New South Wales Fishing Monthly - April 2015 by Fishing Monthly

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Black Magic 130lb Tough Trace was used by Brandon Poynter to catch this excellent 28kg mulloway while fishing the remote beaches of Yalata in South Australia.

10 year old Aidan Teeuws used Black Magic 4kg+ Rainbow Braid to land this fine squid. Aidan was fishing in Port Philip Bay.

Brent Poile caught this impressive 102kg striped marlin on a Black Magic Freedom Grand Slammer lure that was rigged ‘ready to troll’ with Black Magic 400lb Tough Trace and a Wasabi 10/0 double hook shackle rig. Brent was fishing the continental shelf east of Narooma.

This 5.9kg snapper was landed by Dean Delaney while fishing in Western Port Bay using a Black Magic KL 6/0 hook.

Black Magic 60lb Supple Trace was used by Rex Sanders to catch this 20lb murray cod while fishing in the Murray River.

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April 2015, Vol. 20 No. 8

Contents

BYRON COAST The Tweed 28 Ballina 30 The Clarence 32 COFFS COAST Coffs Harbour Coffs Game South West Rocks

36 37 38

MACQUARIE COAST Port Macquarie 40 Forster 42 Harrington 43 Port Stephens 45 HUNTER COAST Hunter Coast 46 Swansea 47 Central Coast 51 SYDNEY The Hawkesbury 10 Pittwater 12 Sydney North 14 Sydney Rocks and Beach 18 Sydney Harbour 16 Sydney South 24 Botany Bay 20 ILLAWARRA COAST Illawarra 52 Nowra 54

From the Editor’s Desk... CITIZEN SCIENCE – FUTURE-PROOFING CATCH AND RELEASE FISHING? Like most anglers, my mind is always busy. Busy trying to crack the patterns of the species I’m fishing for. What bait to use, what line, what rod and reel and where to catch them at certain times of the year. Some species turn up at certain times of the year and disappear at others. Like me – do you wonder where they go? That’s why I got into tagging fish. Catching mulloway in my home river, I wondered why I could catch 20 in one month and none in others. Were other people catching these fish? Did they move? Was I catching the same fish over and over? Tagging will eventually give me these answers, but in the process, I learned a lot about the role that tagging and data

collection from recreational anglers plays and where this is headed. Recreational anglers always tout that we’re the best custodians of the resource – and we all know the love we have for our waterways – but we often lack tangible data to back up our claims. But I digress…. Catching a fish to eat is inarguable. Humans have been doing it for thousands of years. I don’t think that the act of fishing for food will be challenged – at least in the near future. Catching a fish for sport opens the door a little for green-bent people who spend more time on Facebook than alongside a river. Their argument is invariably tied up with animal cruelty – even though it’s been well proven that fish lack the nociceptors to feel pain. Catch and release fishing is a great way to maximise the value of the resource in a sustainable manner.

So what if catch and release fishing became the way that we collected data on our fish stocks? What if anglers themselves were the tools for keeping track of fisheries resources? Who thinks that in the days of ever-decreasing Fisheries Department budgets that there will be increased funding for ‘old fashioned’ style monitoring, with staff staking-out boat ramps? It’s happening already through the various states’ tagging programs, but I caught up with Stefan Sawynok recently to discuss the trajectory of Info-Fish Australia – his employer who has collected data on over a million fish. “Every fish that recreational anglers catch is important and can be used to paint a picture of a fish stock over time,” says Stefan, who, at the push of a couple of buttons, can create plots of size frequencies that show the movement of the stocks over time.

Amazingly, Info-Fish Australia can predict the quality of a fishery into the future, given enough data. Their “Crystal Bowl” project accurately and reconcilably lets the contestants in the Rockhampton Barra Bounty tournament (in Queensland) know how many fish they’ll catch! Personally, I see the Citizen Science angle an unarguable and tangible. When a greenie ear-bashes you about catch and release fishing being cruel, won’t you love the metaphoric cricket bat to beat them over the head with? I know that I will. Remember this if you’re ever asked to help collect data – be it by returning data for tagged fish that you catch or by actively being involved in tagging or collecting catch data. We can be the greatest assets to ensuring that the sport we love has a rosy future.

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A Day in the Life of a Fishing Guide: Dan Selby FMG

Ryan Limpus rlimpus@fishingmonthly.com.au

How many Fishing Monthly readers would love to go fishing everyday on their home waters and get paid to do it? Sure it would have its perks, but might not always be as simple as it sounds.

fish wont bite! I thought I’d get it from the horse’s mouth and have a chat with Dan Selby. Dan is the owner/guide of Sydney Sportfishing Adventures and a member of the Professional Fishing Instructor and Guides Association (PFIGA). Dan writes our Hawkesbury page in NSW Fishing Monthly and has penned

specialises in fishing the waters around Sydney Harbour, Broken Bay and the Hawkesbury River. His wealth of knowledge of these systems - as well as being a specialist lure fisherman, means he has many happy clients hitting their PB’s, seeing first hand successful techniques, and returning time after time to learn more.

It’s all about having a fun day on the water. many features and graced several front covers over the years. Dan has been running Sydney Sportfishing Adventures for nearly 5 years and

I caught up with Dan to ask him a few questions about what his average day guiding was like, what the average person could expect from a day fishing with a

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guide, and what he wished his clients would gain from a day out on the water. RL: When and why did you decide you wanted to become a fishing guide? DS: It was 2009 I made the decision that guiding was the path for me, I immediately took the necessary steps to get my Coxswains ticket. Before I became a full time guide, my job was primarily shift work which allowed me to fish often and get to know the waterways and their inhabitants around Sydney intimately. I regularly put my inexperienced friends and now wife Angela onto quality fish, so after putting this all together and fine tuning my guiding skills I was eventually able to turn my passion for fishing into a career path. RL: What does your average day consist of from start to finish? DS: Early starts! In summer I’m up at 3am and straight on the road. I have an hour’s drive with boat in tow. I stop for fuel/ice and an iced coffee (to keep me awake). Once I’m at the chosen boat ramp I launch the boat, make sure all the tackle is rigged up, and make sure the boat is ready for day’s adventures. Once I meet with my clients, we have a safety brief going over all the important and necessary procedures and plans and then we head off to the fishing grounds. Once we get to where we fish I gain knowledge of clients previous experience and what they would like to achieve from their time with me - going through techniques in a practical hands on manner and discuss

which technique we will be using (cast/retrieve, trolling, down rigging, live baiting) and hopefully catching our target species along the way. Back at the ramp, I retrieve the boat onto the trailer. Any kept fish need

to be cleaned/filleted and clients thanked and sent on their way home. I then take a deep breath….. pack the inside of boat up, dispose of any rubbish and strap the boat to the trailer.

Here’s one way to up a PB – 122cm of mulloway.

Me & Jew’s biggest mulloway to date – 144cm and released.

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Heading home is usually a bit longer drive in Sydney’s traffic. Once home, a full wash down of tackle, boat, trailer, esky and motor is on the agenda. Return any missed calls, emails and Facebook PMs, fill in DPI catch log, have dinner and a shower, bed. Geez, I’m exhausted just writing about it!

RL: Do you get to fish as well while you’re doing a charter, or is it all about your client and getting them onto the fish? DS: The majority of the time it’s all about getting my clients onto fish and honing their techniques/ skills. Some clients benefit from seeing the techniques demonstrated at the start of the day and others insist

you fish with them as they learn better that way. Everyone’s different so a flexible approach is best I have found.

catching a new species to landing a bigger PB fish. But most just want to have fun. RL: As a guide - what do you want your clients to

Want to catch an EP? No problems.

The kingfish seem to be getting bigger every year.

RL: What does your average client want from a day out with you? DS: Anything from improved casting, learning new techniques and styles,

walk away with after a day on the water with you? DS: A memorable experience that was fun, action packed, informative and exceeding their expectations.

RL: I’m sure you have had many memorable days out on the water putting people onto fish. What would be your most memorable day? DS: That’s a hard one, as there has been so many, but the tag and release of two mulloway over the metre mark in one day for clients Trenden and Nathan last June was super special. It started on the fifth cast of the morning when regular client Trenden came tight to a 122.5 cm Mulloway on light spin tackle and a big paddle tail soft plastic. I can recall saying after releasing the fish, “we should go home now, as it doesn’t get much better than that!” The day was young (first half an hr of a 9hr trip)so we continued but no more luck. I’d had a couple of big live pike hit but failed to hook up in the two trips prior to this one so we went casting the washes for tailor and pike. They got a few good tailor to 41cm but no pike! One of Trenden’s tailor got smashed mid fight by a big hoodlum kingfish that won it’s freedom on the 20lb tackle! After that pandemonium and a tank full of good baits we headed back up river for the tide change and another shot at a monster mulloway.

We had literally just set the spread of live baits and had got our out lunch when the rod with the 41cm live tailor went off. Nathan was on the rod and did a wonderful job as Trenden and I cleared the decks and lifted the anchor to begin the chase. 10-15 minutes later we all shared the disbelief as 144cm of mulloway came into view with a perfect hook up in the corner of the jaw. A quick and highly respected (by me and many others) decision was made by Nathan that we should tag and release this fish. We prepped the deck and got her on board for the tagging and a few quick pics, swam it for 10-15 min and off she went! This fish still remains the largest tagged mulloway in NSW, and on my vessel – ME & JEW. RL: Thanks for your time Dan. If one of our readers is interested in spending a day on your charter how should they get in contact with you? DS: Not a problem. Thank you for the opportunity. You can call or text me on 0405 196 253, email me at dan@sydneysportfishing. com.au or look me up online at www. sydneysportfishing.com.au

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Hawkesbury’s days of plenty THE HAWKESBURY

Dan Selby dan@sydneysportfishing.com.au

April has been a good month to me over the years, and I’m sure quite a lot of other anglers would agree. The quality and

temperatures and fish beginning to school up. Mixed bags can be expected from lower Portland down to Laughtondale when using soft plastics and blades fished along the rock walls and dropoffs. Bass, EPs, flathead and bream can be

structure. Making contact with the bottom on a regular basis is crucial to getting a bite, so jighead selection is an important factor — especially if there is strong current flow. Jig weights from 1/8-¼oz with a fine wire hook are best for this application. With current

Estuary perch will be on fire from Windsor to Wisemans. Soft plastics and blades fished in the back eddies will produce plenty of average school fish, and the odd better one like this. variety of fish on offer in the estuary is usually at its peak, with falling water

caught side-by-side in the myriad back eddies created by the aforementioned

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flow and structure, snag-ups are commonplace, but are a great indication that you are putting your lures in the right place! Below Wisemans Ferry, the bream, flathead and mulloway are biting well, with fresh or live Hawkesbury prawns and squid strips producing good results for those looking to soak a bait. Sourcing live

Casting soft plastics along the rock walls, reefs and dropoffs is a great way to cover ground in the reaches below Wisemans. If the current seems to be too strong, you can try increasing your jighead weight, moving to a new location, or fishing the slacker water around the tide changes in your chosen location. Stickbaits, shads and grubs from all the major brands have their place and day on the Hawkesbury. Pick something you are confident that matches the local fodder like prawn, mullet and herring imitations, or just what looks good to your eye when you give it a swim. Broken Bay has been yielding some nice school mulloway, with the odd better fish over the metre mark starting to make themselves known. Juno, Flint and Steel, Gunya and the rail/road bridges have all accounted for nice fish over the last month. They seem to have a preference for different baits in different locations, so gathering a selection is a prerequisite to tempting them. Squid, yakkas, tailor and pike are favoured baits from Bar Point to Lion Island. Using baits live is the optimum, but plenty of fish have come from fillets, strips and butterflied baits lately, so keep mixing it up to find what’s working on the day. The last 2 months produced some crazy surface action in Cowan, Broken Bay and Pittwater from high-speed frigates and mac tuna, with the

Catch, photo and release is the go for these big breeders.

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School mulloway have been on the bite around Broken Bay. A variety of baits has been the key to getting results.

Tailor are great sport on light tackle and surface lures. They make even better live baits for XOS mulloway though! baits of herring, mullet or tailor will put you in with a good shot a decent mulloway on the tide changes.

odd tailor, salmon and kingfish finding their way onto plastics and metals. If we’re lucky they’ll still

be hanging around causing diversions at every chance. It makes it hard to stick to your intended game plan when they pop up on the way to the next spot! I know I say it every time, but keep your eyes out for the birds, as they are your best friend when looking for surface action. Some decent size kingfish are being won and lost in Pittwater, along West Head and Barrenjoey Head. Downrigging squid and flatlining yakkas or garfish has been the standout technique for the bigger fish. Keep the drags tight enough that you won’t break your knots, and be prepared to drive fish away from cover when necessary. It can be white-knuckle stuff doing battle with inshore kings in tight country on light tackle being pushed to the limit.

Checking over all your equipment and testing knots prior to putting them in the water will eliminate any gear error; it’s then a matter of extracting the fish using smooth, assertive rod work while getting as much line back and onto the reel. Short lifts of the rod coupled with 1 or 2 turns of the reel handle will get that king’s head turned and heading for your net. Casting the rocky edges inside Broken Bay with 4-5” soft plastics has been working well for keeper flathead, soapy and school mulloway, and the odd trevally and bream. Focus on back eddies and major points out of the wind for best results. Jigheads from ¼-3/8oz will get you to the bottom where the flatties are lurking as the rocks meet the sand.

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It’s all happening! PITTWATER

Peter Le Blang plfishfingers@bigpond.com

If you have some time to spare, there are a lot worse things to do than go fishing. The last month has seen some days where the fishing has been too easy and the very next day Pittwater resembles a wet desert, with no surface activity and fish that are hard to tempt. The only way to justify this is the water temperature. Along Pittwater we have been getting days when the temperature has exceeded 27 degrees, which tends to make the kingfish a bit lethargic. When the water temperature drops below 24 degrees, the fish seem more willing to play. On those days when the river feels like bath water, try hitting the deeper areas of Pittwater. Sometimes the fish will head to these cooler depths for a bit of a recharge. If you can get a live squid or slimy down, it will often see some interest. With the warmer water we have had schools of striped and mac tuna arrive en masse, and these are a heap of fun on light tackle. If you are lucky enough to get 1 of the smaller striped tuna, don’t be afraid to send it out live while his mates are busting up the surface. There have been a couple of big kings around the schools, smashing 1

or 2 before going back to cruise mode. Most of the action over the last month has occurred around the Longnose Point area through to Scotland

covered by downrigging or slow trolling live yellowtail and slimy mackerel. Once a school has been located, they have been receptive to metal slugs, micro jigs and

Children love fishing, especially if there are kingfish to be caught!

Another Pittwater kingfish that couldn’t help eating a downrigged live squid. Island. There are other areas to try for kings, with West Head and Barrenjoey being a bit more reliable than the other points along the bay. These areas are best

of course soft plastics. Broken Bay has been fishing well for a few other species as well. There are some lovely whiting coming from the Box Head bar when using live nippers. The Pearl Beach area seems to be the better spot to try for a flathead, as most other areas seem to be devoid of any numbers. Flint and Steel has been slow fishing of late, but not far away from this reef is an area called Middle Ground. This has been fishing well the day after some rain. There are school mulloway eating prawns and squid strips, small bream, and only the odd smaller

flathead. Even though the fish haven’t been big, most are legal and will provide a feed for those wanting to eat some seafood. Blue swimmer crabs are certainly on the move along Pittwater and are worth trying for. For the best results, place your traps near the edge of weed beds and make sure you don’t put them in a channel or amongst the moored vessels. If you are going to use frames or fish from the freezer, might I suggest that you also tie in a can of cat food with a few holes in it. The can will attract the crabs and your other offerings, and will keep them interested until you pull the trap. The blue swimmers are big and if

at a marlin or 2; in fact, there were marlin caught at Sydney Heads just over a month ago. The headlands along the coast are seeing rat kingfish, but if you drop your baits closer to the bottom there are samsonfish to catch as well. The reefs have been a bit tricky, with some sloppy seas testing customers. If you are lucky enough to head offshore, there are flathead to 55cm on the 50m mark. The reefs are seeing small snapper caught, but there are some big snapper making their presence known in shallow water before the sun rises. Most people are catching snapper from the Mona Vale through to Long Reef

a lot of fish. There are some morwong, marbled flathead, nannygai and trevally. The better baits have been fish baits, especially if you can pick up a striped tuna on the way to your spot. While you are bouncing the bottom for reef fish, set up a live bait under a balloon. There has been the odd mahimahi encountered while drifting, so it is worth the effort. Lastly, for those that love to fish from the wharves, there are a few bream, whiting and blackfish to be caught. The better fishos have been using berley to attract the fish to the shallows, and live nippers to tempt the fish. There are also

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Billy showing off his hard earned dinner. left for 3 hours, 3 or 4 will climb into the trap. Along the coast the warm water is still coming in close and dragging with it some great predators. Out in 70m, there have been mahimahi willing to play. There is also a great chance

area by using soft plastics. There are some great fish amongst them, with one of my mates recently giving up on kingfish to catch 55-70cm snapper from his kayak. The deeper water reefs in 50-60m are showing

some bully mullet to be caught using bread, and leatherjackets falling to small pieces of prawn. • Peter Le Blang operates Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters, phone 02 9999 2574 or 0410 633 351, visit www. estuaryfishingcharters.com.au

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The memorable bite continues SYDNEY NORTH

Darren Thomas

As the east coast current travels south, it normally holds well offshore, allowing only the bigger boats to access its rich bounty of pelagic species. Well times are a changing, and we now get the cobalt blue water coming very close to the coastline and sometimes even into the harbour. Recently we’ve been having a mad run of small black marlin inshore that are well and truly accessible to the small boat fisherman. Consequently, it wasn’t going to be long before a marlin was hooked in Sydney Harbour. Vic Levett and Nick Martin from Oceanhunter Sportfishing have nailed it, landing a black marlin between Sydney Heads! The boys landed 5 fish for the day trolling live slimy mackerel, all fish were hooked very close to shore, and all were released to do their thing again. Mahimahi were also

mahimahi are still being hooked at local marker buoys and FADs. At this late stage in the season, most of the bigger models seem to have shot through, with medium to small fish taking the live baits.

all season and these guys also readily also take to the micro gear. Peter Roberts and myself landed a dozen fish to 58cm here on all types of jigs from 35-60g. The secret to this type of fishing is finding the fish

will keep you in the zone longer. Longnose Point, Careel Bay and Scotland Island have been successful kingfish locations, with the ever-popular live squid being the bait of choice. I’m not a massive fan of

Nick Martin releasing a Sydney Harbour black marlin. That’s South Head in the background!

Adam Polly and Janneke Verschure with a nice late season mahimahi.

last year, and will certainly put you out there with a chance should you not be able to catch any live ones. Matt Schott had a great capture up there recently when a cobia latched on to his squid jig and was successfully landed; well angled, bud. The rocks have been a little quiet lately, but once again adapting to

wash by casting 7” Gulp soft plastics and landed a 5kg model, which is a cracker fish off the stones. Sydney Harbour has been flooded with baitfish of late and the pelagics are running rampant on the outer edges of the schools. Bonito, kings, tailor, frigate mackerel and salmon have all been present and different types of lures will

Matt Schott with a rare Pittwater visitor — a cobia.

Beau Worthington with quite a handful of kings. caught at the local artificial reef just off South Head at the same time, which was also most unusual as these fish are generally confined to offshore waters only. Further offshore, the warmer currents have been holding marlin to 100kg, with small skirted lures to 9” long being very successful. Brands like Marlin Magic, Billmark, Williamson, and Pakula Paua Hotheads and Phantoms have produced the goods. Some good 14

APRIL 2015

Our inshore reefs are still holding good schools of bait, mostly yakkas, and the kings aren’t too far behind. Downrigging livies is a favourite method of getting under these schools to where the fish are. Beau Worthington had a field day on fish to 85cm, with multiple triple hookups using micro jigs, as when a hooked fish came up they had plenty of mates also showing interest. Mugs Reef off Manly Beach has been holding amberjacks

on the sounder and then bombing the jig to the required depth. Pittwater has had its ups and downs lately and like any body of water, as conditions change so must our methods. For instance, fish deeper for squid when it rains as the fresh sits atop the salt, or in the middle of the day most fish go deeper, so drop your baits down further. Making these small adjustments won’t guarantee you’ll catch more fish, but it

Tom Bamforth with a wash snapper caught on a soft plastic. frozen bait, but Californian squid has been killing it on the kings since October

conditions may prove more successful, Tom Bamforth targeted snapper in the

target these fish separately. Sinking stickbaits and topwater jobbies will land them all, except frigates and salmon, while small metals will catch all but the kings. With just these 2 styles of lures you might have enough to keep you going, but don’t just head out there with 1 of each. Some of these fellas have teeth and will bite you off in a heartbeat, so take a few spares. On the east side, favourite locations include South Head to Clarke Island, while over on the west side, Clifton Gardens to Mosman Bay has been popular. If you find the birds you’ll find the fish.

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The Harbour is going nuts SYDNEY HARBOUR

Craig McGill craig@fishabouttours.com.au

Over the years, Easter has etched itself in my mind for 2 things; atrocious weather or superb fishing. Before I owned a boat, I spent many years on the rocks fishing for game fish and rock species. Easter either went 2 ways — a complete write-off as wild seas and rain swept the platforms, or phenomenal fishing sessions. These usually provided the year’s highlights, to the extent that the rest of the year would be spent fishing in anticipation of next Easter or reminiscing over the Past one. The fishing around this time of year is no different in the Harbour, except that unlike rock fishing, anglers have greater access to these waters in bad weather. This peak period occurring at Easter every year is more than just coincidence. Water temperatures are at their height, activating an abundance of species. Easter

falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21. This year it’s April 5. So 2 days before the full moon and 3 days after, along with a similar period around the new moon (according to my fishing diary), have produced the best catches on any given month. If you have a look at the tides around these times, you’ll notice that they are always early to mid-morning highs. They are the best tides you’ll get — especially for estuary fishing. Things are already going nuts in Sydney Harbour, especially with pelagic species. The lower reaches have been invaded with phenomenal quantities of whitebait, triggering 1 of the most extensive predatory feeding frenzies I’ve seen in many years. Bonito, kingies, tailor, mac tuna, frigates and salmon are all in on the act, terrorising the poor baitfish relentlessly from sunrise right through to sunset. The baitfish are exceptionally small, so matching the hatch is difficult. Very small chrome metal lures, preferably less than 5cm, will

usually do the trick. As frenzied as these feeding sprees often get, the fish will not tolerate a boat being driven straight through them. Regardless, this is a situation I confront every weekend on the Harbour. Some 3 or 4 boats will approach the outskirts of a school slowly and quietly, and will be in the process of being rewarded for their stealth, when from out of nowhere a clown will go powering right through the middle, putting the fish down immediately. If you power through a gathering of any type of animal (except maybe sheep) they will scatter, so why do these morons think that fish are going to be any different? The Harbour is also fishing exceptionally well for bream and flathead. Sow and

their body. The tail of the amberjack is brown. Samsonfish, as juveniles, are very distinct and couldn’t possibly be confused with kings or amberjack. They are very ‘giant trevally’ shaped and the colouration is a blotchy mix of brown, yellow and white. According to Grant’s Guide to Fishes, they have red teeth, although on the juveniles that is only just apparent. There has always been a bit of confusion regarding distinguishing between kings, amberjack and samsonfish, mainly because juvenile samsons look very different to adult samsons, and none of the text books I referred to mentioned this. The books say that samsons and amberjack are very similar,

A quality Harbour samson — more common than they once were. Of course, you can’t go wrong with fin counts, but that’s way too boring to go into here. If you are really interested in that, buy a good ID book.

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A happy chappy with an example of the sort of king that should hang around well into April (although not this one specifically). Pigs Reef, North Harbour and the inner area of North Head have all been fishing well for bream. The flatties are coming off the usual drifts between North and South Head, around Rose Bay, and the stretch between Balmoral and the Spit Bridge. The dropoffs along the back of the various bays in Middle Harbour are producing the bigger flatties. Thanks to some very warm currents, the samsonfish and amberjack action has been sensational. We caught a Fishabout PB samson of 7kg recently. Anyone who has experienced the normal run of 2kg samsons usually on offer in Sydney will know how outstanding this fish is. April is usually the peak month for tropical visitors. The hardest to pick apart are amberjack and kingies, because even as juveniles they are similar in colouration and body shape. If you have a king and an amberjack side by side, it’s quite obvious. Amberjack are rounder and fuller over the top of the head, and have a slightly bigger and more forward eye. They are generally darker in colouration and have a distinct yellow band running the length of

kingies, they are all suckers for fresh squid and respond to the same techniques. The only other thing I can suggest is to fish when the water is at its warmest — so now. The offshore fishing out of Sydney this season is worthy of mention, despite this being primarily a Sydney Harbour column. The run of small black marlin and XL mahimahi has been phenomenal, thanks to an extra warm and close EAC. Temperatures peaked at 27 degrees offshore, and we even had up to 25 in the harbour. Small blacks were being caught within sight of South Head lighthouse! Some boats were experiencing up to 15 hookups a day. I did a day offshore with my neighbour and though marlin were not our target, their abundance was obvious by the numbers of free jumpers and swimmers that we saw. The water was purple and the mahis were thick. We caught over 20 off 1 trap buoy,

That 27 degree water off Sydney has been flooding the inshore area with big mahimahi and black marlin. which is true when they are big. So when someone catches a small samson and it looks nothing like an amberjack, the ID problems start. Secondly, juvenile samsons vary dramatically in colouration between life and death. When a samson is dead, it becomes a very uniform yellowish/amber, similar in colour to a dead amberjack!

Ambers and samsons used to be too rare in Sydney Harbour to target specifically, but over the last 10 years they have become progressively more common, to the point that they are now a viable target. If you really want to catch 1, then the only advice I can give you is to fish for kingies and sooner or later 1 will show up. Just like

including a thumper bull. Offshore is generally not my forte, but the trip highlighted that when Sydney fires up, it can be as good as anywhere on the east coast. • If you are interested in doing a guided fishing trip on Sydney harbour with Craig McGill please call 0412 918 127 or email craig@ fishabout.com.au.

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The rocks are a rockin’! SYD ROCK & BEACH

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com

At this time of the year you need as many arms as an octopus, with each arm stretching out for a species option. What do I chase? Off the beaches there’s whiting, bream, tailor, salmon, mulloway, sharks and more, while from the rocks drummer, luderick, snapper, bream and pelagics like kings, bonito, frigate mackerel, mac tuna, salmon and tailor are available. Whatever you do, specifically target a species and you will reap the rewards. Besides that, you normally end up with by-catch when targeting them. For example, when chasing bream, other species like drummer, tarwhine, luderick and trevally are caught. Targeting a specific species means that your percentage is much higher than an angler that fishes for anything. Do your own survey and ask anglers that are chasing a particular fish compared to an angler that says he’s just fishing for anything that comes along. Beach fishing in April could produce any number of species. Whiting fishing is good to great at the moment, with regular bags, and bream included. At times there are at least as many bream as whiting amongst the catch. The evergreen Manly Beach is a regular producer of them. From the Queenscliff side to South Stein right up to the corner near the rocks is the place to be. Dee Why and Collaroy beaches have seen some good bags of fish being caught, with whiting to 43cm from the latter. Further north, Mona Vale Beach south of the swimming pool where the first gutter normally forms, to the rocky section down the beach is producing whiting and bream. Newport from mid-way to within 75m of the northern side has the same.

I have mentioned a lot that live bait is the key to increasing your chances exponentially. At times you just don’t have the opportunity to purchase or harvest live worms or nippers, so what do you use? Fortunately, all good tackle stores have salted beachworms or, even better, the metho preserved worm, but there are still other options. Those 200g bags of prawns are a good choice, especially if they are small. Peeled and well presented on a Mustad 92247 size 2 or longshank red hook, they will get you onto a few bream and whiting. Add some pilchard fillets, half

line as they perform their surface headshakes. Tailor and salmon are on the chew, with the choppers being more prolific than the sambos. They will be the dominant species throughout the later winter/spring months now. Good bags of tailor are off North Narrabeen, Dee Why, Curl Curl and Manly. Mostly the evenings are producing, and very early in the morning well before light. If you can drag yourself out of bed and hit the beaches about 1 1/2 hours before the crack of dawn to about sunrise, you will encounter some good chopper action. Make sure Fourteen-year-old Oliver Kovarik Jnr caught this great 86cm kingfish on a ganged gar at Bluefish Point. It is really satisfying to see a father and son fishing together and having a great time. Photo by Oliver Kovarik Snr.

How good is this: Bill Panagiotopoulas hadn’t caught a plate size fish for a couple of decades, and on his third cast he caught a double header! He’s new to Alveys as well. pillies and mullet fillets to your bait selection, and you should increase your chances of a few bream and flathead. For the flathead, use fluorocarbon leader from 12-20lb, as their abrasive teeth can sever the

you have picked the gutters the day before or have a feel for where to go. Good quality pilchards are a must, on a set of 3 Mustad 3/0 4202D hooks. There was a report of a 20kg jewfish from Dee Why,

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The snapper have been a little slow of late. They will increase as we head towards late autumn/early winter, but in saying that there are still some to be caught. There’s a mix of species in with the snapper, especially when fishing the sudsy white water. Bream, small kings, bonito and the odd trevally are showing up on fish baits, and prawns and squid strips. An early morning, or late afternoon into the evening is necessary for a feed. Don’t risk a rock fish in the dark unless you are familiar with the surroundings and fluctuating swell conditions. You have to exhibit common sense when you sense a rising swell in the dark off the rocks during a slight sea. When the weather predictions from whatever source says low swell decreasing, it does not necessarily mean stable conditions. Weather is extremely dynamic and complex, and so is the ocean swell! A locally developing cell could be in your area, which the weather bureau did not predict. Swell size fluctuates from a few hours before to a few after. And remember weather updates are not as frequent as they should be. If you sense/see

that the swell is rising, just get out of there and move to a safer location. Rock blackfish are increasing in numbers, with this month being great for the piglets. The Hat at North Head, Quarantine, Little Bluey between Shelly Headland and Bluefish, Long Reef, Warriewood Headland, Mona Vale, Barrenjoey Headland just to name a few are worth a throw. Try peeled Endeavour or banana prawns, pink nippers if you want to go to the trouble to pump them, and white sliced bread, with breadcrumbs or bread soaked down into a mush as berley. If you’re getting into fishing as a new hobby, just trying it out with friends and family, wanting to catch a fish but found it challenging, want to improve your abilities from above intermediate to advanced, this is the time of the year to do it. Your skill levels will increase because the fish are in better numbers, and you can practice by application rather than theory. • For rock and beach guided fishing or tuition in the northern Sydney region, visit www. bellissimocharters.com, email alex@bellissimocharters.com or call Alex Bellissimo on 0408 283 616.

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caught on a butterflied 30cm mullet. The bronze whaler sharks have been less prolific in comparison to previous years, which is good news. Off the rocks, the kings are not as thick as previous years, but I am giving you a summary from March for April, so this could all change. Some kings up to 90cm are coming from the local rock platforms around my area. Spinning sea gars is a compact, reliable way to fish for them. A pack of 5-6 gars with a few lures like stickbaits and Williamson Jet Poppers in green or blue should cover you for an outing. One important thing to do is to be regular when pursuing this species. Like targeting beach mulloway, it has to be done often. Try 4 or 5 5/0-7/0 7766D hooks ganged up for the extra large gars that the kings want. It will surprise you when you land a king as small as 50cm that smashed a 35cm plus gar! Other bycatch is salmon and tailor. When they show up, it’s best to change to a large metal like a Sniper or a Knight in the 65-125g size until they move on; otherwise you will go through gars hand over fist. At $14-$16/kg, it would be a wise move.

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Tackling the offshore scene BOTANY BAY

Gabe Quercigrosse gabeandgabe@bigpond.com

As mentioned in last month’s edition I list a number of reefs that are close enough for the small boat fishers and also appeal to the larger boats. Over the years these

they can always be relied upon to provide a good feed. Autumn is an exceptional time to venture offshore as it normally produces steady and constant weather with light winds and slight seas. Snapper, morwong, pigfish, flathead, kingfish, bonito and the usual assorted reef fish species can all be taken in reasonable quantities.

produces a huge number of record sized fish. The peak is not a singular reef, but rather 3 distinctive formations in a chain, running from north to south. It is approximately 1-2km long and for some unknown reason it gathers the swinging oceanic currents. The fish that travel in the

characteristics and produces differently on different days. The North Peak is by far the smallest area. It rises out 45 fathoms and quickly reaches its maximum height of 33m. Without the use of a GPS, the general marks for this area are the single chimney over the south end of Long Bay Gaol and to the north you line up

USEFUL GPS MARKS (OUTER REEFS) Hargreaves......................34.01.003.......... 151.21.008 34.01.360.......... 151.21.730 Plonk Hole.......................34.00.880......... 151.25.160 34.00.975......... 151.26.054 34.02.000......... 151.27.000 Dumping Grounds...........33.54.800......... 151.28.800 Bobby’s Reef...................33.55.360.......... 151.24.760 Big Red............................33.55.320.......... 151.16.080 reefs have copped a hammering from both amateur and professionals alike, but if fished correctly

We all know the peak off Maroubra, this area is one of Sydney’s top game fishing hot spots and The author with a great pair of pinkie snapper taken offshore. USEFUL GPS MARKS (KINGFISH AND SNAPPER) SS Hilda..................... 34.02.230............... 151.13.250 SS Kelloe................... 33.59.110............... 151.15.550 SS Woniora................ 34.01.231............... 151.15.320

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Rat kingfish have been common both offshore and in the bay. current seem to hang over or around the reef and the peak attracts a huge number of species and fish. The 3 grounds are known as the North Peak, Middle Ground and South Peak. Each has its own

South Reef, South Head and Gap Head. For the new chum trying to get to the peak, it can be difficult for the first couple of trips to find the spot. By rule of thumb coming from Botany Bay take a line

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of 45º magnetic north from the Kurnel Water Tower and that should put you close to the mark. I trust the GPS marks I have provided will assist you and should you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Inside the bay, the fishing has been excellent

the rising tide. A rough mark to get you on the area is to line-up the end of Bonna Point under the refinery flare of Kurnell. Towra has been the pick of the spots with plenty of bream, tarwhine, whiting and size reddies, I have been picking up reds to 38cm on freshly caught local octopus tentacles.

USEFUL GPS MARKS (INNER REEFS) Flathead Drift................. 34.00.464........... 151.15.638 Botany Bay Heads......... 34.00.260........... 151.14.270 Lighthouse Reef............ 34.00.082........... 151.11.300 The Peak 1..................... 33.58.580........... 151.21.700 The Peak 2..................... 33.58.760........... 151.21.650 The Peak 3..................... 33.58.582........... 151.21.703 The Tank......................... 33.57.610............ 151.17.780 Maroubra Peak.............. 33.55.000.......... 151.21.150 Trag Grounds................. 33.56.070........... 151.16.440 Botany Heads................ 34.02.460........... 151.15.300 Barrens Hut................... 34.05.388........... 151.10.452 GT Reef......................... 34.01.388........... 151.13.920 Henry Head................... 33.59.930........... 151.14.301 Kurnell Deep Wall.......... 34.00.294........... 151.13.795 Maccas Reef................. 34.04.807........... 151.10.903 Middle Ground............... 34.04.348........... 151.11.457 Pepsi Reef..................... 33.59.557........... 151.13.762 Pizza Reef...................... 34.04.955........... 151.10.787 Red Rooster Reef.......... 34.04.673........... 151.10.937 Two Buoys..................... 34.00.067........... 151.15.267 with all the recognized spots fishing well. The Quibray Channel on western end of Silver Beach at Kurnell has been providing dusky flathead to 70cm with the best method being anchoring in the deeper water and fishing towards the shallower bar with live bait. The patches of Towra have also been productive for bream and flathead on

The drift along the Ramsgate shoreline has been rewarding for flathead and schools of frigate mackerel and tailor to 55cm. The best method has been to locate the birds and when you see the fish jumping, cast small chrome lures into the school. Great fun on light gear. The Port Botany container wall has been fishing well for most

species with the navigation light at Molineaux Point the hot spot, plenty of class kingies have been taken there on live baits. I would suggest the cove in behind the western end of this wall for your live bait. There are good bream and flathead along the sandy beach and tailor often school up in the protected cove. Being fairly shallow it is also a good proposition for prawning. Flatties have been taken in the main channel between Tom Uglys and Captain Cook Bridge. Tidal flow is very strong so small tides and the last of the run-out tide is the preferred option. Another sneaky area, which has been fishing well has been the reefy area around the port marker just east of Kogarah Bay Baths. The lure boys have been doing well with blades getting bream to 1.5kg. Plenty of bream and flatties have been taken from Como Bridge and the entrance to the Woronora River with the last couple of hours to the high tide the preferred time. Prawns have been scooped up at night from Coolum Beach and the stretch from Mickeys Point to Alfords Point Bridge, also in the hot spots of the state recreation area such as Burrawang and Cattle

For those willing to put in the time, blue marlin have been kicking around the continental shelf.

