the Gold Coast Seaway should produce plenty of big fish up to 90cm in length. Sometimes a jig head up to 90g is required when the current is strong. The fish feed voraciously in preparation for spawning, and it is important to release the larger fish in good condition so they can get on with the job of reproducing. All the bigger flathead are females, and when spawning they are often surrounded by plenty of smaller males that commonly follow the hooked female fish. It is good to see that NSW regulations, after many years, have come into line with the Queensland flathead regulations. In NSW the bag limit is now five fish

September is the best month of the year to chase flathead in the Gold Coast estuaries. particularly in the Nerang River, and mulloway start to feed in the deeper sections of the estuary and are a common by-catch when deep jigging for flathead. At times fish over 120cm turn up in September and tend to feed

Micro Mullet. Overall, September is a good month to chase both snapper and flathead off the Gold Coast and there has also been some good gamefish action that may continue through this month.

SEPTEMBER 2022

Southern

OLD

Cleaner water pushing through JUMPINPIN

Bo Sawyer

The water quality has varied a lot recently, which has made for some interesting fishing sessions. The incoming tide has fished much better as the cleaner water has pushed through. While the outgoing, especially during bigger tides has

Google search. It was this time last year I was fishing with Ryan (the captain) and he pulled in five 80cm+ fish in about half an hour. The fish are going to be very fat this season and I expect some absolute monsters to be caught. The tailor fishing has still been solid as well. I’ve seen plenty of schools working on whitebait anywhere from the Pin bar

Lachlan from team F.L.A.P. with a horse flathead. season for mulloway and I’ve found September to fish really well for them in the past. I love live baiting

hours to locate the fish. They can be hit and miss at times but it’s definitely rewarding. Kalinga Bank,

Lauren with a solid flathead caught in Whalleys Gutter.

Capn’s Charters has been landing plenty of quality fish. brought the dirty water along with it. September is a great month to start targeting those big flatties out deep! As the month goes on, expect the numbers to increase along Kalinga Bank, the bar and Crusoe Island. Fishing with pillies along the deep edges or working soft plastics and vibes are your best bet. If you’d like to learn how to fish the deep then contact Capn’s Charters on Facebook or with a quick

up to Gold Bank on the shallows. There have even been a few caught further up the system as well on the incoming tide. Try using pillies or whitebait otherwise just about any lure will get hit when they’re in a feeding frenzy. My preference is small Halco Spinners but they are not overly picky. Some cracking mulloway have made their way to the boat as well. It’s been a pretty good

Jaryd from Caught on Fishing with a nice mulloway caught on a soft plastic.

smaller 2-3.5” lures and bait. Mullet strips, white bait, cut pillies are great, and also yabbies if you are fishing shallower. Don’t forget that light leader will get you way more bites when lure fishing for them. For fishos who enjoy comps don’t forget to check out the Flathead Classic that is running later in the month and also the bream challenge at reelitin.com.au. If you’ve ever considered entering a comp I highly recommend it, you’ll have a ton of fun and it’ll make you a better angler. All it takes sometimes is just that one fish to swim past your bait and you could be taking home first prize. Well that’s it for me this month everyone, stay safe out there and get

for them with 6-7” mullet or flicking 5-6” plastics or soft vibes. If you’re lure fishing you’ve got to put in a lot of sounding

Sean and Andy caught a great feed of tailor and flathead.

Mick with a stonker mulloway in the Jacobs Well area. 22

SEPTEMBER 2022

Pin bar, powerlines and deeper holes throughout the system will continue to fish well for them. There’s been plenty of

quality bream around bait balls along Kalinga Bank and Crusoe. They’ve been hitting my bigger flatty lures but your best bet is using

stuck into it. • Don’t forget to jump in and see Brett at Jacobs Well Tackle for any fresh bait you need.

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Southern

OLD

Flatty Classic coming up SOUTHERN BAY

Nick Whyte

Flathead is the word on everyone’s lips. There’s been plenty of flathead around last month and September won’t be any different! Leading up to the Gold Coast Flathead Classic there will also be heaps of boats out on the water chasing them. Lures, plastics or baits, it doesn’t matter as long as you have one in the water you should see some activity. There are plenty of fish around the mouth of the Logan River, Jacobs well channel, Pandanas Island, along the eastern side of Garden Island and the weedy edges along the Rainbow Channel. These fish are all on the move for their annual spawning run. Fish

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will move into the deeper water around the river mouths and bar entrances sometime during the next month. It’s the time of year when a lot of oversized fish are caught, and these fish are our breeders, so please take care when handling. Use fish friendly nets, keep them off hot dry carpet, and support their body weight when taking photos. Mulloway once again this month will be prevalent. With September being one of my favourite months to chase them in the bay and Jumpinpin areas. Work the bigger tides around the moons. More water flow will get the fish hungrier around the tide changes. Try and work the current lines down the Pin and find those isolated structures or reef points in the bay. Bait is a big bonus, also live baits have been accounting for

the larger models with some good fish around the 110cm bracket been reported on plastics. Snapper have been in good numbers the last couple of months and should continue over the next. Trolling hardbodies is a great way to target these fish at the moment. Lures like the Zerek Tango Shad 89 have been doing really well for me at the moment. The deeper water in the bay around Harry’s and the Peel artificial reef balls have been producing the better quality fish with the reef edges around Peel,

they are feeding is more important. Hairtail are a species that are not usually encountered by too many anglers as their teeth are super sharp and cut line off before they know what they have hooked. There are some really good numbers of these crazy fish down around all the deeper water throughout the Pin area. Steel trace is a requirement with these guys. They love to take a lure as well and are meant to be quality eating. There are lots of tailor getting around with truckloads of choppers

cup-faced poppers in the 100mm range will attract the larger fish. Working the edges and flats of the shallow reefs are the best starting points. South West rocks, hole in the wall and the spit beacon at Peel are all worth a look, as well as Green and Mud islands. Winter whiting are still around in good numbers at the moment, with the best reports from the flats in the Rous Channel. There are still a lot of fish on the Pelican Banks as well. Fresh worms will make a massive difference to your catch rate so make the effort to

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Mud, Green and Macleay producing the numbers. Just remember you don’t have to run big lures to catch big fish when it comes to snapper in the bay. The 3” lures account for more than their share of big fish and I think matching the bait size

inside the Pin bar, especially on the top of the tide. There have been some better quality coming from the beaches of Moreton, North and South Straddy around the Central Bay islands and are a great target on larger top waters poppers. I find

dig your own or make sure you’re buying fresh. If you have a great capture from the Southern Bay you would like to share email them through to nick@techfishing.com.au Till next month Tech-it-easy.

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Southern

OLD

Back to normal for the bay BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

Wi t h warming temperatures during the coming weeks, September promises some varied fishing for those venturing out on the water. With the snapper closure over, fishing routines will be back to normal for most in Moreton Bay. Pelagic numbers will be increasing and there will still be numbers or squid and cuttlefish about. Crabbing will be improving as water temperatures rise and a great mix of demersal and pelagic species will be on offer. Let’s look at more of your Moreton Bay options.

SCHOOL MACKEREL Numbers of these tasty speedsters will be increasing over the coming month, especially in the major channel systems. The Rous, Rainbow, Kianga and Pearl channels are all viable options over the coming weeks. Mackerel are often in considerable numbers in these areas and getting a full bag limit of ten fish over 50cm can often be fairly easy. As the tide starts to rise, the schoolies will roam through these channels until the water rises and they can proceed onto the adjacent bank’s areas to feed. As the tide starts to fall, the school mackerel will again move into the channels, often patrolling the edges awaiting the baitfish, cephalopods

and other morsels that are forced from the flats by the receding waters. Catching these fish is often easy and can be achieved with both baits and lures. Drifting the channels with a gang-hook rigged pilchard aft is a fun way to score a few schoolies and allows you to fish fairly light line. Small, deep diving minnow lures can be trolled on light line to entice a few strikes. More commonly, anglers troll spoon lures behind paravanes for good results on school mackerel and other species. The paravane is responsible for getting the lure down into the strike zone and is usually deployed 20-30m behind the boat. The spoon is a further 4-5m

With warmer water temperatures, pelagics such as school mackerel will be readily caught. This one ate a Kimberley spoon trolled behind a paravane.

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behind the paravane and a swivel (preferably ball bearing) is essential in front of the spoon to eliminate twist with the rapidly spinning lure. This rig is generally trolled at speeds between 4-6 knots and can be set up on a 40-60lb handline or a heavy (minimum 30lb) rod and reel outfit. Once a strike is received, the paravane will flip over and plane towards the surface. Common spoons to use include the Halco No.3 and No.4 Barra Drone and Kimberley Spoon and the Macka Spoons. I have also used the Aussie made 35g and 50g Flasha Lures with success. The various beacons scattered throughout the central and northern bay will also hold decent numbers of fish at times during September. These can be fished by dropping pilchards adjacent to the structures and then drifting away, or by vertically spinning with chromed slugs and slices. Once the lure is allowed to sink close to the bottom adjacent to the structure, it is then wound back to the surface flat out. You cannot wind too fast. If the mackerel are following yet not striking then you are not winding fast enough. The occasional bout of surface activity may be found, however it is more common that the mackerel will be located deeper in the water column in the channels, around the artificial reefs and the bay island surrounds. A couple of mackerel will guarantee a tasty feed so having a pilchard drifting aft whilst fishing any of these spots can be well worthwhile. SNAPPER After the snapper closure finished mid-August many anglers were back out targeting their favoured table fare and sportfish. Both the quantity and quality of snapper encountered this year has been excellent, mainly due to regular rains, which have flushed valuable nutrients into the system. This has not only promoted healthy baitfish and crustacean numbers but has also decreased water clarity resulting in larger fish feeling comfortable to enter and feed in the shallower bay waters. Anglers have achieved great results around the artificial reefs, bay island margins, lower reaches of the Brisbane River and the numerous wrecks and other structures scattered throughout Moreton Bay. Although there has been numerous 80cm+ specimens caught, it is the number of 40-60cm snapper that has been surprising. These are a great eating sized fish and

Chris with a trophy class mulloway taken while casting lures near Mud Island. are less wary than the larger specimens in general. I prefer to eat mulloway than snapper but they remain one of the more desirable table fish for many. The artificial reefs provide anglers with plenty of opportunity to score a few quality specimens, however, like many spots they can shut down with excessive boat traffic. The Harry Atkinson, Coochiemudlo, Peel, Curtin and Bill Turner artificials are all great places to score snapper and numerous other species. For anglers into lure fishing, these depths provide opportunity to use soft vibes, numerous soft plastics, blades, micro jigs and even trolled minnow lures. Any quality baits will entice snapper including pilchards, fillet baits, large banana prawns, slimey mackerel, yakkas, herring and pike. These baits are best fished lightly weighted and with hooks well hidden with just the points proud. Quality snapper fishing should be experienced for several months yet so you have plenty of opportunity to get amongst them. CEPHALOPODS Although water temperatures are starting to rise, there will still be plenty of quality tiger and arrow squid to be caught. If water clarity is good inshore (not too much rain) then the foreshore areas will still hold squid for the land-based fraternity to chase. Further out in the bay, the shallows around the bay islands, weed beds north of Tangalooma, the discoloured edges in the upper Rous Channel and other locations where clean water flows over weed beds, reef, rock or rubble are likely to produce. Even in the middle of the main channel squid can often

be found, especially arrows. Casting egi in shallow areas and working them back to the boat in a series of hops or a stop and start retrieve will usually work well. In deeper areas, drifting an egi or baited skewer under a float, even whilst targeting other species, will produce a few squid, especially big tigers. The deeper channel running from the Ormiston area to the front of Green Island is a good bet for a few cuttlefish. This area is best drifted with egi, however you will need to add weight or present them on a paternoster rig to get them close to the bottom. This same presentation will work in areas such as the outer edge of the Harry Atkinson and also the area where the Small Ships Channel meets the western end of the Rous Channel. FLATHEAD September is a great month for anglers to target flathead, especially duskies that are congregating in the estuaries getting ready to breed. Commonly one large female is surrounded by several smaller males, who are all biding to be the chosen one. Commonly several fish can be taken in a small area with consecutive casts. If you are trolling and hook a fish then a second, third or fourth pass over the same ground is advisable as it is highly likely that several others will be in attendance. Understanding a flathead’s movements will greatly increase your catch rate. On the lower stages of the tide flathead will reside in and move through the channels. As the tide rises, they will take up spots along the edges of the channels and then move up onto the flats once the water level is

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sufficient. The smaller fish will go up first and then the larger specimens. They will feed on tops of the flats and in the shallows for quite some time, often taking up ambush spots in small gutters, recesses and drains. As the tide begins to fall, they will again move to the edges of the bank, to await the baitfish, crustaceans and other morsels that will be forced from the flats with the receding tide. The larger fish commonly take up the best ambush spots but there will also be plenty of smaller specimens in the general vicinity. This stage of the tide offers the easiest fishing for those casting or trolling lures. Working your way along the edge of a bank either assisted by wind and tidal flow, or an electric motor, whilst casting lures such as soft vibes, blades, minnow lures or soft plastics (curl tails, paddle tails, crustacean profiles and many others will work) is a great way to effectively cover this zone. An electric motor with spot-lock will allow you to hold in an area and present numerous casts after an initial flathead is located. Trolling can be done under power of electric motor or petrol outboard and allows you to cover a good distance.

Small, brightly coloured minnow lures are ideal and will stand out in the often murky water flowing off the flats. Lures that dive deep enough to occasionally bang and rattle across the bottom, stirring up puffs of mud, silt and sand are ideal choices. As banks are sloped, a shallower diver is often used closest to the bank and a deeper diver worked from the boat on the other side where there is greater depth. A browse around a good tackle store will quickly

reveal several good lures for this pursuit. The main type of flathead encountered in the estuary is the dusky however fringe-eye, tiger and bar-tailed species are also encountered. Dusky flathead have a size slot between 40cm and 75cm with a maximum of five per person in possession. There should be plenty of flathead around in the estuaries, creeks, rivers and bay shallows for a few months although they are a species that can be

caught all year round. BRISBANE RIVER As the warmer weather becomes noticeable, anglers will see better numbers of threadfin salmon in the lower reaches of the Brisbane River. These will often school in good numbers and are quite obvious to those with decent electronics and a good knowledge of their workings. However, getting them to bite is not always easy and several lure and retrieve changes will often be necessary. Even then they

Mark scored this quality flathead while casting a Samaki Thumpertail and hopping it across the bottom.

will often be elusive. Some resort to live baits to get the bites however it is sometimes just a tidal stage issue. As the current slows before the change or increases just after the change the switch will flick and rods will bend. Often several fish can be caught in a session. Whilst there is nothing wrong with taking one or two for a feed careful handling will help to guarantee that released fish actually survive. Removing hooks whilst they are still in the water and using line heavy enough to allow you to subdue them quickly is advisable. Good lures for threadfin will include soft vibes, blades, silent hard vibes, micro jigs and numerous soft plastics. Live baits of herring, mullet, banana prawns, pike and biddies will all get the bites when fished lightly weighted and close to the bottom along the declines into the main river basin, the fronts of jetties and deeper holes. There has been decent numbers of snapper caught in the Brisbane River in recent months with specimens to over 80cm recorded. Many of these have been taken by anglers targeting threadfin and mulloway. Some specifically target them along the retaining wall at the mouth, Caltex Reach, Clara’s Rocks and the rock walls

where the tugs tie up at the northern end of Boat Passage. Casting small blades and soft plastics around the pylons and eddies along the rock walls and other structures will likely reward with bream, cod and snapper. Working the bottom close to the structures will also produce a few flathead. Better numbers of flathead will be taken on the flats at the mouth of Boggy Creek, the mud ledge leading away from the sewerage shoot and the sandy bank near the Pinkenba Boat ramp. The land-based anglers will often score on the northern side of the Boat Passage bridge. CONCLUSION With so many piscatorial options, anglers will often have a hard time deciding where to go or what to target on any given day during September. The warmer conditions and longer days will also make a trip out enjoyable. Higher water temperatures will see pelagic activity flourish and there will be a good chance of scoring bonito, mac tuna, school mackerel or perhaps even a longtail or cobia. Crabs, squid and cuttlefish will be on the menu and there may even a be a few prawns to be taken for those doing night sessions in the Brisbane River. September has plenty to offer so get out there.

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Flathead freshen up NORTHERN BAY

Tackle World Lawnton

As we start to move into spring, anglers can look forward to dusting off their warm weather tackle and get back into the swing of our favourite summer weather species.

around the mouth of the Pine and Caboolture rivers are both prime areas to hunt down a feed of flatty tails. Soft plastics hopped in close contact to the bottom or a hardbody lure, either trolled or cast over the flats prove to be an ever effective technique. If you find yourself in

There has been some great flathead fishing over the last couple of months. Our usual winter species are starting to move on but not without a few fantastic end of season captures. Mid last month saw the end of the snapper closure with plenty of keen anglers taking to the water and pulling in some great catches. The artificial reefs in the bay, as well as the Redcliffe/ Scarborough area, have been productive as it’s been one of the better snapper seasons we have seen for a while. We are still seeing tailor popping up along the Redcliffe Peninsular and throughout the Bribie Passage. This should continue to the end of this month before moving on until next year. RIVERS This is arguably the time of year flathead fishers get the most excited about. Flathead will be making their way towards the mouths of our systems in preparation to breed later in the spring. This time of year we often see big numbers of flathead captures, along with a lot more of the bigger 70cm+ girls making an appearance. The flats and drop off 28

SEPTEMBER 2022

an area on a hot bite of smaller flathead, you can expect a big girl to be not far behind. Racking up scores on the little ones will eventually have your lure

in the sights of a larger model. But if it’s a true croc you are after, upsizing lure to a Glide bait or larger soft plastic presentation will wean out the smaller fish. With the water warming up towards the end of this month, we can start to see the elusive mangrove jack back on the cards again. These fish test the abilities of all anglers alike but the reward is second to none when you see red break the surface. While it’s still a bit cold expect jacks to be a bit sluggish, so a slab bait or well-presented prawn imitation will likely be your best chance of enticing a bite. Always remember with jack fishing: If you aren’t snagging, you aren’t bragging! FRESHWATER While it’s definitely been a slow winter on the freshwater scene, we hope to see a bit more action with the weather warming up. The warmth should help the dams to equalise and get back to normal after ‘rolling over’ due to the large quantity of rain we received earlier this year. The excitement this time of year for the fresh is not only the return of edge fishing in the impoundments but also the reopening of bass fishing in tidal waterways as of 1 September. After both Lake Samsonvale and Lake Kurwongbah spilling a tremendous amount of water earlier in the year, our local creeks are stocked with the healthiest supply of bass we have seen for a long time. The afternoon bite is going to be more productive earlier in the month until

Snapper fishing will be a great option in September! we see a bit more constant warmth bringing a morning bite into play as well. Fishing shadowed overhangs and other ambush points are going to be the most effective with smaller profile lures along the lines of 2.5” ZMan Slim SwimZ, Jackall Chubbies and Nokie Tiny Kaishins. In low light periods it’s not uncommon to experience an unreal surface bite in these same areas with small popper and cicada style lures. BAY While the snapper season is slowing down, it’s most definitely not over with a few location and technique changes still providing catches right through the warmer months. Moving to slightly deeper water that we would typically fish throughout the winter and even to

larger area of structure, will still see some great catches coming in. The deeper rubble off Mud Island in the 6-10m mark as well as the artificial reefs in the bay will be fantastic areas to try. Floating a lightly or

along the beacons in the shipping channel. Small 20-30g slugs and 3-4” soft plastics sunk down and burnt past the markers are effective techniques to put fish in the boat. Don’t hang around at a marker for too long! If you aren’t seeing

Mitch with a decent late winter jack. These will become common as the weather warms up.

Franky Gilligan with a nice schooled bass.

unweighted pilchard or flesh bait is always effective. Soft plastics and deeper trolled hardbodies also produce great captures. The warmer months do see a lot more by-catch while snapper fishing, with plenty of them being tasty critters along the lines of grass sweetlips, tusk fish and even a few of the smaller mackerel species. Speaking of mackerel, while it is still early it’s the time to start keeping an eye out for school mackerel

bait or fish after the first 2-3 drifts, keep moving. • 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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Steady river fishing NOOSA

Peter Wells

The Noosa River has really turned it on over winter with plenty of quality fish being caught, however with all the rains it has made conditions a little trying. Good trevally has been on the chew with some big GTs, golden trevally, cale cale

lighter the better. September usually means the start of the jack season, that is to say that they tend to feed more actively as the waters start to warm. Mangrove jack are in good numbers in the Noosa River with the area between the lakes the prime hunting grounds. This area is tree-lined, has some great rock bars and some

Ava out fished her dad picking up this very nice sweetlip from around the Gneerings. trevally and arm stretching diamond trevally all making their presence felt. Fishing around the current lines on the incoming tides near the river mouth and around the point in Woods Bay has been very productive. Lightly weighted live herring or even half a pilchard or unweighted prawns have all accounted for plenty of fish. For the lure anglers, slow hopped jigs fished through the deeper parts of the river has been very effective. This method really comes into its own, especially when fishing during daylight periods or when the river is busy with all the boat traffic that a sunny day on the Noosa River will attract. Now the trick is to hop the lure from the bottom with a slow roll these fish will usually pick them up on the drop. Some of the better lures ate the Jigpara Range for the lighter setups and the Gomoku Trick Metals for the heavier set ups. Of course, if the fish are very active, a cast and fast retrieve is your best approach. If you are into plastics, then anything in a prawn profile slow rolled will work well. Long fluorocarbon leaders of at least a rod length are essential for daytime sessions and the 30

SEPTEMBER 2022

big snags all ideal habitat for jacks. Suspending lures cast deep into the snags is the best approach at this time of the year. The best colour we have found have been predominantly red and suspending style lure seem to work the best keeping the lure in the fish’s face for longer. If you just want to put fish in the boat, then a live herring or poddy mullet will

get gobbled up quick in the right circumstances. Flathead are on the chew at this time of the year as well. This is the time of the year when these fish tend to nest up so often you will find groups of younger males hanging around a larger female. Please remember size and bag limits with these fish as there are plenty of quality fish to go around. Some great spots to try are around the shallow near the Tewantin boat ramp, the drop offs near Makepeace Island and opposite the sailing club. The Gympie terrace stretch has been great for families with younger children, the protected water are teeming with smaller whiting, bream and flathead which is great fun for the kids. Best tip here is to use light gear and small hooks with baits like prawns, worms or squid. To the south, the Maroochy River has had its fair share of big trevally, along with tailor and flathead. Fishing under the bridges with surface poppers and small metal slugs is the way to go here. The river mouth has seen bigger bream, whiting and the odd queenfish. Along the beaches those big schools of tailor have been more offshore making it frustrating for our local beach anglers, those with drones have spotted the schools just out of reach for even the best beach caster. To get into the tailor you will have to make you way north and hit the Noosa North Shore and head up to the area just to the south of Double Island. It seems that the migration route sees the fish come in around here before moving up to Fraser Island. Anglers in this area have reported some quality greenbacks just on dawn and again at dusk and this has been even better with the high tide.

Rowan got slammed by this solid queenfish in the Maroochy River. The number of mulloway that have been caught off the beach this year has also been down on previous years. This may be due to the fact that baitfish along the coast have been a little scarce. Best time to try is around the new moon using strip bait of mullet or fresh tailor. For the rock hoppers there have been some big sea bream taken around Yaroomba, while Noosa National Park has been a hotspot for juvenile snapper and sweetlip. The offshore reefs are really firing with bigger snapper now settled in and most of the bigger reefs are producing good fish. The reefs off Double Island have been worth the trip with plenty of species from the deeper reefs. Big snapper, pearl perch, cobia, red emperor, mulloway, cod, and some solid cobia have all been boated. Those that were still looking for mackerel were not disappointed

with some good Spanish and tuna still in the area. Unfortunately the sharks continue to be a problem with a lot of anglers loosing quality fish to the taxman in the grey suite. North Reef has been popular with snapper anglers; this reef is a great

plastics’ anglers have had some great results here with pinks and white jerk shad style lures seeming to be the better performers. A run over to Halls Reef in spring is always worth a look as the tuna usually show up here first along with the big schools of pilchards.

Cooper picked up this very pretty diamond trevally on a Jigpara jig.

Young Theo with a decent tailor from the Noosa River taken on a plastic.

place to set up a good berley trail. Having a berley pot hanging off the anchor rope with a frozen berley log and then further enhancing the trail with cut pilchard dropped at regular intervals has been very effective. Fishing a pilchard floater through the trail should see you with some good results. Sunshine Reef has been worth a look with plenty of juvenile snapper, sweetlip and coral trout on offer. Soft

Snapper and sweetlip will be on the bite at Little Halls and it is always worth having a bit of a troll around here as the sun gets up with tuna and mackerel on the prowl. • 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 and Northshore Bait & Tackle at Marcoola can provide you with the right equipment, bait and advice to ensure success!

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Tight lines for women in rec fishing Melinda had a great day out and hooked this flatty! Melinda is a proud leader of the Women in Recreational Fishing Leadership Program, and a member of the Women in Recreational Fishing Network Qld Facebook group.

Melinda, member of the Women in Recreational Fishing Network Qld Facebook group and participant in the Women in Recreational Fishing Leadership Program

The network has been established as a place for women to pick up handy fishing tips, share and trawl through impressive catch pics, and hook into leadership opportunities and events for women in fishing.

While the group is primarily for women living in Queensland, you are welcome to join the discussion if you’re from another part of the world too. Search Facebook for ‘Women in Recreational Fishing Network Qld’ to find out more.

Women in recreational fishing network

In the field Meet Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol’s (QBFP) new Yeppoon Field Officer, Lacie.

“Yeppoon is a great place, and I work in several different waterways from fresh water, rivers and, of course, the reef.

Lacie worked as a machinery operator before completing her degree in Environmental Science and taking up her role with the QBFP, and is enjoying the change.

“I love working on the water and meeting different people enjoying fishing, crabbing, or just having a day out on their boat,” Lacie said.

Moving from regional New South Wales to Yeppoon was a big step but has been worth it. Lacie measuring someone’s catch

Download the free ‘Qld Fishing 2.0’ app from the App Store or Google Play DAF1758 08/2022

Stock status at your fingertips The Qld Fishing 2.0 app is a great way to keep up to date with the fishing rules and now you can use it to check the stock status of our most popular species, including coral trout, barramundi, mud crab, red emperor and many others. With almost 50 000 subscribers, the Qld Fishing 2.0 app provides you with all the information you need to know when you wet a line. This is another way we’re making it easier for you to get the latest information as part of our Sustainable Fisheries Strategy. Download the ‘Qld Fishing 2.0’ app from the App Store or Google Play.

Invested in freshwater stocks Recreational fishing in Queensland’s stocked dams and weirs has netted $300 000 in targeted grants to support the Queensland’s Stocked Impoundment Permit Scheme (SIPS). Grant funds have been allocated to a fantastic network of volunteer community stocking groups to restock 43 southern Queensland SIPS impoundments. These impoundments suffered significant fish stock losses in this year’s rainfall events. $100 000 of grant funds will also be used by the Freshwater Fishing and Stocking Association of Queensland Inc. to deliver a pilot, small-scale tagged fishing competition in the Central and North Queensland regional areas. Competition information to come! 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’.

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Sharks take a back seat BUNDABERG

Luke Truant

We have had a few good weather windows over the past month or so, and the fishing has been amazing, just as you would expect for this time of year.

Live baits have been the standout winner again over the past month, primarily yellowtail scad. At this time of year, the livies are easy to find – you can literally see schools of them feeding on the surface. The surfacefeeding schools are harder to target because they tend to

This 80cm bar-cheek trout couldn’t resist a well-presented yellowtail scad. Like last month, the sharks have thankfully still given us a fair reprieve. While they have still been around, they have been taking only a few fish a day. Interestingly, the fish that we’ve caught have been either really shallow (less than 20m) or over 40m. Both depths have been yielding good results. There are fewer middlesize species around (e.g. sweetlip, large hussar, tuskfish) than you might expect for this time of year. However, the extra-large reds and coral trout have more than made up for it. When you catch a 10kg red or an 8kg trout, you don’t spare a thought for your lack of hussar!

move away from your boat, but nearby there’ll often be another school hanging down on a bit of rubble, and these sub-surface schools are less likely to move. They’re the easy targets. There’s the odd bigger 20cm+ scad amongst the smaller ones, and you shouldn’t assume that 20cm is too big to catch fish. It’s not too big by any stretch. The trout have been in the shallows in good numbers, and they have been biting well. We’ve been focussing most of our efforts up in the shallower flat sections, fishing individual bommies/coral heads (the drop-off areas have not been as productive lately). You’ll find that a Spotlock

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electric or good anchoring skills will pay dividends. Reds are still in the deep water, and interestingly they’re becoming really scattered. For this reason, I have been sounding off fringing areas of reef in 40m+ looking for small shows – just a couple of pixels of colour on top of sand. Live baits have been doing most of the damage, although drifting hasn’t been as effective as anchoring. When you’re anchored up in a place like this, bear mind that you’ll often need to catch a couple of picker fish first (e.g. hussar, iodine bream, whiptail etc), before you catch a big red fish. The pickers can be helpful, as they create a commotion that gets the big fish’s attention, and fires them up. After you first drop down, if you haven’t gotten any bites from pickers in five minutes, I recommend moving to a different spot. If you do start catching reds but they’re only small, don’t give up. Just because you’re catching small reds doesn’t mean there’s not a monster amongst them. On some days you may catch over a dozen smaller reds in a particular spot before you get a fish over 10kg. Although most of our fish have been coming on live baits, we always send down at least one dead bait, to cover all bases and create a bit of smell in the water. Ideally, you want your dead bait to be a ‘hard bait’ (firm bait), i.e. a flesh bait that is hard for the fish to get off, rather than a soft bait like a pilchard. The reason for this is that your bait needs to withstand the pickers for long enough for a big fish to find it. To illustrate how durable these flesh baits are, a client recently pulled up three hussar simultaneously on a single hook (a 7/0 Elkat). Two of the hussar were hooked in the mouth, and the third was foul hooked, and all were legal size. If you’re using a hard bait and you’re getting little picks, don’t strike unless you’re content to catch smaller fish. If you want a larger fish, just ignore the picks and leave your line alone, or feed a bit more out. Large fish don’t want to see jumpy baits or swinging

sinkers, both of which look strange and unnatural. Eventually your tough bait will probably get whittled down to a flap of skin, stubbornly clinging to the hook, resisting your efforts to remove it. At this point you may be tempted to just leave it there and put another bait over the top, but I’d advise against this. In my experience, old skin sitting next to a fresh bait catches fewer big fish. So, get the knife out, cut off the old skin, and get back to fishing. The estuaries have been fishing really poorly, particularly the Burnett. At the time of writing, it’s only just finishing another round of freshwater flow, which I

Chris was happy with this nice tuskfish. believe makes it six times flooding so far this year. By the time you read this, the fishing should be going back to normal and it definitely will make the fishing in late spring really good. In the meantime, while the fresh is flowing it keeps the fish out of the river, as they retreat to the mouth to escape the dirty freshwater. Normally you’d fish for bass up the top of the river, but good numbers of bass have been showing up in the salt, out to 8nm. There have also been some big specimens in the mix, up to 60cm. If you catch bass in the salt they are very good to eat, with gorgeous white flesh – very different from the taste of freshwater bass. Pound for pound they’re a great fighting fish, as good as any fish you’ll find. We generally get them as a bycatch for jacks. Like

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Two fish in two drops on a livie session.

Cod are always on the cards.

jacks, bass can be voracious predators; at times they’ll eat just about anything, especially large baits and live baits. Mangrove jack fishing won’t really kick in until around October-November, but you can still catch them this month. You can try targeting them at night with live baits fished near rock walls or near heavy snaggy structure. The bigger the structure, the greater chance it has of holding multiple fish. The flathead season which is upon us will be epic, and concentrated around the river mouths. I would target the areas in the little eddies close to shore, near the river mouths. A good way to target flatties is with a sprat that’s rigged like a live bait (hook inserted under the chin and up through the top) on a running pea sinker rig. Work it with a slow retrieve for best results. Alternatively, you can do well using 3-4” grub-tail plastics worked slowly, interspersed with pauses. Hop it along the bottom in small movements – a maximum 30cm per hop – and stop it on the bottom between bounces. The flathead will usually bite while the lure is paused. Surprisingly, some rivers have continued to produce crabs through winter. It has since died down a bit, but there are still some really good crabs showing up, probably due to the freshwater flows in the river. The Skyringville area is one such spot that has

still been crabbing well still. If you want to catch a few crabs this month, try dropping your pots in at the mouth or, if it’s a larger creek, in a back eddy. Spanish mackerel are still being caught in close to the coast, in extra-large sizes (up to 36kg). They have been mostly taking live baits. Don’t be scared to use an XOS live bait – a 50cm livie is a good size for tempting a large Spaniard. SEPTEMBER FISHING September is tied with October as the worst time of year weather-wise, so you need to take full advantage of any weather window that presents itself. On the plus side, the sharks locally tend to be quieter at this time of year, before they ramp up again in October/November. When they come back in force, anglers fishing in the deep for large fish often experience disappointment on the way up. We are nearing the tail end of the live bait season locally, but there will still be live baits available in the coming weeks. These, along with butterflied dead live baits, should catch plenty of good fish this month. When it comes to areas to target in September, I recommend targeting the 35-45m areas for reds and trout. The trout will still be up in the shallows too, but if you want a bigger class of fish (up to 80cm+), your best bet is that deeper water. • 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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SEPTEMBER 2022

Central

OLD

Barra will start to fire MACKAY

Cameron Christian

September usually brings the onset of warmer conditions, north-northeast winds, and plenty of small baitfish inshore. The winter visitors, like snapper, tend to taper off through the month while barra will really begin to fire up in both the salt and freshwater.

be avoided by approaching downwind and casting lures as far as possible, hence spin outfits with heavy slugs are often required. Tuna can be especially skittish and should be approached using electric motors. Finally, it is important to learn to identify the different species and their legal lengths when targeting mackerel and tuna and always take care of the catch as soon as it is caught.

breaks from the run, where bait is schooling or where they can ambush bait. Meanwhile, jacks will normally find a nice snag and stay on it for the duration of the tide; this suggests anglers should persist with a particular snag for 15 or so minutes if barra are found and, alternatively, consider moving on once one or two jacks are caught. Neap tides are often the most productive tides and can

Ben Barker with a great barra caught below Marian Wier.

Liam Hislop with a nice sooty from the MTA sooty comp at Eungulla Dam. Small mackerel and tuna will typically follow the bait pushed inshore and during calm mornings and afternoons anglers will often find the schools of bait pushed against the coast and prominent structure. Mackerel and tuna are usually found chopping at this bait at spots like the rock walls at the harbour, the beaches at the mouth of the pioneer river, the rocky reefs off Eimeo and the islands around Seaforth. Reliable lures include metal slugs, spoons and blades, remembering to keep them well polished for plenty of attractive shine. Plastics work well too but usually don’t hold up long against those razor-sharp teeth. It can also be useful to keep a spare trolling rod ready to go with shallow to 3m diver with shiny colours/patterns usually working best. Mackerel and tuna can often be very picky about what they eat and it can be quite important to match lures with the small baitfish that they are chopping at. Fluoro or mono leader will usually produce more hits, however bite offs can usually only be prevented by using large divers or plastics. If the fish are being fussy about lure size and small metal lures are working best, using a short length of fine wire and black swivels will help to get more hits. Spooking the schools of mackerel and tuna can 36

SEPTEMBER 2022

There have been plenty of barra catches through winter and this should ramp up as conditions warm up through September, mangrove jack should also become more active with the barra as the conditions heat up. Both barra and jacks are found throughout all the systems around Mackay and September can be a great time to target them. Barra typically move around with the tide and can be found congregating on spots to their liking, often favouring

be comfortably spent moving with the tide bashing structure like prominent snags, creek junctions and drains. On larger tides however, barra can usually be found up on the flats and right up in the back of the mangroves toward the top of the tide, often in water barely covering their backs. On the flats barra can be targeted using soft plastics and shallow divers. Meanwhile the barra that travel into the backs of the mangroves must be ambushed by waiting for the

turn of the tide and hammering the mangrove roots with lures like weedless soft plastics or hardbody divers as they come out with the tide. Working the creeks around Mackay for barra and jacks during September will also almost always result in a real mixed bag with species like flathead, bream, grunter, trevally, queenfish and cod often thrown in the mix. Up in the dams, the last MTA sooty comp for the year has taken place at Eungulla Dam and anglers battered windy and rainy conditions for a chance at some sootballs. The fish seemed to be less active than previous weeks/ comps with potential factors including a significant and sudden rise in dam level prior to the comp, and a quite harsh and abrupt cold snap in the week leading up to the comp. Teams still produced quality results with leading teams sticking to the weeds and timber using similar techniques to those used in previous competitions. With the increase in dam level and the significant increase in

the extent of the weed flats, adaptations were required for those fishing the weed banks. Majority of fish were picked up off the weed flats with many often found congregating around isolated patches of lily pads high up on the flats. With the less active feeding conditions,

Mackay. Many anglers fish weed edges by anchoring off weedy points or bays and throw soft plastics or shallow divers up high onto the flats, then roll them out to the edge and finally let the lure sit at the edge or drop down its face. Barra feeding in this fashion are often seen rolling on and off the flats on

Jack Mitchell with a decent mangrove jack from Murray Creek caught using a Daiwa Kikker Curly.

Andrew Rodgers pulled this sooty from the weeds using the ever-reliable Jackall TN60.

adaptations were also required for those fishing the timber. Successful teams made up some very productive sessions by fishing below new shag nests using lightly weighted grubs. The most exciting outcome of September is the beginning of the barra comps for the year, with the first MTA King of the Dams qualifying event taking place at Peter Faust dam on the 24 September. Barra are also commonly targeted in both the weeds and timber in the dams around

side or 360 scanning. Many anglers also work the timber by jigging sinking lures like vibes or soft plastics above treetops, layovers or along trunks using down scanning or living imaging to find which trees to focus on. Regardless of whether fishing weeds or timber, odds are usually increased by looking for the wind-blown ends of the dam, finding where the bait is schooling, focusing on common bite times and varying retrieve styles to pick up on feeding patterns.

OLD

Four seasons in one day TOWNSVILLE

Dave Hodge

Mother Nature has been very fickle lately. One minute we’re sweating and discussing how warm it is for winter, then in blink of an eye we’re having record

frosts in North Queensland not far from the coast by customers at the Fishing Warehouse where I work. With water temps down as far as the mid-teens, you can imagine the effect this would have on the fish. The coldest we caught barra in was a freezing 17°C.

to try and get him a few fish. Bait fishing was going to have to do for the first few days, and I rigged half pillies on 2/0 and 3/0 bait holders and suicide octopus fished on lighter rods. A precession of decent bream, GTs and some smaller jacks were landed from the bank,

Mick Rennie with a nice creek jack that gave him heaps on his light spin outfit. and Dad mucked around with baits, I was focussing on lure flicking and I managed a few legal-sized fish, including barra. The thing is though, the barra I could see on the sounder wouldn’t touch a lure until

barra got in on the action, along with the biggest pikey bream I’ve seen. GTs are also thick everywhere at the moment, and so are the smaller queenies. It’s like a switch has been flicked, putting them back

4” Paddle Prawn. Mackerel have been absolutely thick in many locations, and both Spanish and doggies are being caught in good numbers on trolled hardbodies. Marlin are regular bycatch, and

A big Jack that couldn’t resist a Paddle Prawn in fluoro orange. cold days. A ‘cranky’ wind has been relentlessly pounding the coast as well. As I write this report it’s all nice and normal again, but we’re ready for an unpredictable change without notice. These weather-related mood swings have obviously had a serious impact on the fish’s behaviour. Tropical species just aren’t used to frosty – yes, I said frosty – mornings. I have been shown photos of genuine

One effective tactic that’s becoming more widely accepted is downsizing your lures when targeting fish in cold weather. This was demonstrated when my mum and dad came up to Townsville to escape the Kootingal frosts and enjoy the lovely warm winter days that are a drawcard for grey nomads at this time of year. The day they landed we had the coldest day in Townsville for 81 years. I couldn’t have timed it worse

and Dad was quite happy. As the water warmed a little over the next few days the jacks became more active, and he was keen to chase them so we launched the boat to give us a better chance. Three times Dad got smoked on 40lb braid and 50lb leader and 4/0 suicide hooks with a small ball sinker running down on top of the half pilly rig. He just couldn’t stop the bigger ones. While the young bloke

The 1/3oz Atomic Seeker EWG in 6/0 is a good option when they’re sitting deep in cover. The colour is a consistent producer in most water colours.

