New South Wales Fishing Monthly - July 2014 by Fishing Monthly

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Fishing Action Cams • Australian Lure Expo • Sydney International Boat Show •

Greenback Tailor Comp • Dave Irvine Snapper Classic • BETS Harbour Challenge • BREAM Mallacoota • Hobie NSW State Titles • BASS Electric Major at Hinze •

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July 2014, Vol. 19 No. 11

Contents 10

From the Editor’s Desk... Winter is new product time. At about the time this magazine hits the shelves or your letterbox, most major Australian tackle companies will be setting up their stands at the AFTA Trade Show. Although this is a trade-only event, what’s released there forms the nucleus on new product that’s released over the 2014/15 Summer season. Yes, it’s ridiculous that the public can’t come along and touch and feel the new stuff on offer, but NSWFM will do its best to keep you up to speed on the cool new gear that’s launched. And although you’ll see a lot of it in the pages of the August issue of FM, you can get daily updates via videos that we produce on site if you just can’t wait that long. Last year, NSWFM did around 55 new product videos – including all of the AFTA Best of Show winners – and released them

each night of the event. It’s the next best thing to being there. Keep an eye on the Fishing Monthly Facebook page for links to these videos or subscribe to my YouTube channel (SteveMorgan72) for notifications. MORE READER COVERS Response to the Reader’s Cover competition has been great and there’s another cracker on the cover of this issue – a great pic and a great catch in Middle Harbour with Peter Sealey’s 43cm bream landed on a #12 hook while fishing for mullet. After Scott Whitfield’s great Murray cod on the front of the June magazine, we’re looking forward to what August offers! On that note, remember that we always accept Reader’s Pics for the magazine. If you’ve landed a great fish or have a great fishing picture, send it in and we’ll do our best to run it. Whack it on Facebook, it lasts a day, but in

the pages of the magazine you can share it with thousands. Email it to nsweditor@ fishingmonthly.com.au. DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERAS You’ll see an article inside about digital video cameras that are suitable for fishing. Every year, the quality of these units goes up and the price seems to come down. If you’re inspired by what you read and create some fishing videos, share them with us. Again, the best way to do this is via our Facebook Page (Fishing Monthly Magazines). We’re sure our other followers want to see your efforts. Or maybe just see if they can work out where you’re fishing. Or both! LURE EXPO We know that there’s a fishing tackle junkie in all of us, and one of the greatest assemblies of these will be at the Australian Lure and Fly Expo at Ipswich (in Queensland) in August.

Upscaling from the old site at Fernvale due to demand, Garry Fitzgerald’s brainchild is now three years old and attracting lure junkies from all over the country. I know that it’s an interstate trip, but if you like spending time with like minded anglers that love lures and lure fishing, then it’s the place for you. Ipswich isn’t a big city like Brisbane or Sydney and it’s a cheap show to attend. You can even camp on the Ipswich Showgrounds site. Flesh out the trip to catch a few Somerset or Wivenhoe winter bass and your Queensland trip could be quite the one to remember! Yes – it’s legal to fish the lakes for bass in the river closed season – you just need to buy a Stocked Impoundment Permit. If you get there, drop in and see us. We’ll be there with bells on.

BYRON COAST The Tweed Evans Head The Clarence

10 12 14

COFFS COAST Coffs Harbour Coffs Game South West Rocks

16 18 19

MACQUARIE COAST Port Macquarie 20 Forster 23 Harrington 24 HUNTER COAST Hunter Coast 25 Swansea 27 Central Coast 28 SYDNEY The Hawkesbury 30 Sydney North 31 Pittwater 34 Sydney Harbour 36 Sydney Rocks 38 Sydney South 40 Botany Bay 41 ILLAWARRA COAST Illawarra 42 Nowra 45 BATEMANS COAST Batemans Bay 51 Narooma 52 Bermagui 53 EDEN COAST Eden 54 Tathra 55 Mallacoota 55

Production: Melissa Carroll, Karen Millward, Jenna Moir

Sub-Editors: Jacqui Thomas, Nicole Penfold

Distribution: Gordon & Gotch Pty Ltd

Publishers: Steve Morgan Matthew Drinkall

Subscriptions: Kym Rowbotham

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FRESHWATER Canberra 60 Batlow 61 Jindabyne 62 Lithgow-Oberon 63 Maitland 64 Wagga Wagga 65 Tamworth 66 Moama 67 Yarrawonga 68 Robinvale 68 REGULAR FEATURES Back to Basics 22 Boating 74 Dam Levels 60 Fun Page 59 Kayak 56 Tides 94 Trade Directory 90 Tournaments 69 What’s New Fishing 46 What’s New Boating 74

ION

Managing Editor: Stephen Morgan s.morgan@fishingmonthly.com.au

Peter Sealey landed this 43cm bream in Middle Harbour on a tiny #12 hook while fishing for mullet!

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SPECIAL FEATURES Fishing Action Cams Sydney Boat Show Australian Lure Expo

6 76 86 JULY 2014

Camera Feature

Waterproof video cameras – relive every moment All anglers love bragging about what they’ve caught. It’s built into our genes. Catching a great fish and then telling your mates about it is awesome. With the growth in social media, bragging just went global. You can show off your images and videos of your fishing prowess near-instantly to an audience limited only by your circle of friends and whether they want to watch. The tools you need to capture the moment are getting smaller, more versatile and more user friendly each year. You don’t need a film-crew

following your every move to get awesome vision – you just need some (relatively) cheap cameras and a bit of creativity to make clips that fellow anglers and friends will want to watch. This feature outlines some tips to help you make better fishing clips to share with your mates and takes a look at some of the latest gear available to help you get the job done. CAMERAS You’re probably familiar with the ‘GoPro Hero’ genre of action cameras that are fully waterproof, and which you can set-and-forget while you’re

fishing. Usually recording on an SD card, it’s possible to record hours of footage at a time. There are pros and cons to using these cameras. The downside is usually that audio suffers inside the waterproof housings that these little machines use to stay dry and operational. The upside is that if they cop a wave or some spray, it’s not an issue and that most things are in focus all of the time. If you want to put the camera underwater to look at your catch face-to-face, that’s also easily done. Just don’t drop it into the ball of feeding longtail tuna – you mightn’t get it back! MOUNTING SYSTEMS If you want a set-andforget camera, you’ll need a good mount to hold it in place. No use turning to the camera and smiling with your catch to find that the camera has dropped off somewhere between the ramp and your first fishing spot. Some anglers are pretty creative with their mountings. Attaching mounts to ends of poles, outboards, landing nets and fishing rods all give interesting results that can add variety to your final clip. The new Sony Action Cam comes with a cool bulldogclip mount that can perch in most danger-free clippable areas in seconds – great for the land-based angler who wants a diversity of angles in their fishing videos. EDITING Unless you’re shooting some video on an iPad, you’ll have to use some sort of basic, computer-based editing software to polish up your creation. This basically involves pulling out the boring bits and then tacking the awesome bits together in a logical sequence. Most of us have a home computer and there’s often decent software supplied with

the camera to do this. Apple’s iMovie, which comes free with all their computers, also does a good job. Most cameras also come with some of their own, in-house editing software that’s eminently suitable. SHARING IT Most anglers I know have some sort of social media profile or presence. If you want to get your word out there, create a channel on YouTube for free and share it through your Facebook or Instagram profiles. There’s no cost associated with any of these platforms.

Remember, the more interesting and succinct your videos are (read: short and sweet), the more likely it is that people will watch them and share amongst their networks of friends.

Think about the last video you watched on social media – did you watch it all the way through? Was it too long? Did you share it? If not, keep this in mind when making your own masterpieces.