Duffers Flats. The Cooks River has been fairly quiet with only the odd school jew plucked out near the Princess Highway Bridge at Tempe. April will see changes in the system, with bream schooling along Silver Beach at Kurnell, they will be in around the 3-4m mark and patience will be the key to a good catch. You’ll need to berley heavily with boiled wheat and pollard and the fish will find you. The bream will stay all month and will increase in size as the season progresses. Watts Reef will become the hottest property in the bay with the big bluenose bream feeding at night. A small 00 split shot, 4kg line and a live nipper is all you need to catch them. Plenty of trevally will be available at Trevally Alley, Molineaux Point, The Drums and The Oil Wharf, but if you want to catch the big fellows fish close to the Port Botany wall at night and use plenty of berley. Use at least 10kg B/S line or you’ll lose them on the structures. Live worms, peeled prawns and pilly tails will all catch the blurters. Flathead will be schooling along Lady Robinson Beach with the Novotel at Brighton

Le-Sands a good place to start. Try approximately 600m out and drift all the way to Ramsgate. Whiting catches have been down a shade, but we should see them moving on the sand flats along the St George Sailing Club, Caravan Head and The Moons. They should replace the bream that have inhabited this area. School jewies will become more evident along the bridges and follow the schools of mullet which

to Milperra Bridge. Now is the best time to chase all species before the water starts to slowly cool down. Not forgetting the excellent run of luderick that should start in the upper reaches above Lugarno. For all your fishing needs, as well as the latest info on what’s biting, drop into Gabe’s Boating and Fishing at Narellan (4/1A Somerset Ave), or Silvania (268/264-276 Princes Hwy). You can also call them on (02) 4647 8755 or

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needed funds to help cancer patients in every state of Australia. GET ONBOARD People need us and we need you to get on board and join us in this epic journey so together we can help as many people as possible. Setting sail from Melbourne in July we will soon be in a port near you! We are looking for supporters to head up our State Teams in WA, NSW, Tas, ACT, NT. If you want to get involved call Skipper Mark on 0412808798. Are you in business and want brand recognition across our great country we have plenty of great sponsorship opportunities are available to! The team will travel approximately 16,500km with days varying from as little as 100km a day to the extreme of 1,507km straight while fishing and diving along the way. On their wild sea ride around the nation our crew will attend fundraising events most nights at destinations along the way to raise vital money for the Cancer Council to help those less fortunate. – Fish for Life

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Honours for John Dunphy Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson and Minister for Roads and Freight Duncan Gay recently announced an offshore artificial reef at Port Botany would be named in honour of the late John Dunphy. “The NSW Government is extremely proud to be able to provide a small token to pay our respect to the many achievements and legacy of Mr Dunphy,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

“The proposed Port Botany reef, to become a recreational fishing hotspot, will act as a timeless tribute to John and his unprecedented dedication to the fishing world. “John was a leading figure of recreational fishing - he ran a highly successful tackle business and was a long standing president of the Australian Fishing Trade Association. “A passionate fisher himself, John was also a member of the Advisory Council on Recreational

Fishing where he generously offered his time to provide marine advice to NSW Governments.” The reef will be funded through the Port Botany Boating and Fishing Infrastructure Program. Ms Hodgkinson said the exact locations of proposed reefs for the area are currently being determined and public consultation will start in the coming months, providing fisher’s the opportunity to have their say. – NSWDPI. APRIL 2015

April is my favourite month SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown

how, you will need to decide at what time of the day or night you are going

all together and make it a successful day, you will need to spend what they

taking the kids to sport, school and so many other interruptions.

gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

What can you expect to find in the southern Sydney region during April? Well there’s bream, whiting, flathead, silver trevally, kingfish, tailor, salmon, bonito, luderick, drummer and leatherjackets. That’s why April would have to be my favourite month of the year. If you put the time and effort into your fishing, there are so many choices it’s sometimes hard to know what to target first. My best advice would be to pick a species, and then decide whether you are going to fish in the estuary, off the shore, out of a boat, off the rocks, or from the beach. Once you have decided what and where you are going to go, you will then need to decide whether you are going to use bait or lures, as I find it a bit hard doing both — especially when it comes to bream, whiting and flathead. Now that you have decided what, when and

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Happy customers from a Scotty Lyons offshore trip. to go. After all of this you will need to decide what tide you are going to fish. A friend of mine advised me many years ago that to be able to put this

call ‘time on the water’. Now it is not always possible to put in as much effort as you would like, as things do get in the way — work, household chores,

If you are time poor, I would strongly think about going out with a guide or on a charter. The reason why these guys are so good is that they are able to spend

that ‘time on the water’ taking out other anglers to show them how to put it all together. Sure it costs money, but if you tally up how much you have spent chasing a feed of fish without much luck, you would probably find that you could have

gone for a few trips with a guide or charter operator. Say, for instance, you have gone beach fishing for bream, flathead and whiting, and on a couple of occasion you have come home with a fish or 2. When targeting these species, I would have to say that the

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beachworm is the number 1 bait, with pink nippers coming in a close second. Sure, you can go and buy worms and nippers from a Macs Bait Bar or Gabes at Sylvania, but what about learning how to catch

catch fish on the worms you have caught. Don’t know how and where to go to catch beachworms, you say? Easy fixed, all you need to do is get on the phone and dial (0408) 283 616 and

and book a beachworming session with him. Then, after you have been shown how to gather your own worms, Alex will show you how to catch bream, whiting and flathead on them. Alex can also show

Rob McAdam with his first-ever kingfish of 57cm. Yours truly taught Rob how to target it with pink nippers. beachworms yourself? Not only is it great fun, it is very rewarding when you

speak to Alex Bellissimo, or email him at alex@ bellissimocharters.com

you how to target bream, trevally, snapper, kingfish, drummer and luderick

off the rocks, and the good thing is that he will supply all the gear and bait you need. Okay, so beach and rock fishing doesn’t take your fancy. Maybe you would like to target luderick in the estuary? Scotty Lyons from Southern Sydney Fishing Tours runs luderick classes at Port Hacking. Scotty will show you how to make up a berley, let you know what type of place to look out for when getting weed, what type of gear and tackle to use, how to anchor up, how and when to berley, and when to strike when you get a down. All of this is at Port Hacking. Yeah, but you want to target luderick when you go on a holiday up north or down south and you think that because you don’t fish in the Port you won’t learn anything. What Scotty doesn’t know about chasing luderick you don’t want to know. He will give you enough information and techniques on how to target the weed eaters and you will soon find yourself out there chasing them at your own favourite spots. Scotty doesn’t just target luderick, he will also teach you how to target, bream, whiting, flathead, kingfish, salmon, tailor, silver trevally,

mahimahi, snapper, morwong, leatherjackets and much more. Scotty is what I would call an all-round angler who can catch anything he puts his mind to. So why don’t you give him a call on (0418) 169 439 or email him at fishingsydney@optusnet. com.au and see what he can offer you. Maybe you want to target kingfish, mulloway, bream, flathead, trevally, salmon and tailor in Sydney Harbour. Why don’t you give Craig McGill a call on (0412) 918 127 or check out his websitwww. fishabout.com.au/home and send him an email. Craig has been operating a guiding business in Sydney since 1993, and started off working 7 days a week on the water. He will teach you how to use both bait and lures, and the information gained will help you fish anywhere you want. I have fished with all these guys at some time or another, and believe me, over the years I have learned a number of things from them. Alex taught me how to get my own beachworms, Scotty taught me a special way to fresh nippers so that you can use them after they have thawed out, and Craig taught me a couple of ways

to rig a live squid. Now someone who I haven’t had a chance to fish with yet is Dan Selby. Dan owns and runs Sydney Sportsfishing Adventures and caters for the experienced angler looking for that next big hookup, and novices wanting to learn the basics of knots, rigs and techniques, plus everything in between. I have been told that Dan has a wealth of knowledge on Sydney Harbour and the Hawkesbury River, and is only too happy to share this with his clients. You can learn how to use soft plastics, blades, hardbody lures and squid jigs, plus catching and utilising live baits. Target species include mulloway, kingfish, bream, bass, tailor, salmon, flathead, squid and estuary perch just to name a few. So I would suggest you have a read of Dan’s page in NSWFM, check out his website at www. sydneysportfishing.com.au, or send him an email at dan@sydneysportsfishing. com.au and see what he has to offer. As I stated earlier, it’s time on the water that will make you a better angler, and these guys will reduce that time simply by going out with them.

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Is silence golden? HERVEY BAY

Mark Bargenquast

How many times have you been told, “Be quiet, the fish will hear you.” Or, “Don’t

my experiences and ideas on the subject of noise on the water while fishing. Certainly noise and vibration have a major role in a fish’s everyday life. Predators can feel vibrations

hone in on a struggling fish from a great distance, and quite quickly I must add. Right next to me here in the living room, I have a pet 30cm mangrove jack in a 2m tank. He’s the third

This is definitely no place for noise — dead calm water and spooky fish like this nice bonefish caught by Murray Smith.

Saratoga can hear a loud surface fly from quite a distance away. drop that in the boat.” Like me, probably quite a few times. In this article, I will try to give a few accounts of

of prey and prey obviously feel predators coming their way. Sharks are a classic example of this, as they can

jack I’ve kept as a pet; the largest grew to 54cm and was pretty impressive. Along with barra, Australian bass and

a few peacock bass, jacks are by far the most alert fish you can keep. They soon learn when it’s feeding time. Seeing me approach the tank with a handful of prawns or herring, he gets pretty active. I have, on a few occasions, crept up to the tank and dropped a couple of live herring in while he was swimming on the other side of the main snag, but as soon as the baitfish began to rattle down in the water column, he was onto it, even though he couldn’t see them. There’s a lesson here; he could hear and feel them moving erratically. The recent popularity in soft vibe lures is most certainly in the ‘vibe’ action. As you lift the lure, this

We spend a lot of time fishing in the Mary River and the Great Sandy Straits for big threadfin salmon. Finding them in shallow gutters and drains, they can be seen actively hunting bait and are easy to approach, sometimes as close as 5m. I originally fished from a little 4.1 Polycraft, 4-stroke outboard and electric motor up front, as it was a super quiet vessel, but after upgrading to a small plate alloy boat, I was frustrated as I couldn’t get within 50m of these fish. You could actually see them slink off into deeper water as we approached! It didn’t take long for the penny to drop; they could hear the tiny wave slap against the hull. I took a mate’s Poly out

to imitate the underwater sounds baitfish and predators make. I fitted one to my last boat and they attracted bull sharks right up close, so it can certainly be heard, I guess, but I never spent enough time with it and sold the boat not long after. Now I have a big Fusion stereo mounted in my centre console, I plug in the iPod and really crank up some tunes, and anything with a hard beat to it seems to get fish active. On a dead still winter’s day, having the stereo cranking seems to bring snapper to the boat, but is this a coincidence or can they hear the vibrations? I have caught too many fish using this tactic to write it off as a ‘maybe’. It works,

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certainly attracts fish, as they seem to hone in on this and bite ‘on the drop’ as the lure sinks back down. Obviously these lures have no noise; the fish sense them and they work well in dirty and deep water. Just like those live herrings in my tank!

and we were on them again. I’m not knocking alloy boats, but in this circumstance it was a case of quieter the better. Possibly my father’s lectures years before had some truth in them after all? HydroWave is the latest electronic gadgetry designed

especially with the barra in the river. Pelagics such as tuna, queenfish, mackerel and trevally are other species that can be attracted to sound, as long as it’s the right one. How many times have you approached a school of

feeding tuna, only to have them disappear just out of casting range — frustrating

waves is much quieter than one punching into them. Just come in slow; there’s no need

Electric motors allow for a stealthy approach, but how quiet are they really? isn’t it? Try approaching from upwind of the school and not only does it improve your casting distance with the wind at your back, but a boat idling in with the

to roar straight in at 100km/h like some anglers do, as this only puts the school down. Remember the second paragraph where I wrote predators could feel prey

and prey can feel predators coming? Just think what the push of a boat hull would feel like to a tuna — possibly the world’s biggest shark! No wonder an aggressive approach spooks them. Electric motors are a great invention, brilliant for positioning a boat, Spot Lock in the current and so on, but how quiet are they? I wouldn’t have a boat without one, but they are noisy underwater. When guiding clients in shallow water on golden trevally with fly tackle where you must get close for a cast, we could actually see the fish holding at a distance from the boat. The harder you pushed the electric, the faster the fish would swim away. They can certainly hear it, so I’d stop the electric and the fish’s body language would change and they would happily start tailing on the yabby bank again. Another classic example occurred recently. I was sitting on a school of 20 odd barra, anchored on the side of the hole, while a mate I called in was sitting out in the current with his electric motor holding him bow first into the tide. We were all casting deep divers and plastics over the fish, but watching them on the sounder they were hugging the bottom and very inactive. My mate dropped off with frustration and worked his

way downstream, but almost instantly the fish rose off the bottom and we got bites. Interestingly, as soon as the electric returned (after seeing us land fish!) the barra went back into stealth mode and hugged the bottom, refusing to bite. I’ve heard some old game boat skippers talk about ‘fishy’ boats that catch more than others, possibly due to different engine/propeller noise or vibrations. Most anglers trolling for billfish work a spread of lures and/or teasers

to create as much noise and splash as possible to attract fish from afar. On the flip side of all this, certain species like mulloway and bream — species that can be easily spooked — certainly don’t need excess noise to create interest. Dead calm water is a very tough time to approach them. We used to catch a few nice mulloway off a local boat ramp at night, but if a boat launched or returned, the fish would disappear for a good hour before they showed again.

Even when walking the bank, fish can feel hard footsteps. The humble freshwater mullet is a classic example. As a kid we used to stalk them along my grandfather’s property’s creek. Sneaking in close to the big mullet as they grazed on algae, we would stomp our feet and the fish would tear off like scalded cats. They could feel the vibration no worries at all. So go play a few heavy songs and see if your catches improve!

This snapper was caught in the middle of the day, after the stereo was cranked up to full noise. Was it the vibration that produced the bite?

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APRIL 2015

Doggone weather! THE TWEED

David Solano

Fish on the Tweed the past month? Well it’s been pretty bad for me, as we’ve had so much rain the river has turned to mud with all that runoff coming from Terranora Broadwater, Bilambil Heights and Cobaki Broadwater. The outgoing tides have been awful; I’ve been continuously dodging floating logs, bits of land, and if it wasn’t so bad I would have laughed at seeing a floating island go on by. The incoming tide is the time to fish and out at the seaway where the clean incoming meets the outgoing is a great place and an opportunity to chase some mulloway that tend to feed there. The best I’ve managed is catching a few flathead by trolling deep diving hardbodies, but with so much junk still in the water, that was hard going too. I know there was a big article on the ABT comps in last month’s magazine, and I’d just like to share my experiences fishing

the comps. It all started at my workplace (Griffith University Dental School) where I couldn’t help but overhear these 2 blokes talking about fishing. I got

to the Clarence to fish my first ABT bream comp. It was a great atmosphere having all these keen fishos together. I have to say it wasn’t that easy to catch

A nice soapy for Dave.

Table fish connoisseurs will know Dave has hit the jackpot here. And on a lure, no less. to know them quite well, I’d help them with their lab work, and they’d take me out the seaway hunting big trevs. Eventually Tristan Taylor and David McKenzie invited me down

a legal bream, and when I did I grabbed my boater Darren Love in a bear hug and danced around the boat yelling and screaming. I kid you not, I was that excited. Some of the folks I

THE INAUGURAL

POTTSVILLE FISHING CLASSIC

fished with have actually won the grand final. It’s a pleasure to watch these guys in action, and what you learn is amazing. I stopped using bait, started to release any fish I caught, and basically made fishing a far more exciting thing to do. I don’t ‘fish’ anymore — I like to think more I’m hunting. There was a comp on the Tweed recently, but luckily the river had started to clear for those who entered. The bite, well there’s fish around, but hard to get, although once the river clears completely things should go back to normal.

turned around to see this giant bulldog staring at me and he had a mate — a big wolfish looking beast. I told the dog to be quiet (really, I said something else, but it’s unprintable), and resumed casting, when I heard an ominous splash. I turned back to see the bulldog heading straight for me, only a few feet away. I knew he was after me because when I’d turn, he’d turn. Luckily I could just out-run him with the Hobie’s upgraded turbo fins, but as I was furiously peddling away I got such a shock at what happened next! I couldn’t believe it, but big wolf dog had run up

hold a rod in fact. That’ll teach me to tell doggy to be quiet, and quiet it was except for the laughter coming from a couple of houses. I went back the next week and there on the same shoreline was a bloke with a little bulldog. I told him what had happened and it seems someone had told the council, so the dogs were locked in their yards. It transpired that the little dog belonged to surfer Joel Parkinson and near his jetty is one of my hotspots. Oh, there is something biting! All this fresh has stirred up the mud crabs. There’s a local lad Jessie, who keeps posting photos

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So with nothing to say about where they are biting, I’ll finish with a funny story, though it wasn’t so funny at the time. It had just got light and I was in a canal system. The tide was really low and I was having some success around and under a particular boat when I heard a low growling sound. I

the beach, jumped in and was trying to cut me off! Jeez, so now there are 2 of them chasing me, so I really gunned it, as I only had a window of a metre or 2, staring into wolf dog’s eyes. I’m thinking this can’t be happening, but I made it by a metre. I was shaking like anything, couldn’t even

on Facebook of some real monsters. I run into him on the river sometimes and do you think he’ll tell me where he puts his pots? He didn’t need to, as I carry binoculars on the ’yak, so I see a lot of stuff and sorry mate, I know and here’s a hint — around the mangroves and weed beds. Good luck!

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Northern rivers a hive of activity RICHMOND RIVER

Joey Allan

The Northern Rivers has been a hive of activity over the last of summer - some of it great, some not so great. What has been the by-product from the threat of tropical cyclone Marcia is a huge flush to the river system. This has really improved the fishing around the lower reaches of the Richmond River. The mangrove jack population has been out in numbers and size. Most rock walls around Ballina have been firing on the last part of the run-out tide. Deep divers like the Atomic Shiner 75DD in colours like Tim’s Prawn and Blood Red have really produced some trophy catches. If you can get the

right tide coinciding with a dusk or a dawn some explosive fish have been captured on surface. Try the larger walking stickbaits like the Bassday Sugar Pen 95. Make sure you have a quality main line and leader set up as these things are pulling hard and the initial hit will bust anything that’s not set up well. Pay particular attention to main line to leader knots. The last fortnight has produced some big mud crabs. Now the water is cleaning up the numbers are starting to decline however with the next full moon not far off the number should pick up later in the month. No crab is safe now that Gary ‘Squidgy’ Palmer is out of hospital and hunting again. If anyone runs into the old boy just ask for his secret recipe for chilli mud crab.

EVANS HEAD

MI PA DWE CK EK AG E

The author loves his Richmond River bass fishing. They seem to bite better in the strong run-off.

GAME FISHING OPTIONS

FISHING CHARTERS

MI PA DWE CK EK AG E

started to really fire up. Doesn’t matter whether on metals or live/cut baits they are really starting to hunt in big numbers. Be safe on the rocks, no fish is worth anyone going for a swim or ultimately losing your life. It is great to see these fish back as last year we struggled to see the tailor season really kick off. FRESHWATER Bass are starting to be caught again now the water is clearing up a little. The dirty water flowing in from all the drains and creeks is a good place to start. Very noisy surface walkers and quality poppers like the Megabass Pop-X are a great lure in early morning or late evening. Spinnerbaits however have been the most productive with big blades that move lots of water drawing the most fish.

Ask us about..

DEEP SEA

PA DAY CK AG E

INSHORE Snapper are around the inshore reefs in good numbers at the moment. There is an increasing number of guys chasing fish offshore on jet skis with full rod holder and esky set ups on board. This is a pretty adventurous way of chasing the blue water hunters, especially if you’re visited by any of the local shark population. Reports of snapper size are up to 9kg but most commonly around the 4kg to 5kg mark which make for beautiful table fish. The go-to plastics on these fellas are the Z-Man 5” Paddlers or the Atomic 6” Jerk minnows. Solid white is always the go-to. A few mackerel and cobia have been showing up. The mackerel have been thick in patches. Off the beaches and headlands the tailor have

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Jet ski fishing the inshore reefs is becoming popular on the north coast – Josh Carter is behind this great red.

bigfishgraphics.com.au 30

APRIL 2015

The fish are really feeding on everything being washed in by the water run-off. It’s common to see great numbers come in from only a few hours fishing. When the water’s dirty there always seems to be a little more venom in the strike, almost enough to pull the rod from your hands. It’s a great way to fish these beautiful natives. The ABT BREAM round at the Tweed was run and won in late February. Reports were the fishing was tough but not as tough as was predicted after almost 300mm of rain the weekend before. Great numbers of fish were caught but consistency on the big fish were hard to find. Well done to Mark Crompton from NSW for winning with 10/10 and a weight of 5.21kg. A very respectable 2 day limit.

Josh Carter was responsible for the undoing of this cobia.

Soft plastics fishing for dummies PART ONE NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.com

Starlo launches a series of columns covering the absolute basics of fishing with soft plastics by looking at the all-important subject of how to best rig these highly productive lures. By now we all know that soft plastics are deadly lures, capable of catching just about anything that swims in any aquatic environment: salt or fresh, tropical or temperate, deep or shallow. Yet, in my experience, lots of anglers still seem to struggle with the absolute basics

of effectively rigging and using these lures. Believe me, getting this even 10% wrong can reduce your catch rate by up to 90%. Which is where this series comes in. Over the next few months I plan to go back to the core, underlying fundamentals of successful soft plastic fishing, beginning with perhaps the most important aspect of all: rigging them properly on a standard jighead. With the exception of some pre-rigged soft plastics and those with built-in, integrated weights and hooks, these lures are based around a modular system, with different components (the soft lures

or ‘tails’ themselves and the jig eads, weights and hooks or other delivery vehicles). These separate components need to be selected, matched and put together correctly for best results. Don’t be alarmed by this. Soft plastic fishing actually has a lot in common with bait fishing, so it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that rigging softies is a bit like baiting up! When you buy a packet of prawns or pilchards, they don’t come with the hooks and sinkers already fitted… soft plastics are no different. There are literally dozens of ways that soft plastics can be rigged, but

Always begin by measuring the chosen tail alongside the jig head, taking careful note of the position of the bend of the hook against the back of the plastic. This spot will be the exit point for the hook.

we’re going to start this series with a method that works on most of our fish under the vast majority of conditions: It’s a rigging strategy the Yanks call ‘Texposed’ (a combination of the words “Texas” and “exposed”). What it means is to present a plastic on a lead-headed jig by pushing the hook point of that jig head into the nose of the soft plastic and feeding the rubber tail around the hook bend before bringing the point out on the mid-line of the plastic’s back. The result is the standard soft plastic set up we are most familiar with. As simple as this rig sounds and looks, it’s critically important to get it exactly right. One of the commonest causes of poor fishing results with plastics is incorrectly rigged tails. Bent, twisted and off-centre plastics simply don’t swim properly. At their worst, they may spin in the water, looking completely unnatural and causing line twist. However, even tails that are rigged only a fraction out of whack and which lay over slightly on their sides when pulled through the water, or

Blue groper are hardly a common catch on soft plastics, but if you rig properly every time, you’ll soon start to rack up a growing list of species on these lures. don’t quite wriggle right, can often put sharp-eyed species such as bream, snapper or trout off biting. Following a couple of simple steps every single time you rig a soft plastic tail on a jighead will help to avoid these hassles, and although performing these steps properly probably add an average of 20 or 30 seconds to the rigging of each soft plastic, that extra time pays huge dividends in terms of fish caught. The four steps to effective rigging of a soft

plastic tail on a standard jighead are shown here. Study them carefully, read the captions with each photo and then go and rig a few softies. Regardless of the size, shape and style of the tails you rig, they should end up lying straight and true, just like the ones shown here… If they do, you’re well on your way to becoming a more successful soft plastics’ fisher! Next month I’ll be looking at rigging plastics weedless and snag-proof.

Help keep abalone disease out of NSW

Don’t use abalone gut as bait. Push the point of the hook into the dead centre of the soft plastic’s nose and begin carefully feeding the tail onto the hook.

The closure banning the use of abalone viscera (gut) as bait or burley in NSW remains in force.

It is illegal to use abalone gut as bait or burley, either recreationally or commercially, for the taking of any fish in all waters of NSW.

The use of abalone gut as bait has a high risk of introducing abalone viral

ganglioneuritis (AVG) into the NSW population of abalone, which would have severe and irreversible impacts on NSW stocks.

AVG has caused massive losses of abalone in Victoria since 2005, with up

to 95% mortality in certain areas. AVG has also been detected in abalone processing facilities in Tasmania, most recently in December 2011.

Several alternative baits are available to fish for the species previously targeted Continue feeding the plastic onto the hook and around the bend, keeping the shank of the hook as near to the middle or centre of the plastic as possible. Take your time!

with abalone gut. These include cunjevoi, pipis, prawns, and bread. Remember to check the rules for gathering bait.

Further information www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries Email: Aquatic Biosecurity aquatic.pests@dpi.nsw.gov.au Tel: (02) 4982 1232

Bring the hook point out dead centre along the plastic’s back at the precise location identified in Step 1 and give the tail a pull, twist and wriggle to make sure it lies dead straight.

Diseased abalone displaying AVG symptom – curling of the foot. (Photo: DPI Victoria)

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au

APRIL 2015

Hit the rocks for LBG action ILUKA

Ben Pilch bjpcdh@gmail.com

April is the start of our land based game season. Hopefully the rains that we had at the end of summer won’t mess with the season too much. The Spanish mackerel don’t mind a little colour, but the longtail tuna are a bit more finicky. Watching the weather and sea surface temperatures closely will help you to be out on the stones at the right time with the greatest chance of pulling one of those pelagic speedsters up on the bricks. It can be a bit of a lucky dip when you send out your live bait or throw a lure at this time of year, because you never know what you might hook. The bycatch sure can be interesting, ranging from mega tussles with sharks

or marlin, to a nice tasty mulloway. LBG is all about early starts and long days sitting in the elements with not much action. You may think that sounds boring, but trust me, the times when it all does comes together can have you walking around with a smile on your dial for ages and it’s very addictive. So if your spouse gets upset with you going out for a quick bream fish, don’t take up LBG fishing because I know blokes that go missing for months on end when the longtails are working the east coast. If this is all happening on land, you can bet it will also be happening outside as well. The boat fishos should be getting the same species at the usual spots like Shark Bay and Angourie. There are not many things more fun than trying to put the brakes on a longtail tuna with light

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Some of the fun things you can get into at this time of year — boat a cobia… gear. It always pays to have a casting outfit rigged up and ready to fire, so if you see a bit of bird action, you’re ready to go — and they can ‘go’ quite quickly sometimes. If chasing an upgrade on your Spanish mackerel, you can’t go past trolling a live bait. Try any of the usual suspects like yakkas, mullet or gar, but by far the best is a slimy mackerel. Slow trolling one around any of the inshore reefs should see you in with a good chance of connecting to something big. In the river, everyone will be keeping an eye out for the mullet and what feeds on them — the mighty Clarence Valley mulloway. Find the mullet and you can guarantee a few big silver slabs won’t be too far behind.

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APRIL 2015

Frankie Johnson caught this monster dart off the beach at Lennox head using his Daiwa rod and reel combo and fresh pipis.

Hobie announces 5th World Championship The fifth annual Hobie Fishing World Championship (HFW5), presented by Rhino-Rack™ and hosted by Hobie Cat® Australasia, will take place on Shang Lake in Changshu, China November 9-16 of this year. Located in the central eastern part of the country, Changshu is steeped in Chinese history, starting in 770BC, and will be a memorable experience for all attendees.

Anglers from over 20 countries are expected to compete in China’s first-ever HFW for the chance to be crowned this year’s Hobie Fishing World Champion. All competitors will fish for Chinese perch, topmouth cutler and yellowcheek carp from identically rigged Hobie Mirage® Pro Angler 14’s, provided by Hobie Cat Australasia and outfitted with Lowrance®

Electronics and PowerPole® MICRO™ Anchors. “It’s hard to believe that we are looking at our 5th World Championship,” commented Steve Fields, Managing Director Hobie Cat Australasia. “Each event has taken Hobie fishing to a new level. Number five promises to continue the tradition and be a big eye opener to all the competitors as they experience new fish and a very old culture.”

A series of three qualifying events to be held in Australia will give anglers the opportunity to qualify for a coveted spot on the Australian team. Dates and locations of the qualifiers are listed on www.hobiefishing.com.au. The tournament will be a traditional CPR (catch,

will be represented by at least one two-person team and combined measurements will be added to determine the Team Champion. Other event sponsors include the China Fishing Association, Changshu Yushan and Shanghu Tourist Resort, The Happy Fishing

and markets an impressive collection of eco-sensitive watercraft worldwide, with subsidiaries; Hobie Cat Australasia, in Huskisson, NSW, Australia and Hobie Cat Europe, in Toulon, France and independent distributors; Hobie Kayak Europe and Hobie Cat

International pride is at stake as anglers battle hard for angling supremacy.

A flotilla of Hobie kayaks greet anglers from across the globe at the Hobie Fishing World Championship.

Worlds largest fishing tackle store

photograph and release) format in which each competitor will enter his or her three best lengths in aggregate each day. The angler with the highest cumulative length over the three day period will be crowned Champion. Prizes will also be awarded to the top team representatives. Each participating country

Channel, AOJI Ltd, Daiwa, YakAttack and FUGOO. Since 1950, Hobie has been in the business of shaping a unique lifestylebased around fun, water, and innovative quality products. From their headquarters in Oceanside, California, Hobie Cat Company manufactures, distributes,

Brasil. These products include an ever-expanding line of recreation and racing sailboats, pedal-driven and paddle sit-on-top recreation and fishing kayaks, inflatable kayaks, fishing boats and stand-up paddleboards, plus a complementary array of parts and accessories. – Hobie Cat Austraslia

Have You Been Missing Out?

Find us here APRIL 2015

Avoid a fine and replace your rego numbers AYR

Steve Farmer

Having officers of the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol inspect your vessel is always a little unnerving. Even if you

So, with the latest inspection over, I once again breathed the usual sigh of relief – and then the officer casually mentioned that a few of my rego numbers were getting a bit tatty, which could cost me a fine. Well you know how

they’re stretched around the clinker creases. As you push the boat into the shed, you make a mental note to replace them before hitting the water again, but those mental notes are forgotten almost as quickly as a bad fishing trip. Drag your ship

Slowly peel off one of the old numbers. run a shipshape boat, you always wonder what you might have forgotten or overlooked as they check through lifejackets and other safety gear.

APRIL 2015

these things sneak up on you. After washing the rig down after yet another fishing trip you notice the numbers are flaking at the edges or cracking where

out for the next outing and the numbers are still tattered – in fact, probably more so. Fortunately the officer didn’t give me a fine, but her casual remark certainly

ensured the numbers were replaced within the week. And once it’s done you wonder why you procrastinated so long. Removing the old numbers and replacing them with new vinyl stick-on numbers is a simple and fairly quick job, which will ensure you don’t get a fine and it’ll spruce up the look of your boat. Here’s how I did it. I don’t claim it is the right or only method, but it worked for me so use it as a guide. To complete the job you’ll need methylated spirits, a soft rag, a little fine sandpaper and a plastic scraper. Yep, that’s all. The scraper can be made from a strip of stiff plastic with a chisel point filed on one end. Metal scrapers are readily available but may scratch the paintwork, fibreglass or aluminium. Of course you’ll also need new numbers, which are available at your marine dealer. They come in packs of two (one for each side of the boat) and cost only a dollar or two per pack. Planing hulls must be fitted with numbers 200mm high on each side of the vessel. The colour of the numbers should have a sharp contrast with that of the hull. Now, start at one end and peel a number off, but only one. By replacing just one number at a time it’s easy to position the new one in relation to the numbers either side of it. Strip them all off at once and you’ll find it much harder to ensure the end result is neat, wellspaced and aligned. If the number you’re removing is already tatty it’s likely you’ll be able to grab a corner and peel it straight off with steady pressure. If not, your trusty plastic scraper (or a fingernail) will allow you to lift an edge and get things started. If you have trouble removing the numbers, try applying a little heat with a heat gun. It may also be necessary to use the scraper at the same time. I didn’t have to do this so I don’t know how effective it is. Keep the gun moving and avoid applying too much heat in case you cook the number or burn the paintwork. Remember to check that there are no flammable materials or liquids nearby. This is definitely a last resort which requires much care. By the way, I think it’s worthwhile replacing all the numbers while you’re on the job and not just those that obviously need it. The intact numbers are probably just as old as the tatty ones and not that far off going to pieces themselves. With the vinyl number removed there’s a fair

chance you’ll have a residue of adhesive and possibly a few bits of vinyl left on the hull. I used the soft rag dampened with methylated spirits to clean this off – with

area covered by the number. I replaced the numbers on both my larger, painted tinnie and my smaller unpainted tinnie and after cleaning the adhesive

Top: Clean off old adhesive with a soft cloth and methylated spirits. Above: When applying the numbers begin at the top, peeling off the backing as you go. Apply only just enough tension to ensure a smooth application. care. Rub too hard or apply excess metho for too long and you risk taking the gloss off the paint of a painted hull – and I don’t know how it would effect gelcoat. Try to restrict any rubbing to the

residue from the unpainted rig I noticed a little surface corrosion under a few of the numbers. To ensure a smooth finish and to reduce any future corrosion problems in these spots I

With the number in place press it firmly all over to ensure it is fully adhered to the hull.

used the fine sandpaper to carefully clean the corrosion off. Take care to lightly sand only the effected areas under the numbers so you don’t mark the surrounding hull. With the corrosion sanded off, clean the area again with the cloth dampened with methylated spirits. With the hull clean and dry you can now fit the new number. As mentioned earlier, you can use the adjacent numbers to locate the new number, or there may be a ‘shadow’ of the old number highlighted by un-faded paint or shiny aluminium. This is the perfect guide for applying your new number. I started at the top of each number, peeling back a little of the backing. Don’t peel back all or even a large proportion of the backing or the number will end up out of shape and sticking everywhere except the right place. With the top edge of the number stuck in place, slowly peel back the backing and apply the number to the hull. Apply the numbers with only enough tension to avoid creasing – definitely do not stretch the numbers as this may result in them being stretched out of shape and eventually cracking or breaking sooner than they should. This is especially

Two down, four to go. Note how most numbers crack and let go in the folds of the clinker hull. important when sticking the numbers to an irregular surface. Many pressed aluminium and some fibreglass boats have clinker sides and other strengthening creases and it’s essential to slowly follow the shape of the hull with minimal tension, ensuring the numbers get into these nooks and crannies. It is in these creases that the numbers are most likely to first crack and begin to peel. At the same time you must take care to maintain the correct shape of the numbers as you apply them, ensuring they don’t end up distorted at the bottom. You should also watch for any bubbles under the

vinyl and try to smooth them out with your fingers as you go. Try to avoid having to lift the number off once it has been applied. With the number in place, press it down firmly all over to ensure it is properly adhered to the hull. With the first number done, move onto the next. You’ll quickly gain skill and confidence and should easily knock over the job in a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. It may sound fiddly (and it can be) but with a slow methodical approach you’ll achieve a professionallooking job which will keep both you and the boating and fisheries officers happy.

Spots of surface corrosion were sanded smooth.

It’s worth replacing all the numbers. Some might look okay but they are just as old as the other numbers and are probably ready to peel off.

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Despite the deluge, it’s fish on environment being a little fresher than usual. The action continued once the heavier rain had settled down, although the middle sections of the estuaries can still be very on and off at the moment. Some days there are bustups everywhere as schools of trevs smash the surface, while other days it feels like there is nothing alive in the river and it’s all been washed out to sea. Further upstream again, and the bass are in feeding mode. I love bass fishing when there is a bit more flow in the rivers, as it narrows down the target areas. Bass will never sit out in the full flow, as it takes a lot of energy that they’d rather save. When the main river channels area running hard, you can rule them out. The fish will be sitting in slower water or in the eddies. Targeting the slower sections of water at the bottom end of the pools or the eddies at bottom of the rapids are almost guaranteed haunts of bass waiting for some kind of prey item to flow past. Get you lure in these spots and you’re in with a

COFFS HARBOUR

Stephen Worley worleybirdfilms@hotmail.com

We have had nearly 1000mm of rain so far this year, and more is falling as I type. It feels like there isn’t much more to write about other than it has rained... and rained... oh yeah, then it rained some more, but despite all the precipitation in recent months, there has still been a reasonable amount of action on some fronts. Through all but the very peak of the ex-cyclone Marcia rain event, our estuaries remained fishable on the incoming tide despite the days of precipitation. There has still been plenty of whiting and flathead about, particularly as the clearer ocean water pushes up into the estuaries. Surface lures are great when the water’s a bit dirty, as they make noise to attract attention and the fish are less wary of being spotted, so are more confident in hitting a well-worked popper. Further upstream and the trevally and jacks have no qualms about their

great chance at a fish. If a hooked bass gets out into the current, it’s game on for a good fight. Surface lures are working well, so too are bibbed minnows that can get down and grab the attentions of a bass or 2 within the constrains of a smaller work area. Please remember though, that even shallow water, when flowing fast, can easily pin your kayak, yourself or both against objects like logs and rocks. If you’re unsure, just check each rapid before running them and walk around if there are fallen logs or branches in the water. Up on the plateau, the rain came as a relief from the sun. Trout fishing in faster water can be similar to bass fishing, in that it narrows down focus areas for fishing. Now is the time to be chasing larger rainbows and browns in those flat ditch-like creeks around Ebor. Normally devoid of much flow, the extra water allows good solid eddies and gravel banks to form, giving you defined areas for targeting larger fish holding there. Back down at sea level, the beach and rock fishing

Solitary Islands Marine Park Planning a trip to the Coffs Coast?

options have been limited due to the wind and swell, but when the conditions are suitable there has been great mulloway fishing around the river and creek mouths. Large and loud hardbody lures work well in dirty floodwaters, and have regularly accounted for mulloway up to 10kg this last month. Tailor can still be found on most headlands, and when the seas are right, this month is your best chance at a land based mackerel or longtail tuna. There has been limited opportunity to get offshore due to the weather, but when that chance arrives, get out there as there has been plenty of action. Even in the rough green to brown inshore waters, there have been plenty of mackerel keen for any kind of live bait; bonito and slimieys are always the pick though. Either of these species will work well as a dead bait if you run out of live ones. Last year was one of the best mackerel seasons in ages and it looks like this year will be a great one too, especially given that we haven’t been able to have a good crack at it yet. Just a word of warning for those trolling live and dead baits; be willing to put up with being in a high tax bracket with the taxman shark around in large numbers. Many trips

‘Ace angler’ Matt McEwan with a lure-caught Spanish mackerel of about the typical size we’ve seen this year. and most of you may have heard about the infamous surge present there. If you haven’t launched at Coffs before, watch a few others do so before you have a crack. I urge everyone to play safe and be patient with each other. Everyone’s keen to do the same thing — getting out there and into some fish. Some have more experience than others, and

up on the Solitary Islands Marine Park and its zones, rules and regulations. This is relevant for anyone fishing from Coffs Harbour northwards and up to Sandon River, and includes those fishing land based and estuary locations. All the details can be found at the following link: http://www.mpa.nsw.gov. au/simp.html

There’s plenty to see and do! The Solitary Islands Marine Park is renowned for its excellent fishing, diving, snorkelling, surfing and many other family activities. Spanning 75km of coastline from Muttonbird Island at Coffs Harbour to Plover Island at Sandon, the Marine Park is over 71,000 hectares in size. The five Solitary Islands and surrounding reefs are a key feature of the Park. PHOTO: NICOLA JOHNSTONE

Prior to visiting the Park pick up a Zoning Summary and User Guide from the local marine park office at 32 Marina Drive, Coffs Harbour Jetty

For further information call

02 6691 0600 36

APRIL 2015

BRETT VERCOE

BRYAN STOCKS

DAVID HARASTI

In the Solitary Islands Marine Park there is over 550 species of reef fish, 100 species of coral and 600 species of mollusc. Marine parks are multiple use and a zoning plan is in place to manage this natural asset.

Bass fishing doesn’t get any better than a fast water surface strike right next to the kayak. have reported at 10-1 ratios for shark capture/hookup versus mackerel. For those up for the Easter break, please be aware that the boat ramp entrance gets dangerously shallow on the low tide

some will do a better job than others, but as long as everyone’s sensible, a few minutes waiting for or helping a tourist isn’t going to wreck your day. Visitors and locals may also want to brush

With everything firing on all cylinders, offshore, inshore and in the rivers, I don’t think it will matter what the weather does — there will be some cracking fishing to be had this month so get out there.

Mackerel make up for missing marlin in April COFFS GAME

Glen Booth

Well the amount of rain ex-tropical cyclone Marcia dropped on the Coffs coast hasn’t done what has been

a pretty tragic game fishing season thus far any favours. Surprisingly though, the brown muck didn’t spread as wide as everyone expected it to, and the FAD and the wave recorder buoy had quite acceptable water flowing

Hooked up to another Spaniard in what has been an incredible autumn bite.

Yep, dead-set giving them away out there, no doubt about it. Here’s the evidence. filtering in, a bit of time spent trolling was deemed worthwhile, and so it proved to be. An hour at Bullocky produced an 8.5-kilo bar-ee on a Laser Pro. This was a pretty good result for about a cup of fuel; the downside was that as I lifted the fish aboard on the gaff, the rear treble ended up in my elbow. Not being in any way prepared for fishing, I had to carry the flapping mack into the cabin, find mono cutters, find the hookout pliers, and then find the bolt cutters to cut the treble off. Fortunately the point had gone right through, so I was able to slide it back out the way it had gone in. All of a sudden though, I was inspired. The next morning, 5 sad, decrepit, freezer burnt and mushy bonito were called upon to perform. These were converted into 3 Spanish from 5 bites, coming from the mankiest brown water you could ever hope to see. The macks were in it though, and a stack of them too. And the bite has since continued on, and on, and on… When mackerel fever strikes Coffs, flexi-days, RDOs, 24 hour doses of man flu, imaginary religious holidays, and the more honest “Won’t be in tomorrow — I’m going fishing…” grips the town. I counted 60 cars and boat trailers at the boat ramp on a nice day mid-week,

and you could probably add another 30 plus on weekends. If any politician, mayor or tourism executive ever needed to see the value of recreational QUALITY FISHING

HO O

It’s been another good year on the Spanish, with the fish holding on all the known haunts.

past them less than 2 weeks later. The shelf water was purple blue and 27 degrees, but barrelling south at 3-4kts. Of course there were few, if any, marlin in any of this — they’re still north of the border or spread out from Port Stephens all the way down into Victoria… So if you’ve got an excess of lemons, well you make lemonade. The good news is that the Spanish mackerel have turned up in droves, at this stage matching last year’s stellar season. The downside is that the preferred bait option, which is slimy mackerel, have vanished off sounder screens right on cue, leaving only yellowtail as a live bait alternative. Some days they can be every bit as good as slimies, but most times you just know they’re not going to get bit. The only bait options then have been garfish or chinrigged bonito, but of course small bonnies are now hard to come by too. With this in mind, the bonito and frigates that come aboard my boat next winter while trolling to and from the snapper grounds will be cryovaced and given the 5 star treatment and pride of place in the bait freezer – just in case. With a lack of marlin activity, my poor old boat hadn’t been out of the pen in ages, so I just took it for a run out the front 1 afternoon to blow the slime off the hull. With a few mackerel reports

fishing to a place like Coffs — and the reason for decent facilities to service locals’ needs and attract tourists — it’s parked right there.