Pikey bream are thick at the moment, both in numbers and girth. This one ate a 4” soft plastic prawn on a 1/6oz jighead with a 1/0 hook fished shallow. 38

SEPTEMBER 2022

I dropped it down to a tiny 3 1/4” Atomic Plazo with the head trimmed down and mounted on a 1/4oz jighead with a no. 1 hook. This kind of ‘jellybean’ tactic is a good option when all else has failed. More recently the weather has been warm and what you’d normally expect for up here, and the fish are loving it. My mate Mick Rennie and I headed out for an early morning start to see what was moving around, and as the water temps increased throughout the day, so did the fish activity. Big jacks and plenty of small to medium

on the bite. Weedless plastics fished deep are a go-to tactic for us in winter. The sluggish fish don’t like to move too far from cover to take a lure, and if you don’t use weedless plastics you can get snagged up quite often. Fluoro colours are another trend that seems to be associated with the colder months. The Halco Paddle Prawns in the fluoro orange or pink in the 4” and 5” are consistent for us, and so is the Atomic Prong in radioactive rooster in the 3” and 4” size. When the water clears up in the shallows, we switch to the raw prawn

some anglers are having several hook-ups in a day. Since it’s warmed up a bit, the doggies are snapping at everything they possibly can. Even bare hooks are being snipped off – now that’s hungry. Grunter have been a lot less active in comparison to their normal seasonal trends, but this will no doubt change as the water becomes a little more comfortable. Ultimately, at this time of year the important thing is to try different approaches until you find what is working on any given day.

OLD

Stonkers start to Sept HINCHINBROOK

Ian Moody info@ianmoodyfishing.com

Hinchinbrook’s temps are now starting to slowly rise from one of the coldest winters experienced in many years. After weeks

up. A few anglers I speak to say the Spanish mackerel have been quite plentiful given there is a supposedly low biomass showing up in fisheries research. Plenty of big largemouth nannygai and red emperor have been keeping anglers arms stretched, along with

effect from plastics or hardbodies that are presented up close and personal to them. However, we have been getting quite a lot of rats on the flats and in among the timber in that 50-60cm range with an occasional 80-90cm thrown in. Fingermark have been in

Coral trout have been producing over the last few months in the closer inshore reefs.

Brendan with a decent golden trevally. on end with sub 19ºC water temps, it made it one of the slowest winters I’ve seen inshore for a while. Most schools of bigger barramundi have been mostly sulking in the deeper stretches of the Hinchinbrook Channel by day, and then often using the large tide that occurs at night to come out for a feed. It has also shifted or thinned out bait schools in many areas, which in turn often takes the predatory species with it. A few good weather windows recently have allowed a lot of anglers to get out to the reef and give the winter Spanish mackerel a shot before it warms right

oat

B Featured

plate-sized coral trout adding icing to the cake. Coral trout have been quite good during the last two months in closer inshore reef areas like Cape Sandwich and Cape Richards. On the barra front, charters recently have been fairly hard work. Bites have been very finicky and fish not really wanting to eat properly. They can become very difficult to hook when they behave like this, when they don’t inhale their prey, but pick up the bait in their lips and swim forward towards you. They don’t seem to be really interested in live bait this time of year and prefer that stimulating

good numbers in the channel during August with them mostly being just smaller school sized ones with the odd 60cm one thrown in. Great to see them coming back in numbers over the past year or two. Plenty of small gold spot cod mixed in with them too, which can be a pain if they decide to take over the bite and start taking live baits meant for fingermark.

Looking ahead into September should see things heat up so to speak. As the water temperature rises the barra activity increases as well. Last year’s September and October months were pretty awesome for my charters as a lot of the larger barramundi start to show up in big numbers. The last few years they have done this without fail where sometime during these

The barra fishing will really start to heat up this month, especially on the flats.

months they show up in numbers almost overnight at all the usual locations for barra to aggregate. They usually increase the urge to feed more ahead of their spawning season, sometimes we catch them on headlands in as little as half a metre of water hugging the edge as they sometimes look for those pop-eye mullet cruising next to the waters edge on rocky headlands and mud banks. You would be surprised as to how shallow those big metre-plus models actually swim in and quite often when you land that lure in front of them the smash on the surface is incredible in shallow water. I’ll be making the most of these months before the barra season closes. • I still have a handful of good barra dates left for this season. Gift vouchers can still be purchased if you’re looking for birthday gifts. You can email us at info@ ianmoodysportfishing.com or phone us on 0402 339 459. Barra season closes midnight 31 October, so get in early to secure a booking bassco boats for this year.

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SEPTEMBER 2022

OLD

Spring is heating up CAIRNS

Dan Kaggelis dkaggelis@gmail.com

September would have to be one of my favourite months of the year for anglers fishing in the Trinity Net

the tide and with more intent. The best lures for these fish are still those that can be slowly worked. Soft plastics like Zerek Prawns are one of the best options for this time of year. They can be cast into snags and worked very slowly, which can entice the

140 and new 120 Shad range are hard to go past as well. The Molix lures are a wellknown big barra slayer in the impoundments but they are just as effective in the salt, especially when you are chasing those bigger fish over 90cm. The best spots

Paddle tail plastics worked slowly are ideal to target barra.

Molix RT Shads in 3” size will be a good lure for this time of year. Free Zone. The reason for this is because September is the beginning of the rise in water temperatures, which also sees a rise in fish activity and feeding. As water temperatures begin to rise from a chilly 23-24ºC to 26-28ºC, all the creeks and headland areas begin to see more favourable fishing. Iconic species like barramundi respond well to these warmer temperatures and will certainly be biting for longer periods throughout

fish to bite. If the weather holds and the seas begin to flatten out the headlands and beaches will be the place for the bigger fish. Finding the fish on a side imaging sounder like the Humminbird Helix or Solix range will give you a huge advantage in finding these schools. Once you find them, it’s a simple case of targeting them with the right lure. I always like to start with a vibe, especially if the water is dirty, however the

will be between the mouth of the Inlet right along the coast to Yorkey’s Knob Beach. The other species that will be even more on the chew will be the mangrove jack. If the wind comes down and the rain stays away, water in the creeks will become super clean, which is perfect for lure

fishing for big jacks. One very good strategy is finding a well snagged bank and as the tide runs out getting your lure as tight to possible to structure. It’s hard to go past the Lucky Craft Bevy Shad 50FC or 60FC. These lures are perfect to quickly work down into snags where they will suspend nose

As the water heats up so will the chances of some big jacks.

down, which makes them very snag-resistant. They can be twitched or worked back slowly. I find barra prefer a twitched presentation where as jacks like a slow roll retrieve. Soft plastics are a very good option, especially rigged weedless as you can get them right into the timber. 4” Biwaa Submissions and Molis RT Shads have been slaying them of late and are very good options rigged on a 1/4oz jighead. Unfortunately, the crabs will be coming to an end in September so it’s best to concentrate your efforts more on the fishing than crabbing. Next month the action is going to get better as things continue to heat up, with great tides ahead for those fishing the Trinity Net Free Zone.

Look forward to some brighter days ahead PORT DOUGLAS

Lynton Heffer www.fishingportdouglas.com.au

Following a fairly bleak winter season, brighter days are now ahead as things get a bit warmer and the weather pattern begins to settle. We are coming into a period where we’ll see a variety of species on the go whether it is offshore on the reef or inshore in our rivers. The biggest mover in recent times has been a really solid run of Spanish mackerel, mainly on the outer reefs. Mixed in, have been quite a few spotted and sharky mackerel as well. These high-powered fish provide some brilliant angling and the return of fillets is quite substantial. Spanish mackerel in particular are truly a favourite in the tropics. When they are combined 40

SEPTEMBER 2022

with fantastic bottom reef fishing for the likes of coral trout, emperor and nannygai it doesn’t get

much better for a quality day on the water. As indicated, numbers of fish are already very healthy

and, with some calmer weather to be scheduled, there will be some highly productive days in the

Mackerel are out and about along the FNQ coast.

coming weeks ahead. Considered by many, we are entering a prime period to be fishing on the Great

Barrier Reef. The same can be said if you decide to fish the calmer systems as waters temperatures climb by the day. Our major rivers systems have enjoyed some top-notch fishing for the likes of golden trevally, big queenfish and javelin fish. They’ll continue to fish well and we’ll also start to see mangrove jack, fingermark and a few more barra rear their heads. Water clarity improves considerably with less wind around, and more sunny days entice a better bite. Even around the headlands and coastal islands there will be more opportunity for the small boat brigade to get out and explore for bar cheek trout, nannygai and a few mackerel cruising around. No matter your style of fishing it is a great time to be fishing in Far North Qld.

OLD

Barramundi madness COOKTOWN

Justin Coventry

The weather here has been strange to say the least with continual rain making our dry season

still up, and barra are still able to move around so maybe the migration has helped them stay hungry. The lure fishing is some of the best I’ve seen in years with some very sizable fish around. I managed a

on lure in a tidal creek, which was amazing to see it eventually landed, and it was land based. Even though everything worked out, when the first run went 50m downstream I thought there was little chance. However, slowly but surely it made its way back and the capture was completed. It was the most amazing barramundi moment to date. The river water levels are still high and has provided some exciting sessions when the barramundi have been found. It’s multiple hook ups and action aplenty at the moment, which is so great to see. Barramundi have also been in schools in the estuaries and moving with the water and tide, and the bite seems to be as the school passes with the tide.

There has been plenty of action on the barra lately. Moving with them provides more opportunities, and a boat and a quality sounder

on side scan will help. Next month the conditions might dry up a

Lure fishing for barramundi has been the best in years. not so dry and the cooler weather hanging on as well. I thought this would slow things down fishing wise but the opposite has occurred with barramundi hungry. The water levels are

session with a 92cm fish taken in freshwater, which is my biggest freshwater barramundi to date. A mate of mine caught a 96cm, so they are getting up there in size to the 1m target. I have caught a 1.05cm

The author with a 92cm freshwater barramundi.

Jonathon with a large cherabin.

little, but the expectation is that rain will be around most of the year but it will dry up as the year progresses. The fishing should also be hot once temperatures start to heat up. So, I can’t wait to see how it goes then. The large holes hold fish and lure fishing snags provides the best chance to locate them. Once found, it’s worth multiple casts as small fish are more active and can steal a feed before the larger fish rises to feed. I’ve seen a number of small fish caught before the trophy fish attacks. The wharf is still producing some nice jacks and it’s worth a try with some live bait around or under the wharf. Also, the mackerel are expected to arrive in numbers this month, so the fishing will improve. The locals will

descend on the wharf as the bite increases and the wharf will fill up, but there is a massive rock wall along the waterfront so lots of room to cast out a live herring to get into the action. Small trace will help to stop bite offs and not spook fish. Great fun and lots of trevally are also in the mix and the acrobatic queenfish can put on a show once hooked. So plenty of fun to be had at the wharf this month. Reef fishing is still up in the air with strong winds likely but it can’t last forever. There is some chance of a small window in September showing up but October should see some calm weather. Get the boat ready now and your reef gear as it’s just around the corner! The first weekend will be mayhem at the boat ramp but hopefully also mayhem out at the reef pulling in some nice coral trout. Looking forward to a fresh feed of coral trout. Yum!

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Short, sharp break petrol in my car, which is bites as they’re blown past. more valuable than my car. But to my astonishment, Now everyone knows when I checked the forecast, that the best way to get the the predictions were for It was shaping up to be wind to blow and the rain 5 to 10. OK, I know how one of those amazing trips to fall is to book a short, the prediction very rarely where things just fall into sharp break, and wait. So I gets anywhere near what place. I know they don’t was fully prepared to take happens, but usually when happen all that often, but the cyclonic winds that were I check predictions for they do happen. going to be coming my way the short, sharp break the After the usual work by taking various steps. suggestion is for 25s to 30s, crap, I was up for a short, Firstly, I tend to shelve and we end up with 30s to sharp break, and checking any plans whatsoever to go 40s, so a prediction of 5 to the holiday rental spaces I offshore. With only a little 10 was mind blowing. see my favourite hangout boat, those sneaky little reef Add to that the fact that FOURSTROKE has a 5-day 40-60HP window and trips you can take when the I’d recently tied heaps of is otherwise PERFORMANCE booked into forecast is under 10 has leaders ready to go, stocked 2040. Or it could be 2041, never happened in the last up on sinkers, bought a I forget. That’s unusual. So fifteen years of short, sharp couple of mid ranged rods that was the first good sign breaks at my special house. and reels, I was keen to try coming my way. If you go into it with no out and fixed most things Now, even though the expectations, you can’t be in the boat (you never fix house was available at my disappointed. Which my them all, but that’s another favourite spot, the chances wife will tell you is my column) and it seemed like MELBOURNE of getting ALBERTON time off from entire attitude to life. it was just one of those work were ALBERTON smaller than a But anyway, secondlyMELBOURNE is occasions where I felt life MARINE MARINE CENTRE giant small thing. Normally to plan whereabouts you 393-399 are was going to work out for 39 Johnson Street Alberton South Gippsland Hwy it would be impossible to going to fish when 4m of me, and my wife’s frequent P: (03) 5183 2344 Dandenong South sneak off without giving 7 tide meets 30 knots of wind. pleas for me to be less (03)I5183 2219 Generally, there are twoP:to(03) negative 9703 2003might be worth years notice,F:but checked albertonmarine.com.au E: info@melbournemarine.com.au the roster, W: and went in three suitable corner spots considering. prepared with the sorts of in around 150km of creek Well, it did until the W: melbournemarine.com.au things that roster managers where you aren’t spinning roster manager called to say MELBOURNE enjoy without real hope around your anchor likeMORNINGTON a she’d PENINSULA been wrong. There BLany MARINE of success. drunken engineer with a was no space. MY MARINE 612- 614 Plenty Road Preston But wonder of wonders, middle ear infection and a Bugger. Cnr Nepean Highway & someone P: persuade (03) 9478 1420 I managed to that very heavy hat. You can also Obviously Ponderosa Place F: (03) 9470 4638 person that a short, sharp look on the positive side, else’s bribe Dromana was bigger. Ah break was possible without and remind yourself that P: the(03) well, back to my default W: blmarine.com.au 5987 0900 having to sell my car to pay normally ferocious sandflies pessimism. At least I won’t W: mymarine.com.au the bribe. OrSHEPPARTON in fact, sell the can only take horizontal be disappointed. BOATS AND MORE MORNINGTON PENINSULA NAUTICAL MARINE 207 Numurkah Road Shepparton 141 Hotham Road P: (03) 5822 2108 Sorrento F: (03) 5821 2908 W: boatsandmore.com.au P: (03) 5984 1666 E: info@nauticalmarine.com.au MORWELL W: nauticalmarine.com.au CRAWFORD MARINE TOORADIN 71-77 Chickerell Street Morwell P&J MARINE SERVICE CENTRE P/L P: (03) 5134 6522 F: (03) 5134 6455 101 Tooradin Station Road Tooradin W: crawfordmarine.com.au P: (03) 5998 3107 E: pjmarine_services@bigpond.com ECHUCA EADES XTREME MARINE 24 Sturt Street Echuca MELBOURNE P: (03) 5482 2333 TRIPLE M MARINE F: (03) 5482 2133 117 Northgate Drive Thomastown W: xtrememarine.net.au P: (03) 9465 8787 F: (03) 9466 1418 BRAESIDE W: triplemmarine.com.au JV MARINE WORLD 878 Springvale Road Braeside P: (03) 9798 8883 F: (03) 9798 7554 W: jvmarine.com.au BRISBANE

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OLD

The warm water trigger has been pulled CAPE YORK

Tim O’Reilly wildrivercompany@gmail.com

Up in remote Cape York, the weather is generally a few degrees hotter than the wet tropics below it. Coming out of winter and into early spring, there will be some seriously warm days starting to sneak in, therefore warming water temps and kick starting the great spring resurgence in activity. This can produce exceptional fishing up in the Cape. But September can still be filled with sou-easterly trades, at times rendering the East

A picturesque sunset at the Archer River. really champagne weather. Warm getting closer to hot, but none of the humidity that comes later. You can still

a pleasure. There always remains the chance some hot weather will produce an onshore westerly during the afternoons. The idea of fishing some of the freshwater lagoons, dams, billabongs and isolated river stretches once again looks attractive. Fishing them early and late in the day will make a huge difference to success. Sooties, saratoga, barra, tarpon and archer fish will all be more active in lower light conditions this time of year. Fishing the creeks, rivers, beaches and headlands can be fantastic in September. Being almost the mid point between wet seasons give this month a calmness and usually better clarity of water. Being able to make out snags, gutters, rocks and all manner of fish structure makes it easier for

frustrating. Opportunities to tackle pelagic fish really ramps up this time of year. Some of the target species for trailer boat fishers around the Cape will include mackerel, longtail tuna, cobia, queenfish and trevally. These are joined by wider speedsters, such as wahoo, mahimahi, dogtooth tuna, marlin and sailfish. Many covering vast distances to appear suddenly in feeding pattern before departing. Spring is a great time to be focused on tide changes and will be crucial to fishing success. Many of the other variables in weather are largely subdued this time of year. Trying to fish larger tides for shorter windows around both the low and high tides makes sense. There is more likely to be bite-frenzies during these windows. If

Andrew Swamp with a beautiful river barra. Coast almost off-limits. Somewhere in this month, a pocket of great weather will begin the fishing season for many. Even

those magic cloudless days without a ripple on the water are possible. Sight casting opportunities for fly and topwater fishers

will be aplenty if take advantage of weather window. Over on the west of the Cape, expect

they this

Watch out for croc activity this spring.

coast some

Chris with a GT he caught on a calm afternoon.

Spring fishing can produce decent catches, like this 48cm mangrove jack. 44

SEPTEMBER 2022

survive up a creek during the middle of the day. Not so easy come NovemberDecember! Generally any breeze is likely to be blowing offshore making boating the coast

fishers. But fish in cleaner conditions can at times be finicky. Watching fish, such as golden trevally and fingermark, dancing all around your lures in clear water can be tremendously

the tide change corresponds to either early morning or later afternoon, even better. This is lifestyle fishing at its best. Life on a remote Cape York beach in September is hard to beat.

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Time to turn it on TOOWOOMBA

Jason Ehrlich fishability1@bigpond.com

What a mixed up and unpredictable year we have had on the freshwater fishing scene. I will be straightforward and let you know there are not too many positive things to report from the past month. The good news is things should only improve and we are in a prime month for freshwater fishing. Let’s have a bit of a look at what’s been going on. Rain, rain and more rain. The continuous rain over winter on sodden soil has allowed a lot of South East Queensland lakes to run over yet again. As I think back over all my years of writing, I don’t ever recall such widespread dam flooding over the winter months. The downside to a winter flood is it coincides with the lead up to bass spawning time. As we all know, bass need brackish water to spawn so natural instincts see the biggest and sexually mature fish want to head over the dam wall in search of salty water. It remains to be seen just how many fish have gone from lakes like Wivenhoe and Somerset but it can be confirmed a huge amount of Lake MacDonald bass headed over the

spillway. I am sure other lakes may have suffered a similar fate. A lot of releases and spilling took place but I am not sure how severe or controlled these were across the other lakes. The good news is escaped bass often survive and can be targeted in the rivers below. Just remember there are closed seasons in place on tidal waters when it comes to catching bass. These finish on the 31 August so you’ll be able to have some fun this month chasing bass in new environments. Monduran Dam had a good run over event a bit over a month ago. The dam poured over the spillway but it was very positive to see no barramundi exiting the lake. Unlike bass, barra breeding season is in the summer months so they didn’t feel the urge to head downstream. The other disappointing thing to take place this winter has been widespread fish kills. Dying fish occurred across most of the lakes in South East Queensland, the Darling Downs and Granite Belt areas. A lot of the dead fish are often bony bream but some of our favourite target species were mixed in with them. This can be from a couple of factors. Rollover event where the bottom layer of water rolls to the top occurs as the core water temperature equalises. This can give a

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND CRESSBROOK CLOSEST TOWN: CROWS NEST The dam has closed a few times over the past months. Every time the water goes over the spillway the council seems to close it for weeks stating it will not reopen until water is low enough. At the time of writing, it is open and I am busting to get back out there. Despite the rain and flooding, the water in the main basin and Beams Creek arm is clear. Even though it has had a few run in events, the water

level is already 100% so it doesn’t flood grass and new ground. This means the fish won’t be put off by any dying vegetation. The downside to the lake being so full is it will take a bit longer to find fish with so much water to explore. The bass will be schooling well in 8m of water or more. Spending time searching using the sounder will ensure you stand the best chance of catching them because when they bunch up it leaves a lot of barren water. These deepwater bass love cast lures and you will do well

sudden change delivering less oxygenated water to our fishy friends. Cold snaps are also a big killer of fish over the winter months. The shallowest holding fish seem to suffer most. Low overnight temperatures can suddenly drop the water temperature in the shallows and this catches the fish out and leads to their death. It isn’t uncommon but seems to have been worse this year as some of the temperature drops have been so sudden and severe. Now, to be a little more positive, what can we expect for this month? Some of the lakes will definitely fire up. The dirty water is still a problem in some dams but if you are prepared to work hard or willing to fish with live shrimp, you’ll catch them. Others will be clearing nicely and future rain will be the only thing that influences the good visibility now. Bass are ready to feed up after their breeding season and will be in a very healthy condition. Remember just because dams are dirty and fish are hard to catch doesn’t mean they stop eating. They still need to feed to survive and I’m sure there will be some extra healthy specimens out there after all the flushed food, nutrients and baitfish that will have kicked off after all the rain. Cod are in their breeding

Luke Sticklen has been finding a few bass in the river. season but still catchable in the dams. Just remember to leave them alone in the rivers until after the 31 October. As spring starts to warm things up, golden perch will be more willing to take lures. We’ll see this on some of the South East Queensland and Burnett lakes first and then later in the more southern dams, which warm more slowly. By next month they will be really starting to fire up. The

same goes for barramundi fishing. These fish can be a bit tougher to catch for the average angler over winter. They will start to move about more as the water warms up and will respond to faster presentations as their metabolism kicks it up a gear or two. By next month they will be really fired up and we will see the return of those awesome nighttime sessions. So while there has been

using soft plastics and spoons at this time of year. The big fish seem to love Raptor Jigs or G1 Gang Bangers on a long cast away from the boat. Smaller fish can be fooled around the boat and vertically with smaller profile spoons and 3’ soft plastics rigged on 1/2 or 5/8oz jigheads. The bass schools could be out from the boat ramp area and across to the buoy line. The other major points all around the dam or any flats areas around 8m deep are worth a look. Don’t be afraid to look out deeper in up to 20m of water. Provided it isn’t too dirty they can go really deep as the oxygen

Gary’s Marine Centre Todd Rassmussen has been plucking off a few of the scattered bass on Spectres and soft plastics.

3201 6232

217 Pine Mountain Road, BRASSALL 46

SEPTEMBER 2022

level is suitable much deeper at this time of year. I worry suspended sediment could prevent the light travelling down to this depth even though oxygen should be

fine. Make the judgement yourself based on visibility into the water. At the end of the day, the fish will tell the story. Cressbrook has always

some bad news, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are fish to be caught out there but you may need to explore and be willing to travel more to experience the best fishing on offer. It’s going to be a tough report for me this month but I’ll look into the crystal ball and see what I can come up with. I promise I’ll have more to say about the lakes I cover next time. Until next month, buckled rods from the Colonel. been a tough lake to consistently produce fish. Even when you find them, they bite well straight up and then become really tough the longer you persist. September is the best month though to find prolonged bite times so get out and have a crack at them. • Fish’n’Bits in Toowoomba has all the gear and tips on how to chase the Cressy fish. They are an excellent store specialising in all freshwater lures and tackle. The dam is back off the winter hours so the gates will be open from 6am to 8pm. SOMERSET CLOSEST TOWNS: ESK, KILCOY Somerset is usually my go to lake for this month of year. The bass are big and hungry. Water clarity has made it difficult to catch them but it should improve a bit over the next month and some fish will be caught from the schools around the top end of the dam. The Kirkleigh flats, wide of Queen Street, Bay 13 and Pelican Point should all have schooling bass. They will be suckers for live shrimp if you want to have some fun. Lure fishers will need to mix it up to see what they want in the water To page 47

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excellent summer. Don’t expect big numbers this month as they will require a bit of effort. Bait fishers using live shrimp and frozen saltwater yabbies will have pretty good results when fishing in 5-7m of water. Lure fishers might struggle on trolled hardbodies. While the fish

are still a bit slow, try slow winding a TN60 Jackall or hopping a ZX40 blade across the bottom. The weed beds should flourish as the dam starts to warm up. By the end of spring they will be thick and healthy enough to pull the golden perch back into their steep edges. It is going to be a cracker of a year when this lakes fires up.

LESLIE CLOSEST TOWN: WARWICK Leslie had a couple of fish kills over winter. While they look and sound terrible, it never affects the whole population. Golden perch should slowly come back on the bite. Jigging ZX40 blades and soft vibes vertically under the boat is a good way to get them to chew while they are still a bit sluggish.

Bait fishers will also do well when using live shrimp and frozen saltwater yabbies. The cod fishers will be in with a chance. A few fish will be tied up with their breeding rituals but the ones that aren’t are often extra hungry as they have just finished. Early morning sessions with big swimbaits over the 2-3m deep flats near the dam edges are a good way to tempt the

lake’s bigger fish. During the day, try casting and trolling 1oz spinnerbaits. You can increase your chances by concentrating around structure and drop offs during the middle parts of the day. • 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.

a very reliable fishery. Unfortunately, in July they dropped the level to clean the weed from the intake and outlet. The sudden drop coincided with extra cold weather and a lot of big

fish died. I really hope the lake recovers quickly and it only put a small dent in the big bass population. Some other interesting discoveries in the kill were a barra over a metre long and several gigantic fork tailed catfish. I don’t know how many barra

are left in this lake but after hearing of this dead fish it confirms what we saw cruising on top of the weed in dirty water at the start of the year was definitely a metre-plus barramundi. The edges of the lake may fish tough until the

weed gets a chance to regrow and get healthier. The deepest parts should hold good numbers of fish. Experiment with spoons and soft plastics to see if they want to chew. • A trip to Bundaberg Tackle World is a good move if you

are heading to this lake. The store has an excellent range of bass lures and some of the staff specialise in catching them. Due to its location, they carry a huge range suited to impoundment fishing, rivers, creeks and offshore.

last year, the points will fish well throughout the main basin. Use wind to your advantage and brave the conditions to fish the windiest points on dark. During the day, sound the lake to locate the fish cruising outside the weed edges. A combination of soft plastics and hardbodies will be successful. Further up the lake, try fishing the points closest to the old riverbed. This was very effective later on in the year but I have a feeling the fish were happy there and have learned a new habit. • Gladstone Fly and Sportfishing runs fishing

charters on the lake. They cater to the needs of the angler and can do fly or conventional tackle trips to target the lake’s barramundi. With so many days spent on the water, they successfully guide clients onto fish right through the year and have a good understanding of fish movements. It is hard to beat time on the water and their shared knowledge is a great way to learn more about this lake and its fish. You can contact them on 0429 223 550 or visit the website gladstoneflyandsportfishing .com.au. • Mark from Awoonga Gateway Lodge always has a few productive

suited to fishing for bass and golden perch. MAROON CLOSEST TOWNS: BOONAH, RATHDOWNEY Maroon should fish quite well this month. There will be a bass surface bite early and late in the day during the low light periods. After that, mix it up to see what they want. Spoons should perform well on any deeper schooling fish. On the weed edges it will be a matter of trial and error. Subtle presentations may still excel and soft plastics

or suspending lures fit this category. If they are ready for a reaction bite, switch to lipless cranks, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. I find during this transition period a good offering is a soft plastic rigged on a 1/4 or 3/8oz jighead with a beetle spin attached. It offers the fish a little bit of both subtlety and flash. • 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.

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) 4975 0033. CALLIDE CLOSEST TOWN: BILOELA Callide Dam had a couple barra kills due to the cold weather. This is not uncommon for this lake, which cops some very cold nights being further inland. Luckily the water level is still up and this helps to reduce the effects of sudden temperature drops. By the sounds of things, the bigger numbers of dead fish have been from the shallow sections up the back of the dam where water temps drop faster and the fish have a harder time escaping to comfortable deeper water. Matt from Callide Retreat pulled a giant of a fish out of the water to

take a closer look and it measured 130cm long. Despite dying fish in winter, they will still be catchable now and the warming water temperature will have them firing up more each week. I find September a tough month on Callide. The fish are easy to find and they follow and tap at lures without proper commitment. It isn’t until the nights warm more in October that they really step it up a notch. For this month, I’d be exploring the trees with suspending jerk baits early in the day. Later on the fish seem to move around in the deeper water. This is a good time to have a cast or troll. What you are seeing on the sounder will help you choose your approach. If the fish are spread out, trolling is most effective. If you find them bunched up together, you can’t beat casting. Some of the shallower bays may hold fish in the afternoons. You can spend a lot of time sounding

DARLING DOWNS AND GRANITE BELT COOBY CLOSEST TOWNS: HIGHFIELDS, TOOWOOMBA Golden perch chewed right through winter and only slowed down due the cold last month. They will start to pick up again as water temperatures rise and we should be in for an BURNETT REGION GREGORY CLOSEST TOWNS: CHILDERS, BUNDABERG I had a real soft spot for Lake Gregory over winter as it was CAPRICORN REGION AWOONGA CLOSEST TOWNS: BENARABY, GLADSTONE Awoonga has fared well through all the rain and fish kills. It is therefore set to take off early this year and we can expect to see some good barra fishing starting this month. A good run of stable and warm weather will be the trigger. The colder and less favourable days for us will have a similar effect on the fish. In this transition period, where they start to fire up and move about more, good warm weather conditions make all the difference. If it is anything like From page 46

conditions. Spoons would usually be the stand out lure but if it is too dirty, slow down your presentation and opt for a blade bait or even the Spectre Vibration Jig. • Somerset Fishing has their store based at the area above the day use boat ramp. The store is open over holidays and otherwise from Thursday to Sunday. Orders can also be made online via the website w w w. s o m e r s e t f i s h i n g . com.au . They have an excellent range of gear

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this lake to locate the best numbers of fish and work out their migrations. It is time well spent though as you need to be on them to catch them. Golden perch will come on the chew this month. Being one of the more northern lakes for this species it warms a little faster. Live shrimp are deadly on the goldens and you will find them in 4-7m of water. • You can stay close to the dam at Lake Callide Retreat. The park has basic camping, powered sites for camping and vans and also self-contained cabins. Cabins are filling fast with peak times booking out for the rest of the year. Don’t leave it to the last minute to make a booking and be disappointed. Camping is always an option. There is a well-equipped camp kitchen and toilets and showers up in the main part of the park near the office. Make sure you bring all of your fishing tackle. The kiosk has a limited amount of fishing gear but it is well suited to the lake.

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Rec fishers’ input to fisheries management MELBOURNE

Ross Winstanley

Casting around the fisheries agency websites around Australia reveals substantial differences in the arrangements giving recreational fishers a direct and ongoing role in fisheries management decision processes. Most states and the Northern Territory have formal committees or councils set up to advise the Fisheries Minister on recreational and broader fisheries issues. Some also directly involve recreational fishers as representatives or knowledgeable members, alongside other sectors, in formal ‘co-management’ bodies, which advise ministers and governments on high level management and policy matters. And two states – Queensland and Victoria – have neither. NEW SOUTH WALES The Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council (RFNSWAC) provides advice to the Fisheries Minister on key recreational fishing issues in NSW. To ensure that State-wide fishers’ views are considered, the Council includes members drawn from eight regions of the state, plus spearfishing, fishing charters, and other interests. A Cabinet-appointed Ministerial Fisheries Advisory Council advises the Fisheries Minister with “high level strategic policy advice on issues relating to the management of fisheries resources in NSW”. This is a statutory body, that is prescribed in legislation, to include as one of its

five members, one who has “expertise in recreational fishing and represents recreational fishing interests”. The Council’s role is to provide high-level advice on the management of the fishing sectors, plus fisheries-wide areas such as resource sharing. Established in 2000, the Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW’s mission is “to be recognised as the peak recreational fishing body in NSW”. As such, it works closely with Fisheries NSW and other agencies on behalf of the State’s recreational fishers, and engages in a range of education, information and other programs. In reality, the RFA of NSW is among a number of bodies working for NSW recreational fishers. NORTHERN TERRITORY The NT’s Recreational Fishing Advisory Committee (RFAC) advises the Minister, providing high level strategic advice on key matters relating to recreational fishing. This includes delivery of the Government’s Recreational Fishing Development Plan 2012-2022. The Committee is a statutory body, with members “with a wide range of skills and experience in recreational fishing”. In the Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the Northern Territory ( A FA N T ) , N T ’s recreational fishers have the benefit of a representational and advocacy body that is recognised by the NT and Commonwealth governments “as the peak body representing recreational fishing” in the Territory. Working on behalf

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of recreational fishers, AFANT lists many key achievements through its membership of the RFAC and a number of fishery and water management advisory committees. It influences decisions across a broad range of issues, working with Government agencies, Ministers and NGOs, and – at a national level – as a member of the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation. QUEENSLAND Unlike NSW and the NT, Queensland has no statutory body to advise the Minister on behalf of recreational fishers. What it does have is the Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel, a wholly independent advisory body made up of experts in fisheries management, stock assessment, economics and social science. This Panel’s purpose is to advise the Minister on “best practice fisheries management” and related strategic actions. But there is no involvement of members with practical fishing experience or standing in the recreational fishing sector. Sunfish QLD, the peak recreational fishing body, continues to operate. Members are active on joint fisheries working groups

Fishing mad 5yo Lexton had an awesome day catching some big fish in the Mooloolah River. This mulloway measured 52cm and was quickly released in good condition.

SEPTEMBER 2022

and in delivery of angler education, citizen science and other programs. The decades old ‘pleasure craft levy’ (PPV) funds have grown from $1M annually in the 1990s to $5.7M in 2020. Along the way, the annual revenue has gone from a fund dedicated to recreational fisheries programs – in consultation with fishers – to being absorbed into the Fisheries Queensland core budget, spent in line with government priorities. SOUTH AUSTRALIA The M i n i s t e r ’s Recreational Fishing Advisory Council (MRFAC) represents and serves the needs of SA’s recreational fishers, providing “feedback and advice on recreational fishing development, initiatives and policies”. The departmental (PIRSA) and MRFAC websites show no indication of a multi-sector co-management body, and there is no peak body representing all of SA’s recreational fishers. TASMANIA The management of marine and inland recreational fishing, and representation of marine and inland fishers, are handled quite separately in Tasmania. The Recreational Fishery Advisory Committee (RecFAC) advises the Minister on recreational sea fishing policy and management matters. The Government-recognised, fully independent peak body, TARfish, represents Tasmania’s marine recreational fishers and their interests. Under separate legislation, the Inland Fisheries Advisory Council (IFAC) advises the Minister on inland fisheries issues, provides a forum for consultation, encourages community support and reviews management plans. As well as regional anglers and freshwater angling associations, membership includes commercial fishing, conservation, tourism representatives. This builds on arrangements operating for many decades, where freshwater

anglers have enjoyed direct representation in the management of their fisheries. VICTORIA There is no recreational fishing advisory body to represent recreational fishers’ interests and advise the Minister or the Victorian Fisheries Authority. Nor is there a cross-sectoral standing committee to advise the Minister on fisheries matters, including recreational fisheries management and policy. While originally established and recognised as representing all Victorian recreational fishers, the former state-wide peak body, VRFish, now represents affiliated clubs, associations, allied interests and individual members. Instead, the Statewide Recreational Fishing Roundtable operates as a stakeholders’ “forum for the exchange of ideas and the facilitation of interactions between leaders in the recreational fishing sector”. Recreational sector members participate as self-nominated volunteers, either as interested individuals or members of fishing-related clubs or associations. In the absence of a recognised peak body or an advisory body, the Roundtable members are often drawn on for consultation and advice, and as a source of members for issuespecific committees and working groups. Previously, recreational fisheries advanced through the direct involvement of fishers through the minister ’s Victorian Recreational Fishing Advisory Council, and the Amateur Fishing Consultative Committee of Victoria. With the proclamation of the Fisheries Act 1995, these arrangements were folded into the establishment of: • VRFish as the statutory peak body, officially representing all Victorian fishers (until 2007); and • the Fisheries Co-Management Council, as a ‘model’ of the emerging era of ‘co-management’, placing recreational, commercial and other

sector members together in developing joint advice to the Minister on fisheries policy and management matters (until 2008). WESTERN AUSTRALIA WA’s recreational fisher consultation and advice-togovernment arrangements have been streamlined in recent years. The former Recreational Fisheries Advisory Committee (RFAC) and regional RFACs have been replaced and the former Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee disbanded. In 2009, faced with differing advice from various sources, the then-Minister opted to strengthen ties with the peak body, Recfishwest. The resulting ‘co-management’ arrangement built on the consultation and advisory relationship, formalised in a funding agreement that now recognises Recfishwest’s primary role in fisheries management and policy development. This role includes representation and leadership of all WA recreational fishers and the fishing charter industry, and negotiation of ‘consensusbased solutions’ with other resource users that minimise government intervention. Providing all WA fishers and non-fishers with the opportunity to be involved in planning and decision processes, the Government also offers a ‘public consultation’ site offering links to fisheries matters open to public comment ( w w w. f i s h . w a . g o v. a u / About-Us/public-comment/ Pages/default.aspx. ARFF The Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF) is the peak representative body to the Australian Federal Government. Its broad objectives include fisher and community education, advocating ethical and sustainable fishing, promoting accessibility to fishing for all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Members include all state and the NT representative bodies, several national recreational fishing associations, and tackle and boating bodies.

ADVERTORIAL

False Alarm Highlights Tilapia Concerns With all this water moving around, keep an eye out for Tilapia in your favourite fishing spots. For the past two years we’ve suffered through catastrophic flooding along major parts of eastern and central Australia [1,2,3]. While 2022 flood waters in many parts of Southeast Queensland peaked lower than the devastating 2010/2011 floods, Gympie and Lismore experienced record– breaking flooding [1]. Many suburbs in Sydney are still underwater following their fourth major flood event of 2022. Massive amounts of water are moving around, filling our dams, rivers, lakes, and basins, with the Murray–Darling Basin reaching 93% capacity [4]. Many of our native fish rely on flooding to trigger breeding and use these “flood highways” to move between rivers and billabongs [5], so we should see a boom in recruitment and better fishing opportunities in the near future. However, these are also ideal conditions for pest fish, especially the invasive Tilapia, to spread including into the Murray–Darling Basin. A recent Tilapia report near Toowoomba highlights this vulnerability, with Tilapia thought to be in Cooby Creek, downstream of Cooby Dam [6]. As Cooby Creek flows into the Murray–Darling Basin, the floodings could have provided the steppingstone Tilapia needed to invade the Basin. Extensive sampling thankfully found these reports to be false, however, we still need to be on high alert so the Murray–Darling Basin remains Tilapia free. Keeping Tilapia out of the Murray–Darling Basin by stopping the spread has been a fantastic achievement by the Stop the Spread Tilapia exclusion strategy, with 2022 marking a decade of the Tilapia education and awareness project. The Murray–Darling Basin is a national treasure, home to internationally significant wetlands, 35 endangered species, and 51 native freshwater fish species including the iconic Murray cod [7]. By keeping Tilapia out, you’re helping to protect this unique environment – healthy rivers support our people, plants, animals, and regional economies. Tilapia are a noxious pest and rank in the top 100 most invasive species worldwide [8]. Tilapia have a wide range of environmental impacts in Australia and internationally. From spreading diseases and parasites, promoting algal blooms, and damaging the banks and bottoms of rivers, Tilapia can make our waterways unliveable for our native species and less enjoyable for our own swimming, boating, and fishing [8]. Tilapia also directly impact most native fish like golden perch, silver perch, Murray cod, and freshwater catfish by eating their eggs and young, competing for food, and impacting water quality destroying aquatic vegetation and increasing turbidity [8].

Managing Tilapia populations is a complex issue with no single control method. Once established no method, including direct removal, poisoning, and restrictions on their use, have eradicated a population but have been useful in helping control current invasive populations. The best way is to stop

their introduction in the first place. As recreational fishers, we all have a biosecurity responsibility to help protect our waterways from further Tilapia introductions so we can celebrate another decade of Tilapia–free Murray–Darling Basin! – Mariah Millington, Freshwater fish biologist.