Head Mounted Camera Head mounted, wide angled cameras are great for capturing just about everything that happens from a first person viewpoint. These cameras provide a unique viewpoint and their wide angle allows everything to be captured.

Still Camera A still camera provides the ultimate in memory capture and is an absolute must have on any fishing trip. A still camera (DSLR) will provide the best reproduction for the wall hanging image that you blow up to ‘real life’ size simply to brag to your mates.

Safe Storage

EXAMPLES Below is a selection of fishing videos made on action cameras to give you some inspiration.

Regardless of the multimedia device you have on hand, it needs to be stored correctly to avoid all sorts of damage and an early death. Shock and waterproof casings are one solution, however travel cases, dry bags and weather bags are other options that need consideration.

HERE’S SOME EXAMPLES OF HOME MADE FISHING FOOTAGE

Shimano

nowCatches

EVERYTHING!

http://youtu.be/4741DeY91E8

http://youtu.be/vCG-b46fdqg

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86 GRAMS IN WEIGHT 10M WATER PROOF (WITH OUT CASING)

INCREDIBLE LOW LIGHT FILMING WWW.SHIMANOFISH.COM.AU 6

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Camera Feature TOP TIPS • Avoid foul language. Awesomeness is better conveyed by other means. • Shoot wide angle. It’s better to see it all than half of it. It also makes your video less shaky.

• Experiment with camera angles. Breaking up the clip with different shots makes it visually more appealing. • Talk! Let us all know what you’re doing. Grunting while you’re pumping and winding may not hold interest for more

Video Glasses

What better way is there to film exactly what you are seeing than straight through your sunglasses? The option of protecting your eyes, seeing into the water and filming what you’re looking at is a great option for those on the water wanting to capture their memories.

than a few seconds. • Keep your clips short. Anything more than 90 seconds will lose people. Trust us – it will. • Tell a story. Make sure you put the clip into context. Where are you? What are you fishing for and why? What techniques are you using? Your mates WILL want to know. • Respect your quarry. If you’re going to release your fish, do it quickly and give it the best chance of survival. If you’re going to keep it to eat, treat it properly and kill

it quickly. • Be legal. Make sure you obey all Fisheries and Boating regulations. I guarantee at least one of your viewers will relish the chance to sink the boot in and will have the evidence to prove it. • If your clip definitely needs a soundtrack, avoid stealing copyrighted music. Some hosting sites will reject clips with copied music in it anyway (yep – they can tell). A lot of editing software comes with a selection of free-to-use music that you can use instead.

Hand Held Camcorder These days hand held video cameras are cheap and easy to use. Some are even waterproof and allow you to get in the water with the action. Perfect when you want a more traditional look to your videography.

Pole Mounted Camera Pole mounted cameras, depending on how they are set up, provide unique angles that a hand held camera cannot provide. You can get up above the boat, down below, off to the side or any combination of these. Mounted in a rod holder they can capture the moment the fish strikes without you having to remember to turn on the camera.

HEAD MOUNT

Net Mounted Camera A camera mounted on the net being used to land fish provides some amazing footage of the final moments of any capture. A net camera by necessity needs to be waterproof and also ideally it will have a wide shooting angle to capture that moment when the result is beyond doubt.

CHEST MOUNT

SCAN THE QR CODES ON YOUR SMARTPHONE TO WATCH

http://youtu.be/nraM-nj7AhQ

http://youtu.be/ixspQvXMXbk

SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH THE SPORTS CAM VIDEO http://youtu.be/KHROh2cXjLM

http://youtu.be/em1nfxdV8LQ

WWW.SHIMANOFISH.COM.AU JULY 2014

Camera Feature 

Distributed in the fishing industry by the same company that blazed the trail for GoPro (Lusty Industries), the Sony Action Cam is cool piece of kit. The basic kit comes with a HD Sony Action Cam, a Waterproof case (to 5m), a Live-View remote that you wear around your wrist and some mounts to get you going. It’s even got in-built GPS. This means your camera can not only capture the fishing footage, but map it for you via a GPS track at the end of the day using the free Sony software provided. Pretty cool. The Action Cam’s 170º filming angle comes with Sony’s Steady Shot technology, which takes out a lot of the bumps and jolts that the camera is exposed to while filming. And while it mightn’t be relevant while you’ve only got one camera, the Live-View remote can take feeds from and control up to five Sony Action Cams at once. So if you’re the ultimate fishing action hero, you can capture your captures from five different angles. These different shots are all time coded, which makes editing them easy. It’s definitely drool material for when you’re back on the PC at home. A final note about the Sony Action Cams is that there’s a great bulldog-clip mounting system that’s useful for anglers. Combining a rubber-coated clip with a universally swivelling lockable head, it gives both boat and land-based anglers dozens of options for cool angles that are achievable in seconds. RRP $499 www.lustyindustries.com

Sony Action Cam SRP

499



GoPro Hero 3+ SRP

529

Sony Action Cam



Contour +2 SRP

449





One of the original choices for a fishing cam, the GoPro has come a long way since the clunky original version. Now 20% smaller and lighter than its predecessor, the Hero 3+ delivers improved image quality and features geared for versatility and convenience. The new Super View mode is superwide angle while Auto Low Light intelligently adjusts frame rates to improve low light performance. With a 30% better battery life, faster Wi-Fi and a sharper lens, the Hero 3+ is the most advanced GoPro yet. RRP: $529 www.gopro.com.au

Contour ROAM2 SRP

269





Shimano CM-100 Sport SRP

400



iON Adventure SRP

JULY 2014

399

GoPro Hero 3+



Contour +2

Taking their most coveted attributes from the ContourROAM and the original Contour+, Contour’s top camera is packed with features, easier to use, and brings an entirely new perspective to your adventures. Featuring even better video quality, an Instant On-Record switch, and a 60m waterproof case for those underwater adventures, the Contour+2 will bring your fishing stories to life like never before. A GPS receiver allows you to capture and share a different perspective with an overlay of speed, distance, elevation and GPS data as well as crisp 1080HD video and up to 120FPS. When used with the mobile app, the inbuilt Bluetooth chip turns your smartphone into a remote control allowing you to preview your shots, change camera settings, and check memory and battery status on the fly. You can also use the infrared laser to confirm that you are shooting at the correct angle. It has a huge variety of mounts to choose from, an included waterproof case

and a 270° rotating lens that allows for mounting in any position, so the camera will work virtually anywhere. RRP: $449 www.meecosales.com.au



Contour ROAM2

The ContourROAM2 is touted as being the easiest-to-use camera on the market. With a quick slide of the ‘On & Record’ switch you’re filming your favourite adventures in crystal clear 1080p HD video. The Instant On-Record switch means there is no standby mode, so the battery is only in use when shooting, giving you more bang per charge and a total recording time of up to 3.5 hours. The ContourROAM2 is lightweight and waterproof to up to 1m without the addition of an external housing, making it the best all weather action cameras available. Whether you’re fishing, snorkelling or tearing up single track, the ContourROAM2 is ready for any adventure. It’s compatible with every Contour mount giving you unlimited angles, and with the trademark 270° rotating lens, you’ll always get the perfect, level shot no matter where the camera is mounted. RRP:$269 www.meecosales.com.au