FLASHERS ARE HERE!

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Minimal rain, so the fishing remains sound SOUTH WEST ROCKS

Brent Kirk kempsey@compleatangler.com.au

The rainy season sure lived up to its reputation once again. The Macleay River dodged a bullet just recently, as ex-tropical cyclone Marcia hit central Queensland and moved south along the coast and out to sea, rather than along the range. This led to heavy localised coastal rainfall along our coastline and into Kempsey, but not too much in the higher

catchment areas. Unfortunately, this heavy localised rainfall did lead to another fish kill in the lower Macleay. Fish kills are generally caused when highly acidic, deoxygenated water drains off the floodplains into the river system, killing the fish. It is heartbreaking seeing fish of all shapes and sizes floating belly up in the tide. Studies are currently being undertaken to rectify this problem through a joint team made up of representatives from the University of New South

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Wales, Kempsey Shire Council, and other key government agencies. Looking now though, you would not even know this tragedy had occurred, except for maybe a few hundred extra pelicans that have stayed on in the area after coming in for an easy feed. Bream, whiting, flathead and school mulloway are all present in good numbers from Jerseyville through to the entrance of the river. The crab population of the Macleay is still booming. Smithtown through to Jerseyville is holding the most, as well as a few areas up Clybucca Creek. Easter brings cooler days and the end of Daylight Savings, which usually marks the time to start

river. Imitating them with large lures and soft plastics, or using live baits, are surefire ways to snare one of these monster mulloway. Australian bass have started to move downstream, prompted by the high flowing water from the latest rises. A lot of fish will reside around the railway and traffic bridges in Kempsey throughout April. The closed season for bass has been extended by a month from this year on, and will now start on May 1, meaning that all fish captured after this date need to be released unharmed or, better still, left alone to breed as unmolested as possible. The beaches are still producing good numbers of whiting and flathead, along

heavy commercial presence on the beaches once these spawning runs are in full swing, as there is every year at this time. When I think of rock fishing in our region, Easter is the time that springs into my mind. There is nothing better than walking onto

mackerel sizes seem to be increasing, with Hat Head and Point Plomer being hot spots as the schools progress south. With water temperatures well over 25 degrees, wahoo are now getting in on the act as well. Spotted mackerel are still in good

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The author with a small Spanish taken at Hat Head. targeting larger Macleay mulloway. These larger predators will be patrolling the first few kilometres of the river, stalking the schools of winter spawning fish entering the mouth of the

with unusually high catches of big tailor for this time of year. Spawning runs of bream will occur from now as we head towards winter. If bream fishing is your thing, get in early as there will be a

your favourite ledge before sunrise, with images in your head of cobia, Spanish mackerel, marlin and longtail tuna, all of which are a distinct possibility at this time of year. Alternatively, heading out after work armed with some soft plastics, fresh mullet or squid, chasing mulloway from these same ledges is also a good option. You definitely don’t need a boat to catch a big fish at Easter. Offshore fishing is still mostly concentrated around the inshore reefs. Spanish

concentrations up at Grassy Head, but a more finessed approach may be required, as these fish get a bit finicky, especially with the Easter crowds. Live bait supplies have not been red hot, however, there always seems to be something available whenever you go out. Bonito have been the most reliable bait source, as well as some small mac tuna and frigates. Scad, slimies and yakkas have been a bit spasmodic of late.

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To page 39

Fishing Fill-its

Fish to flourish with new habitat funding Fish habitats across NSW will be given a helping hand with the investment of over $575,000 in grants allocated to recreational angling clubs, community groups, landholders and local councils for 31 fish habitat projects, released recently by the Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson. Minister Hodgkinson said the 31 habitat rehabilitation projects being funded this year cover many popular coastal and inland fishing spots in NSW, with nearly $1.9 million committed as in-kind support from the successful applicants. “This is great news for 31 areas across NSW which will see major improvements to local creeks, riverbanks,

recreational anglers for the applications and an increase in applications directly from recreational fishing clubs and associations. “Successful projects which have received funding are located near cities and towns including Batemans Bay, Bilambil, Belmont, Bonshaw, Dubbo, Evans Head, Harrington, Hill End, Inverell, Kempsey, Kyogle, Lansdowne, Lismore, North Ryde, Orange, Penrith, Rylstone, Tuncurry, Wentworth and Yeoval.” In total, the 31 projects will: provide 470 kilometres of enhanced access for fish, control over 375 kilometres of invasive riverbank weeds,

Katrina Hodgkinson, Minister for Primary Industries

Abalone gut illegal The use of abalone gut as bait or burley remains illegal in NSW in an attempt to continue to safeguard our valuable abalone stocks against disease. Abalone viral ganglioneuritis (AVG), has killed up to 95% of stock in certain affected areas in Victoria, and has also been identified in abalone live holding facilities in Tasmania. The use of abalone gut as bait carries a high risk of introducing the disease into NSW, threatening both the commercial fishery, and recreational harvesting of abalone. If this disease were introduced to NSW it would almost certainly decimate abalone stocks in NSW. Studies have shown the virus can survive the harvesting and storage process, including freezing. From page 38

Cobia are another great species to target and will be found from the gaol grounds through to Point Plomer. Setting up near a good source of bait with livies at different levels throughout the water column should result in 1 of these prized fish if they are around. Downriggers are another great tool for targeting them with. Simply set your live bait at the depth that the bait is holding and work methodically over the bait grounds until you find where the larger predators are located. It definitely pays to fish heavy at this time of year, as sharks can be a problem and will almost definitely be flanking any area holding pelagics. These are all too

wetlands and better access for fish, which will improve fish habitats and ultimately produce more fish,” Ms Hodgkinson said. “The program this year was highly competitive with 60 applications submitted, and we saw strong support by local

come fishing at Studies have shown the virus can survive the harvesting and storage process, including freezing. Abalone gut is a specialist bait used mainly by people fishing for black drummer. As drummer and abalone share the same habitat it is necessary to maintain this ban to prevent the inadvertent spread of potentially infected baits into areas where it is likely do the most harm. Fortunately, there are a number of other highly effective baits that can be

used including cunjevoi, pippies, prawns and bread. Other Australian jurisdictions have introduced similar bans on the use of abalone gut as bait to protect wild abalone stocks from AVG. Aside from endangering the future of abalone stocks in NSW, anglers found using abalone gut as bait or burley in NSW risk severe penalties. – NSWDPI

happy to turn your prize catch into a head that will only be good for the crab trap. The current generally slows down after Easter, making bottom fishing and

deep dropping out wide a possibility, allowing access to a whole range of species that have generally been untouched for the last few months.

S G N KoIr 2015 O BOnow f

implement 1.2 kilometres of bank erosion control, revegetate 10 kilometres of riparian zone, install 40 complex woody habitats and restore over 2000 square metres of seagrass “Funding for these grants was provided through the Recreational Fishing Trusts, where all money raised by the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee are placed into the Recreational Fishing Trusts and spent on improving recreational fishing in NSW,” Ms Hodgkinson said. A full list of successful projects can be found at w w w. d p i . n s w. g o v. a u / hag. - NSWDPI

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Port’s offshore action peaking THE HASTINGS

Mark Saxon castawayestuarycharters@bigpond.com

Port Macquarie’s great offshore fishing run looks likely to continue into the next month, as continued

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reports and pics come in of anglers tangling with small black marlin and Spanish and spotted mackerel. The beauty of this is that it is all happening from Plomer Bay to Grassy Head! Some anglers are trolling livies, others are trolling skirted lures, but both appear to be working. If you want

and this altered our fishing targets and techniques. When the water is dirty, you will find most fishermen on the north and south walls chasing mulloway, and this time was no different. A few decent fish were caught and I was lucky enough to be involved in the capture of a 1.35m fish, caught by Kyle Vandermealen.

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Big flathead are always a chance, and here’s another caught by Mandy Saxon on a recent trip. to target mahimahi, there has been plenty of smaller fish around the FAD and most boats are getting amongst them, so it is happy days. For the guys wanting to chase a few reds in close, around the 20m mark has been the go. The reason for this is, once the tide starts ripping it has been difficult to work plastics or get baits down in the deeper water. The fish on offer have been good quality, with Ryan Ford recently getting his PB at 85cm — a cracking fish anyone would be happy to land. I would suggest April and May will see some very good reds come in, so be on the water for that. ESTUARY FISHING After getting a fair caning from above recently, the Hastings certainly ran a reasonable shade of brown

Kyle was using a big floating hardbody lure and letting it go out with the bottom of the tide. The lure was about 60m away when retrieved, and sure enough it got belted! After a bit of a struggle the fish was close enough for me to clamber down the wall for a gaff shot. As the pic shows,

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the morning and then coming back to do the same in the afternoon. Luckily this is not the majority.

Plenty of small black marlin are about. This specimen was caught and released on board Dave Wells’ boat Calypso.

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Kyle was one happy angler. There were more fish landed, but a smaller run this time, with quite a few just

Ryan Ford made the most of a terrific offshore day with this cracking 85cm snapper.

legals being caught. With the water getting some clarity back, the fish will be chewing throughout the river. Some very nice whiting have been taken from the back channel near the marina. Again, poppers have been catching the majority of the fish. Also in the back channel, fishing into the shoreline has produced flathead and bream on small plastics. Try the Berkley Gulp in camo, or pumpkinseed jigging grubs, as they have been getting plenty of attention of late. Flathead have been going crazy at Lake Cathie, as with the lake full to near opening height, they have all moved down the front. Seriously, it has been so easy to catch a fair few fish with either plastics or whitebait. The prawn imitations from Zerek and other companies have been great fish catchers too. I really must say when the fishing is like this it is great to get a feed, but a few anglers need to learn about ‘Limit your catch, not catch your limit’. I do not see the point of keeping 10 fish in

Prawns have been non-existent in the lake and that has been disappointing after earlier signs indicated we were in for a good season. ROCK AND BEACH While we were chasing mulloway from the wall, it was interesting to see a young fellow pulling consistently good size tailor from the beach side. With that in mind, North Beach should be good for tailor this month, as will Lighthouse and Grants Beach. While pilchards on gang hooks will get you onto some fish, over the last couple of seasons we have caught some of our bigger tailor on bonito fillets. I like using these as it really does open the door for a good mulloway to get in on the act. Don’t forget that when the tailor are there a mulloway will never be far away. That’s why a few tailor heads and slabs are useful for bait. These can be put on a slightly heavier rod set up and thrown out waiting for the silver ghost to show up. Then who knows — your fish could be in the next issue of NSWFM!

School’s out — the running of the mullet FORSTER

David Seaman dseamo@bigpond.com

The Easter break is traditionally the start of the mullet run, and a refocus on species that spill out of the estuary with them. The long, dark clouds of

interest the visitors and locals that care to stroll the wall, and I’m sure there’ll be plenty of fish caught. The mullet are not only a bounty for the netters; they are also a bonus for the larger predators like mulloway and sharks. The walls should fish well this month for the former on live

becomes, but there may be a big ghost reward too. Over the next couple of months, the breakwalls will see a lot of aquatic traffic drifting out of the lake. Shoals of blackfish, king prawns and the beginning of the winter bream run will provide opportunities for land based anglers along the Tuncurry side from the bridge to the end of the wall. Lightly weighted yabbies drifted with the first of the runout tide and in the evening will produce blackfish, bream and even school mulloway throughout the autumn months. Fishing deeper during the morning or through the day will produce less, but is well worth the effort. The beauty of the fish filtering out onto the coast is that many of the bream hold up on the leases in the

The mullet run is like a natural berley trail to the mulloway on the beaches and along the rock walls. mullet pump out along the breakwalls like a steady pulse, and gather under the waves of nearby beaches. Commercial fishermen hauling the sandy strip

baits and plastics, but be prepared for those howling runs that result in bite offs or a whaler. It will be the price paid for the abundance of bait and the natural berley it

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paddock area, or around the bridge waiting for the right time to move. While a lot of bream head to the coast, there is still good fish in the lake and Mount it!

leases around the Wallamba River and Bandicoot Island. At the bottom end of the lake around Pacific Palms, there has been more than just a couple of pan-sized snapper taken on plastics while fishing for bream. Some fish have been caught in less than 1m of water and go like stink on light line. The lake is, as most estuaries are, a nursery for growing snapper, and I guess these guys just didn’t want to leave home! Spending enough time fishing for the resident bream and flathead in the lower lake, there is a fair chance of catching these well-conditioned and fit pinkies. Another species that seems plentiful in the lower lake are sand whiting. Reports of whiting on surface lures are still coming through, and the fish are studs, some pushing the 40cm mark. It would be interesting to know what sort of bag would be possible with a few worms and live yabbies as bait. The blue swimmer and mud crabs continue to produce what I think is the best season for them in the past decade. The number of crabs spawning during the prawn runs is certainly more than I’ve seen in the past, and that has to be a good thing for future stocks. With the number of crabs around at the moment, I have been releasing all the females in my pots. Generally outnumbered by males anyway, it’s a no brainer to release the females and just keep the males. It’s a personal choice, but why kill

A school mulloway on a wall drift. It’s amazing how effective small vibes are on these fish. my efforts with lures, they remained tight lipped. A live mullet may be required to prise their mouths open. The offshore scene has been hot and cold, a bit like the ocean currents. If you find the warm water you’ll find the fish and there has been plenty of small black marlin entertaining the seasoned and newcomers alike. Trolling skirted lures and switch baiting with live baits is a great way to cover the miles; tease the fish in and present a lively offering. Trag, snapper and flathead have been the targets for many anglers, and the settled weather should

way it’s a bonus. Bass fishing this month should be as comfortable as it gets. The mild days lend themselves to prolonged hours on the water without the fatigue of the summer heat, while the fish are still actively smashing lures. Recent rain has also helped stem the excessive debris buildup in the slower moving pools, with higher water flows and flushes. For a good breeding cycle this year, we need a significant drop in water temperature and a moderate rise in water levels around May-June. The low water levels last year meant many of the breeders

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your cow when you have too many bulls. Those hunting trophy flathead should concentrate their efforts around the weed fringe of Miles (Sandy) Island or Tern and Little Tern Islands. I saw 3 fish over 90cm free swimming the other day, and in spite of

provide ample opportunity to get out and enjoy a day or 2. One of Shane Crockett’s clients managed a decent Spanish mackerel off Forster last month, which is a good indication of the hot currents that have pushed down from the north — or perhaps it is climate change, but either

didn’t get an opportunity to travel. All in all, the Easter break signals the change of season and a whole lot of promise for the coming cooler months. I for 1 am looking forward to the cooler weather, settled seas and a change of species.

Manning River is on fire – mullet running soon HARRINGTON-TAREE

Ian Pereira ianpereira@aapt.net.au

This year, the weather conditions in the Manning area have provided a magnificent buildup for the coming mullet run. There have been a couple of ‘freshes’ in the river, and quite a few storms in the headwaters to keep the water dirty in the upstream parts. This has forced the prawns and shrimp downstream and provided plenty of feed for the bream and flathead in the lower parts of the estuary. The lower part of the Manning is clear of dirty water and is a bright blue in colour. Mullet, garfish, herring and small tailor abound in schools in this part, and all the fish are feeding on them. There are many schools of mullet in the lower parts of the river and some sages think that they will run early, even before ANZAC Day, but I believe they will hold off. ESTUARY Bream are starting to school up in the lower reaches and some good catches have been made from the upriver parts of the Harrington Wall and the spur wall at Manning

Point. Fresh yabbies and flesh baits have worked best. The flathead have moved a bit further upriver and are biting on live baits, yabbies and soft plastics. Whiting are taking worms and yabbies fished on the sandflats in the mouth of the river, and surface poppers have pinned their share of fish as well. Luderick are frequenting the river wall near where the spur used to be, and are taking green weed and cabbage baits during the day, then fresh yabbies at night. A few small mulloway of around

4kg have been caught on live bait near the gantry. BEACH AND ROCK Chopper tailor have turned up in big numbers, and it is possible to catch a good bag of fish each outing. Crowdy Beach is the best spot to try, with catches coming from the northern end. Sizes range from just legal to around 45cm. The southern end of the beach has produced bags of up to 5 bream on worms, mullet strips and pipis. The salmon have moved on and none have been caught for a couple of weeks.

Some nice sized tailor have been spun and caught on bait from the rocks on the southern side of the headland at Crowdy. OFFSHORE The last 2 weeks have been a bit rough for outside angling, but before that there were plenty of small black marlin from 20-50kg to troll

a lure for. Flathead on the drift off the mouth of the Manning have been the main source of fish for those keen enough to venture out. IN SUMMARY April is definitely one of the best times to fish the Manning and the surrounding beaches. The schooling mullet bring the

large mulloway and sharks into the estuary, so a live bait or a fresh bleeding slab of tailor, mullet or bonito will certainly get a ‘run’. The beaches and headlands will also provide some good tailor on bobby cork rigs, and a hookup on a big mulloway if fishing at first light or dusk.

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Some species are leaving, while others arrive PORT STEPHENS

Paul Lennon

Over the last couple of reports, I’ve been saying how we are coming into the best time of year to be fishing in Port Stephens. Well here we are now, right smack bang in the middle of it. April, to me, is without doubt the best month of the year to catch fish here. It’s

next month. Inside the bay, the flathead fishing has been great, with the most productive areas being the lower end of the port, from Soldiers Point through to the inside of both headlands. Soft plastics are without a doubt the most popular method for chasing lizards, but if you’re more bait inclined, the old slow rolling of a ganged pilchard along the bottom still

bream and whiting, but you should be able to pick them up for a while yet, unless we get a sudden drop in water temperature. The best areas for whiting will be the flats from Tea Gardens through to Pindamar Bay. For bream, I would be focusing my efforts around the natural and man-made structure from Soldiers Point to the entrance of the Karuah River. If land based and you want to chase bream, it’s hard to beat tossing a few unweighted peeled prawns around the ever-consistent Nelson Bay Marina and adjacent rock walls. April is usually a cracker month for mulloway in the estuary, particularly in the deeper water around Middle Island and Fame Cove. Putting in the effort to get quality live baits such as slimy mackerel, yakkas or squid is one of the keys to success in these deepwater estuary zones.

holding numbers of slimies and yakkas, while Shoal Bay boat moorings are the

whiting still around, and bream beginning to travel along the beaches, as are

Bream will still be active on the surface throughout April.

April is a great month for flathead. a real crossover time where the tail end of the season for some fish overlaps with the start of the season for others. My advice is make the most of April and fish as much as you can, especially for species like flathead, whiting, marlin and longtail tuna, as these fish will start to slow by

works a treat. Jimmys, Shoal Bay and Nelson Bay beaches all continue to produce quality whiting, with those enjoying best results fishing around the top of the tide using live worms or nippers for bait. It’s coming to the end of the surface fishing season for

Chris Drake displays a better then average snapper caught from the inshore reefs. The Corlette wreck is the most convenient place to find a few livies, as more often then not it will be

an easy meal, so it will be well worth targeting one of these after dark this month.

best bet for a few squid. The beaches will fish exceptionally well through April, with plenty of

schools of luderick and mullet. This, in turn, will attract larger predators like mulloway looking to grab

Off the rocks, it’s prime time for longtail tuna, and also the best chance you’ll have all year of getting connected to a cobia. The Tomaree rock ledge is by far the most popular spot to fish for these species, and for good reason too, however, you will need to get there early if you expect to get a spot! Offshore and it’s all happening, with striped marlin still in good numbers around the Car Park area, as well as the odd cracker blue out a bit wider. Inshore, and small black marlin to 50kg are worth targeting in 20-40f of water, off the islands, out the front, and all the way up to Seal Rocks. The 21, Vee and Gibber reefs should all fire this month, with mixed bags of trag, snapper and mowies likely, as well as quality sand flathead around the edges.

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A heady mix of fish species HUNTER COAST

Gary Earl earlybird13@optusnet.com.au

How time flies by; we are already over another summer season of exceptional fishing and with the water and currents turning and running back up-hill, we can expect this month to see both warm and cooler water fish species mixed together.

Flathead are still prevalent throughout the river as I pen this, and bream are running the beaches also, but expect the whiting, tailor and mulloway to thin out from here. The ocean is now coming alive with drummer, salmon, trevally and leatherjackets, which I have been told are already turning up in numbers on the close reefs, as are the dreaded sweep — or as we know them

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Newcastle bream. It’s funny that, I think they got the name as there are so many taken in this area over winter that

the label just stuck and most anglers know them this way. Firstly though, the beaches are fishing very well for bream, flathead, mulloway and whiting, but the latter will decline slowly, so this is usually the last month they are taken in any size and good numbers. The bream, on the other hand, have been on the bite with plenty of nice sized table fish taken on all beaches, with Stockton being the pick. Rough days and good deep gutters are the 2 things you should be looking for, as well as some nice bait such as worms, pipis, messy mullet gut, and mullet fillets or half a good quality pilchard. With these as bait, you will also take the flathead that are laying on the side of the holes and deeper channels along the beaches.

has been brought into effect because a few idiots go driving up into the sand stabilisation areas and leave rubbish behind, but hopefully there will be a small window of grace so anglers can get hold of them, as it sometimes takes a while for tourists who come from other areas to get into the know. Off the rocks, luderick are entering the river and estuaries, and drummer should be ready to break

A nice table flathead taken on a soft plastic at night in the Hunter River. Fishing under lights where insects fall into the water represents a free feed for many species. Offshore, schools of small kingfish and table snapper have been the talk of the town. I was at Stockton boat ramp and saw a few boats turn up at the cleaning table with a good mix of fish from the close reefs off Newcastle;

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APRIL 2015

everything you put in the water. Spinning for salmon, the odd tailor, and school tuna, should make a day on the rocks a great time out, but please be careful as over this past summer a number of lives have been lost in very well used areas, even with life rings in place. Don’t think it’s just while you’re fishing either, as it can happen when collecting weed and crabs close to the edge, so don’t turn your back to the sea and have friends watching out for you.

snapper around 2kg, kingfish around 6kg, morwong and nannygai thrown in, as well as the humble old leatherjacket. I spotted a few big sergeant bakers, which I have tried to prepare in different ways over the years due to their exceptional size and meat content, but I can’t eat them except in a fish curry. Blokes who smoke them say they come up okay, so I will have to try that out soon. I was wetting a line up at Tomago not long back, and watched small tinnies being

numerous occasions and know why I pass so many stranded boats on the side of the road needing new bearings to get them on their way again. So that’s my tip this month; unless you have a huge fibreglass or exceptionally heavy boat, there is no reason to do it. I threw this out at a local fishing club meeting recently and most said the same — they don’t sink the bearings to get a small boat on and off a trailer. Think of the time and savings you will make.

From the lake to the shelf, the fish are on SWANSEA

Jason Scerri jayro@hotmail.com.au

Well what a month it has been. The offshore season has been an absolute cracker and there is no other way to describe it. The numbers of inshore black marlin have been fantastic once again for local and visiting anglers alike, and they have stretched all the way from Swansea up to Port Stephens. If chasing marlin is not your thing, then not to worry, you certainly haven’t missed out. Whether it’s the calm waters of Lake Macquarie, the rock ledges, or the offshore blue waters, if you have been out searching for a few fish this past month, odds are you would have been a happy angler on most occasions. We’ll kick things off with a wrap of the offshore scene, as this is the hot topic of late. Marlin numbers really started to fire towards the end of February, and we have been fortunate enough to

to run into more sizeable versions and also striped marlin to 100kg. For those looking for quality rather than quantity, it’s a great time of year to load the heavy 37kg outfits

fish will generally be up to 500m away. Live yakkas and pilchard cubes work very well on these fish, and trolling 4” skirts or flicking soft plastics around can also produce the goods.

This trevally off the flats was welcome bycatch during a bream session on hardbody lures.

Dan Guilfoyle with one of the many solid snapper he has managed of late out of his 4.1m Polycraft. see the action hang around throughout March. Generally we would expect the run of inshore black marlin to pretty well finish up as we enter April, but in saying that it only takes a good push of current with bait present for that to change, so keep your eyes on the reports via social media and be ready if they do fire in close. Bait has been no problems to secure, with large schools of slimy mackerel very common. Anglers concentrating on these bait schools fishing live baits are doing well, but many marlin are falling for trolled skirted lures in that 5-7” size range. As a general guide, the further offshore you are, the larger the marlin are likely to be. Basically, the inshore grounds in that 20-50f area will hold the smaller 20-60kg blacks, and then as you head a little wider you are likely

the lake, with 6-10m housing many big fish. Just remember that when you do get that big girl to do your best to let her go after a few happy snaps so we can all enjoy this action for years to come.

on board, rig the 12-14” lures and punch out to the shelf and around the canyons. You may find fewer marlin, but the upside is the size and species, with big blue marlin now on the cards. It’s certainly no place for the faint hearted, being a long way offshore, the fights regularly going on for hours at a time, and often ending in favour of the fish. This can be disheartening, but when it all comes together it’s just down right mind blowing. Aside from marlin, mahimahi are also around in good numbers. Not as good as last season, but still well worth the effort, that’s for sure. If you’re limited to the weekends, I certainly suggest getting out there nice and early to beat the crowds. Also don’t be afraid to fish away from the usual FADs and fish traps, as when the crowds are about the larger

Lake Macquarie has been fishing very well over the warmer months. We are now entering into an ‘in between’ season where the winter species are yet to settle in and the warm water action will quieten down a little. In saying that, there is no shortage of fish on offer. The flats are still producing good numbers of bream to 40cm. Shallow diving hardbody lures are working well and surface action is producing on occasions. The whiting have also been on the chew, with some very nice fish falling to the same methods as the bream. We are now finding that the flathead have basically moved off the flats. Numbers falling for our lures are way down on the past month or so. Over the next month these fish will move into deeper water and for the next few months we will start to find good numbers in deeper areas of

Working blades or larger soft plastics will be the method I focus on for targeting these deepwater flathead in coming months, and I can assure you there will be more than a few mulloway as bycatch reported this winter, as there is each year. Many anglers ask me if I really do use scent when fishing or if it’s just an item I sell. I am completely honest when answering this question. I very rarely use scent when fishing hardbody lures in summer, as the fish are hitting the lure as a reaction bite, but as we move into the cooler months and start fishing deeper water, I basically never put a lure out without scent on it. I am a big believer in scent attracting mulloway and flathead in deeper water during the cooler months, so give it a go this year — you won’t regret it.

Coal Point, Green Point, Wangi and Bolton Point are very good areas to concentrate on during these coming months and I am sure they will produce again this year. Squid have been in abundance over the past couple of months. Anglers are getting their bag limits within an hour at times. Most are arrow squid and not overly large, but they are very tasty, that’s for sure, and also the perfect bait size for a mulloway session. Green Point in the north part of the lake and also the drop over has been producing the goods. Squid jigs in pink, orange and green in size 2.5 have done very well. The rock and beaches have generally been a little slower than we generally

see at this time of year. The fish are there, but anglers are certainly working for their results. The bonito and kings have been about and there have been some great numbers and sizes mixed in. Anglers working metal lures and a variety of stickbaits have scored well on these pelagics. Metals in the 20-45g range and stickbaits around 100-120mm are working. Some good bream have also been landed off the local rock ledges, with peeled prawns on 1/0 baitholder hooks proving effective. Anglers working for a feed of bream have found that a good berley mix usually improves results. A mix of crushed up pilchards, tuna oil and some pellets or bread dropped in periodically certainly helps.

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Tech Tricks

Mackerel swim bait rig BRISBANE

Gordon Macdonald masterbaitertackle@hotmail.com

Over the next few months, anglers will notice an increase in the presence of Spanish mackerel. From the border to Port Macquarie, there are numerous renowned areas where Spanish mackerel are readily taken. While trolling minnow lures and bibless offerings can be especially effective, there is no denying that a quality fresh rigged troll bait can produce a better quality Spaniard. Additionally, it will often produce results when the bite is tough, especially in hardfished areas. Many people shy away from this type bait presentation, as they believe it is difficult or time consuming to rig a swim bait. In fact, it is very easy once you know how and have the correct rig. Over the years, I have rigged a lot of baits using different techniques. Some of these include skipping gar and slimies, swimming split-tail mullet and numerous Aussie swim bait rigs. Additionally, I

have tried a heap of variations on these basic rigging methods for numerous baits and also rigged tuna belly flap and flying fish teaser rigs. Some of these rigs are very simple and others a degree more difficult. However, putting that bait in the water and having it swim well, and then having a hungry predator annihilate it, is reward in itself. Basic swim baits can utilise species such as gar, mullet, pike, longtom, wolf herring, barbwire queenfish, tarpon, small tunas, bonito, rainbow runners, finny scad, scaly mackerel, cowanyoung, slimey mackerel, yakkas and numerous others. Basically, almost any species of fish can be made to swim enticingly providing it is rigged with a suitable placement of weight and hook combination. Obviously, hook placement is especially important. Baits targeted at some species, such as billfish and large tunas, will only require a hook in the head as they will engulf and swallow the entire bait. However, species such as Spanish mackerel and wahoo will initially immobilised their prey by snipping off the tail section; therefore you will need

Lay the rig beside the bait to ascertain the penetration point for each hook. If you do not have good hook coverage you may need to add another hook to the rig. Often this rear hook is not inserted into the bait if it is just a fraction too long but as a minimum you will need to have a hook right near the tail of the bait.

to have hooks right along the length of the bait for maximum hook-up potential. Larger baits will generally require more weight to keep them under the water and make them swim well and larger hooks to increase hook-up potential. With many rigging methods (which we will explore more in later articles) the gill plates and mouth on most baits will need to be stitched shut and the eyes removed to stop the bait blowing apart with water pressure when trolled. However with the method we are using today this is not required. This rig is commonly called a chin guard rig due to the first commercially made rig of this type being the Chinguard, which was produced by Tropical Lures. Similar rigs are these days distributed by Surecatch, Citer, Brad Job (Aussie Jigs), Headstart and Tackle Tactics as well as numerous other commercially made and cottage industry brands. Some of these come ready rigged with hooks and others are just a head, which naturally require you to add hooks.

Choosing which rig to use for your bait can be a personal choice but will generally depend on the size of the bait being used (number and size of hooks) and the amount of weight required to present your offering in the relevant depth and current. I like my hooks to pivot individually (which decreases torn hooks and increases hooking potential) so I use my own hook rig using swivels between each hook, usually made with VMC 9255 and Shogun rolling swivels. The addition of a piano wire leader will decrease bite offs from large Spaniards and wahoo. As previously mentioned, there are numerous baits

Making sure the chin weight is in line with the head as shown, insert the rear hook at the position that coincides with the rear of the hook bend. Do the same for the next hook in front of this (and so on if you have multiple hooks) until all hooks are set in the bait.

that can be rigged to swim, however the ones that best suit the chin weight style rigs for chasing mackerel will include garfish, pike, wolf herring, longtom, sauries and other long thin fish species. I have even successfully used large grinners to catch Spaniards on this rig. You can stop over deep sounder showings and allow the bait to sink down, before

again motoring off. Generally you troll these baits between 3-5 knots, depending on current. Adjust the boat speed whilst initially trolling the bait boat-side to ascertain it swims well and also to work out a suitable troll speed to get the best action out of it. Today we will use a pike for our chin weight rig, which are relatively easy to catch locally and work well for Spanish mackerel.

Push the spikes of the chin weight into the chin area of the pike and centrally up through the head so the head of the bait sits in the recess of the chin weight.

It is fairly important that the spikes are centrally placed through the head to ensure the bait swims well. You can cut the spikes shorter if you want but when leaving them full length, make sure they are straight and in line with each other.

Using a standard thin rubber band, loop one end over the spike. The clear elastic hair bands that girls use for hair ties will work exceptionally well and I usually use these but they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t show up well enough in the images to use for this demonstration.

Wrap the band around the head multiple times until the head of the bait is secured to the chin weight before passing the loop back over the spike. Repeat with the second spike. This will ensure the mouth of the bait remains closed when the bait is trolled and decreases the chance of water pressure blowing apart the bait.

The completed bait should look something like this. Removal of the baits eyes can make it swim better at times but I usually donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do this with pike. A piano wire (single strand hi-tensile wire) leader is generally added to the towing eyelet. 48

APRIL 2015

Press along the backbone area fairly firmly to break the meat away from the backbone and separate the vertebrae. You will often feel a little pop or crack as you do this with quality fresh baits. Pressing and bending the bait in a snake like fashion will make it more flexible and supple, which increases the action whilst swimming.

You can rig freshly caught baits before freezing them so they are ready to go when you are. If you cryovac the rigged bait it will increase freezer life and decrease the chance of freezer burn. Some baits can be defrosted and refrozen but many will get to soft and not last long when trolled so try and keep them frozen until just before you need them. Baits rigged in this fashion are dynamite on Spanish mackerel and several other species. As you can now determine, chin weight rigs are easy so give one a go next time you go after a Spaniard.

Cooking

Whiting winner BRISBANE

Lynn Bain

BUTTERFLY FILLETING This article shows the butterfly filleting technique for small to mid-size whiting, in this case without

the tailfin. By omitting the tailfin it will present on the plate similar to a bream fillet (or hussar fillet). For really small whiting (winter whiting), the tail is often left connected to the fillets. It is usually used for finger food with the small fillet being picked up by the tail.

ASIAN STYLE BUTTERFLIED WHITING Ingredients 6 butterflied whiting fillets 3 finely chopped lemongrass stalks 3 finely chopped green shallots (green part only) 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves 2 tsp Squid brand fish sauce 1 tbsp Lee Kum Kee soy sauce 2 tbsp butter Lime cheeks, for garnish

Scale the whiting thoroughly.

6 2 3 4

Once you get down past the ribs, push (poke) the knife point all the way through and out the other side of the tail section of the fillet; and then cut the end of the fillet away from the fish’s backbone and tail. Repeat on the other side.

Peel the fillet back and shave, stroke-bystroke with the knife point, the fillet away from the rib cage. Once you get down past the ribs push (poke) the knife point all the way through and out the other side. Fillet the end of the fillet away from the fish’s backbone and tail. Repeat the other side.

Make a shallow cut along the top of the fillet for the full length of the backbone from the head to the tail. Continue all the way along to the tail with the shallow incision.

Turn the fillet over (again), and carefully shave the flesh away from across the top of the bones of the rib cage as before. When you get to the end of the rib bones you can stop the shaving process.

Cut behind the pectoral fin, through to the spine. Continue this cut around and across the ‘belly’ and behind the ventral fins.

Turn the fillet over and execute a similar cut along the spine adjacent to the dorsal fins as before.

By cutting towards the head, separate the butterfly fillet from the frame by holding the fillet down with the flat of your knife as you lift the middle of the frame with your spare hand. Trim out the anal fins if necessary. You now have a butterflied whiting fillet.

Chop the lemongrass, green shallots and coriander. Add the fish sauce and soy sauce and mix well.

10 11

Using your fingertips, apply some of the herb mixture to one side only of the butterflied whiting fillets. Don’t overload the fillets.

Melt the butter in the pan. When hot, add the fillets herb-side up and cook for approximately a minute. Then carefully flip them over. Only cook them in small batches of a couple at a time. Whiting is a very delicate fleshed fish.

Serve the butterflied whiting fillets as a stack and squeeze the lime juice to taste. APRIL 2015

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It’s mulloway month CENTRAL COAST

Jamie Robley jrobley@iprimus.com.au

What a fantastic time of year it is right now. Sure, things are beginning to get a little crisp in the mornings, but April is normally a red hot month as far as our local fishing goes. It’s always been my favourite month for mulloway, but there’s also a lot more on offer.

that it is also about the most heavily fished, so there are simply a lot more baits going in the water here than most other locations. That alone tips the scales towards more fish being caught here. In all honesty, there are plenty of other beaches well worth trying, and some of these include Birdie, Budgewoi, the northern end of Tuggerah (also known as Pelican), Forresters, Wamberal and Pearl Beach.

any of these species are about and that’s a good start. Mulloway bite or hunt more freely when there’s some constant whitewash spilling over any slightly deeper gutter, channel or hole. Rather than lobbing a bait out into clear, deep looking water, aim to present your offering right on the edge of some whitewash or under it. Take note of tide, weather and swell predictions, and whenever possible, try to fish

April is normally a good month for blackfish around the headlands. The author has been enjoying a good run of them along the northern part of the coast in recent weeks.

If you’re keen on pinning a mulloway at the local beach, then this is the month to get serious about it. This model is only a small schoolie, but fish up to 20kg or more will be swimming in the surf zone over the coming weeks. Now that I’ve mentioned mulloway though, I should elaborate. If there’s one month you’re going to nail one from the beach, it’s April. May would come a very close second, but for now let’s see what has to be done to beach one of these chrome beasts in the next few weeks. Firstly, the beach at North Entrance is by far the most well-known place on the Central Coast, and yes it is a good area to try. However, we should also bear in mind

Over the years mulloway have also been caught at a number of other sandy pockets between headlands. Whichever beach you’re thinking of hitting, 2 important aspects to consider are baitfish supply and suitable beach formations. At this time of year the mullet run is a major attractant for these large predators, but good numbers of tailor, whiting and garfish may be present as well, so keep an eye out for signs indicating

a high tide that peaks an hour or 2 after sunset. Don’t worry about the moon too much, unless it’s the night of the full moon or the following couple of nights. If the sky is clear and that big moon is blazing, then I would conserve my time and precious bait for a cloudy night or the darker, new moon period. It just so happens that the better mulloway tides come around the new and full moon phases. Squid, beachworms, mullet or tailor slabs and heads,

It’s been a great year for bream so far. From this point on the better lures to use will be small vibes and soft plastics. Of course, top quality baits are a reliable way to go as well.

live mullet or live yakkas are some of the best baits to try. Now, one of the most crucial things to remember is to make sure your very best bait is in the water as high tide approaches. So, if for example high water is at 9.55pm, prepare yourself so that the bait is in a good spot out in the surf by 9:45. Oh, and your hands are the best rod holder, not a plastic tube stuck in the sand! As mentioned, tailor and whiting should be reliable beach targets this month, along with building numbers of bream, a few dart and the odd flathead. These fish are generally easier to catch than mulloway, and you don’t have to stay into the night. As water temps begin to fall, we’re also likely to see a few salmon taking baits. April is a first class month for rock fishing along this part of the coast. Once again, due to numbers of mullet and garfish at this time of year, some good size kingfish tend to lurk close in to rock ledges, especially around Catherine Hill Bay, Snapper Point and South Avoca. A few bonito and frigate mackerel are other small pelagic predators that may still be around over the coming weeks. It’s also a good month for traditional targets like bream,

blackfish and drummer. I’ve already been hooking into some nice blackfish around the Munmorah to Catho part of the coast, and as the ocean begins to cool off, all 3 species should increase in numbers and take baits without too much drama. Please remember to check weather and swell forecasts via the Internet, phone apps or the nightly TV news before planning any rock fishing trips. Anyone living on the Central Coast really should watch NBN news to see Gavin Morris give us the good oil on weather and our local sea conditions. This bloke really knows his stuff when it comes to the ocean and beaches. On a lighter side, the past couple of months have

been very productive for bream in our lakes. Numbers have been more impressive than sizes, although a few larger bream are always a possibility regardless of where you fish. As the days get shorter and things cool off a bit more, bream tend to get fatter as they feed up before winter hits. Although they’ll still be hitting surface lures, we’re reaching the stage where small vibes or Gulps can be a better lure choice. Of course, good fresh baits fished early in the morning or after sunset will attract plenty of bream, but be prepared to sift through the undersized tiddlers. Overall, I think we’re in for a great month of fishing here on the Central Coast.