Top Left: Tilapia babies in mouth - A Norris image. Top Right: Tilapia eggs in mouth – A Norris image. Below: Tilapia nests – QDAF image. Contact Map: courtesy of M Millington 2022

To protect our beautiful Murray–Darling Basin and our way of life from these impacts we need the help of our recreational fishers by stopping the spread. • Never spread or release Tilapia, dead or alive. Even releasing dead fish can spread Tilapia further, because female Tilapia carry the eggs and babies in their mouths [9]. Instead, dispose of Tilapia as soon as possible. • Humanely dispose of Tilapia in a bin or bury above the high–water mark. Tilapia eggs can survive for a long time after the adult dies and burying Tilapia below the high tide mark could wash their eggs into the waterway, creating a new generation of Tilapia [9]. • Know how to identify Tilapia and differentiate from native fish. While most Tilapia have instantly recognisable features that are different from our

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natives, with bright red fin tips or black spots, some Tilapia can be more difficult to identify because of how their colours can change based on their age and their environment [10]. It’s important to be able to recognise Tilapia not just on their distinct colours, but also from their body features. These three are key: Tilapia have a continuous dorsal (upper) fin with an extended tip, a rounded caudal (tail) fin, and a long pelvic (belly) fin [10]. Report any Tilapia you see or catch to the state authorities immediately, using the appropriate phone numbers, websites, or email addresses on the Contact map below. If you’re in the Murray– Darling Basin, it’s important we see the Tilapia too, by either a photo of the fish and the location, or preferably freeze the fish with information on where and when you caught it.

Sources 1. Bureau of Meteorology 2022a, Special Climate Statement 76 – Extreme rainfall and flooding in south-eastern Queensland and eastern New South Wales http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/statements/scs76.pdf 2. Bureau of Meteorology 2022b, Special Climate Statement 75 – Australia’s wettest November on record, http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/statements/scs75.pdf 3. Bureau of Meteorology 2021, Special Climate Statement 74 – extreme rainfall and flooding in eastern and central Australia in March 2021 http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/statements/scs74.pdf 4. Murray-Darling Basin Authority 2022, Basin in Brief https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-brief 5. Lintermans M 2009, Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin, https://www.mdba.gov.au/sites/default/files/pubs/MDBA-Fish-species-book.pdf 6. Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2022, Talking Points- Suspected Tilapia in Cooby Creek, press release. 7. Murray-Darling Basin Authority (nd) The Murray–Darling Basin and why it’s important, https://www.mdba.gov.au/importance-murray-darling-basin 8. Hutchison M, Sarac Z, Norris A (2011) Mozambique Tilapia- The potential for Mozambique Tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus to invade the Murray–Darling Basin and the likely impacts: a review of existing information 9. Business Queensland (2022), Tilapia, https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/land-management/health-pests-weeds-diseases/pests/invasive-animals/restricted/Tilapia 10. Department of Primary Industries (nd) Tilapia, https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/aquatic-biosecurity/pests-diseases/freshwater-pests/finfish-species/Tilapia

Mariah receives joint programs funding from the Native Fish Demonstration Reaches project to raise awareness of the threat of Tilapia to the MDB. The joint programs are coordinated by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority to promote effective planning, management and sharing of the water and other natural resources of the Murray-Darling Basin. SEPTEMBER 2022

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BEST LINE CO-WINNER X-Braid Upgrade Pentagram X-Braid Upgrade Pentagram is the ultimate all round braid, offering a tight 8-strand pitch to create a perfectly round line with high abrasion resistance and knot strength. Upgrade X8 consists of new advanced fibres braided with Japan’s latest technology. YGK WX braiding technology is woven to deliver the least stretch and tightest line body. It employs the most advanced filament, Ultra 2 PE, to achieve approx. 40% more maximum strength compared to standard Spectra braids. The X8’s 8-strand body offers the smoothest line surface, and its hard coating prevents tangle, abrasion and water absorption. Two colours are available – green and multi-colour. The multicolour version has five colours with a 20cm mark every 2m. xbraidygk.com.au

CO-WINNER Venom V-Line IN

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Venom V-Line braid is built from Honeywell spectra fibre, and is a pre-stretched, heat-treated 8-strand braid that sits at the top end of braided line manufacturing processes. Improvements in manufacture have allowed for a mild coating and a better weaving process to help the line resist staining from dirty water use. The mild coating also means this braid will resist fluffing. Fluffing of braid creates weak spots that reduce the consistency of the braid. Venom V-Line is equally effectively on spin, baitcast and offshore overhead tackle in all situations. www.wilsonfishing.com

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The new range of Saltiga Tournament rods delivers anglers never-before-seen components in a production light tackle game rod. The Winthrop Epic straight butt is the lightest straight butt on the market today. Winthrop has partnered with Daiwa to create a longer gimbal insert to accommodate the needs of top Sydney game anglers. The HVF Nanoplus graphite blanks make the rod lightweight and responsive for optimum lure performance. Fuji Stainless Steel silicon carbide (SiC) guides make sure even the lightest of top shots are provided smooth and stable line flow through the guides. Three rods feature in the range, including the stunning and heaviest model, the 15/24, the Saltiga Tournament series is tailor made for the Australian light-tackle game market and is the perfect match to Daiwa’s iconic Saltiga Lever Drag reels. www.daiwafishing.com.au

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Daiwa’s 22 Exist is the most advanced light tackle Daiwa spin reel to date. The foundation of the 22 Exist’s design is

DAIWA 22 EXIST (g) pc lt2500d

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Sage R8 Core is a rod that is focused on maximum versatility for anglers. R8 Core represents the most cutting edge fly rod design by utilising a revolutionary new composite, developed in conjunction with the world’s leading aerospace companies. Sage has increased the purity of graphite in the rod for even more reactivity and sensitivity, shifting energy further down the blank and into the handle. As this elongated energy transfer shifts the sweet spot closer to the hand, it creates a more natural extension of your arm for greater range, quicker reactivity and less wasted effort. This effortless energy transfer, and the amplified two-way feedback loop of R8 Technology, allows you to feel when the power needs to be applied throughout the cast, presentation, and when applying the appropriate pressure to fish. Coming in a range from 3wt to 9wt, with a variety of lengths from 8’6” to 10’0”, there’s sure to be a model to fit the core needs of every angler. Price: SRP $1560 www.jmgillies.com.au

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The Daiwa 20 Infeet rod range and the new 22 Infeet X spin reel deliver the ultimate finesse line-up. The Infeet 702LRS integrates performance with price for the Australian light tackle finesse angler. It utilises Daiwa’s X45 and HVF blank technology creating a rod that is under 90g and highly sensitive. Available in two sizes, the new Infeet X spin reel features Daiwa’s carbon composite Zaion V body, which is strong and sturdy while remaining incredibly sensitive, lightweight, and saltwater proof. The next-gen ATD Type-L drag is installed for the first time outside 22 Exist, to offer the best performance with light line. Fully equipped with CRBB corrosion resistant bearings and sporting Daiwa’s Magseal technology the Infeet X is a perfect choice for keen light-tackle anglers. www.daiwafishing.com.au

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DAIWA INFEET 702lrs with INFEET x 2000s-p

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The Bone Drago series builds on years of rod building experience, with every aspect of the rod meticulously put together to create the best product available. Starting with a 100% full carbon fibre handle and reel seat that was designed to be ergonomically perfect, the Drago is extremely light weight and the handle provides unparalleled sensitivity. This butt and handle configuration also produces an extremely well-balanced rod with amazing overall performance. The blank is 100% TorayCA M40X T110G carbon fibre material rolled in a multi-axis fashion to provide the signature Drago feel from the high response, fast taper blank. The Fuji K-SIC guides are lightly bound to minimise the impact on the blank. There are six models in the Drago range, and they’re set to hit shelves in early 2023. www.wilsonfishing.com

BONE DRAGO 610m

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Daiwa’s new Airdrive Design, a four pillar (Airdrive Rotor, Airdrive Bail, Airdrive Spool, and Airdrive Shaft) design concept that reduces weight, and enhances rotational smoothness and responsiveness. The Airdrive Rotor and Airdrive Airbail combine to reduce weight at the top of the reel to improve rotational smoothness and start up speed, and to minimise rotational resistance and inertia. These design benefits are further enhanced thanks to the Exist’s new weight-saving, optimally balanced Airdrive Spool. Airdrive Shaft features a low contact structure between the mainshaft and pinion, and results in reduced internal friction and improved rotational smoothness. Other features include Monocoque Body, Magseal, Tough Digigear, ATD, and Twistbuster. www.daiwafishing.com.au

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CO-WINNER BERKLEY SHIMMA SHRIMP Aussie anglers asked for it and the team at Berkley have delivered, with the all new Shimma Shrimp Weedless. This new lure is available in three sizes – 100mm (9g), 120mm (16g) and 150mm (28g) – to suit a wide variety of target species, and it’s perfect for fishing in snaggy environments. The Shimma Weedless does it all. It shimmies on the drop, tucks its tail on the lift, and sends out lots of vibration that fish just can’t resist. Built on a tough, stretchy TPE (thermal plastic elastomer), it has a weedless body with unique hook and weight system designed to give the best mix of sink, vibration, and glide. The Shimma Shrimp weighs 9g and is currently available in 10 fish-catching colours: olive, blue tail, nuclear, pearl, crystal, pink, peach, fire tiger, orange belly, and peppered. Price: from SRP $17.99-$19.99 berkley-fishing.com.au

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The brand new Chasebaits Curly Prawn 60mm is an unrigged prawn imitation made from PVC material and modelled off the highly successful Flick Prawn Body. The Curly Prawn incorporates a curly tail and is designed to be rigged backwards, with an enticing curly tail action on the drop and hop. Key features include a belly and back slot for weedless rigging, painted eyes, 2-tone injected colours, six per pack and vibrating legs. This new lure will be available from November in Australian tackle stores. Price: SRP $12.95 www.chasebaits.com.au

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It’s no secret that swimbaits attract bites from big predators when other lures won’t, but getting big baits into the strike zone without spooking the target can be a challenge. Shimano’s new ArmaBoost lure technology changes the game – increasing casting distance by up to 35%. The innovative Arma Boost hinge design allows the Bantam ArmaJoint to effectively fold in half on the cast, enabling unparalleled flight time, stability, and casting accuracy for a swimbait of this size. The Bantam ArmaJoint also features Shimano’s groundbreaking Flash Boost system, engineered to constantly emit a fish-attracting flash during the retrieve, even on the pause. On the outside, Scale Boost technology provides the platform for some of the most realistic lure finishes in the world. To see a cool video of this lure in flight, head to YouTube and search for ‘Bantam ArmaJoint’. www.shimanofish.com.au

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The Venom V-Minnow has just been released after years of rigorous on-water testing. The toughness of this lure is the result of thicker external walls, through wire and an internal rib system. Ball bearings are placed in exactly the right spot to ensure each lure performs to its peak.

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The V-Swim can be trolled at up to 12 knots, making it ideal for fast-paced predators such as mackerel, wahoo and tuna. And when trolled at 6-8 knots, it will attract just about any predator in the ocean. There are two sizes, 130mm/45g and 170mm/92g, which will appeal to kingfish, tuna, mackerel, wahoo and GTs. The 130mm model is also effective on coral trout, smaller trevally species and jobfish. The V-Minnow comes in 10 proven colours. www.wilsonfishing.com

BEST GAME FISH ACCESSORY WINNER DAIWA INSULATED FISH BAG Keep your catch safe and secure and in tip top condition with Daiwa’s new Insulated Fish Bag. Designed for ease of use, robust construction and for optimum insulating performance the Insulated Fish Bag is a must-have for all keen catch-ncook anglers. Heavily insulated and made from ultrastrong PVC material, the Insulated Fish Bag has been constructed to handle the heaviest of catches, even when loaded with ice, and features a zippered and Velcro strapped opening on the top for ease of access. An external mesh pocket on the end of the bag provides storage options, while a lower drainage bung allows you to drain unwanted water from the bag. A ruler on the outside of the bag allows you to measure your catch, ensuring your prized capture doesn’t go unmeasured. Available in three sizes (70cm, 100cm and 150cm) the new Insulated Fish Bag is the bag you don’t want to leave home without on your next fishing adventure. www.daiwafishing.com.au

BEST TERMINAL TACKLE WINNER OCEAN’S LEGACY TAKO BAIT ASSIST The Ocean’s Legacy Tako Bait Assist is a high-quality, custom-designed glow tako (Japanese for ‘octopus’) bait with UV tinsel, designed to increase bites. The Tako Bait Assist is professionally tied on a fluorocore cord with ultra-sharp twin assist hooks in sizes 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, 5/0, suitable for micro, slow pitch and deep jigging applications. The Tako Bait Assist is currently available in four proven colours: clear speckled glow, full pink glow, blue pink silver glow and sardine glow. Ocean’s Legacy’s product range has been designed in collaboration with expert anglers from around Australia and South East Asia, and tested throughout the harsh conditions of Australia, Christmas and Cocos Keeling islands on everything from yellowtail kingfish and giant blue grouper through to dogtooth tuna and GTs. oceanslegacy.com

BEST CLOTHING ACCESSORY WINNER BONE FISHERMAN'S HAT The Bone Fisherman Tiger Camo Hat is packed with angler-friendly features including the Bone Sunglasses Holder, a utility pocket and of course a wide brim for the ultimate in sun protection. The broad brim reduces direct sunlight across the neck and face, while the neck strap and head strap allow for the perfect fit for almost any angler. Available in two colours, grey camo and green camo, the Bone Fisherman Tiger Camp Hats will keep you comfortable on the water, day in and day out. www.wilsonfishing.com

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Casting is a core fundamental skill for anglers, which rapidly improves capture rates when lure fishing, and the Berkley Master Caster kit is designed to be a simple fun training tool to hone angler skill sets in the back yard or campsite. The kit includes a collapsible target and two casting plugs to suit spin and baitcast tackle. It quickly unfolds and is easy to assemble, and packs away quickly and easily, making it simple to transport. It comes complete with two casting plugs, a target, and two pegs, so you’re all set to practice your casting anywhere. There is also the option to purchase two additional casting plugs separately, with the Master Caster 2-piece Casting Plug Set (SRP $14.99). This kit includes one 18g baitcaster plug, and one 7.5g spin plug. Price: SRP $59.99 berkley-fishing.com.au

The new Crypto model from Spotters blends the best of their most popular models to make this one epic pair of shades! The Crypto features flexible temples for superior round-the-clock comfort, along with a universal nose bridge to fit a broad range of face shapes. The front of the frame headlines stylish accents, along with a smaller Spotters logo on the temples. It’s a timeless design that will be sure to impress. There is a wide range of lens types and colours to choose from in the Spotters range, including four photochromic options – Halide (brown), Penetrator (copper), Carbon (grey) and Xtreme (green) – that darken in response to light levels. The lens featured in the photo on this page is Ignite Mirror, one of four mirror options available in the range. For more information or to find the stockist nearest you, head to the Spotters Sunglasses website. Price: SRP $319.95 www.spotters.com.au

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The Hopper M20 Backpack Soft Cooler allows you to put the day on your back — literally. This hands-free cooler comfortably straps on like a backpack to keep you mobile, while a strip of ultrastrong magnets keeps the cold locked in. The new MagShield Access opens wide so you can easily load in beer, ice, or your favourite sandwiches. The powerful magnets create an ultra leak-resistant shield that stays open when you need it and seals closed with a gentle push. ColdCell Insulation uses closed-cell foam technology to lock the cold in and keep your refreshments fresh. Yeti recommends using the large Yeti Thin Ice ice brick in your M20 Backpack. There’s also the option to attach accessories such as the Rambler Bottle Sling or Sidekick Dry Gear Case to the HitchPoint Grid to keep useful gear at your fingertips. Price: SRP $449.96 au.yeti.com

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Pelagics are fishing well from most beaches PITTWATER

Mark Ternen

In recent weeks the fishing has been very good as far as pelagic fishing goes. We have been seeing nice schools of salmon from 1-3kg on most beaches, including Collaroy, Narrabeen North, Narrabeen and Mona Vale. Most of the salmon are being taken on fresh WA pilchards or squid strips. There are also some nice bream being taken on Dee Why Beach, Collaroy, and Bilgola on peeled Hawkesbury prawns and sandworms. On the rocks there are some good schools of blackfish being taken from North Narrabeen, Freshwater and Palm Beach, all on fresh green weed. Some fish have been up to 2kg in size. A few guys have tried weed flies

lately with no success, and then put the fresh weed on and had success. It can be hard to find good, fresh green weed, but the results are worth it. Pittwater is also firing for nice-size flathead, flounder, and tailor. Most of the flathead are being taken on the drift between Palm Beach and Barrenjoey Headland. They are also being caught from the western side of Scotland Island, on the drift, taking fresh fish strips like mullet or pilchards. Some nice kingfish up to 80cm in size have be showing up at Clareville near the wreck, Mackerel Beach, and the Basin area through the moorings. Most of these fish have been taken on fresh local squid or live yellowtail. There are some nice bream have been caught from the McCarrs Creek area, and also from Bayview public

baths. All fish have been taken on peeled Hawkesbury prawns. Plain chicken pellets or flavoured prawn nuggets are the best berley for the bream. Pittwater has also got some really nice size blue swimmer crabs at the moment for the guys with the crab pots, and most of them have been taken along Bayview shoreline, and the back of Scotland Island in close. Outside, most of the reefs including Boltons, Reggies, and the Valiant have got goodsize kingfish holding on them. Most of the kings are being taken on small micro jigs (e.g. 40g size Samaki Choona) or once again fresh squid. Some nice size snapper are being taken at Newport Reef, and Long Reef in close along White Rock or the Boulders. These fish are all being taken on either squid or whole fish baits. Some of the reds have

been up to 4kg in weight. Plenty of berley is needed, usually a tuna berley bomb. Outside on the deeper reefs there are some nice-size trevally in good schools at Esmerelda and Broken Bay wide. Mixed with the trevally is the odd good size snapper. Floating squid and whole pilchards have been producing the best results. Narrabeen Lake has been yielding some very nice size bream up to nearly 1kg in the Jameson Park area, and also along the Wakehurst parkway area in front of the BBQs. Berry Reserve has some nice-size bream and flathead, which are taking small soft plastics such as nuclear chicken Gulp Minnows in 3”, or the Gulp Poddy Mullet in smelt colour. Work them with a slow retrieve and jerking action to gain the fish’s interest. Bait anglers are

also getting good catches on Hawkesbury prawns. Two small size jewfish were taken from around the Newstreet Bridge area in recent weeks, both on live poddy mullet. They ranged between 3-5kg. Usually jewies don’t start showing up until the end of September, so it’s been good to see the odd one being caught in August. Hopefully this bodes well for the season ahead. SEPTEMBER FISHING The flathead are ramping up, especially from Narrabeen Lake and Pittwater. Try drifting for them in anywhere from 5-15m, and also with soft plastics. The Barrenjoey area and Palm Beach area are good, and the Ocean Street bridge down to the front bridge in Narrabeen Lake is a good place to start. The school trevally also get really thick at this time of

year, especially in the harbour and Pittwater, so there is plenty to keep you occupied this month. • If you need fishing gear, quality bait or a chat about what’s biting, head to Narrabeen Bait and Tackle. Owner Mark, his son Marc and long-time staff member Chris have been local fishermen for 30 years – so there’s not much they don’t know about Pittwater or Northern Beaches fishing, and they are happy to answer any questions you may have. The store stocks an extensive range of tackle, and their live and fresh bait range is renowned as one of the best in Sydney. It is sourced locally and includes live beach worms and nippers. Drop on and see them at 1469 Pittwater Rd, North Narrabeen or phone (02) 9970 6204.

Aerodynamic action in spring SYD ROCK & BEACH

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com.au

When you think, “Hey, it is not that cold anymore”, think again! When the southwest wind start blowing you will feel that chill as the wind blows off the late season snow fields. It’s kind of like having a fan blowing over ice. But then you have those beautiful balmy days in early spring where it is perfect.

off the rocks. Let’s look at what’s biting this month off the rocks, beaches and in Sydney Harbour. OCEAN ROCKS It’s that time of the year that you get a mix of rock blackfish and silver drummer. True, they have been around throughout the winter months, but in September you may encounter big silver drummer ranging from 2-8kg+. When they’re big you’ll find that they’re one of the toughest rock species.

Peter Kavanagh was rapt with these snapper caught while distance casting using squid strips and salted slimy mackerel fillet. It’s good to take a variety of baits on your outings. Fishing the spring run of often larger rock blackfish is something I always look forward to, or the snapper distance casting this month. These are among some of the great species you can go for – and that’s just 56

SEPTEMBER 2022

Unlike the rock blackfish, which lives in submerged caves, under ledges and under boulders, the silver drummer are a free-swimming species. Silver drummer are the ‘true’ drummer. Rock blackfish are commonly called ‘black

drummer’, but they’re not really a drummer, they’re a rock blackfish, the ‘true’ blackfish. When you land a rock blackfish, you’ll find it’s a shiny charcoal black, unlike the silver drummer which is a greenish/grey silver. The rock blackfish has delicious white flesh, but the silver drummer can be not so nice, especially when they get past that 4kg size. I don’t mind eating silver drummer up to about 3kg. When you check the stomach contents of a rock blackfish compared to a silver drummer, they are vastly different. A rock blackfish has a variety of weeds (red, green, brown), a small amount of young kelp, pink moss and more. The silver drummer has mostly kelp. Yes, kelp – like what you see washed up on the ocean beaches. Due to this kelp diet, the flesh of a 4kg+ silver drummer can have a light greenish tinge to it. That is one of the main reasons the large silver drummer are not so tasty. When it comes to bait, silver drummer love a wellpresented peeled king, banana or endeavour prawn. Cunjevoi is also a treat for them, and occasionally one will be caught on a cabbage weed bait meant for luderick or rock blackfish. When you hook a silver drummer, especially a larger model, you will feel it. They have a burst of power and generally will not reef you up like a rock blackfish. They have sharp grazing teeth and sharp gill plates, so getting bitten off is pretty common from this species. The spots where both of these species are being caught include Little Bluey ledges end of Bower St, Manly Shelly headland, Long

reef, Warriewood boulders, Bangalley Head and more. Distance casting for snapper this month has been quite good. They’re also in the washes but a better option is punching a 3-5oz snapper sinker rig out between 70-110m to the sand/gravel past the broken reef. If you have not done this type of fishing before it’s great fun, rewarding and will expand your number of methods/ species to target off the rocks. It is important to present your baits as aerodynamically as possible so you don’t get unnecessary spin. If your bait spins throughout the cast it will reduce your casting distance. Firm baits like salted slimy mackerel, salted striped tuna, squid strips, cuttlefish strips and candles are amongst some of the best baits for reddies. Mushy baits can be used as well, like fresh slimy mackerel or half pilchards, but if you’re using them I recommend securing them with Bait Mate. It’s a stretchy fine string that you can purchase at your local tackle shop. After you have baited your hook with a mushy bait, wrap the Bait Mate string around it to secure it better. No need to mummify your bait by over-wrapping it – use just enough to secure the bait so it can handle the big cast. So now you may be keen for a snapper fish? These are the spots worth distance casting at: Mona Vale swimming pool ledge straight out on the front ledge, North Narrabeen in front of the swimming pool ledge, North Curl Curl and South Curl Curl ledges. BEACH FISHING My first big fish back when I was a young teenager was an Aussie salmon, and at around 2.5kg it looked massive when I landed it! It fought

Andrew Areia with his first rock blackfish. The seas were up on the day so it was challenging. hard, and I was gob smacked when playing it out on my 7’6” Jarvis Walker rod as the fish unexpectedly jumped clear out of the water. I had heard that salmon jump out of the water, but actually seeing it for myself was incredible. I took it home, and was not sure how it should be cooked. It ended up getting baked in the oven. I found it had a pretty strong flavour as I did not bleed it, and it was quite dry because I overcooked it. Nowadays I have much better knowledge of cooking fish, including Australian salmon. If you bleed a salmon, and cook it correctly, it tastes quite good. Smaller salmon that are 2kg or under are best for the plate; larger fish have a stronger flavour. You should definitely bleed your salmon, and scrape out the red blood line near the back bone. This

blood line has a strong flavour that you don’t want. Later this month and next should see some chunky salmon caught in good numbers off the ocean beaches. They are a school fish, so catching a few on an outing is common. The traditional method (a gang of 3/0-4/0 hooks with a whole pilchard rig) is the go. You can add a surf popper on your rig as well on the top swivel. Tie on 20-25cm of 40lb fluoro and then your surf popper. At times you’ll get a double hook-up – one on then popper and one on the ganged pilchard. Often the popper will get scoffed rather than the pilchard. The tailor are in short supply this month. There can be a quick bite at the crack of dawn off the surf beaches, To page 57

NSW

Sydney

Get smashed in spring SYDNEY NTH

Steve Winser

With water in the harbour and nearshore being around 15-17°C, and clear as a bell, the winter time fishing has been in full swing. Once again though, consistent south blow-ups have made it necessary to hit it when you can. In the harbour, there have been two different

types of schools of kings – either schools of rats in the 60cm range, or solid 1m+ models. Again, fresh squid has been the key to getting good catches. The squid have been patchy some days and on fire the next, with most being taken over the ribbon weed, with some stonkers amongst them. The run-out tide has been working the best for us, and fishing the edges and structure is a good way

Ben with a kingfish from the lower reaches. From page 56

but you had better be there at the right time because the bite won’t last long. You can encounter some sand flathead and the odd bream as well. Curl Curl Beach is

to get results. We have been using jigs in the 2.5 to 3.5 size range. You can use any colour you want… as long as it’s orange or green! The shallow water harbour fishing has produced the best bream and blackfish fishing I’ve seen in a long time, with catches of 20 or better commonplace. We have been doing well fishing bread baits under small corks in a bread berley trail, with 8lb leaders and no. 8 suicide hooks. Hordes of trevally marauding these waters have made it difficult some days to get the gear down to the species you’re after. The wash fishing, as to be expected, has been on fire lately. We have been enjoying great sessions on solid black drummer in numbers, with some brutal smashings from XXL size blue groper. On one recent trip, we had an estimated 12-15kg blue groper almost within range of the landing net, before it won the fight due to the handle busting off a BG 5000. Not happy, Jan. We have been mainly targeting the groper on my king outfits, which are 10,000 Saragosas with

Eric with a blackfish caught wash fishing. 50lb braid and leaders, baited with crab baits. The drummer have been coming on bread baits fished in a bread berley trail, with 30lb leaders on 30lb braid and 8ft rods. Next month should see a continuation of the great shallow water harbour and wash fishing. The kings should start to push more into the upper reaches in the coming weeks. It’s difficult to say exactly when though,

as they should have already done so by now. They have been hanging round the lower reaches for longer than expected, and this relentless La Niña weather pattern is making predictions more of a challenge. • Fishing Sydney Tours takes pride in tailoring every trip to the customer’s preferred species, style of angling, and level of expertise, all within a friendly and relaxed atmosphere at

holding all of these species, providing the seaward gutters are there and the seas are less than 1.5m. At the other end of the scale, when the swell is too flat, they can be hard to find because of the lack

rocks, Dobroyd Head and the inside of South Head on the calm side in the harbour are good spots, yielding some luderick as well. The coldest months are nearly behind us but the coldest waters are not. For this reason, I suggest targeting the winter species like trevally, luderick, groper, rock blackfish, salmon, and even snapper. There are plenty of choices. I enjoy fishing for all of these species, and they involve all separate challenges which makes it interesting. • 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.

Dennis Leung, Fred Tang and Tim Lim hold up their first rock blackfish and silver drummer.

Nicholas Khoury with a cracker of a bag of luderick from Sydney Harbour. At least eight fish were released.

of structure. When fishing off south Curl Curl pool you’ll find there is normally a gutter there. There should be some bait fish and predators like Aussie salmon, bream and some trevally to follow. ESTUARY FISHING The luderick have been on the chew of late, with bags of up to 15 fish to 1kg. The harbour rock shore and jetties and wharves are producing. While fishing some of these wharves/jetties you will note that it is deep water. A fixed float may not cut it, because the depth you need to fish can be above the length of a rod in that really deep water. The solution is a sliding float

with a wind-on float stopper. You can vary the depth that you are fishing by sliding the stopper further up the line. If the luderick are 4-6m deep you can easily fish that depth by letting out more line until your float keeps sliding up to the float stopper. Remember the amount of lead weight for your rig is subject to how much wind and current there is at the location on the day. I recommend using hair weed and weed/sand berley to concentrate the fish at your location. Balmoral wharf and Clifton Gardens wharf are amongst some of the good wharves/jetties to try. Off the

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

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Sliding into September SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Coming out of the winter months fishing in September in the southern area should be much the same. The only difference is that the days will start to get a bit longer and warmer. We hope! As for the water

temperature, it will slowly increase and you will have to search around to find those warmer pockets. If you are going to target a few dusky flathead in the shallows I would suggest that you wait until the sun has been up for a bit and the tide is nearing the bottom. I have found that the dusky flathead tend to stay up on the shallow flats for longer to catch a feed while sunning themselves.

When you’re fishing these types of areas, make sure you don’t make too much noise while wading around as the flathead tend to get a bit spooky. If you’re fishing from a boat and casting up onto the shallows, don’t be afraid to flick those soft plastics up onto the sand and then slowly work them back into the deeper water. Places that are worth a look at are the end of Kogarah

Yellow-tailed kingfish will start to show up in numbers at the end of the third runway and Trevally Alley.

Anchoring up and berleying in the deeper waters of the Port Hacking always seems to produce a good feed of fish.

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Bay, Frenchmans Beach in Yarra Bay, the stretch of shoreline from Brighton to Dolls Point and Silver Beach at Kurnell. Further up in the Georges River you could try any of the small bays that empty out into the river – places like Como, Oyster and Oatley Bays and the Georges River State Recreational area. Try the boat ramp at Burnum Burnum reserve, Stretton Lane and Washington Drive in the Woronora River. Silver trevally, bream, pan-size snapper, yellowtail, squid and tailor should be schooling up at the end of the third runway, Trevally Alley, Bare Island, the oil wharf and the Caption Cook Bridge. Lightly-weighted half pillies, peeled prawns, strip of squid and yellowtail would be worth a try for the bream, trevally and pan-sized snapper. Whole pillies on ganged hooks are the go for the tailor, and peeled prawns for the yellowtail. As for the squid, I have my favourite colours in the Fish Inc Egilicious squid jigs – crazy shrimp, flash back, fluoro orange and fluoro

green. In the Yamashita Live Squid Jig 3.0, I like pink cloth/UV body, green tiger cloth/glow body, and sardine blue cloth/490 glow body. I’m sure that you have your own favourites, but what I’ve found is the more that I use these colours, the more I have confidence in using them. Even though there have been a small number of kingfish feeding in various spots in the bay, September should see their numbers and sizes increase. Try the down rigging, float line trolling or just put one on a paternoster rig and send it to just off the bottom. Yellowtail, mullet, squid and slimy mackerel are good if you can get them. You could also try slow trolling soft plastics on a 3/4-1oz jighead, 1/2-1oz blades or Rapala or Halco deep diving lures near Henry Head, Bare Island, around the edges of the runways and around the edge or the drums in the middle of the bay. The cooler waters have also seen an increase of Port Jackson sharks and banjo rays for those who have been fishing the deeper water off

Towra, Yarra Bay and the oil wharf. To evade these species, I fish as light as I can with a small ball sinker that runs down to the top of the bait. If I am still getting them, I will move to another spot. If you are after trevally, tailor, bream, luderick and drummer they will be still in good numbers off the rocks at Kurnell, Windy Point, Marley and off Coalcliff Point. To get them on the chew I berley with white bread. Offshore the close-in reefs north and south of the entrance to Botany Bay will produce snapper, morwong, pigfish, trevally and slimy mackerel on a rising tide. Out wider at the Peak and nearby reefs, the kingfish have been on the chew. It’s just a matter of getting that calm weather to get out there. Sand and tiger flathead can be targeted from the 30-50m depth off Maroubra, Malabar and the point at Kurnell. Half pillies, squid, mullet and salted slimy mackerel seem to produce the best results. Don’t forget to keep those reports coming in to gbrown1@iprimus.com.au.

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Glenn Benson from the BCF store at Taren Point came across a school of above average size trevally in the Port Hacking.

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SEPTEMBER 2022

NSW

Time to target river bass BALLINA

Joe Allan

September brings with it the opening of the Australian bass season in NSW. This time of year can see some of the most aggressive strikes as well as good numbers of fish. With the amount of wet weather and flooding that

people are saying it will be tough as a lot of structure has been washed away, while other people claim that the flush-out will lead to a better fishery in the future. Just how far in the future the improvement will occur, remains to be seen. The lower salt and brackish sections of the river have fished well coming through winter so

Harrison Clements with another cracker mulloway at night from the town stretch of river. has inntheBsystem it will be interesting to see ba Praw l ad mhappened year, it’s a bit of eas”how the fresh sections of “Yathis lottery as to how the system will have recovered. Some

the river are. There have been some quality bream

and jewies (mulloway) caught around the river mouth. Normally at this time of year the Aussie bass are generally on the move in most tidal systems and looking to head back upriver after the spawn of the early winter months. Searching and fast-moving baits like spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits can be some of the most productive choices at this time of year. If you’re worried about the treble hooks of a lipless crankbait snagging up, try swapping out the trebles for a size 1 single hook on the belly (e.g. Gamakatsu Lure Hooks) or size 4s on both the belly and rear hook points. I like to go for two size 4s. This way, you can slowly retrieve your lures over timber without as many problems. The bream will be around in very good numbers through the lower and middle reaches of the river up to Broadwater and Wardell. Fresh prawns and yabbies are always the best baits at this time of year – the fresher the better. If you’re into throwing lures, start by throwing 1/4oz blades deep and work your way shallow up the rock walls until you find the active fish. If there has been some pressure on the fishery, drop your line size to around 6lb and 4lb leader (6ft to 7ft). This should bring on a few more bites. Keep your crankbaits handy as well, as the fish should start to hold on the rock walls rather than the deeper holes. There have been some nice catches of mulloway both offshore and in the river in recent weeks, with the best fish seeming to come from night time expeditions. Live bait, such as mullet or slimies, has been by far the standout. There have also been some snapper in good numbers and quality size around the close reefs off

south Ballina. Most of the fish are in the 35-50cm range, with the odd bigger fish around 70-80cm thrown in. If you’re after a feed, there are plenty around. The best baits for snapper would be cut bonito or squid, however the bigger fish will be coming on soft plastics such as the Atomic Jerk Minnow 6” in ghost pearl, white or radioactive rooster. Don’t be caught up in chasing the snapper in close on good days. If the weather allows, get out to the 100 fathoms, and try for some blue-eye trevalla and bar cod. Good baits for these guys are fresh squid and cuttlefish. It can be hard work on traditional tackle fishing this deep; electric reels are essential in this style of fishing. On the 32s there are good numbers of pearl perch and trag jew. If you’re after having your arms pulled off, try jigging for some amberjack around the 48s. Towards the end of September, we should see some mud crabs showing up. The best baits for these at this time of year are your leftover blackfish skeletons. Off the beaches and headlands there are some quality tailor showing up, so it’s time to get out your spinning gear and throw metal slugs for these fish. It can be a great way to spend

A big fat flatty caught in the shallows at night. She was chasing prawns up river from Burns Point Ferry.

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a morning and catch some fresh fish for breakfast. At night, try some cut bonito and blue pilchards on gang hooks. There are some good numbers of dart and whiting along the gutters of South Ballina. There are

still heaps of these fellas around, and you’ll come across some pretty nice snowy bream too. Towards the end of September when the westerlies start to blow the swell flat, it’s worth throwing some soft plastics into these gutters.

You’ll get everything from flathead to whiting, tailor, bream and dart. It can be great fun with young kids. The blackfish numbers are starting to dwindle, but there are still a few good fish around. Until next month.

Recreational Fishing Update can also find out about great catches from the monthly winners, as well as some important program updates. The RAP report is produced from information provided by everyday fishos like you. Your fishing successes help us to learn about fish growth and movements. If you’re interested in learning more, including the location of your closest drop-off points, head to the DPI website and search “Research Angler Program”. For a chance to win some great prizes including RAP merchandise or $50 gift vouchers be sure to donate frames from your mulloway, snapper, kingfish, pearl perch, dusky and blue spotted flathead, Spanish and spotted mackerel. This is all part of ‘Fish for life – Building a healthy fishing future’.

North Coast Surprise Catches! Recently DPI Fisheries received not one, but two reports of an uncommon species capture! The Lutjanus sebae, more commonly known as red emperor, were caught on the north coast at Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay. The first red emperor was caught by Andrew Iveli and Matt McEwan in late June. They were fishing off Coffs Harbour and thought they had hooked a snapper only to be surprised when a juvenile red emperor came to the net after a short tussle. The second fish was caught on board Byron Bay Fishing Charters in July. It was a welcome bycatch for both customers and crew who also thought they hooked a snapper. The juvenile red emperor was released back into the water in the hope that they might stumble across it again when it is 10kg! Red emperor are quite common in northern and central Queensland and are widespread throughout

The 2020-21 Game Fish Tagging Annual Report Is Here! the Indo-west Pacific. In QLD, they are an incredibly popular recreational fishing target that are renowned for their fighting capabilities and eating quality. The Australian Museum reports that red emperor have been recorded as far south as Sydney, however, they are not a typical catch in NSW waters. While these reds were only juveniles, they can reach sizes of up to 20 kilos, a serious challenge for any angler!

Fishing Fun on The North Coast!

Since 2006, an annual report on the NSW DPI game fish tagging program has been prepared by fishing scientist, Julian Pepperell. These annual reports summarise the tagging and recapture efforts for each season (by financial year), highlighting significant recaptures, trends and biology of some of our favourite species. Some of the key highlights of the 2020/21 season. • 10,207 fish were tagged in 2020/21. • The 500,000th fish was tagged in the program’s history. • The first recorded movement of a striped marlin from Australia to New Zealand. • New time-at-liberty record for a Samson fish – 12 years. • A kingfish recaptured twice, once after 629 days, the second after another 330 days. – That fish had travelled approximately 3,000 km during its 959 days at liberty. If you would like to learn more about the 2020/21 tagging season or would like to check out any previous season reports, please head to the DPI website and search “Gamefish Tagging Annual Report”. This is all part of ‘Fish for life – Building a healthy The latest edition of the “RAP Report” (DPI’s Research Angler fishing future’. Program newsletter) has been released and focusses on all things mulloway. Ageing, growth rates, tagging and even some exceptional recaptures are all covered in the report. You DPI staff were assisted by our wonderful Fishcare Volunteers. If you want to know more about our Fishcare volunteer program and the fishing workshops head to the DPI website and search “Fishing Workshops” or “Fishcare Volunteer”.

RAP Report Shines Spotlight on Mulloway!

After the recent floods it was great to see the sun shining at Ballina for a DPI & Fishcare fishing workshop. There were lots of first-time catches, lots of laughter and new friends made!

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

SEPTEMBER 2022

NSW

Snapper catches to the rescue this spring COFFS COAST

Rob Taylor

Coffs Coast fishos can’t seem to catch much of a break this year with either flooding rains or heavy seas, or both. There’s certainly been some sensational fishing days in the mix but there’s been some long waits between them. The saving grace has definitely been snapper. We’ve experienced a

fantastic snapper season with plenty of big reds hitting the decks and most anglers are at least scoring a decent feed with each outing. Depending on water clarity, the majority of reds have been between 20m and 60m with the usual bait and lure options finding fish. Trag and pearlies have also been on the chew out a bit wider and some solid samsonfish have crashed a few parties taking baits intended for smaller targets.

When water clarity allows, the creeks and rivers have been fishing well for both flathead and bream and most fishos have been staying close to the mouths during run in tides to chase the higher salinity. Those river entrances with rock walls have been producing luderick and school mulloway so there’s been plenty of fun in the still water. Us locals have also managed to retain some sanity thanks to the impressive tailor run off

Troy Boulton with a beautiful Coffs Coast red taken on a soft plastic.

Local kayaker, Luke Giovanetti, produced this impressive haul of reds from his kayak using Atomic plastics.