Shimano CM-1000 Sport



The specifications of Shimano’s light and compact CM-1000 Sport Camera are impressive: full HD resolution, 10m underwater with no housing, 135° or super wide 180° viewing angle options, and an F2.0 lens perfect for low light conditions. The battery takes less than four hours to charge, and it runs for two hours. What’s more, it’s possible to link this camera to other devices via WI-FI, ANT+ and ANT private connectivity. The Shimano Sport Cam comes with a lens cover, adhesive mount, vented head mount, USB cable and an instruction manual. Optional accessories include a case waterproof to 80m, tripod, arm extender, flat polarised lens cover and silicone sleeve. It’s not only a video camera though; the CM-1000 will also take still images at 6MP 4:3 (2848 x 2136). With the Shimano Sport Camera you’ll never miss a fishing photographic opportunity ever again. RRP: $400 www.shimanofish.com.au



iON Adventure

The iON Adventure shares several features with the Air Pro range, but has some key differences which make it better suited to anglers. While it shares the non-housed design (which means no fogging) and tripod mount with the Air Pro, the Adventure comes equipped with a single button instead of the slide design of the other iON cameras. It’s still easy to operate, with vibration and visual feedback, but the flat lens on the Adventure helps underwater footage look sharp and focused. It has a built in GPS, which includes location, speed, and altitude. Finally, the Adventure features a loopfilming mode that constantly records, making sure you capture those big moments and never miss a fish jump again. RRP: $399 www.aus.ioncamera.com

Camera Feature 

iON Air Pro 3

The iON Air Pro 3 is the flagship of the iON range of cameras. It’s able to shoot 1080p at 60 frames per second, or 720p at a whopping 120 frames per second, which gives you the ability to shoot ultrasharp slow motion footage. The iON is waterproof straight out of the box, removing the need for a waterproof housing and preventing lens fogging. The one touch slide, along with its vibration feedback feature, offers easy operation, and with a 160° field of view you can guarantee you’ll never miss the action. All iON cameras use standard ¼” Tripod mounts, and a variety of mounts are available. RRP: $449 www.aus.ioncamera.com



iON Air Pro 2

Sony Action Cam Accessories

Once you have your Action Cam, and know how to drive it, you’ll be in a position to take advantage of all of the accessories available to make your shots even better. Here’s a snapshot of some of the angler-friendly accessories available for the Sony model. A float attachment is great insurance when you’re pushing the limits on the water to get a great shot. The flat-fronted dive housing ensures that the focus underwater is crisp as can be – and extends the depth capabilities to 60 metres. Stick-mounted cameras can give a unique perspective while driving boats or alternatively sneaking up on spooky fish while underwater, while the rail clamp is great for boats with rails around the gunwales. Lastly, the universal clamp is the accessory that you need if you’re just going to get one accessory. RRP: From $19 More Info: www.sony.com.au/actioncam

If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to the Air Pro 3, the Air Pro 2 is the perfect solution. It still shoots in slow motion (but at a lower frame rate), and is waterproof to a depth of 10m, so it’s still a great choice if you’re looking for an action cam. Sharing the Air Pro 3’s one touch slide, lack of housing and tripod mount, and with an even wider 180° ultra wide angle field of view, the Air Pro 2 is perfect for the budget-conscious buyer. RRP:$349 www.aus.ioncamera.com

iON Air Pro 3 SRP

449

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iON Air Pro 2 SRP

349

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Sony Action Cam Accessories SRP

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JULY 2014

Plastics vs bait smackdown THE TWEED

David Solano

This month’s story is a little different because it’s about fishing some of the famous marks out at sea off the Tweed. I have quite a few mates with boats but unfortunately they are bream tournament boats, and their skippers are reluctant to go outside – mainly because they don’t have the experience to cross the Tweed bar and are worried that the boats are too small. Enter my mate Pete. He’s had numerous boats over the years and his latest acquisition is a slick fibreglass model with a very old Suzuki 40hp on the back. Now Pete’s been asking me for ages to come outside with him, but after a fish in the river off his boat with the engine stopping several times I told him there was no way I was going out through the notorious Tweed Bar with that on the back. He kept trying anyway, and called a couple of weeks ago saying it was a perfect weekend and that he’d had the motor

serviced as well. “So let’s do it!” he said. I gave in. “Righto! See you at 4am.” As I live right on the river with boat ramp out front it was pretty easy for Pete to launch the boat. Off we went, roaring up the

“Sure you can do this mate?” I asked. “Yep.” The skipper was determined so I rang VMR to log in then out we went. I quickly discovered that Pete can drive a boat through a bar with skill and confidence and, what was

and the motor worked like a dream thank goodness. Once at Fidos we rigged up and started a drift over the reef. It looked good as a lot of fish were showing up on the sounder. Pete was using his trusty squid and I had on a 3/4oz TT

Dave with his first legal snapper (squire).

Pete with a feisty little remora. river and as we approached the bar my heart skipped a beat. There were waves, big ones.

even better, he was teaching me how to do it. Cool. We made it out and headed straight to Fidos,

w ay in a random dra zes are given aw ckage! Pa at Bo All our major pri n efi Blu ay with a you could walk aw

jighead with a 5/0 hook and Gulp Squid Vicious. I went through a packet in as many drops, because little fish were chewing the dangly bits off and leaving just the body. Pete, on the other hand, was pulling up a variety of fish including snapper, parrotfish and one nice size (don’t know the name) fish that hangs out under sharks. This isn’t good, I thought to myself. He’s walloping me with bait!

I looked at my jighead and suddenly thought, it’s a hook! I’ll try some bait on it. While Pete was pulling in his next fish I grabbed a squid, wacked it on the jighead and let it drop. My mate didn’t see a thing. So far Pete had caught a heap of squire but nothing legal. Well, with the first bit of bait I’d used in years I landed my first ever snapper (squire) and legal at that. I was dancing around the boat, teasing Pete, holding my fish out. I shouldn’t have held my fish out. Pete noticed the squid hanging out of the fish’s mouth. Oh dear, I’d been done – but to Pete’s credit he shared his squid and we caught a lot of fish out at Nine Mile and the Pinnacle though I have to say he hasn’t stopped paying me out ever since. WHAT’S BITING The river is at times crazy with bait and

divers off these walls but be careful fishing like this as it’s not always easy to get a big fish up from the rocks. You’ll get some nice tailor using a popper or fast moving metal slug. As far as I’m concerned though it’s schoolie time, as I love catching a mulloway on my light Nordic Stage rod (I have teamed it with a Stella FE 1000). I try a lot of different approaches when hunting schoolies but two lures stand out on the Tweed. One is a hidden 1/40oz TT jighead teamed with any colour Z-man 2.5cm grub, and probably the most deadly is the Ecogear VX 35 Blade, so it’s a heavy and light approach. So far it’s worked for me. One last thing – don’t forget about Jack Evans Boat Harbour as the other night I went for a drive to check the groyne out but the sight of all the bait

100,OOO IN GIVEAWAYS

OVER $

2014

FLATHEAD CLASSIC The 21st consecutive year of the Flathead Classic come and join the party!

1ST - 4TH OCTOBER 2014 TOURNAMENT VENUE : GR Thompson Park, Broadwater Parklands, Southport This year for the first time we trial a later fishing finish on the Saturday with a Saturday Night Dinner, presentation and party. 10

JULY 2014

Sign-On, Briefing and Dinner: WEDNESDAY 1st OCTOBER 2014 from 4.30pm Fishing and Dinner: THURSDAY 2nd OCTOBER 2014, FRIDAY 3rd OCTOBER and Saturday 4th Fishing, Dinner and Presentations: SATURDAY 4th OCTOBER 2014 finish late afternoon

Entry Fees

The price of early entry (prior to June 30 postmark or online) to the 2014 Gold Coast Flathead Classic is:

Seniors (16yrs and over) $225 each Juniors (under 16yrs) $110 After June 30th: Seniors $250.00 Juniors $120 After August 15th: Seniors $275.00 Juniors $130 - Places permitting Entry forms or online available at

www.flatheadclassic.com.au

Gold Coast Flathead Classic

Pete with a brightly coloured wrasse. Such a pretty looking fish could almost be a lure! What gives! I tried all different types of plastics but nothing worked. My mate’s repeated remarks of “I’m on again” was starting to grate on my nerves.

predators. Mates using dead bait have been smashing the bream off the Kirra groin and the Tweed seaway. Nice mulloway have been caught with deep

there made me pull up for a look. The place was chockers with pretty well everything bait-wise. Note to self: always carry a rod in the boot from now on.