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The weather’s cooling, but the fishing remains hot ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke clarkey1@westnet.com.au

The first of the sou’ westers have started to come though in recent weeks, making the mornings crispy cool and the ocean calm and flat. The water is still warmish, with some very good fishing still to be had over the coming weeks before the cold fingers of winter start to tighten their grip on the region. The clear, calm mornings are great for a bit of fun chasing the frigates that are still around zipping along the backs of the beaches with the salmon and tailor. Small lures cast about the area where they are feeding is fun, and they can then be used as great snapper and bream bait, or popped out live and trolled around the nearest kingfish haunts for a big bandit. The salmon and tailor will be the mainstay for the cooler months, providing a reliable backup when all else is a bit on the slow side, but for the moment things are anything but slow offshore. Having the added bonus of Easter right at the start of the month makes things look pretty good. As always, snapper are the target on the Easter full moon and it is early this year, but that usually means you get a second bite of the cherry on the May full moon, so it’s not a bad thing. Too close is not close enough for reds at this time of the year, but as always be aware of the swell and don’t

get swamped. Know the area you are fishing and don’t take risks. The isolated shallow bommies, points and islands are all great spots to fish in the evenings. Put the anchor down and use a steady berley trail and fish fresh fillets of mackerel, striped tuna or frigate mackerel, or if unavailable, the very best pilchards you can get your hands on. Get rid of the lead and just cast the bait into the back of the berley trail and let them float around naturally. It won’t take long for any snapper to find your bait. Up around the national park, Wombarra, Sandon Point and Bellambi in the north are good

There are chopper tailor of all sizes in the lake, but you don’t want them grabbing your expensive little whiting poppers. There are better ways of catching them. spots, while the south side of the big islands, One Tree, the Crankshaft at Bass Point and down at Rangoon and the bommies off Gerroa are all prime spots. Now one little trick that

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APRIL 2015

can help is to wrap your anchor chain in rag or put some heat shrink over it to muffle the noise, making less clanging on the reef as you rise and fall on the small swells. It all helps when fishing shallow water. It will not just be snapper that swim up the berley trail either, and it’s surprising how many sharks, particularly small whalers, that will venture into the shallow water during the evenings looking for a feed. Then there are those feral big stingrays that just hang around making a nuisance of themselves. Daylight Savings is finished now, so it now gets dark pretty early, but you can fish a few hours into the

night and still get home at a decent hour. Salmon are always about, and as it gets dark the tailor will go wild for an hour or so, then maybe a mulloway will get interested and there are always plenty of bream in the shallows, particularly around the ANZAC Day weekend. Any shallow bay with a bit of rock and sand will hold heaps of bream early in the mornings, and right through the day if you keep a bit of berley going. The snapper are not just confined to the shallows and there will be plenty of good fish over the reefs in 20m or so for those that like to drift around with soft plastics. You don’t have to get up early or stay out late, as they tend to hold a bit deeper during the daylight hours anyway. Further offshore should start to see a few yellowfin coming in around the shelf and even a bit closer if we get lucky. Bandit and Wollongong reefs used to be prime spots in April, but those days are sadly long gone. A few striped marlin and the odd black will be about, but becoming scarce, while the big blues out around the shelf and beyond are a good chance this month, particularly with the calm weather. A better option for game fish in small craft would be kings. This month has always been kind to me, with all the regular spots worth putting a

live bait down deep or slow trolled along the surface. Then there are the whopper bonito that I love

so anything is on the cards for the bottom bashers. The beaches are still fishing consistently for just

Not always big, but a few kilos of snapper is always a nice way to start the evening. playing with in April. They can show up anywhere over the reefs, but the islands, Wollongong and Bandit reefs will be the top spots. They can be great fun on light tackle or a pain in the backside taking live baits aimed at kings, but a 5-6kg bonnie is a good fish no matter what. In even closer there is a good chance of a longtail or 2, as they always come through but are rarely targeted as we have so much reef and they can spread out. It pays to have a live bait out, even on the bait grounds this month, as that is where the longtails hunt — in shallow water where there is bait. Bass Point, right at the point, Sandon Point, even Wollongong’s Flagstaff Point are good spots, and Kiama’s Blowhole Point is a standout. You won’t get them every day, but if you hear they are about, these are the places to look. If you are chasing a feed, then there are still plenty of flatties about over the sand patches, but it is the reef and gravel that is still fishing well. There are plenty of mowies on the move as the water cools, along with good numbers of pan sized snapper, small samsonfish, and for some reason the teraglin have made an appearance again over the past few months for those on the right reef. A couple of spangled emperor, a small cobia and a few pearl perch have even graced the filleting tables over the past few weeks,

about everything except flathead, which seem to have slowed over the past few weeks, but that doesn’t matter as the bream are starting to ramp up in numbers. They are hungry as they move through the surf zone and travel along the coast. The mullet are on the

beaches will still have a few hanging around. As always, there are plenty of salmon about in the mornings and afternoons, with some very solid tailor hunting during the evenings. On the stones, you could try the deeper ledges for snapper and the shallower bays for plenty of bream. If you choose the deeper ledges, there are plenty of options other than snapper, so put out a live mackerel or yellowtail for some nice kings, longtails and mac tuna to 8kg that will be travelling along the coast this month. The ever-present salmon will make keeping a live bait out tough, but a small salmon makes a good big king bait and the other sambos won’t touch it. Now the water has cooled a bit, the drummer will be getting more energetic, so the washes are worth fishing with cunje or royal reds. The blackfish are making a move as well, so a bit of weed under a float should stir up a few big bronzies this month. In the estuaries, the shallows can get pretty cool during the nights, so the baitfish are starting to thin in numbers which puts the flatties back off the bite, but there are enough about to make the effort worthwhile. Blackfish are on the move in the lake if you can score some good weed. The bream are gathering in numbers in the deeper holes, along the edges of the weed beds, and around the bridges in both the lake and Minnamurra. A few good sized whiting are available if you can get some

Longtail or bluefin, what’s in a name? What does matter is having a live bait in the water at all times, as you just never know when 1 will swim past. move too, so that means the mulloway will be out looking as well, so just about any good deep gutter on a high tide during the evenings is worth a look. Little whaler sharks will make it tough in many places, but they fight hard and aren’t too bad on the barbecue in their own right. Whiting are slowing but getting bigger, and are more than worth the effort this month. Port and Windang beaches are the top areas to target, but most

worms, and there are plenty of chopper tailor of all sizes in the lake at the moment. Finally, Leisure Coast Bait and Tackle has had a new owner for a few months now. Luke, who works there, is now the boss, so pop in and have a look at all the latest gear and bait. He has his finger on the pulse of what’s happening fish-wise on a daily basis, and is only too happy to point you in the right direction. Happy fishing and on the 25th, lest we forget.

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in the low 20s. If you’re up for a last ditch attempt at catching a marlin, then don’t leave it any later than right now! Yes, now! Put this magazine down, jump in the boat, and finish reading this otherwise excellent column when you get back! Alternatively, take it with you, as you’re bound to have plenty of spare time up your sleeve while puttering around the big blue towing lures waiting for a strike. Keep an ear on the radio for chatter and you might be able to hone in on where the fish are. If you lack the dedication or patience of a Samurai, then perhaps stay a little closer to shore and hunt around for the kingfish that are still inhabiting the cliffs, The Banks, Middle Ground and Long Nose Bommie. Just make sure you take along a couple of packs of jerkshad soft plastics and ¼-1oz jigheads for the snapper that also call many of these places home. If you’re not up for casting lures, then there have been plenty of squid at Murrays, and a plethora of slimies near the buoy off Plantation Point. These fresh baits will ensure your best

chance of hooking up. Up the river, we should see the bass starting to make

their annual pilgrimage down from the fresh and into the salt. As you may have heard — or experienced — this year has been abysmal for these guys, perhaps the

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There have been plenty of bream caught down in St Georges Basin, and

Your columnist with a prettily marked snapper caught on a plastic south of Jervis Bay.

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worst I’ve seen in the last 5 years. But now’s the time to start changing your style

of fishing and get back to plasticing down rock walls such as under the hospital, or blades around the ski park. It’s not my favourite style, but it catches fish.

while they haven’t really been there in size, they have made up for that in numbers. The edges are starting to quieten down, To page 56

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Fishing Fill-its

Expansion for St Georges Basin artificial reef The Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson, and Member for South Coast Shelley

Reef Balls have arrived on site and are ready to be deployed and tactically placed in the area to attract more fish

Basin reef is a great example of how funds from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts are being invested back

scale, and required about 14 trucks to transport the Reef Balls, each weighing about 700 kilograms, to the site. “It will take approximately two weeks to carefully deploy the concrete balls from a barge, weather permitting and once deployed, St Georges Basin will contain over a thousand Reef Balls,” said Ms Hancock. The NSW Government has deployed about 2800 concrete modules for estuarine artificial reefs across the State, to date. Minister Hodgkinson said the expansion of the already successful St Georges Basin reef complements the

existing estuarine artificial reefs along the coastline of NSW in the Bellinger River, Lake Macquarie, Botany Bay, Lake Conjola, and Merimbula Lake. “The NSW Government is proud to support the development, which is a major boost for the local tourism industry and economy,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

“The recreational fishing industry in NSW is an incredibly important one, estimated at bringing about $1.6 billion in expenditure each year, and creating about 14,000 jobs.” Further information about the St Georges Basin estuarine artificial reef can be found online at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/ fisheries. – NSWDPI

NEW REEF LOCATION Location................Latitude (S)............Longitude (E) Corner 1................35 07.570................150 36.952 Corner 2................35 07.542................150 37.042 Corner 3................35 07.488................150 36.904 Corner 4................35 07.446................150 37.024

Each Reef Ball weighs around 700kg. Hancock, have announced the $200,000 expansion of the popular St Georges Basin estuarine artificial reef has now commenced. “Two hundred and ten

such as flathead, bream, mulloway and snapper,” Ms Hodgkinson said. “Already the State’s largest estuarine reef, the expansion of the St Georges

into projects and initiatives which directly benefit recreational fishers. Ms Hancock said “The St Georges Basin reef extension will take place on a grand

It took 14 trucks to transport the balls to the deployment site. From page 54

but if you persist you should be rewarded with some better quality fish. Cranka Crabs have just come back in stock after

their wins to this dynamite little lure. South of the artificial reefs, the word of mouth reports are suggesting that this is the place to be if

also run into the massive tailor that start to inhabit this waterway during the cooler months. A good example of this can be seen in the photo accompanying

Now that’s a tailor! Wal Balzan is having a cracking year at The Basin. being unavailable for some time, and the guys fishing the major bream competitions around Australia are dedicating 56

APRIL 2015

you want to try your luck at a Basin mulloway or a giant croc flathead. Not only should you find some of these guys, but you could

this month’s article of local gun fisho Wal Balzan, aka Uncle Chop, with a phenomenal 86cm tailor he caught in late February.

An outstanding marlin season NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

Well what a game fishing season it has been thus far, with a host of bluewater species showing up. This action should only get better as we head further into the month. Marlin is still the word amongst sportfishers, with some

switched on crews getting 6-8 shots a day. That’s awesome fishing in my books, with a mixture of black and striped marlin, and the occasional blue turning up out wider around the second dropoff. Most beakies have been averaging 80-120kg, but the blues are certainly bigger. I’ve heard a few sob stories of late about the one that got away, but that’s fishing.

The stripes have been found from the 70f line to the shelf, with the traps up off Tuross holding quite a few. There’s a stack of bait around them, mainly slimy mackerel, so if you find the bait you’re in for some serious fun. Most crews are trolling skirted lures, but when you can get the bait, switch baiting is deadly — especially on the stripes. Trolling skip baits has worked also.

When we netted it, his 70cm flathead spat out the remainder of another flattie!

The blue marlin have been a lot further out, where the water is a warm 25 degrees. I’d expect fish in excess of 350kg over the coming weeks, with more crews venturing wide with the right tackle to target these huge brutes. Trolling larger pushers up to 16” long is the go when targeting these bigger fish. This season has also been the best l can recall for big mahimahi; fish to 25kg have been consistently caught, with multiple hookups occurring quite regularly. There’s been some solid yellowfin tuna to 50kg being captured while trolling for marlin, with April usually the start of the tuna season. Every year at this time some sizeable jumbos turn up, with fish to 90kg possible. Mixed in with the yellowfin will be albacore and a host of shark species. Closer to shore, Montague Island has been red-hot, with kingfish numbers awesome at present. It’s definitely better now than it has been in previous weeks, so the rest of the season looks promising for the brutes. The kings can be found

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Andy Kolber with a thumping silver trevally he caught while targeting bream. anywhere, with the north and western sides being the most productive. In saying that, when the current is pushing north, a look at the southern end around Aughinish Rock is the go. The fish have responded better to live bait, especially the bigger fish, with 8-9kg models common. There have been plenty of kings taken on jigs and softplastics as well, though the size is definitely smaller, with 70-80cm fish the norm. If the kings are a little slow, there’s sufficient bonito to keep things interesting, as well as

snapper. The reddie fishing has been excellent and that should continue right through winter. We usually get a few snapper at this time of year, but not in the numbers seen at present. Some are getting their bags each outing, which is great to see with the average fish nudging 2kg — good quality snapper. In the estuaries, Wagonga Inlet has been reasonably slow considering its reputation, but that should change over coming weeks. There certainly seems to be a lack of bait To page 58

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APRIL 2015

Lots of ripper reds MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

The fishing around Merimbula has been nothing short of exceptional, with a host of species on offer using a variety of techniques. It really depends on what you want to target and where as to the results you will get. Those anglers venturing offshore have had a field day, especially the bottombouncing brigade, with snapper the word on everyone’s lips. The reds have been thick at times on the inshore reefs, with Long Point and Lennards Island to the south being prime locations. A few locals I have talked to reckon it’s the best bite they have seen in years, particularly at this time of year. The snapper aren’t huge, averaging 1.5-2kg, but still good fish and ideal plate size. Most fish are falling to pilchards and fresh squid, though some switched on anglers are getting great results on soft plastics, especially down south in the shallower water. This type

of fishing isn’t for everyone, but geez when they’re on, it’s a whole lot of fun. Mixed in with the reds are some solid kingfish, with fish to 5kg common, and at times lots of them. Those anglers who have targeted the kings are having some serious fun with jigs and plastics. I’d suspect there would be bigger models upwards of 8kg beneath the school fish, with live bait a better proposition for catching them. All this action should continue for a while yet, with water temperatures hovering around 22 degrees. Further offshore, the game fishing fraternity have had their fair share of action too. Striped marlin are the main species being caught, with some crews getting 5 or 6 shots a day — great fishing in anyone’s books. The beakies are between 80-120kg and can be found from the 50f line outwards, but don’t underestimate the inshore grounds as they too are worth a look, especially for black marlin. Most fish are succumbing to trolled skirted pushers, though switch baiting has been popular when you can get the bait. There’s been

the odd better yellowfin to 40kg caught when trolling for marlin, and as the season gets later expect albacore numbers to increase. There’s been great numbers of mahimahi also, which are great fun between marlin bites. Anglers fishing the rocks for pelagics like salmon, kingfish and bonito have done well of late, with Tura Head, Short and Long Point and the wharf inside Merimbula Bay all worth a look. Some of the kings have nudged 7kg, so good fish from the hard stuff, with live bait being the best option. You can expect the bonito to be abundant for months to come now, with chromed slices and ganged pilchards a good way to target them. These little speedsters have made a welcome return over the last few seasons, which is awesome to see, as they are great sport and not too bad in the smoker either. In the estuaries, both Pambula and Merimbula continue to shine, fishing well for flathead, bream, whiting and blackfish. The flatties have really fired up with the warmer water, and a good feed is available on most outings. The fish

Some great kings are getting around the local reefs, as Gezza found out recently. are solid models around the 50cm mark, with the odd bigger female making her presence felt. Most are falling to soft plastics, with live poddy mullet and blades catching their share. With the water warm,

the racks, with whiting to 42cm also. At these sizes, on light gel spun in hard country, they are great fish with hours of endless fun to be had. If artificials aren’t for you, I’d be concentrating in the channels below the bridge, with fresh

Those fishing the beaches are also in for a treat, with salmon, bream, whiting and gummy sharks all possible. Any beach with a half decent gutter is producing, with Tura main holding a great gutter at

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the surface fishing has been excellent for bream and whiting, with Merimbula a standout. I know of a few bream upwards of 43cm being caught lately around From page 57

throughout the system, which may be a reason as to why it’s slow. Don’t get me wrong, you will still catch some quality fish there, but expect to work for them. The recent Flathead Classic saw 450 plus flathead caught and released, so not too bad I suppose — maybe I’m being a little harsh on the place. Those anglers who have done okay have fished early around tide changes, with some nice fish being captured. Most have fallen to live poddy mullet on the deeper dropoffs, and I’ve heard of a few mulloway taken on squid at night. Up at Tuross it’s a different story though, with bream, flathead, estuary perch, mulloway, whiting and blackfish all responding well at times. While guiding there we’ve managed a dozen or so

tuna cubes or yabbies the preferred baits. You will catch some nice bream, whiting and trevally around the boat moorings, with the flooding tide the best.

the northern end. It’s been excellent for bream, with live beach worms the gun bait. If you can combine a rising tide on dusk, some good angling will be had.

mulloway over recent weeks. The fish are between 60-80cm, so not huge, but still great fun on light tackle. Some cracking flatties are coming from the shallower areas towards the entrance, with soft plastics fishing best. In the river itself, there’s a heap of EPs for the taking, with bream and whiting making the sand flats home. The rocks continue to fish well for salmon, bonito and smaller kingfish, with chromed slices and ganged pilchards catching plenty. This month may see some mac tuna turn up, with the golf course rocks in town and Mystery Bay to the south the pick of the spots to fish. I’d be using live bait like yellowtail or slimy mackerel, with both locations holding a stack of bait. A little berley and you’ll have all the baits you require.

If pelagics aren’t your scene, you should be able to get a feed of blackfish. The southern breakwall at the entrance has been a hot spot, with cabbage the gun bait. A few locals have done well there, with some solid bream being caught on tuna strips. Again, berley is the key for more consistent results. On the beaches, it’s business as usual, with salmon in good numbers and most are holding fish. Anglers casting chrome lures through the suds are having a load of fun, especially on lighter tackle. If using bait, a paternoster rig will work, with bluebait and pilchards preferred. There’s been good reports of bream and whiting coming from both Brou and Blackfellows Beach to the north of Narooma, with live beach worms and pipis being ideal baits.

Predators patrol coast TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

It’s a fabulous time to fish in the Tathra area, with the calm weather of autumn creating great fishing conditions for boaties and shore-based anglers alike. When these conditions prevail, anglers can choose where and how they want to fish and, more importantly, what for. Rock fishing is excellent in the area, as is the offshore scene, and the Bega River is all fired up with fish stocks at a high. Tathra has some superb rock platforms that can be exploited by any keen angler. The main headland, down behind the pub, and around the Kianinny Bay area are the prime spots for chasing drummer, groper, bream and trevally. Cunjevoi and cabbage weed are the preferred baits, with a small ball sinker running straight down to the hook. Pelagics also visit the stones and it’s quite possible to catch a variety of species. Kingfish patrol along the shore, feeding on a variety of baitfish, and

with them are longtail, yellowfin and striped tuna, along with sharks and a host of small species in the form of tailor and salmon. Drifting live baits out under balloons or bobby corks is the most popular approach, although highspeed lure casting can also produce results. This method works well from both the rocks and nearby wharf, and bait can be obtained by berleying the same areas you are fishing. When gathering bait at this time of year, keep an eye out for garfish as they can provide entertainment and a good feed while awaiting the big strike. Tathra Wharf is fishing very well, with a variety of species hanging around. This is great for families on holidays, as the kids get stuck into the many baitfish schools that are here. Yellowtail and trevally are regular captures with the visitors, along with the ever-popular slimy mackerel making up the bulk of the captures. Out to sea, the offshore fishing has also fired up, with both the game fish and bottom dwellers on the chew. Marlin are still

around, with all three species now in the area. If it’s big blue marlin you’re looking for, now is the time to target them. Tathra Canyons has seen many an epic battle in the past and probably the best way to encounter 1 is with a spread of large skirted lures, as you can cover more water to find where the fish are. Once you have raised a fish or 2 in a certain area, you then can revert to live baits in the form of slimy mackerel or small striped tuna. There will be other species also encountered whilst chasing blues, and anglers could expect to find anything from tropical mahimahi and spearfish, through to a variety of tunas including albacore, and definitely a mixture of sharks. Calm conditions are allowing the bottom and reef fishos plenty of scope to work different areas in a range of depths. The wider reefs out in 70f (and there are some very good ones out from Tathra), are producing nice snapper, mowies, tiger flathead and very big trumpeter. Berleying while out in this deeper water

It has been an exceptional season for bream on the south coast. and setting baits for sharks, tuna or marlin may produce whilst fishing down deep. Closer to shore, fishing for flathead has always been popular at Tathra. Most of the grounds, whether south of Bournda or north to Wapengo, have good schools of both sand and tiger flatties, with the odd red gurnard or gummy shark to add to the catch. The inshore reefs are also hosting a variety of species, with the most popular targeted fish being snapper. Bait fishing is still the most reliable way to

catch reds off the reefs, however, the use of soft plastics in shallower water is increasing in popularity. This is now being practised in a range of water depths, and as long as you can get your lure to the bottom you’re in with a good show. The Bega River has a very good entrance, which is open to the ocean allowing fresh stocks of fish to enter the system. Schools of bream, blackfish, trevally, and I suspect some mulloway, have moved into the river and anglers have a chance to target them.

Up around Blackfellas Lake and the rock walls in the Thompson area is proving very productive for bream and estuary perch on lures. The dropoffs and main channel down towards the entrance has seen a lot of flathead and tailor taken on both lures and live bait, with the odd mulloway also getting into the act. Down around the flats, anglers using nippers and fresh prawns have had some exciting fishing, especially around the weed beds for whiting, blackfish and bream.

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APRIL 2015

SOUTH COAST NSW April — it’s a prime time to fish Esprit BERMAGUI ers

Chart

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Calm seas, plenty of fish and mild weather are the order for the middle of autumn. Just about all forms of fishing are at their prime, and this is my favourite time of year to fish. April usually means good sea conditions, allowing anglers to access a lot of offshore fishing. Game fishing sees a crossover of different species; yellowfin tuna, along with albacore and many smaller species are starting to appear in good numbers. Trolling or berleying will account for tuna, although by berleying you may attract sharks like makos, blues and tigers. While berleying, don’t be frightened to put a live bait out in a trail for marlin, so use heavier traces to handle them. Conventional means of targeting marlin is also working well, with plenty of fish on the Twelve Mile Reef and along the Continental Shelf. Dolphin fish are hanging around the fish traps and are providing plenty of entertainment, while Montague Island has its share of kingfish in various sizes. Good numbers of bonito are there to keep anglers busy too. While trolling deep diving lures is a great way to catch bonito, try a small live mackerel hooked through the nose for better results. Options arise for both the sport and reef fisher in the calmer conditions. The use of soft plastics offshore is producing interesting

results out of Bermagui. Fishing in 15-20m water out from the headlands and bommies, and working from the bottom to mid-water, will effectively produce the best fishing, with kingfish, salmon, snapper and many other species falling to this technique. For many reef anglers this time of year heralds the start of the snapper season. Either drifting over the reef complexes (Goalen Head is the prime area) or by anchoring, both are producing good fish. Larger snapper are regularly encountered by berleying while on the anchor in depths of around 30-40m. Fishing baits like pilchards, mackerel and tuna strips at varying depths will produce the better specimens. Other reef fish are also in good numbers, with morwong, flathead, pigfish and perch coming from the deeper marks. Sand flathead are plentiful out from most beaches adjacent to Bermagui, with those to the south being the pick. Flat seas allow anglers easy access to rock platforms, which will give them the chance to try different techniques. Live baiting for game fish is 1 option; with deep water surrounding many of the rocky headlands meaning tuna, kingfish, sharks and marlin are all on the short list. Lure fishing for salmon, tailor, bonito and the like is also very popular, while for the drummer and groper fishers activity is also hotting up. Most beaches are fishing well, with good numbers of salmon, tailor, gummy sharks (on the moon) and the occasional mulloway. Smaller species like bream and whiting are also around, with beach worms, yabbies and striped tuna accounting for most. Use fresh berley like tuna and mackerel to

There are still some nice flathead to be found in the Bermagui River, even late in the season. keep the bream schooling close to shore. Excellent fishing is being experienced in most estuary systems, as fish feed to put on condition for the cooler months ahead. Luderick are being encountered on cabbage weed near the bridge and around the breakwalls. Lots of southern yellowfin bream have moved into the estuary, with yabbies and striped tuna fished in berley trails being extremely effective. Live mullet and lures are taking their share of flathead, and using yabbies over the flats on high tide will account for

various different species. The warmer water that pushes in from the ocean on the incoming tide stimulates these estuary fish into feeding more regularly. Brogo Dam is starting to cool, making fishing more difficult, although live crickets for those who want to fish baits is effective. Trolling lures around the weed beds that are starting to become exposed with falling water levels is producing good bass. Humid conditions will still permit fly fishers good fishing; again, around the weed beds late of an evening.

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APRIL 2015

PH: 02 6493 5444 www.fishbermi.com

Autumn is the time for big luderick, and Wallaga Lake is presently full of them.

Good marlin and everything else at Eden EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

As we head towards another winter, the months ahead provide some of the best fishing around here. There are few visitors to the area, but this is the time for

game fish are well catered for with a big all-weather boat ramp at Quarantine Bay. At present there has been a great run of striped marlin. These fish are between 70kg and 130kg and have been caught to the north of Eden and south down towards the border. Fish have been taken on trolled lures and live baits,

there and it shouldn’t be long before the yellowfin tuna put in an appearance, followed by the southern bluefin. Fishing for kingies has been slow so far this season, but a few good fish are starting to be caught, so hopefully the coming month could see them really fire up. The fishing on the

flathead have also been recorded. Once the fish are found, keep working

also being caught from the same rocky headlands. A berley trail gets everything

and yellowfin bream on fresh worms, nippers and prawns. Dusky flathead

Big bream are being caught — it’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

Puddles with a nice flathead caught on a soft plastic. keen fishermen to enjoy the great fishing the Eden area can offer. Those anglers with big boats heading out chasing

and the successful anglers have found the bait and stayed in the area until the fish turn up. Striped tuna are out

inshore reefs has been good, with catches of snapper to around 2kg, which is a great eating size. Good catches of sand and tiger

the area and you should end up with a good feed. Quality snapper are also being caught off the rocky headlands. If you’re keen to catch a snapper off the rocks, it is important to be soaking baits at first light. Good drummer, blackfish and bream are

stirred up. Plenty of salmon have been caught from the local beaches, along with sand whiting and yellowfin bream. The local estuaries have been fishing well. A little rain has kept things stirred up, with catches of whiting

are still being caught, with anglers fishing with live mullet and soft plastics catching plenty of fish. The upper freshwater reaches are fishing well for bass, and with all the creeks and rivers flowing, things look good for the months ahead.

Mallacoota sizzles

This seal has made the town ramp jetty its home since Christmas. IN

R E V A L LY . S N A P P E R . E S G.T TU A

. WH AD

PE R RY

The town is still busy, and the caravan park is abuzz with visitors. The weather has been good despite the wind, and we have been lucky with the rain, missing the heavy stuff that fell further to the north. The fishing has been excellent in the lake, on the beach and offshore. The bluewater fishing has been a matter of picking the right day, as the swell has been up and the wind has also played havoc. The fish are there it’s just a matter of getting the conditions right to get out there amongst them. Caution is needed when heading out to sea from the new boat ramp, as recent seas have knocked big boulders into the harbour, resulting in a number of boats doing major damage to propellers and legs of their

and these have been caught from the John Bull marker back to the entrance. The Bottom Lake has been fishing well, with bait fishermen catching plenty of good size bream, with frozen prawns really working well. The Goodwin Sands area has fired up, particularly around dawn and dusk. While guiding on the lake, clients have had a ball, catching plenty of big bream on hardbody lures, while the soft plastics have worked well on the flathead. The key is being in the right place at the right time. This gets easier when you spend enough time on the water. Fish are being caught right through to above Gypsy Point, with great perch fishing had by those in the know. A few good mulloway are being caught, but those putting in the time are pretty secretive, and rarely let out the fact that fish are being caught. Good bass are still biting, with all the streams flowing well due to consistent summer rain.

. BASS . JEWFISH . F LA

captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

motors. Flathead — tigers and sandies — are being caught, along with gummy sharks. The kingies will turn up again; at present they are further down the coast, but once that cold water starts pushing back up the coast, the fish will be driven north with it. The beach fishing has been good, with yellowfin bream and whiting caught, with the entrance to the lake fishing well on the high tide. Fresh bait, both worms and prawns, have been working well. The past week has seen plenty of salmon turn up, with fish to 1.5kg common. The main boat ramp in town has seen a big seal make this area his home. He arrived around Christmas and is still there, so give him a wide berth, as he is a wild animal and can move pretty fast. Meanwhile, the front section of the lake is fishing well, with flathead and bream caught, with the run-in tide fishing best. There have also been some salmon entering the lake,

EAM . BR

Kevin Gleed

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What’s New FISHING

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

Pflueger Advanced Rod Technologies (ART) concept is based on using high performance carbon blanks, quality Fuji hardware and the finest in components and actions to deliver a range of rods for the serious Australian lure angler. Using 30-ton high modulus graphite combined with cutting edge blank actions the Pflueger ART concept was used as the foundation to develop the Supreme XT series. With actions to suit tournament lure techniques the Supreme XT series has been fitted with quality Fuji components. Fuji KR Alconite guides combine superior casting control and distance with tangle free performance. Fuji split reel seats are lightweight and functional, allowing full contact with the rod blank and maximum blank exposure for the ultimate in sensitivity and control. Finished with a stylish carbon wrap, camo EVA high density grip system and a carbon wrap stripper guide binding, the Supreme XT series delivers the finest in rod design at a reasonable price. Price: RRP $179 www.purefishing.com.au

The long awaited Suspending Classic is now available in the 120mm long and 10ft diving depth. The addition to the range will provide anglers with a neutral buoyancy lure in a saltwater environment that once cranked to the desired depth will hold longer in the strike zone and entice a more aggressive response from predatory fish. Suspending baits can also be useful when the bite is slow and a more subtle, natural presentation is needed. More weight has been added to the lure, which has also enhanced its sonic output, attracting more action in dirty water and will also provide a longer and more accurate cast. Suspending lures have the ability to hold at whatever depth they are cranked down to and this model has been tuned to hold in a saltwater environment, which is more buoyant than freshwater. The lure will come with a red suspending series sticker to make it easily identified. Price: RRP $15.95 www.jmgillies.com.au

PFLUEGER SUPREME XT RODS

KILWELL PACIFIC LURES

Kilwell, the iconic brand from New Zealand purchased the famous Australian game lure brand Pacific Lures a few years ago and are now re-releasing the Pacific brand with new designs and finishes. There are 3 models being released in Australia and the first, the Pacific Baitfish, features a natural Kauri Shell head. This lure features a Flat Pusher style head and tracts and runs straight so it can be placed anywhere in a lure spread. The second model is the Pacific Bullet. This is classic high-speed weighted bullet head that will work in any sea conditions. It features an inner of white feathers with a middle layer of X-Mas Mylar flash and a quality outer skirt. The third lure the, Pacific Teaser, is a prerigged high-speed tuna lure that features a combination rubber and feather skirt. The Pacific Teaser is rigged with a Maruto AJI #4 Stainless Steel hook, quality leader and is professionally looped and ready to go. Price: various www.jurofishing.com

DAIWA ZILLION TW 2015

Inspired by the reputation of its past, the new Zillion TW sets the direction for the future and embraces Daiwa’s newest and most innovative design technologies: Magseal,TWS and Air Rotation to set a new agenda in baitcaster brilliance. Headlining Zillion TW’s impressive design and performance is Daiwa’s Magseal technology. Delivering unrivalled protection in spin reels since it was first introduced in 2010, Magseal is a revolutionary system that involves magnetized oil that forms a seal that minimises dust, water and salt intrusion. This latest iteration of the Zillion name, takes the honours as Daiwa’s first low profile baitcaster to revel in the protection and performance of Magseal technology. Heralding a new dawn in baitcaster design, the new Zillion TW uses the pedigree of its past with innovation and technology of the future to deliver anglers a new age in performance, and a new age in excellence. www.daiwafishing.com.au

SUSPENDING CLASSIC 120

MUSTAD IN-LINE SINGLE

Mustad has released a new single hook design, the In-line Single 10121NPDT. This new single hook’s design is eminently suitable for our local hard hitting and fighting species, whether you are chasing trout on the troll or world record GT on the cast. With sizes ranging from 8 through to 8/0, the In-line Single has a big eye, a thick gauge and a short length to provide the maximum strength. The short shank does not allow the hook to bend or catch on the other hook, so you’ll be guaranteed good mileage out of each hook. These are absolutely perfect for retro-fitting lures for maximum hook-up potential, strength and durability, or even just for replacing hooks of a lower grade and strength. Mustad In-line Single 10121NDPT hooks have been tested in some of the harshest conditions on the planet to bring you quality, strength and durability. Price: RRP $12.95 www.wilsonfishing.com

STUMPJUMPERS NEW COLOURS

Born on the Victorian banks of the mighty Murray River in 1986. The first wooden StumpJumpers fitted the local cod fishing environment perfectly. They dug down deep, had great buoyancy to help them jump over the stumps (hence the name) and were as tough as nails. These days, with their plastic bodies and successful interchangeable bib system, these lures are some of the greatest cod catchers ever made. Now, StumpJumpers are adding 5 great new colours to their range, which includes tree frog, bull frog, copper head, jungle perch and silver shiner. StumpJumper have improve a range that was thought to be unbeatable and these colours are sure to fire not only in the cod scene but also on some of the other luremunching natives this country is famous for. StumpJumper’s new colours are now available at all good tackle outlets, so go out and grab some! Price: various www.jmgillies.com.au

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au

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

SCAN THE QR CODE!