SEPTEMBER 2022

the rocks and beaches, and a healthy start to the drummer season. September heralds the first few days of spring and with the change comes the beginning of the seasonal transition for local fishos. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer this spring. CREEKS, RIVERS AND ESTUARIES Spring is flathead time on our part of the coast and there will be some big lizards in all of the local creeks and rivers. Fishing the sand flats where the big girls lay up in an effort to find some warmer water always works well at this

time of year. Given the shallow water, surface presentations like glide baits and bent minnows come into their own right about now but don’t rule out the usual crankbaits, soft plastics and drifted livies as they all get good results. There will still be plenty of bream about and we should start to see some whiting turn up in the lower reaches and they’re always fun to chase on drifted live yabbies or sandworms. We will also continue to see good numbers of luderick and school mulloway around the rock walls and

mouths so it’s really not a bad time to start hitting up the local rivers and estuaries, ROCKS AND BEACHES As mentioned, it has been a great tailor run this year and you can expect that to continue throughout September with most of the local headlands a sure bet to find choppers. There’s a plethora of surface and sub-surface artificials on offer to chase tailor these days but I find you can’t go past Twistys and Tobies if you want a simple and relatively cheap lure to secure a feed of fish. Bleed and ice your tailor

NSW

and then smoke them and if you aren’t already in the know, you’ll find they’re delicious. School and mid-range mulloway will also be about in good numbers this month with both the rocks and beaches great places to start. Local fishos have been doing well casting live yellowtail off the beaches to the north of Coffs during evening sessions with plenty of fish between 5-10kg being taken most evenings. In addition, lure fishing has proven productive with both big crankbaits and soft plastics nailing their share of mulloway. I’d expect some good fishing to continue off the

beaches for September so get out there and have some fun. OFFSHORE September is a great month (if not the best) to be out chasing snapper in our part of the world. Some really big reds will be cruising the inshore reefs at this time of year so if you want to bag a big fella, now is the time to be out there. Float lining sessions generally always produce the goods but if you want that 7kg+ red, it’s hard to go past soft plastics. If you’re out in the deeper water, it’s a good idea to have ocky jigs or Kachi Kachi type lures over the side as these will quite often tempt big snapper and

mulloway while you focus on either bait or plastic fishing. Stick on in the rod holder and let it do its thing. Out around the islands there will be plenty of kingfish and tailor about and it’s quite a fun time to flicking small metals around the washes. You’ll no doubt get steamrolled by the occasional freight train of a king but that’s part of the fun. If the islands are quiet, head out to the 60m reefs for kings, sambos, trag and pearlies. Out wider we should see some yellowfin and striped marlin start to show so pulling a spread of pushers with a big bibbed minnow down below them should get a strike. We’re about to shake off the last of winter so what better way to celebrate the end of the cold than with a bent rod? Get out there, get into them and have some fun.

Some big sambos will start turning up on snapper grounds at this time of year.

FISHING NEWS

Repeat offender caught again at Tuncurry

This bag of big reds taken by Troy Boulton is typical of what’s on offer in September.

size blue swimmer crabs, and when Fisheries Officers went to search the vessel they were again obstructed

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by the man. The man was subsequently issued a number of court attendance

notices for the offences that occurred on both dates. On 28 July, 2022, both matters were heard at Forster Local Court, with the magistrate highlighting the seriousness of the obstruction charges and the unfair advantage that the offender gained by using seven crab traps. The man was found guilty and ordered to pay over $10,000 in fines and professional costs as well as being issued with a 12-month community correction order (CCO) as an alternative to gaol time. Members of the public can report suspected illegal fishing activies on 1800 043 536 or online at www. dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/ compliance. – NSW DPI

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NSW DPI has reminded the public that illegal crabbing and obstructing Fisheries Officers won’t be tolerated. Back in August last year, Fisheries Officers observed a fisher using seven crab traps in Wallis Lake, five more crab traps than a person is allowed to use in NSW. The man was inspected on the water, where a number of prohibited size blue swimmer crabs were found. During the inspection the man also obstructed Fisheries Officers. On 28 February, 2022, Fisheries Officers checked the man again, but this time at Tuncurry boat ramp. On this occasion, he was again found in possession of prohibited

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NSW

Bass season begins THE HASTINGS

Mark Saxon castawayestuarycharters@bigpond.com

September heralds the beginning of the new bass season, and like many anglers I am hoping the fish have got through another tough year of flooding, netting by-catch and creek fish kills. The Australian bass is a very resilient fish, and even with the forementioned situations they will battle on and the start of this month can be sensational once you have worked out a pattern. Years like this with plenty of rain can be tricky because a lot of fish are still downriver, and searching in these areas it often pays to check out some of the deeper water as fish can be in numbers there, especially if bait is around. I like to have at least a rod set up with a vibe style lure and another with a spinnerbait or chatterbait for this scenario. A deep fished plastic on a jighead or a skirted jig also

Christine and Tracey with a few of their flatties from a recent trip. overlook a few creeks in between, as you can tell there are plenty of options for bass fishing be it from

James loves this time of year and the bass that come with it.

must be released. Springtime is renowned for big flathead, and with all the bigger style lures

is worth a try. The surface bite will still be a favourite, and the early morning or evening light changes will let you know

Bass season surface bites – gotta love it!

Steve with a good bag of bream from the lower reaches of the Hastings.

if they are in the area. Try fishing structure, edges or over weed beds as this can be top fun with surface lures. The Mid North Coast has some excellent bass waters such as Wilson River, Maria River and Hastings in the Port Macquarie area. A short drive is the Manning River south of us, and Macleay River to the north and don’t

a boat, kayak or doing a bit of hiking. September is also a great month to chase flathead in our rivers, and hopefully by now anglers are aware of the new NSW bag and size limits. There is a bag limit of five fish with a slot limit of 36-70cm. All fish over 70cm

being used – either plastics, hardbodies or surface walkers – I’m expecting to see some great fish caught and released this month. The water temperatures should be on the way up, but again this will depend on rain events. If stable, we will see the shallow flats

start to fire up with mullet and whiting entering the areas. Good times indeed. September has always been a good month to target mulloway upriver as the bait has usually settled back through the system. With herring, mullet and quite a bit of whitebait lately it promises to be reasonable to find a few jewies, and throwing some bigger soft vibes or plastics will give you a good chance of tangling with one. One tip is to use your sounder and look for drop-offs, bait schools or look for birds on the water. One you’ve found what you’re looking for, work your lures slowly through the area, being thorough. The worst scenario is that you’ll get flathead as by-catch. Bream will start to spread through the local systems and you will find good numbers back up the river and it definitely can be a time to start casting surface lures. At this time of the season it is worth casting Sugapens, Splash Prawns and walk-the-dog style lures as the prawns are starting to get a bit of movement and weed beds will be worth a look. Again, with water temperatures coming up will determine how active it gets.

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Crossy with a great flatty caught on one of his legendary Crossfire lures.

NSW

Insane kingfish action FORSTER

Luke Austin

September is always an interesting month on the fishing calendar here in the Forster/Tuncurry area. It’s very much a month of transition as we start to emerge from winter and move closer to summer.

There have been some great bream reports filtering through lately, mainly from anglers fishing the rock walls and in and around the oyster leases sitting between Wallis Island and the bridge. A local angler fishing the washboards recently said he was getting a hit on nearly every cast, and the fish were hitting the lures within

up the Wallamba and down around Turn Island and the Fisherman’s Co-op. The big girls are starting to stir now and it’s well and truly time to start hunting the shallows with big surface lures, plastics and glidebaits. I am super happy to report that the flathead fishing has been awesome once again. I am hearing of the odd

We can expect to see some nice kingfish within the estuary this month.

Mulloway are always about in spring. Wallis Lake is such an amazing fishery. There is nearly always something to chase out there, and this month is shaping up to be no different. The local luderick enthusiasts have had some unbelievable sessions, with loads of fish being caught from all over the place. The southern rock wall has had a good crowd on it most days, and all anglers have managed to land more than enough fish for a feed. Other areas holding good numbers of fish include Breckenridge Channel and Jonnel Park.

seconds of them landing! Floating unweighted or lightly weighted strip baits down along the leases or rock walls is also a very productive way to target bream, and the fish have been falling for baits of mullet, bonito, yakka and chicken (but just about anything will work really). Flathead numbers are really good throughout the lake and well up into the tributaries. Most fish caught have been on the smaller side of town but there are some great table fish hanging

trumpeter whiting turning up which is great (and tasty) news as we were unsure whether they would come in this season after all of the rain we’ve had. The fish are fairly spread out but the ones that are there are of a decent size. Their bigger cousins, the sand whiting, are also becoming more active with a few sneaky reports of goodsized fish hitting surface lures on the nice high tide. This warm weather we are having will really get things firing in the shallow sand flat areas.

This month is a bit of a special one locally on the fishing calendar as it is the time that we get to experience some absolutely insane kingfish action. During the second half of September and all of October we are lucky to have good numbers of big kings congregating in and around our amazing estuary system as they go through their annual spawning routine. While we have resident kingfish permanently sneaking about the estuary, this month will see a noticeable increase in the number of fish about (their increase in numbers also seems to coincide with the number of juvenile great whites that we see in the estuary). It is time for anglers to dust off the heavy gear and have a crack at what I believe is some of the best and toughest fishing you can do! Local beaches continue to produce some great salmon and tailor action.

However, the tailor have definitely slowed up considerably with a lot of anglers only managing to find decent numbers of fish by fishing baits after dark. Reports from the local rock ledges have been rather light on lately. Those anglers who have hit the stones are reporting that there are still some very nice bream and luderick hiding in the washes, but drummer numbers have been a little disappointing with only a few fish here and there. For those wishing to put the time in, certain areas are still producing some nice pan-sized snapper as well as the odd bigger fish up to about 4kg. Heading offshore in September is not always easy; we often see some very unsettled conditions out there. However, if the wind behaves itself and we do get some nice days, the fishing can be really good out there. Chasing snapper

in the shallows is definitely a worthy option, with solid numbers of fish congregating on most reefs. As is often the case, those boats that do the miles will often find the better fishing, and places like Dennis Shoals and the inside of Snapper Rock have been firing in recent weeks, with plenty of fish up over 70cm hitting the deck. Reports from wider have been promising, with some great mixed bags coming from out in the 120-300m depth range, including snapper, bar cod, pearl perch, kingfish and morwong. • Luke is the owner of Great Lakes Tackle - your ‘local’ bait and tackle store. They only sell the best brands and offer sound, friendly advice on where you can go to land your next trophy fish while visiting the wonderful Great Lakes region! Open 7 days in the main street of Tuncurry, ph: 02 6554 9541 or find them on Facebook to see what they have been up to!

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Scott Adams with a snapper jigged up from the deeper reefs.

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NSW

Rising temperatures trigger spring species best bays in the area to catch them. Use larger jigs around size 3.0 to 3.5 when fishing the ocean rocks. OCEAN BEACHES Walking the beach with a spinning rod casting a 20-40g metal is a great way to spend an afternoon early spring with good numbers of tailor and salmon available. The best beaches to do this are Fingal Spit, Box Beach and Samuari.

PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

Port Stephens will really improve as rising water temperatures trigger the start of the season for many species. In the estuary, luderick are showing no signs of slowing up with excellent numbers still being caught from the rockwalls as well as Shoal Bay and Little Beach Jetty. Flathead are starting to wake from their winter slumbers and always fish best this time of year further up the rivers. Both the Karuah and Tilligerry River systems will be the best places to target lizards this month and if we don’t get any rain you’ll be surprised just how far up they will be. The best lures to use are around 100mm paddle-tail

There are some cracking snapper around in September.

What a great way to spend an afternoon, throwing metals on the beach for tailor?

Port Stephens Estuary Charters

7 Contact Paul Lennon :043437068 il.com email: paul.lennon.fishing@gma

fishportstephensestuarycharte @fish_portstephens

SEPTEMBER 2022

plastics and shallow diving hardbodies. I like to use pinks, whites and motor oil colours as they standout in the discoloured upstream water. Also remember that the flathead rules have recently changed and any fish caught larger then 70cm must now be released. The dusky flathead daily bag limit has also changed and is now five. Bream fishing is on the up this month with the oyster racks around Soldiers Point through to Tahlee holding some thumpers to 1.5kg. These are great areas to fish lures, such as lightly weighted 1-2” plastics and shallow diving cranks. For bait fishers targeting bream, you really can’t beat the Torpedo Tubes, Wandahead or the breakwalls. A unweighted nipper or peeled prawn fished on the tide change is a lethal way to get a bucket full. Mulloway are another fish that will turn on this month with both the Karuah bridges up there with the best places in the Port to find some silver ghosts. Large soft plastics or vibe style lures casted around the pylons on the tide change should get you a result.

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OFFSHORE While it’s not the best month for fishing outside, there’s some good reds to be caught around the islands from Fingal to Broughton. Fish the shallow reefs from 10-30m of water, especially on any sections that rise and drop off quickly. Early mornings and late afternoons are generally best and the less light there is, the shallower you should fish.

ROCKS Still good drummer around the white water from Boulder Bay down to Rocky Point but make the most of them this month as they will start to slow down as the water warms. It’s the same story with the luderick, there are plenty getting caught around the Torpedo Tubes and ‘The Castle’ and Barry Park but their season is coming to an end. Some nice squid getting around with Barry Park and Boat Harbour a couple of the

Make sure you know about the new dusky flathead slot and bag limit changes.

FISHING NEWS

Man caught with illegal traps Fisheries have apprehended a 49-year-old Howlong man, who is alleged to have had two unlawful wire traps in the Murray River near Howlong to take 27 Murray crayfish, including 13 that were of a prohibited size and nine that were carrying

eggs. Upon seizure the officers were able to return the crayfish to the water alive. Murray crayfish are a threatened species in NSW with a vulnerable status. They have declined in both range and abundance due to adverse environmental influences, and the recovery

is a long process as they are a slow growing species that take several years to reach maturity. Controls are in place to ensure that recreational fishing for this species is sustainable for the future. The take of Murray crayfish outside these strict control measures seriously compromises the recovery of these vulnerable populations. Murray crayfish can be taken from prescribed waters of the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers between June and August. The daily limit is two per person and a minimum carapace size limit of 10cm and a maximum carapace size of 12cm applies. Any Murray cayfish carrying eggs externally must be immediately returned to the water with the least possible injury. Recreational fishers can use up to five hoop nets per person in prescribed waters. The use of any form of trap to take Murray crayfish is prohibited. The Howlong man is likely to be charged with a number of offences in relation to the incident. – NSW DPI

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Water temps set to rise CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley

The weather is probably the topic of the year amongst keen anglers, and it has continued to be a major factor through the cooler months. The good news is that September is historically

one of best sporting fish to chase with lighter, more sophisticated tackle. Some anglers, including myself, still enjoy catching a few using old-school beach tackle and pilchards for bait. When they move in close to the rocks or beach or within casting range wherever you’re fishing, they respond well to thin-profile

larger surf gutters. Although considered as a rubbish table fish, they do actually come up quite well if treated properly. That means bleeding them immediately upon capture and then cutting out the darker parts of the flesh along with the skin, after you fillet them. Cut the fillets into smaller pieces and lightly

Love them or hate them, salmon are going to be the main species showing up on our local beaches over the coming weeks.

A few flathead will be kicking into gear as water temps start to rise. This one took a metal vibe, but it’s hard to go past soft plastics for flathead in our waterways. a dry month in our region and secondly, we’re heading into a warmer season, so at this stage there’s certainly nothing to complain about! Along with August though, I still rate September as one of our more challenging months as far as local fishing goes. So, it’s a good idea to try to chase species that you’ve got a reasonable chance of catching, rather than pushing your luck and trying for something that’s more likely to end in failure. Let’s get straight to the main species you are probably going to succeed with if you target them. That means salmon. Yes, I know they’re not for everyone, but some of us enjoy hooking into a few and they are

soft plastics, slim metal lures and fly casting with lighter coloured Deceivers or Clousers and other baitfish imitations. They’ll also smash surface poppers and stickbaits at times. Sheltered shore-based spots can be easily accessed at Norah Head, Terrigal and Toowoon Bay, where casting lightly-weighted plastics or fly fishing is effective and fun. It’s largely a matter of being there when conditions are favourable – that generally means a calm surf, no wind or a light offshore breeze – and the sambos are more likely to be in close early in the morning or later in the afternoon. They commonly move in very close, seeking shelter overnight in bays or

season or marinate prior to pan frying or throwing them on the BBQ. You may be pleasantly surprised if you take a bit of care before cooking. Within the lakes and Brisbane Waters, luderick are still one of the best options this month. Providing the weather behaves itself, they should be around and taking baits just as they did in the previous months. A key factor at this time of year though is to be sure you’re using the

best weed for the job. I would suggest trying to bring along at least two different varieties of weed. I’ve often found that the luderick bite more readily on weed that grows right near where you’re fishing, so scan around and see if you can spot any weed that can be used for bait near your intended fishing spot. As water temperature begins to warm just a little, flathead become more active. While I wouldn’t be expecting

The entrance bridge is one of the more reliable flathead spots for Tuggerah Lake anglers. Brisbane Water locals may be better off heading to Woy Woy, downstream of the Rip Bridge or even Patonga. There is also a chance of finding them in the deeper parts of the feeder creeks this month, if it remains dry.

Stocking

any miracles just yet, the second half of September is normally a reliable period to score a couple of flathead for the pan. As always, The Entrance and Woy Woy and good starting points when it comes to local flatty areas. It’s not exactly the best month for offshore fishing in our part of the world, but there should be some days this month when it’s nice and calm and the wind holds off enough to make it worth launching. Head wide for kings, tuna or snapper or stay in close for salmon, trevally and pan-sized reds. If the water is particularly clear in close, I’d be heading a bit wider or alternatively, trying to cast baits closer in towards rocks or reef where there may be a bit of white wash to attract fish. This isn’t a bad time to hit the rocks, but be very sure of the sea conditions before heading off fishing. Although we get a lot of dead flat days at this time of year, we’ve also had more than our share of big seas this year, and I mean way too big for rock fishing. All going well though, salmon, groper, drummer and luderick are the main species to chase this month.

Stocking

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SEPTEMBER 2022

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NSW

What will spring bring? SWANSEA

Jason Nunn

When I wrapped up my report last month, we were still wondering when the salmon were going to turn up. Then, a few days later when I was filming our social media fishing report, everything changed. We pulled up at the ramp and saw 4-5 fish jump, and a guy with his rod bent in half. That’s more like it! Since then, the salmon have been back bigger and better than we’ve seen for the last few seasons. They have just poured in, with fish from Lucys Breakwater right the way down to Swansea Bridge. We are seeing fish anywhere from 2.5-4kg, which are pretty big estuary fish, and they have been really challenging fly fishers and lure anglers. Release rates are high, which is good to see. On some weekends there have been upwards of 40 boats over there fishing; everyone seems to be having their turn. The kids have been having great fun on the salmon too, and it’s been a real winter highlight to see so many happy people

catching fish. The action should continue in the coming weeks. Normally the beginning of the run-in tide is best for salmon. However, just recently I was down there watching what was going on during the run-out tide early in the morning, and the salmon were on fire around the sunken breakwater. They were smashing the water everywhere. The advantage of the salmon being as thick as they are, is that they’re taking both lures and bait quite readily, and not really showing a preference for either. Guys are catching them on chrome slices and also soft plastics in clear colours, such as the Berkley PowerBait 3” Minnow in Casper clear. Plain old white is also a good choice, particularly in dirty water. Having said that, colour doesn’t seem to be too important at present, as the fish have been chopping into just about everything. Quite a few trevally have been caught over in Salts Bay lately as bycatch, and some tailor have been mixed in with them too. This flurry of salmon activity means that even

Barkeley Gibbons is mad about fishing. He was super excited with his session at the Maroochydore River mouth as this was the first flathead he had ever caught. It measured 42cm and was released to fight another day.

the shore-based anglers can do well at the rocks at Lucys Breakwater, or fish over at Blacksmiths breakwater fishing back into the channel, or indeed off the sandy shore of Salts Bay itself. Both baits and lures have been working equally as well. When it comes to bait, pillies have been the top pick, but you can still catch salmon on worm, prawn or flesh baits meant for other species. Because salmon haven’t got teeth like tailor, you can even fish with half pillies. You can fish your baits on a running sinker rig (good in tidal flow; you can lengthen your trace which moves it around), a floating bait (when the fish are feeding on the surface) or, if you’re fishing the beach or breakwater, a paternoster is good in the current. Often the fish have been down in the water column, but sometimes they have been up on the surface, possibly due to the clearing water, eating baitfish. On these surface feeding fish you can use a little stickbait or small soft plastic fished with the lightest jighead possible. When the water was dirty, we were using1/4oz or 3/8oz on the bottom, but now the salmon have been more responsive higher in the water column, so you can fish lighter. OFFSHORE Over the past month it has been difficult to fish offshore, but fortunately we’ve had a really good run of inshore snapper along our part of the coastline to keep anglers occupied. We saw it last year and thought it might be a one-off, but this year has been just as good. There have been good catches coming from Red Head south, and anglers have also been getting some at Mereweather. Moon Island south to as far as Bird Island is where they’ve been especially prominent. Most fish have been coming from less than 30m of water; usually around that 20m depth. The best fish have been up around 4kg, with a lot of fish in the 2.5-3kg size range. There’s plenty of bycatch in the form of trevally and tailor. Plastics around 5-7” have been getting consistent results, or you can use the old faithful floating pilly, fished down a nice, uninterrupted berley stream. The rule with berley is to deploy small amounts consistently, to keep the fish in your area. Some people just throw a bucket

Alex Schmaler-Loomes with a Swansea Channel tailor caught at this time last year. It took a soft plastic amongst the salmon. in and start fishing, and then wonder why the fish go off the bite! When the weather has permitted, we have had some really good reports from deeper water at The Farm. There have been a lot of very good snapper caught around the 3kg mark, with a few up around 4-5kg mixed in. The most consistent depth of late has been 93-96m. At the time of writing, yellowfin haven’t turned up in numbers yet. When you have 1.5-2 knots of current out at the shelf, and the water is 21.5°C, it’s definitely not conducive to catching these fish. Ideally you want 19.5°C for fin, and a good upwelling of nutrient-rich food off the bottom. The strong current we’ve had has been preventing that. Recently some of the boys went really wide, around 45nm out, saw some big ‘fin busting up amongst striped tuna but didn’t get any. Another local went out for a troll for yellowfin, and got a short-bill spearfish instead. Normally you’d catch short-bill spears later in the year, because they like warm water, and this gives you an indication of what the conditions are like out there at the moment. Even a mahimahi has been caught. We are hoping that this month we may actually see some fin coming down the coast. Watch this space. ESTUARY The estuary fishing has been quite good overall, but sadly there has been a pretty big fish kill down

on the southern end of Lake Macquarie. We’ve seen the death of hundreds of fish, including bream, mullet, flathead, tailor and a threatened spotted eagle ray. The EPA is conducting tests, and by the time you read this, we’ll hopefully know what caused the fish kill. This winter has seen some beautiful bream caught throughout the lake and the channel. There are some big fish showing up in the mix, with specimens up to 45cm. Oily baits like pilchards are a good option. The run-in tide is probably fishing a little bit better than the run-out, surprisingly – possibly because there’s so much rain-affected water coming out on the run-out tide. The fresh ocean water on the run-in tide may be revitalising the bream and getting them to bite. There are still good numbers of tailor throughout the lake, and that will continue right the way through September. It could be our last chance to catch those guys for a while. We will see the whiting and flathead begin to kick into gear as the weather starts to warm up, and a lot of us are looking forward to that. Remember that as of 1 August, all dusky flathead above 70cm must be released, and the bag limit has been reduced from 10 duskies down to five. The bag limit on lobsters has also changed, from two per person to three. Something that has been a bit of a problem over the last 6-8 months has

been a couple of grey nurse deaths. A 2.8m female grey nurse got washed up on the beach recently. The grey nurse sharks live out around Moon Island, and they like to eat salmon, so it’s probably not the best idea to target sharks in winter when there are a lot of salmon around. The one caught most recently had a shark hook in its gob and a gaff in its side, indicating that the gaffer couldn’t tell the difference between a grey nurse and whaler shark. If you’re unsure, please look up exactly what these sharks look like so you can release them unharmed. Grey nurse sharks are protected for a reason – they have a very slow reproductive rate. If we don’t do the right thing to safeguard them, the whole area could be closed to fishing, as has happened elsewhere. • Fisherman’s Warehouse Tackle World has a large range fresh and frozen bait as well as a huge range of rods, reels, lures and accessories. They also sell and service outboard motors, and have a 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.fishermanswarehouse .com.au. SEPTEMBER 2022

NSW

Arm-stretching pelagic fun continues in spring ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke

Kings are back on the menu this month, or should I say still on the menu as they really didn’t have a winter break. It’s great that we have access to a sportfish like this, with a bit of weight behind it that pulls hard, and you don’t have to travel halfway to New Zealand to catch them. While not having the speed of tuna, kingfish have plenty of strength and a few smarts; they will run your line through every bit of weed, rocky outcrops, gutters and any other object they can use to escape capture – and the bigger they are, the smarter they get, or so it seems. Long gone are the days when the water turned green and gold from schools of big fish rolling on the top at places like Bandit, then turning the water to foam as they chased down schools of sauries. There are still a few brutes about, but these days the majority of fish are under 10kg. They’re still good fish though. Places to try include Pig Island off Port Kembla, the port break walls on the run-out tide, Bass Point and of course Wollongong reef and Bandit. Further offshore out around the shelf and canyons, there have been reports of yellowfin tuna and albacore. There were quite a few big ‘fin out there in late July and early August albeit just a little south, but with sea conditions lately they could come

Sometimes you have to be up early, even in the rain, for the best fish. right past us and we just can’t get out there. Trolling still seems to be the most popular way to get them. This is strange because when they were more common you trolled to find them and then cubed, and caught way more using that method. Cubing may come back in fashion though due to the price of petrol, and it’s still a great way to get some top fish. There are not many better sights than a few chunky tuna slicing through the cube trail right at the back of the boat, sucking down the pilchards as they sink just under the surface. Trolling small skirts

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and Christmas trees will get the albies, along with small ‘fin or even any southern bluefin that may be about. This has traditionally been the prime month for bluefin off our coast. Most days will see at least one mako or blue shark swim up the berley trail; the only question is how big will it be. Then, if you need some arm exercise, you could drop a bait to the bottom in over 100 fathoms for one of the delicious bottomdwelling hapuka, trevalla or gemfish. Just remember to use something tough for bait such as squid, because it’s a long way back up to rebait. When heading out to the shelf have a few Christmas trees out the back as there have been plenty of striped tuna about. Cubing with fresh stripy and using the frames for berley really gives you that extra edge to attract something into the berley and up behind the boat. Back in close there is still plenty of surface action if you like tossing lures about. Salmon are schooling all along the coast and can be quite difficult to coax into taking your offering, as they are feeding on tiny baitfish. The striped tuna are in much the same mood if you can find a few, as they tear along at breakneck speed picking off the baitfish in their path. Small kingfish (from

undersized fish up to 70cm) will be milling on the surface, particularly around the Port Kembla break walls if we have a few early northeasters to push the baitfish into the corners where they meet the beach. Barracouta are not so fussy; usually the first indication there are a few about is when you get bitten off. Throw in the odd bonito, some trevally and a few tailor and you can have plenty of fun in early spring. It has been a long, cold winter with almost

continuous rough seas and large swells through June and July, which really cut into the offshore fishing. When anyone did get out there were a few snapper just about everywhere, but they have thinned out now with only a few stragglers left in around the shallow reefs. It’s still worth a look though as some good fish can still be captured this month, but not in the quantities of the winter months. The deeper reefs like Wollongong, the southeast grounds and Coalcliff are worth a try over the next few weeks, but plenty of berley will be needed for good catches or you can go back to drifting plastics in 40-50m of water. Always keep an eye on the sounder for any shows from the bottom to mid water. Bait balls with larger marks around them are always a giveaway that snapper are on the chew. If you are using berley, more than likely a few small makos will cruise into the trail for a look. They are great fun and great tucker, just be careful of the sharp end. Drifting is still a bit on the quiet side unless you like leatherjackets. They are still all over the sand patches en masse, sweeping all before them. If you get through them there are a few flathead starting to show, particularly out on the deeper sand areas like Bulli Sands, but we are still a month or two away from them hitting their straps. Mowies and a few

small snapper are over the reefs, along with some nice pigfish and the alwaysreliable sweep. On the beaches it is still quiet, with salmon keeping most anglers busy. This month the southern beaches around the lake entrance are always good, with Windang and Warilla beaches again fishing well with bream, tailor, salmon and a few jewies being landed. On the rocks there is some action on the deeper ledges with salmon and a few small kings, particularly down around Kiama way at the Blowhole, Bombo and Marsdens. The larger kings have a taste for live squid if you can get them. A bit of berley will attract trevally on the south side of Bass Point, while most of the washes along the coast have plenty of drummer on the bite, taking prawns and cunje. On the estuary scene it is still a bit on the slow side, but by the end of the month we should see a big improvement. Blackfish anglers are getting some good fish along the main channel and along the new break walls. There are plenty of bream up in the estuaries but they are moving out and will be heading for the beaches over the next few months. The best news is that the flathead will start to get going in the main channel towards the end of the month, ready for the October run into Christmas. Minnamurra has the usual bream around the bridges and a few flatties starting to show later in the month.

An average king for this month. There are some bigger ones among them.

NSW

Barrels in the house! Ka Boom, barrels are in the house! Well, on the continental shelf anyway. The season started a bit slow and we were starting to think that maybe we have seen the best of it the last couple of years, but every year is different and, although a slow start, the fish made up for it with size and numbers. We have seen some big fish getting caught over winter 2022:

it’s too rough for anyone else until they go out to get a keg or two. There were plenty of tuna in July and August and too many other captures to mention. Tuna fishing has changed a little over the years in order to get results. Years ago, it was a matter of dragging something behind a boat and waiting for a strike or pulling up and throwing cubes of pilchards into the ocean to berley up fish. Lures we used to troll started with feathers to basic plastic strips or a combination of the two, painted lead

Jonathon Poyner out on what is now named ‘Mad Monday: Day of the barrels’. Skipper Scotty Mann and angler Prue McMahon on vessel Little Devil cracked a nice 77kg yellowfin. Brett O’Connor and crew on Opportunity can rely on getting into them with a number of 60kg+ fish. Stu Wensing and Sheilsy on Frigate took a few boys out, on one glamour day Michael cracked a keg off the surface in the 70s, plus a number of other fish. Rusty on Big Blue has more days off work than most to make sure he gets his numbers up. Nathan Forrest and his boys, Kye and Jed, like to wait when

sinkers with a hook, Smith’s jigs with pointed down double hooks, wooden vibes with ball bearings in them, then the fancier hand crafted resin head lures from Hawaii to metal bibbed hardbodies that dived below the surface. It seemed anything you dragged behind a boat could catch fish and, if you weren’t catching fish covering the ocean, you could pull up and berley into the ocean until fish came to you. Today if I was to do that on the South Coast, I would end up completely empty-handed. Why empty-handed you

ask? Because tuna must hate trolled lures and pilchards these days, or because they love chasing sauries. You can spend an entire day dragging lures across the heads of tuna or sit there throwing pilchards at them and the only thing they want is those shiny little sauries that dart around the ocean. When tuna are absolutely fixated on them, there is no way you can get their attention. I’ve seen up to 50 tuna completely airborne from 5-50m from the boat during a day’s fishing and it doesn’t matter how pretty your lures are, you can’t get a bite out of them. So how do you get their attention? You match the hatch with a stickbait. Sometimes the only way you can catch yellowfin when they are like this is to pull in the lures, clear the deck and chase bust ups all day and cast shiny stickbaits that resemble a saury, and this isn’t as easy as it sounds. Once you do find fish, there might be a few or there might be many, either way you need to get close enough to cast at them before they push down or move away and then pop up somewhere else. This cat and mouse game can last one minute to all day, it depends on the number of fish and the amount of bait. One thing is for certain is that the cast has to get into the strike zone. If it doesn’t get the attention of a yellowfin, then it’s cast and cast again or keep scouring the ocean for the next bust up. With a combination of good boat manoeuvring, long casting rods, quality spin gear, good casting braid, good leader, an expensive stickbait, all put together with quality terminal, will have you looking the part and in the game for a dream fish caught from the biggest surface strike you will ever experience. The next best thing that could happen this tuna season is during this September the tuna make their way inshore like they did the last two years. That would really put the icing on the cake, inshore yellowfin taking lures off the surface 5km from the shore is what dreams are made of, we can only hope. Bluefin have been in the shadow of the yellowfin the last few years and their migration has varied from year to year. They tend to be a wider fish and when you find yellowfin on the shelf, closer to home then you stay in that area, plus save a massive fuel bill. But I do expect to see some bluefin action this month. Inshore yellowfin makes reporting on snapper a little less exciting, but from September and into December we have snapper in good numbers out in the

Stu and Michael out throwing stickbaits during the tuna frenzy. deeper waters. Fishos last September who were chasing snapper and were aware of the inshore yellowfin would go snapper fishing with a stickbait combo in the rocket launcher ready to cast at any random bust ups. This is a good idea. Your family’s eyes will fall out of their heads when you bring a tuna home after snapper fishing. Land-based fishing this spring is reasonable with salmon and tailor still on the cards with kingfish still a month or two away. Drummer, snapper and grouper being the prize fish

from the rocks if you target correctly. Beach fishing will be average and the warmer weather developing will be bringing the whiting on as we move into spring. Estuary fishos will be getting excited with the warmer weather approaching, and it would be good to see a good run of mulloway this September as we have seen in the past. All the new season fishing gear starts hitting the stores now so if you’re not out fishing come in and check out the new gear. • 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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Prue McMahon and her 77kg keg. SEPTEMBER 2022

NSW

Changes to size limits BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

As we move into spring, dusky flathead start becoming the focus of estuary anglers along the coast – just make sure you are up to date with the new bag and size limits for these fish. Since the advent of soft plastics fishing, dusky flathead numbers have been declining. A lot of flathead are released, but because anglers know just how good they are on the plate, there are a lot of flatties being kept for the table. The new bag limits are five per day with a slot limit of 36-70cm. No fish over 70cm can be kept, and there is a total in-possession limit of 10 per person which I feel is quite reasonable. Just remember if you lose a bait, a fish will generally live, whereas if you lose a soft plastic, there’s a greater chance that a fish will die. Following a couple of years of large rainfalls, our lakes and rivers are primed for a massive spring season. Providing there are no

A circle hook in the corner of the mouth makes for an easy release.

A big thumb’s up for the new bag limits for duskies.

more significate rainfall events, there should be plenty of prawns in our systems this spring, and that means lots of food – and not only for flathead. Many other estuary fish will also feast on them. Wallaga Lake, north of Bermagui, is one such place that should fish well this spring, being open to the ocean. This lake has all the good things that prawns need to flourish and grow,

along with plenty of migrating fish entering the lake to feast upon them. Look at targeting the flats as the tide rises where lures and baits will work well, and if you get the last of the run-out tide early in the morning, just on daylight, the fishing in the channels can be sensational. Not to be outdone, the Bermagui River is also producing some excellent catches, especially further

up the system during daylight hours. A little tip for the nocturnal anglers is to fish around the bridge of a night-time, as the lights there illuminate the prawns as they move out with a falling tide, making them easy prey for predators. Sticking with flatties, this is also a prime time to go offshore, with both tiger and sand (eastern bluespot) flathead on offer. To page 73

Look after your catch TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

I get to see a lot of recreational anglers out on the water or around boat ramps, and at the end of the day often

with a nice bag of fish – sadly, splashing around in the bottom of a fish bin, exposed to the elements. It’s far better to look after your capture, placing it on ice or (my preferred method) putting the fish in a saltwater ice slurry. Fish like most things these

days are expensive, so it is important to treat your catch with respect and keep it in pristine condition for the plate. The best way to look after your catch is a saltwater slurry, which simply is ice and saltwater, usually in an esky.

Flathead look great straight out of the water. They also look good out of an ice slurry later on.

How fresh does this bag of estuary fish look soaking in a saltwater slurry? 72

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White-fleshed fish can be placed right into a slurry without bleeding, while blood fish like tuna are best bled before placing in the esky. At the end of the day after many hours on the water, the fish will look like

they have just been caught. One more tip: if you are filleting your catch, place the fillets back in the slurry, as this will clean and firm up your fillets. Never wash fillets in freshwater. Flathead are a popular table fish, and Tathra has

some of the best grounds along the south coast, both offshore and in the rivers. Offshore, whether you go north or south, close to shore you will find sand flathead in good numbers, often To page 73

NSW From page 72

Nothing has changed with the bag limits for these species, so it is business as usual. You don’t have to travel far either, with sandies being found around about 1-2 miles offshore in around 28-35m of water, while the bigger tigers will come from 40-80m of water. It’s a bit more work but the fish are a lot larger. After a 2-year forced hiatus, Brogo Bass Bash is back on again this December. This is a fun, fundraising event that keeps the ongoing stocking programme happening for Brogo Dam. All through the lockdown, stockings of bass and estuary perch continued in the dam, which is now primed for a great comp. This is a relaxed, fun weekend for all the family to enjoy, with many raffles and festivities happening nightly along with the fishing. It is also the only time you can camp at the dam. The Brogo Bass Bash will be held the first weekend, which is December 2, 3, and 4. For more information contact the FSCBSA on 0427 934 857 or email fscbsa_brogobassbash@ hotmail.com From page 72

bagging out in a short time. Out wider, tiger flatties lurk in waters out

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Garfish are tasty, and cleaning them is made easier when they have been iced down.

like gummies, which are also very tasty, so make sure you have an esky with your slurry in it large enough to accommodate these fish. Red fish like snapper, nannygai and pigfish are also very tasty, and are often easily found on the reefs out from Tathra. At the end of the day they often look better coming out of the slurry than the water. Garfish are not often targeted by anglers, but those who do target them know only too well how good they are to eat. There are plenty of them in the lakes, rivers and along our rocky coastline, where Wallagoot Lake, the Bega River and Wapengo Lake are usually full of them. A berley trail of tuna or pilchards will attract these little billfish, and a small hook under a little float with a bit of peeled prawn is all that is needed to catch them. There is another advantage of placing fish like gars into a slurry – it makes the cleaning process a lot easier, with the fish being firm and cold. If you think about it, it’s harder to cut hot meat than it is to cut chilled meat, so the slurry makes a lot of sense.

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NSW

It’s time for finesse ALBURY/WODONGA

Connor Heir

This is the time of year we pack away our Murray cod gear, and welcome back the lighter finesse gear! Murray cod season has now closed, so our attention has changed from chasing cod to focus on other species, particularly yellowbelly and trout. Our region, like it does for cod fishing, offers so many different places to target yellas and trout, from stream fishing to impoundment fishing. Our region is pretty much central to some fantastic places to visit, but even if you don’t want to travel we still have fantastic water to fish right at our doorstep, with the Murray River, Mitta Mitta River, Kiewa River and Lake Hume. The start of springtime

A solid brown trout caught on the age-old favourite pink Tassie Devil.

A 62cm yellowbelly from mid-September last year, caught trolling on Lake Hume. least is the stream/river fishing for trout. As I mentioned before, we are lucky to live in an area where we are blessed with some fantastic streams/ creeks within an hour or two to go fish. Trout fishing always has its good days and slower

days, but with persistence and a smart approach, results definitely come to those putting the effort in. The start of spring is often a great time to catch good numbers of trout, so why not give it a go and just explore some of the awesome locations around the area! And if you still do want to target Murray cod, a few hours’ drive to Either Lake Eildon or Bowering Dam could be the go for you. These fisheries, along with Copeton Dam, are open year-round fisheries for Murray cod. No matter what you are heading out to chase, best of luck, and tight lines!

This fish demonstrates the quality of yellowbelly from Lake Hume.

Plenty of ice jig tricks to try HUNTER VALLEY

Nick Price

Sometimes it’s the simple pleasures that make us go fishing. is often still fairly cool, and it’s not until late September to mid-October that we start to see warmer temperatures become more consistent. This contributes to firing up the yellowbelly in Lake Hume, like most impoundments. Yellowbelly can be caught at any time with effort and searching, but the introduction of the warmer weather increases your chances. With Lake Hume being so full again this year, it should be another awesome springtime on the yellas and also trout fishing in the lake. This spring has already seen some quality thick trout caught on the lake for local anglers, mostly caught flat line trolling Tassie Devil lures and minnow-style hardbodies. There has been the odd yellowbelly caught, but the fishos catching them definitely have been working for them. These fish shouldn’t be too far off firing though, and all 74

SEPTEMBER 2022

it takes is a week or so of nice, sunny weather usually for them to start. Redfin fishing in Lake Hume has also been great. The numbers of redfin being caught over the past two years from Lake Hume has been exceptionally good, with most anglers being able to catch over 30 in each session. They are solid, good fish that can make up a great meal if that’s what you are into. It’s another bonus that the region has to give if that’s something you are after! The Murray River below Lake Hume is releasing quite a bit of water still with the Lake being so full. Trout and yellowbelly fishing is always popular below the spillway, and with high flows this should be fantastic. Again, like the Lake, yellowbelly numbers generally start to increase a fair bit towards the end of September. Of course, last but not

The winter bite has been insane, with big angry bass. In previous reports I have discussed fishing plastics deep, both fishing horizontally and vertically, and I have also looked at fishing weedless plastics and jerkbaits, such as Double Clutches shallow on the edge. This month I will continue looking at winter fishing, particularly ice jig tricks. Ice jigs are a lure that can be used all year round but they really excel during the winter months. Ice jigs are small lures that are jigged up and then let sink down.