29th Annual Lions Greenback Charity Comp Cabarita Beach once again welcomed avid fishing enthusiasts from across the country for the 29th annual Lions Greenback Charity Fishing Competition held over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.

stories, for the official weigh-in which closed at 10am Sunday. The Cabarita Surf Club cooked up a hearty breakfast for all entrants while they waited for the official results of the weigh-in conducted

The massive fish auction with 120 bags of fresh fish sold, raised $3915. Anglers aged 5-80 signed on at 12 noon Saturday and hit the water with lines baited, with their Greenback fishing caps on, in high hopes of luring the grand prize of the heaviest tailor. Enthusiastic and exhausted entrants returned with bags of tailor, mulloway, bream, black bream, swallowtail, tarwhine, flathead, and whiting, and plenty of

by the Pottsville Fishing Club, under the watchful eye of the NSW Department of Fisheries. With 46 categories to be selected for prizes the weigh in circle was very busy. Even if entrants didn’t win the grand prize, or totally missed out on that elusive catch, there were in excess of 40 entrants ‘lucky draw’ prizes up for grabs, including holidays donated

by The Beach, Cabarita and North Coast Holiday Parks. The prize pool totalled over $30,000. The tailor fishing competition attracted a field of over 500 anglers who competed in four divisions, Mens, Veterans, Ladies, and Juniors (under 16). Frank Ott of Banora Point won first prize for heaviest greenback, weighing in at 4.7kg, Frank took home $1500 in cash donated by the Cabarita Hotel and electrical goods valued at $500 donated by Rory Curtis, The Good Guys, South Tweed. Hoss McGrath, of Byron Bay, won second prize for his greenback catch, weighing in at 3.31kg. Hoss was also the winner of the Veteran’s division, and the Arab Memorial Trophy for the heaviest bag overall, including a mulloway weighing in at a whopping 2kg. Hoss was rewarded with $1000 sponsored by J Fowler Building Services and electrical goods to the value of $500 donated by The Good Guys. Weighing in at 13.29kg, was another mulloway, caught by Women’s Division winner Jodie Bussian of Sandstone Point, QLD.

The day was filled with entertainment from the Alderman Brothers Band, Caba Creative Market Stalls, and the Hoopla Circus. Local and visitors enjoyed the festival atmosphere and the beautiful beach location. The massive fish auction with 120 bags of fresh fish sold, raised $3915. The Kingscliff fishing club did a fantastic job bagging and labelling the fish and the Leos and junior members of the surf lifesavers presented them on stage. Meat and seafood raffles were conducted by Tweed District Volunteer Rescue Association throughout the day. The Lions Club major raffle was drawn on the day. The day ended with the grand lucky draw prize winner, Anthony Carroll of Ipswich, taking home the Horizon Angler boat, Yamaha Motor and Trailer package valued at over $7000 supplied by Marine Tune, Burleigh Heads. The final tally raised from the event will be announced at the presentation night on the 28 June, and all funds raised will be donated to the Cabarita Surf Lifesaving Club, Tweed

GREENBACK DIVISION WINNERS Name Heaviest Tailor 2nd Heaviest Tailor

Points Weight (kg) Frank Ott 4.750 Hoss McGrath 3.310

Men’s Division 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place

Peter Dusi Chris Pilypaitis Daniel Flemming

27.05 13.30 17.35

Ladies Division 1st Place Jodie Bussian 2nd Place Natalie Reynolds 3rd Place Lurline Curtis

13.29 3.215 2.720

Veteran’s Division 1st Place Hoss McGrath 2nd Place Mark Bonnor 3rd Place Errol Bonnor

34.45 6.425 4.555

Junior Division 1st Place Harrison Tagget 2nd Place Caleb McGregor 3rd Place Clay Porter

4.115 1.865 2.125

District Volunteer Rescue Association and Bogangar Public School. Students created a colourful display of fish for the schools stall and everyone enjoyed the sausage sizzle and sweet treats on offer. The Lions Club would also like to thank our many sponsors and supporters. The Greenback would not be possible without your generous contributions and

donations of prizes. Anyone interested in sponsoring next year’s event or interested in joining the Lions Club, please phone 0400157370 or email cabapotts.lions@ gmail.com. We look forward to seeing an even bigger and better event next year when we celebrate thirty years of the Greenback Charity Fishing Competition at Cabarita Beach!

JULY 2014

Winter species switch on BALLINA

Tristan Sloan

I recently had one of those fishing sessions that remind me why I love this sport so much. I only had a couple of hours up my sleeve so I wandered down to Flatrock

headland intending to cut some cunje and fish the low tide change for bream and drummer. It had been a long and tough week and I really needed to scratch the fishing itch. My plan was immediately abandoned when I arrived and saw a flock of seagulls and

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terns dive bombing several schools of baitfish pushed up hard against the southern side of the headland. Over the next two hours the action was frantic as I threw metal slugs to big greenback tailor of 2-4kg, and in total I think I must have landed over 30 fish. Many more jumped off, including one thumper that looked close to 6kg. In addition I did manage to briefly hook up to a big ‘something’ that peeled about 50m of 20lb braid before the hooks pulled. I have a sneaking suspicion it was a big mackerel as I saw a decent sized Spaniard come over the side of a boat that looked to be slow trolling live bait further

off the headland. Not only was I particularly pleased at such an actionpacked session, but I had earlier been actively trying to spin up some tailor for the smoking box of a good fishing mate without any luck. In fact, I was beginning to doubt whether the big greenbacks were going to appear at all, and my scepticism did account for my original decision to chase some bream and drummer. I particularly like this style of fishing over the winter months and I commonly carry a ‘do it all’ outfit when I have only a few hours up my sleeve and want to maximise my chances to catch a feed of fish off the rocks. For me

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this outfit consists of a Penn Spinfisher V 4500 model and a 10ft 5-9kg Daiwa Aird rod. The high speed retrieve of the Spinfisher and 12kg of drag makes it an ideal tool for throwing metals for tailor, soft plastics for school mulloway and pulling drummer out of their hidey holes, The extra length and light weight of the Daiwa Aird rod makes it an efficient casting tool and a pleasure to fish with all day. I would recommend every angler try this style of fishing. Pick an appropriate tide on a rocky headland and plan to fish either dawn or dusk. You can bait fish the daylight hours, spin the twilight for tailor and throw lures for mulloway in the darkness. It’s a very effective technique to target multiple species. I have a feeling I am going to hook a large groper or mulloway on this outfit one day and I’m confident it will be more than a fair fight. THE MONTH AHEAD As I write this the warm water is still lingering off Ballina. In fact, it has been one of the best and most productive seasons for spotted and Spanish mackerel in years. I’m not going to make any predictions as to when they will disappear as I have been wrong in my last two columns; fishing acquaintances further down the coast at Coffs Harbour and South West Rocks have mentioned the macks seem to have moved a bit further out once the water started to cool