What’s New FISHING

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE DAIWA EXIST 2015

The new 2015 Exist improves on previous models with the introduction of innovations and unparalleled designs, combining Magseal, Magseal Bearings, Air Rotor, ATD and Zaion making it Daiwa’s most sensitive, technically advanced reel ever developed. Given the popularity of saltwater fishing, sealing a reel is a major goal. Reduced water penetration means no corrosion, longer life and better performance. If saltwater infiltrates a reel and dries, it crystallizes, and then erodes gears and bearings. In order to increase the durability of the reel, Daiwa made sealing the reel structure an absolute priority. Through years of research and development, Daiwa found the solution – a membrane of magnetic oil, which greatly reduces the penetration of saltwater. By using magnetized oil in conjunction with magnets, the oil attaches itself to the metal surfaces to form a seal. The new 2015 Daiwa Exist feels great, has drag to burn, offers unprecedented longevity and sets the NEW benchmark as the worlds most advanced tournament spinning reel. www.daiwafishing.com.au

8 9

MUSTAD DARTER JIGHEADS

FISH CANDY JELLY CICADA

Darter jigheads are not just another jighead, they are designed to glide on the fall and dart on the retrieve to allow the angler to present their plastics in a very natural and erratic way. Darter Jigheads add action to curl-tail grubs and paddle-tail soft plastics, and they make stick bait style plastics come alive. Worked with a rip and drop action or a slow roll, the Mustad Darter Jighead is as effective in the ocean and estuaries as it is in the freshwater lakes and rivers. With a comprehensive range of sizes with weights from 1.8g (1/16oz) through to 42g (1.5oz) available and using a Mustad heavy duty hook from size 2-7/0 with 34 different jigheads overall, there is sure to be a Mustad Darter Jighead to suit your fishing needs, whether you’re fishing in fresh or saltwater, inshore of offshore. Price: RRP $8.95 www.wilsonfishing.com

12 Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au

The new Jelly Cicada by Fish Candy is made of soft and super durable 10X material, making it the only Cicada on the market in this Jelly-like material. This gives it a unique sound when it hits the water and gives the lure a natural feel when attacked by fish. The body is fully wired, making it strong enough to handle big fish. The hooks used are the world renowned Decoy hooks and are ultra sharp with high tensile steel that resist flex on hook up. The lure is pre rigged with the hook at the rear but another hook point is on the belly if that is your preferred position. In total there are 7 colours encompassing, glow, UV, translucent and the classic finishes for maximum silhouette exposure. These lures are sure to prove themselves to a wide variety of native fish including bream, bass, Murray cod, saratoga, barramundi and more. Price: RRP $18.95 www.river2sea.com.au

SAMAKI VIBELICIOUS THUMPER TAIL Samaki takes the Vibelicious to the next level with the new Vibelicious Thumper Tail. Samaki Vibelicious Thumper Tail hits the water with a bang; thumping to life as it drops to the depths its action is aggressive yet slow, enabling it to mimic a baitfish perfectly but in a slower motion, all whilst holding its position in the strike zone for a longer period. The Thumper Tail can be used for traditional vibe techniques but is also a deadly lure for slowly rolling over flats, creek mouths and heavy timber structure, not to mention angling it into drains in those unique situations. Combine its thumper tail action with its unique patent pending hook holding system, which allows you to cast and retrieve without the error of hook tail wrap or snag errors and you’ve got yourself the most innovative vibe on the market. The Vibelicious Thumper tail will change the way you fish with vibes. Price: RRP $19.95 www.bluefishimports.com.au

N.S BLACK HOLE AVENGER RODS N.S Black Hole’s new range of rods, the Avenger series, are made up of stylish rod builds, feather light blanks and a wide range of models from finesse bream to heavy barra, so you’re covered wherever you’re fishing. The latest additions to the range include 2 ultra light bream rods for finesse fishing and an extra heavy barra rod. All feature Fuji K guides for maximum castability without tangles and wind knots, wide X wrapping on the blank to reduce torsion and handles designed with a mix of EVA and cork, for a comfortable feel when casting all day. Made with quality to last a long time, these new rods from N.S Black Hole are sure to make an impact on the Australian tackle industry. The 3 rods include, S-702UL 7’0” 2-piece 3-6lb, S-762UL 7’6” 2-piece 3-6lb and C-661XH 6’6” 1-piece 12-25lb. Price: RRP from $310 www.ejtodd.com.au

BERSERK VIBE 70

The Berserk Vibe 70 is a 70mm 17g vibe with a distinctive rattle like no other. This lure comes standard with VMC Permasteel hooks, which are 1000 hours corrosion resistant. All Berserk Australia lures are built from quality imported ABS technology. We believe this is a major factor setting us apart from the opposition, making our lures less susceptible to distorting under high heat and High UV exposure ensuring this lure keeps it great tight wobble action longer The B Vibe 70 is available in 5 colours including tiger green, shadow and pink pearl incorporated with UV technology this ensures you have a colour for every situation. It has a fantastic tight action and after countless hours of testing in all situations in South East Queensland we have released the B Vibe 70 because it is fantastic on such a wide range of species. Price: RRP $19.95 www.berserkaustralia.com.au

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

What’s New FISHING

S-FACTOR TUBE

It’s finally here! For years now S-Factor has turned a bad fishing trip into a good one by stimulating a bite from those finicky shut down fish. There was always one problem with the S-Factor – you could never get enough of the stuff! So it was only a matter of time before it was available to the public in a larger and more user-friendly portion. You no longer need to buy a packet of soft plastics just to get some anymore! Another great feature is that there will be no leakage from the tubes, meaning nothing will get smelly. Now available in a 35mL tube, this product will be flying out the shops and straight onto some lures before you know it! Word on the street is, for now there is only limited stock – so make sure you grab some now before they’re all gone. Price: Too new www.shimano.com.au

BERSERK LOCO 60

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

ATOMIC HARDZ 75 AND 85MM MID DEPTHS The Shiner range of lures has expanded with the addition of two new diving depths in the 75 and 85mm versions, which are perfectly balanced for the 2.02.5m depth. This makes them ideal for anglers chasing mangrove jack, barra and even threadfin up north close to the banks over shallow timber. One cast and a couple of cranks will have the lure quickly working at depth giving you more time in the strike zone. The 75mm model is capable of quickly getting to 2.0m while the 85mm will dive to 2.5m. Alongside the existing double deep models capable of depths up to 4.5m, these lures now compliment the range providing a versatile matched offering. The beauty of these lures is that they can also be trolled with mackerel being caught on both models. They will handle reasonable speeds and feature a tight wobble which sends out vibrations like a stricken baitfish. Price: RRP $18.00 www.frogleysoffshore.com.au

SPLIT RING PLIERS

The Loco 60 is a 45mm 6g floating crank bait that crash dives to a depth of 1.8-2m and comes standard with high quality BKK trebles. The Loco 60s are built from quality imported ABS technology. This is a major factor setting this lure apart from the opposition, making the Loco 60 lures less susceptible to distorting under high heat and high UV exposure. This ensures this lure keeps its great tight wobble action longer. It is available in 5 colours ranging from one end of the spectrum to the other with the tiger green, shadow and pink pearl incorporated with UV technology and this ensures you have a colour for every situation. With fantastic success catching bream, flathead, whiting, and bass on this lure all throughout testing in South East Queensland, we’re sure you’ll love it. Want Quality Go Berserk is their motto and this lure delivers everything you expect from a quality crank bait and more. Price: RRP $16.95 www.berserkaustralia.com.au

Black Magic has updated their split ring fishing pliers and the new version is available in gold and there are a number of great new features. They still have their tungsten steel cutters, which slice through braid and heavy mono with ease to make knot tying a simple to give you more time fishing. The stainless steel jaws remain unchanged and are still the best tool for opening larger split rings. The handles feature a new rubberised strip, making them far more comfortable to use and less likely to slip in the hand while changing split rings.With alloy handles, they retain their lightweight, which is under 180g, and each set comes with a carrying pouch and stretch lanyard. The new plier are also available in gold, which is a new colour. Black Magic have taken quality split ring pliers and made them even better, ensuring you can change split rings with limited hassle. Price: RRP $98.95 www.blackmagictackle.com

BIGFISH SQUID SHIRT

Squid fishing (or eging) has fast become a mainstream form of fishing across the globe especially since the introduction of high-tech rods, reels and egi jigs dedicated to this type of angling. The Bigfish Squid is the perfect shirt to chase your favourite squid in the shallow bays, reefs and weed beds. An added bonus for the egi fishers is not only will this shirt protect you from the sun and keep you cool at the same time, it’s already ‘inked’ so it won’t matter if you happen to get accidentally blasted with a squirt of squid ink! Every shirt in the Bigfish range is printed, cut and sewn right here in Australia. They are incredibly soft, cool, lightweight, UPF 50 and made from the highest quality Australian knitted polyester. They set the standard by which every other fishing shirt is judged! Price: RRP $89.95 www.bigfishgraphics.com.au

ZEST MICRO LEAF JIGS

The new Zest Micro Leaf Jigs are a fantastic little jig that have been designed in Japan for the popular growing sport of micro jigging. The Zest Micro Jigs are made to the highest quality, featuring a wire through the body. They are designed with a weight on the tail so that they sink effectively in the current and are scalloped out on the reverse side to increase the fluttering action on the drop, which makes the action of these lures irresistible to hungry predators. The Zest Micro Jigs are available in both 40 and 60g weights and are available in five awesome, life-like colours. Each lure also features a holographic finish and all come pre-Rigged with quality Twin Assist Hooks. These lures are a must have for the serious jigging angler, so make sure you grab a few to add to your arsenal before tackling the deep water. Price: RRP $19.99 www.jurofishing.com

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TESTED: POSEIDON SERIES OMOTO REELS that would take her to task, but in the many lure sets and capture of tuna she did not miss a beat. We had an angler on board that had smaller hands and they remarked how comfortable the handle was for them. I have average size hands and also found the reel to be comfortable to use. Like any reel in this class the robust nature of design and size has some inherent weight involved, so lady and junior anglers will need a harness to control and fight any fish properly. The Omoto range come fitted with the industry standard harness lugs so this is not an issues. Leo took the Omoto Poseidon S80 II Speed for a couple of deep drops. Broadbill fishing definitely puts tackle through the ringer. Continuously dropping large baits to over 400m and retrieving not only works the angler but also the reel. He found the reel performed well straight out of the box. He also pulled the reel I supplied down and had a look (we can’t help ourselves). He liked what he saw and added a bit of

spooled line on these reels ready for action and while setting drag settings to 1/3 breaking strain we noticed the drag curve to be quite sharp. Drags on these types of reels work via a ramped surface effecting pressure onto the drag washers as the lever is pushed forward. In this instance, the ramp involved is quite steep. Care must be taken when setting reel into and out of free spool so not to have too much drag pressure applied. He used the reel over a number of weekends dropping baits deep onto a few new spots for broadbill. Unfortunately he did not get tight on a sword, but did manage to reel in some interesting bycatch. Ray’s bream are the food of broadbill in Tasmania and he wound up a number of those from 400m plus. The big surprise was his battle with a southern bluefin that he managed to hook on his broadbill bait. This fish was 35kg and down at 400m. The Omoto handled it with ease and did not raise a sweat. The same cannot be said for Leo.

Opening the box to the Omoto Poseidon S80 II Speed was a lot like finding treasure. I have played with quite a few reels over the years and it was nice to be asked to put some new reels through their paces. The reels are from JRoc Tackle’s overhead range from Omoto. I personally had not had anything to do with this brand previously, nor had I heard anything at all so starting with a clean sheet was perfect. When they arrived I was super impressed with the packaging and could not wait to get them in hand and get a first impression. The reels that I had been sent where the Omoto Posiedon S50 II Speed and the big daddy of the range, the Omoto Poseidon S80 II Speed. Lifting the lid on the boxes and the gold glow emanating from within suggested there was some quality anodising involved and this is crucial with any tackle that sees the lions share of its time sitting at the back of a boat in saltwater. The fit up and marrying of machined surfaces was also impressive and that had me looking in the package for what these guys retail for. At $579 and $590 I was nodding appreciatively. In hand these reels felt very

solid and robust and on turning of the handles they worked smoothly and have a very strong and loud clicker. The big 80 even more so, there would be no mistaking a fish taking line off her. Not what you would normally do when having a brand new reel in hand, but I thought I might have a look inside one of these reels. There is ample grease from manufacturer and the bearings looked of good quality and ample size. Time to close the reel up and try and catch some fish and give these Omoto reels a run through their paces. I kept the 50 as we were planning a couple of trips on the tuna, but I had other things in mind for the big Omoto 80. I am lucky to be cobbers with Leo Miller, the lord of the sword down here in Tasmania. I asked if he was keen to give the Omoto a run on one of his broadbill swordfish adventures and he was more than keen to help out. He was also impressed with the finish and quality and was soon spooling her up for her first big outing. We took the Omoto Posiedon S50 II Speed to Bicheno and gave her a work out on small tuna. We didn’t find anything

The Omoto performed faultlessly while winding the SBT from 400m. his special grease, as he knows full well the strain a large broadbill places on gear and closed her back up. He mentioned the anodising was thinner than some reels he has owned but I mentioned the price point of $590 and he was super impressed. When we

In conclusion, the positives of these reels are great value, robust design good ergonomics. The only negative is the sharp drag curve. All round these reels are fantastic and I thoroughly recommend them for heavy offshore work. – Kelly Hunt.

These jellybean albacore were no match for the Omoto we had set for a big yellowfin tuna.

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Decent rain helps MAITLAND

Dave McLean djfmclean@bigpond.com

Mid-autumn can be the most enjoyable and rewarding time of the year, especially if you are chasing bass and golden perch. Over the past weeks there has been a reasonable amount of rain, which has helped the dams, but made the river fishing a bit harder with all the dirty water. This season seems quite different from the last, with more rainfall and not as many hot days. The weed has never really taken any growth this year, so maybe we should all take a bag of fertiliser with us every time we go fishing! At this part of the season the water temperature begins to fall, which is a trigger for the bass in particular to gorge on bait in readiness for winter. In the rivers, it usually triggers their migration downstream

THE

to start the spawning cycle. They travel down to where the salinity and water temperature is correct, and can hold there for extended periods of time until optimum conditions occur. This month, bass in the rivers will nail almost any type of lure while in this aggressive feeding mood, but I find that you will need to cover a lot of water to find them. Small to medium spinnerbaits from Âź-3/8oz are very good, along with 40-50mm crankbaits, as you can cover a lot of ground fairly quickly. As the water is fairly stained or even muddy at times, I like to use fluoro patterns in the hardbodies, and Colorado blades on the spinnerbaits as they displace a lot of water and thus vibration. Lipless crankbaits and blades can also be very useful, especially in the deeper areas and adjacent to rocky banks and areas where creeks and drains empty into the river. LAKE ST CLAIR

COD

St Clair has been fishing very well and should be really good around Easter, as the recent rain has got the fish on the bite. There is not much weed around the edges, but the bass can still be tempted to hit lures rigged on light leaders that are cast parallel to the banks. The best bite time has been very early or late in the day, as the water is very clear. Trollers have been accounting for bass and goldens in the 5-7m depth range, especially when using the Stuckey and Ferralcatts, with the bass in prime condition as they have been feeding on schools of gudgeons. St Clair really fires up in April as the water falls to the low 20s, elevating the

Brad Harrison from DPI with an unwelcome bycatch at Glenbawn.

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A Lake St Clair bass that fell to a Deep Chubby.

DAM LEVELS

Dam

% Full

Dam

% Full

Blowering............................. 31

Glennies Creek....................... 79

Brogo................................ 100

Grahamstown......................... 80

Burrendong........................... 15

Hume.................................. 36

Burrinjuck............................. 34

Jindabyne............................. 70

Carcoar................................ 15

Keepit................................... 4

Chaffey................................ 34

Lostock.............................. 100

Clarrie Hall......................... 100

Pindari................................. 13

Copeton............................... 17

Split Rock.............................. 6

Dartmouth............................. 78

Tantangara............................ 19

Eucumbene........................... 51

Toonumbar.......................... 100

Glenbawn............................. 84

Windamere........................... 44

Glenlyon............................... 27

Wyangala............................. 38

(All levels correct at time of going to press. Dam levels can change at any time, so please check with local authorities to ensure safe boating and fishing.) 66

APRIL 2015

oxygen levels and raising the fishesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; metabolism, making them more active. In April, with the water column beginning to cool, the bass and goldens come up to around the thermocline, which is

usually at the 4-5m mark, as the oxygen levels in the deeper water of around 20m begin to fall. This means you can target the fish at these levels virtually anywhere in the dam, with the prime spots not too far

from the deeper areas and close to points and gulleys. These fish can be targeted using plastics, Beetlespins, blades and crankbaits. Around cover such as small brush, a small jerkbait worked aggressively works very well. This month we will see the fish move around the dam in search of good conditions and food, and so the use of a sounder can be gold in helping you locate them. Side scan is very helpful, as you can locate areas without actually running your boat over it in the process and spooking the fish. Another very helpful tool from Lowrance is Insight Genesis to find these areas. The mid sections of both the Fallbrook and Carrowbrook arms are some areas to target, along with the points along the eastern side of the Broadwater. Bait fishing from the banks has been a bit slow, but a few nice fish have come from some of the trees out in the 20m area on live yabbies. LAKE GLENBAWN Lake Glenbawn has

An Insight Genesis screenshot of a bass-producing point.

been fishing very well, with nice goldens on lures and bait, and bass on plastics and ice jigs. The fish have been coming from around the entire dam, around the wall, the Narrows, and up around the Panhandle. Black seems to be the best colour in both ice jigs and plastics down deep around 15-20m, especially near timber and deep drops. There’s not much weed around the edges, but very

especially if you have a nor’ easterly blowing. With the water temperature beginning to fall, the bass will be moving around this month and into the next prior to holing up over winter, so a lot of sounding about and past records are very helpful. Again, the use of Lowrance’s Insight Genesis to find possible locations at the correct depth is very helpful.

them today, you can go back tomorrow and they have moved on, especially if a front moves through or a late afternoon storm hits. Trollers and baitfishos could do okay working the timbered areas around the Narrows and bottom of the dam on the western side. During February, the DPI boys from Narrandera, along with the Aberdeen Fishing Club, put 60,000 goldens into Glenbawn

This Insight Genesis screenshot shows history of days at St Clair during April. It’s a very handy tool for working out fish movement and behaviour patterns. early and late in the day the bass will take surface lures and hardbody jerkbaits,

The fish can be very unpredictable at this time of year; where you catch

and 20,000 into St Clair, which is your licence money at work.

FISHING FILL-ITS

New recreational representation NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, has announced from Ballina recently that a new advisory body, Recreational Fishing NSW, will be set up to replace the current Advisory Council on R e c re a t i o n a l Fishing (ACORF). Recreational Fishing NSW will provide more regionally focused support for the recreational fishing sector and provide independent advice to the Minister on key recreational fishing issues and management in NSW. “The NSW Government is proud to support the recreational fishing industry, which generates about $1.6 billion expenditure into the NSW economy each year and creates the equivalent of about 14,000 full time jobs,” Ms Hodgkinson said. “I have listened to recreational fishers who have requested changes to consultation arrangements for recreational fishing in NSW. “Importantly,

Recreational Fishing NSW will include eight regional members, and two members with expertise in spearfishing and charter boat fishing, all of whom will be selected by an Expression of Interest process, as well as an appointed independent Chairperson.” The proposed eight regions will include; • Mid and Far North Coast • Lower North Coast • Sydney and Central Coast. • Illawarra, South Coast • Northwest Inland • Southwest Inland • Central and Southern Tablelands.

Recreational Fishing NSW will advise the Minister for Primary Industries on matters relating to recreational fishing in NSW, including policies and priorities for expenditure from the Recreational Fishing Trust. “The current Advisory Council on Recreational Fishing has provided commendable service and advice to government on recreational fishing matters. I thank all of the current and past members for their efforts and significant service to the public,” Ms Hodgkinson said. – NSWDPI

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www.inlandwaters.com.au APRIL 2015

Torn between species LITHGOW/OBERON

Glen Stewart stewie72@bigpond.com

For me, April is a tough time of year. Not because there isn’t anything happening — quite the opposite in fact. Should I grab the pack and some lures, hike in and fish for cod high up in the catchments? The serenity is hard to beat, I must say, with nights under a blanket of stars, a warm fire and a snug swag. Or should I grab

bass and trout (a rare double)? Should I hitch up the boat and head to Wyangala chasing a mixture of species like cod, golden perch and carp on fly? Burrendong will be on the lips of many as this goes to print, and with the Classic on over Easter, it will be a hive of activity. There’s trout in local streams, the Fish River and the Duckmaloi, slowly sipping down caddis, black spinners and the like. As you can see, it’s a real smorgasbord; a crossover of seasons, a rare opportunity

to do too much at this time of year, and by this I mean planning way too much and not really getting the best out of a situation. By all means be flexible, just don’t try to cram it all in. BUSY WATERWAYS Some waterways will be busy, no doubt about that, so it can take a little bit of outside thinking to get amongst the fish. Lighter line, smaller presentations, quiet boats, smaller boats, kayaks, canoes, off the bank, try something different from the

Trout in the local rivers and dams will readily take lures and flies at this time of year. It’s just another option to get your head spinning.

Most cod water holds carp, so why not make use of them by spending part of your Easter holidays targeting them on fly? It’s great fun and a big help to our rivers. the little punt, slip it into the backwaters of one of the local dams like Lyell and chase

to do and be just about anywhere. I have been caught out a few times by trying

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APRIL 2015

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norm. There is not much the bigger fish haven’t seen or heard these days. They may not do the bolt when they hear you coming, but eat a lure? No way. To give an example of this, I recently fished a section of cod water that gets quite a pasting, I was using a surface paddler and there was nothing wrong with the lure, these things have caught hundreds of cod in this water. I knew there were cod in the pool. The evening was wearing on, the light was fading fast, and it was warm and humid — perfect. After 10 or 15 casts with the paddler, the old grey matter kicked in. I started to think, how many of these have been cast in this very pool? I took it off straight away, tied on a large jointed swimbait and got smashed first cast. A lucky cast? I don’t think so, just different acoustics, different shape, different action… food for thought. How many times have you returned to the ramp empty-handed or with very little action, and old mate is loading up the ’yak or the canoe. You get to talking and he has had a blinder. “Just along here, mate,” he says, pointing to the bank straight opposite the ramp. Windamere is a special for this — smaller craft, a different make

It’s hard to beat high catchment cod water. The fish are not always big, but the clear night skies, serenity, a warm fire and a snug swag make for an enjoyable experience. or composition, different acoustics under water, no sounder pinging its head off, no electric motor whirring away, just the occasional

paddle in the water. Think about it — I certainly have. There are pros and cons, no doubt, and weather conditions on our lakes can be very

unkind to the small boat/ kayak/canoe option. You can spend more time correcting where you need to be in the wind to a point where it all becomes counterproductive. REDFIN HOW COULD I FORGET THEM? It’s been too long. Ben Chifley, Burrendong, Carcoar, Oberon — they’re all good options for a feed of fillets. Oberon is kayak/canoe water or from the bank, but just keep an eye on the weather conditions as it can get pretty nasty pretty quickly up that way. Redfin are a schooling fish for the most part, although the bigger ones of 40cm plus tend to march to the beat of a different drum. Loose groups at best, these critters are savage, with attitude to burn. If they grew to over a metre you wouldn’t swim in the same water. The bigger ones are a little more structure orientated ambush feeders, but having said that, don’t be surprised if they turn up trying to take smaller hooked redfin off the hook out in deeper water.

Desiree Hibbet from lake Charm, Victoria went fishing on the Murray River Murrabit in search of her first cod. Using just cheese and a hook she managed to nail this beautiful 62cm specimen, much to the dismay of her onlooking boyfriend.

Mitsubishi Pajero has been upgraded for 2015 BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Looking at some facts and figures, the Pajero wagon has been around for a long, long time. Initially hailed as a game changer back in the mid ‘90s thanks to a suspension set up that saw a car-like ride from a very capable 4WD. The Pajero was in many respects well ahead of competitors at that time. Competitors could certainly go off road but were inclined to jar the fillings out of the back molars. Consensus among motoring journalists at the time was that the Pajero was so well received, simply because it combined a not overly large or small size with equally efficient on/off road performance, and high comfort levels. As a ‘proper’ 4WD (low range capability has always been a significant feature of this iconic wagon) the Pajero surprised many with its capability. Petrol engines were followed by diesel power plants, radical body shape changes also occurred over the years but the basic body shape of today has been around for several years now with nips and tucks designed to make what’s pretty good even better. Which is exactly what has occurred with the 2015 offering: enhancements, improvements, extra features and some significant price trimming. That’s what this year’s 7-seater, diesel powered Pajero is all about. EXTERNAL FEATURES Looking externally and starting from the ground up, there’s 18” 12-spoke alloy wheels in the GLX, as reviewed while side steps are there to defend the lower body work against attacks from foreign objects when in serious off road mode. Up front there’s a new grille and bumper design, while daylight LED running lights and fog lamps add some bling plus road presence up front. Not so evident during daylight hours but certain to be appreciated at night are new HID headlights (including washers) with auto levelling capability. Chrome door handles plus door mirrors (with turn indicators) are also included as are a new rear dust deflector and a redesigned spare tyre cover. A LOOK INSIDE The Pajero’s interior featured seats, wheel, and drive selector knob with leather trim and a subtle brushed metal/matte grey dash being quite easy on the eye. Highlighting the dash

Retaining the basic shape we are familiar with, the latest Pajero offers quite a few innovative features for the buyer.

the gear selector to the side and selecting gears manually with a bit of a fore/aft nudge on the selector. In a mix of country and city driving, I scored a total fuel use of 10.2L/100km, not bad at all for a solid wagon with a kerb weight of 2.255 tonnes. The fuel tank capacity is 88L. On highway runs, the 3.2L diesel proved very capable with overtaking very swiftly achieved, the 4-wheel independent suspension easily taking undulations and other road imperfections within its stride for utmost passenger comfort. OFF THE ROAD It’s in this latter mode that Pajero shines. Ample ground clearance along with excellent approach and departure angles ensure that

In all, the Pajero is, and has always been, a very competent off road traveller with the ability to keep occupants insulated from exterior bumps and thumps thanks to the great suspension system. Of interest to boat and camper trailer owners is a 750kg unbraked trailer and 3000kg braked trailer capacity, so towing up or down a beach, or cross country into a favourite bit of fresh water should be pretty easy. SAFETY AND SUMMING UP The Pajero comes with a raft of safety features such as driver and passenger front and curtain air bags, EBD, ABS, Active Stability Control, Active Traction Control, and a

area was the Pajero’s multiinformation display featuring everything from altitude to trip computers and fuel consumption. In conjunction with the 6” colour touch screen was an easy to use Sat Nav package as well as a reversing camera. The large screen also provided access to the vehicle’s audio system with its 6 speakers. Naturally, USB input plus iPod control was installed for user’s convenience along with Bluetooth phone

connectivity and audio streaming with voice control. Climate air conditioning, electric functioning for windows and exterior mirrors were also part of the package. The majority of the more important vehicle controls such as the sound and phone systems as well as cruise control were located on the steering wheel in line with most of today’s vehicles. Storage was in ample provision with plenty of nooks and crannies within the vehicle, plus an under floor tray right at the rear. Seating was noteworthy. The 7-seater offered 60/40 split fold tumble down capability for second row seating, with complete tumble below the rear floor (or easy total removal) for

the rear two person bench seat, which, along with other seating within the Pajero offered excellent head and leg room. I took the opportunity for a country run and by folding rear seating under the floor, tumbling down the second row of seating, I had a very useful load space of 1429mm by 1028mm at my disposal. ON THE ROAD A 3.2L 16-valve common rail 4-cylinder intercooled turbo diesel moves the Pajero along with ease thanks to an output of 147kW of power and 441Nm of torque. Sound levels are greatly reduced within this year’s model thanks to extensive measures taken to reduce NVH levels. Where once the Pajero’s diesel sounded very busy I noticed that it did not make

Split fold and tumble down second row seating is a Pajero feature. much sound at all with just a little at start up and then with noise levels dropping as revs increased. Linked to a 5-speed auto gearbox the Pajero wagon offered seamless gear changes with the option of a little sports mode driving by moving

the wagon can easily traverse many obstacles while both high and low range 4WD, along with a rear diff lock for the really tough going, ensure ample traction. The 4WD can be selected on the fly, at speeds up to 100km/h.

Top left: This year the goodies start at ground level with new mag wheels adding bling. Top right: Full head and legroom is a feature of the Pajero’s third row seating. Far left: Wheel activated controls for major function is a great driver aid. Middle: The console’s second gear lever depicts the Pajero as a 4WD with real off road cred as it activates the low range system. Above: Owners will find the Pajero’s Sat Nav system and its big screen extremely user friendly. reinforced body for extra impact safety. Warranty is a 5 year 100,000km warranty and each Pajero comes with 4 years, 60,000km capped price servicing. From Nundah Mitsubishi, the new GLX is priced at $53,990. APRIL 2015

Local streams invigorated CANBERRA

Bryan Pratt

Trout fishing has picked up nicely in the CanberraMonaro district in recent weeks, providing a pleasant contrast to the poor fishing experienced early in the season. Intermittent rainstorms right across the region have added just enough water to the large and small streams to keep a reasonable flow going, and as discolouration clears there

Early mornings have been the most productive, but on some overcast days there was a chance of a fish rising at any time. A few grasshoppers have been sighted, but it looks to be a poor season for ’hoppers generally and the big yellow ones in particular. Normally at this stage of the summer the plague grasshoppers are around in great numbers, but they just haven’t shown this season. A few fish have been taken by bait fishers using the scarce green ’hoppers that

Fly fishing for Murray cod is an interesting and testing challenge. Dave Eals was pleased with this little fellow — his first-ever on fly and caught in one of Canberra’s urban lakes. has been some good fly and lure fishing. The small streams between Canberra and Tumut in particular have fished well, with enough moderatesized browns and rainbows to make a day or weekend trip worthwhile. Some of the larger streams also have been productive, with reasonablesized browns and rainbows in the Moonbah, Yarrangobilly, upper Murrumbidgee and the Tumut. The most successful lures have been small Celtas, Imp spoons, Mepps spinners, Strike Pro, Rapala and Halco minnows and blades. Fly patterns have varied on the day, but successful ones include Hare and Copper nymph, black and red Matukas, stonefly, small dark beetles, Nymbeet, Hairwing Coachman and Klinkhammer.

can be caught on the stream bank when their wings are still wet in the early morning. The preferred technique is to impale the insect with a small hook through the carapace or shoulder, then float it downstream on its own or with a small bubble float. On the day, especially when nothing else works, it can be a deadly technique. BIG WATERS PRODUCING Some of the larger lakes also have yielded some nice fish. Bait fishers have taken small to moderate rainbows on scrubworms and PowerBait. The rainbows have mostly been those from the most recent hatchery stockings and are about 30cm long, but there is another batch that weigh about 1.5kg. Curiously, too, some hefty browns have been taken on PowerBait, which

they don’t normally like very much. One angler at Jindabyne took browns to 1.8kg on Lime Twist PowerBait on 3 separate trips, and at Eucumbene another angler using the same bait landed a brown weighing over 2.5kg. Scrub worms have still been the dominant bait for both browns and rainbows, and some nice fish have been taken late in the day and at night. Mudeyes have shown in great numbers in recent weeks. The larval mudeyes crawl ashore at night and climb up the nearest object (including anglers!), to shed their skin and hatch into damsel and dragonflies. Trout dearly love mudeyes, so if you see an area with plenty of husks where the creatures have been hatching, that could be the place to fish the following night. You can use live mudeyes with a waggler or bubble float, or fly fish with imitations such as Craigs Nighttime, Mrs Simpson, or an endless array of fur and fibre models. LOCAL LAKES PRODUCING The urban lakes have fished well, with hordes of redfin for anyone who chucks in a lure or bait, and enough golden perch and Murray cod to make serious bait and lure fishing worthwhile. Golden perch have been taken on scrub worms, yabbies, and on spinnerbaits and deep divers. Most of the fish have been in the 30-45cm range, but occasional larger specimens have been taken. Normally 1-3 fish can be expected in any one location, but recently 2 anglers fished under the Dairy Flat road bridge upstream from Lake Burley Griffin and caught and released 13 fish in a session. Some nice Murray cod also have been taken. Matt McCauley landed the largest, a 107cm specimen, which took a worm in Lake Ginninderra. The fish took 45 minutes to land on 3.6kg line, but was still in good condition when it was photographed and released. It is thought to be the largest or

second largest cod ever landed in Ginninderra. BURRINJUCK QUIETER Burrinjuck has dropped to about 45 per cent of capacity as water is bled off for downstream irrigation. The fishing has declined accordingly. Nevertheless, some good cod and plenty of golden perch are being taken during the day and at night. Tim from Wagga has the best cod to date, a 124cm specimen which took a large AC Invader well after dark. Other cod have been taken on spinnerbaits and an array of deep divers. A number of large cod, some well over 1m in length, have been found dead in the reservoir, prompting local Fisheries Inspector Tony Day to call for anglers to be more careful when handling fish for photography and release. The correct procedure is to cradle them in both arms to ensure minimal damage to the spine, not hoist them up by the head and gill plates in the old heroic ‘big fish’ pose. Even better, leave them in the water whilst being unhooked.

This is the old way we used to show off a big Murray cod until we realised the risk of damage we might be doing to the fish’s spine.

This is a safer way to show off a big cod; supporting it with both hands to minimise damage to the spine and the skin. This fish is the 107cm cod Matt McCauley caught recently in Lake Ginninderra.

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It’s even better to leave a big cod in the water for trophy photographs whilst unhooking it. If you can’t get a decent photograph, gently tow the fish to shallow water where it is easier to get a good picture.

Fish feeding up before the spawning season BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

With the heat of summer now a distant memory, it is transition time for most fish species. The trout are feeling the temperature drop and starting to think about their annual spawning run and will be out to feed hard. Redfin are also gearing up to spawn now that the temperature has cooled, and will start to push deeper in our lakes, forming some massive pre-spawn schools that should get any redfin angler salivating. The natives feeling the change will also be looking at getting as much tucker into their mouths as possible before the lean times of winter ahead. With all this going on, you might think it is hard to work out which species to target, but clearly my answer to that would be all of them! NATIVES With the natives at this time of the year and all the way through the winter months, the bigger the presentation the better. So if you’re bait fishing, use larger yabbies, shrimp or grubs. Lure fishos will probably do best with big lures. In hardbodies either trolling or casting, I wouldn’t use anything under 90mm and I’d strongly suggest using lures as big as you can get, up around the 150-200mm mark. As it is getting late in the season and most fish have seen a lot of fishing pressure already, it would also pay to try something a bit different to help those big, wise fish to let their guard down. Try any new lures you can get your hands on, or something as simple as putting a rear teaser on your favourite lure, either of which could result in the fooling of a trophy fish. TROUT Right now and up until the close of the season will see the best trout fishing. Trout are also switching into spawning mode, so they are both hungry and keen

to pack on condition before making lots of little trout. On top of this, they are super aggressive towards most other trout, regardless of size. What this means for the angler is sensational fishing,

are now a distant memory, the wall has been rebuilt, and the major access area has had a major revamp. The now full lake looks even better then it did before the wall broke, and will be

our doorstep in the not too distant future. After speaking with Fisheries, I was informed that there will be regular stockings of both Murray cod and golden perch into

Some of the 5000 golden perch being released into the newly re-opened Mannus Lake in early February. The next day, 5000 trout were liberated, and should be catchable by this winter.

Gav Williams with another big fish fooled by an Insanity Tackle Slap Walker. Giving big fish like this 460mm redfin something different to have a go at can be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to fooling big, wise fish. especially with lure or fly. Lure anglers will do well on bright spinners, as well as any trout-shaped lure. Slim minnow style hardbodies in floating, suspending or sinking designs will all account for fish over the next month or so. Try using lures that are either trout coloured or anything with orange and/or red in the lure, as this triggers some super aggressive attacks. Fly fishos may still have a bit of luck with big ’hopper imitations, but it is very hard to beat the consistency of nymphing and/or glo-bugging from now through to the end of the season. Simply rig up your nymphs and/or glo-bugs so that they bang along the bottom while drifting, and you should have a bent rod for most of the day. MANNUS LAKE OPENS FOR BUSINESS I am super pleased to report that on the February 6 Mannus Lake had its official re-opening. The floods that wiped the impoundment out

Mannus Lake is now open for fishing again. As you can see, it has had a major revamp during the rebuild and now looks even better then it did before. a second home to many an angler. On the opening day, my other half and I were lucky enough to help out with the first native stocking into the lake, with over 5000 golden perch released. These goldens were the staple of the old fishery and they attained true trophy size in less then 10 years last time round, so it is possible that we may have another top golden perch fishery on

the lake, and I strongly believe it has the potential to have natural recruitment of Murray cod once they get to breeding size.

If you can’t wait for the natives to reach targetable size, I am also pleased to report that on February 7, Fisheries stocked 5000 trout, which will grow far quicker than the natives and should be catchable by this winter. On top of that, there was already a strong redfin presence, so they will probably take off in numbers and be a viable option until the trout and natives get to size and start picking them off, keeping their numbers back in check. It has been a long wait for anglers, but Mannus Lake is now officially open and it is only a matter of time before it returns to being the sensational fishery that it once was.

I will keep you regularly posted about how it is coming along. COD STOCKED IN ADELONG CREEK One final piece of good news from Fisheries is that in late February they stocked Murray cod into Adelong Creek just above the township for the second year running. This is amazing news for anglers and it will be an agonising wait to see how successful it will be. On top of the great trout fishing to be had in this creek, we may soon have native action as well, and not just in the very lower reaches. I can’t wait, and thank you Fisheries.

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Early spawning action JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson swtrout@airlan.com.au

What an interesting season it has been so far and totally different to the previous year. With this year’s cooler temperatures and a lot more rainfall the trout have been a lot happier and it will most likely be an early spawning season if this weather continues. Traditionally, this month is when the rivers are usually very low but with so much water this year we have been experiencing some excellent fly and lure fishing, even in the mountain streams. Lake levels remained above 80% over summer but the level is dropping ever so slightly now as Snowy Hydro gets the level down to meet water allocations along the Murray River as well as

Thredbo River, which is also an indication it may be an early start to the spawn run but this will mostly depend on the amount of rain we get over the next month or two. The rivers are all in pristine condition after the rain and have also been fishing very well. If you are a lure spinner, you will find a variety of lures will work, but the best will be jointed minnows as the brown trout start to become really aggressive and territorial. Other lures like the Gillies Feathertail spinners or Celtas used in the shallower running water will be best early. A lot depends on rain at this time of year so it’s a little harder to predict what the season will bring. If we get rain you might start to try and work the faster runs with some deeper

like Rushes, Hatchery and Creel bay all fish well. As the sun rises, change to a Tassie and cast further out over drop offs, letting the lure sink before you retrieve with a slow wind. We will be starting to use pink and orange Tassies this month. Other lures to try are blades and while new to the trout fishing scene they are very good with gold or brown colours the best. Another lure that I have been catching a lot of fish on has been the Blue Fox minnow spin. It’s great for casting on the lake. Best areas have been down at the South Arm or near Banjo Patterson Park but as the month progresses, Waste Point and the Snowy Arm will start to fire. Bait fishing in Lake Jindabyne will further improve over this month and scrub worms and bardi

BEST OF THE MONTH! Best method......... Surface trolling early and then using lead core lines at 30m out Best depth............ Trolling at 35-45ft, deeper in the middle of the day Best lake lure....... Tasmanian Devil number Y48 or Y82 and 111 Willys Special Best lake area...... Hayshed Bay and Waste Point Best fly method.... Dry fly: Parachute Adams or black cricket Wet fly: black weighted nymph Best River............. Thredbo River above The Diggings to get ready for the snow melt next spring. With the water temperature already dropping a little, I think it will be an early start to the trout spawning season and over recent weeks we have already seen some good fish moving up the

diving lures or try a Gillies Bendback lure, which casts well when you need a little distance. On the lake the best lure spinning will be early and late in the day and places where there are steep drop offs with plenty of rocks will be the best areas. Bays

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grubs will still be the best baits. Teamed up with artificial baits that can be floated above the worms will help your catch rate considerably. Mudeyes are almost impossible to find now that the weather is cooling. The best bait fishing areas are Creel Bay, Hatchery Bay and Curiosity Rocks in the deeper water near the point. Some of the best lake fly fishing during the coming months will come as the water cools and the fish start to feed around the edges, and this year with so much weed around the edges of the lake we should see some big fish caught. Try any of the streamer patterns such as Craig’s Night Time or a black Woolley Bugger. Olive green nymphs and shrimp patterns are also worth a try. The South Arm, Creel Bay and Hayshed Bay are all great places to try fly fishing. On the rivers there is still a little dry fly fishing on offer yet and it is still a lot of fun if you get a nice day with a few insects about. The Alpine streams are also still looking OK and plenty of small fish are being caught on dry fly also. Try a small Hopper pattern, Royal Wulff, Royal Humpy or a black cricket if you see fish rising and a caddis moth fly is also not a bad option either. As the month goes on and more early spawning

Mary Redfern with a solid Jindabyne rainbow caught on a 111 Willy’s Special Tasmanian devil. brown trout move into the Thredbo River you might start trying a black nymph and if we get that heavy rain and a rise in the river we might see a start to use glowbugs and nymphs. For boat trollers, you may find the best fishing will still be early and late in the day. Fishing later where there are steep drop offs with plenty of rocks for the fish to hang out is a good ploy. Bays like Rushes, Hatchery and Creel Bay all fish well. Again, best areas have been down at the South Arm or near Banjo Patterson Park and Waste Point and the Snowy Arm later in the month.

The best way to attack the fish is top start off the morning by surface trolling lures and maybe a lead line at 2 colours out so the lure is about 3 metres deep. Later in the morning you can still target some of the browns by fishing close to the bottom in deeper water with the aid of downriggers. I find about 20ft of water is a good place to start. The Tasmanian Devil number Y48, the yellow wing Brown Bomber and the holographic Tasmanian Devil the best overall lures to use on the lakes over the past month, however this is the time of the year that we sometimes start to move into pink or orange

action on the lure. Some of the better trolling areas this month will be Sids Bay through to Rushes Bay. Also try Waste Point or Creel bay for downrigging as there may be a few early spawning brown trout about but they will mostly be deeper at 20ft or so. If you want to know more about the latest in fishing conditions just check out our Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/LJTFA Until next month, hope you catch the big one. • If you would like some personal guiding, I will be available over the coming months for fly-fishing tuition and lake trolling trips.

Dale Butel trying to get a grip on cheeky rainbow, which ate a 111 Willys Special. We will be starting to use pink and orange Tassies later this month as the fish also move into spawning and aggression mode, but for now green and gold Tassies like the 111 Willys Special and maybe the Canberra Killer Tassie will be good. Most of the Rapalas I use at this time of year all have a little orange on them as well.

colours. It’s also well worth running the Brown Trout, Spotted Dog Rapalas or the Pinkie Rapala as the trout become more aggressive. Of course, as reported if you are targeting the really big brown trout then you are best using really big lures like 9-13 cm Rapalas and I find the jointer Rapalas best as you can troll them a bit slower and still have good

Lessons can be booked from 2 hours’ duration, and trolling trips from 3 hours to a full day. If you want to know more about the latest in fishing conditions, just give me a call on (0264) 561 551 or check out my website at www.swtroutfishing.com. au. You can also see our daily Facebook updates at https://www.facebook. com/LJTFA.

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FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winner for February was C Andrews of Quirindi, who won a Z-Man Sportsfishing pack valued over $350 rrp. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – NSWFM

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The Find the VMC logo prize winners for February were: I Errey of Leeton, L Jeffs of Gateshead, J Fryer of Prospect, J Kugler of Surf Beach, P Herbert of Emerald Beach, T Baxter of Inverell , C Wheatland of Wentworthville, P Dobson of Glenmore Park, W Anderson of Chipping Norton, R Waters of Temora, M Midson of Telarah, J Page of Wingham, W Forbes of Nambucca Heads, D Hardy of Flinders, F Seal of Junee, R Chown of Glendenning, J Scanlon of Croudace Bay, B Keogh of Bathurst, R Kresevic of Canley Vale, J May of Grenfell, T Hodges of Ballina, R Wheatley of Balkham Hills, J Hilton of Goondiwindi, R Bochdal of Shoalhaven Heads, D Boyd of Swansea, G Jones of Weston, B Jordan of Botany, M Hughes of Uralla, G Pentland of Monash, A White of Dapto, D Craig of Goulburn, J Wicks of Cootamundra, J Weaver of Chittaway Point, J Stranner of Rose Bay, G Trinder of Emerald Beach, S Roweth of Millthorpe, R Maas of Moree, O Paterson of Sawtell, P Sims of Old Bar, G Galvin of Warabrook. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – NSWFM

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APRIL 2015

It’s prime Murray cod time YARRAWONGA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

Autumn — undoubtedly the best time of year to be in search of a mighty Murray cod or 2 around Yarrawonga/Mulwala’s cod rich waters. With Lake Mulwala being the home of the Murray cod, a bit of skill mixed in with a touch of patience and an ounce of luck should see anglers in with a great chance of tangling with 1 or 2. All fishing methods will produce cod at this time of year, with the average size being 40-70cm. For those who prefer bait fishing, you can’t go past a cod’s favourite snack, a tasty bardi grub. Following close behind are big juicy scrubworms, with yabbies being another great option. Chicken fillets, cheese, boiled eggs, and the list goes on for other secret baits that are always worth putting on a cod’s menu. Lure fishos have a plethora of options when it comes to weapons of choice. Whether casting, trolling or fishing the surface, there are lures to suit every application.