Local guide Fordey with a good winter bass. They have a shape that makes them move erratically, both when jigged up and on the drop. Fish hit the jig both on

Bass are putting on the pounds with all the food in the local lakes.

the lift and on the drop. The erratic movement causes a reflex response, and at times fish cannot resist an ice jig. If you want to fish ice jigs, you should first find a school of fish. When looking at Glenbawn and St Clair, look off points, cliff faces and timber. Use your sounder to move around until you find a patch of fish. This could be anything from half a dozen to thousands of fish during the winter months. Once the fish are found, using your sounder, drop the ice jig into the suspended fish. With a short, sharp movement lift your rod tip and then let the ice jig sink back down on slack line. If the fish fire up and get excited, you may end up catching many, many fish. Sometimes the fish are not interested though, and ignore the ice jig. if this happens and you persist, you

should eventually catch a few fish that cannot resist the reflex response. At other times the fish see the ice jig and its movement and take off. When this happens, put the ice jig away. Once away the fish will school up again, just give them a bit of time. I then like to try something else like a plastic or a blade. Another ice jig technique is to work the ice jig on the bottom. By bouncing the ice jig up and down off the bottom you create little puffs of sediment that attract the fish, imitating a little shrimp or yabby darting away before fluttering back down to the bottom. This can be a very productive technique. The fishing in both Glenbawn and St Clair has been running hot and cold, with fish dying in both lakes. The ambient temperature changed very quickly, and this variation caused problems. Hopefully now this is all behind us. There are still tens of thousands of fish in both lakes, and as the water warms up and we head towards spring the fishing is going to be sensational. There are many big carp in Glenbawn, and these have been getting caught on all the bass techniques, from jerkbaits to ice jigs, fighting hard and making anglers think they To page ###

NSW

Yellas get more active BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

Other than the infamous Windamere Dam near Mudgee, you’d be hard pressed finding a better place to chase trophy

they will often sit right in amongst the thickest of weed, waiting in ambush mode for something to swim past. Without the aid of a pair of polaroids they’d be almost impossible to spot. If you don’t own a pair of polaroids, or conditions don’t suit the

Redfin will start to disperse from their deepwater spawn run this month, and will start to move up into the shallows, making them targetable from the bank. golden perch then Blowering Dam this month. As the margins of the dam slowly start to rise in temperature, the resident golden perch become very active and spend a large portion of their time up in this warm water. Here they can be found sunning themselves and feeding heavily on any prey that washes in or swims by, from frogs and yabbies through to worms and nymphs. Polarised sunglasses really are a must whilst trying to spot yellas, as

use of them, your best bet is blind casting with lures towards the bank. Boat anglers need to cast as close to the bank as possible, as the yellas will often sit in water as shallow as they are deep. Casting from the bank works really well at this time of the year, but you must walk very slowly and cast well ahead of where you’re walking; these fish are right on the bank, so they can be easily spooked in the crystal-clear water. The best lures for this type of fishing are good

old micro spinnerbaits and chatterbaits, as the yellas love them and they rarely foul up in the weed or on snags. We also do really well on small lipless crankbaits; the only drama with these lures is that they tend to pick up a lot of weed if not fished/rigged with assist hooks. If the lipless crankbaits or spinnerbaits aren’t working, then long, slender paddle-tail soft plastics rigged on 1/8oz to 1/16oz jigheads are your next best bet. These plastics swim and look very natural, and can sometimes turn on even the most shut-down yellas. Bait fishing around the edges with small to medium-sized yabbies or a big juicy earthworm is another good way of targeting the yellas this month. Both of these baits are best used on a paternoster rig to keep the bait up out of the weed and in the fish’s face. Trolling is probably the most popular technique employed by locals at Blowering Dam. During the spring months there was a time when a Nils Master was tied onto the end of at least one rod on almost every boat on the dam. Although these lures were

and still are very popular, and seem to work to some extent, each year I like to give the fish something a little different to look at to increase my chances of hooking the monsters this dam is really famous for. Some of the lures we troll with great success are not your typical trolling lures. For example, we sometimes troll lipless crankbaits, especially the size 2 Prism Murrins. They are perfect for shallow water casting, but we’ve found these lures are also perfect for shallow water trolling.

September is one of the best months for catching XOS golden perch. Grab some polaroids and go get amongst them.

Reaction lures like this Slap Walker rigged with assist hooks are perfect for seeking out active fish in the weed.

From page ###

have a bass of a lifetime. There have also been a few yellowbelly being caught, with Lake St Clair producing more of this species than Glenbawn. Next month I will start to look at spring fishing. September is traditionally a transition month from plastics to spinnerbaits, and I am predicting great fishing this spring. Remember, if you’re heading to Glenbawn or St Clair, please drop into the shop at the turnoff to Glenbawn in Aberdeen and ask about the different techniques and what they are biting on. We stock all the quality tackle that you need.

Those wanting a Murray cod fix can still get it at Blowering Dam this month, thanks to its year round open fishing. Creeks and rivers are still closed to Murray cod fishing until 1 December.

Some nice Lake St Clair bass.

Spinnerbaits, soft plastics, chatterbaits, swimbaits and even glidebaits are all lures we’ve caught yellas on whilst trolling at Blowering Dam. As you can see by the diverse range of lures we’ve had success with, it pays to try something different and think outside the box for consistent results. If a lure can be cast and retrieved, it can also be trolled. Food for thought. REDFIN There have been some very good reports of redfin catches over the last couple of months, with literally hundreds of fish up to the magic 2kg mark, and even a couple that were over 2kg. These fish have been

getting caught all over the dam, mainly by lure fishos either jigging or trolling. These fish can be hard to find at times, but once a

We should start to see the redfin move a little closer to the banks this month and back in range of bank bound fishos. Fishing

Even fly fishers will be able to have a crack at the redfin from the bank this month. school is located, they are quite easy to catch. Simply cast to them with sinking lures, jig for them with ice jigs or drop down a bait. All of these techniques will work.

with small lures or bait around drop offs and points should get you in on the land-based redfin action, fishing this way will also give you the chance of being belted by a big yella. SEPTEMBER 2022

NSW

It’s spawning time NEW ENGLAND RIVERS

Adam Townsend

As of 1 September, the targeting of Murray cod in all waterways around the New England area (except Copeton Dam) is

which is only a short drive away. Most of these species can even be targeted on the same tackle as each other. For any type of spring fishing, whether it is fishing the rivers or impoundments, I like to

year as they become more abundant. Smaller style lures like the Jackall TNs, Megabass rattles, ZX Blades and Mazzy Vibes have all been very popular and work exceptionally well as both the weather and water temperatures

Glenlyon Dam, a short drive across the QLD border, is an awesome Impoundment that holds XL Murray cod and it’s open for targeting cod all year round. website or seek more local information at the time if you are unsure. As mentioned earlier, Copeton Dam remains open all year round for

targeting Murray cod so it is always a handy option to have, and spring usually sees some pretty big fish being caught. There have been many times where big

Murray cod get caught on lures intended for golden perch, as well as the cod eating the golden perch once they are hooked. It’s a very exciting time of the

It’s the perfect time of the year to be walking the river banks catching chunky perch species as the weather starts warming up. now prohibited. Please make sure you do the right thing this month and leave them alone and let

start with a medium spin rod around 7’2” matched with a 2500 size spin reel and 12lb braid with similar

start to warm up heading into the spring months. Just a reminder, waterways that hold trout are still closed for their spawn period up until the October long weekend. This can mean that a lot of the rivers and creeks that hold redfin or golden perch species, for example, still remain closed for targeting any fish. With the New England having a lot of trout waterways, it definitely pays to do some research before just grabbing the rods and heading up the river/ creek. Check the NSW DPI

The impoundments have been fishing well for yellowbelly this season. It’s good to have a variety of lipless crankbaits and shrimp-style blades at this time of year.

An impoundment Murray cod caught on a small lipless crankbait. At this time of year, cod are known to eat smaller lures intended for perch. them enjoy the 3-month spawn period that will lead up until 1 December. One of the best things about the New England Tablelands, especially at this time of year as the weather starts to warm up, is the number of other species that can be targeted around the area. These are redfin perch, silver perch, golden perch, eel-tailed catfish and also bass, which can be found a bit further east of the dividing ranges, 76

SEPTEMBER 2022

size leader, give or take a few pounds in leader size depending on which waterway, and how tough the bite is at the time. Downgrading tackle and casting smaller lures during the spring months is not only recommended to limit the cod captures being caught, but it will also increase the perch catches as well, as these smaller species seem to love any type of baitfish and shrimp at this time

Copeton Dam still remains open for targeting Murray cod between 1 September and 1 December. The key rule is with the river section – if your boat can’t make it up there, you shouldn’t be there.

year with how good the impoundments and local rivers are looking of late. Both Copeton and Pindari dams have been sitting at around full capacity for several weeks now, which can only be a good thing for fishing opportunities in the near future. At the time of writing, Copeton Dam is currently sitting steady at around the 99% mark, with Pindari Dam’s level at full capacity (100%). The full moon will be above on the 10th of this month, with the new moon falling later on in the month, around 26 September. Good luck to all getting out on the water this month. Enjoy the warmer weather we have at the moment, and the awesome fishing opportunities will full dams and flowing streams.

NSW

The ACT is now free CANBERRA

Toby Grundy

I usually start my September report with a quick wrap of cod season. For this report, I thought I’d revisit a snippet from my report way back in December of last year.

(December 2021). I can honestly say that I am glad I cast that DStyle Hatch 80mm through the season because it resulted in my new PB Murray cod of 111cm, which I caught a few weeks before cod close. I had spent the better part of a decade chasing a metre greenfish on surface and

my strategy for spring. If the cod tend to wise up to the usual suspects like spinnerbaits then the same can probably be said for golden perch and bass. So, for spring, I’m going to be casting a few new lures, like the Bait Science ‘Twitch Worm’ and testing out my theory that fish like the new stuff better than the old stuff. LOCAL LAKES Lake Burley Griffin is fishing quite well. The redfin are hitting lures right in close to the shoreline along the concrete walls behind Lennox Gardens.

Plenty of reds are taking lures on Lake Ginninderra.

The yellas are moving into the shallows at LBG. Cod season 2021-22 is here and the anticipation is reaching fever pitch in Canberra. The ACT has been in lockdown for long periods of time and only in the last few weeks have we seen the easing of restrictions and this has increased the level of excitement concerning cod season as anglers can now travel to fishy locations. I always keep my eye out for new release cod lures, which always seem to drop (ironically) during close season. I like to fish with a lot of new lures during the opening weeks of cod season because I find the fish have usually wised up to the usual suspects like spinnerbaits but will readily hit something they haven’t seen before. This year I’ll be focusing on surface lures and the first thing I’ll be casting is the new DStyle Hatch. I’m a big fan of lighter cod lures and the Hatch is the perfect mix of a light lure coupled with plenty of size and big wings to create maximum disturbance across the water

one finally stuck. To my knowledge, it was one of the larger metre cod landed in Canberra this season and watching the beast inhale that winged surface lure is burnt into my memory. I think catching that fish was mostly down to the lure (the fish had never seen one before) and fishing those low light periods through the cooler months, but it has got me thinking about

The result of a lot of river walks, and worth it! Lake Tuggeranong continues to be a bit hit and miss despite the solid amount of rain, which hit Canberra towards the

targeted using Wriggler style plastics in darker colours. I like fishing the point behind the skate park at this time of year as the

continue to fish the lake on a weekly basis because the golden perch in the lake are some of the largest in the ACT and, in my opinion, fight the best. As always, there are plenty of redfin about with large schools holding just on the edge of the weed beds near the car park behind the college. These fish will hit small divers fished slow along the middle of the water column. SURROUNDS Googong Dam isn’t producing the big numbers of redfin and yellowbelly yet but the golden perch that have been caught lately have been in excellent condition, with some also exceeding the 60cm mark. Googong is another fishery that I’ll hit weekly right through spring and, as soon as I start seeing roving packs of redfin smashing bait on the surface, that’ll be my cue for throwing small surface

The author picked the DStyle Hatch 80mm because it was a new release.

Cod season was memorable.

These fish will take a soft plastic of between 65-80mm simply hopped parallel and a few centimetres out from the wall. Basically, the fish are almost underneath an angler’s feet at this location. The golden perch sit pretty close to the redfin at this time of year and can usually be found a few metres out from a reddie school. If in a boat or kayak, head to the overhanging willows that line the banks at Weston Park. This area holds some big yellas and they will chase a plastic or TN50 out from their location or hit a lure on the drop.

Googong is starting to warm up. end of August. Usually, the lake really fires after a good drenching but this time, the natives tended to stay out deep rather than move in the shallows for a feed. I can’t explain why this is the case but it has made for some frustrating fishing. That said, the carp and reddies are feeding up right across the lake and both species can be

baitfish tend to sit in close to the shore in this spot and this does bring the bigger reds into casting range. Lake Ginninderra has been a mixed bag of late. Usually, Lake G is my go-to spring fishery but the lack of water clarity has meant that the fishing has been pretty slow and the really big yellas haven’t come on the bite as yet. That said, I’ll

poppers for the giant reds that live in the dam and easily exceed 45cm. If fishing from a boat or kayak, head to Bradleys and cast vibes right along the rock walls and if fishing from the shore, take a walk to Shannons Inlet and cast unweighted creature style plastics close to the sunken shrubs at the entrance to the inlet. SEPTEMBER 2022

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Sun, glorious sun! OFFSHORE

Kelly Hunt

It’s exciting here in Tasmania at this time of year because we have more sun. It’s not quite as exciting as when daylight savings is green lighted by putting our clocks forward one hour, but we do get a real sense it’s coming. This is great news as we can knock off work and feel we have some time to do something before it gets dark. September means that something is casting to salmon schools from a rocky point, spinning for trout with a Celta in a small river or casting small suspending minnows in a local bream haunt. It is the shoulder of the season in Tasmania. Nothing

is really kicking off and firing and the weather is not brilliant. It is, however, good enough to give us hope that some great fishing is on the way. Well to be fair, that’s if you are saltwater biased like I am. There is a great deal going on in the freshwater world with the trout season getting away to a flying start last month. The weather has been improving, as I mentioned, but there has been enough rain to ensure lake levels are up and there is the odd flooded margin for the fly fishers to play in. The reports I have back from most of the favoured lakes is that the fishing has been quite good and plenty of trout are being caught to keep all amused. I see a few mates getting right into flyfishing of late and it is fabulous to watch. I think it is worth reminding

all that flyfishing is a game of technique and subtlety. My cobbers from the saltwater fraternity think it’s all about muscling and double hauling 60ft of line out in one cast. Some of the best trout fishing I have ever enjoyed is quietly casting to fish in proximity. Concentrating like crazy and having a good fish swim between my legs – good fun! SO LET’S TALK TROUT The Forth River was a wonder to me growing up. It was a powerful stretch of water with signs at the weir and river mouth, detailing how many had drowned. The river was dangerous and was to be taken seriously while we played and fished its length. In my early years, we would fish the spring days of September with light Platypus mono and an unweighted

Whitebait flies can be as fancy or as rudimentary as you like. Place them in the zone and lookout!

worm in a back eddy. The bigger, juicier wiggly worms were better. The bail arm would be left tripped and the rod placed in a crafted branch pressed into the bank. We would watch rod tips for hours, waiting for the bounce and line to run out. The Forth River has plenty of great spots to drown a worm or flick a soft plastic. The stretch of river that fills on

the incoming tide along Leith Road is one, and access this shore is from the elevated road. It’s quite steep, so be careful. Once you’re in position, you’ll see an open rocky shore. It’s shallow towards the highway road bridge, and deepens as you head upriver. Take a look at the deep hole where the main river splits into a rivulet along the road edge. Further up the river, as

the water flow starts slowing check out Pump Station and Wilmot roads. WHITEBAIT When we were a little older, Warren Fisher would set his son and I up with a whitebait fly set up. This would consist of a reel of a closed face nature and a trigger grip rod. The rig was 8lb mono with 3-4 small split shot leads

Manning River Marine

www.tournamentboats.com.au 1/11 Knobel Ct SHAILER PARK QLD 4128

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(03) 9874 4624

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Aaron Bisset with an early West Coast fast water fish.

SEPTEMBER 2022

Regal Marine

To page 79

Go Behind the Scenery

Tasmania

Warmer weather fishing HOBART

Andrew Large

September sees things warming in all areas of Tasmania. It’s a time when saltwater and freshwater anglers take the opportunities that warmer weather brings in this state, to catch some nice fish. Some great trout have been taken right across the state, with the new season only being a month old. Greenback flounder have been having a great run over the winter months. We have had prolonged periods of calm conditions needed for lighting and spearing, which has made after-work and weekend trips viable and productive. Seasonal spring rains have not overly affected clarity, which is vital in being able to see carefully buried fish. Some great From page 78

gently squeezed onto the line and a home-made fly tied to a #6 strait eye bait hook. The fly was some old paintbrush bristles lashed to the hook eye with some normal old

captures have been made in recent weeks. As waters warm for the year, sand flathead continue to bite on the right day in deeper water. Fortescue, Tasman Island and lower Channel, Bruny Island and Mercury Passage are producing quality fish. Spring calamari are building in numbers in southeastern waters. Triabunna, Mercury Passage and Marion Bay are seeing good-sized squid caught. Anglers closer to Hobart are finding action in Storm Bay. Winter storm surges have been low and kept schools in the shallows for now. Winter run Australian salmon have been taken in good numbers around Cremorne and Clifton Beach, and further along the east coast towards Pirates Bay and Port Arthur. Salmon seem to be feeding on frogmouth

anchovies, which have been very prevalent throughout Storm Bay in recent weeks. Tiger flathead have started to bite well off Marion Bay and Maria Island. Pirates and Storm bays, closer to Hobart, have also produced fish. Large schools of morwong perch are plentiful around the Peninsula and Schouten Island and Storm Bay, with anglers enjoying catching them on Black Magic Snapper Catcher rigs. Snapper have eased off in Storm Bay after an extended winter run. Southern bluefin have seen a bit of action in Storm Bay and Tasman Island on the Peninsula. Hippolyte Rocks and Fortescue Bay at The Lanterns are worth a look too. Estuary action over the last month has been incredible, with seatrout

carefully, you may be able to make out the translucent and grey shapes of little whitebait in their annual migration. Trout love these and gorge on them. When the conditions are right, trout launch at them and send

light jigheads and main line so you can present to more fish. Sea trout can be found chasing whitebait along the rivers flowing into Bass Strait, such as the Leven at Ulverstone, Blyth at

and black bream biting well throughout most systems in the southeast. Both the Derwent and Huon estuaries have seen incredible runs of sea-run trout, with these fish ranging in size from 0.5kg to 3kg. They have been madly chasing early runs of whitebait. Drift spinning and spinning from shore has seen good captures made, while fly anglers sneaking along rocky shores have found undisturbed crab feeders and teams of trout crashing bait schools in ankle deep water. A standout lure this year has been the Daiwa Presso. Fly fishers will continue to do well fishing the edges and following bait schools. Soft plastic fishers have been picking up fish stalking the shorelines on a full tide using Berkley T Tails in black and gold and olive pearl. The action with bream is unlikely to stop anytime soon, and these fish are likely to become even more active as whitebait numbers build for the spring season. Freshwater fishers are experiencing another great start to the new trout season across the state, with nearly all lakes, rivers and estuaries fishing well for the highly sought-after trout. Please remember, rainbow waters remain closed for the time being. The usual favourites, Bronte Lagoon, Lake Leake, Tooms Lake, Woods Lake, Four Springs and Great Lake and great lake have provided unsurpassed fishing for the third spring in a row, and high water levels augur well for the early summer

Seatrout are a real close-to-CBD option during September for anglers living in Hobart, Launceston, Burnie and Devonport. This fish was taken spinning from the shore on the River Derwent. months as well. Both the River Derwent and Huon River inside the freshwater limits are rewarding anglers with healthy resident, estuary and sea-run trout and Atlantic salmon. Aa stated previously, Craigbourne Dam is a gem, and only 45km from the Hobart CBD via the township of Richmond.

Ben Hoggins with a nice big river trout. black cotton and a dollop of clear nail polish on the head. If you wanted to get real fancy you could add a little dot of Tipp-Ex to each side of the head. We would fish these in and around the fallen logs on both sides of the river as the trout followed the whitebait schools up on the incoming tide. The Mersey and Forth have good runs of whitebait, and their sea run trout fishery is well-regarded. Leave early and stand on the edges where the river flow is reduced. If you look

bait fleeing in all directions. The mouth of the Forth River and along the banks to the train line are perfect to see this. Nowadays there are heaps of whitebait mimic lures and soft plastics. Find one you favour and try for a good natural presentation of whitebait and keep them high near the surface. Flies fished under bubble floats, or with tiny split shots attached, as mentioned help for longer casts. If you practice your trout stalking skills you won’t need to cast far and you can fish your soft plastics with

Heybridge, Emu at Wivenhoe and the Inglis at Wynyard. These are all worth a look from time to time throughout September. I know I am normally a salt fishing sort of a guy but there are a few things shut down for the season in September like striped trumpeter across the state and southern calamari in some areas. So as these seasons open up and the weather and available sun improves, I will talk it up big time, I promise. Until then – Tight lines and safe boating.

Rug up for an early season in Tasmania’s highland lake country. September can be chilly but can have the better fishing days!

It still produces some nice fish early in the season. The dam is full and the water is semi-murky. Bright flashy lures and flies are best, and spinners will grab the attention of cruising trout. Great Lake has been producing brown trout to 2kg on the right day. As always, Tasmanian Devil 13g cobra in BR, S12 and 121 and SD producing fish for troll and spin fishers. Bronte Lagoon has provided anglers with awesome spin fishing recently. Fly anglers have been entertained with some quality tailing activity at first light, while trollers have done well out deep with 13g and 20g Tassie Devils. My pick again is Lake Leake, with both rainbows and browns taking lures and fly readily in recent weeks. September last year saw some fantastic rainbow trout captured. Fish to 3kg can be expected in this water. With its second year of high water, Tooms Lake is experiencing a resurgence, with trout to 2.7kg being landed in recent weeks. Fish are madly chasing galaxia, which form a large part of their spring diet, and have been taking 70-90mm lures. Fly fishers have done well fishing a weighted line using Shreks and Woolly Buggers around the edges. Frog activity should start here soon owing to this waters lower near coastal altitude in the eastern tiers. Have fun and stay safe this month. SEPTEMBER 2022

VIC

Be on the look out to head out PORTLAND

Nigel Fisher

The fishing in the last few weeks has been up and down, but this is mainly due to the weather, which can prove difficult at this time of year. We have had some big winds and swells that can deter the best of us from heading out. For that reason, when a window does open up, you need to be ready to go. Most of our annual charter operators have headed home for a well-earned break and to get ready for their snapper season. However, we have some good local charter operators on hand, ready to take you fishing. Tuna are still on the cards, plus bottom bouncing for sharks, snapper and more. It makes for a great day out at this time of year. The barrel tuna have been a bit slow here in Portland in July and early August, but we have all the signs that they could still fire up. One was caught coming in at 100kg at the time of writing this report, and let’s hope by the time you are reading this, more have made their way into shallow waters from Lawrences Rock to Cape Bridgewater. There’s also a good chance of school tuna being mixed in with the barrels, which is great for the fishos who love their tuna,

with shallow waters around the North Shore. Landbased options include the breakwater, Town Jetty and Trawlers Wharf, just to name a few. Bait jigs and squid jigs of different sizes and colours, depending on the weather and depth, will get you going. Flathead are a good option

Whiting and pinkie snapper should also start showing up in the bay, but could still be a bit slow. Salmon, snook and couta should still be in good numbers around the Town Reef to the North Shore, and big snook around Lawrences Rock.

A nice mixed bag picked up in the 50m mark by Braden and Joffa.

Salmon are another good land-based target off the breakwater, Pivot Rocks, jetties and beaches such as the Snapper Point area, Bridgewater Bay beaches, and others. Shark fishing off the beaches and breakwater is also a good option in late winter and spring. The main targets are gummies, schoolies and bronzies. Sharks can be very productive at this time of year as they cruise the shallower waters for an easy feed. Low pressure cells can really set the sharks off, so bear this in mind if you are keen for a feed of flake. Breakwater this time of year can start firing up a bit better. As I said, squid and sharks are a great option, plus there are salmon as well. You can catch the odd good-size flathead and whiting here, and depending on the swell, you could even encounter a decent snapper. Bottom bouncing the deep waters on the good days has generally been very producing in past springs. You can head out to the shelf fishing for blue-eye, gemfish, blue grenadier and so on, or fish that 50-120m depth range for gummies, schoolies, snapper and more. Let’s hope that good spring weather is on our side. If you are looking for fishing options closer

A 100kg barrel caught from behind Lawrences Rock by Graham Teasdale and Ric Walklate. to shore, we have some great estuaries for bream, mulloway and perch not too far from Portland, plus some good freshwater areas if you wish to chase redfin, trout etc. You should also make sure your yabby pots are ready to go for a good feed of yabbies as the weather warms up. Remember, if you’re

planning on a trip to Portland, call in and see us for all your bait and fishing needs, and to find out any up-to-date info. Compleat Angler is located at 61 Bentinck Street next to the Gordon Hotel. You can also contact us on 03 5521 1844, or check out our Facebook page for further information. Happy fishing!

Estuary anglers hope for rain WARRNAMBOOL

Mark Gercovich mgercovich@hotmail.com

Although September signals the end of winter, I’m sure there will be plenty of wet and windy ‘wintery’

weather still to come here in the South West of Victoria. In fact, so far this winter we haven’t experienced too much in the way of significant rainfall and all the rivers are still running fairly clear as of the end of July. Both trout and estuary

anglers alike are hoping for some dirty water to fire things up a little on the fishing front. The Hopkins estuary remains cold clear and pretty quiet on the fishing front. Trout fishing in the Hopkins and the Merri has still been

Peter Galea with a good feed of redfin. and also for the anglers who want to try tuna fishing for the first time. With spring finally upon us, we can start fearing up for other species of fish. By now we should see better numbers of squid in the bay. Under the water tower and around the Town Reef and weed beds are great boat options, along 80

SEPTEMBER 2022

also, and you can generally get a feed throughout the bay. Sometimes you have to hunt for some bigger sizes, but they are there. With low swells and winds other fishos will take the opportunities to cruise around to Bridgewater for the chance of a good feed of flathead that are generally much bigger in size.

Kobi Rothall with a quality blue morwong.

good recently, but keen trout fishers are hopping for some big flows to move the fish around a bit and turn on some of the dirty water fishing the region is renowned for. If the higher dirty water levels happen makes sure you use bigger than usual lures, like the Daiwa Presso 95 and fish the shallower runs and backwaters. Warrnambool boat ramp is currently closed. The reputed ‘worst ramp in the state’ is undergoing refurbishments, hopefully they will be successful in alleviating at least of few of the problems experienced by people attempting to launch at this facility. Time will only tell. It is expected to reopen in time for summer, once again only time will tell. Port Fairy ramp will probably be super busy now, so take this into account in planning any offshore trips, particularity on flat weekends. Offshore the school tuna have pushed out wider but are in big numbers. Dan Hoey has been putting his clients onto plenty of fish off Point Fairy. The barrel To page 81

VIC

Expectations are high APOLLO BAY

Craig Rippon

We’re one week out from the Vic Tuna Classic and, with a lot of big fish coming in, we should be in for a great weekend of fishing! There have been several fish weighed in over the 100kg mark in the last month. There is a lot of bait in the water so the fish will hopefully stay around. They have been moving around a bit and with the tough weather we are having with high winds they are not holding in one area. They have been tough to find at times with not a lot of birds on the bait. Several fish have been caught blind trolling but at the moment there is a lot of sea life around; dolphins, seals and the big fish are swimming with them. Hopefully we can crack a good weekend of weather so

the comp can go ahead as we have missed a couple of years because of Covid. There have been really good numbers of entries with great prizes. The place has been fishing really well the last couple of weeks with a good run of big snapper on the outer reefs, with fish caught up to 12lb. I have been on the water lot the last month and have managed some great gummies and school shark catches. Mainly I anchor on the change of tide with fresh bait a must. I have also managed to have a great whiting session with a mate and his two kids tucked away out of the wind. We headed east along the coast and fished our way from Cape Pattern back to the bay. The wind got up early arvo, which stopped us fishing, but we managed 30 quality whiting all around the 40-43cm mark. It was an awesome day to see the kids on these fish. One of

the kids got a bit of seasickness but when we got the fish going and she was catching fish, she felt way better. The fish started biting very slowly but when the berley got going they were going crazy, then the wind hit us. We couldn’t hold in the sand hole, so that was it. We used a variety of fresh bait but the pipi and squid cocktail was the best Flathead have been in good numbers and size just drifting in 40m of water. With the north winds, we’ve had the locals getting into the garfish. They are lovely to eat and also make a great bait. Just roll them out with a rolling pin, a bit of flour in a pan, splash of garlic, and they are beautiful to eat. Let’s pray for more good weather and hopefully next month I can report on a good Tuna Classic. In the meantime, rug up and get fishing as there are plenty of fish about.

The tumbler bag is a must after catching a good feed of whiting

Making the switch COBDEN

Rod Shepherd

Until very recently, one fish that was nearly always a sure bet over winter was Australian salmon. At the time of writing this report, it seems the annual winter run has only just begun, and for how long and in what numbers? This season seems down on others. Is it climate change or over-fishing? One thought on the subject is that salmon are being overfished by professional fishermen, with the vast majority of the catch being sold off to canneries to be turned into cat food, with a small amount sold to cray fishers From page 80

action just over the boarder at Point Mac is still capturing the attention of most with fish from 70-130kg being taken. Casting live baits and sometimes lures into the work-ups is producing the

This bream was caught just before the fish kill. For the foreseeable future, bream captures like this may be a thing of the past.

A nice bag of bream taken before the fish kill. It’s now advisable to release any bream caught. majority of the fish. Many offshore anglers have been getting into the slow-pitch jigging during the cooler months. Whilst the technique does rule out the ever-popular deepwater targets of gummies

and schoolies, it does provide a wide variety of tasty alternatives. Snapper, morwong, nannygai, gurnard, latchet, mirror dory are just some of the possibilities. A bit of UV-glow in your jigs or assist hooks is a must.

Trout will still be a popular target in September.

for pot bait. I hope it is not the case, but we don’t really know. Many pros work from boats, netting whole schools close inshore, whilst others in NSW often work from the beach. During the mullet spawning run along the east coast, many netters follow the spawning schools of mullet and take them en masse. But if the mullet aren’t around, the pros will take salmon instead rather than go home emptyhanded. Salmon are a pelagic fish, i.e. they can and do migrate; sometimes over vast distances. A certain amount of salmon enter Bass Strait from the east when the current turns and heads south, but if they have suffered from excessive netting, what does that do to the overall population? Plus, more salmon schools are now being targeted in South Australia. Ever since the no-take rule on SA snapper was implemented, to allow snapper stocks to recover, some snapper pros have turned their sights on other species, including salmon. Some people welcome a feed of salmon, but the

majority do not. For that reason, nowhere near as much research regarding movement and population has been carried out on this species compared to more tasty species, such as flathead, whiting and snapper. This is a real shame, as I and as many others see salmon as a prized fighting fish. They put up an amazing fight when hooked up, and I’m happy to catch and release big salmon all day. So, is this season just late in kicking off, or are other factors at play? No doubt time will tell. Along with the early spring weather unfortunately comes the wind, making it difficult for some people to effectively fish. Again, any reef strewn or rubbly area lying at around 50m depth is currently holding plenty of decent pinkie snapper, with the odd fish to 4kg coming onboard. Sizable gummy and school shark in excess of 15kg are also being caught, with quality squid tentacles and strips being the go-to baits. The Curdies River mouth is not only open, but many have not seen it this wide for

many years. This bodes well for giving the system a good flush-out, which it needs. Some bream seem to have survived the massive fish kill that occurred earlier on this year. Boaters who aren’t fully aware of what happened, or simply don’t give a toss, have been catching a few fish out in that lake, mainly using bait. Signs are still up at both ramps stating that the river is still infected with various toxins, including blue-green algae, and that fish caught should not be kept for consumption. However, I know that some anglers have kept their catch for the table. More importantly, all bream and estuary perch that survived the kill should be released to boost future stocks. Maybe even close the river and lake to all fishing, period – at least for a year or two. This might give what stocks are left a breather to spawn uninterrupted. No one knows for sure, but I think it’s safe to say that at least 80% of stocks have died. Food for thought. SEPTEMBER 2022

VIC

Enjoying the thaw GEELONG

Neil Slater slaterfish@gmail.com

Apart from more than a few cold, rainy, blustery days, the fishing has been pretty good. It’s been a cold few months, but September always shows a glimmer of hope as things begin to defrost. We can expect to see the odd snapper report from Corio Bay, gummies and school sharks along the Surf

before slightly moving it to induce a strike. Australian salmon have been a real stand out, with good numbers of fish from the low 30s to around 50cm caught by anglers fishing from Limeburners rock walls to Cunningham pier. These fish can easily be spotted when ripping into baitfish on the surface of the water. If they’re not showing themselves, fishing lures deep and slow can locate a school. On dead calm days, sometimes the only thing

Kane with a stack of whiting he and a few mates caught in the southern end of Port Phillip Bay. Coast. We can also expect the trout and reddies at Wurdee Buloc near Moriac and Stoney Creek reservoir out past Anakie to fire up as the warmer days bring a few bugs out. I had a go with Hugh Hanson out at Wurdee recently. Fishing with soft plastics at gentlemen’s hours, Hugh was the only one of us to land one and lose one. Both were small reddies on white soft plastics with a 1/8oz jighead. I tossed the whole tackle box at them for nada. Michael Crawford had a day out at Stoney Creek Reservoir recently. Using Z-Man 3” Slim SwimZ midnight oil on a 6g, no. 2 hook, Michael got a few redfin around 30cm. Moving on to a different spot, he then found a school of real footballs that measured in at 43-46cm. Michael said they were full of roe, and some had recently eaten yabbies around 15cm long! Michael said he was letting the soft plastic rest on the bottom 82

SEPTEMBER 2022

giving them away is a ripple on the surface as the school moves along. If you’re land-based in Geelong and chasing a salmon, try raw chicken or pilchard fillet on the bottom, or ping lures about. It’s great fun. Wangim Walk gives you a pretty good shot at salmon as they cut a lap of the waterfront, but lately, anglers have been catching a few pinkie snapper to 35cm. Paul Mayer has been out on the water and has found a few salmon and tailor schools lately. Paul said the tailor bite only lasted a few minutes but he managed to catch 12 up around 45cm. Paul also caught a beast of a bream around 46cm first cast on a Munroes Swarf paddletail soft plastic. Then he caught nothing for an hour after that! Garfish have been fairly busy inside Corio Bay, with Cunningham and Limeburners rock wall producing plenty when the weather has allowed it. A bit of berley and small

floats with just about any bait underneath will do the trick after a short wait – hopefully! Calamari have remained fairly consistent over the cooler months, with Clifton Springs to Queenscliff all producing a few in depths of 2.5-6m. Pack yourself a wide variety of colours, sink rates and sizes to hedge your bets, and you should find a few. Whiting had a good go throughout June around Clifton Springs, but tapered somewhat in July. Fair numbers have been caught over the Prince George Bank off St Leonards and down around Swan Bay by anglers using pipis and squid, but not with any real consistency. I’d expect the whiting bite to improve over September, especially around St Leonards and Clifton Springs. September can see an influx of big calamari around the Lonsdale Bight and Swan Bay. Some of these can approach 3kg so be prepared for a bit of chaos and ink spurting when hauling these in, if they show up. Skewerstyle jigs will out-fish regular artificial jigs here when the big dogs are around. You can bait the skewers with tommy rough, garfish, silver whiting, yakkas or small legal salmon. Pilchards will do in a pinch, but they do fall apart easily. Speaking of yakkas (yellow-tailed scad), they have made a fairly consistent appearance out off Bellarine Peninsula this year. They have mainly been a by-catch for whiting fishers but are dynamite bait for just about anything bigger – squid included. Silver trevally to 42cm have been biting well inside Queenscliff harbour on motor oil colour soft plastics and pilchard fillets. At the time of writing, the Queenscliff boat ramp upgrade was nearing its final stages, with the new floating pontoon and concrete ramp in place, plus extra-large car parking spaces for big

Kane from Reef Thief with an example of the gummy sharks available offshore at the moment. boats and tow vehicles. Portarlington boat ramp upgrade was well into stage two, with the construction of a groyne and an excavator platform on the end to assist with dredging if it became silted up. Both ramps were aiming to be reopened around September so here’s hoping. For more info, head to www. betterboating.vic.gov.au. Kane Reardon from Reef Thief has been getting stuck into some big whiting at the southern end of Port Phillip Bay. Kane and his mates have had the odd bag limit capture, including a few up around the 50cm mark. The thieves have also been getting plenty of gummy sharks out off Barwon Heads, and when the weather hasn’t allowed it, Kane and Kaiden Long have been getting some solid silver trevally in the Barwon estuary using soft plastic lures. The Barwon River estuary has been a bit of a saviour with the weather being a bit sketchy to get offshore. Some solid silver trevally and salmon up around 40cm have been caught as the tide runs in, and further upstream has seen a few small bream around 30cm caught on bass yabbies up near Sheepwash after dark. The salmon and

Michael caught a few footballs out of Stoney Creek Reservoir.

trevally have been caught on lures and soft baits such as pipis and chicken. Those keen on mulloway should give the days prior to the new and full moon a go in the Barwon estuary in September. There are reasonable tides at those moon phases this month. The Surf Coast continues to produce quality salmon for anglers fishing from the beach and rock platforms.

somewhat. There have been good numbers of snapper, flathead, gummy and school sharks with the odd King George whiting being landed. Keith said the pier has been fishing well, with one of the best winter runs of silver trevally for years. Apart from silvers from the pier, anglers have enjoyed good captures of salmon, calamari, grass whiting and mullet. Those keen to kick

Paul boated this beast of a bream using a Munroe’s soft plastic. Lorne has been the stand out, with salmon up to 3kg being caught by boat and land-based anglers. Mick Allardyce reports there have been some quality flathead in 36m off the Surf Coast, and has had reports of good numbers of pinkie snapper on the inshore reefs off Aireys Inlet. Mick reckons the beaches have been a bit hit-and-miss with salmon, but a few builders he knows have seen big schools out wider while they’ve been working on the Surf Coast; Mick has scouts everywhere. The Commodore of the Lorne Aquatic and Angling Club, Keith Miller, reports the club’s winter competition was curtailed by the weather but a few tough fishers hit the pier and caught a few. The big salmon are still about but have thinned

off snapper season should target a tide change inside Corio Bay with fresh squid, pilchards or silver whiting. Dawn and dusk have always been good times, but as long as you’re on the water, you’re in with a chance. Watch out for big ships and remember that you can’t anchor in the channel, but you can still flick a few baits around there! Catch a few around Geelong, Bellarine Peninsula or Surf Coast to Lorne recently? Send in a report to slaterfish@gmail.com with “FMG” in the subject field or give me a call on 0408 997 348. Please include where (without giving away your secret spot!), when, what on and who caught the fish. Pictures are always great, but please make sure they are at least 1mb (file size).

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VIC

Goodbye winter grind PPB WEST

Alan Bonnici alan@fishingmad.com.au

The winter grind is now behind us and slowly we will start to enjoy warmer outdoor conditions

and warmer water temperatures, which will make the fishing more pleasant and more productive. This is always a strange time of year as we are almost stuck in between seasons and in between prime fish species

to target. In the coming weeks I will start gearing up for some spring fishing in Western Port followed by starting to prepare for the start of snapper season in Port Phillip Bay. It’s some time away but getting into the motions.

The author with a brown trout.

Jordan Matthews’ land-based trout.

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However, I took some time out this month to step away from the usual saltwater fishing and spend some time freshwater fishing specifically targeting trout, which flourish during these colder water temperatures. It was a refreshing breaking (no pun intended) to go fishing in some beautiful and scenic areas not too far away from Melbourne and catching plenty of trout was exactly what I needed. Trout season closure of rivers and streams finishes on 2 September, so I’m looking forward to the new trout opening season ahead. However, I spend time fishing lakes that are open all year round. I spent quite a bit of time fishing some local freshwater lakes, including Pykes Creek Reservoir, Moorabool Reservoir,

Hepburn Lagoon, Stoney Point and WurdiBuloc Reservoir. The volume of open lakes and reservoirs around Ballarat, Daylesford, Creswick, Geelong and beyond is great and most within an hour’s drive of Melbourne. I fished these locations with good mates Michael Smith and Jordan Matthews for various land-based and boat sessions. We have some amazing footage of these sessions, which we will share on the FishingMad channel soon. My sessions with Michael were fishing on his 3.8m Quintrex tinny trolling lures at the back, which is a really productive technique. A style of fishing that hasn’t changed for so many years because of its pure simplicity and effectiveness. We were both trolling 13.5g Tassie

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Tassie Devils are a great choice.