Expect more silver surf bream this month. and they have been commonly catching them in 40m of water. It makes me wonder if we will still be catching them in August. Snapper and pearl perch have been remarkably quiet on the shallow inshore reefs though nobody seems to be complaining while the mackerel are around. A few of the keener local fishermen have also caught big mulloway on the reef off Blackhead fishing at night with live slimy mackerel and tailor. Just remember to only venture out when there is a very small swell. The Ballina bar has claimed enough lives during the day in big seas and I would hate to think what it would be like crossing it at night in a heavy swell. The usual winter suspects of luderick and bream have slowly started to trickle into the river as the weather has started to cool down. It won’t be too long before the bait shops start seeing an increase in the sales of herring jigs and mullet gut as local anglers prepare to target these bream. If you have access to a boat you can often score a good catch of bream by locating schools in mid water in the lower sections of the river and tea bagging blades on top of their heads until you get a bite. The Ecogear VX35 seems to be the most popular model, though I always end

a bit more aggressively on the run-out tide and can sometimes develop a serious case of lockjaw over the coming months when the incoming tide pushes the cold ocean water up the river. If you can’t find any flathead in the deeper water try fishing for them on the very shallow sand flats on the top of tide. Like reptiles, they like to sun themselves in the warm, shallower water. The expected cold water in the coming months will also start affecting the great mud crab season that we have had so far this year. I recommend placing your nets and traps further up the creeks to catch the last of that warm water. Some larger mulloway have moved into the lower reaches of the river this month and been making some anglers very happy. The stretch from the RSL right down to the end of the walls all hold mulloway at this time of year and they are commonly caught on a large live mullet fished on the top of the tide. I’ve noticed that more and more anglers are fishing for mulloway in the Richmond River than ever before. Please be courteous to your fellow anglers and refrain from shining your light on the water (this puts mulloway off the bite) and ensure you are an adequate distance from other anglers to allow them to fight

Weedy sand flats are a great place to find some high tide flathead. up reverting to trusty bait once I have donated a few VX35s to the fishing gods. They aren’t cheap lures but they are effective. Despite some decent bream making their presence felt in the river I would concentrate my efforts on flathead if I was looking for a feed of fish by fishing the run-out tide with bait or lures. Flathead tend to bite

a fish without worrying about tangling up your line. Bear in mind that, similar to flathead, these larger jewfish are the breeding females so while I don’t mind keeping the smaller 10kg models for a feed I always let the big girls swim free after a quick photo. Good luck in the coming month and I look forward to seeing you on the water.

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Half the year has passed already and it looks like the great fishing we had in autumn has carried through into winter. The beanies are getting some good use as the late afternoon air cools and the keener anglers start hunting around. In the river the bream and blackfish should be showing

up in quality and numbers by now. If you’re chasing bream from a boat, places like Browns Rocks or any of the walls in the lower reaches of the river should hold fish. Go to baits for them would be strip mullet or, if you have a good stomach, chook or mullet gut are both gun baits on the local Clarence valley bream population. There is still action to be had for the lure boys and girls too at these same spots, with blades and soft plastics catching their share when

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Steve Patti of Croaker Lures with a solid Clarence valley mulloway taken on a Jewie Jewel. worked deep around structure. If chasing blackfish is more your thing, places like The Tavern, middle wall and (for land-based anglers) the old ferry should see more than a few fish frequenting these haunts. However, for me winter is all about mulloway and tailor. This year has been a great year for the mighty Clarence river mulloway, with local lure maker and mulloway fisho Steve Patti catching more than his fair share of these big silver legends on his Croaker lure creations. If you want to get into the action, big shallow diving hardbody lures are the go-to lures in that 14-18cm mark. Rod-wise, you should go for anything from 10-12ft teamed up with a 5000 or bigger sized reel running 30-50lb line and a leader of 60lb or more depending on the terrain you’re fishing. If bait is more your thing, putting a double snelled pair of 9/0s in a live mullet and swimming of one of the walls could also see you hooked up to a few good-sized Clarence valley mulloway.

On the tailor side of things, working the headlands with both chrome spinners and poppers will see you lock horns with some stud-sized greenback tailor in the 3kg and upward mark. The biggest greenback I have seen and weighed was 9.7kg and every year you see a couple up to the 7kg mark, so if you would like to cross a true trophysized tailor off the bucket list you could do a lot worse than throwing your lures seaward around the Clarence valley. My weapon of choice, depending on conditions, is either a Halco Roosta popper 135 or a BJP stickbait. I like the Halco on rougher days and the BJP on calmer days; both have caught me good quality fish in the past. Outside, the snapper have been going well with plenty of pan-sized fish to be had – and who doesn’t like a feed of fresh snapper? At this time of year we usually see the bass coming down to spawn. It’s closed season for them until September 1 so don’t forget to put them back.

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We’re still waiting for winter COFFS HARBOUR

Stephen Worley worleybirdfilms@hotmail.com

Over May and June this year you could have been forgiven for thinking we were in the northern hemisphere spring/ summer. The Coffs region is known for having clear and mild winter days but the last couple of months have been much warmer than ‘mild’. The water temperature has also been warm, holding at 23°C+. The mackerel and longtail tuna have continued to fire throughout autumn and, at the time of writing, it feels like they’re settling in for the winter. Some anglers who have been around longer than most

have called this year for one of the best mackerel seasons in living memory, and it’s possible that it could continue this month. It’s going to be a fair bet that as long as the water stays warm the mackerel will stay. Live slimy mackerel will be the bait of choice if you want a crack at a mid-winter mackerel, and the inshore reefs will be the place until the warm water finally leaves the coast. Two major factors have made this year’s mackerel season different from the norm (besides the abundance of fish). One was the ciguatera poisoning scares that led to anglers releasing most mackerel larger than 10kg. The second was the average size and numbers of the

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spotty mackerel this year. Spotties up around 8kg have been commonplace and it has been unusual to catch anything under 6kg. It will certainly be a season to remember. Despite the persistence of the summer fishing, the winter season fish have not been slow to kick into gear. The snapper have congregated closer to the coast on the shallow reefs and will be one of the main targets for offshore anglers this month. You can really save time and fuel while the fish are in close. Most days drifting over shallow inshore reefs flicking plastics or bumping a bait along the bottom will get you a nice feed of snapper, although on some of calmer days recently it has been almost impossible to get a drift going at any speed. At these times it may be best to just anchor the boat, berley up and drift some cut baits into the trail. This type of fishing will also tempt

the kingies and mulloway that are just as likely to turn up in the berley trail at this time of year. A live bait drifted in a berley trail would be even better. Speaking of live bait, the squid have been hassling anglers offshore by turning everyone’s live baits into dead baits. The squid are a welcome hassle for most, especially those who love a good feed of calamari or one of the best live baits going around. The squid are being caught wherever there are bait grounds. They are great to catch and to eat, and we’re not the only ones who think that. On the beaches and headlands the larger mulloway have been showing up regularly over the last month. Squid baits have been one of their favourites and if it’s freshly caught that’s even better. Any fresh baits like beach worms and fresh caught tailor slabs are also excellent baits at the

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Alan, Wayne and Glen with a typical bag of spotty mackerel for the kayakers at Arrawarra this season.

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JULY 2014

moment. With any of the smaller baits be prepared to donate a few to the smaller fish as there are plenty of schoolies in the gutters as well. Tailor have been a feature of the headlands and beaches over the last two months but will likely be swamped by large schools of salmon this month. Metals, stickbaits and quickly retrieved plastics will be the best way to get onto either of these hardfighting fish. In the estuaries the bream have been finicky by most reports but a bit of finesse and patience has seen some large specimens captured. Small, slowly worked

plastics and hardbody lures are the best performers, along with the ever popular live yabby or worm off the edge of a sandbank. Higher up in the rivers and creeks the snags are holding plenty of bream and also the winter influx of spawning bass. Remember that we are currently in the ‘no take’ season for bass in NSW so if you do catch a bass please ensure it’s not harmed and release it as healthy as possible. Whether this month turns out to be an extension of the mild autumn/winter, an actual real winter month (not likely) or the start of the warm spring to come, enjoy your fishing when you can. I’ll leave you with quick a note to make sure you check out the pictures and results of the recent Dave Irvine Snapper Memorial Challenge that are also in this issue of NSW Fishing Monthly.