Trends are slowly starting to become cyclic, with a return to casting hardbodies being fashionable again. Going the other way, we’re seeing more anglers slow trolling spinnerbaits, where they have traditionally been seen as a casting lure. Undoubtedly the hottest fishing method and most fun at the current time if night-time surface fishing. Any calm evening can see as many cars and trailers lined up at ramps as in peak day periods. Poppers, paddlers and buzz baits all account for cod. If you are new to fishing the surface though, it may pay to have a few things in order before you head out. 1: A good torch or spotlight to help out any time it gets dark. 2: The ability to cast in the dark without things going pear-shaped. 3: Good knowledge of the area you intend fishing in case you have to get out of there in a hurry. 4: A selection of lures that may mix things up a bit if you aren’t getting action on a certain lure. 6: Nerves of steel! If you have never experienced the hit from a surface-feeding cod, you are in for one hell of a surprise 7: Don’t strike and go slow, slow, slow. Fishing below the weir

can be very rewarding if you are looking for fun. Where the lake will produce quality cod, the river below the weir produces cod in large quantities, but generally of a much smaller size. Bait fishing here will see the kids in with a great chance of tangling with fish on a regular basis. It’s a great way to keep them keen, as action should be near non-stop. Again, bardi grubs are the best bait, but cheese and smaller Euro worms will see you amongst the action. The recent Lowrance Da$h 4 Ca$h Super Series again proved a hit, with 83 teams competing. The decrease in minimum legal size limit helped add to the number of cod returned to scale for the weekend. Some 59 ‘legals’ were landed over the 3 4 hour fishing sessions, adding to the excitement and closeness within the event itself. Looking back, there has been a multitude of cod captured and reported over the last month. To list everybody who has supplied us with reports would fill half this publication! The major highlight, once again, has been the surface action.

Most who make the effort are encountering numerous strikes, with the average hookup rate being about 5 hits to 1 hookup. A couple of other special mentions, firstly to Sparra and Jordan Urquhart. These boys have been concentrating their efforts trolling spinnerbaits in the northern part of the lake with great success. Cod measuring 80 and 79cm, along with numerous others in excess of 55cm, suggest they have things worked out pretty well. Personally, I had a very enjoyable outing on the river with Mark and Isaac Pitches. A couple of hours saw 12 Murray cod, trout cod and silver perch added to the afternoon’s tally. I’m reliably informed that Isaac is now working hard on the old man for a new boat, fishing gear and the list goes on! If you are visiting town, I urge you to call into Lake Mulwala Fish, Camp & Ski, the shop with the big green cod out the front (opposite the post office). We are your largest Murray cod-specific shop in Yarrawonga/ Mulwala and specialise in all things ‘green’! For any information on the upcoming events or fishing

Mark and Isaac Pitches with a double hookup of fun — a small Murray cod and a silver perch caught fishing below the weir. reports, give us a hoy on (0357) 443 133. • If you are visiting town, I urge you to call into Lake Mulwala Fish, Camp & Ski (opposite the post office) in Mulwala and say G’day. We are your largest

Murray cod-specific shop in Yarrawonga/ Mulwala and specialise in all things ‘green’! For any information on the upcoming events or fishing reports, give us a hoy on (03) 5744 3133.

Mega action in mild Mildura temperatures MILDURA

John Menhennett goobyfish@hotmail.com

Mildura anglers have been able to enjoy a fairly mild summer with the odd weekend temperatures rising above the 40°C mark. Grape harvest is coming to an end, which should bring some normality back to the river level. However, it won’t be until after Easter until Murray cod fishing will really fire up. Air and water temperatures have been mild lately, which has been ideal for native fishing. Extreme heat will turn the cod off the bite at times and in turn lowers their

survival rates when pulled out of the water. These are the conditions where anglers need to employ safe fish handling when catching and releasing. Barometric pressures have been high for the most part of the past month, which has been great. However, fishing has been fairly average lately on lures, particularly for Murray cod in parts of the Murray River. The Darling River has been producing some very nice Murray cod with most being caught on cast spinnerbaits and large hardbodies. A few reports of cod caught on bait upstream of Mildura have also been made lately. There have been a few reports of Murray cod to 80cm caught on trolled lures upstream. Quite a few

frustrated anglers have even reported cod hitting lures of late but not ‘sticking’. This could be an indication

have been caught both on the cast and large trolled lures in most parts around Mildura lately, the biggest

which yellowbelly find very difficult to resist as an easy meal. Catches of catfish and silver perch being caught

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Mitchell Evans and Gavin Centofanti with a nice Murray River yellowbelly caught recently on shrimp and worms. Fish like this are quite typical for this time of year. that cod aren’t fully in the mood for feeding and are hitting lures in an aggressive predatory manner. A few nice yellowbelly

going well into the 50cm range, caught on a large lure. Bait fishos are reporting good-sized and lots of shrimp in the river at present,

on worms around the Red Cliffs area have also been reported. There are still plenty of European carp being

caught on bait and even a couple reported caught on lures. Even though carp are an unwanted species, they can still provide some fishing fun when the natives are hiding, particularly with the kids on light spin gear in the shallows. April usually provides the angler some relief from the intense sun and air temperatures usually experienced during summer. It is also the near start of a time when Murray cod start to move around into the shallows. Casting hardbodies and spinnerbaits into the timber will be the technique for success during April. Trolling will also still be successful for a while to come. With good numbers of shrimp in the system at present, bait fishing should also be quite productive. Easter is a great time for fishing with the kids and catching some very nice Murray cod. Easter is also a great time of year to sit around a red gum fire after a good days’ fishing and enjoy being out in nature in one of the worlds’ greatest environments; the Murray river.

Socks up in the sun ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

With the full crux of the summer/autumn sun sizzling down on the noggin of any would be fishos, it’s fair to say the cod bite has slowed to a trickle. Early January was unseasonably cool and the cod seemed to enjoy the break, chowing down on both bait and lure. These mild conditions produced as good a bite as I have seen for that time of the season.

belly-up in the summer heat. Remember, under the new slot limit system, all cod above 75cm must be returned, even if they are stressed and refuse to swim. Big cod going socks up is a genuine summertime problem that has few answers, other than to stop fishing deep water during the heat. Besides the visual floaters, several anglers have risked the gauntlet, refusing to waste their catch and opting to take it home. I fully understand this, but the rules are black and white and inspectors have a no tolerance policy

numbers of perch have been biting along the Murray, from Swan Hill through to Robinvale, Wemen and beyond. Most have been landed on bait, with the humble river shrimp doing the damage. At this time of the year there is minimal cost for bait fishos, as the river is teaming with them. A $5 shrimp net will provide more than enough fresh bait, with a couple of dozen translucent shrimp generally kicking about in the net with each pull. Several of these on the hook is a great bait for perch and cod when cast

Gareth Lynch with just 1 of many solid golden perch that have been biting at most locations in the warm weather. The cod bite has been better in the shallow, faster flowing sections of river. Several good fish have been landed in the Wemen area on both bait and lures, with no casualties reported, other than those that fit the slot limit that were kept for a feed. The lack

Smaller cod have been on the chew in the shallower sections of river, with few if any casualties. Since then though, the full ferocity of the sun has kicked the water temperature up at the same time as slowing the fishing down. With the change, many big cod have become

when it comes to Murray cod offences. It may not seem right to waste the catch, but it is the law. These summertime cod deaths were a problem I raised at the initial slot limit

next to the timber. A single large shrimp pinned on the hook and lowered down and bobbed around the snags also works very well when rigged paternoster style. The sinker creates

of depth and more oxygen in the shallow, current-rich sections of river provide larger fish a greater chance during the heat. This is something anglers might want to consider when targeting big cod at this time of the year. As we head into March

and the weather starts to cool, we can expect to see the cod come back on the chew. All up, the season is going well, with a great start, a little lull in the heat, and no doubt a good bite to come. It looks like there’s plenty of cod fishing action to go.

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Glen Casey with a nice surface-caught cod taken on a 120 Koolabung Codwalker. a little more reluctant to strike a lure, and in all truth it’s probably a good thing. Amongst the larger cod that have been tempted by lures, several have ended up floating down the river

meeting before the new rules were implemented. Like all things Murray cod fishing, you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. On a brighter note, good

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Crabs and craws on a yak makes perfect sense BRISBANE

Justin Wilmer Find me on Facebook at Yaks On

I had a couple of quick stops to make on my paddle back to the small sandy beach where I had launched earlier in the day. On the paddle to one of my favourite flathead banks I had dropped a couple of crab pots along a mangrove edge near the mouth of a drain. Unfortunately on this particular trip the flathead had been plentiful but small and, with only one keeper for dinner, I was hoping that I might luck a mud crab to flesh out the feast.

retrieving the pot. It felt heavy and I could feel movement in the pot, but unfortunately as it broke the surface I could see the large body and small claws of a female crab, which must be released in Queensland. The second pot also felt heavy and as I lifted it into the yak I counted three crabs! Surely one was a buck (male) and legal size. I lifted the pot so that I could see under the crabs, making note of the abdominal flap on the underside of the crab. The female has a wider abdominal flap and on closer inspection I had two females and one big buck that would be joining us for dinner. You’re already loading

of crab pots to the equation, or opera house traps if you’re fishing the freshwater. With the Easter weekend upon us, let’s load up and hit the water to chase a few sand crabs (blue swimmer crabs), mud crabs and freshwater yabbies. A FEW TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED Regardless of the species you are chasing make sure you check the local rules and regulations, including minimum sizes and bag limits, as the authorities stress – ignorance is not an excuse. Commercially made measures are inexpensive

you are legally allowed to use, the number you can have in your possession and how they need to be labelled, with some requiring a light

details on the trap. These regulations can be located in your local fishing guides or online from your local fisheries website.

A bait clip or mesh bait bag and bait clip makes baiting up quick and easy, and a handy tip is to make these up at home the night before, or

GEARING UP • Pots or traps • Ropes • Floats • Name Tags • Bait Clips or Bags • Baits • Measure • Hessian Bag • Icebox or Bucket with lid • Occy Straps • String – if you tie your crabs • Zip Ties – handy accessory

A couple of solid mud crabs from a session at 1770 in northern QLD. coloured float of a minimum size, with your details clearly written on the float and also a tag with your

Before heading out I like to bait all of my traps, to save messing around when at the mercy of the wind or tide.

even load your bait clips in advance and freeze them in a plastic container ready for your next adventure.

Top: Back in they go to grow bigger. Ronny releases a couple of undersized mud crabs. Bottom: Brett brings the traps aboard on the final run and loads his catch into the icebox. Slowing my paddle stroke, I allowed the kayak to glide up to the first float and began

the yak and fishing gear for your fishing adventure, so it’s pretty simple to add a couple

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Once baited up I lay a hessian bag on the front of the kayak, or across the rear and sit the traps on this to minimise the chance of them slipping from the kayak while travelling. An occy strap is then handy to secure the traps in place, while also being quick and easy to release once you are ready to deploy your traps or when packing them up after the final check of the day. Before you get too excited and hit the water in search of these tasty morsels, take the

using drop nets, as they allow the crabs to enter, eat and move on more easily than enclosed pots. A good idea is to drop the traps at varying depths until you locate where the numbers are concentrated. MUD CRABS As their name suggests, mud crabs are more commonly located muddy creeks and along mangrove-lined mud banks. If you look closely in these areas you will often see mud crab holes, resembling burrows in the mud, and placing your pots near these

while others prefer slightly boiled potatoes or broccoli, with rockmelon being another popular option. During the day catch rates can increase in the deeper water, while at nigh the yabbies often move into the shallows to feed. Key areas to target include the edges of drop offs, weed beds and around structure such as timber. Regardless of your target species, the kayak is a fantastic vessel for targeting a feed of crabs or yabbies.

Gearing up for a crabbing session. time to consider where you will store them. My preferred option is an icebox in the rear well, as it keeps the catch cool and it’s easy to flip the lid open and drop the angry crabs or yabbies in. Other anglers I know prefer a bucket with lid or a wet hessian bag, but you will soon work out what works for you. If you are confident when it comes to handling and tying mud crabs, this is a good option and makes their storage and handling safer and easier. One of the handiest accessories that I have discovered as a kayak angler is the humble zip tie. Whether it’s securing your traps, replacing a broken latch or acting in place of a bait clip, carrying a few zip ties of varying sizes will get you out of trouble on many occasions. Carrying a spare bait or two is also a good idea, just in case the toadfish and other bait thieves are in action. SAND CRABS (BLUE SWIMMER CRABS) Generally more plentiful and readily available, especially as you head south down the east coast, the sand crab is smaller than a mud crab but often considered sweeter and more desirable by many seafood lovers. They are generally located throughout sandy channels and feeding around the weed beds of our rivers and estuaries. Pots and drop nets are the preferred traps for targeting sand crabs, baited with fish frames or half a mullet. Traps can be checked at regular intervals, especially when

can be effective. Other key areas to target include the mouths of drains and narrow ends of small creeks where the mangroves extend across the mud flats. Following periods of heavy rain, mud crabs are often flushed from their homes and catch rates can increase dramatically. The incoming tide seems to be the most productive, with the mud crabs leaving their holes to explore and feed. Pots and drop nets are again the preferred traps, with fish frames and whole mullet cut in half the go-to baits. Mud crabs are a prized catch and are often expensive to purchase from seafood shops. They are also extremely powerful and capable of inflicting a lot of pain and serious injury, so if you are not familiar with handling a mud crab, either crab with someone who is or release any crabs you are not allowed to keep and then take the others to the nearest bank to extract them from the trap and store them. FRESHWATER YABBIES If the sweetwater is your preferred environment then you don’t have to miss out on a tasty feed of crustaceans, with yabbies and shrimp readily available. Opera house traps are the preferred option and it’s important to note that the funnels must incorporate metal rings of a set diameter to hold them open so that turtles are able to exit the trap should they find themselves inside. Baits are commonly debated, with some anglers swearing by tins of cat food with holes punched in them,

It’s an inexpensive option and you can launch virtually anywhere, access the small creeks and areas that some of these species call home and comfortably carry a few traps on even the smallest kayak. Next time you’re planning a kayak fishing adventure, take a moment to check out what other species are on offer and throw a couple of traps in. See you on the water.

Top: Brett with a feed of redclaw from his home waters of Lake Somerset. Bottom: Ronny with a nice blue swimmer from the drop net.

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APRIL 2015

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

Apr 12

BETS BREAM Teams #2 BETS

Lake Macquarie www.betsbream.com.au

Apr 19

SBS Bream Basin Lure and Fly

Shoalhaven River www.basinlureandfly.org.au

Apr 24-26

Atomic B.A.S.S. Australia Nation Series BASS Nation

Hawkesbury River Gurgle www.bassaustralia.com.au

Apr 25-26

Berkley BREAM Series Qualifier #2 ABT (07) 3387 0888

Clarence River www.abt.org.au

May 2-3

GST Bream Elite Round 3 AFT

Gold Coast www.fishingcomps.com.au

May 9-10

Toray BASS Pro Series Round #2 ABT (07) 3387 0888

Lake Somerset www.abt.org.au

May 16-17

Bluefin Boats BASS Electric Series ABT (07) 3387 0888

Toonumbar Dam www.abt.org.au

May 16-17 Hobie Worlds Qualifier #2

Forster www.hobiefishing.com.au

May 17

GTS Bream Mid Round 4 AFT

Clarence River (Iluka) www.fishingcomps.com.au

May 23-24

SBS Bream Basin Lure and Fly

Mallacoota www.basinlureandfly.org.au

May 24

Bluefin Boats BASS Electric Series ABT (07) 3387 0888

Lostock Dam www.abt.org.au

May 24

BETS BREAM Teams #3 BETS

Forster www.betsbream.com.au

Jun 6/7

Pottsville Fishing Classic Beven Wise 0412 810 720

Pottsville/Cabarita

Jun 6/7

Berkley BREAM Series Qualifier #3 ABT (07) 3387 0888

Gippsland Lakes www.abt.org.au

Jun 9/10

Berkley BREAM Series Qualifier #4 ABT (07) 3387 0888

Mallacoota www.abt.org.au

Jun 28 Hobie BREAM Kayak Series Round 9

Sydney Harbour www.hobiefishing.com.au

Jun 28

BETS BREAM Teams #4 BETS

Sydney Harbour www.betsbream.com.au

Jun 28

SBS Bream Basin Lure and Fly

Sydney Harbour www.basinlureandfly.org.au

Jul 3-9

Sussex Inlet Annual Family Fishing Carnival SIFFC (02) 4441 2017

Sussex Inlet www.sussexinlet.nsw.au

Jul 4-5

Toray BASS Pro Series Round #3 ABT (07) 3387 0888

Lake Glenbawn www.abt.org.au

Jul 12

GTS Bream Mid Round 5 AFT

Port Macquarie www.fishingcomps.com.au

Jul 31-Aug 2

Atomic B.A.S.S. Australia Nation Series BASS Nation

Lake St Clair Classic www.bassaustralia.com.au

Aug 8-9

GTS Bream Elite Round 4 AFT

Clarence River (Iluka) www.fishingcomps.com.au

Aug 9

SBS Bream Basin Lure and Fly

St Georges Basin www.basinlureandfly.org.au

Aug 9 Hobie BREAM Kayak Series Round 11

St Georges Basin www.hobiefishing.com.au

Aug 15-16

Berkley BREAM Series Qualifier #5 ABT (07) 3387 0888

Hawkesbury River www.abt.org.au

Aug 29-30

Toray BASS Pro Series Round #2 ABT (07) 3387 0888

Lake St Clair www.abt.org.au

SEPTEMBER

Sep 24-27

North Coast Fishing Bonanza AFT

Ballina www.fishingcomps.com.au

OCTOBER

Oct 10-11

SBS Bream Grand Final Basin Lure and Fly

TBA www.basinlureandfly.org.au

Add your tournament or competition to this list by emailing nsweditor@fishingmonthly.com.au or calling 07 3387 0800 in office hours. Just supply a date, venue, tournament name and a telephone number and contact name. 78

APRIL 2015

Wallis Lake produces GES winning bags at Forster The second round of the new Gamakatsu Elite Series sponsored by Samurai Rods has been run and won with 1st place taking home a massive $3037 cash. 18 teams battled the weather at Forster all trying to take out this big cash win. With 254 bream being weighed in across the two days Forster really turned the action on. Congratulations to Team Lowrance/Evinrude on taking out the Forster GES title. Knowing that the wind was going to be blowing, Mark Healey and Jack Dihm headed to Wallis Lake both days. Fishing a combination of surface lures and crankbaits, they were able to secure a solid 3.15kg bag on day one, slotting them into 2nd place. Knowing the fish were there, on day two they were able to produce a solid 5.68kg 10-fish bag. A combined weight of 8.83kg placed them first and over three grand richer. Not too far behind, Team Carpet Court/Cranka

combination of Bassday Sugapens and Megabass Dog X Jnr’s when the wind was up. When the wind died off a quick change to

place them 700grams above 3rd place. Gamakatsu/Megabass came from 13th to 3rd place over the two days. Fishing

Grant Manusu (L) and Mike Nelson (R) are always consistent at Forster. RESULTS Team..........................................Anglers........................ Fish................... Weight 1 Lowrance/Evinrude....................Healey/Dihm................ 15/15................ 8.83kg 2 Carpet Court/Cranka.................Nelson/Manusu........... 15/15................ 8.55kg 3 Gamakatsu/Megabass...............Starkey/Skyring........... 15/15................ 7.84kg 4 Ecogear/Yamatoyo Taree...........O’Sullivan/Argall.......... 15/15................ 7.80kg 5 Berkley/C’ultiva..........................Riches......................... 15/15................ 7.73kg

Mick Starkey shows off the tournament’s Big Bream. Lures were able to secure the second place prize of $1012. Mike Nelson

Crankbaits and Zman Grubs were used for a more subtle approach to entice these

simular areas as 1st and 2nd, Michael Starkey and Zac Skyring fished the Lake

The Gamakatsu Elite Series is for teams wanting high entry-fee, high reward. and Grant Manusu fished the bottom end of Wallis Lake both days with a

day needed a small change of technique and depth to produce the results. “The standout technique of the day was switch

spooky Forster Bream. With a total two day weight of 8.55kg it was enough to

with only small fish the first day, but figuring out they were there, the second

baiting. Switch baiting is where you chuck a surface lure (in this case a Megabass Dog X) and entice the bream to come up and hit your lure. When this happens your team mate chucks a smaller sinking stickbait such as the Atomic Semi–Hardz Minnow right behind the surface lure and the bream just can’t resist!” This technique was enough lock in a massive 5.81kg bag on day two, putting them into 3rd place. The Big Bream of the weekend was also caught using a surface lure with a fine specimen of 1.21kg, found using the Megabass Dog-X. Zac Skyring did not have time to get a switch bait in as this big fish took the lure and ran, unlike the other fish which were more reserved on the bite. Being sponsored by

Jack Dihm (L) and Mark Healey (R) show the sort of fish you need to be three grand richer in a bream tournament these days. Samurai Rods also, the prize was handed back which means lucky for them Team Ecogear/Yamatoyo Taree was handed the 2 x Samurai Reaction Rods valued at $880. The second Round of the Gamakatsu Elite Series again showed that the GES comps are the highest return cash prize comps in Australia with some great cash up for grabs these events are sure to

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become larger and larger and set itself as the Elite series everyone want to be involved in. A huge thanks goes out to the series sponsor Gamakatsu and the naming round sponsor Samurai Rods. For a full list of sponsors and any up and coming tournaments go to www.fishingcomps.com. au/gts and remember to “Support the sponsors that support your passion!”

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SERIES BREAteMd by Berkley Presen

Mark Crompton (10/10, 5.12kg) secured his maiden ABT BREAM win at the Berkley Tweed River BREAM Qualifier. For Crompton, a plumber from Wilton in NSW, this event was the first time he had fished the Tweed River. With little to go on, Crompton drew on his experience of fishing the Shoalhaven River to identify the key pattern and execute his strategy. “This was my first visit to the Tweed and with the recent rain I knew it was going to be tough. The water colour gave zero visibility to the bottom so pre-fish had me rely on my sounders, which I was using for the first time! I found fish on deep rock walls early on my pre-fish. “After the Friday night briefing we headed to a local club for dinner on the marina where I witnessed schools of bream feeding freely amongst the marina. I decided to keep things

Crabby Tweed victory simple and target this marina on the first day as I knew if I could see them I could catch them.” On day one Crompton focussed his efforts on fishing the marina area. In all 6-7 legal fish were boated giving him a 5/5, 2.11kg tournament limit and placing him 7th in the field. Day two, traditionally harder in ABT tournaments, saw Crompton turn up the heat, landing 12 legal fish during the session and putting himself in the box seat for a top place finish. “Using my sounder I knew deep under the Marina was clear of any obstructions. Using dark Cranka Crabs on light line I cast the lure into the shadowed areas of the Marina and let it sit on the bottom. This accounted for most of my fish each day. I filled the remainder of my limits on nearby pontoons and boat hulls. I somehow wrangled out a 930g big bream, which gave me a kicker for my day two bag and pushed my tournament

It was first place winner, Mark Crompton’s first comp on the Tweed.

Lee skips to second place ER CE BOAT 2ND PLA

STORM VENTAFISH®

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888. 80

APRIL 2015

Will Lee, a 28 year old Advertising Consultant at Fishing Monthly Group, secured second place at the Berkley Tweed River BREAM Qualifier. Lee, a longtime ABT angler, was in fourth position after day one and finished strongly with 5/5, 2.19kg to vault up the leaderboard. Lee shares his event thoughts and technique, “I didn’t prefish as I already had a game plan and didn’t see the point in catching any of those fish before the tournament. From a location point of view I stuck to the stretch of river between the Chinderah Bridge and the Tumblegum Bridge all weekend. I targeted rock walls with over hanging trees and lay downs in the water. The majority of fish I caught were sitting in about 3m of water.” Each day Lee made early inroads, filling his five fish tournament limit by 10am. It was then a case of playing the waiting game as the fishing slowed down. Around midday the larger fish would start to become more active and

aggressive. “The technique was to skip cast the soft plastic into any shaded areas. If there was not a fish in the shade the trick was to then work the lure down the face of the rock wall and let the lure rest where the wall met the riverbed. The bites were timid so I’d wait roughly three seconds after getting the initial take before setting the hook. This technique did cost me an upgrade on the first day when I deep hooked a fish which bled a lot and may not have survived the trip back to the weigh in, but in the end it didn’t make a difference to my result.” In a sea of choices, Lee had no hesitation in using a confidence lure that paid dividends throughout the tournament. “I used one lure all weekend which was a Z-Man 2.5” Grubz in the motor oil colour. I rigged the Grubz on TT Tournament Series jigheads in size 1/12oz and 1/8oz size 1 hook. To help keep the Grubz on the jigheads, I would use superglue and have a dozen already rigged and glued before each session to save valuable fishing time. I used two tubes of the new S Factor scent throughout the tournament and would reapply the scent to the lure after every fish or every half dozen casts.” On day two Lee found plenty of bream but was

unable to match the size and quality of his first day effort. The second placed result illustrates that you should never write off a proven performer, especially when tournament conditions become challenging. Lee used a Gary Howard Northfork FW702-1 rod teamed with a Shimano

3lb Sunline Sniper Super FC fluorocarbon. Finally Lee leaves us with this key piece of information, “The Tweed River is loaded with undersize bream, but I knew from past tournaments that the bigger fish tend to bite later in the day and this

Will Lee stuck to his game plan and brought home 2nd place. Stradic 1000FJ reel spooled with 2lb Berkley Fireline Crystal and 6m of

gave me the confidence to stick with my pattern throughout each session.”

limit over 3kg. My two-day total bag weight ended up over 5kg, which secured me the win.” “Congratulations to Will Lee (2nd) and Kris Hickson (3rd). It was an extremely well run event with a quality, friendly field. It was a great way

to kick off my 2015 ABT BREAM Series campaign and an event I’ll never forget as my first ABT win. I’m a firm believer that confidence is key to these tournaments and with the use of quality tackle and sounders my confidence gave me the advantage.”

Cranka Crab

WINNING NOTES

Austackle Big Bream

The Austackle Big Bream was a 930g Tweed River stonker caught by event winner Mark Crompton in the second session.

Winning Tackle

Rod: Daiwa Generation Black Itchy Twitchy 6’10” Reel: Daiwa Sol 2000 Line: 6lb Sunline Super PE Leader: 4lb flurocarbon Lures: Cranka Crabs and Berkley craws in camo colour

Sh Shaded haded A Area

Sit lure on bottom in shaded area

Winning Ways

Crompton credits the use of his Lowrance sounders as key to finding the fish in the stained water of the Tweed River.

Walker steps up for win ER CE BOAT 2ND PLA Stuart Walker, a 47 year old foreman for Construction Control in Canberra, took out the non-boating division. While Walker didn’t get the chance to prefish for the event it mattered little as he went about making the most

of his time on the water. Walker was left with work to do after a quiet first session, but quickly turned things around on day two, returning to the weigh-in with the equal largest bag for the tournament to secure a narrow victory. Walker shares his two days on the water, “On day one I fished with Chris Britton, the area we spent most of the day fishing was the Fingal rock wall. The three fish I caught for the day were in the livewell by

WINNING TACKLE Rod: Shimano 3Zero 1-4kg and LOX 7 foot 1-3kg Reel: Shimano Stradic CI4 1000FA Line: Daiwa 8 braid Accudepth 10lb and 4lb Berkley Nanofil Leader: 3lb Sunline Bream special leader Lures: Bait Breath Rockin Crab rigged on a 1/16oz jighead and 2.5” Z-Man Grubz in motor oil colour rigged on a 1/8oz TT Headlock jighead.

9am. I caught a few other fish during the day but all were undersize. The three fish were all caught on a soft plastic, the Bait Breath Rockin Crab, which was rigged on a 1/16oz jighead. The technique was to throw tight up against the bank and slow hop the lure down the face.” On day two Walker was paired with Mark Brown and fished upriver. The session yielded four quality fish that ultimately put Walker in a winning position. The four fish I caught came very slowly with a lot of undersize fish in-between. The first fish came around 9am from under the hull of a large boat and was caught on a 2” Z-Man Grubz in bloodworm colour rigged on a 1/16oz TT head lock jighead. The next three fish all came from the one area. We started fishing a

The second session was the winning one for Stuart Walker with a hefty bag. rock wall, but found the fish were out in the deeper water between 2.5 and 3m. We fished a stretch of water

TOP 10 BOATERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Angler

Fish

Weight

Payout

Mark CROMPTON William LEE Kristoffer HICKSON James HOWARTH Ashley BRYANT Steve MORGAN Tom SLATER Scott BUTLER Jamie MCKEOWN Chris BRITTON

10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 7/10 8/10 10/10 9/10 10/10 8/10

5.12kg 4.59kg 4.53kg 4.41kg 4.23kg 3.94kg 3.90kg 3.86kg 3.62kg 3.29kg

$2500 + $500 Austackle Big Bream $1200 + 1st Mercury Bonus $1000 + 2nd Mercury Bonus $800 $700 + Duffrods Big Bag (3.19kg) $500 + 3rd Mercury Bonus 1st Yamaha Bonus

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

about 200m long for the rest of the day catching a lot of smaller fish in-between. The soft plastic

I used here was a 2.5” Z-Man Grubz in motor oil colour on a 1/8oz TT Headlock jighead.

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS 1 2 3 4

Angler

Fish Weight Payout

Stuart WALKER Simon JOHNSON Jonathan THOMPSON Mathew CAMERON

7/10 7/10 7/10 6/10

2.87kg 2.84kg 2.59kg 2.55kg

6/10 5/10 5/10 3/10 4/10 3/10

1.84kg 1.76kg 1.74kg 1.44kg 1.43kg 1.23kg

5 Beau STARTIN 6 Ryan KENNY 7 Taigan HEATH 8 Chris FINDLAY 9 Aaron CLIFTON 10 Brendan HERDEN

Berkley Prize Pack ($750RRP) Berkley Prize Pack ($500RRP) N.S Blackhole rod Bass Mafia tacklebox/ 13 Fishing Omen Black rod TT/Zman Prize Pack + 3rd Hobie Bonus E.J Todd Prize Pack Pontoon 21/Damiki Prize Pack Tonic sunglasses Spotters sunglasses Spotters sunglasses

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

yak Hobie Ka ries Se BREAteMd by Daiwa Presen

A staggering 86 anglers from up and down the east coast of Australia descended on the sleepy, bream fishery of Bemm River in East Gippsland, Victoria for round one of the 2015 Hobie Kayak Bream Series presented by Daiwa. On the weekend of 7-8 February the small coastal township of Bemm River in the East Gippsland region of Victoria was the venue for round one of the Hobie Kayak Bream Series. Bemm River village is situated on the northwestern shore of the Sydenham Inlet, 441km east of the state capital of Melbourne. The natural coastal inlet, fed by the Bemm and Little rivers, stretches over sand hills to the shoreline of the Tasman Sea. The sleepy village, with a total population of 60 local residents saw 86 kayak anglers arrive on Friday night to put the system to the test over the course of the weekend. Bemm River has proved itself to be a healthy black bream fishery and Hobie Kayak Bream Series tournaments have featured ‘Bemm’ on the tournament calendar, year after year. The opening tournament for the 2015 season at Bemm was a qualifier for the Hobie Kayak Bream Series Australian Championship and 53 Victorian, 30 New South Wales, and 3 ACT anglers took part. An excellent haul of fish were taken over the two days with 200 legal size bream brought to the scales on day one with a total accumulated weight of 138.8kg. On Sunday when some were predicting that catch to fall away 207

Simon Morley comes from 12th to win legal size fish returned to the Daiwa Event Site weighing in at 139.16kg. Bemm River had kept its superb reputation intact. DAY ONE On the opening morning of the two-day tournament competing anglers pedalled off from the Power-Pole starting line in excellent conditions that held up throughout the day. Anglers were chasing bream with a bag limit of three fish, which were to be brought back to the Berkley Bump Tub for a live weigh-in. As the session came to a close, anglers threw their final casts around the Atomic Launch Site before returning their keytags, to indicate that anglers were safely back on shore at the Daiwa Event Site. Fishing throughout the day was excellent with 59 competitors getting their full bag of three legal bream. The fish were on the chew early and hit hard in the stable conditions and continued later in the day when a light of breeze provided cover with ripples peeling across the water under the clear blue sky. Upgrades were common and

Morley’s winning lure, the O.S.P Dunk. widespread in many locations across the Austackle Arena. At the completion of the day one weigh-in, Chris Burbidge from Victoria was the TT Lures Leader of the Day with a 3kg bag, closely followed by the 2.94kg bag

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888. 82

APRIL 2015

of Daniel Brady from Victoria and Josh Smith also from Victoria had a 2.67kg bag which placed him in third with one day to go in the event. Darren Evans was leading the Hog’s Breath Café Boss Hog Big Bream with the biggest fish of the day. DAY TWO In conditions that were similar to day one with clear blue skies and temperatures hovering around 35°C, anglers pedalled off from the PowerPole starting line, in a patchy, light breeze hoping to improve on Saturday’s catch. After two long days on the Austackle Arena anglers worked their way back to the Daiwa Event Site as the wind blew up and peaked at around 25m/h. All anglers returned safely back at the Daiwa Event Site and an impressive number of bags were placed on the scales for the day two Strike Pro Weigh-in. Simon Morley from Bulli in New South Wales snared the major prize for the event his first finish at the top of the Lowrance Leaderboard. Second place went to the current Australian Champion and day one leader Chris

Burbidge from Ferntree Gully in Victoria while Josh Smith from Tyers in Victoria, in his second tournament season, took the final place with his first ever podium finish. After his day one standing in twelfth position, Simon Morley, an Australian representative in the 2014 Hobie Fishing World Championship in the Netherlands, had a simple plan of attack, which was to hit the spot that had previously worked for him. After his initial plans for a repeat of last year at Bemm had to be ‘thrown away’ because of water levels, Morley had to re-think his efforts for the weekend. “I got fish early yesterday morning and when the area I was fishing shut down I pedalled directly across to near the entrance where the tidal water was coming in and I found a bank there with no weed on it. I put the O.S.P Dunk on, that a mate from fishin.com.au Adam Costa gave me, and first cast I got a fish and so I was pretty happy with that. Then I upgraded my fish three times just before I had to come in for the 2pm finish yesterday,” he said. “Today I went straight back there, because I knew there were fish and first cast I got a 40cm to the tip

Simon Morley took out first place in the Round One of the Hobie Kayak Bream Series, closely followed by Chris Burbidge and Joshua Smith. and I had my three fish by about a quarter past seven and upgraded once before 8 o’clock. I went back onto the same flat again and waited for the wind to come up, before that it was really still, I put another cast in and I got an upgrade so I was pretty happy with the day overall.” CHRIS BURBIDGE REELS IN SECOND PLACE Burbidge netted a full bag of bream on both competition days with an accumulated weight of 5.52kg just short of the tournament winner by 0.14kg, and giving him the slightest advantage in weight of 0.03kg over third place finisher Josh Smith from Tyers. Burbidge summed up his two days on the water at Bemm River. “I started yesterday off a point, I was using a Jackall Colt Minnow, I got my bag and then went out to deep water once the bite shut down. There I got some upgrades on a vibe. Today I tried the same thing but it didn’t work, so I came back over to the edge of a flat using a Jackall Squirrel and I got two good fish, eventually, using a vibe in the deeper water I got another 700g fish so that sort of sized my bag out with the three 700s. So yeah, it was a good day,” Burbidge said. “Bemm is a great spot, there are so many options. One option was sort of shut down on us, the river, just because we had big water come down about two weeks back. But there are just so

many options, you’ve got drop-offs, you’ve got flats, you’ve got an odd snag here and there. Although the

water is very low at this time of year, it’s a great fishery, a fantastic fishery”. – Hobie Cat Australasia

WINNING WAYS

Winning Ways

Morley summed up what gave him the winning edge in the tournament. “I found the fish yesterday arvo and went straight back there. I had to race back there because of the reverse start today and when I got there, there were two guys already fishing the spot. I just snuck in between them and put a cast in and wham-o, it turned out pretty good”. Morley has a specific aim he is trying to achieve this season. “I really want to qualify for the Hobie Worlds again, so I’ll be back down at Mallacoota giving it another crack and I’ll try to get to the other two qualifying rounds in Forster and Redcliffe to make the worlds”.

Winning Tackle

Rod: Daiwa Black Label Reel: Daiwa Certate 2000 Line: Sunline 4lb braid Leader: Sunline 4lb Lure: OSP Dunk

HOG’S BREATH BOSS HOG

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

Simon Morley also took home the Boss Hog Big Bream cheque by bagging a 1.24kg brute. The BASS ELECTRIC SERIES fish was caught on the Sunday using an O.S.P. Dunk on the flats around the lake end of the channel entrance that had recently opened to the sea. HOGS BREATH BOSS HOG PAY TO:

Hogs Breath Boss Hog

FOR THE SUM OF:

One Hundred Dollars

DATE:

$ 100

Fishing Tournaments bass • bream • barra

TOP 10 KAYAKERS

Place

Angler

Fish

Weight

Payout

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Simon Morley Chris Burbidge Joshua Smith Jonathan Chen Clark Wilson Daniel Brady David Ayton Ronnie Sonter Matt Petrie John Whelan

6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 6/6 5/6 6/6 6/6 6/6

5.66 5.52 5.49 5.23 5.04 4.84 4.73 4.69 4.65 4.63

$2230 $1170 $750 $280 $260 $250 $230 $210 $190 $170

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

yak Hobie Ka ries Se BREAteMd by Daiwa Presen

On February 21-22, the host township for the 2nd round of the Hobie® Kayak BREAM Series presented by Daiwa was the Victorian fishing mecca of Marlo. The small community is situated in the East Gippsland district of Victoria at the mouth of the Snowy River, and has become one of the more popular

Crosbie conjures up magic at Marlo by the clean, oceanic water that pushed into the system on a run-in tide, making for a tournament arena of contrasts and challenges. The challenging water meant the anglers had their work cut out for them each day, and despite the challenging conditions the arena fished well with many anglers successfully catching their bag limit each day.