Devils in whites, pinks and reds. The colour Clown, which is primarily white with red and black spots, was a standout. We both modified our Tassie Devils, removing the trebles they come with and replacing them with twin single 2.0 assist hooks that have high catch rates and look awesome. We motored along steadily between 2.8-3.4km. We had about 40m of line out the back and rods firmly positioned in the rod holders, generally only one each to avoid tangles during hook-ups. We were using an electric motor, which helps greatly to reduce noise and also so we can keep a straight course without needing to hold the motor. The electric motors these days on tinnies are game changers and well worth the investment. This technique worked great and fishing at Pykes Creek we managed 12 brown trout in two sessions. Michael landed the best fish, which was a plump and healthy 60cm brown trout. Which took a red Tassie Devil with twin assist hooks. I’ve been doing some ambassador work with fisheries and was surprised at how well stocked some of the lakes in the areas have been over the past 10 years and the variety of both trout and natives. Recent initiatives should provide amazing fishing in the years ahead. My sessions with Jordan were all land-based. We both walked along the banks with a backpack each full of trout lures (or trout lollies as we call them) plus a light spin outfit each. Jordan landed a beautiful 57cm brown trout flicking a 75mm Daiwa Double Clutch in the red colour, which worked at a slow constant pace as soon as it hit the water. Jordan’s reel combo was a 6”9, 2-3lb Pin Wheel rod paired with an older generation Stella, which screamed as much as

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Jordan did with excitement. I managed to catch several smaller model trout also flicking 65mm and 75mm shallow diving minnows, such as the Double Clutch in trout patterns, the colt minnow and also for extra casting distance pulled out some spoons including some of my usual favourites the Pontoon 21 Paco spoon in 10-14g, the Nories Wasabi

spoon in 8g and the Strike Pro Bob N Spoon, which works great with light spin outfits without putting to much pressure on those thin rod tips when casting. Trout are a beautiful species each one with unique colours and patterns. All the fish caught were released quickly and swam away to fight another day. They are a species of fish I which I have

great respect for and love watching them swim away as much as I do catching them, trout, I put in a similar class as bream, bass and estuary perch. As I mentioned at the start of the article spring to me is about starting to prepare for the upcoming snapper season and spending some time in Western Port trying to land a very early

Michael Smith has been catching plenty of mid size trout.

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

season big red in the top end. Will also spend those moments on the water chasing some giant squid, supersized whiting and a few big gumbos. Lots to look forward to as we put the cold winter grind behind us. Whether its enjoying trout season opening or targeting a few big fish in the bay get excited as the prime fishing window is slowly approaching. Until next time, good

This fish was most likely stocked in recent years.

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fishing everyone. Please feel free to contact me directly to share your fishing experiences, photos and catches around Melbourne, Port Phillip Bay and beyond, which we can feature in next month’s article. You can contact me by email at alan@fishingmad.com.au. Please consider becoming a FishingMad member at www.fishingmad.com. au/member for fishing workshops, podcasts,

detailed reports and exciting monthly giveaways. Also, don’t forget to follow my fishing adventures on the FishingMad YouTube channel www.youtube. com/c/fishingmad and on social media on Facebook page www.facebook. com/fishingmad.com. au, Instagram page www. instagram.com/fishingmad. com.au and on Channel 31 Tuesday evenings at 9.30pm and Saturday afternoons 3pm.

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Getting ready for a great spring season ahead Don reports he was using a baited jig under a float when a squid with a 53cm hood took the liking of his silver whiting in around 4m of water. Stuart Thornton who was fishing with Peter from TV Show Fishing with Fergy found himself with some cracking squid fishing around the same area. They were throwing around Majorcraft squid jigs in size 3.5 and ended the day with a lovely feed

PORT PHILLIP

Gerry Morsman

It’s that time of year again when the majority of all anglers are starting to make their plans for what will hopefully be a very good season of fishing. The boat covers are starting to come off and dust is being brushed away from all the rods and reels that get left in the shed over winter. It’s just an exciting time of year. The water temps are starting to slowly rise and along with that you will see the increase of captures across most species in the Melbourne area. GUMMY SHARKS The southern end of the bay around Rye in the south channel has been a go-to

Aaron Habgood from Saltguide with a solid gummy shark off Barwon Heads.

Stuart Thornton out filming with Fishing with Fergy landed this cracking squid off Tyabb Bank in Western Port. 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 baits such as 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 the 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 86

SEPTEMBER 2022

SNAPPER Squid strips and silver whiting have been the better of the baits and this is quite common this early in the season and the running sinker rig has been the way to go. Black Rock is seeing a lot of fish being pulled over the side of the boat and usually does this early in the season so this shows there must be plenty of food sticking around this area to hold the snapper up. If you want to target

up. As you move closer to the entrance near Portsea the same actions apply just as you would 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 stingrays so make sure to 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. Aaron Habgood fishes this area quite often using baits such as fresh squid and

fresh yakkas and the photo pictured is just one of many gummy sharks he has been catching recently GARFISH Garfish has always been popular but it feels as though it is becoming ever more so lately. So many fishos seemed to think that garfish are just a good bait and even though they are they are also a very good table fish. They are quite easy to fillet too and there is plenty of videos out there to help you along your way. If there is one tip I can give you it is to bring plenty of rags because although they are small they can leave a very big mess just from handling them. There have been very good reports around the Mount Martha area and not only are they in big numbers they have also been quite big in size. ‘Reel Fun Lifestyle and Fishing’ has done very well lately around this area and there was one thing that have been doing different and that is their bait of choice.

They have been using pieces of small prawn and silver whiting instead of your typical baits such as silver fish and maggots. It just goes to show you need to think outside the square a little sometimes. Other areas that have been popping up are Frankston Pier, Mornington Pier and Safety Beach in the boat. SOUTHERN CALAMARI An absolute favourite for many anglers is the southern calamari as it isn’t a very difficult species to target but they have so much to offer. They are a great bait, they taste amazing and they are super fun to catch. Tyabb Bank is quite a large area but you can fish the entire bank as there is plenty of weedy structure that will hold big squid. The reports lately show just that with cracking squid up to 3kg being caught and Don Wood is one of those lucky anglers this month to catch them to that size.

Don Wood with an exceptional southern calamari. and some great bait for future fishing adventures. The smaller squid have also been prolific in the Mornington and Mount Martha areas in around 3m of water casting smaller jigs. 2.5 and 1.8 size jigs are ideal in these types of areas.

Garfish are super easy to catch, a top bait and very good to eat.

some smaller fish but in great numbers then you cant go past the muscle farm at Mt Martha. There is a big area of reef between the farm and the mainland that hold an abundant of food that big schools of pinkies and snapper love to feed on. If you do want to target the smaller fish id suggest downgrading your hook size from a 5/0 to a 2/0. The smaller fish don’t tend to be so picky on what bait you are using so pilchards, squid, yakka, silver whiting or any of the other typical baits a tackle shops hold will do the trick. There are reports of snapper being caught off Frankston and Mount Eliza in around 12-14m of water. They tend to come in quite shallow in the early parts of the season and you will find they will slowly move out to around 18m. The further into the season the further they will move down the bay so it wont be long before we start to see them being caught around Mount Martha and even Safety Beach.

VIC

Good fishing around the corner PHILLIP ISLAND

Craig Edmonds

Springtime and the good fishing days are just around the corner, and even customers have a bit of a smile on their faces with the weather changing

The concentration over the last couple of months, except for the tuna, has been on bait collection for the upcoming snapper season. High tide, late afternoon and fine weather over the last month you will have seen most of the jetty or beach car parks full of tradies

of warmth in the days and nights, the water is starting to warm up. We will start to see the snapper reports coming in as well as whiting and calamari from those in boats. When you are heading out in the boat, take your time on the way to the early snapper marks because we have seen over the last couple of years the snapper showing up on what would be considered late season areas. You will still have to put up with the odd draughtboard and seven gill shark but they will soon

go and gummies will become the by-catch. Those who head offshore have had a reasonable run over the last couple of months. Taking out the tuna, which were good, the flathead, gummies and pinkies have been excellent. They all have been good quality size and great take home fish. There has been some flathead around the 60cm+ but this time of the year the bigger ones are a little soft in the flesh and better

Heading away on holidays Ollie asked mum and dad for some new gear. He was happy with the result and even out fished dad.

Barrels were a regular catch at times through the winter, especially when the conditions were as mint as this day. for the better. The AFL and local Grand finals are just around the corner and once that’s over the fishing reports really start to ramp up with a lot more out fishing.

knocking off a bit early to catch a calamari or two. While we started getting snapper reports back in July it was only the super-keen rugging up and putting in the time. Now there is a little bit

There has been a huge change over the last few years with as many women getting into the sport as men. Scarlett was very pleased with a few meals of flake for the freezer.

FISHING NEWS

Gerber MP400 and Suspension-NXT Taking design cues from the original, the Gerber Suspension-NXT (SRP $79.95) is the evolution of the classic multi-tool design. Boasting an increased tool count of 15 in a smart everyday carry package, it is equipped with a pocket clip that is easily carried in pocket or on belt. The slim butterfly design features outboard tools that are accessible in a snap when unexpected tasks come up. Features include: spring-loaded jaws to lessen hand fatigue; needlenose pliers; regular pliers; wire cutter; 2.25” plain/serrated combination blade; scissors; real cross driver; large, medium, and small flathead drivers; can opener; bottle opener; awl; file; ruler; and wire stripper. The Gerber

Suspension-NXT has a closed length of 4.25” and an open length of 6.25”, and it’s backed by a limited lifetime warranty. Building on the success of the larger one-hand opening models, the compact Gerber MP400 tool version (SRP $119.95) is nimble but just as tough. Built to solve everyday snags, it has 11 components packed into an unobtrusive 200g package. Features include: Saf.T.Plus locking system; stainless steel construction; 1-handed ppening pliers; black ballistic nylon sheath; needle nose pliers; partially serrated blade; Phillips screwdriver; small, medium and large flat screwdrivers; bottle opener and can opener; Fiskars scissors; wire cutters and wire stripper; and a file. It’s made in the USA and backed by a limited lifetime warranty. – Whitworths

Gerber Suspension - NXT

Gerber MP400

put back. The best ones to keep are those around the 40-45cm mark, especially if you are after a skin off tail to fry up in a bit of batter. Luckily that’s what most were finding with a few smaller ones mixed in. The flathead have followed the same pattern as the last couple of years, deeper when we have had a period of rough weather and in close when we have had a period of calmer weather, so 30-50m of water from the Woolamai Surf Club to Kilcunda Bridge. We have also seen very good numbers of school shark, which have been missing for the last few years and they have been very respectable at over 15kg. Beach fishing, especially the surf beaches, have been very difficult this winter because of all the bad weather creating plenty of kelp on the beaches. There have been those keener than others and persevered and while they didn’t bag out all the time, they found a good handful most trips. Smaller salmon at the Phillip Island beaches, which were much cleaner than Kilcunda, had better size salmon. Most of the time the back beaches, Cleeland Bight and Ventnor have been weed free with only small periods through the tides you couldn’t fish. This allowed those chasing calamari, either for bait or for eating to fill up the

freezer. The size of the calamari has been good and we have been regularly weighing them to around 2kg. We have had several reports from the boats of the same size calamari with even a few offshore towards Kilcunda. From the beaches and jetties the baited jigs are having the most success but, in the boats, it’s been artificial jigs. From all the fisheries reports and their testing numbers the snapper seasons over the next few years are going to be extremely good. I guess only time will tell but if the numbers of pinkies we have seen over the last couple of years has any bearing on it then there is a good chance they will be right. The reports we have had so far are of smaller snapper than we normally see this time of the year with some of the better reports coming from Newhaven jetty. If the bigger snapper are what you want then upsize your baits a bit and use whole pilchards instead of chunks, use large strips of calamari or even small whole calamari, even try some live baiting if you can get onto a school of mullet or tommy roughs. 6-8kg snapper will have no problem taking a very large fillet or whole squid and while I wouldn’t set every rod with large baits I would have at least one with a much larger rig and bait than the rest. SEPTEMBER 2022

East Coast

VIC

Algae warning still present LAKES ENTRANCE

Steven Pryke

The blue green algae grasp over the Gippsland Lakes has continued to grow in strength with algae warning along the 90 Mile Beach and throughout the Gippsland Lakes. Everyone has been encouraged to reduce contact with our local waterways, unfortunately this has had a major impact to the town in

recent times. Hopefully it won’t be long and the algae will clear up and everyone can return to fishing and enjoying the Gippsland Lakes. LAKES ENTRANCE With current algae situation the local fishing scene has been pretty quiet, but some anglers have ventured out. Metung Yacht Club has been a popular spot for bream lately with anglers getting great results fishing metal blades around the basses of the jetty.

A good sounder has been very handy as the bream have been moving up and down the wharfs, so locating them can be one of the hardest tasks. Once locating these schools, dropping a metal blade close to the structure or school and slowly working it back to the boat has been a deadly approach. Silver trevally have been a common by-catch lately and find it very hard to say no to a well worked blade.

A solid Lake Tyers bream. This one was taken on a Bassday jerk bait.

LAKE TYERS The lake seems to be getting better and better lately and, at the time of writing, the lake dropped down to 13ºC water temperature yet masses of bream remain on the flats. They have been destroying minnow style hardbodies and soft plastics, and it’s the most consistent I reckon I’ve seen the bottom lake fish. Most days see me land 20+ bream and the majority range from 35-40cm. After a few red hot sessions lately I’ve found myself going back to the same couple of lures each time. The Atomic Shiner 45 and Atomic jerk minnows have been highly productive, along with the old Squidgy Flick Baits or Ecogear Aqua fished extremely lightly weighted and cast up into the super shallows or cast towards any active fish you can see. With the water temps getting colder and colder its hard to say how long this brilliant edge and flats bite will retain. I haven’t been fishing anything deeper than 1.5m lately, and with some fish coming out of 20cm of water on clear sand flats or sight fished off the bottom.

Lake Tyers offers up some great fishing, especially when shared with great mates. HAVE YOU BEEN FISHING? If you have been out for a fish lately and have a great photo please send

to stevenprykefishing@ gmail.com with short description and you could be featured in the edition of Fishing Monthly.

Gun anglers and big bream GIPPSLAND LAKES

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

Out with winter and in with more bream. I’ve been bombarded with stunning pictures and remarkable reports of thumping bream recently, and even a few big flathead have been caught and released. In this report I’m going to feature three of the best gun anglers I know, and as the spring days lengthen I’ve got some hotspots to talk about that should produce plenty of fish. NICHOLSON RIVER Some of the biggest bags of bream seem to always show up in the Nicho and I’m tipping it will continue to feature right through to December. Nikki Bryant is fast becoming the Queen of the Gippy Lakes, with another cracking haul of truck bream to take out the recent Nicholson Angling Club event. She caught and released five bream with the biggest 46cm and smallest 43cm! A bag of over 7kg of fat bream, all taking the Hurricane soft plastic Sprat 65 in the hatchet colour, and some 88

SEPTEMBER 2022

were caught right near the highway bridge. Nikki and hubby ‘King’ Blair also recently took Jo Starling out chasing bream, with great success. To top it off Queen Nikki competed in the recent Twin Rivers comp, and caught another swag of bream. It’s nice to hear that this comp is now catch-and-release only, and well done to all those involved to make the change. Some anglers may be put off by using an app and sending in pictures via their phone, but I think more anglers will

come on board next year. Bait anglers are also landing some great bream from the Nicho on sandworm, frozen prawn and shrimp. Once again, a lot of nice fish around 40cm have been caught, and as I said, this river may even produce more bream over the next few months as the breeding season comes around. METUNG AND PAYNESVILLE I have to give yet another shout-out to local angler Brayden Khote, who continues to amaze everyone

with some stunning captures. He caught and released big bream over 40cm and cracking flathead over 50cm. He is land based and often searches from all the jetties, and that certainly doesn’t stop him from landing some of the biggest fish the Gippy Lakes provide. Not only that, Brayden also can stack big tallies with around 20 fish a session, and this should inspire other lure anglers without a boat to get busy. I also enjoy walking the jetties at times, but my results hardly compare to what

Brayden Kohte with a cracker dusky flathead. He gets plenty while fishing land based at Metung and Paynesville.

Nikki Bryant with a truck black bream caught on a lure recently in the Nicho.

Brayden achieves. I know all about the better jetties to fish and which areas fire the best, but you also need perseverance and skill to get his sort of results. My best tip to have fun jetty-hopping is to visit Paynesville and jump on the ferry for a free ride to Raymond Island. Not

only are there excellent long jetties there, but you can walk the shallows of the island with lure or bait. At Metung there’s a long boardwalk that gives you about a kilometre of lake to fish, and some ripper jetties as well. To page 89

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East Coast

South Gippsland firing PORT ALBERT

Brett Geddes b.geddes@bigpond.com

Welcome to my first report for Port Albert and Welshpool. For over 25 years I’ve fished in this area and I’m very passionate about promoting sustainable fishing in this scenic, plentiful and diverse fishery. I’ll be covering all of the massive Corner Inlet estuary, offshore fishing and

even some surf action along the Ninety Mile Beach. Just one hour from home, I visit this area about 60 days a year and I’ve been blessed to land a wide range of fish. I’ll be talking about many species including whiting, squid, salmon, gummy and school sharks, snapper, yank and rock flathead, snook, garfish, leather jackets, flounder and more. Welshpool also happens to be the capital of the biggest estuary perch in the country. There’s a good reason I

Anthony Havers with a typical lure-caught pinkie snapper at around 40cm, caught while chasing perch and flathead. From page 88

HOLLANDS LANDING When it comes to the biggest bream caught in this area, there’s a name that keeps doing the rounds amongst all of us who never seem to match his amazing and consistent captures: Mitch Chapman. Mitch is a fishing legend, but of course he would never admit it. In fact, it seems that whatever species he targets, he lands the extreme extra-large models. Bass, EP, flathead, tuna and even cod, just to name a few. He rarely talks of his incredible captures, and I usually have to grill him for info! I’ll tell you the very latest. He rang me from his home recently around 9am and asked me if Hollands was worth a look. I warned him it’s been a little slow, and the big fish seem to have really thinned out. After finishing his dad duties and the near 2-hour drive, he arrived at Hollands for a 1pm launch. Just three hours later he had landed

about 14 stud bream, with most well over 40cm and the biggest going 47cm. All were caught on a soft plastic that is not currently a ‘go-to’ lure, the one and only legendary 100mm bloodworm Squidgy Wriggler on a light jighead. Let that be a lesson to us all! BREAM STOCKS To finish up here’s some really good news: record numbers of juvenile bream have been detected following a survey conducted by

live close to this part of the world, so let me get on with it. WHITING AND SNAPPER Spring is when the whiting start to fire up and they are usually the biggest fish of the year. A lot of anglers mistakenly believe summer is prime time, and that may be true for the numbers of whiting but by then the sizes are usually down around 28-35cm. September and October see the bigger 40-45cm models show up in quite good numbers. The hotspots right now will be at the entrance areas of Mcloughlins, Manns, Karneys and Port Albert or the channels not far from the Welshpool ramp. Obviously, pipi baits are the best, along with live nippers but I can assure you that shrimp and mussel works just as well. I’ve also had good success with small strips of fresh salmon flesh, and I leave the skin attached to keep them on the hook longer. In those same areas the snapper will be there, but they’re mostly pinkies in the 35-42cm range. Last spring and summer we saw the biggest number of these fun fish ever, and they turned up in terrific schools from Macs through to Port Albert. In all my years fishing those areas I have never caught so many fat pinkies on lures, while also catching perch, whiting and flathead at the very same time. If you’re serious about chasing bigger pinkies or larger reds right now, then head offshore. Fisheries in the Gippy Lakes back in June. The bream were spread right across the system, and found at many sites in the lakes where they are not normally found, including Blonde Bay, Jones Bay and Butler Point near Paynesville. Most of them were found in the lower section of the Mitchell River and the McLennans Strait, and the number of fish is more than twice the previous peak in 2017.

Mitch Chapman with a 47cm stud bream.

Whiting and big garfish are on the cards right now, and they’re two of the tastiest fish to swim in Corner Inlet. Snook can be caught as by-catch. SQUID AND SALMON About five years ago we had an amazing three seasons where the squid at Port Albert turned up in real force. It was nothing to bag out with 10 squid in half an hour, and they were even thick right at the boat ramp. I used to slide the kayak in at the main ramp and drift over to the nearest channel, and all the people on the jetties watched me bag out in no time. Then sadly, for some reason over the last two years it’s been very hard to find any squid on a regular basis. This spring will hopefully see them return. The early signs are not good, as I’ve yet to hear of any good captures. No such problem at Welshpool, where over the last month their numbers have been very strong and as usual, some large hood sizes too. There’s some debate over which part of the tide is best, but I’ve definitely found two hours before and after high water to be the best. Other people will say as long as you have good flow they will take jigs no problem, and still others reckon it depends on what time of the year you chase them. I have even caught squid during the still water of low tide, all stacked up in deeper holes of certain channels. One thing’s for sure, the best way to find out is to put in the hours and let the squid tell you! Gradually you’ll see a pattern develop over time – and you should also look out for boats parked up close together as a surefire giveaway. I love chasing salmon and I believe their numbers are at their prime in early spring, and usually the bigger 2-3kg fish are about in massive schools and provide so much excitement using surface lures or for long battles on the fly rod. I think Manns entrance is your prime spot for big salmon, but don’t rely on trolling lures around to find them as this doesn’t always work the best. A better approach is to work lures

deep and pull them along with the current to keep them down. Another tip is to try small soft plastics or blades, as sometimes the salmon are chasing little baitfish and will ignore larger presentations. At other times you’ll see the water turn black in the shallows, and it’s then time to fire them

some nice early season yank flatties too, and I even get big whiting attacking those same lures as well, especially the larger grass whiting that are very aggressive in chasing down lures. I’ll have more news on grass whiting down the track as I know they are not recognised as a regular target, and yet they

Pinkies in early spring can be a lot of fun on lures, even when land-based near the Port Albert channels at low tide. up with surface lures. YANK AND ROCK FLATHEAD While it’s true to say flatties will get going more in mid to late summer, I can assure you some really big rockies will be lurking right now, and will turn up when you least expect it. All the bigger estuary channels around Manns right through to Welshpool will be your best options. I recommend using mediumsized plastics with a heavy jighead or 45-50mm blades and search the edges and drop-offs thoroughly. You may also be surprised with

taste as good as their King George cousins. Over the last six years I’ve seen rock flathead numbers grow so much right across Corner Inlet. It used to be a rare event to land a few, and they were mostly between 30-40cm but now I expect to get them. The real shock is the size of these rockies, and on some trips I’m getting up to 10 fish and seeing them right up to 65cm. For those who have yet to eat rockies, I can assure you once tried they will be eagerly sought after, as they have no equal across all the flathead species. SEPTEMBER 2022

East Coast

VIC

Sunny days are here again MALLACOOTA/EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

The good news is summer is around the corner and, with the last few months being as cold as they have, that is something to look forward to! The ocean temperatures have also been colder than usual, getting down to as low as 9ºC compared to its usual lowest temperature at 11ºC. With few visitors in the area heading offshore

fishing and with the colder than usual temperatures, there has been little to report. The beach fishing is still producing some good salmon, along with the odd tailor. All the bigger gutters have been fishing well on the rising tide. With the water warming, more variety will be available. The local beaches are a great source of fresh bait. There are plenty of beach worms that get caught along Tip Beach. Those that have mastered beach

worming will catch enough bait to last a few fishing sessions in no time. Hoppers are also used with great success on a variety of species. They can be collected in no time by moving a clump of seaweed on the beach. When baiting up, just thread a heap onto the hook and you might get a surprise at what you catch. The reliable place to be fishing over the winter months is the local rivers and lakes. Winter provides good fishing for bream and

Plenty of black bream are being caught on both bait and lures. This is a great fish at 37cm fork length.

flathead, and this winter has been no exception. With the lake entrance slowly moving down the beach towards Bastion Point and, with enough rain to keep things moving, this has created good tidal movement. This is great for establishing the weed beds and the fishing will only improve. A good entrance allows recruitment of fish with yellowfin bream, sand whiting, and mulloway all able to move from the ocean beaches into the lake system along with many other species. The Bottom Lake has been fishing well with yellowfin bream in the deeper water at the back of Goodwin Sands. The flathead are still about with plenty of good size eating fish among them, and a few trophy fish. Finding an area where there are fish and working the area thoroughly is the key to catching a feed. The black bream have pushed their way upstream, as they always do at this time of year. When the wattle is blooming you know it’s spawning time for black bream and the fish will be on the move. These fish can be hard to catch, some days they are on the bite and other days they can

At 85cm and close to 10lb, this is a decent flathead caught on a bloodworm Wriggler. be very tricky to catch. If you are lucky enough to find the right lure on the day some excellent fishing can be had. With good rainfall over the past 12 months we can only hope this

will improve the perch fishing. Back in the early days, perch made up a good percentage of the catches. Let’s hope good tidal movement can help restore their numbers as they are such a great fish to catch.

Estuaries are pristine MARLO

Jim McClymont mcclymont@net-tech.com.au

It’s still cold and wet but warmer weather is coming, with the lure of great fishing to come. With the worst of the colder weather behind us, it’s time for all of us to make sure our fishing gear is back in good operating order. As the days lengthen and the sun has more heat in its rays, anglers are awakening and ready to go and check on their favourite fishing spots in preparation for the

Bream haven’t been in big numbers, but the average size has been good.

MARLO

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Dave Shanahan with a 43cm bream. upcoming fishing season. With all the wet weather we have had, the estuary has flushed out and it’s in pristine condition awaiting big schools of fish to enter and repopulate the whole estuary again, making our area the fishing mecca of Victoria. Already there are reports of big bream over 40cm being taken in small

numbers in the Corringle slips and around Ross’s bank all the way up to Lake Corringle. Anglers have reported that although the bream are not in big numbers, they are mostly big, healthy female fish full of roe. This would indicate they are at the beginning of their spawning run with many more to follow. The consensus is that if the

bream think conditions are right for spawning, the other species will follow suit. The thing that has been consistent all year is the salmon and tailor entering the estuary on the incoming tide, and can be found down towards the entrance on most occasions. Anglers To page 91

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East Coast

Springtime in the surf BEMM RIVER

Robyn Sturgess

Give us a call on 0427 584 233 to secure your bookings at Bemm River Holiday Accommodation & Boat

Hire! We now offer extra accommodation as we have had a new unit built this year, named ‘Chateau Mo’.

Spring is now upon us, and at the time of writing the entrance remains open. It is now one of the longest openings we have seen in the past 20 years. The fishing has been great, especially in the channel, with salmon and tailor providing plenty of fun sport for anglers using 40-60HP light gear. FOURSTROKE The bream have been PERFORMANCE plentiful, with the best spots being the entrance to Mud Lake and back up towards Siberia and around Pelican Point. Reports of the river have been sketchy, as access ROCKLEA NORTH ROCKHAMPTON is difficult with the water BRISBANE & LEISURE RIFEN BOATS levelBOATING being low. LureRoad anglers are still 1713 Ipswich Rocklea 6 Dooley Street North Rockhampton hooking the odd flathead, P: (07) 3875 1600 P: (07) 4927 9150 with a couple of good E: sales@kareemarine.com.au E: rifen.boats@bigpond.com reports of some big fish W: www.kareemarine.com.au W: www.rifenboats.com.au up to 70cm being caught and released. NORTHERN When GOLD COAST AIRLIE BEACH the weather has permitted, ONSHORE MARINE all surf beaches WHITSUNDAY OUTBOARD CENTRE beenMarina producing salmon Horizonhave Shores Woongoolba 17 William Murray Drive Cannonvale and tailor, along with the P: (07) 5546 2480 P: (07) 4946 7286 odd trevally. E: onshoremarine@ozemail.com.au E: woc@whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au • That’s it for this month. Start getting your wheel W: www.onshoremarine.com.au W: www.whitsundayoutboardcentre.com.au bearings checked, lifejackets, dates on flares EVERTON HILLS KARUMBA and so on before you get All surf beaches have been HOLT MARINE JONES MARINE into the spring fishing. producing salmon and tailor. 25 Queens Road Everton Hills 30 Yappar Street Karumba P: (07) 3353 1928 P: other (07) 4745 From page 90 pipi and food.9159 Also in and gummy shark, while are getting reliable results the same area, looking for other boats report either E: info@holtmarine.com.au E: jonglo@bigpond.com either spinning or trolling food just off the breakers, getting only a few flathead W: www.holtmarine.com.au W: www.jonesmarine.com.au metal lures. are bream, mullet, flathead, or others catching big other species. gummy shark. I suppose CAPALABA Our surf beaches and several IPSWICH are dependable all year Fishing offshore (when that’s fishing. MIKES MARINE round, always holding weatherIPSWICH permits)MARINE has been a That’s it for this month. 9 Smith Street Capalaba 45 Huxham Street Raceview big schools of salmon and bit hit-and-miss. Some boats Let’s hope with the warm tailor patrolling along the have been getting weather the fishing fires P: (07) 3390 3418 P: 07reporting 3294 3944 beach front, scouring the plenty E:ofenquiries@ipswichmarine.com.au flathead, pinkie up and everyone gets E: sales@mikesmarine.com.au troughs and gutters for snapper, barracoota their share. W: www.mikesmarine.com.au W:gurnard, www.ipswichmarine.com.au

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Allan Lavell caught this bream on a lightly weighted soft plastic. SEPTEMBER 2022

VIC

The season that was ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

With the Murray cod season rolling to an end, it’s time to reflect on how it went in our local waters.

smaller fish that survived that disaster are now stretching the truth mat out over the metre mark. This is great news for not only local anglers but the huge number of dedicated cod fishos eager to pack the car and boat and head off in

the chew, feeding up for the pending chance to breed and produce the next generation. Golden perch are generally easy to catch at some locations where they stack en masse, and it’s a conservative angling practice to release the larger fish. These big fish are, in most cases, females full of roe. There are plenty of smaller fish to keep for the pan without keeping these prime breeders. With most rivers full to spilling, water clarity for the present will be fairly poor, with bait angling most effective. In saying that, perch have the uncanny knack of finding lures in the filth, especially vibe-style presentations with rattles. For my money, a ball of worms fished on

Darcy Hann with a good-sized golden caught on bait.

It should be a great season for yabbies with all the water about. Firstly, it’s been great to see good numbers of small Murray cod in most sections of the Murray River and other local waters. Most anglers fishing baits have been rapt with the fish numbers, and things certainly look bright for the future of the fishery. Secondly, enough time has passed since our last blackwater event that the

search of new destinations. Swan Hill is definitely on the go-to list for big cod opportunities, and as word gets out we are bound to see more angling traffic come the new season. As we roll into spring and the closure of the cod season, the expectant run of golden perch should be but weeks away. As the water warms these feisty native fish will come on

Some good-sized cod were caught in the lead up to the close, with most taken on bait in the dirty flows.

the edge of the backwater near a snag or two will produce enough action to keep me entertained, including the opportunity to catch a feed. As the waters warm, carp will come back on the chew. With their numbers as high as ever, hooking a few bigger ones will no doubt test newbie anglers and their knots to the limit. With a real chance the yabbies will run, some fresh carp for the nets will see these river pests put to good use. There’s nothing better than turning crap fish into a magnificent feed. As great as everything looks, the real decider of our local fishery and the coming season (and those beyond) will hinge on the spring flows. I can’t

help but get a little anxious when the weather begins to warm and the river runs high. The last two times this has happened have been disastrous, decimating native fish numbers and smashing the local economy no end. It has taken years to get back to where we are. Bag limits, slot limits, openings and closures ensure the future of our fishery, but all this legislation is worth nothing if one single event wipes out all the hard work, and the fish along with it. Fingers crossed it all goes well. For now, we are all looking forward to a great run of golden perch this spring, and a ripper breeding season for the good numbers of Murray cod we presently have in our local waters.

Mulwala is now full again YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

As this report hits the newsstands, there are only a few days left in this 2021/22 Murray cod season. With Lake Mulwala being full once again after the winter drawdown, it will be interesting to see how the cod settle back into their home snags and how it fishes come 1 December when the new season opens. One thing that can be assured though is Lake Mulwala can be very rewarding one minute and ‘the lake of 1000 casts’ the next. One thing that never changes though is Lake Mulwala’s massive population of natives. This ensures it will be forever known as ‘The 92

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home of the Murray Cod’. Whilst the lake was empty, I took the opportunity to get out and do a bit of exploring. One interesting thing I discovered was a rather large tree that had been felled when the lake was being cleared. This massive tree would have been at least 5ft/1.5m across. Obviously proud of his efforts for felling this tree, the young gentleman who achieved this feat proceeded to chop his initials into the tree base ‘W.I.’ and also what I believe was the date – ‘XXX’ in roman numerals, meaning 1930. The traditionalists always say ‘fish on a rise’, and that’s exactly what a few locals did when the lake started to refill. Within the first few days I had received reports of no less than five cod measuring in excess of 1m. Fish Camp

Ski’s Ryan McMaster was the first to get into a couple, quickly followed by Barooga legend Kevin Brooks who also landed two. Steve Cannon was another to see some rod-bending action when his lure was gobbled up by a 115cm beauty. Cray season saw a fair bit of hard going. Downstream, increased water flows made the chase for the elusive Murray cray even harder. Most who ventured out mentioned they got to see good amounts of crays, but legal-size numbers were generally lacking. As the fishing slows, organisation for the 2022-23 fishing competition season ramps up. If you are keen to get your name added to the Golden Dollars, Cod Classic, Dash 4 Cash, His and Hers Partners Classic or Cod Nationals mailing

lists, shoot me an e-mail at codclassic@bigpond.com. There’s big news on the Cod Classic front, with five boating packages to be given away at this year’s event. It’s great to see the Cod Classic bouncing back in a big way from the impacts of COVID to make it, once again, Australia’s premier inland angling event. If you’re visiting town, call into Lake Mulwala Fish Camp & Ski (opposite the post office) in Mulwala or Yarrawonga Fish Camp Ski (between Rivers and One Zac). We are your Murray cod specialists in Yarrawonga/ Mulwala and specialize in all things ‘green’! For any information on the upcoming events or fishing reports give us a hoy on 03 5744 3133. Until next edition, happy fishing.

This mystery tree was felled by ‘W.I.’ in 1930.

VIC

Trout season trumpets WANGARATTA

Robbie Alexander

September is one of the most exciting times of the year for me as a fisherman in North East Victoria.

fully support, and would like to see happening at all other Victorian impoundments. YELLOWBELLY Each year in September I start to catch a few yellowbelly. My favourite area to head is Lake

there expecting to catch cricket scores of fish. REDFIN Just like the yellowbelly, the regions redfin will be starting to move in September. They too will be slow to start, but the

A tranquil North East Victorian trout stream. The author is looking forward to getting back up into these places in September. the Waranga Basin are two waterways that I often catch redfin in during September. Some of the smaller creeks that house redfin may fish okay, depending on how

remains open until next June. It is always difficult to predict exactly which areas will fish the best on the opening day of any season, but basically any stream

If the streams are high, do not be scared to drift worms. Trout love worms during periods of high flow after decent rainfall. For those wanting to fish

A sunrise yellowbelly caught at Lake Nillahcootie in September last year. Firstly, the Victorian trout season opens on the first Saturday of September each year, and this year that is the 3rd September. Following soon afterwards is some increased warmth in the sun, longer days and the start

Nillahcootie as the days get warmer and the yellowbelly just begin to become more active. Last September I did quite well there, catching a few really nice yellowbelly using worms as bait and

increased sunshine will kick off a gradual increase in redfin movement in the waterways that have redfin in them. Although both lakes are out of my readership a little bit, Lake Hume and

Drifting worms is a deadly technique to catch trout in September.

A Lake Moodemere redfin caught during winter. Most anglers wouldn’t go here to target these fish as they are not in abundance, but don’t be surprised to catch one or two while targeting carp. of other fish species, such as redfin and yellowbelly, becoming active after their winter torpor. MURRAY COD Murray cod season is now closed. It closes on the 1 September each year and re-opens on 1 December. As I type this report the only waterway open to Murray cod fishing in the springtime is Lake Eildon, which remains open all year round. The Victorian Fisheries Authority have indicated that they are conducting surveys in Lake Eppalock to see if that too can be open all year round, but at the moment it is still closed to cod fishing during the spring months. This is a move that I

fishing from the bank. I did not catch record breaking numbers of fish as September is still quite cool and the yellowbelly are just warming up, but it was enough to make me excited for more Lake Nillahcootie yellowbelly fishing this September. Thanks to the re-introduction of yellowbelly into the Ovens River, I am seeing more and more of them turning up as well, and I expect that I will most likely catch a few this September as I sit on the bank and drown some worms. Basically, any waterway that has yellowbelly in it will be worth fishing in September, but do not go

much spring rainfall and runoff we get. TROUT By far the most talked about species of fish to catch in the Wangaratta region in September is trout. As stated in my opening paragraph, the trout season opens on Saturday 3rd September and

that fished well last season will be worth trying again this season. The rainbow trout may still be spawning at the tail end of their spawning cycle and may be a little reluctant to hit a lure, but the brown trout should all be hungry and feeding well.

The yabbying will most likely start to slow in September and improve throughout the month as the weather warms up.

with lures, any of the regular trout lures should work. I have had great success with small minnows in the springtime. OTHER SPECIES Lake Moodemere will be worth fishing in September for carp, with the very real potential of catching a half decent redfin. I fished there with worms in winter trying to catch a carp and caught myself a nice redfin over 30cm long. The lake has fished much slower than usual this winter, so hopefully a bit of September sunshine will warm things up a bit and get the fish moving. Another thing that I look forward to each September is yabbying. I love catching yabbies. Just like the yellowbelly and redfin, I expect the yabbying to start off slow in September but gradually pick up as things warm up. Often the second half of the month can be much more productive than the first half when it is still quite cold. SEPTEMBER 2022

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The spring vibe BALLARAT

Shane Stevens

Spring is one of my favourite times of the year, it marks the start of a new trout season, even though trout fishing is open all year round on our lakes and reservoirs around the state. It’s part of the tradition for those of us in the angling fraternity who have been around for a long time. Years ago there used to be a closed season on all waters during the winter months to allow the trout to breed/spawn, but commonsense prevailed as trout in impoundments do not/cannot breed, as they need running water like that in our streams for their breeding cycle to be successful. The majority or rivers and streams, apart from some in the South West of the state, are closed from the long weekend in June until the first weekend in September, allowing the trout to spawn freely without anglers’ intervention. This year’s winter has been another cold one, as we get older we feel the cold more every year. The water levels are rising from our winter rains and hopefully some good spring rainfalls will ensure all our lakes and reservoirs are full to

ago that the redfin continue to bite during the winter months, it’s only us anglers who stop chasing them due the cooler weather conditions. This year is different, there has been plenty of anglers chasing a feed of winter redfin at Tullaroop.

on one of his most recent trips, he was catching a few smaller sized fish, when all of a sudden he latched onto something that pulled some serious string. After a good tussle, Paul landed a ripping 47cm yellowbelly, not a bad bit of by-catch.

Ben Young landed this ripping male brown trout casting Ecogear Power shad soft plastics from the shore on his way to work. Not a bad way to start the day!

Paul Dawson landing a ripper bit of bycatch, a 47cm yellowbelly while fishing for redfin. Photo Courtesy Paul Dawson. I have spoken to other anglers at the boat ramp in Galloways Bay who have just returned from a day on the water. Most have been rewarded for braving the cold, landing good bags of feed of redfin, mostly jigging lures or fishing local minnows for bait. I have targeted the trout myself, with excellent results, one trip I managed to land three feisty trout around the 1-1.5kg on Bent Minnow surface lures. The trout this winter have not fed on smelt for some reason, which I am trying to work out why? Other anglers have commented

about the lack of smelters as well this winter at Tullaroop. We now look forward to rising water levels and the trout, mooching around in the shallows. Lake Wendouree has been fishing well over the past month with some good reports filtering through. Some excellent trout have been caught on a variety of methods. The most productive methods have been fly fishing and casting lures, from both the shore and from boats. Bill Reddick and Doug Kimberley spent a few hours drifting around Wendouree fly fishing recently. The guys started off casting streamer type flies, which are smelt or minnow patterns and are generally the staple diet during the winter months, but without success. They then downsized to smaller sized flies, nymph patterns, which produced immediate results with Bill landing a ripping big brown trout measuring in at 64cm. After a few happy snaps the brown was released on her way. Doug was not going to be outdone by Bill, so he landed

a well-conditioned brown at 45cm and then followed it by another the same size. Ben Young has landed some excellent brown and

The author battled the cold wintery conditions on Lake Wendouree to land this mid-40cm brown trout on a T26 Bent Minnow surface lure.