Mal Mcleod with a few nice fillets worth of snapper from the kayak.

Mulloway a major focus SOUTH WEST ROCKS

Brent Kirk

also been plenty of venus tuskfish and pigfish thrown in for good measure. Jigging

kempsey@compleatangler.com.au

Although South West Rocks may be renowned for its exciting game fishery throughout the warmer months of the year, the winter months still offer up a vast array of species for everyone from the beginner right through to the expert angler. We have been experiencing some fair conditions of late, with light offshore winds and relatively calm sea conditions allowing for safe comfortable offshore expeditions. Deep dropping out wide has been producing the goods with quality catches of bar cod and blue-eye trevalla, as well as john dory and pearl perch thrown into the mix. Fresh baits of fish and squid work best, as well as live slimies or yellowtail. Moving back in a bit shallower to the 60m-80m zones, there is a vast array of species on offer. Pearl perch, snapper, mulloway and teraglin have been the most reliable but there have

Author with a quality mulloway caught in the Macleay River.

in these same areas has been accounting for plenty of kingfish with the odd samsonfish mixed in. The shallow water reef fishing is just starting to happen and will get better as the winter progresses. Unweighted baits and lightly weighted soft plastics, all on light gear, are an exciting way to tangle with what could be a snapper of a lifetime in this area at this time of year. A lot of quality mulloway are also caught by this method. The beauty of it is that just about anything could show up on these reefs on any given day. Big flathead and mulloway are a major focus of the river at present. These fish are always around but with the abundance of schools of spawning fish throughout the system at the moment, they are there to feed. Live baiting and large soft plastics are by far the most successful methods of capture. Combine either of these with a tide change and you are definitely putting yourself in the game. Bream seem to be everywhere from Frederickton to the river

SOUTH WEST ROCKS

entrance as well as up Clybucca Creek, with the oyster leases holding some monsters. These fish are eager to whack any small soft plastics or hardbody lures thrown their way. However, extracting them on light gear is always a challenge. Beach fishing is always a bit hit-and-miss at this time of year as commercial pressure is fairly high. Tailor and bream have been reasonably reliable though, especially if you focus around the low light times of dawn and dusk. It is all looking pretty good for rock hoppers with most of the usual winter species playing the game. Tailor have been in abundance in the washes, with plenty of quality mulloway lurking in their shadows. It has not been uncommon for a tailor to be hooked up on a spinner only to be pinched by a mulloway, resulting in a very unexpected battle. Some are won but many are lost! Bream have been around the headlands in good numbers, as have the dirty fighting drummer. Good berley trails will hold the abovementioned fish in your desired area longer and prolong the bite.

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Time to abandon slip COFFS GAME

Glen Booth

The Coffs Coast’s game fishing season has started its run down to winter, with shorter days, colder air temperatures and consistent southwesterlies making fishing wide a bit of a chore. The autumn weather was sublime though, and there weren’t many days when you couldn’t have fished. The flipside was that there were very few billfish about, although the inshore mackerel fishing just got better and better, and remained that way into June. Depending on what the bait does, there’s sometimes an off-season striped marlin bite inside the shelf, although this hasn’t eventuated for a number of years now. Encouragingly, there have been a few stripy encounters in recent weeks, which suggests that it could all fall into place for us over winter. The bait is presently building up in 45 to 55 fathoms, so maybe we just need the water temperature to drop a degree or two. Overall, it seemed like an indifferent season thanks to fickle currents and howling northerlies throughout much of summer, although the rain did stay away for once. Tagging stats from the Solitary Islands Game Fishing Club tell a different story though. The members tagged 134 gamefish for the season, consisting of 44 blue marlin, 22 blacks, seven stripes, one shortbill spearfish, 42 mahi mahi, 13 yellowfin tuna, three hammerheads, a wahoo, and a lone yellowtail kingfish. It’s actually a dramatic improvement on the 119 gamefish including 48 billfish tagged the season before, which in hindsight had seemed pretty action packed. Champion male angler in both In-Hours and Out-of-Hours divisions was Bruce Schultz, fishing aboard Black and Blue. Having never caught a marlin before this season, Bruce has now nailed 15, of which nine were blues and the rest a mix of stripes and blacks. That’s damn good fishing in anyone’s language. And not surprisingly, Black and Blue was champion boat for both categories as well! SO LONG, SLIPWAY Coffs Harbour and travelling boaters and fishos have been delivered an uppercut by the NSW Department of Trade

and Investment Crown Lands, with the imminent closure of the Coffs Harbour slipway. This is due to the presence of, amongst other things, Tributyl Tin (TBT), a popular and effective

Meanwhile, owners of non-trailerable boats are left with something of a Hobson’s choice regarding off-water maintenance of their vessels, having to tackle potentially dangerous bar

What will become of the Coffs Harbour slipway? Don’t expect a new facility any time soon.

The Solitary Islands Game Fishing Club’s perpetual trophies have found a new home in this beautiful display case at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club. antifoul from many years ago contaminating the soil and nearby seabed. While TBT is present at almost every slipway of advancing years in Australia, it seems Coffs is the one to get the full rubber glove treatment, with the buildings being demolished and affected soil removed.

crossings at Yamba or Port Macquarie to access other slip facilities — neither of which fills them with much enthusiasm. The most disgraceful aspect of the slipway’s demise though, is that despite the closure being on the cards for a long time now, the call for tenders

didn’t go out until May 15, with the operation ceasing on July 31. Suspicious locals can’t help but wonder if there’s a consortium waiting in the wings ready to take over the whole harbour area. This may or may not be the case, but realistically it will be two years before we see a slipway back in operation. My pessimistic view is that finding a tenant willing to build the facility and secure a decent lease off Lands will prove too hard, with this prime piece of harbour real estate eventually being sold off. In other waterfront news, the approaches to the east coast’s worst boat ramp finally got dredged before Easter but, as was to be expected, it filled back in pretty fast. Fortunately, there is a larger dredge now operating at the mouth of the marina, working to a target of removing 40,000 cubic metres of sand over the next few months (although the local paper did report 40,000 cubic centimetres), with the spoil being piped to north of the harbour at Park Beach. Hopefully the dredging will include the boat ramp area as well.

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Sand, stone and stream action PORT MACQUARIE

David Poulton pmbc@drsm.com.au

Pull on the beanie, pull up the head sock and put on that warm jacket! It’s cold weather fishing time. These might be the negatives but there are some serious

positives. Fish are on offer off the beaches, rocks at sea and in the estuaries. Beach and rock fishing will see the wetsuits also getting a run, as there is nothing worse than getting sprayed with water in the middle of winter while fishing the stone or beach. Along with a life jacket, it’s one of you

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best insurances of staying alive if you take the unlikely event of a swim off the rocks. This month will be a prime time to chase tailor off the beach and stones. The cheap option is some metal slugs, but as those who chase tailor know, they can be finicky fish and sometimes only a wellpresented bait will fool them. And pilchards have got to be their favourite in our parts. A simple three or four gang hook setup with a small ball sinker is enough to get you going. Off the beach a bigger sinker will provide better casting and off the rocks a lighter one will reduce the distance, however it will provide a more natural bait presentation. Finding the depth they are feeding can be a challenge.