At the completion of the Strike Pro Weigh-in Dave Hedge from the Central Coast of New South Wales was the TT Lures Leader. Weighing in a 3.52kg bag, Hedge led second placed, and eventual winner, Joel Crosbie, by close to 1kg. DAY TWO In contrast to day one, clear blue skies greeted anglers as they headed out onto to the Austackle Arena with hopes

65 anglers headed off from the Power-Pole Startline each morning. tournament locations on the Hobie Kayak BREAM Series calendar. Round two of the series saw a 65 angler field compete, made up of 46 anglers from Victoria, 13 from New South Wales, 3 from the ACT, and 2 from South Australia. In total, 191 bream, weighing 121.53kg, were delivered to the scales over the two days of competition, then released safely back into the waterway. The fishing was predicted to be difficult as the Snowy River catchment area had received a large amount of rain making the water a striking rust colour. This was contrasted

DAY ONE On the opening morning of the tournament, 65 anglers headed off from the PowerPole Startline with heavy cloud cover keeping the temperatures from reaching the predicted mid 30s. An unexpected sea fog rolled in at 12:30, making visibility difficult, but it dissipated as the session drew to a close. Contrary to angler expectations the arena fished surprisingly well, and after a slow start for the session Marlo’s big hungry bream came on the bite late in the session, with both the upper lake and the river mouth producing good size fish.

of improving upon Saturday’s catch. After two long hard days of fishing competitors arrived back at the event site with

For event winner Joel Crosbie it was a tournament that saw him initially try to follow a tried and true Marlo pattern, a pattern that he’d worked out through fishing multiple Marlo kayak rounds. “Given that I’ve fished nearly every tournament that has been held here, my usual plan is to go down and fish the front of the system. But that didn’t go to plan. I had to come halfway back, just down stream from the event site, and that’s where I found the fish. I sat in about 12ft of water and simply worked a blade across the bottom through the schooled fish. There was a massive school of fish there”. COREY GALLAGHER REELS IN SECOND PLACE Corey Gallagher from Ocean Grove in Victoria bagged out both days to claim a podium finish, and fell 920g shy of 1st place and claiming the win. Gallagher summed up his two days fishing the cloudy waters of the Snowy River estuary at Marlo. “I fished edges all weekend around the two islands and because of the colour of the water I threw plastics because I can fish them a lot slower. I used Z-Man GrubZ in UV

SPECIAL THANKS Thanks to Anthony and Maximus Di Corleto from Alpine Country Sale for providing dealer support at the event. With a BBQ, drinks and snack packs provided each day of competitors received catering like only the Hobie Fishing Series can, and is known for. Like all events in

the Hobie Kayak Fishing Series this round could not have gone ahead without the outstanding support of our generous sponsors Daiwa, Berkley, Atomic, Lowrance, RhinoRack, Strike Pro, Austackle, TT Lures, Yamatoyo, Ecogear, Power-Pole, Mortgage Corp, Hog’s Breath Cafe and ABT. – Hobie Cat Australasia

WINNING NOTES

Mortage Corp Monster Mover

The latest bonus for anglers in the Hobie Series is the Mortgage Corp Monster Mover Prize Pack for the most improved angler over the two days. The winner for this round was Paul Davison from Victoria who came from 50th at the end of day one to finish 21st at the end of day two and the tournament. Paul also received an accommodation voucher from the Marlo Caravan Park and Motel for his efforts.

Winning Ways

Crosbie had no doubts about what gave him the winning edge in the tournament. “The new prototype Strike Pro lure was what gave me the edge over the other competitors. We only have eight in the country and I was lucky enough to get my hands on two of them. The new blade has a polycarbonate belly with ball bearings in it so it actually rattles. It’s slightly different to your normal blade. It was just giving the fish something different to what everyone else was using”.

Winning Tackle

Rod: 7’, 204kg Strike Pro Nano Edge Reel: Tica Line: 6lb Strike Pro braid Leader: 6lb FC Lure: Strike Pro Astro Vibe and a Strike Pro Cyber Vibe

HOG’S BREATH BOSS HOG

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

Crosbie with a brace of bream from his Marlo win. another good haul of fish, with a long cue of angles waiting patiently at the Berkley Bump Tub to hit the stage to weigh they fish. Joel Crosbie from Mirboo North in East Gippsland grabbed the top position on the Lowrance Leaderboard with his 6/6, 5.58kg tournament limit, while 2nd place went to Corey Gallagher from Ocean Grove in Victoria, and 3rd place went to Martin Fellows from Victoria.

colours. I just kept working the edges, staying patient and confident that the fish would come. I caught a good bag on the first day that had me sitting in 5th place. On day two I was hoping to hold onto that position, but when I landed a 1.3kg fish at the end of session I was confident that I’d move up the leader board. To move up to 2nd place and book a spot in the Grand Final was much more than I could have hoped for”.

Altona Meadows’ Peter Whelan took home the Hog’s Breath Café Boss HogBASS Big Bream ELECTRIC SERIES cheque after catching the tournament’s biggest fish on a black Strike Pro Cyber Vibe in the clean water at lower end of the system on day one. HOGS BREATH BOSS HOG PAY TO:

Hogs Breath Boss Hog

FOR THE SUM OF:

One Hundred Dollars

DATE:

$ 100

Fishing Tournaments bass • bream • barra

TOP 10 KAYAKERS

Visit www.abt.org.au for entry forms. For general enquiries phone ABT on (07) 3387 0888.

Angler

Fish

Weight

Payout

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6/6 6/6 6/6 5/6 5/6 6/6 6/6 5/6 3/6 6/6

5.58 4.66 4.36 4.06 3.95 3.88 3.66 3.61 3.52 3.45

$1650.00 + Prize Pack $870.00 + Prize Pack $550.00 + Prize Pack $210.00 + Prize Pack $190.00 + Prize Pack $180.00 $170.00 $160.00 $140.00 $130.00

Joel Crosbie Corey Gallagher Martin Fellows Daniel Brady Chris Burbidge Ben Harrison Richard Somerton Clark Wilson David Hedge Scott Lovig

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au APRIL 2015

Ground breaking 350 and 400hp Verados FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

You know that it’s going to be a pretty special product when Mercury Australia fly you to the Miami Boat Show in the USA to cover the launch of an outboard motor. And although Mercury did its best to keep the launch a secret, my Aussie mates were telling me that it was going to be a 400hp Verado added to the stable.

test boats at the show that we understood just what purpose this engine was built for. Like most of you, before I jumped on the big red and white plane, my exposure to Miami was limited to re-runs of Miami Vice and the Don Johnson’s pastel suits. In reality, Miami is like the Gold Coast on steroids – there are ridiculous numbers of waterfront properties, easy access to excellent fishing in water from a foot deep to thousands of feet and a real

boat porn at its finest. And Americans were buying. If you were to stand at the show and watch the deals being done, you’d have no reason whatsoever to believe that the USA is coming out of a recession. There were hundreds of boats and motors being sold. Talking to the boat manufacturers, there was little chance of getting an order built until the end of the year if you put your deposit down in February. Price ranges for these big craft ranged from a

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The.350.and.the.400R.Verados.are.built.on.the.same.platform... The.400R.generates.its.maximum.horsepower.at.7,000rpm.

Now.here.is.a.serious.fishing.boat..1400hp.anyone? They were nearly right. At an embargoed media launch the night before and at the public reveal on the first day of the Miami Boat Show, Mercury’s President, John Pfeifer, proudly revealed a 350 and 400hp outboard, achieved through a number of advancements to the existing 2.6L Verado platform. Boasting some pretty impressive technology inside and, importantly, mounting with a narrow footprint, it wasn’t until we were set loose amongst the

demand for big boats. Currently, the trend is towards centre consoles with multi-rig outboards. And I’m not just talking a couple of 50s on the back of a 16ft. Centre consoles, complete with under deck cabins in the 30-50ft class were littered around the show. Powered by twin, triple, quad and even five high-output outboards. Backing up this observation was the boat storage yard we’d drive past on the way to the show each day. Literally hundreds of big centre consoles. It was

SPECIFICATIONS Horsepower:..........................................350.and.400 Weight:.....................................................from.303kg Capacity:............................................................ 2.6L Aspiration:...................Supercharged.(water.cooled) Configuration:................In-line.6cyl,.4-valve,.DOHC Alternator:....................................... 70a.(belt.driven) Controls:........................................SmartCraft.digital Steering:................ Electro-hydraulic.power.steering Gearcase:........................................................ 1.75:1 CARB Star Rating:.................................................. 2 Colours:............ Phantom.Black,.Cold.Fusion.White,.. .....................................................Warm.Fusion.White couple of hundred grand for the smaller cousins to well over a million bucks for the

Yep..It.sure.does.look.like.a.near.100-mph.boat..And.it.rode. smoothly.across.wakes.that.would.frighten.you.in.a.20.footer. 84

APRIL 2015

pride of the fleet. Serious boats for serious coin. Mercury admitted that they didn’t have a class leading solution for these big multi-rigs. There was the 300 Verado, but

Yamaha’s V8 350 and niche manufacturer Seven’s 557hp were heavy and broad. Enter the 350 and 400R four-stroke Verados. Mercury identified the opportunity several years ago and quietly worked away on re-engineering the upright straight-six platform to create an four-stroke outboard that outputs more horsepower per kilogram than anything else on the market. Made in the USA with around 70% of the engine built in-house, the 350 is 62kg lighter than its competitor in the marketplace – Yamaha’s naturally aspirated V8 350hp 4-S (303kg v 365kg). Also, its 26” wide footprint on the transom means that you can fit them more easily to the transom. But it’s not until you actually get on the test boats

and take a ride that you can appreciate the quietness and the smoothness of these motors. SUPERCHARGED There’s one main reason that this 2.6L block can punch out nearly three times the horsepower than the larger bore 150hp Mercury new four-stroke, and that’s the supercharger. All Verados are

supercharged – from the 4-cylinder, 1.7L 150 Verado through to the 400, but the 2.6L 350 and 400 have a redesigned cold air intake and, importantly, a watercooled supercharging unit. More air and colder air makes for more horsepower. Incorporating the supercharger into the engine’s water-cooling pathway increases durability

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Top: It.might.look.weird,.but.while.using.the. Joystick.Piloting,.the.motors.work.either.with.or. against.each.other.–.depending.on.the.direction. you.want.your.boat.to.go..Including.sideways. Bottom: Docking.a.boat.with.Mercury’s.Joystick. Piloting.is.child’s.play..Forward,.back,.spin.–.whatever. you.do.with.the.joystick.will.be.mirrored.by.the.boat.

and efficiency. The new Verados also cool their internal oil with a counter-current heat exchanger – all designed to maximise durability. ADVANCED MID SECTION Mercury are pretty proud of their AMS or Advanced Mid Section on all of the 6 cylinder Verados. AMS has been designed to virtually eliminate any vibration from the motor that can get transferred through to the hull of the boat. Steering away from traditional, soft motor mounts, AMS is much more easily experienced than explained. And while sitting in the back lounge of a 1600hp powered quad rig (4 x 400R Verados), you’d get to feel every bang and shudder and don’t. These Verados are relatively quiet and ridiculously smooth, especially considering that there’s more horsepower on the back of one boat than there is in a small tournament Down Under. MINIMAL SERVICE COSTS Mercury is very proud of their ‘long bolt’ powerhead configuration which was designed to necessitate NO valve train service for the life of the engine. After around 500 hours, this becomes an expensive service on most 4-stroke outboards. During the factory tour in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin after the show, all of the Aussie media were intrigued with the level of detail and precision that the company put in to designing durable and maintenance free products. From a consumer point of view, it boils down to fewer issues over the life of the outboard to keep you off the water. “Our product quality is world class,” said Nicholas Webb, Director or Engine Product and Marketing for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific Region, “and that’s better for

Mercury and better for the end user. It’s a win-win.” SMART ELECTRONICS With the load of electronics that boats powered by these Verados run – including multiple sounders, radar, bait tanks and lighting, Mercury has built in an Idle Charge System to sense electric load and adaptively alter the engine idle to ensure that there’s always the power necessary to maintain safe operation. Gone are the days when your crank battery is going backward when your outboard is going forwards. And Verados have always been digital (or fly-by-wire) in the 2.6L configuration, but they now boast the ability to use their full potential with some great add-ons. Like Joystick Piloting with an outboard is incredibly clever. Using a combination of minimum of twin engines, throttle and gear changes – all controlled through a joystick at the helm – you are able to drive your boat forward, backwards, sideways (literally) and to spin it on its axis. This makes the act of docking (which can be daunting for some boat owners) without bow thrusters a piece of cake. Within minutes, even an inexperienced boatie can be in total control of the attitude of the boat at slow speeds. This tech is yet to really take off in Australia, but as multiple engine rigs increase, you can bet that their owners will fall in love with the ease of manipulation with this one, simple control. Skyhook is like a spotlock on your electric motor, only it’s enabled through GPS the and outboards. Push the button and your craft locks onto its GPS position – great for fishing or while waiting to dock. THE 400R Producing 153hp per litre of displacement, the Verado 400R is the most

Top Left:.Robin.‘Dr.Mercury’.Senger.shows.the.advantages.of.the.Verado.‘long.bolt’.design..Namely.a. life-long.no.valve.train.service. Top Right:.In.a.stark.contrast.to.Miami.where.we.ran.the.boats,.Fond.du. Lac.in.Wisconsin.is.where.they’re.made..That’s.snow..Middle Left: Once.the.powerhead.is.completed,. it.takes.the.production.line.less.than.a.hour.to.put.a.Verado.together..And.the.production.quality.has. never.been.better..Bottom Left: Here’s.an.example.of.the.difference.between.the.current.200-300hp. Verados.and.the.new.models..The.supercharger.on.the.right.is.water.cooled..Bottom Right: Every. single.Verado.gets.water.tested.here,.checked.for.leaks.and.only.passed.if.it’s.running.perfectly. powerful outboard ever produced by Mercury. Being the first Verado to have the proven SportMaster gearbox as an option from its normal 5.44, the SportMaster gearbox comes with low water pickups, stainless steel guide plates and the AMS design to offer superior handling at speed. And trust me – you will

Seriously.–.there’s.no.racing.going.on.here,.officer.

get speed. Joy riding a Nau-Tek powered by four x 400Rs at the Miami Show Marina, we reached speeds in the high 80s. That’s miles per hour. Max speed on the trip log was mid nineties. White knuckle stuff. THE BOTTOM LINE If you can’t tell by now, we’re excited about the

way outboard technology is headed. Increasingly, systems are integrating more seamlessly, durability and ease of use is increasing and service costs are decreasing. These new Verados are, of course, ridiculously powerful and are price competitive compared with their competition in the marketplace.

If only petrol prices stay low, big outboard loving Aussie boaties have a bright future ahead. Aussie Verados in the 350 and 400hp models arrive at the end of April. • Declaration: The author travelled to the Miami Boat Show and Mercury factory as a guest of Mercury Marine.

This.Ranger.bay.boat.was.a.real.rocket.ship.with.the.350. Verado,.and.the.AMS.contributed.to.its.smoothness. APRIL 2015

Mercury propeller factory were cheaper and others top dollar, especially while I was running them across sandbanks and shallow water. After a tour of the Mercury propeller factory in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA, though, I was amazed at the process these guys go

FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

When you choose a propeller for your outboard, there’s several factors that come into play:

There’s a QR code hereby with a video that explains the whole process, but it’s a whole lot more than pouring hot metal into a mould. It all starts with an injection mould and some wax. Seriously. A rigid wax duplicate is moulded out of

Here’s what your Merc propeller looks like when it enters the factory. is it the right pitch and diameter? Will it fit the gearbox of my boat? How much does it cost? Are the blades the right shape for my hull? I didn’t think too much about why some propellers

through to make the best propeller possible for their outboards. And the process explains why your Mercury prop costs a grand while a competitor’s die cast blade may set you back only half that.

a special formula wax and repetitively coated with a fused silica based slurry until it forms its own mould that can stand the ultra high temperatures of the molten stainless steel. This typically takes 5-7 coats of the silica. When dry, the wax is melted out of the shell in a pressurised autoclave (with steam) and the moulds are ready for pouring. This is the cool bit. The moulds are heated up in an oven to the same temperature of the molten metal – around 2,000 Farenheit (1,100°C). A guy dressed in what looks like a bomb suit picks up the mould out of the oven and sets it down on a trolley for pouring. He has the world’s best gloves. His co-worker then pours the molten alloy into the mould and the newborn propeller slowly cools. The whole set-up glows bright orange. Mercury uses a couple of different grades of stainless alloy for their different propellers. The racing and bass boat propellers run a

These props are about to be sandblasted. higher grade of metal. Several hours later, when the propeller is cool enough, the mould is chipped

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Fond du Lac Wisconsin

USA

Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, named as such because of its location at the bottom (south end) of Lake Winnebago.

The most impressive part of the process is where the pre-heated moulds are filled with the molten alloys. One guy’s job is to pull the heated moulds out of the furnace by hand. They’re some serious gloves!

Left: Bit by bit, the sand moulds are chipped away from the finished propeller. Right: Polished and ready to be hubbed and packed. Here’s a dozen of the thousands of propellers a year to come out of the building. 86

APRIL 2015

away and the workers get into the process of cutting, sandblasting, polishing and tuning these props to perfection. Every single propeller is balanced – by hand – to ensure that it transfers the power from your outboard to the water as efficiently as possible. “It’s about acceleration, it’s about speed, it’s about giving the customer that fuel economy – all done up here at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin!” concluded Robin Senger, Mercury’s Product Training Manager. Mercury claim that they make the best propellers on the market and it sure looks like they take every step necessary to make sure that each and every propeller that leaves Wisconsin and is shipped to the four corners of the globe is worthy of the Mercury name. • The author travelled to Fond du Lac as a guest of Mercury Marine.

What’s New FISHING

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

SOUNDER REVIEW: Lowrance HDS7 Gen3 Lowrance have just released a brand new model to the HDS line up that is sure to turn some heads in the marine electronics game. I’ve been lucky enough to have a good play around with this new sounder and so far it has been exceptional. If you aren’t too clued onto fish finders or sounders, basically the past few years have seen an incredible jump in technology. Anglers have some amazing tools at their disposal now and fish finders are really making it easier. The implementation of Touch Screens, Side Scan and Chirp are just some features that have revolutionised the way we now fish. The HDS Gen3 is the latest instalment in the Lowrance HDS range. Sporting a similar look to the HDS Gen 2 Touch, this new model incorporates some handy

cable so adding the Gen 3 to my boat was a breeze. What has changed is that there are now more buttons on the unit that allow full control, implemented for those who like to have the option of both touch screen control and buttons as well. The HDS 7 Gen 3 now also comes with dual Micro SD Card slots, which is great if you are like me and want to record your own maps with Insight Genesis. One of the first things I noticed when using this sounder was that the screen was noticeably clearer and brighter. The biggest advantage of this is that the sounder screen is still easily readable even with the sun glare on it. Navigating through the sounder it was also obvious that it was a lot faster and the new menu layout makes it very easy to find your way around the unit.

Handy if you would like to run multiple units on the boat without spending extra for another one. All you need to do is

The new screen provides crystal clear images. Very helpful with picking up small details on Structure Scan.

The physical dimensions are almost identical to the previous model.

A nice personal touch, you can now add your own custom backgrounds to the main menu screen. new features and software and hardware upgrades. It comes in 3 variances, 7, 9 and 12” screens, basically they all work the same with the main difference being the screen size. The physical dimensions are almost identical to the previous model. This is handy if you do own a HDS Gen 2 Touch as it can make for an easy swap over! Both also use the same power and transducer

A nice personal touch, you can now add your own custom backgrounds to the main menu screen. The majority of the changes are the upgrades to the software and hardware. I had a lot of fun playing around with the new HDS Gen 3’s built in Wi-Fi. This serves a few purposes, one being that you can connect your iPhone, Smart phone or tablet to the sounder to view your screen.

The new screen provides crystal clear images, which is very helpful with picking up small details on Structure Scan.

I have been playing around with the Wi-Fi connectivity through my phone and an older iPad I had laying around at home.

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au

download the app to your phone and connect the two via Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi also lets you connect to the internet via your mobile phone hotspot or your internet connection at home to download HDS Updates and Maps direct to your unit, this saves the need for having to transfer these to an SD card and then transfer the map or update manually. I have been playing around with the WiFi connectivity through my phone and an older iPad I have laying around at home. Another new addition to the Gen3 is the inclusion of Chirp sonar. Chirp has been around for a little while now and without going into too much detail it gives a really crisp clear sonar image, reduces clutter on the screen and reads better in deeper water. Of course we still have structure scan, which is my most used part of the sounder. The clarity on the screen is amazing.

A cool new feature that has been added is the ‘Multi-Touch’ screen. What this means is that you are now able to zoom in and out with the use of 2 fingers. Much like how you would on a Touch Screen Phone or iPad or Tablet. The new HDS Gen 3 models are now available to purchase from your local Lowrance dealer. There are literally too many features to write about so I highly recommend you check them out, well worth a look if you are in the market for a new sounder. In the past few months I have had this unit I have put it through its paces, from fishing deep water in Moreton Bay looking for reef fish and pelagics, to fishing a Bream Tournament in the Tweed River in shallow water. It hasn’t skipped a beat and is a powerful fish finding machine! I strongly recommend you have a play around with one of these, you won’t be disappointed! - Nabeel Issa

visit www.tacklejunkie.fish for the latest tackle news - AS IT HAPPENS! APRIL 2015

Trailer Feature

Buying a new trailer for your pride and joy Whether you’re selecting a new trailer for your old trailerboat, or picking a new trailer for your new boat, you’ll soon be confronted with the massive amount of choice when it comes to optioning a trailer to get your boat to and from the ramp in one piece. Understanding the options available is pretty important, because not all trailers are suitable for all hulls. We’ll have a look at some of the choices here and what’s available.

FRAME TYPES

Historically, you could have three choices for your trailer frames – steel, steel or steel. Mostly it was galvanised (coated in Zinc) that was pretty good in withstanding a life in and out of salt water. But starting with some imported trailers and now available locally, bent I-beam aluminium framed trailers are available for most sizes of trailerboats. Of course, aluminium doesn’t corrode anywhere near as quickly as steel and an I-beam can be bent to a shape that suits trailer manufacture perfectly (see the cool Quintrex Trailer QR code hereabouts to watch it happen). Aluminium I-Beam trailers aren’t made from 100% aluminium. A lot of the cross members and gear that holds the skids or rollers are still steel, however these parts are usually modular and can be replaced quite easily if excessive corrosion occurs. One of the big advantages of the aluminium frame is that it’s fully open to the air and can be hosed down easily at the end of the trip. Some of the steel box-sections in boat trailers can trap water and nobody wants salty water connected with their trailer frame for long periods.

WHEELS

Again a quite modern trend is the use of alloy wheels on boat trailers. Historically, most trailers would come with steel wheels, which would work fine, but were subject to corrosion. They were also quite ugly. Nowadays most of the wheels you’ll see in a boatyard are alloy, and the range of designs is increasing each year. Don’t fall into the trap, though, of buying car mags and dumping them on your trailer – often the offsets are wrong and purpose-built alloy trailer wheels are more suitable for the marine environment. Every year, make sure that you crack all of the trailer wheel nuts and give the bolts a quick clean and a dab of grease before re-tightening them. This will mean that when you do have to change a flat tyre, the nuts will crack easily. There’s nothing worse than sitting on the side of the road, jumping up and down on a wheel brace to break the corrosion seal! We’ve all been there and done that and don’t want to do it again.

WINCH

I’m a big fan of keeping it simple whenever possible, so for me, a small boat should be wound on and a big boat should be driven on a trailer. If you need an electric winch to retrieve your small trailerboat, then something has gone wrong somewhere with the design, or you’re fishing well into your later years (which is the definition of success in life). With a drive-on rig, the winch basically holds the bow of the boat firm while trailering and most of the

force to load the craft comes from the outboard. With a wind-on setup, there’s more of a choice involved in what you use to connect the winch to the boat: wire, webbing or GSP. Heavy duty multistrand wire has been used since the dawn of trailerboats to hook-up and wind-up. It’s cheap and strong, but it does fray and always seems to find its way into your fingers when you’re being the human level-wind while cranking the winch.

A better option is webbing strap – the same as your seatbelts are made of in your car. It’s minimal stretch and there’s no metallic daggers hanging off it while you retrieve, but you do need to be careful layering it onto your winch. Starve it of attention and it’ll bunch one side or another and tear after a bit of neglect. Still – if it does break, you can always tie a knot to the boat hook to get you home. The best option, in my opinion, are the aftermarket

polyethylene non-stretch trainer winch cords. These are no-splinter, no rust, no stretch and non-bunching. Just wind them and let it lie where it lies.

LIGHTS

Like winch cables, for me, there’s no argument when it comes to what type of lights should go on the back of a boat trailer, and that’s LED. We’ve all had our time pulling apart the old bulb and bell-housing trailer lights –

ALLOY TRAILER SERIES

usually the night before we go fishing, because for the hundredth time since we got them, they have succumbed to vibration and the elements. LED lights are less susceptible to both of these failure-creators. They’re generally fully sealed – often all the way to the connecting plug and LEDs don’t have the delicate tungsten wires that rattle to death any time you hit a pothole or venture off-road. The best part about the LED technology is that it’s

OVER 50 YEARS OF BUILDING AUSTRALIA’S BEST BOAT TRAILER Adjustable Front Centre Bunks and Heavy Duty Aluminium Rear Bunks to suit most boats Independent Torsion Suspension with replaceable stub axles and accu lube grease system Multi Roller configeration also available. Guide Posts Standard

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APRIL 2015

Trailer Feature

what’s available? because you can’t simply pull a twin axle around on itself unless you invest in a set of go-jacks. Twin rigs also cost a little more to tow – you’re dragging that extra weight and friction all around the place. If you’re stuck between the two and don’t have a reason to go for the single axle – get a double.

BRAKES

Stopping is important. Real important. Especially when you run into that Monday afternoon end-oflong-weekend traffic queue and you’re daydreaming listening to the cricket. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a maintenance free brake system – you need to

This quality aluminium I Beam trailer looks great and is extremely functional. suitable for your boat may well come down to your launching conditions. If you always launch on deep ramps and can drive the boat on to the trailer, bunks will offer great support and security for your boat – especially glass boats. But if you like beach launching or need to wind up the hull, then rollers may be by far the best option. Make sure that you have enough rollers to adequately protect the

Hydraulic systems use feedback from the hitch to activate the calipers via a length of hydraulic pipe. To me, it’s a more accurate way of delivering the right pressure to the discs.

BUNKS OR ROLLERS?

TALK TO THE EXPERTS

If you think that it’s all too hard, talk to a specialist trailer distributor or manufacturer. They do this for a living and there’s a few advertising in this issue. QXFMTR001

Although we’re covering this last, it’s probably the most important decision when it comes to cradling your hull. Which one that is

hull between the launch and home. Too few and there’ll be pressure points that will give after time. Too many and the trailer will cost you a mint.

Built tough by the best boat guys in the business.

Winching is sometimes the only option on rougher boat ramps or while bush-launching. now ridiculously cheap compared to when it was released, so there’s no excuse not to have them on your next trailer.

AXLES

Single or twin? Apart from regulatory decisions (once the rig gets up around 1.4t, you must go doubleaxle), there’s plenty of reasons to pick a twin-axle trailer if it’s an option.

I like the safety of a second axle. Get a blowout on the highway at 100km/h and the second wheel is a real safety bonus. Single axle trailers don’t have that margin for error. Additionally, I reckon that a twin axle trailer tracks more accurately and is less inclined to wander around on a rough bit of road. Of course, the twin axle rig may not suit if you need to manoeuvre around in a garage,

constantly adjust and maintain anything of that complexity that dunks itself into saltwater a couple of times a trip. Mechanical brakes (where your tow hitch pushes a lever that activates your calipers via a length of wire) are simple to maintain if you are on top of your game. Over tightening them is just as bad as having the wire too loose. One results in not stopping, the other results in red-hot brake discs.

Trailers can be optioned up with a swing away draw bar if you have size restrictions in your yard or garage.

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Extensively tested, undergoing a simulated 100,000km around a specialist Army ‘Torture’ test track. Constructed from rolled aluminium I-Beam creating an overall stronger frame with no weak points and less flex.

The first aluminium trailer suited for boats as small as 4.2m.

All Quintrex alloy trailers have drive on capabilities.

Our range has a proven lifespan 3 times longer than steel trailers (aluminium is extra resilient to rust and corrosion).

You love our boats, now you can love our trailers. The new range of Quintrex aluminium trailers are perfect for your current Quinnie or as an upgrade for your existing boat. We’ve built in some unbeatable features and created a range big enough to match a long list of old and new boat sizes. See the full range and find your nearest dealer at quintrex.com.au APRIL 2015

Trailer Feature 1

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Bonanza Trailers for boats and other uses

When it comes to galvanised trailers, Bonanza Trailer have you covered - they supply quality galvanised trailers of all shapes and sizes to the public. Boat trailers are apart of this range and they have a model to suit most needs - from your basic small fold up trailer perfect for the travelling nomad, right through to your tandem axle models build for those larger offshore vessels and bass boats. As well as providing a range of boat trailers they also supply other trailer models to suit your needs such as box, flat top, car, bike and hydraulic models. Bonanza trailers stand by the quality and value for money of their trailers. They are located at Salamander Bay in the Hunter region of NSW and would love to talk to you about your new trailer and give you the best price possible. www.bonanzatrailers.com.au

• New products • Reviews • Videos

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FOR PRIVATE SALE 1994 Riviera Mariner 27’ Targa Sports Cruiser “They don’t come better than this one. This is an exceptional vessel. There is no better value in a 27’ Sports Cruiser” $58,000 ono

• Length: 27’ (8.3m) • Beam: 10’3” (3.10m) • Draft: 2’4” (.72m) • Fuel: 400 lts

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APRIL 2015

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Quintrex’s Offers new Alloy Trailer for 4m Tinnies and bigger

Quintrex’s newest trailer releases are some of the smallest aluminium boat trailers on the market, so you don’t need to compromise the quality of your tinnie boating package anymore. Quintrex Trailer Manager Sam Phelan said after moving into the Aluminium Trailer market it was clear there was a gap in the industry for cost affective alloy trailers suited especially for small aluminium tinnies around the 4.2m to 4.5m in length. “We have released the new 749kg and 1098kg alloy trailers late last year and we’ve had a really good reception from our dealer network with customers happy to upgrade to the benefits of alloy trailer for their boating package,” Sam said. “You can get these trailers as part of your new boating package or as an upgrade for your existing boat.” “Now with trailers specially built for boats 4.2m-4.5m in length, you’d be crazy not to make the switch as alloy trailers tend to have lifespan 3 times better than their steel counterparts,” Sam added. With a range of features, Quintrex trailers are easy to use and operate and

See how Quintrex I-Beam Trailers are made.

have been extensively tested to ensure they stand the test of time and the harsh conditions of Australian roads. Quintrex Alloy Trailers have been constructed from rolled aluminium I-Beam creating an overall stronger frame with no weak points and less flex and have been extensively tested, undergoing a simulated 100,000km around a specialist Army ‘Torture’ test track. The new 749kg and 1098kg alloy trailers feature swing up jockey wheels, adjustable skids and keel rollers while the

aluminium frame is long lasting and more resilient to rust and corrosion. To view the complete range of Quintrex Trailers head to www.quintrex. com.au or visit your local Quintrex dealer for more information. www.quintrex.com.au

Ausmarine Seatrail Trailers value for money

If you’re after value for money in a trailer you should definitely check out the Seatrail range. Ausmarine distributes and sells the full range of Seatrail trailers in both galvanised steel and aluminium frame models. Seatrail trailers range from small, lightweight folding models for small tinnies up to heavy roller trailers for 6.5m hulls with 2000kg ATM. Ausmarine can also have galvanised steel and aluminium trailers powder coated in different colours, a new option available should boat owners want to match their trailer to their boat or car paint. New to the range is the Seatraill 4.6m trailer that is designed to take boats to 4.7m with ATM of under 750kg (not requiring brakes), and is available with either skid or rollers. This model is available in both aluminium and galvanized steel frame. As well as producing a great range of boat trailers, Ausmarine also have a range of popular box trailers, car trailers and camper trailers. Accessories required for trailer upgrades and maintenance are also available. The range includes wheel bearings, spare wheel brackets, jockey wheels, LED lights, and spare wheels, all at very competitive prices. For the full range of Seatrail trailers starting from under $1000, and accessories go to www.ausmarine.biz or for more information call (02) 9792 6000. To find your nearest dealer follow the prompts on their website. While you’re on their website also check out their range of Seacraft aluminium boats from 2.1m – 4.5m and their range of 2-stroke and 4-stroke SeaKing outboards. – FMG www.ausmarine.biz

New Tinka Aluminium Trailers available 4

Tinka’s range of aluminium boat trailers are made of heavy duty aluminium I-beam using stainless steel fasteners, with no welds to crack. Tinka aluminium boat trailer range comes with adjustable front bunks and heavy duty aluminium rear bunks to suit a wide range of boat hulls. Tinka’s LED lights are fully submersible for hassle free lighting. Stylish alloy mag wheels make checking brakes an easy task. Independent torsion bar suspension with replaceable stub axles and acculube grease system makes trailering more comfortable. Rear guide posts are standard. Tinka aluminium boat trailer range is available for boats from 4.5-8.8 metres and for a maximum 4.45 tonne GTM. Contact: 07 3277 7322 Web: www.mayfairmarine.com.au

Trailer Feature www.ausmarine.biz for your nearest dealer PH: (02) 9792 6000 F: (02) 9772 4858 E: sales@ausmarine.biz

Alloy Boats

Outboards

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BOAT PACKAGES

From

2.1m car topper, 2 adults, max 4hp, only weighs 22kg

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PWC13

ADVENTURE 360

3m to 6.5m

FOLDING 8

MINI TINNY 210 CAR TOPPER Bonanza Trailers

Trailers from

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From

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Boat & trailer & 9.9 2 stoke

AL4.2M13

NAVIGATOR 400 4m flatwater V-nose tinny, 4 adults, max 30hp

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SNAPPER 425

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AL5.4M13T • Dual Axles

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FINANCE AVAILABLE

ALL PRICES GST INCLUSIVE, EXCLUSIVE FREIGHT, REGISTRATION & DEALER DELIVERY CHARGES.

APRIL 2015

What’s New BOATING

SAVAGE 575 BLUE WATER

Garmin’s new GPSMAP 7400xsv series of premium multi-function displays (MFD) combines powerful performance with a renowned interface to deliver a range of class-leading features in a fullynetworkable, simple-to-use package. Boasting a vibrant widescreen display with full pinch-to-zoom touchscreen capabilities, the GPSMAP 7400xsv series is offered in four sizes – 7407xsv (17.9cm/7”), 7408xsv (20.3cm/8”), 7410xsv (25.4cm/10”) and 7412xsv (30.5cm/12”) – to cater for all types of vessels from sportfishers to cruisers to yachts. For anglers, the GPSMAP 7400xsv series also integrates Garmin’s premier sonar technology – traditional HD-ID™ sonar, true dual 1kW CHIRP sonar, CHIRP DownVü™ and CHIRP SideVü™ – to deliver the clearest scanning sonar on the planet along with unequalled target detail and separation. Whether fishing a secret spot or cruising the coast, the GPSMAP 7400xsv series has cartography covered with a preloaded worldwide basemap, while a built-in 10Hz GPS antenna allows for faster and more accurate position tracking and updates (10 times per second). – Garmin

Savage, Australia’s oldest aluminium boat brand, has released the new 575 Blue Water – now the largest in the cabin range offering the perfect boat for the family or the keen fishers. With new 4mm bottomsheets, 3mm smooth side sheets. The 575 Blue Water has a spacious cuddy cabin that can still maximising deck space and wont compromise your fishing room. The Savage boat features a soft riding new hull design. The 575 Blue Water handles offshore conditions with ease providing a smooth and reliable ride every time. The 575 Blue Water includes a 95L fuel tank, rod holders and folding rear lounge all as standard. Keen fishers can option up with a berley bucket, live bait tank in the back deck, bimini and envelope and a rocket launcher to create a mean fishing rig. The 575 Blue Water is available as a complete boating package including boat, trailer and motor complete with a 3 year limited warranty. - Telwater

ULTRAFLEX GOTECH HYDRAULIC STEERING KIT

GARMIN PANOPTIX

Unlike anything you’ve ever seen on the water, Garmin Panoptix provides the ability to see all around your boat in real-time. Garmin Panoptix allows you to see the entire water column, and everything in it, in 3D! You’ll be able to see real-time moving sonar images, including fish swimming in front of or below your boat… even see them chase your lure in 3D! Panoptix has to be seen to be believd. Based on technology previously available only in the offshore commercial market, Garmin Panoptix is centred around a multibeam transducer that utilises phasedarray scanning sonar – creating multiple, simultaneous steerable beams in a single ping – to deliver incredible fishing-finding power. Garmin Panoptix will revolutionise the way we find fish and will make finding fish way more exciting. Standby for more on Garmin’s Panoptix sonar technology… this is just the beginning! – Garmin

MERCURY’S NEW 135HP 4-STROKE

Mercury Marine has added another category-leading engine to its range, with the release of its new 135hp 4-stroke EFI outboard. Designed to provide reliability and durability, no matter what is thrown at it, Mercury’s new compact 135hp 4-stroke also delivers boat lovers tremendous performance and outstanding fuel efficiency. “We’ve developed this model specifically from the feedback given to us by Australian and New Zealand consumers and dealers,” said Nicholas Webb, Director of Engines and Marketing, Mercury Marine ANZP. “They love our latest generation high cubic capacity, low weight 4-strokes and wanted the same technology to fit to 135 and 140hp rated boat transoms.” The compact 135hp 4-stroke EFI has a 3.0L, 4-cylinder in-line configuration, is low weight, has fewer moving parts, and has been designed to be incredibly reliable and durable – ready, willing and able to handle work in any conditions. – Mercury Marine

While several companies manufacture a low HP Hydraulic steering system, they do it at low cost resulting in poor performance and poor reliability. The Gotech system is designed to be durable with extended long-term reliability, achieving this by sharing the load throughout the system thus increasing the longevity. Once installed, you can expect zero feedback, a feature normally found in much higher rated systems - 150HP and higher. It is also designed to solve a problem in small to medium centre console boats up to 115hp, where a mechanical steering system is just not feasible, due to the amount of bends required to install a mechanical steering system. A Hydraulic System is perfect for this application, and the Gotech is at the pinnacle in the up to 115hp range. It uses a lot of features only found in a much higher rated HP hydraulic system. – Sam Allen Wholesale

GARMIN 7400XSV MORE POWERFUL

FISHING PRODUCT GUIDE

STACER’S NEW 539 EASY RIDER

Featuring a new sleek, moulded dash and a larger bow and cockpit area than ever before the 539 Easy Rider is one stylish and comfortable ride. The 539 Easy Rider built with the EVO Advance Hull offers a smooth ride, cutting through swell with ease. With a ski locker, rear ladder and 95L underfloor fuel tank included as standard the 539 Easy Rider is perfect for water sports action. If you also enjoy a bit of fishing then the 539 Easy Rider has you covered with a sounder, rod holders and an optional convertible front casting platform. Complete with a bimini and envelope for cover from the sun and a sound system included as standard the 539 Easy Rider will be a favourite with the whole family. The 539 Easy Rider is available as a Stacer Ready 2 Go package complete with boat, motor, trailer and 3 year limited warranty for peace of mind. – Telwater

Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au

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

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Yamaha launch 130hp 4-stroke into Aussie market FMG

Steve Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

At the recent launch of the new Yamaha 130hp 4-stroke outboard on the Gold Coast, Aussie dealers and media were pleased to discover that this new product wasn’t just a handme-down from America. In fact, the F130A won’t even be sold into North America, rather, it’s destined for release into the Japanese, European and Australian marketplaces. Apart from appealing to our parochial side, there’s plenty about this outboard that will raise the eyebrows of boaters in the 5-6m range. In Queensland alone, there’s 34,643 boats registered in the 5-6m class – a disproportionately large amount and outnumbering the boats either side of the size range. That alone makes this outboard not only an

fuel economy in the standard cruising ranges. On a variety of test craft on the launch day, the 130s demonstrated economies of between 2-3km/L burned. This was on rigs with weights between 1.1-1.6 tonnes. The 130 generates it maximum horsepower at the top end of its 6300rpm range. FLASH GAUGES Compatible with F30 through to F350hp models, the new Yamaha 6YC gauges

motor and fuel metrics, the one gauge can cater for single or twin installations. Although these look like a touch screen, they are operated with the soft buttons on the right hand side. And that’s a good thing – there are few iterations of the touch screen that are open-boat friendly – especially in the elements like dew and rain. SHINY PROPELLERS Yamaha users will

SPECIFICATIONS Model............................................................... F130A HP.........................................................................130 Capacity......................................................1832ccm Weight........................................... L.172kg,.XL.178kg WOT................................................... 5300-6300rpm Type..................... 4-stroke,.16.valve.DOHC,.in-line.4. Fuel induction...................................................... EFI Engine oil capacity............................................ 3.0L Alternator................................35A.(27A.@.1000rpm) Emission rating................................................ 3-star Fuel................................................ Regular.unleaded Warranty...........................................................4.year

Inset: Here.she.is.–.the.new.Yamaha.F130A..Main:.On.the.back.of.the.Quintrex. 530.Cruiseabout,.maximum.efficiency.was.at.3000rpm.at.3.09km/L.burned. stainless Talon range Yamaha propellers that suitable for Yamahas in 60-130hp classes will well received.

of are the be

Equipped with Yamaha’s Shift Dampening System (SDS), which helps eliminate the ‘clunk’ when moving between forward, neutral

jump on the plane than labour there. Also, I noticed that these engines have the distinct Yamaha tone.