Tullaroop is one of the author’s favourite winter fisheries when chasing trout. This 1.5kg rainbow trout found the T26 Bent Minnow lure too irresistible not to eat. overflowing. The water will have risen over fresh ground, exposing worms and grubs, etc, which will entice trout to move into the shallows to feed on these tasty morsels. Tullaroop Reservoir has seen plenty of anglers hitting the water over the past month, chasing both trout and redfin. I mentioned a couple of months 94

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One of my work colleagues Paul Dawson who lives close by to Tullaroop has been getting amongst the reddies, Paul has been using ice jigs to catch them, he has been sounding the redfin up on his fish finder then dropping his jig down into the school with excellent results. Paul got a bit of a shock

rainbow trout over the past few weeks casting Ecogear Power shad soft plastics from the shore. Ben normally has a quick cast on his way to work

Doug Kimberley landed two mid-40cm brown trout on nymph fly patterns while fishing on Lake Wendouree.

in the mornings. He likes to cast the plastics along the windward shores after strong winds from the day previous, where the wind has pushed all the food into that shore, this philosophy has worked well for him over the years. I have ventured out on Wendouree myself a few times casting lures. The fishing has been a little bit slow, but not abnormal for this time of the year. Although I have managed to tempt the odd brown trout on Bent Minnow surface lures. At Lake Wendouree the fishing will improve as we move out of winter and start to see some insect activity, which will bring the trout out of hibernation. Moorabool Reservoir To page 95

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Time to fire up the Goulburn yellowbelly SHEPPARTON

Nick Brown teamriverrats@hotmail.com

The Goulburn River spent a good couple of weeks pumping hard, which made fishing in August tricky. It was a shame because we were having the best cray season in recent memory. Hopefully the next flush of water will fire up the springtime yellowbelly bite. Spring is all about yellowbelly. Casting

smaller spinnerbaits, hardbodies and lipless crankbaits are best if you’re chasing yellowbelly. For those bait fishing this spring I would suggest using scrub worms or small yabbies but, once the water temps rise, I would switch to shrimp. BROKEN RIVER I have had a couple of reports this past few weeks of yellowbelly being caught with scrub worms being the best baits. Downstream of the Archer Street Bridge or

around the junction has been some hot spots. There were also some reports of crayfish being caught in the Broken River and the crays taking a liking to fresh baits while chasing fish back in August. If we get some spring rains, the Broken River normally fires in spring especially around the two weirs. SHEPPARTON LAKE The Shepparton Lake has been fishing well this past month with plenty of

reports of trout and redfin being caught. Flyfishing around the boat sheds has resulted in some nice size trout as bait fishing in this area has worked. Worms or Powerbaits around the grass hill or small spinners or plastics have worked near the skate park end boat ramp casting along the weed edges. MOOROOPNA REC RESERVE LAKE The small lake near the football oval can be a little gem and I have

had numerous reports of carp, redfin and trout being caught. Those targeting carp have been using corn or night crawlers fished hard on the bottom. Raising your baits off the bottom is the key if you’re trying to catch a trout or redfin, with bait float fishing the best method. Casting small blades or plastics also work well in the Lake. WARANGA BASIN The basin has been

fishing well when weather has permitted. There are plenty of redfin being caught trolling around the caravan park on Codgers and RMG Poltergeist Crazy Deep in white or green. Some redfin up to 40cm have been reported amongst plenty around the 18-23cm range. Drifting baits or casting soft plastics around Harrimans Point has been productive with black or silver plastics rigged on a 1/4oz jighead.

Uncertainty this month BENDIGO

Roger Miles codhuntertours@bigpond.com

We are heading into the spring months, and with the current conditions I am unsure what the upcoming season will have in store for us. Our winter rainfall has been below average, and the amount of inflow into our impoundments has been minimal so far. This trend looks to be changing though, as recently we have started to receive some good, consistent rain events. At the time of writing this report, we have just received some good rainfall, a nd our catchments are currently saturated and are primed to produce some good runoff. What is a given is the increasing number of native fish in our local waterways, thanks largely to some very good fish stocking from Victorian Fisheries over the past few years. Hopefully our local waterways can receive some good stockings again this season. LAKE EPPALOCK Lake Eppalock is

currently at 49% of capacity and continues to rise very slowly. The catchments south of Lake Eppalock (Upper Coliban, Lauriston and Malmsbury reservoirs) are receiving some reasonable inflows at this stage but the catchments still need to receive some large amounts of rainfall before they reach capacity. With the current trend I would not anticipate this happening until October at the earliest. If and when these other catchments reach capacity, only then will Lake Eppalock get major inflows and water levels increase significantly. Hopefully this does occur and water levels go above the high water mark from last season. Higher water levels going over increased amounts of vegetation has a huge positive effect on how productive the next season of fishing will be. Redfin are currently the main species being caught by anglers fishing Lake Eppalock. Casting soft plastics and vertically jigging soft plastics and ice jigs have been the preferred method for most anglers. The numbers of redfin being caught has not been great, but small numbers of quality redfin measuring

above 40cm have been landed by those experienced anglers putting in the time and effort. Locating a good concentration of redfin has not been easy, and anglers need to be prepared to hunt around in order to find them. The occasional golden perch has been caught as a welcome by-catch by those anglers chasing the redfin. By the end of September, water temperatures will be starting to increase nicely and we should start to see a good increase in catch rates of golden perch at Lake Eppalock. CAMPASPE RIVER Water clarity is currently good at the majority of locations along the Campaspe River. The water conditions however can change very quickly at this time of the year. Heavy spring rainfall can produce volumes of dirty water running into the system, dramatically reducing water clarity. As always in the spring months, it pays to keep an eye on the weather and conditions, and plan your trip accordingly. This time of the year is the prime time to catch a large Campaspe River redfin prior to spawning. The Campaspe River does not typically produce large numbers of

From page 94

has seen plenty of anglers, walking around its shores, casting flies and lures, with the fishing being a bit hit and miss currently. The water level is slowly rising, and my thoughts are Moorabool this spring will be full once again. I, like others, are hoping the fishing is as good this spring as it was last year, with quite a few trophy sized browns being caught. I’m looking to upgrade from my previous 4kg PB on fly to a fish over the magical 10lb mark. At Newlyn Reservoir and Hepburn Lagoon the fishing has been a bit quiet this year, compared to last year for whatever reason. Once again with rising water levels and increased insect activity, I’m sure we will see the trout come on the bite once again.

Bill Reddick nailed this magnificent 64cm brown trout while fly fishing on Lake Wendouree. Photo Courtesy Bill Reddick.

We should see an increase in golden perch catches over the next couple of months. Rising water temps will help switch the perch into feeding more aggressively. redfin, but if you put the time in there are some quality fish waiting to be caught. My preferred areas to target the redfin are along cumbungilined banks and along the edges of weed beds. Good lure options for the redfin are spinners, soft plastics and small hardbody lures. As we see the water temperatures starting to increase at the end of September, we should start to see the golden perch starting to feed more aggressively. Last season we experienced a cold start to spring and the golden perch were slow to fire up! Hopefully we’ll receive some warm weather earlier in spring to help these great fish get in a feeding mood. Good lure choices for the golden perch over spring are small profile spinnerbaits and small to medium sized hardbody lures, with suspending hardbody lures being a great option earlier in the spring months when the water temperatures are cooler. When fishing in spring it pays to have a good colour selection in your lure arsenal, depending on what the water clarity is like when you are fishing. When the water clarity is poor, I prefer using colours with a good amount of UV paints. Colours such as fluoro pink, fluoro orange, chartreuse and fluoro purple can be great options. When water clarity is good, colours such as white, purple and black are

great options. CAIRN CURRAN The water clarity is currently good at this location, and water levels are rising very slowly. At the time of writing this report, Cairn Curran was at 55% of capacity. While inflows have been minimal at this stage, the water catchments are now saturated and primed to produce some good runoff if the area receives some heavy rainfall. Fishing reports from this location have been minimal. Redfin have been making up the majority of anglers’ captures. The odd brown trout has also been caught at this location, as well as the occasional golden perch caught by anglers chasing the redfin. By the end of September water temperatures should be increasing and helping to bring the golden perch on the bite. There are plenty of anglers that are anticipating another very good season of golden perch fishing at this location this season. Cairn Curran really came to the fore as a great location to target golden perch last season. The numbers of golden perch caught at this location last season were terrific. While a lot of the golden perch were smaller in size, another 12 months of growing will see increased numbers of good golden perch being caught at Cairn Curran this season.

LODDON RIVER Water clarity is currently very good at most locations along the Loddon River. However, as always in the spring months, the water clarity can change very quickly after heavy rainfall. The recent productivity of the fishing in the Loddon River has been slow. There has been the occasional golden perch caught, and small numbers of redfin. Water temperatures should start increasing during the month of September, and the feeding activity in the golden perch will increase. When targeting the golden perch at this time of year, it pays to remember the water at depth is still relatively cold. Therefore, the metabolism in the golden perch is still reduced, and it pays to keep retrieval speeds very slow. It’s also a good tactic to work each piece of structure well before moving onto the next structure. By this I mean, put a lot of casts into an area, and consider changing your lure a couple of times before moving. Being patient and working good structure well is often the secret to success at this time of year. Finally, a reminder that the Murry cod season is closed from 1 September to 1 December. I encourage anglers to do the right thing and not target Murray cod during the closed season. SEPTEMBER 2022

VIC

Salmonids firing up CRATER LAKES

Rod Shepherd

Cold, inclement weather can put a hold on getting out there and wetting a line, as many of us are not die-hard anglers. When conditions aren’t good

for fishing, it’s a good opportunity to devote some time to upgrading your fishing equipment. Replacing hooks on lures, spooling new line onto reels as well as giving them a good wash in soapy water and then a re-grease will certainly extend their longevity, and

Max Stevens with a nice lure-caught trout.

prevent sticking. Fishing rods also will benefit from a good wipe down, lubricating the reel seat and maybe a new coat of lacquer. Plenty can be done to boats besides a good washdown inside and out. Again, get the can of lubricant spray out and give all working metal parts a good spray including the winch, jockey wheel and your wheel nuts. In fact, get the spanner out and loosen and then re-tighten all wheel nuts to prevent seizure (which can be a real pain when you get a flat tyre on the road). Examine the pull cord on the outboard motor for signs of fraying. Make a spare pull cord that can be wrapped around the fly wheel to start the motor if the main cord ever gives out. This can easily be the difference between getting back to the boat ramp or being stuck on the water on a given day. All in all, there’s a plethora of things to maintain as an angler, and keeping right on top of it means less down time and more fishing time. WHAT’S BITING All three crater lakes are showing good signs of an increase in captures

Shane Stevens and his son Max have done well at Bullen Merri using gold winged and minnow style lures cast around the shallows. from anglers. As the air temperature drops, so too does the water temperature, and this is what fires up the salmonoids. Ideally, the surface water temperature should be sitting at around 12°C for the fish to be truly happy. Chinook, rainbows and the odd brown have come out of Bullen Merri, whilst Purrumbete has brown, rainbow, chinook salmon

and redfin along with some of the newer species (or hybrid species) of trout such as brook, tiger and cheetah. Trolling in depths of up to 10m or casting lures and plastics towards the bank have been the main methods employed. Some anglers have been fishing mudeye or minnow under a float and allowing the whole setup to slowly drift towards the weed beds before slowly

retrieving, and allowing the same process to begin again. Elingamite has browns, rainbows and some sizeable redfin on offer, with most taken trolling and casting artificials adjacent to any weed growth. The depth at the ramp is currently fine for any boats up to 4m, and possibly longer. As long as the rain keeps falling we won’t have to worry about low water until well into next year.

Excitement over Vic trout season opening WEST/SOUTH GIPPSLAND

Billy Auldist

With the Victorian trout season opening back up on the 3rd of this month, there is plenty to look forward to. For fishos in South West Gippsland, the options are going to become more broad, giving anglers more chance to get out and wet a line. There are plenty of upcoming opportunities in our area and it is an exciting time of year to be fishing in our region.

After a long off-season, we are all glad to see the opening of trout season finally upon us. The trout have been unpressured and will be fired up come opening. Usual tactics like spinners, hardbodies and soft plastics will be more than capable of enticing an early season trout. If the local rivers and streams are still a bit high and dirty, anglers will land trout by drifting baits, such as worms or other small insects. The rivers surrounding Noojee such as the Loch, LaTrobe and Toorongo

rivers will all attract attention early in the season. These rivers often produce high numbers of fish. Other waterways in our region that may be worthwhile include the Tarago and Bunyip rivers and tributaries, although they can be very hit and miss early on in the season. At the start of the season, fishing pressure will be high on all our local trout streams, having a few spots up your sleeve that are lesser known and unfished is going to be the key, rather than fishing in second-hand water. With the weather coming good

A South West Gippsland trout caught on a spinner on opening morning last year. 96

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and the fish having had a bountiful break, it is shaping out to be a great start to our trout season this year. The 1 September marks the closure of the river blackfish season in Victoria, which is important to keep in mind. With the species already battling, the last thing they need is fishing pressure over their spawning period, which will in turn effect the recruitment. The local redfin will start to fire up soon as the weather turns for the better, which is also good news for us anglers. Most waterways in the region will hold redfin and they can keep you occupied for hours, especially when targeting them on lures. In most situations the biggest redfin are in the least pressured spots, which should be a good incentive to get out and search for new water and hopefully be rewarded. Local estate or council dams are a perfect place to start searching for reddies and can surprisingly hold some very impressive fish. The Aussie bass in Blue Rock reservoir are slowly turning up more consistently. Anglers are finding success casting small spinnerbaits and hardbodies from the boat towards structure. While

This region has some great trout fishing on offer and this season will be no different! fishing Blue Rock there is every chance you will come across a redfin, carp or the more welcomed trout, which is always exciting knowing the possibilities. Bank fishers are also catching fish by casting lures as well as a

using bait, picking up any of the species mentioned above. Blue rock will be fishing better and better the later into the year we get, and there is some good bass fishing ahead of us.

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Cod still call the shots EILDON

Peter Burtchell

A week of 14 hour days flicking lures without a bite saw four best mates from Ballarat spend the last day and night of their stay in total shock, consoling each other for what was their

Tate aka ‘Fine Cotton’ who travelled to Lake Eildon from Griffith on his first ever trip and, without a working fish finder, hit his personal best with a horse of a 121cm Murray cod, their annual tour may have finished differently. The mates have vowed that they will be back next

fishing, river anglers have the opportunity to continue to hone their skills as Murray cod fishing at Lake Eildon remains open. Many river anglers reconnoitre the lake throughout the year in preparation for when their fishing grounds close, and some travel great distances from other states in search of their favourite sports fish during their local closed seasons. One such angler from Echuca, Jake Bullock, spent mid-winter at Eildon with his family and managed to land a nice 101cm on his first day on the lake. Jake plans to return for even better fishing as the lake’s water temperature increases. As with Murray cod fishing, trout fishing is also open year round on the pondage and lake. With the rivers closed to trout fishing, Jordan and family fished the pondage and managed to

‘Fine Cotton’, on his first trip to Eildon, got a PB of 121cm and over 6m of fish landed during a few days in mid July. This one was 101cm off the roof. fishing, sounder tuition and accommodation options around Lake Eildon. This spring smaller Murray cod, yellowbelly and redfin will be taking advantage of the newly inundated grass beds due

Adam Lines the day he made partner of KPMG, he loves fishing Lake Eildon. first ever fishing trip to Lake Eildon and their first ever fishless tour. In their words, they had travelled to Lake Eildon as Murray cod were easy to catch. Their luckless efforts had them truly believing that Lake Eildon was home to some of the greatest photo shoppers of all time manipulating images of Murray cod caught elsewhere to look like they were caught and released in Lake Eildon. Had they taken the advice of the fishing guide to follow

year to conquer their fishless demons and disprove the theory that Lake Eildon is home to the best photoshoppers of all time. I am sure it will also be just a matter of time before Fine Cotton once again bolts down from Griffith for another few days of flicking, much to the dissatisfaction of Eildon’s metre-ies and who knows what Fine Cotton will hook into should he bring a working sounder with him. With the rivers now closed to Murray cod

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Jake all the way from Echuca lands his targeted metre-y on day one of his adventure.

Jordan showing off Dad’s 66cm brown trout from the pondage. land a very nice 66cm brown trout flicking a Daiwa Bait Junkie 2.5” soft plastic. Once again this year the Victorian Fisheries Authority will run the annual Goulburn Fishing Festival at Eildon coinciding with the opening of the trout fishing season. It is a great family event and to keep up to date with the unique activities that will be on offer visit vfa. vic.gov.au or drop into the Eildon Community Centre on 3 September from 9am to 3pm to join the festivities. Jerusalem Creek will once again have their fishing guides attending so please drop in and say hello. They will present Australian, Megabass and Asakura lures, Murasame rods, the latest in Garmin Fish Finder technology and also be on hand to answer any questions relating to guided

to the higher than normal lake levels. Many an angler will be trying out the new Megabass Sleeper Gill range

in these areas due to their versatility. With a dorsal fin protected hook snagging in weed beds and/or branches will be a thing of the past. The unique design also allows the user to skim the bait across the water surface enabling the lure to slide under overhanging branches and rocks where the yellowbelly, Murray cod and redfin await. For larger fish the new range of

Macca’s 107cm behemoth he hooked stalking the banks next to the children’s sand pit.

Phat Lab lures should also prove successful. To view both the Sleeper Gill and Phat Lab range drop into the Jerusalem Creek Marina and Holiday Park where you can check out the colour range and filming of the lures in action to keep updated on how successful the ranges have been for catching fish in the local waterways. • For more information on fishing Lake Eildon you can contact the Jerusalem Creek Marina & Holiday Park, a friendly, family-orientated annuals cabin park and Houseboat Marina, that makes the perfect home away from home. If visiting Lake Eildon you can opt to stay in one of the floating apartments (Boatels), hire a houseboat or fishing vessel, visit the Megabass Elite Pro Store, or book a Megabass Elite Pro Fishing Tour with one of the many leading Australian Fishing guides operating from Jerusalem Creek. For more information on all of the activities and attractions that Lake Eildon has to offer, visit jerusalemcreek.com. au, give them a call on (03) 5774 2585 or email info@ jerusalemcreek.com.au.

Better fishing and boating It’s done! The State Government’s $35 million Go Fishing Victoria plan has been delivered to get more people fishing, in more places, more often. Scrap parking and launching fees at all Victorian public boat ramps Stock Melbourne metro lakes with native Murray cod, golden perch and silver perch Phase out commercial netting in the Gippsland Lakes through a compulsory buy out Stock eastern king prawns into Lake Tyers Deliver the Fishing for All initiative and continue the successful Vic Fish Kids Program Build a new $7 million native fish hatchery in northern Victoria Increase stocking to 10 million fish by 2022 Develop a fishing tourism ‘destination’ plan to boost regional visitation and business opportunities Invest $600,000 in new fishing platforms and cleaning tables in Port Phillip Bay Open inland reservoirs to kayaks, canoes and tinnies with electric motors Mandate access to Crown land river frontage covered by grazing licences for recreational fishing and camping Invest $2.5 million in reef development in Port Phillip Bay to improve fish habitat. Learn more at www.vfa.vic.gov.au/gofishingvic

Go Fishing Victoria More people fishing, more often

WIRFerence is launched! WIRF

Cara Cummings

Embracing what the WIRF network stands for, it was the culmination of all the individual strengths of our wonderful Leaders that undoubtedly proved successful for the very first (and now, inaugural) WIRFerence. This conference-style event showcased an array of workshops, clinics, guest speakers, educational talks, and specialised stallholders, all in the aim to upskill, teach, and encourage not just women, but all attendees to improve their fishing prowess. The event was well attended, and many walked

The WIRF team superstars. of WIRF, Jo Starling, who gave a most empowering and heartfelt talk on her fishing story and ran a series of casting clinics throughout the day. WIRF Mentor Shea Bloom, shares her involvement in the day: “Our first WIRFerence

Young Zara showing off her catch using new rigs they received.

Amy and Niki during their filleting demo. away with showbags, prizes and an appetite to catch more fish! Highlights of the day

Filleting, and cooking demos, fly tying and necklace knot tying workshops, female fishing

industry and women in fishing. Julia Menzies was kept on her toes and was a wonderful MC for the

Marian (far Left) with the Australian Ladies Fly Fishing team in Norway.

Dorothy Cremona was the lucky winner of a Ladies Fishing Charter at San Remo, generously donated by WIRF leader and charter operator, Amanda Keilar (@fishing_nanna). included a fishing hub with educational stands, saltwater, freshwater and Game fishing clinics, 100

SEPTEMBER 2022

apparel fashion show, fishing simulators and plenary sessions which gave a little insight to the

day and we were incredibly grateful to be graced with the presence of fishing identity and huge supporter

Shea and Michelle J presenting their game fishing clinic.

was nothing short of amazing! I presented two ‘hands on’ sessions of Freshwater Basics, co-hosted with Kelly Derks, and Game Fishing Basics Co-hosted with Michelle Jackman. A huge shout-out goes to Black Magic Tackle, thanks to them, I was able to showcase some fantastic freshwater and game fishing gear and every attendee received a little giveaway to go and try! We demonstrated how to tie a basic rig in freshwater fishing and covered lure fishing and bait fishing line selection and how to target cod, yellas, trout, and redfin! “Game fishing, we went through all the basic gear, a selection of game rod and reels, line class, lures, skip baits and walking live baits! Ladies were full of questions and keen to seek out the perfect spot to wet a line! I also sat on several plenary sessions, ‘Where we started’, ‘Careers in fishing’ and ‘Getting involved in your

The Northern Tide Apparel catwalk. local angling club’. A fabulous day and I hope to see you all at the next WIRFerence!” The reviews of the day by those who attended have been most humbling and rewarding. We have already heard success stories of catching fish by putting new learned

practices into place, by using prizes they won and some even whipping up a storm in the kitchen using recipes from the day. WORLD LADIES FLY FISHING CHAMPIONSHIPS WIRF Leader Marian Miller is an incredible woman, her presence and

infectious personality alone, lights up the room. She is a wealth of knowledge and an absolute champion on the flyfishing

the excitement was strong. With less than favourable weather and fishing conditions, including some waters deemed too

and Martin Droz (Coach). With many thanks to The Happy Fisherman, who filmed the day, you can view a recap of this event on their TV show (which can be found on their YouTube channel). The day wouldn’t have been possible without the support of many and so we would like to thank all the supporters, helpers, and sponsors of the day whom all contributed to making this event one to remember. In no particular order, thank you to all the WIRF Leaders and Mentors (partners and families), VFA staff, Julia Menzies, Jo Starling, Northern Tide Apparel, Yeti, Black Magic Tackle, Daiwa, Penn, Berkley, Shimano, Spooled, Oz Fish, Hummingbird and Frogley’s Offshore. To stay up to date and see what else has been

RECIPES THAT ARE ‘WIRF’ IT

Crispy trout and corn bites INGREDIENTS (Serves 4) 1 smoked trout fillet 1/2 cup plain flour 1tsp baking powder 1 egg 1/3 cup milk Pinch of salt and pepper 1/4 cup grated cheese 1tbsp chopped chives 400g tin corn kernels (drained)

3. 4. 5.

egg, milk, salt and pepper until just combined. Gently stir through the remaining ingredients. Heat a generous amount of oil (2-3cm deep for shallow frying) in a frypan or wok. Using a teaspoon, place heaped scoops of the fritter mix into the hot oil and cook until a golden crust is formed all over. Serve hot or cold with your favourite dipping sauce or add a poached egg for a great breakfast option!

METHOD 1. Remove the skin and bones from the trout and tear into small pieces *As seen weekly on Ch 31’s ‘Talking using a fork. Fishing’ TV show or catch up via 2. Mix the flour, baking powder, YouTube.

Caitlin and Cara during a trout cooking demo. scene! We are incredibly grateful to have her play such an important role in our network. Marion was selected

unsafe to fish, these women rose to the challenge and performed exceptionally well, placing 5th overall and doing Australia proud!

happening within the network and for upcoming events, please head to our Facebook group www. facebook.com/groups/

Niki and Michelle B presenting a saltwater basics clinic. for the Australian Ladies Fly Fishing team to represent Australia in the World Ladies Fly Fishing Championships held in Norway. This event had been postponed the last two years due to Covid and so

We celebrate their success. Congratulations goes out to the whole team: Karen Brooks (Captain), Jane Forster, Casey Pfeiffer, Julie Butler, Jules Stevens (Manager and Reserve), Marian Millar

womenrecfishing/, @ wirfnetwork Instagram page or via the VFA website/Facebook page. Are you a WIRF member? If not, we’d love to have you on board! Join us on FB today. SEPTEMBER 2022

101

Bass fishing competition at Ewen Maddock Dam On Sunday 19 June the group from Ewen Maddock Fish Management held a kayak fishing comp at Ewen Maddock Dam on the Sunshine Coast.

After a hiatus of almost two years due to Covid restrictions, they finally got the go ahead from SEQ Water to run the event. Word spread quickly throughout

the kayak community after the announcement and the list of competitors was filled in a few weeks, with reserves waiting patiently for cancellations. A massive prize pool was on offer with over $1,300 cash, original hand-made trophies, and $3,000+ worth of prizes from our generous

PRIZE WINNERS Place 1 2 3 4 5

Angler Stewart Hansen William Buswell Lulu McAuliffe Somerled Smith Benny Andersen

Result 774mm 758mm 747mm 735mm 728mm

Yak Hunters Biggest Bass: Johannes Deysel Bass to Barra Garmin Prize winner

435mm Wade Walker

3rd place getter, 8yo old Lulu McCaulliffe, who was in the double kayak with her dad and showed up many

a seasoned angler with her four bass. Great to see the young ones involved! – Steve Bolin, EMFMI

Stewart Hansen took home the first prize trophy and a winner’s cheque.

Lulu McCaulliffe, 8yo, was fishing in a double kayak with dad and took out third spot.

William Buswell was pleased with second place.

sponsors. The eventual winner also gets their name engraved on the perpetual plaque. 65% of competitors caught bass at the comp with the total measurements exceeding the 22m mark. A fantastic catch rate, especially

after the flooding they had to put up with in the months before. Everyone had a fantastic time with many anglers asking when the next comp will be on. A special mention to the

Fourth place went to a very happy Somerled Smith.

Tournament Calendar 2022 Date SEPTEMBER 9-11 Sep 10 Sep 17-18 Sep 18 Sep OCTOBER 3-4 Oct 5 Oct 8-9 Oct 9 Oct 15-18 Oct 20-22 Oct 22-23 Oct 23 Oct 23 Oct 29 Oct NOVEMBER 4 Nov 5 Nov 7 Nov 8-9 Nov 18-20 Nov 19-20 Nov 25-27 Nov

Tournament

Location

State

Contact

Venom BARRA Aus Open Lake BASS Electric Wyaralong Dam BREAM Gladstone East Coast Bream Series R1

Awoonga, Gladstone Beaudesert Gladstone Botany Bay

QLD QLD QLD NSW

www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au wsbreambass@gmail.com

BARRA Lake Tinaroo BARRA Tinaroo (all night) Vic Bream Classics R5 East Coast Bream Series R1 BASS Elec Grand Final 2022 Cardwell Barra Bonanza BASS Grand Final WA Bream Classics Boat R3 WA Bream Classics Kayak R3 Carp/Tilapia Eradication Comp

Yungaburra Yungaburra Warnambool Sydney Harbour Wivenhoe Dam Cardwell Clarence River Swan River Swan River Wyaralong Dam

QLD QLD VIC NSW QLD QLD NSW WA WA QLD

www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.vicbreamclassics.com.au wsbreambass@gmail.com www.abt.org.au cardwellsportfishingclub.com.au www.abt.org.au watournamentanglers.com.au watournamentanglers.com.au John Cumberland, 0426266303

BARRA Teemburra Dam BARRA Kinchant Dam BARRA Faust (all night) BARRA Faust Vic Bream Classics GF WA Bream Classics kayak GF BREAM Grand Final

Pinnacle Kinchant Proserpine Proserpine Metung Albany Mallacoota

QLD QLD QLD QLD VIC WA VIC

www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.abt.org.au www.vicbreamclassics.com.au watournamentanglers.com.au www.abt.org.au

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. 102

SEPTEMBER 2022

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BREAM SERIES presented by

Victorious Victorian at the Queensland Open The second of ABT’s premier App-based tournaments, the SAMAKI Queensland BREAM Open, has been successfully run and won for another year with some history making results. Since his inception, ‘Geoff’ the perpetual Queensland Open trophy, has never been won by a Victorian. However, Rhys Harris decided it was time to rewrite the history books in 2022 and take our little friend on a trip to the garden state for the next 12 months. It seems like just yesterday we were crowning him the 2021 champion, and although he had to relinquish the title, Blake O’Grady was far from disgraced in his efforts, coming second and picking up a handy $2,500 cash to reward his consistency. 1st PLACE RHYS HARRIS: 10/10 BREAM 7.106KG Proof that you’ve got

Getting out late on pre-fish, he checked out some of the more popular haunts of the Gold Coast, catching fish up the Nerang, as well as the trawlers down the front, which set the tone for the days ahead. Starting day one up the Nerang on the second bridge, Harris made full use of his electronics to locate Scan the QR code to watch the Rhys Harris winners Interview

the bait and the fish. “I used my Humminbird 360 to locate the bait and fish schools, and once I’d found them I used the Lowrance ActiveTarget to pinpoint my casts to them. Both units complement each other perfectly,” said Harris about the importance of his sounders in his success.

Let Rhys Harris be the first to tell you good things happen when Victorians travel north! 722L model paired with a 2500 Stradic Ci4 and spooled with 4lb Shimano Kariki braid and 4lb Ocea leader.

For the back half of the session, Harris moved down the front to fish the trawlers where the same unweighted Gulp minnow began to

Defending champ Blake O’Grady had his work cut out for him after day one, however he dug deep and managed to close a gap of five places to the number 2 spot on day two. to be in it to win it, Rhys Harris trekked over two states from Melbourne to take on an arena he’d never fished before and came away victorious over a field of talented (mostly local) anglers.

Due to the masses of bait he could see hugging the pylons on ActiveTarget, Harris chose a 3” pearl watermelon Gulp minnow on a 1/6oz TT jighead to fish deep. This accounted for the start of his bag

RESULTS Place 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 104

SEPTEMBER 2022

Angler Rhys Harris Blake O’Grady Luke Rogan Andrew Soutar Wally Fahey Anthony Wishey Mathew Fatafehi Jamie McKeown Steve Morgan Drew Griffith

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

before the unweighted version of the same bait brought unstuck his day one kicker fish, a 35cm-forker caught in shallow water. The go-to combo for fishing the minnow was a Shimano T-Curve premium

The advantage to running a LIVE App-based event is all the cool selfies we collect throughout each session of anglers and their fish. They tend to smile a little wider when they’re tournament winning fish too.

Full results at abt.org.au

Weight(kg) 7.106 6.411 6.258 5.942 5.778 5.611 5.610 5.530 5.411 5.079

Payout $5000 $2500 $1500 $1000 no payout no payout no payout no payout no payout no payout

rack up the fish and provide steady upgrades to the end of the session, putting him in pole position heading into day two. The goal was to replicate the milk run from day one but, as is often the case, the fish can throw you a few curveballs. The first was spot one when he pulled up to the bridge only to quickly discover the thick bait schools he had seen the day

BREAM SERIES presented by prior had disappeared from the sounder and there was only rats to be caught. Moving back to the trawlers and along came curveball number two. The fish weren’t reacting to the minnow the same way they were on day one and kept missing the hooks. As all winners do, he adapted perfectly, changing to his Scan the QR code to watch the Field Highlights

UV Cranka Crab outfit to ensure the hooks stuck on finicky bites. The crab outfit consisted of a 6’8” Shimano Poison Adrena spin rod and a 1000 Stella Fk spooled with 3lb Sunline straight through fluorocarbon to provide the stretch so as not to pull the small treble hooks out on tentative bites. A bit of fine sportsmanship from Blake O’Grady did not go unappreciated by the day one leader when O’Grady let him in to fish a jetty he’d missed a fish on the day before. “Shout-out to Blake, what an awesome guy. He let me in to a jetty and I ended up catching a 34cm-fork to upgrade a 26cm,” said Harris in admiration of the courtesy shown by O’Grady. Going into the blackout period – the last few hours of the final session where the scoreboards are turned off for anglers – Harris decided it was time to go looking for one final upgrade. Returning to the bridge where he started each day, he chose a bait he hadn’t shown the fish the past two days, an

20 of the country’s finest BREAM anglers queue up in anticipation for the day ahead. Atomic Crank 38 deep in everyone’s favourite ghost gill brown colour. Cranking the bridge pylons with his outfit 6’10 Shimano Zodias 2500/Stella Fk combo with 8lb Kariki braid and 4lb Ocea leader accounted for a 29.5cmfork upgrade in the final hour, one of the key fish that helped secure the win. We hope Geoff packed a jacket for his 12-month holiday, it gets pretty cold down south! We look forward to seeing Rhys come back to defend the title next year. 2ND PLACE BLAKE O’GRADY: 10/10 BREAM 6.411Kg 2021 BREAM Queensland Open champion Blake O’Grady has found blistering form in recent years, and he continues this run with a second

place in this year’s Open, unfortunately only missing back-to-back titles by the slimmest of margins. Being the reigning champ carries a lot of weight, however O’Grady

Cranka Crab in various colours including brown and olive to pick apart the structure at a snail’s pace. After the trawlers, he set out to slowly fish the pontoons and canals of the

quickly. On the other hand, I’d pull up to some spots with plenty of current and catch a fish off every pontoon,” said O’Grady. “There was one run there where I got a fish

Luke Rogan was pretty happy with his 3rd place winner’s cheque despite weighing in only a mere 200g behind O’Grady’s second place bag.

It’s impossible not to be happy when you’ve got 175 ponies of supercharged Merc hanging off the back of your Basscat. Just ask Blake O’Grady!

doesn’t let it weigh him down, instead choosing to play it his usual cool and calm self, relying on his knowledge of the local arena. “I pre-fished around Redcliffe hard for two months or more coming into the event so when the bay was closed off for day one, I was a bit disappointed, but it was the right call in the end. All you can do is adapt,” he said, adding that he was confident in his Gold Coast spots as he had a good result in a local comp there just two weeks prior. Starting at the trawlers on each day, he instantly caught fish and decided to stick it out for the first half of each day for his bag, which on day one included a 34.5cm-fork kicker for his third fish of the day. He’s by no means a one trick pony, however one trick was all he needed in this event, choosing a heavy

Nerang River to work on a pattern he had dialled in. Realising it wasn’t a super aggressive bite, he slowed his retrieve right down to a dead slow crawl, at times just dead sticking it on the bottom and watching for a bite. To make sure those subtle bites stuck, he used a Duffrods Ultrabones series paired with a Megabass Gaus 20X, 16lb Gosen braid and 6lb fluorocarbon leader. As the weekend progressed and he refined the bite, he realised that the fish weren’t holding on a particular structure as such, but instead more concentrated in areas with plenty of current. As the old saying goes “no run, no fun” and on a weekend with not much tidal movement, it was crucial to finding those feeding fish. “If I hit a spot and I could see there wasn’t much current I’d leave pretty

off every pontoon for 500m, and another run on day two where I got a run of upgrades as well.” Blake puts a lot of his success down to the quality relationships he has formed with his partner as well as various companies that help him prepare for an event before he even gets on the water: Troy at Minn Repairs for all his electric motor needs, Avtec Solutions in Brendale for any wiring and electrical maintenance, and Steve Duff at Duffrods for crafting a high-quality Australian product. They all receive honourable mentions from the 2021 Queensland Open champ. “Sure, I could do a lot of stuff myself and be up until midnight the day before a comp but when I’ve got guys willing to help that know their stuff inside out, it means I don’t have to, and that peace of mind is priceless,” says O’Grady. SEPTEMBER 2022

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South Coast

More spring fishing options ESPERANCE

Murray Johnson

South coast fishing in spring is always an exciting time. We get to experience warmer air and water temperatures, resulting in more fishing options, better access, better camping and hopefully better results. We have already seen a continuation of the squid off Tanker Jetty in town, which

is also still producing plenty of garfish, herring and the occasional small skippy. Tailor Street jetty has still been yielding the occasional squid, along with plenty of snook, and the opportunity to catch King George whiting. The best area to fish for these is either off the end of the jetty casting out straight south, or off the rock groyne fishing the sand patches between the weed. The normal setup is a standard paternoster rig with

Lachy Warren dusted off the bream gear and threw around a few plastics in some glamour conditions, and was rewarded with this 43.5cm model. Image courtesy of @lachy_warren.

no 6 hooks, with the best bait being peeled prawns. The local beaches have seen the return of some salmon, with reasonable numbers getting caught at Salmon Beach and Fourth Beach. Anglers have also been catching salmon at 11 Mile Reef and Roses Beach. All four locations have also been producing plenty of herring, along with skippy around the 0.5kg mark. Roses has also been yielding the occasional tailor and bronze whaler. Anglers are still getting the occasional gummy shark at 14 Mile. The bigger tide movements occurring with the full moon and new moon are the best times to target them. Out east, the best places have still been Duke of Orleans, where we’re still seeing the occasional salmon, herring and bigger skippy around the 1kg mark. Anglers have also been encountering some bronze whalers hanging around Victoria Harbour. Anglers fishing at Alexander Bay have been catching salmon, bronze whalers and some tailor. Poison Creek has again been producing plenty of salmon, with bigger schools hanging around, mixed in with the occasional small soapy mulloway and plenty

of herring. Flathead are quiet at this time of year, but it’s still possible to catch them. The best places to target them have been around town at 10 Mile lagoon and West Beach. We are also seeing a few being caught at Stockyards, and again that area has also been producing the occasional salmon, plenty of silver bream (tarwhine), and plenty of herring. Guys in boats are still getting some squid in the bay, plus plenty of sand whiting, snook and the occasional isolated bluefin tuna. The local islands are producing plenty of queen snapper, breaksea cod, smaller nannygai and the occasional samsonfish, which tend to move in closer at this time of year. Guys heading out wide are catching plenty of nannygai going 50cm (around the 2kg mark) mixed in with queen snapper, harlequin, breaksea and again samsonfish and yellowtail kingfish. SEPTEMBER FISHING The coming weeks should see plenty of samsonfish move in close, with schooling fish giving anglers the opportunity to catch them off the headlands or in close from a boat. These fish are caught up to around 40kg, with plenty in the 20kg size range. You can catch them

A nice salmon caught around this time last year, on an Ocean’s Legacy Dreamcast stickbait. Image courtesy of @olistevensonn. on bait, but for more fun you can use a knife jig such as a Ocean’s Legacy Long Contact in 210 in pink/white, using a fairly aggressive action. The samsonfish like to sit on the edge of ledges and drop-offs rather than just a pinnacle, so look for your ledges for best results. Salmon numbers will tend to disperse before they reform in summer, but beach fishing for gummy sharks will be on the increase as they come in close for breeding. Squid catches will

continue to be reduced as the season comes to an end, but there still plenty of residential ones that will hang around. • Established in 1986, Southern Sports and Tackle specializes in the supply and servicing of fishing equipment. They have an extensive knowledge of the local area and provide all brands, whether you’re fishing from beach, jetty or boat. Come and chat to the friendly staff at Shop 16, The Boulevard, Esperance or phone 08 9071 3022.

Isolated ground is key BUNBURY

Whiteys Tackle and Camping

With the worst of the weather finally behind us, boaters have been reporting large numbers of dhus and pinks in and outside the bay. Fishing the 30m patch south of Bunbury is likely to produce well. Finding small isolated ground is key to a successful trip. Many boaters have turned to using artificials, such as metal slow pitch jigs and soft plastics. A local favourite is the Caprice jig and Haolis in pink/ glow and orange/glow. A slow pitch jigging technique is sure to get results. An always welcome by-catch at this time of year are the mulloway and tailor that frequent our beaches. The last few weeks have been no exception with some horse tailor sessions being had on weightless mulies. Squid have been around in great numbers as well as size. The winter thumpers aren’t all gone yet. There is 106

SEPTEMBER 2022

a common misconception that squidding is a waste of time in Bunbury waters, which can’t be further from the truth. Numbers are

higher than ever for the boaties that take the time to target these delicious cephalopods and there are plenty of land-based spots

Grant with a beautiful dhufish.