It’s good to start on the top with a quick retrieve and then slowly work closer to the bottom. Sometimes they’ll be schooled on the bottom but then start moving higher as they feed. Finding the pattern is key. Best locations on the beach this month will be North Beach, Lighthouse Beach at the Lake Cathie end and Dunbogan Beach. Also off the rocks this month will be drummer. The best bait by far is cunjevoi with as light a sinker as possible and some serious drag power on your reel of choice. A good bread berley will entice the bite, breadcrumbs thrown out in the cunjevoi casings are also a good way of deploying the trail. Diamond Head, Grants Head and Minners Beach are

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top locations to target these pulling machines in July. Those venturing offshore have enjoyed some unseasonal warm currents, which have provided some excellent opportunities for good catches of mahi mahi and Spanish mackerel. It will be interesting to see if this remains the same this month. I’d bet my favourite lure that this month things will change. Attentions for many will turn to chasing snapper. With some quality fish already being caught, top baits this month will be squid for sure. However, a good octa or lucanis jig, along with soft plastics, will also prove successful. Top places to start will be on the inshore reefs off the golf course, and the reefs off Bonny Hills. Already quality fish are coming from both locations. Using your sounder will be the key to locating fish and making the most of your time, whether your using bait or lures. For anglers pushing wider out to sea, pearl perch and teralgin will be good options with Petersons Reef a good starting point. Cut baits will prove the most successful, only hindrance could be the current you encounter. Be prepared for some strong currents, and don’t discount coming in closer and fishing off Nobbys or Lighthouse. Estuary action this month is kicking into gear for the

This fish couldn’t resist a Cranka Crab fished in the same manner as a blade style lure. prime winter species with winter flathead moving into the shallows. At times they can be challenging to find legal size fish, however when you do they are often schooled and are a good feed of 40-45cm. Top spots will be Big Bay, the flats in Limeburners Creek and the flats on the Southern Bank from Fernbank Creek to Dennis Bridge. Soft plastics ripped and paused, or hopped and paused are a top technique to get their interest and entice a bite. Just remember to take what you need and not your limit. The limit for common dusky flathead in NSW is 10 fish. This is the most common species on the Hastings and Camden Haven rivers, although we do encounter the blue spotted and tiger flathead. Garfish are an awesome winter fish. Clear water pushes in from the sea and, with the predictions of a dry winter, they will be a top target species this month. With some bread, pealed prawns and a

start schooling with mullet along the rock walls and in deeper water. Bait fishing will be best suited for those who like to chase fish after dark. Land-based angling is a good option for this with some key locations proving to hold some quality bream. McInherny Park is a top spot with rocks and small sandy beaches giving access to deep water with some current flow. I like to use fresh yabbies, however fresh salted prawns can prove very deadly. Lure anglers will be focusing on structure with deep water. The rock walls are the place to start, then jetties and pontoons along Hibbard Drive and then the canal systems. For the lure anglers, blade fishing is becoming more and more popular with a plethora of models on the market these days. It’s a preference thing and once you have the technique dialled in, all are worth trying at different depths and current flow. It still amazes me how a bream will

The author with a lovely winter flathead caught on a plastic cast close to mangroves on a hopping retrieve. quill float you can have some top fun with this tasty fish. Garfish are a great way to get kids hooked on fishing too. If you get the fish schooled up with bread crumbs, then get the kids to drift out small chunks of peeled prawns on tiny hooks – it’s great to watch the garfish take them and priceless the expression on the kid’s faces. Top locations for chasing garfish this month will be in Limeburners Creek and on the flats at the mouth of the Maria River. Calm mornings and evenings are the best times and make for some top fun and a great outing. Bream this month get ready to head to sea and will

pick a piece if metal up off the bottom! Soft plastics still work really well in our parts with curl tail grubs making a come back. Recently I had an outing and vowed that’s all I’d use. My mate Wayne and I would have probably gone head-tohead with him using prawn styles and me the good old curl tail. The common things we did were fish fluorocarbon all the way through and to scent our lures. So rug up pull on the warm beanie and hit the water this month for some fun piscatorial winter pursuits. Just remember to take what you need not your limit and enjoy your time on the water.

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KISS complicated rigs goodbye! NSW STH COAST

Steve Starling www.starlofishing.me

In nine out of 10 cases, according to Starlo, the simplest terminal rig suited to the fishing task at hand is also the best choice for the job.

I’m sure most readers will have heard of the so-called ‘KISS’ principle. Depending on who you listen to, this popular acronym stands for either “keep it simple, stupid!” or “keep it short and simple”. Either way, it’s an idea commonly applied to all sorts of disciplines, from accountancy, medicine and

marketing to various sports… including recreational fishing. Along with KISS and the associated idea that ‘less is more’, I’m also a big fan of another time-proven principle known as Occam’s Razor, which can be distilled down to an eight word statement: “the simplest answer is usually the right one”. Successful police

Kids, in particular, really benefit from the use of simple rigging strategies.

them up beautifully more five centuries ago when he stated: “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. I’m a firm believer that the ideas embodied in the KISS principle, Occam’s Razor and the belief that “less is more” all have a great merit when applied to angling, particularly in terms of how we choose, rig and use our fishing tackle. I can’t believe how complicated some of the rigs I see illustrated or described in fishing books and magazines are. In a few isolated instances there may be good reasons for using more complex arrangements of terminal tackle when constructing a rig. However, it’s my firm belief — one born out by a lifetime of fishing experience and observation — that in at least nine out of 10 instances, the simplest rig for the job at hand is also the best one by far! Look at it this way: Every extra knot you add to a rig introduces one more potential failure point into the tenuous, fragile chain between you and the fish. Every additional item of terminal tackle you include increases the cost and time involved in constructing the rig… And every shiny doo-dad or nifty gizmo hanging in front of your bait, lure or fly is one more thing that’s likely to spook, alarm or distract a fish, potentially preventing it from taking your offering. In a surprising amount of instances, a bait hook, lure or fly tied directly to the end of your line or leader is all you really need to catch a fish. If a sinker is required (especially for bait fishing), try simply threading one onto the line so it can run freely all the way down to the hook. If you really believe you need to keep that sinker away from the bait for some reason, add a swivel to the rig 30 or 40

Swinging up a keeper bream caught on a straightforward bait fishing rig consisting of a small sinker running all the way down to a hook. That’s all you need in so many situations. cm from the hook and run the sinker on the line above this instead. Those three rig variations — no sinker, running sinker right to the hook or running sinker above a swivel — should easily cover 95 per cent or more of your bait fishing needs. Sure, if you’re using a sidecast reel, you can always add another small swivel a metre or so up the line, above any other item of terminal tackle, to prevent twist. But that’s about it. You don’t need anything else! Whatever you do, don’t over-

complicate things just for the sake of doing so, or because you’ve admired some snazzy, convoluted set-up illustrated in a book or magazine. We’ll return to the subject of rigging many times in future instalments of this column, but for now, I want to leave you with a marvellous quote from the early 20th century French aristocrat and aviator, Antione de Saint-Exupery, who sagely said: “It seems that perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Think about it…

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investigators employ this deceptively straightforward approach to narrowing down their lists of suspects for a crime, and smart doctors also apply it to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries. Although they’ve been widely popularised in modern times, these minimalist concepts are by no means new. In fact, renowned Italian artist and engineer, Leonardo da Vinci, summed

A black drummer or “pig” taken from the rocks on a deadly simple running sinker rig. Need a bit more weight? Add a second sinker!