Streaker’s.5700.Navigator.reached.maximum.efficiency. at.4500rpm.with.over.2km/L.burned. important ‘gap filler’ to Yamaha, but also of interest to lots of boaters – Yamaha loyal or not – who want to re-power their rig. At first glance, you may think that this 1.8L, straight 4-cylinder Yammy might just be an up-tuned version of the ever popular F115, but under the cowling, there’s plenty of points of difference. Probably the biggest of these is an ETV (or Electronic Throttle Valve). Although still a cableoperated outboard, the ETV converts the helm input at the outboard and works the throttle through the brain of the outboard (the ECM) to maximise responsiveness in the ambient conditions. Weighing in at the bottom end of this competitive horsepower class (nearly all other brands have models in the 130-140hp range) at 172-178kg, the F130A offers not only great power to weight, but impressive

are visually appealing as well as customisable and practical. Offering easy from-thehelm view of your major

be familiar with the black Yamaha stainless steel propellers that are often confused with alloy brands. The release of the polished

SeaJay’s.5.6.Striker.reached.just.under.70km/h.with.the.F130. and release, the new shape behaved beautifully on the water. It took some serious high-speed turns to break the blades free from the water. BUT HOW DID THEY PERFORM? After all of the technical discussion, the real test though, is out on the water. With a variety of popular hull configurations, the 130s continued the trend in all modern 4-strokes. They increasingly mirror the torque curve of old 2-strokes, meaning that you’re more likely to .

Yamaha’s.new.Talon.propellers.grip.the.water.like.….well.….a.talon!

Blindfolded in a boat for the first time, you’d pick it as a Yamaha, especially if you’d run anything from an F70 to a 150 in the past. Obviously quiet at idle and with the benefit of the shift dampening system, anglers will be pleased with the overall smoothness of the package. Yamaha hasn’t reached the #1 outboard brand status in Australia with blind luck, and they’ve done themselves no disservice here with an obvious gap-filler in their range.

For.more.information,. visit.www.yamaha-motor. com.au.or.scan.the.QR. code.hereby.to.see.the. video.of.the.launch.day. APRIL 2015

Sea Jay’s mighty 6.8 Pursuit GS BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

Big plate alloy craft always tend to impress me. It’s not just the overall interior size leading to plenty of comfort, the ample work room for those aboard, the sea keeping ability, the plethora of features mated to performance and stability. But when you take the time to sit down and think of all the work involved in putting together a fabulous boat like Sea Jay’s 6.8 Pursuit from mere sheets of aluminium…well, that’s what I call impressive! The Sea jay 6.8 Pursuit GS (glass screen) is a lot of boat in every respect. For anglers wanting a rig to take them far and wide offshore in search of game fish or quality bottom fishing it must represent a sound investment in a world of fishing pleasure. The 6.8 Pursuit is one of

tackle (note that provision for a winch is standard as most buyers would opt for one) is through the rear opening and quite wide cabin hatch. There’s also a walkaround

easy side visibility around marinas, ramps, and the like and the sliding windows certainly assisted in this regard. Also, when teamed with the Sea Jay’s overhead

nice touch, lined as well. Forward seating for skipper and first mate was exceptional with the seats being wide and with strong arm rests as well. Both reach

The Pursuit’s well-designed hull displaces water well to the side at entry point.

Helm and forward features are prominent in this image, including the large windows with their unrestricted forward and side visibility. adjustable swivel seats were mounted on strong frames set up with 110L Eva Kool ice

boxes below, the ice boxes having padding as well. Both skipper and mate had storage compartments and shelves beside their seats, as well as footrests for best comfort underway. The Pursuit’s helm and dash layout was as simple as it was effective. Upper most on the vast dash area was a Furuno TZ 14 Touch sounder plotter, below it the Yamaha multi-function screen with its link to the 225 4-stroke astern, QL trim tab controls were to starboard, twin banks of switches lower

and to starboard of the sports style wheel, the ignition key to port, and forward controls within easy reach to the side. All controls and functions were easily monitored. PLENTY OF WORK AREA AFT With so much thought gone into the forward layout of the big Sea Jay Pursuit I was not surprised to note that the metre deep cockpit’s work area was just as well set up. All floor areas were carpeted ensuring that anglers could be sure of

Poetry in motion – the 6.8 Pursuit underway. several craft in the ‘dedicatedto-offshore-fishing’ Pursuit range, which are designed to maximise fishing and travel enjoyment as well as offering every feature any serious angler might need. Having been around for a couple of years, Sea Jay’s 6.8 Pursuit has undergone some progressive changes and the current model has several innovative features, including the one mentioned in the craft’s designation – a glass windscreen in lieu of a perspex one. IMPRESSIVE LAYOUT Stepping aboard the 6.8 Pursuit I was immediately taken by the high standard of finish all round. Given that Sea Jay have been building alloy craft for a quarter of a century this is, of course, not surprising. The neatly smoothed and rounded bowsprit was large, the anchor well also large. Access forward to ground 94

APRIL 2015

area beside the tall cabin, and while there are good handholds topsides I’d opt for the cabin hatch access in all but the calmest weather. Within the cabin itself bunks were deeply padded, room enough to stretch out for a snooze or seek shelter from bad weather with upholstery and general finish exhibiting the usual Sea Jay attention to detail all round. Ample storage area was located under the bunks, with provision for a marine toilet also on hand. At the 6.8 Pursuit’s helm area had ample headroom, whether seated or standing, with plenty of shade provided from the strong roof overhead. The glass screen and sliding side windows offered full visibility in all directions. I liked the concept of the sliding side windows; not all navigation takes place in ideal conditions and with a craft of this size it’s vital to have

roof vents there would be ample ventilation during those steamy summer days. Both pleasure and marine radios, the latter a Fusion stereo, were tucked up under the forward section of the cabin’s roof which was, in a

The Pursuit’s bait station takes up little room yet offers a lot of handy features for the angler, including a big live well.

Access forward is easy enough thanks to a well set up walkaround area, but most owners will no doubt tick the winch option when placing an order.

their footing while moving about. Toeholds under the full cockpit length side pockets were handy assets for busy anglers, as was the freshwater wash down hose in the starboard pocket. Two rod holders per side were standard within the gunwales, complementing the eight set up at the rear of the cabin roof. A large bait station sat amidship against the transom and featured the craft’s big recirculating live well, a cutting board, knife holders plus another pair of rod holders. Triple batteries were located within the base of the bait station, off floor naturally.

With such a large and well set up work area I would see four, perhaps five anglers working there in harmony with everything at their disposal. Aft of the transom twin boarding platforms were check plated for ease of entry with a folding ladder set to port.

things pretty easy at any rate, even with five aboard and 360L of fuel under the floor, and I gave it full marks for both smoothness and easy, seamless, power. The craft planed at 10 knots (19.5km/h), at 2400rpm with the big Yamaha hardly murmuring astern. At 3000rpm I saw 12 knots

engine was what impressed me most. Instant response was the norm, which is so important in an offshore orientated craft, that could well be crossing river bars or other less favourable areas on a regular basis. The ride was exceptionally good. With a bare hull weight of 1290kg,

Mr Sea Jay, Col Glass, at the helm of the big 6.8 Pursuit. Note the smart use of the cockpit roof area for radio and electronics installation. PERFORMANCE, RIDE, HANDLING Recommended power for the 6.8 Pursuit ranges from 225-250hp, which

(22.6km/h) recorded on the Furuno unit, 4000rpm saw 25 knots (46.6km/h), 5000rpm a speed of 32 knots (59.6km/h), 5,500rpm (full

SPECIFICATIONS Hull length:.....................................................6.85 m Beam:...............................................................2.48m Length on trailer:.................................................9m Height on trailer:...............................................3.4m Hull construction:... 5mm plate bottom, 4mm sides Hull weight:................................................... 1290kg Hull deadrise:................................. 19.5º at transom Fuel:...................................................................360L Freshwater:.........................................................75L Engines:................................................... 225-250hp Engine fitted:.......................225 Yamaha V6 4-stroke Persons:..................................................................7 Towing:............................large 4x4 wagon or similar saw the V6 225 Yamaha 4-stroke towards top ratings in the power stakes. The 225 seemed to be doing

throttle) a speed of 38 knots (70.79km/h). Impressive performance, certainly, but the sheer power of the

the big Pursuit was a solid plate craft and the ride showed it would take a lot to upset its clean and smooth running capability even in an offshore situation. Running hard in the Burnett River I purposely drove the rig over wash from trawlers and a couple of big Rivieras proudly up on the plane to see if the hull might slam or bang. Not a chance! Sea Jay have put a lot of work into their hull’s design with its 19.5º vee aft and there was hardly even a perceived bump. Handling was clean and very manageable for such a solid plate alloy rig. You cannot throw the rig around like a 4m centre console but for a big solid craft it was very easy to drive, as hydraulic steering and a feeling of easy balance made helming the rig a pleasure.

Top: Seating options include incorporating big ice boxes, which is a smart set up for an offshore orientated craft. Above: The Pursuit’ s forward area’s dash and side storage areas are well thought out. As expected stability was quite exceptional thanks to the hull’s considerable overall mass and the rig just would not lean, which

looks aboard her indicate that Sea Jay have gone to some trouble to ensure that everything is in its correct place.

Finish throughout is exemplary, workmanship top shelf, pride of ownership assured without doubt. As reviewed, and with a Redco

Large side pockets offer a lot of storage room in the Pursuit’s cockpit, and has a saltwater deck wash as well.

The Pursuit was easily powered by the smooth 225 Yamaha V6.

will make fishing or family boating even more enjoyable. FISHABILITY Given the on board features and impressive layout it’s obvious that a rig of this magnitude is going to be an exceptional fishing craft. Even the briefest of

There’s no doubt the 6.8 Pursuit is primarily an offshore rig; with 350L litres of fuel under floor you could go a long way! Yet the craft was also very suited to bay or even weekend cruising should a family group wish to enjoy its ample features.

tandem trailer the rig would come home for around $102,000 depending upon what extras were chosen from the extensive list. Sea Jay can be contacted on (07) 41522111 or on the net at info@seajayboats.com.au for the location of a dealer. APRIL 2015

Bluefin Wrangler 620 BRISBANE

Wayne Kampe wkff@aapt.net.au

The Wrangler 620 is the largest boat currently manufactured by Bluefin Boats. A massive all-plate alloy centre console featuring a raised foredeck and a powerfully

within its overall length of 6.23m and beam of 2.3m. Up front, aft of the big anchor well and solid bow rail, a raised deck area well protected by a substantial lift in the craft’s sheer line offers a great work area thanks to a side height of 730mm. Paired storage hatches are located within the deck, while a seat spigot

TECHNICAL INFORMATION Length:.............................................................6.23m Beam:...............................................................2.30m Length on trailer:..............................................8.1m Height on trailer:...............................................3.2m Hull construction:.......................4mm plate bottom, 3mm topsides Deadrise:............................................................. 23° Fuel:................................................................... 175L Engines:....................................................130-175hp Engine fitted:.......................... 150 Mercury 4-stroke Persons:..................................................................6 Towing:.. Family six wagon, or large 4WD ute or wagon

rearmost lip. Despite its height, rods could still be easily reached. Storage was provided on 2 levels within the centre console, with a hatch cover providing weatherproof storage for a central compartment. Instruments on the dash area were well laid out, with a Lowrance HDS12 unit to port, and a soft lined compartment set to starboard. For easy use by the skipper, the big Lowrance interfaced with the Mercury 150 powerplant in the usual manner. On a lower level on

A lot of heads turned to admire the Wrangler 620’s fine lines when resting on the beach at Southport.

The manufacturers were generous with the hookless carpet throughout. the dash area were 2 banks of switches, the craft’s 3-spoke steering wheel, ignition switch, plus engine controls. Paired drink holders were lower again, and in a handy position for use by skipper and first mate while seated on a well-padded storage box with a fore/aft backrest. An icebox was set up aft of the helm seat.

AN ANGLER-ORIENTATED COCKPIT The Wrangler’s cockpit work area was also well designed for the utmost in angler comfort. Decks atop gunwales were around 300mm wide and featured SeaDek inserts as a comfy calm water seat. The 640mm-high interior sides also incorporated Besides being a great place to fish, the Wrangler’s forward casting deck also featured twin hatches and a large live well. rod racks, offering full tip protection within tubes set into the side of the craft for 3 rods per side. Paired rod holders were also set into gunwales, while another couple of rod holders graced the craft’s aft bait

Additional storage space within the Wrangler consisted of a large box under the padded helm seat. built T-Top complete with rod holders, this is undoubtedly an offshore warrior with some serious attitude. And yet it’s certainly an eye-catching craft. Even sitting quietly at the water’s edge at Southport, the Wrangler 620 created quite a stir. Heads turned on shore; other boaters just stared. In her deep grey/black livery with contrasting wrap and numbers, it’s just that sort of craft. GENERAL LAYOUT With 3mm sides and 4mm bottom plate construction ensuring strength and longevity, this centre console sports huge amounts of fishing room 96

APRIL 2015

provided some flexibility in seating arrangements. This is in addition to the bench style helm seating, with an additional seat being an option. A large dividerequipped and plumbed live well was set into the rear of the casting deck. This could also be utilised as an additional storage area. As elsewhere within the Wrangler, all floor areas were covered with hookless carpet, which offered sure footing and was a pleasure to stand on. With its massive overhead framework, the console was equipped with a windscreen, 4 side grab rails, and featured a set of rod holders on its

to a sump aft to be swiftly pumped overboard. Transom features included hatches for battery and fuel filter access, a 30L plumbed live bait tank to starboard, a lockable entry door to port

Although not top power, the 150 Mercury 4-stoke certainly made easy work of powering the big Wrangler.

Those aboard would appreciate flexibility in the Wrangler’s helm seating, courtesy of a 2-way backrest.

station. While the cockpit floor was not self-draining, any water finding its way aboard would be directed

that converted to a ramp to haul in a big fish, while a fold-down boarding ladder was set immediately aft.

MERCURY 150 NOT MAX POWER The well performing 150hp Mercury 4-stroke outboard — set on a full width pod — was not top power. Interestingly, Bluefin has allocated 175hp as a top weight in order to cater for twin rigs. That said, the 150 Mercury made easy work of powering the boat with 3 aboard. These big block engines have been very well received since their release last year, and as the saying goes, there’s no replacement for displacement. The Merc’ 150, so quiet at idle, easily pushed the Wrangler’s 960kg 23°

Not surprisingly, with such high sides and that large sheer line lift within the bow area, there was very little water making a nuisance of itself when travelling fast in choppy conditions. It’s important to remember that open boats always have the potential to get a bit wet at times, but in my view it would only be with the Wrangler travelling across big chop

Compact yet very functional best describes the Wrangler’s helm set up.

Features such as the Wrangler’s spray chine and belowwater pressings are easily seen in this launch image. deep vee hull onto the plane at a mere 10 knots at 2000rpm. At 3000rpm the Lowrance recorded 18 knots, 4000rpm saw 26.5 knots, 5000 had 38 knots, and wide-open throttle of 5800rpm a blistering 42 knots. All speeds were recorded with 3 aboard and a half tank (175L) of fuel under the floor. With fingertip-light hydraulic steering and plenty of get-up-and-go from the Mercury, the Wrangler was such a pleasure to drive it was hard to fend off the other folk who wanted a crack at the helm! I found cruising at around 3500rpm to be really great. At those

featured impressive stability at rest and would no doubt endear itself to anglers fishing wide. Surprisingly, there were no side pockets within the cockpit area, but on the credit side was the fact that rods could be stored in complete safety thanks to the built-in tubes within the sides, and the fact that the cockpit sides were also soft lined with hookless carpet.

Safe storage for valuable rods is going to be a selling point with this craft.

In summing up the 620 Wrangler and 150 Mercury package, I saw it as a really well put together offshore rig with a lot of workroom and plenty of comfort for those aboard. Seating options are available for anglers wanting to take out a few people at a time, and it’s a topic Bluefin will discuss. I found the overall finish and fitout to be exceptionally good. Welds were visible but very neat, with the standard of paint finish and upholstery work of the highest quality. Pride of ownership would be a big plus with this craft. Options on the test rig included the vinyl wrap, folding ladder, Lowrance HDS 12, and raised front casting deck. The reviewed craft, on a custom Bluefin trailer, is available as a package, and Bluefin Boats can be contacted on (07) 5571 5277 or at www. bluefinboats.com.au for a dealer nearest you. • Quoted performance figures have been supplied by the writer in good faith. Performance of individual boat/motor/ trailer packages may differ due to variations in engine installations, propellers, hull configurations, options, hull loading and trailer specifications.

MARINE GRADE ADHESIVE FOAM DECKING

Features and Benefits _ _______________ _______ ____________ A neat, functional transom layout, with a removable cutting board.

A smooth running hull at work. It’s easy to see how little fuss the Wrangler’s welldesigned hull creates when under way.

revs, around 23 knots, the Mercury was extremely quiet, yet the rig was covering a lot of ground in a very fuel-efficient manner. Test runs within the Southport Broadwater and on the Seaway gave a strong indication of the craft’s potential as an offshore rig. Featuring Bluefin’s Eziride hull, the big Wrangler simply couldn’t be made to pound or wallop when crossing wash or coming off waves in the Seaway entrance. The hull’s design ensured a very sea-kindly ride at all times and a quiet one at that, thanks no doubt to the amount of foam fill below the floor and strong sections of cross ribs and longitudinal bracing.

or solid wave action with wind on the quarter that there would be any need for a spray jacket. FISHABILITY AND SUMMING UP Purpose-built as a fishing rig, the Wrangler 620 has great potential. Rated for up to 6 anglers, I’d see 4 fishing it easily, maybe even 6 in the right conditions given the 2 work areas both up front and aft of the centre console. Those aboard would find plenty of room for tackle boxes and the like within storage areas, there’s a bait tank aft, a big fish box up front, and lots of side height to ensure comfort when offshore. With its large pressings and massive spray chines, the plate hull

H SELF ADHESIVE BACKING - SO JUST PEEL AND STICK H TOUGH MARINE GRADE ADHESIVE BOND H INCREASE SAFETY, COMFORT AND PROTECTION H EXCEPTIONAL WET AND DRY NON SLIP SURFACE H REDUCES SHOCK, FATIGUE, NOISE, HEAT AND GLARE H STICKS DIRECTLY TO CHECKER PLATE H PROTECTS AGAINST SCRATCHES AND DENTS H EASY TO CLEAN AND HOSE DOWN ADVANTAGES

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• 90HP Evinrude E-TEC • Black Painted Hull • Telwater Aluminium Trailer • Bimini & Sock • Lowrance Elite 5 Combo • VHF • Inshore Safety Gear • Stainless Ladder • Navigation Lights • Bilge Pump

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1 Railway Road North, Mulgrave NSW 2756 ph 02 4577 6699 · www.blakesmarine.com.au APRIL 2015

Taking the wheel: choosing the right jockey SYDNEY

Christian Bold

Jockey wheels are used on 99% of all boat trailers, the question is though, which is the best one to use? And what do you need to look out for when buying one? With a tonne of choices, considerations, and options, there’s a lot to ponder when it comes to selecting the right jockey wheel for your trailer. TAKE YOUR PICK When purchasing a jockey wheel there is often a difference between what you want and what you need. Always purchase the jockey you need, not the one you want, and buying one that’s a little bigger than you need is a sound investment, both for now and into the feature. Doing so will ensure that the wheel you buy is more than capable of doing the job, and means it will do the job with greater ease and greater longevity. When selecting a jockey wheel you’ll need to know what size wheel you need, and also the carrying capacity of your trailer so you can match and select the correct jockey wheel for your trailer. While jockey wheels are available in varying sizes, the three common sizes are as follows: • 6” wheel with a maximum 350kg lifting capacity • 8” wheel with a maximum 500kg lifting capacity • 10” wheel with a maximum 600kg lifting capacity Wheel size and lifting capacity aren’t the only things to consider, the type of wheel is also important, with polypropylene, plastic, solid rubber, and pneumatic rubber, the big four when it comes to wheel construction types. GRAB THE WHEEL So which jockey CHRISTIAN BOLD Christian Bold, also known as ‘The Trailer Guy’, is one of Australia’s leading trailer and caravan repair specialists. As the Director of Bold Trailers, he is a licensed motor mechanic, auto electrician and automotive body builder. Christian is also an AUVIS and e-safety examiner for the RMS. You can contact Christian and the team at Bold Trailers for any information regarding trailer and caravan repairs, maintenance, modifications, legal requirements, imported trailers, parts and accessories, and new

wheel and why? Most single axle trailers with a GTM (Gross Trailer Mass) of 1000kg would only need a 6” jockey wheel. If the trailer has a GTM over 1300kg, or a tow ball weight more than 10% of the total trailer/ load mass then you might want to look at fitting an 8” jockey wheel. This is more for practicality and ease of trailer movement, rather than necessity because of the GTM of the trailer. If you have a dual axle

jockey wheel pivots and turns less, and plays less of a role when it comes to turning the trailer. SHOULD I STAY OR GO? Once you have established the size of jockey wheel that you need then you need to decide if you want a swivel bracket or a fixed mounted bracket. The swivel bracket allows you to have the jockey wheel permanently attached to the trailer, meaning you will never leave it behind.

Galvanised jockey wheels are more corrosion resistant and will ensure a longer working life. single, extra wide wheel model, and a double free spinning wheel model.

Rusted jockey wheels should be replaced to avoid failure, which can be dangerous. trailer I would recommend an 8” or 10” jockey wheel. These larger jockey wheels are a lot sturdier and will allow you to move the trailer with greater ease and without damaging the jockey wheel. Dual axle trailers are inherently difficult to turn, so the

and used trailers for sale. Their friendly technicians are always willing to help you to make the towing experience safe and enjoyable. For more great tips go to www. boldtrailers.com.au or phone: (02) 8544 8114.

The fixed mounted bracket allows you to remove the jockey wheel from the trailer and place it in the boot of your car. Both work well and it really comes down to what you prefer. MEGA JOCKEY Now for all those die hard boaties who have to have the best on their trailer, let me introduce you to the Fulton F2 jockey wheel. In my opinion the Fulton F2 is the best there is when it comes to jockey wheels. The outer casing and shaft is made from anodised aluminium, while internal gears raise and lower the jockey wheel shaft. This makes the Fulton F2 jockey wheel fully serviceable. Compare to a standard spring loaded galvanised jockey wheel that is rendered useless once the spring is broken or the shaft is bent, the Fulton F2 is serviceable and repairable, ensuring a longer working life. The Fulton F2 jockey wheel comes in 2 models, a

The wheel is also on a separate bracket allowing it to spin independently

abt

from the shaft. This greatly increases stability and trailer manoeuvrability. The swivel bracket can be adjusted, allowing the height of your jockey wheel to be modified, enabling you can set the jockey wheel to the perfect height for your tow ball, car and driveway. The Fulton F2 jockey wheel retails for around $360, and despite the higher than average price is a good investment if you’re always replacing jockey wheels. The Fulton F2 jockey wheel is also my recommended jockey wheel, regardless of trailer size, for boaters with arthritic hands, or those that struggle with traditional old school jockey wheels. The Fulton makes moving large trailers a walk in the park, making it ideal for women, children, and the elderly. Next time you’re looking for a new jockey wheel remember to buy a quality over economy. A cheap jockey wheel may look attractive at the time of purchase but can cause you problems and will ultimately cost you more in the long run.

ALL IN ONE

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RRA  Entry forms  BREAM, BASS and BA  Tournament Results all on one site eo y  Photo gallery and vid  Mobile phone friendl  Calendars

VISITu

www.abt.org.a

APRIL 2015

This section in NSW Fishing Monthly consolidates the trades and services in your area that are relevant to your fishing and boating. Whether you’re a local looking for more options or a travelling angler fishing around the state, this guide will direct you to reputable businesses in the area you’re searching.

SYDNEY

MACQUARIE COAST

The Boat Pimpers (Sydney) (02) 9792 7799

Manning River Marine Taree (02) 6552 2333

FRESHWATER

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0800 or email ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

Dubbo Marine and Watersports (02) 6882 2853

3Gelcoat repairs 3 Insurance repairs

3 Transom & floor repairs 312v Electrical installations Bait & Tackle BYRON COAST

Graham Barclay Marine (02) 6554 5866

Online Tackle Products www.fishin.com.au 0425 230 964

www.fishin.com.au ONLINE BREAM TACKLE STORE

4 Aspinall Place, MULGRAVE 02 4577 3482 www.westernboatrepairs.com.au

Yamba Bait & Tackle (02) 6646 1514

COFFS COAST

Fish Taxidermy

Compleat Angler Kempsey (02) 6562 5307 Rocks Marine Bait & Tackle South West Rocks (02) 6566 6726

MACQUARIE COAST Graham Barclay Marine (02) 6554 5866 Manning River Marine Taree (02) 6552 2333 Port Macquarie Tackle World (02) 6584 9972

HUNTER COAST Port Stephens Tackle World (02) 4984 2144

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SHOP 18, 29 KIORA RD MIRANDA NSW 2228

Fish Taxidermist 0428 544 841

Blue Bottle Fishing www.bluebottlefishing.com info@bluebottlefishing.com Ph: 0409 333 380

Breakdown Response Boat Assist 24 (02) 9746 6224 or www.boatassist24.com.au

SYDNEY

Chandlery & Accessories

Gabes Boating & Fishing Centre Narellan (02) 4647 8755 Gabes Boating & Fishing Centre Sylvania (02) 9522 5100 Windybanks Bait and Tackle (02) 9477 1520

Specialising in “Tournament Quality Lures” 0425 230 964

Out of the Blue Tackle 0417 608 344 or www.outofthebluetackle.com.au Mo Tackle (02) 6652 4611 or www.motackle.com.au Specialty Fishing Products www.specialtyfishing.com.au U-Make-Em Soft Plastics www.u-make-emsoftplastics.com.au

Anchor Right (03) 5968 5014

Adrenalin Flies www.adrenalinflies.com.au

Korr Lighting www.korlighting.com.au

Techni Ice www.techniice.com

Marine Mechanics

Jayro Tackle www.jayrotackle.com.au

Fishing and Travel Opportunity

SYDNEY

Create more time to fish, less time for work!

Penrith Marine (02) 4731 6250 Moby Marine (02) 9153 6506 or www.mobymarine.com.au Aqua Marine 0415 600 301 or www.aquacash.com.au

Looking for motivated individuals who are serious about spending more time fishing and less time working.

Cohoe Marine Products (Sydney) (02) 9519 3575 Blakes Marine (02) 4577 6699

Imagine being able to fish any day of the week, travel to great fishing locations and work part-time to support your fishing activities!

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EDENS COAST Bermagui Bait and Tackle (02) 6493 5444

FRESHWATER Loomzys Fish and Fix (Forbes) (02) 6851 1425

Boat Imports Import USA Boat 0435 476 177

Kayak Dealers Hunter Water Sports (02) 4947 7899

SAMPLE AD - BUSINESS NAME This is where your copy will appear. You will have approximately 30 words within a 5x2 ad size. Email : ads@fishingmonthly.com.au Boat / Trailer Modifications & Repairs Bold Trailers (02) 8544 8114 www.boldtrailers.com.au Salt Away 1800 091 172 www.salt-away.com.au

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BATEMANS COAST

MACQUARIE COAST

Kiama Harbour Cabins (02) 4232 2707

Top Cat Charters (02) 4472 7340 or 0427 727 340

Castaway Estuary Charters 0427 239 650

EDEN COAST

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HUNTER COAST

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Freedom Charters Eden (02) 6496 1209 or www.freedomcharters.com.au

Tailermade Fishing Adventures 0411 096 717

Burrinjuck Waters State Park (02) 6227 8114 Providence Lodge (Eucumbene) (02) 6454 2200

FREEDOM CHARTERS

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Winter Keep (Snowy Mountains) www.winterkeep.com.au Grabine Lakeside State Park (02) 4835 2345 Lake Glenbawn State Park (02) 6543 7193

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ILLAWARRA COAST

MIKAT CRUISES

Sea Lady Charters 0411 024 402 Silver Star Fishing Charters (02) 4421 7462 or 0412 977 000 Shell Harbour Fishing Charters 0425 216 370

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BYRON COAST Evans Head Deep Sea Fishing Charters, 0428 828 835

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Sea Master Fishing Charters, (07) 5524 8849 or 0415 593 901 Reel Time Fishing Charters 0428 231 962

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SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) – NEW SOUTH WALES JANUARY Time

Time

0607 1.65 1245 0.49 TH 1837 1.30

0523 1200 FR 1746 2339

2015

LAT 33° 52’ LONG 151° 13’ Times and Heights of High and Low Waters MARCH FEBRUARY m

Time

1.51 0.60 1.24 0.53

0100 0731 SU 1414 2008

1.62 0.49 SA 1846 1.29

2 0145 0815

17 0106 0736

3 0226 0853

18 0200 0828

4 0304 0929

19 0253 0918

5 0341 1002

20 0346 1008

6 0416 1036

21 0440 1059

7 0454 1110

22 0534 1148

8 0533 1145

23 0018 0631

9 0016 0615

24 0111 0731

2 0025 0700

17 0617 1258

3 0115 0748

18 0032 0708

4 0200 0832

19 0124 0758

5 0242 0912

20 0215 0846

6 0321 0950

21 0305 0935

7 0400 1026

22 0358 1025

8 0437 1100

23 0451 1114

9 0515 1136

24 0545 1204

10 0015 0557

25 0045 0644

10 0058 0701

11 0057 0642

26 0139 0745

12 0143 0733

0.54 1.67 0.43 1.30

0009 0643 MO 1325 1922

Time

0619 1.55 1304 0.53 SU 1904 1.27

0516 1200 MO 1804 2351

Time

1.61 0.44 1.35 0.53

0108 0717 WE 1342 1953

1.72 0.33 TU 1901 1.47

2 0149 0757

17 0035 0646

3 0228 0833

18 0130 0740

4 0304 0909

19 0224 0831

5 0240 0845

20 0316 0923

6 0317 0920

21 0409 1015

7 0357 0959

22 0502 1106

8 0438 1039

23 0556 1159

9 0524 1124

24 0002 0651

0.61 1.55 0.49 1.47

2 0044 0709

17 0618 1256

3 0130 0751

18 0051 0715

4 0210 0829

19 0147 0808

5 0247 0903

20 0242 0900

6 0323 0937

21 0335 0950

7 0359 1011

22 0429 1041

8 0435 1045

23 0522 1132

9 0514 1120

24 0617 1224

25 0206 0837

10 0554 1158

25 0043 0715

10 0615 1215

25 0054 0748

11 0144 0754

26 0307 0949

11 0020 0639

26 0134 0817

11 0028 0715

26 0150 0845

27 0237 0853

12 0236 0858

27 0415 1104

12 0103 0730

27 0232 0924

12 0129 0821

27 0253 0940

13 0233 0831

28 0339 1008

13 0336 1012

28 0521 1211

13 0155 0830

28 0336 1030

13 0239 0929

28 0354 1030

14 0329 0940

29 0445 1125

14 0442 1126

14 0256 0942

29 0443 1131

14 0349 1030

29 0449 1115

15 0427 1053

30 0547 1234

15 0545 1230

15 0406 1055

30 0544 1223

15 0454 1125

30 0537 1154

0.47 1.71 FR 1342 0.43 1933 1.31 0.47 1.75 SA 1430 0.38 2022 1.33 0.47 1.78 SU 1512 0.35 2105 1.34 0.47 1.79 MO 1549 0.33 2145 1.35 0.48 1.78 TU 1625 0.34 2224 1.36 0.49 1.75 WE 1700 0.35 2300 1.35 0.52 1.71 TH 1733 0.38 2337 1.35 0.55 1.65 FR 1807 0.41 1.35 0.59 SA 1212 1.58 1843 0.45

1.34 0.63 SU 1251 1.49 1921 0.48

1.34 0.68 MO 1335 1.40 2003 0.52 1.35 0.71 TU 1428 1.32 2052 0.55

1.38 0.72 WE 1530 1.25 2145 0.57 1.43 0.68 TH 1639 1.22 2243 0.56

0.47 1.73 SU 1349 0.37 1941 1.36

0.41 1.85 MO 1437 0.25 2031 1.43 0.35 1.94 TU 1524 0.16 2121 1.49

0.30 2.00 WE 1611 0.11 2211 1.55 0.27 2.00 TH 1658 0.10 2300 1.58 0.28 1.95 FR 1745 0.13 2352 1.59

0.32 1.84 SA 1832 0.20

1.59 0.39 SU 1257 1.69 1921 0.29

1.57 0.46 MO 1352 1.53 2012 0.39 1.56 0.54 TU 1454 1.37 2107 0.48

1.55 0.58 WE 1604 1.26 2207 0.54 1.56 0.57 TH 1719 1.22 2309 0.56 1.59 0.53 FR 1827 1.22

31 0007 0643

0.56 1.63 SA 1330 0.48 1922 1.26

0.51 1.70 MO 1452 0.39 2047 1.35 0.48 1.72 TU 1526 0.37 2124 1.38 0.47 1.72 WE 1558 0.35 2158 1.41 0.46 1.71 TH 1629 0.36 2231 1.42 0.47 1.68 FR 1700 0.37 2304 1.43 0.49 1.63 SA 1730 0.39 2340 1.44 0.52 1.56 SU 1802 0.43 1.44 0.56 MO 1221 1.48 1836 0.47 1.43 0.60 TU 1302 1.39 1915 0.52

1.42 0.65 WE 1350 1.31 1959 0.57 1.42 0.67 TH 1449 1.23 2053 0.60

1.44 0.65 FR 1601 1.20 2159 0.61

1.50 0.58 SA 1718 1.22 2307 0.57

1.60 0.47 SU 1825 1.29

0.41 1.84 TU 1415 0.23 2014 1.49

0.32 1.94 WE 1501 0.14 2102 1.59 0.24 1.98 TH 1547 0.09 2151 1.66

0.21 1.97 FR 1633 0.10 2240 1.71

0.21 1.89 SA 1718 0.15 2329 1.73

0.25 1.77 SU 1803 0.23

1.71 0.33 MO 1241 1.61 1850 0.35 1.66 0.42 TU 1335 1.44 1939 0.46

1.61 0.51 WE 1435 1.30 2034 0.56 1.55 0.57 TH 1545 1.21 2137 0.63

1.52 0.59 FR 1703 1.18 2245 0.66

1.52 0.57 SA 1812 1.21 2348 0.64

0.60 1.58 MO 1346 0.48 1947 1.34 0.55 1.62 TU 1422 0.44 2024 1.40 0.51 1.64 WE 1455 0.41 2058 1.45 0.47 1.66 TH 1525 0.39 2130 1.49 0.45 1.65 FR 1554 0.38 2200 1.52 0.44 1.63 SA 1624 0.39 2233 1.55 0.45 1.58 SU 1654 0.41 2306 1.56 0.47 1.52 MO 1725 0.45 2342 1.56 0.50 1.45 TU 1759 0.49

1.54 0.54 WE 1239 1.37 1835 0.55 1.52 0.59 TH 1327 1.30 1920 0.60 1.50 0.61 FR 1426 1.24 2015 0.65

1.50 0.60 SA 1538 1.22 2126 0.66

1.53 0.54 SU 1656 1.25 2242 0.62

0.42 1.82 WE 1346 0.23 1952 1.59 0.32 1.88 TH 1434 0.17 2041 1.71 0.24 1.90 FR 1519 0.14 2129 1.79

0.19 1.86 SA 1604 0.17 2216 1.84

0.19 1.78 SU 1649 0.23 2304 1.85

0.24 1.66 MO 1734 0.33 2353 1.82 0.32 1.52 TU 1819 0.44

1.75 0.41 WE 1318 1.38 1907 0.56 1.66 0.51 TH 1416 1.27 2000 0.66 1.57 0.58 FR 1524 1.21 2103 0.73

1.51 0.61 SA 1637 1.21 2214 0.75

1.48 0.60 SU 1743 1.25 2322 0.73

1.49 0.57 MO 1834 1.32

0.55 1.57 TH 1415 0.46 2027 1.53 0.50 1.58 FR 1446 0.44 2059 1.59 0.47 1.58 SA 1516 0.43 2130 1.64 0.44 1.56 SU 1446 0.44 2102 1.67 0.43 1.53 MO 1517 0.46 2136 1.69 0.44 1.48 TU 1551 0.50 2213 1.69 0.47 1.43 WE 1627 0.54 2252 1.67 0.50 1.37 TH 1707 0.59 2336 1.64 0.53 1.31 FR 1755 0.64

1.61 0.55 SA 1315 1.28 1854 0.69

1.58 0.54 SU 1425 1.28 2006 0.70

1.59 0.50 MO 1538 1.34 2123 0.66 1.63 0.42 TU 1643 1.45 2234 0.57

1.70 0.35 WE 1739 1.58 2337 0.46

0552 1.76 1215 0.28 TH 1830 1.71

m 0.50 1.72 0.35 1.39

Local Time APRIL

0.35 1.78 FR 1303 0.25 1918 1.82

0.28 1.77 SA 1349 0.25 2006 1.90

0.23 1.73 SU 1434 0.29 2053 1.94

0.23 1.65 MO 1519 0.35 2140 1.94 0.27 1.55 TU 1604 0.44 2227 1.89

0.34 1.45 WE 1649 0.54 2314 1.80 0.43 1.36 TH 1736 0.64 1.70 0.51 FR 1253 1.29 1827 0.73

1.60 0.58 SA 1353 1.25 1926 0.79

1.52 0.62 SU 1457 1.26 2033 0.81

1.47 0.62 MO 1559 1.30 2143 0.80 1.45 0.61 TU 1652 1.37 2245 0.75

1.46 0.57 WE 1736 1.45 2338 0.68 1.48 0.54 TH 1815 1.53

31 0020 0634

0.67 1.51 TU 1305 0.53 1916 1.39

 Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2014, Bureau of Meteorology Datum of Predictions is Lowest Astonomical Tide Times are in local standard time (UTC +10:00) or daylight savings time (UTC +11:00) when in effect Full Moon New Moon First Quarter Moon Phase Symbols

Last Quarter

Tide predictions for Sydney (Fort Denison) have been formatted by the National Tidal Centre, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Copyright reserved. All material is supplied in good faith and is believed to be correct. It is supplied on the condition that no warranty is given in relation thereto, that no responsibility or liability for errors or omissions is, or will be, accepted and that the recipient will hold MHL and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology Australia free from all such responsibility or liability and from all loss or damage incurred as a consequence of any error or omission. Predictions should not be used for navigational purposes. Use of these tide predictions will be deemed to include acceptance of the above conditions.

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