Chad with a large red emperor.

to target them as well. Night sessions on the weed banks through Koombana Bay or from the local jetties will produce a feed. Those of us that have already been walking the flats are noticing a definite increase in the blue swimmer numbers, and sizes are looking even better than last year. Good numbers of blue swimmers can be had all year round if you’re happy to put in the time exploring. There are

always crabs to be found from the jetties in Bunbury or the Koombana Bay areas while you’re waiting for the temperatures of the estuary to rise. There is a boat limit of 10 crab nets, which leaves you plenty of nets to set a good prospecting line through your area of choice. Harvey Dam has been fishing well for redfin perch, look for rocky banks with plenty of structure as this is where the redfin

hide out. The norm is generally spinners but don’t discount soft plastics. I rig a slightly heavier jighead (around the 1/8oz) to ensure my plastic is getting down where the fish are. • Call into the shop at 1/143 Grand Entrance, Australind for the latest fishing reports and what’s biting, or simply to have a yarn. Until next time, tight lines and screaming drags!

South Coast

Waking from winter slumber AUGUSTA

Anthony Gillam

Augusta is looking forward to the spring weather to hit. as not only does it bring everything to life on land, the piscatorial world also has a shakeup with many species waking from their winter slumber. It also has the added bonus of saying goodbye to the 5ºC mornings that has had

will often shoot out and hit the lure on first sighting it. Try any of the hardbodies lures that yellowfin whiting like but the bream favourite at the moment I have found is the Berkley Scum Dog. It is dynamite on black bream but will also pick up flathead, flounder and all species of whiting as well as the ever present herring. Jetty fishing continues to be very good and with yellowfin whiting now

it sink to the bottom and then slowly retrieve and the results will be much better than letting the bait sit on the bottom soaking. A running sinker rig with a very small long shanked hook works best. Use a ball sinker as small as possible to cast out for the best result. If the tide is pretty slack then you can get away with just the weight of a swivel in most jetty fishing situations and it allows you to float a bait to the bottom in a more natural looking manner. If there are herring about then they will take the bait in all depths of the water column. If the tailor are biting then at a minimum you will need a long shanked hook to avoid bite offs. The squid numbers vary from none to heaps but it has been hard to predict. It looks like they tend to enter the inlet with the bigger incoming tides and hang around the jetty lights at night hunting for a meal. Small prawn style jigs work

well, especially those that glow in the dark or have an internal flashing led. During winter and early spring the winds and rains are generally from the northwest, which means it may be uncomfortable when windy and raining, but there is still the opportunity to get in a sneaky fish. There are plenty of places from Colourpatch around to Flinders Bay where you can get a line in on the leeward side of the weather for an hour or so. Junes Beach off the rocks is generally one of the better places. There is nothing better than coming home with a feed of King George or sand whiting when everyone else has been sitting watching Days of Our Lives on television all afternoon. Down at the marina the wind has made it difficult to fish a fair amount of the last month however, there were a few days strung together where the weather was absolutely perfect. The

A chunky 70cm dhufish jigged on a 6” paddletail by Blake Gillam on a quick run out into Flinders Bay on his jetski.

Jason Morgan with a stonker pink snapper caught on bait at Spot X in Flinders Bay. us older folk scoffing the arthritis meds with our morning coffee. We can’t complain though, winter was pretty kind to us really; plenty of heavy rain that came in short periods of time, so we got the moisture we needed but we missed a lot of the usual stormy weather. This meant that although it was sometimes cold and wet, we also had some absolutely magic weather to get out and about. The black bream scene has been really hot with plenty of fish not only caught up in the freshwater areas towards Sues Bridge but they have pushed right down throughout the Blackwood River into the Deadwater. With the current clarity of the water down towards the ocean entrance at Dukes Head you can often see large individual fish sitting in the shadows of their favourite rock or snag. I have had good success with hardbodied lures as well as soft plastics while kayak fishing, just be patient and plan your cast to land far enough away to not spook the fish and wind, twitch or jig past your target. They tend to be more aggressive in this water and

showing up in good numbers, the amount of people fishing at night has increased dramatically. Freezing cold, clear nights are just about certain to produce more whiting than the warmer nights. Small river prawns, coral prawn pieces and glass shrimps will all get you whiting. Just cast out, let

A typical light coloured example of a black bream caught from saltwater on river prawns by Bernice Gillam.

Augusta jetty fishing often produces juvenile pink snapper such as this one, they release pretty well if done immediately.

typical bread and butter species have been around and pretty easy to catch. Herring and skippy are easily brought in with a good berley up for about 20 minutes and seem to favour the northern end of the main rockwall and around the entrance. They have been pretty good sized with many in the mid 30cm range and in really good condition since feeding up after breeding. Prawns are currently a favourite for the skippy, herring will eat anything that is floating in the water. Having a flick with soft plastics around the boat pens can result in some nice flathead and the odd legal sized flounder. Bounce them off the sand and pause for a few seconds to let it settle and repeating will produce more fish. Boat fishing in Flinders Bay and Hamelin Bay

continues to be good and with some really flat days and low swells it also allowed many boats to make the trip around the corner. The area between the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse and Cosy Corner is not often fishable with the winds and big swells making it an unpleasant journey to get to the best reef. On the occasions when you can make a run out from the marina or via Hamelin Bay boat ramp, they are often an early bag out on good sized demersals. This is just what people did this month and the pink snapper and dhufish did not disappoint. Bait fishing was pretty good with whole squid and herring catching very well. Soft plastics worked well and hybrids like the Vexed Bottom Meat have been absolutely slaying them. Beach fishing has been

very light on with the weather making it not worth the trip and combined with large swells and tides the chances of getting stuck on the beach were pretty high. Not many reports from anyone this month as people opted for warmer options that didn’t involve standing ankle deep in the wash getting sandblasted while watching your line going down the beach sideways. Rock fishing conditions have been hit and miss with some horrendous conditions making it pure folly to think about heading down to stand on a huge slippery hunk of granite. That being said, the dry sunny days have also made for some perfect rock fishing days. Herring, skippy and whiting off the rocks are the most common catch lately with pink snapper also taking bigger baits set out as far as you can cast. Just remember, berley is key to bringing the fish in to you and can make the difference between getting a feed and striking out. • Rock fishing at this time of the year especially with some of the heavy rainfall we have had means it is dangerous at times. Careful consideration of where and when you fish must be done. Unpredictable weather can quickly affect the fishing conditions and slippery rocks are a recipe for disaster. Please remain vigilant when rock fishing; wear a life jacket and tie off to something solid. You can hire one for free from Augusta Xtreme Outdoor Sports at 66 Blackwood Avenue Augusta -the local tackle shop 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. SEPTEMBER 2022

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West Coast

Spring delights ahead MANDURAH

Jesse Choy

Stepping into September, locals should take note that there is a blue swimmer ban in place as of the 1st, which serves to protect current breeding stock and also ensures they have a bright future in years to come. Blue swimmers are

Fishing from the beaches, there is plenty of herring, silver bream and some good tailor showing up in the gutters. If you are fishing for larger species, there is a few smaller mulloway getting around and the odd good-sized fish showing up if you are soaking your baits a lot longer. Though it is a tad early in the year to effectively spend your time targeting the larger models, we

come across some form of fun. Numbers of blowfish are starting to come back, which can be seen as a pain to many but it also indicates that the water quality and food sources can support their numbers. Reports from around town are showing marine life as a whole is in good standing with plenty of herring, skipjack trevally, silver bream, King George and good calamari getting around

Perch are seen to many as a nuisance, but they have an undeniable beauty when it comes to their display of colours. Trout fishing is a great target when heading out on a freshwater mission, with anglers catching great quality fish to 50cm particularly when fishing around first and last light. Fish can be caught all day long, though the change

of light is usually a trigger to fish, signalling the first or last time to feed for the day. Good-sized redfin can be found throughout all of our local dams, with lures proving easy to use for all skill levels and is very productive when

it comes to finding fish. Don’t be afraid to try lots of different things when out fresh, as the two main targetable species are very partial to different offerings and will often help you dust off some of the less used bits of tackle in your box.

You just can’t beat setting a rod out, laying down and waiting to hear that rod go off! targetable most of the year throughout the estuary with many people coming from all round WA to chase them, so it is important to allow the blue swimmers to do their business and they will once again become a viable target from December 1st.

all know you need to have a line in the water to find success and you never know what you results you may achieve in the process. If you are fishing from the rocks around town or Dawesville, both casual and serious anglers are bound to

Many of the jetties around town will produce squid, but sometimes it can take a few jigs and trying at different times to work them out. 108

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on a tide change. Soaking bigger baits from the rocks can be especially rewarding, though you generally need to spend a lot of time fishing to encounter success and is why targeting some of your smaller more available species can be just as fun. If you are aiming to fish the estuary itself, there is a good chance of coming across a number of species and finding your fix of fun. Anglers can expect yellow-fin start to show up in reasonable numbers as the weather becomes much nicer this time of the year and the fishing will only get better as we move closer towards summer. Although the whiting do not completely disappear when the weather turns cooler, the warm sunny conditions are conducive to the numbers and their flat roaming habits in the estuary. With the wide selection of baits in the estuary, there is also a good chance of coming across resident salmon trout, herring and the odd tailor, which are willing to take both bait and lures. As usual, our sheltered river waters offer a fun spot of fishing, with both the Murray and Serpentine being quite productive this time of the year. If you are after some good fun on light gear, there is plenty of good-sized bream, grunter and the odd mulloway getting around. Best baits to use when heading up the river are lightly weighted pilchard cubes, mullet and river prawn. If using lures, a good option is to opt for lightly weighted plastics fished deep in to the structure, as well as hardbodies or metal blades.

If you are after something different, fishing canals for bream can be an exciting way to fish the rivers or town.

Michael Palassis with a 60cm salmon that weighed 2.2kg he caught near City Beach.

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109

West Coast

A few more options as the weather warms to the rock walls as the snapper come in looking for an easy feed. Other species drawn in by the natural

METRO

Jacob Crispe

When I was researching to put this report together, I thought I would have a quick look at what was happening at this time last year. Most of the action was happening at the mouth of the Swan and wherever the freshwater had pushed the baitfish to. Things are similar this year, however, there is no doubt you have more options as far as the Swan River is concerned. SWAN RIVER The Swan River has begun to fish really well, with the saltwater ever so slowly pushing it way further up the system.

There are heaps of good size tailor around, with Matt McCarthy getting some crackers on stick baits. their time in. At night they also offer a light source that attracts baitfish to them, providing another reason for predators to be nearby. Tailor and yellowfin whiting will be popular targets amongst the jetty anglers. Most prefer to fish at night or at least during low light hours as the

whenever possible. Reports of good snapper being caught from our beaches continues and this trend will filter through into September. Snapper will also be on the minds of our rock wall anglers. Anytime there has been some swell or rougher weather, anglers are drawn

James Close supplying that 5-star dinner for his family with a beautiful West Coast dhufish just off Mindari.

Luke Ryan from Tackle West was fishing the Canning just before the rains, and landed some better sized bream.

Sunny Close is all smiles with a healthy black bream caught on an action-packed session. This is great news for the bream anglers out there as the options you have area wise expand greatly. Good captures have been reported from the Canning Bridge to Causeway and I would suspect that this will only continue during September and beyond. As always structure and food will be the key to finding concentration of these fish. 110

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berley trail the swells and rough seas provide are gummy shark and tailor, with the odd mulloway

Mulloway are the other species that will follow their food source and push up the system with it. Expect to see good captures anywhere from the E-Sheds to Causeway. The various jetties on the Swan will be popular locations for land-based anglers. These structures offer great access to the deeper water that many target species spend most of

blowies can be thick around these structures during the day and they can make short work of your baits once they hit the water. River prawns, coral prawns or bloodworms will be your best baits for the whiting, with ganged hook rigged mullies or whitebait your best option for the tailor. ROCK WALLS AND BEACHES It is a great time of the year for our beach anglers, with plenty of species on offer. Tailor, whiting, flathead and mulloway just to name a few. Finding a good gutter and setting up a berley bag will maximise your chances of success and use fresh baits

about as well. Land-based King George whiting anglers also look forward to September. Their numbers seem to increase twofold and they can be thick throughout the broken ground areas off our rock walls. Afternoons and evenings seem to offer the best fishing. Don’t forget to have a squid jig on hand as they will inhabit similar areas. INSHORE King George whiting and snapper will be the main focus of inshore anglers. Get out early (before the sun is up), set up a berley trail and let the magic happen. You can fish in water as shallow as 5m, broken bottom is the key and then the berley will bring the fish to you. Again, have a squid jig

Peter Forbes was fishing 5 fathom with plastics after the storms and got a heap of snapper.

handy (especially if fishing shallower water), as there will be some good-sized squid about. Sand whiting anglers will also be out and about as the whiting should be big and plentiful. Drifting the edges of the shipping channel is always your best option to target these fish. Keep track of your drifts so that when you find them you can keep going back over the same areas. OFFSHORE Samsonfish will be a popular target for our offshore anglers. September FOURSTROKE tends 40-60HP to be a month where their PERFORMANCE numbers increase and they are seriously good fun to catch. Fishing baits or lures in 25-50m of water will be your best option, generally around pieces of structure (sometimes the smaller more obscure MELBOURNE ALBERTON structure can be the MELBOURNE MARINE CENTRE ALBERTON better option). MARINE Dhufish baldchin 39 Johnsonand Street Alberton 393-399 South Gippsland Hwy groper are 5183 a couple P: (03) 2344of other Dandenong South species that will be found in F: (03) 5183 2219 P: (03) 9703 2003 similar areas. All three are W:options albertonmarine.com.au E: info@melbournemarine.com.au great to target using melbournemarine.com.au soft plastics. Large paddle Cory FisherW: and his mate Cameron Jones aka tail BENDIGO plastics fished with a ‘Jonesy/dronesy’ with an epic haul of pink big BENDIGO enough jighead to OUTDOORS get snapper taken from the sand! Find these boys on MARINE & MORNINGTON PENINSULA down a deadly YouTube byMY searching MARINE “send it drone fishing” 160quickly Midland is Highway Epsom Cnr Nepean Highway & P: (03) 5448 3988 Ponderosa Place Dromana W: bendigomarine.com.au P: (03) 5987 0900 MELBOURNE W: mymarine.com.au BL MARINE MORNINGTON PENINSULA 612- 614 Plenty Road Preston NAUTICAL MARINE P: (03) 9478 1420 141 Hotham Road F: (03) 9470 4638 Sorrento W: blmarine.com.au P: (03) 5984 1666 SHEPPARTON E: info@nauticalmarine.com.au BOATS AND MORE W: nauticalmarine.com.au 207 Numurkah Road Shepparton P: (03) 5822 2108 TOORADIN F: (03) 5821 2908 P&J MARINE SERVICE CENTRE P/L W: boatsandmore.com.au 101 Tooradin Station Road Tooradin P: (03) 5998 3107 MORWELL E: pjmarine_services@bigpond.com CRAWFORD MARINE 71-77 Chickerell Street Morwell P: (03) 5134 6522 MELBOURNE Anthony was F: (03) 5134 6455says this monster 83cm tailor TRIPLE M caught MARINEon a Nomad Riptide 105 sinking mullet colour right on Drive high tide. W: crawfordmarine.com.au 117 Northgate Thomastown P: (03) 9465 8787 combination. ECHUCA F: (03) 9466 1418 For the pelagic anglers, EADES XTREME MARINE bluefin tuna and kingfish W: triplemmarine.com.au 24 Sturt Street Echuca are always an option. The western end of Rottnest is P: (03) 5482 2333 always worth checking out F: (03) 5482 2133 for these species. Trolling W: xtrememarine.net.au to find them or watching

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A true trophy beach mulloway caught by Anthony Axcell. It weighed 22kg and he caught it on a single 7/0 hook with a cube of tailor while trying to get away from the sharks.

for bird activity that tells you where the fish are, is your best bet. So, there is a little bit for everybody in September and the bonus is that the weather is also slowly getting warmer. I hope you all have a chance to get out and wet a line. I know that after finishing this report, I have a beach fishing trip planned north of Perth that I am really looking forward to, which I might just have to start getting ready for. Tight lines and I will catch you next month.

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SEPTEMBER 2022

111

West Coast

Big spring bounty LANCELIN

Peter Fullarton

Through September, lobster move shoreward and by the end of the month there will be good

with a light outfit to suit the size of the fish. Tuna feed better early morning or on overcast days, as they come off the bite, they are likely to be put down by boats trolling around the schools. Once the fish start

retrieve at high speed. Skippy have been aggregating on the inshore reefs, samsonfish and pink snapper usually show up during the session when berley has been used. The samsonfish have been fronting up some mornings at the jetty where they feed on the bait schools that have gathered under the lights overnight. Small boats fishing the bay have been catching snook, squid, herring, skippy and tarwhine. While on the subject of herring, DPIRD recently announced an increase in the bag limit for Australian herring from 12-20 based on the Recfishwest survey result. The survey results and public comments from

The crew from Swan Yacht Club Angling recently spent a weekend fishing Lancelin, and joined in on a Lancelin Angling Club comp on the Saturday. This solid dhufish was one of many fish they caught over the weekend.

It’s prime time to pop for tailor. numbers inside the white bank. Professional boats follow the crays in, lumps in 20-35m will be marked up with pots at the beginning of the month, and by month’s end a lot of boats usually work inside the white bank. A bounty of food, crays combined with the berley effect from cray bait can make the inshore fishing pretty good. Pink snapper, dhufish and breaksea cod can be caught from the reefs under 15m depths. Shark numbers vary from year to year but usually there are plenty of small whaler sharks that can be caught by boats and landbased anglers. I also look forward to the tuna returning this month. The initial run usually sees plenty of small bluefin schools, often found out from the 30m contour. Last year there were masses of bonito and some larger yellowfin tuna in the first wave. The Halco Max 130 in red and white has proven dynamite for trolling up the tuna. It can be trolled at 12+ knots so makes it easy to head off any fast moving schools and doesn’t have a huge drag through the water so you can troll at these speeds 112

SEPTEMBER 2022

to get flighty, position the boat upwind and cut the motor casting small metal slugs to the schools and

Lancelin’s bay is ideal to fish or squid from a kayak. fishers were largely that fishers wanted to keep a quality fishery, rather than maximum harvest.

A brute guitar to pull in from a 300m drone drop. Jack Parker and Daniel Whitfield tag teamed to bring it in.

“27% of respondents favoured the bag limit staying at 12; The majority – 32% – called for an

increase to 20; and, 11% called for a return to the former bag limit of 30. I was certainly all for a lower catch for a better-quality fishery. A 2013 stock assessment concluded. “Herring stocks had suffered from a combination of environmental factors and fishing, that the WA herring stock was under pressure and needed to be protected.” At the time a 50% reduction in catch rates was muted for both the commercial and recreational sectors. Sound familiar? Just like we face with demersal stocks now! What is astounding though, is that DPIRD is failing to read the room. DPIRD returned the commercial quota adding an initial 70t to the Gnet fishery, with that to be reviewed at a later date. So what were

Chris Hartanto regularly catches good fish. It’s not by accident; he constantly checks his baits and is attentive to the rods. However, this heavyset shark was a lucky catch, as Chris wasn’t using wire. The shark was lip hooked and caught on spin gear.

To page 113

West Coast

Great captures through seasonal transition KALBARRI

Stephen Wiseman

Winter weather has slowed down the offshore fishing but the breaks in between storms have allowed some intrepid anglers to venture out and get amongst the pink snapper and occasional rankin cod. Most fish are going 60-70cm, and can be found in waters from 10m out to 50m. Best spots have been down around Red Bluff in 24m. One old-time local had a great trip just past Bald Face. The first drop produced a 65cm baldy and second drop was a donkey at just under 70cm. With his two personal best baldy in the box, he headed off home but not before a quick lure toss for the hell of it. Within minutes the From page 112

we doing when putting our survey results to DPIRD? Negotiating a catch share allocation? Or giving DPIRD feedback on where we want to future catch levels to be set? DPIRD say the sustainable take is 667 tones, of which we the recreational sector have now ‘negotiated’ a small share of, while the commercial allocation seems wide open! Garfish have been abundant; we have been seeing them offshore in schools and the bay is full of a wide variety of age groups. Currently there is a ban in place on the take of southern garfish, DPIRD had stated there will be a review on the take of this species during 2022. We should be very wary on how the return to fishing for garfish is negotiated, making sure the recreational share allocation is not eroded, more importantly that there is not an open-ended commercial increase. Alarm bells should also be ringing for the future allocations of demersal species. We should all stand for sustainable fishing levels, but still need to stand up for the recreational sector share of the allocation while doing so. It’s the time of year beaches start to widen and there is good fishing from well-formed beach gutters. Tailor will be well worth hunting for with the average size of gutter fish can be around the 50cm and larger models are often caught casting lures to the reef breaks. As usual, the new and full moon are the best

Bream have been on the bite recently. line screamed with what was to be a very large mack estimated over 20kg, but was lost at the boat. River fishing has

been the go for those not wanting to chance a river mouth washing, and what a range of fish have made there way to the box? Big

times to target mulloway. With well-formed gutters creating deep nearshore water, it’s the time of year to be trying for a surf mulloway on artificial lures. It’s a difficult task to set yourself but very rewarding when achieved. Chances of success are greatly improved by choosing the correct conditions and location. Look for structure, a gutter or a near shore reef, ideally a day with enough swell to have the wave breaking

over the deep water combined with a high or rising tide. Lure choices would be diving hardbodies around 15cm or similar sized soft plastics, I prefer to fish a curl or paddle tail and work them slowly with the lift and drop of a long rod, bouncing the lure along the bottom. Don’t be afraid to go over the same spots later in the day as fish will move in and out with the changing tides. You will catch tailor in the process often large ones.

Graeme Doodson casting baits for a mega pinky.

mulloway are still on the chew from Chinamans all the way up to the Pens, one nice fish at 135cm was taken opposite the IGA just

after sundown. Bream have been on the bite in abundance all around the Pens and up river around some secret spots

not disclosed by one local. Micky D was out testing his transport barge recently and tossing in a little rod just in case. The fishing was slow but a very nice bream was taken mid afternoon up river somewhere, the fish may look small but Mick is 2m tall and has a hand that can cover a dinner plate, so the fish is reasonable by comparison. Last reports of water temperature out wide were in the low 21ºC so we may well and truly be into the winter cool down and cold water from the south. Look close inshore for pinks and baldchin feeding on crustacean smashed up in winter storms. Stay safe and be careful around the river mouth at this time of year as it is truly rough and deserved of its reputation and name – ‘The Washing Machine’.

PRODUCT NEWS

New Samaki T-shirt designs When Samaki started the design process for their new collection, they had one goal in mind, to get you from the boat to the dock at speed, no shirt changeouts required! Their aim was to design apparel that represents all of us anglers – a detailed design that truly appreciates each species. The result is a range of top-of-the-line cotton tees with some super cool icons, ranging from detailed drawings of your favourite species, to quirky fishing concepts. Two of the most striking designs are the Barra Boof and the Snapper, both of

which are a fresh take on a creative art style called ‘gyotaku’. Gyotaku is a traditional Japanese way of printing fish, done by covering the fish’s body with ink or paint, and placing thin paper over it, and the effect is striking. To gyotaku your catch is to hold its memory firm for life, recreating that epic moment when you landed your personal best. Available in white and night sky, the Snapper and Barra Boof shirts are available in sizes from small to 3XL. The Secure Your Load tee offers a new take on getting your XOS catch from A to B – strapping it to the roof of your car! Available in vintage white and cobalt, the Secure Your Load tee is available in sizes from small to a 2XL. There’s also host of other T-shirts in the range featuring

species such as tuna, mangrove jack and marlin. If your favourite species isn’t included in the T-shirt range, it’s almost certainly represented in Samaki’s range of UPF 50+ fishing jerseys. Species featured include the GT, mud crab, coral trout, sailfish, dusky flathead, mahimahi, red emperor, mako shark, tuna, marlin, mangrove jack, Murray cod and Australian bass. The Samaki apparel range also includes boardshorts and walkshorts, caps and straw hats, vented long-sleeve shirts, face shields and sunglasses. You can follow Samaki @samakifishing on Facebook and Instagram for updates, or check out the new website at www. samaki.com.au. - Samaki SEPTEMBER 2022

113

North Coast

Mid-year mackerel mania continues in Sept DAMPIER/KARRATHA

Troy Honey

During July in Karratha, we started to experience the rise in numbers of Spanish mackerel around the island shoals and further out amongst the ship anchorages off Dampier and Cape Lambert. Then came August and with it an explosion of reported captures of the barred speedsters. Spanish mackerel are an exciting pelagic to catch. From the moment the reel starts to scream when the trolled lure is engulfed then the speed of the fish, which often includes an array of aerobatics, as it aims for its escape from both the angler and any sharks that are often hot on their heels, through to the mayhem that occurs when the gaff is brought out in an attempt to

Spanish mackerel are in abundance right now in Karratha, here the author boated this solid example less than a 10 minute drive from the Dampier Yacht Club. size and above. They will strike slightly smaller lures around 180mm but the 200mm to 220mm

non-cared for rusty trebles didn’t deliver. After many a conversation that you don’t need to worry about all that fancy stuff, I think my fishing Mate was starting to reconsider not only his lure choice but looking after his lures by washing them every time they are used and replacing the trebles with quality singles. Spanish mackerel are an outstanding fish to serve up. Cut into steaks or fillets, both leave next to nothing on the carcass, and both are superb with a dash of salt and pepper seasoning, drizzled in oil and grilled on the barbie plate or pan fried in the kitchen. Cut into larger chunks, Spanish mackerel are spectacular in international dishes, such as Hungarian goulashes or

if travelling with fillets. Possession limits are three mackies per person or 10kg of labelled fillets here in WA. Heading further abroad from the islands in the Dampier Archipelago, the angling jewel of the northwest of Western Australia is with out a doubt the Monte Bello Islands. During the dry season of the Pilbara, the Monte Bello Islands are visited by many groups of boats, which are well set up to not only navigate the 120km journey from Dampier but also to be self sufficient for a few days of fishing and diving in one of the most pristine locations in the entire country. The islands offer an abundance of fish species target with the

with high quality single hooks – I swear by single hooks for better hook-up. We landed that fish and

The Monte Bello Islands never fail to produce, Ryan Doolan proved this was the case landing this coral trout on a jig with a P.E 3 jigging rod last month.

An unexpected dry season catch while jigging the shallows off Point Samson was this solid golden trevally caught by the author on a soft plastic with PE1 tackle. bring the fish into the boat. Spaniards are showing up everywhere at the moment, and on most days, less than 5 minutes from the boat ramps in Dampier. Usual haunts, such as Hammersley Shoal, Sailfish Reef, circle work around Bare and Roly rocks and south of Eaglehawk are all holding good numbers of the Spanish pelagic. There are even negative conversations over a beverage in Karratha right now where the mackies have been causing chaos at times with anglers chasing demersals on jigs, which are being smashed as they drop and retrieve and losing a lot of money in painted up metal. Here in September, the mackies are hitting lures around the 200mm 114

SEPTEMBER 2022

are definitely performing better. On a recent day we tested sizes in the same style and colour and the 200mm hooked up every time with zero strikes on a 160mm. The garfish are around the islands are in good size and numbers and replicating that in your lure choice will give you the best results, without fail. On a previous day, I was invited out on a boat in a late afternoon session for a couple of hours of trolling and a bit of music and kicking back. We trolled not far from the yacht club in Dampier and in no time my reel was screaming with a large mackie at 130mm to the fork creating the drama. I was running a Gold Classic 200mm lure in 3m depth with the trebles replaced

went on to land more, all from my lure, while the other trolled lures were getting the odd bump, the

Spanish, Italian and Greek casseroles. It freezes well but ensure you cryovac and label it accordingly

Scott Medling fished in 35m of water with a fresh squid head to land a 73cm trout at the Montebello Islands.

majority being the highest prized trophy fish on offer anywhere in the world. Kicking off with trophy fish at the Montes, you can not go past the stunning red emperor or king of the table fish, the coral trout. If you are wanting to tick either of these fish off your bucket list, or more to the point, bag a few monster sized specimens, then dry season at the Montes is currently turning it on. It is here that you will find coral trout regularly over 70cm and red emperor over 10kg, both examples of which are hard work to find anywhere in Western Australia. The Monte Bello Islands Marine Park covers more than 58,000 hectares of ocean and over 250 low-lying limestone islands and islets. There are endless islands you can visit, camp on, and explore and fish and dive on. Other species that can be found To page115

North Coast

Everyone is getting ready for warm weather EXMOUTH

Barry Taylor

This month’s report has been supplied by Josh Cheong The marlin fishing has picked back up again in recent weeks, with quite good numbers of sailfish

targeting them by either trolling lures or trolling gardies, and both approaches have proven to be quite effective lately. Guys racking up double digit catches has not been uncommon; some crews have been raising up to a dozen in a day. Getting multiple shots at fish a

Up around the islands, anglers have been getting good catches at the top of the Gulf, with plenty of big trout and rankin cod coming aboard. When bottom fishing for these species, some successful lures have been the bigger Nomad Vertrex 130 and 150 vibes, and Bait junkie

The author with a beautifully marked trout. The outfit was a Daiwa Spartan SJB62-4 matched to a Lexa TW 300HL. Image courtesy of @indepthangler_josh.

Joley was happy with this solid mackerel caught last month. Image courtesy of @yimtaro. and black marlin on the west side, mostly inshore in 40m out to 200m. Anglers have been From page 114

are rankin cod, saddletail snapper, spangled and blueline emperor, job fish, sailfish and marlin,

day is pretty fun. There’s been the odd wahoo and dolphinfish (mahimahi) mixed in as well.

7” Jerkshads in white or pink. Jigs have also been caching their share. The jig you use doesn’t seem

giant trevally, queenfish and don’t be surprised if you pull a few mud crabs out of the mangroves that line a few of the islands.

It truly is an angler’s paradise, especially when the majority of the country is experiencing less than ideal weather conditions.

to matter as long as it has a bit of flash/silver to get the fish’s attention. If you haven’t chased these fish before, anything from 20-40m is a good place to start looking. Keep an eye out for any sort of broken ground, ledges and so forth. A few mackerel have

can try anything from a small slice up to a larger popper or stickbait in the 100-150mm size; lately the longtails have been quite aggressive in hitting those. Drive around until you see the bust-ups and cast your offering into the melee. Most of the longtails caught

the trout should hopefully continue to play the game. As that weather warms up, the Gulf fishing should pick up more as well, so there are plenty of options on the table for anglers this month. • For all the latest news on what’s biting and where, drop in to Tackle World

James Fitzgerald with a spangled emperor caught on a Nomad Madscad. Image courtesy of @yimtaro.

Tim Wood on a recent trip to Karratha was keen to experience the challenges of fishing for the mighty red emperor. Fishing with squid for bait in 40m off the back the Dampier Archipelago Islands, Tim stepped up and overcome the challenge to land this superb example of a red emperor most anglers spend their life trying to tick off their bucket list.

been getting caught over the past month, although the water has cleaned up a bit since then and catches have reduced somewhat. Anglers are hoping to see the mackerel fishing improve in the coming weeks. There have been quite a few schools of longtails down the bottom of the Gulf. For once, they have not been that fussy. At times like this you

lately have been in the 5-10kg size range, with a few bigger ones mixed in to keep anglers on their toes. SEPTEMBER FISHING September will probably see a few more windy days, so it will be important to make the most of any opportunities that present themselves. We should hopefully see the inshore billfishing continue to be quite strong, and

Exmouth at 3 Maley St, Exmouth or give them a call on (08) 9949 1315. You can also view the range at www. tackleworldexmouth.com. au, and see the latest catch photos on their Facebook page. This family business stocks a large range of tackle, from light spin to big game. The staff have a wealth of local knowledge and expertise, and are always happy to help. SEPTEMBER 2022

115

Top time for trout FRESHWATER

Peter Fragomeni

September would have to be one of the best months to go trout fishing in WA. Most of the hatcheries stocking of larger fish has been completed, and

chase fish that run up the streams and are susceptible to illegal activities. It’s mainly the males that still have the urge to go upstream with the females tending to stay in the dam, particularly if they have been stripped of their eggs prior to being released. One

remained in the main body of water because their urge to breed is lessoned, and hence offer better sport to the majority of anglers. The other problem with this large stocking all at once approach is trout from the hatchery are fed a high protein diet of

Jonah Chiera from Waroona holding an impressive redfin from Drakesbrook Weir. He helps out reporting on the large southwest land area we have in this state.

Dallas from Collie Yak having better luck on the redfin in a SW river compared to his recent trip to Harvey Dam. our dams and rivers are normally producing good numbers of both stocked and resident fish from previous years. Unfortunately, the stocking of x-brood trout didn’t take place as early as anticipated due to some unforeseen issues. Hopefully a new purposebuilt transporter should be up and running. This new tanker will be equipped with oxygen monitors and multiple holding compartments so the guys at the hatchery can load more fish in smaller lots, therefore, dropping off less trout at different locations so to trickle the stockings over a longer period of time. This will avoid the boom and bust situation we experience in some of our dams currently where large lots are stocked at one time. The problem is that these fish swim in large groups and become easy targets for predators and unscrupulous people that

thing that worked well in a trial a few years ago was holding back the males until at least mid September as it was found that they

A superbly marked wild rainbow trout from a Northern Jarrah Stream. The colourations are truly amazing within this strain. The area offers untapped potential. Anglers name withheld for obvious reasons.

The well run Harvey Water Bash freshwater fishing comp to go into the record books. Watercorp have refused to grant a one-day camping permit to the organisers, and are standing firm on their decision to ban camping. This is a truly sad situation for hundreds of freshwater anglers that loved to sit by their campfire exchanging stories of the one that got away.

PREDICTED DAM LEVELS FOR SOUTH WEST Overall storage in the dams that allow public access and recreational activities are currently 60.7% as of the end of July, which is up from 53.4% as of the same time last year. Some good rains fell in July and as of time of writing August is likely to be very wet. WAROONA DAM DRAKESBROOK WEIR LOGUE BROOK DAM HARVEY DAM WELLINGTON DAM GLEN MERVYN DAM BIG BROOK DAM 116

SEPTEMBER 2022

pellets and when released into the wild find it hard to feed on any available food. This causes lots of weight loss and in most

these species more active resulting in them more likely to take lures. There are still reports of some being caught with a report of a metre-plus Murray cod coming out of a small dam recently. I’ve noticed the silver perch are coming in closer of an afternoon when the shallower areas heat up this time of the year. DAMS Waroona Dam Things have picked up since last report with a good number of trout hitting lures and flies from both boat and shore. A post on a Facebook group recently showed a couple

65 % 100 % 74 % 77 % 73 % 68 % 100 %

cases they become sluggish after a number of weeks and sometimes reluctant to even take a lure. Still it’s all positives for the future at the hatchery and with better guidance from the FFRG stocking committee I’m sure it will be a better trout fishery in the future. AUSSIE NATIVES Thing should start picking up with the rising water temperatures making

of people up in the stream at night with a spotlight catching trout by hand. Although, this may seem fun at the time, a hefty fine from Fisheries will take the enjoyment out of it if you are caught as you can only use a rod and line to catch freshwater species in WA. Redfin are also being caught with the size up on previous months. Most have been caught on hardbodied

lures but a few anglers are getting the bigger models on soft plastics as well. A technique that is rarely used here is spin-jigging where a small Colorado blade that is attached via a wire to a jighead to add action to the plastic. I am keen to explore this technique as I believe there is potential to increase redfin catch numbers. Drakesbrook Weir Local angler Jonah Chiera has reported better action at the weir recently with both trout and redfin turning up on most days. This was confirmed by a couple of other anglers that had fun catching both species from a kayak on the far side of the dam flicking lures towards the bank. Any of the main lures work here so you don’t have to be too fussy on your selection. Logue Brook Dam Not many reports of late but my experiences indicate you are better off fishing the other close by dams as this water can be unreliable on occasions.

Harvey Dam By far our heaviest fished location close to Perth, as it gets a large stocking of x-brood rainbows in winter-spring each year. Anglers are reporting good catches of both rainbow trout and redfin from mostly kayaks and boats. Dallas from Collie Yak had a frustrating session fishing from his kayak when he dropped no less than eight trout that refused to stay connected. A few stirring comments on his Facebook group will make him try harder next time I would imagine. I had a similar session where I could stay connected yet my partner Wendy landed every fish using the same lure. I haven’t fished Harvey this year due to the ban on camping, and I can confirm that I am not the only one that chooses to fish other waters where we can launch our water craft, and relax next to them with a nice warm fire late at

night. It’s a shame that Watercorp has taken this stance because, like others, I spend a lot of money in the town of Harvey buying fuel, food and tackle, not to mention the pub meals at the local. The huge effort Fisheries put into tagging would be wasted is some agreement can’t be reached in the future. The annual Harvey Bash fishing competition is still waiting on a one night camping permit from Watercorp because without that it can’t go ahead. I was chatting to the organiser and he indicated that it will be canned if a response is not obtained by early August. He also said it will be moved to another venue next year so this would be a big loss for the town of Harvey. Fisheries may have to relocate the trout that normally go in for the competition to other waters where access and camping is available. Glen Mervyn Dam A few nice trout are turning up, which is a surprise as it receives a very small stocking. With the current situation at Harvey, this little water has the potential of rivalling Drakesbrook Weir as a reasonable trout water. Big redfin have been coming out of late. This water gets little pressure so the redfin seem to get big. Wellington Dam I’m really happy with the condition of the trout coming out of this water. Again with the current situation at Harvey I believe this water will become more productive with the right stocking program. In order to achieve this,

is approximately four times larger than Harvey Dam. Redfin have been harder to locate with large areas virtually void of fish at times, however a regular angler Collie Yak reported around 50 redfin he connected to trolling from his kayak. Big Brook Dam Good stockings recently has resulted in better fishing for trout with a few x-brood rainbows being caught on both fly and lure. This little dam gets the biggest stocking per acre of water compared to other dams so the chances of actually catching one here is greater than elsewhere. A few redfin are also getting caught by those targeting trout with any of the popular lures from hardbodied to spinners doing the damage. RIVERS Murray River Very high after the

Increased stocking of brown trout has resulted in larger numbers showing up in the impoundments. Wendy was happy this one hit her trolled lure. large specimens being caught recently. A rumour of a 53cm redfin was relayed to me and this encouraged me to put up a reward for a new state record to be recorded in our

Another small brown put up a fiery fight on a cold wet day.

A healthy Wellington Dam rainbow that fell to a slowly retrieved Tom Jones early one morning. Could this water become a new destination for the camping angler? Stocks redirected from Harvey Dam would be needed because of the huge area this dam covers a stocking of large trout would be required with around 1,500 being the rough figure, as this dam

measured on a reputable device showing a clear length and weighed on certified scales with a signature of the owner of the scales (normally like a butcher shop or similar). It will be registered on the WA branch of the AAA website, however even my state record rainbow has disappeared off their books for some reason. Blackwood River No reports. Warren River Normally to high in September so it’s best to keep an eye on river conditions via a number of websites. Lefroy Brook Some nice trout have come out of this little stream, however high water levels after heavy rains made accessing the better areas hard. A good mate of mine Tony and his wife spotted a huge brown in a fast run down the lower section close to the Warren. Donnelly River Mixed reports have come through with some getting into a few trout before the high water made it harder to get to the better runs. The latter part of

good rains in late July and August. The news of the road bridge over the river being classified as not fit

for traffic by Mains Roads is a concern for future trips when the water recedes in spring.

Northern Jarrah Streams Some nice trout are up in these waters after the good late rains with a few intrepid anglers walking up to 10km in cold wet conditions to tangle with one of these self sustained rainbows. These fish have distinct markings of orange along their flanks because of the bright coloured gravel streams they spawn in. I have spotted no less than 20 trout in one location, however, this stretch is in Watercorps jurisdiction and is strictly closed to fishing with heavy fines to those that don’t obey their rules. It’s a pity they won’t allow limited access for fly and lure anglers with a special permit to limit the daily use as they do on public hunting land over east. Collie River below Wellington Dam Not the best time to fish this section however, a few trout have turned up recently. Collie River above Wellington Dam By far the best section for redfin with some truly

Andrew Beer (Senior Research Scientist from Fisheries WA) has put a lot of effort into Harvey Dam with a trout tagging program to study growth and behaviour. The blocking of access tracks by Watercorp has made stocking at various locations around the dam difficult. Should we be looking at other dams with better facilities in the future? history books. At present the WA record is 2.532kg and this fish was caught way back in 1966 from Porongurup near Albany and judging by other fish caught here in Australia and overseas it could have been around 53cm as it’s not officially recorded. I am offering $500 in cash and prizes if someone catches a larger redfin on rod and line, it must be

September should see good river levels but again, keep an eye on river conditions. That raps up another report so get your self a Inland Freshwater Licence and get into some truly awesome scenic locations our state has to offer. Remember limit your catch don’t catch your limit, and try to release all the brown trout as they are not as common in WA. SEPTEMBER 2022

117

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Fishing Monthly Magazine | September 2022

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