Wait for the southerly stir FORSTER

David Seaman dseamo@bigpond.com

I’m not complaining, but the start to winter has been too perfect. I’m waiting for a good southerly to take the heat and crystal out of the crystal clear water that has been hugging the coast. It has meant the mahi mahi have hung around longer and the bluefin (longtail) have taken advantage of the bait schools but it has also meant a staggered start to the pig season. Teraglin, pearl perch and snapper have been encouraging in numbers and reefs around Blackhead and Snapper Rock. The trag I have seen at the tables have all looked the size of good jew, and one pearl perch was well over 3kg. The typical mixed bag of winter species can be expected with snapper, morwong, baker, sand flathead and leatherjackets. The leatherjackets won’t get frustratingly thick for another month or two, but you should be prepared anyway. Rig with extra strength hooks and as few knots and terminals like swivels as

possible. Basically you want to minimise the number of targets for the jackets to grab and bite you off. A week of rain would be good at the moment and not just for the grass, but to stir the water up and put a bit of colour in the lake and rivers. The freshwater sections of the rivers around here have been so clear that you can see to the bottom and every catfish nest in the river. The clear water spills into the upper tidal reaches and can make fishing difficult during the day. It doesn’t help that the lake and fluctuating tides are just as clear and the fish, very spooky. So, without reasonable rainfall between now and printing, it will be a matter of searching out some water colour between the fresh and lower lake. Bandicoot and Regatta islands are always worth a look for bream while the northern shore of Regatta Island is an ideal spot to cast a bait or lure for flathead. Large fan-belly leatherjackets are always around to cause havoc with the plastic anglers but in the clear water they are easily spotted around the leases, and can be targeted with a small long shank hook and

squid or fish bait. They are surprisingly good eating. In recent weeks the lower lake (especially The Paddocks) has still had a lot of mullet schooled up and waiting to be flushed out into the ocean. Mixed with them were bream that had come back in and some that were still roed up but yet to spawn. The bridge too was full of bream, using the pylons as the last milling station before the break walls. Lightly weighted prawn, yabby and

flesh baits drifted along the wall, at the change or first of the run-out tides, will pick up the bream and blackfish of an evening. During the day the blackfish revert to eating weed and can be targeted at the turn of the tides. Winter is renowned for big bream in the racks and I can tell you there are plenty of bream about. Whether you are using bait or lures the same rule applies: tight drags and pull hard. Most of the fish To page 25

A red grub tail plastic was too much for this luderick to resist. Looking like a small bloodworm, the plastic was bounced through the weed on the edge of a channel.

Good sized tailor are around in the early morning and late afternoon. This one came from the northern end of Blueys Beach.

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A mountain of Manning mullet HARRINGTON-TAREE

Ian Pereira ianpereira@aapt.net.au

This year has been a truly great one for the Manning. The mullet run was one of the best that I have seen in the last 25 years, with big schools of fish congregating upstream before they ‘run’. The flathead turned up in big numbers and apart from the big fish of 4-7kg there were quite a lot of 50-60cm fish. The numbers of just undersized fish caught and released were the best that I have seen. Next year should be a beauty as all these undersized fish will be of legal size and catches should be great. Now we come to the bream season. For the past two weeks bream anglers have been scoring at will and bag limits are the norm. The bream usually hang around until the end of July or the middle of August and I can see that happening this year.

Madison McCartney with a sand mullet. This mullet run has been the best we’ve seen for years.

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ESTUARY The estuary is firing at the moment. Not only are the bream on the bite but flathead, mulloway and luderick are all being caught in numbers. The bream are all travelling bream. They are nice and clean and in wonderful condition. Most of the fish caught are in the 400-900g range but there are better fish to 1.4kg being reported. The bream have been biting best on fresh yabbies which is strange because when the mullet are running they usually like mullet strips best. The best catches of bream are being made on the first of the run-in. The next best time is the couple of hours either side of high tide slack water. The luderick are biting best at night on live yabbies, but weed fishermen have been getting a few during the daylight hours. Flathead from 40-55cm have been taking the yabbies fished for bream and make a nice additional catch. Mulloway are taking most baits and have been caught from the wall by bream anglers and from the southern corner of the sand spit in the mouth of the river.

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Fresh yabbies have been best for bream this year. BEACH AND ROCK Beach fishing has also picked up, with plenty of tailor and mulloway

in Crowdy Boat Harbour and on the southern end of Crowdy Beach. The tailor are taking bait and lures

but the best catches are being made at first light on lures. The end of the sea wall and the beach either side of it are producing school mulloway to 7kg on squid and fresh slab baits. The rocks at Crowdy and Diamond Head are fishing well for larger sized tailor on garfish and bonito baits. OFFSHORE Good results have been obtained by those boaties fishing east off Crowdy Head and north around the reefs near Mermaid. Snapper to 7kg have been landed from the close inshore reefs over the last two weeks. The wave rider has schools of mahi mahi up to 7kg congregating near it, and they are taking lures and bait. Some small mulloway to 10kg have been boated by fishing live baits near the close in reefs. There are plenty of schools of baitfish off Crowdy, and bonito are taking trolled lures close inshore. There is no doubt July is the best month for breaming at Harrington. At the present time the bream being caught are not fully roed up and that means that they will still be here in July when the roe is ripe. As well as bream, tailor and mulloway can be caught from the beaches and rocks and luderick can be taken on yabbies at night and weed during the day. It’s a matter of choosing what fish you want for the table.

Stockton mulloway time PORT STEPHENS

Billy Gillon

If you’re willing to brave the cold weather and westerly winds, July should produce plenty of fish and there is generally a lot less boat traffic than in the warmer months. BEACH AND ROCK One Mile and Samurai Beach are producing some good size tailor and school mulloway, and the old-fashioned pilchard on a set of ganged hooks should produce plenty of tailor. It also pays fish a two-hook paternoster rig, one with the

gang and the other a Gillies surf popper. That way even if you lose your pilly you always have a chance of hooking up. Love them or hate them, there should be plenty of salmon on the beaches, and the same methods that work on tailor also work great for salmon. These fish also generally bring in a lot of sharks chasing them in close. Now is my favourite time to fish Stockton beach for mulloway. Beach worms produce plenty of fish but a lot are undersize soapies. Small live yellowtail often produce the bigger jew and there should be plenty around the 6-10kg

We should see some nice drummer, grouper and bream coming from the washes, but be very careful. From page 23

are around the 500-700g mark with the occasional 1kg fish thrown in for some white knuckle fun. The rock scene is a bit hit-and-miss with the water

pelagic fish are easy to spot from the tops of headlands, so anglers hunting tuna can spot and cast fish. Where the seas are a bit lumpy you will find fish under the wash along the rocks, and as

range. I only fish for beach mulloway an hour either side of high or low tide, high being the favourite, and I spend a fair bit of time searching for a decent hole which will produce at both high and low tide. Remember that camping and fires are both prohibited on Stockton Beach. In the rock washes the drummer should be well and truly into full swing and there should be some nice grouper and bream around with them. Peeled prawn and cunjevoi are favourite drummer baits and they go hard. There should also be plenty of salmon coming from the rocks which provide some great fun spinning lures. OFFSHORE Now is the time to jig for kings in the deep water, with Allmark Mountain being a spot which produces some great kingie fishing at this time of year. Allmark Mountain sits roughly 28nm east of the heads, and as well as kingies it fishes well for bar cod and other deepwater bottom species. It is also pays to fill the tank with livies at Cabbage Tree before you head out as jigging is very hard work, and it’s always good to drop or bream. Through the middle of the day when the fishing is slow, it’s not a bad idea to gather your fresh bait ready for the afternoon session. Both pumping yabbies and

Morwong should be plentiful on the deeper reefs. a live bait down and have a bit of a break. That is until a big kingie inhales it! This time of year is snapper time and there are some great fish taking floating baits in the shallower waters from around 10-30m. Low light periods are prime times and a steady berley trail and natural sinking bait are very important to produce more catches of big reds. Broughten Island, The Sisters and boat harbour are known snapper spots which produce plenty of fish. Edith breakers also fishes very well for snapper on plastics – just remember

it is a artificial lure only zone and no anchoring while fishing. Be very cautious of this as Fisheries officers can even fine you even for having rods rigged up while anchored. Game anglers should be getting stuck into the yellowfin out wide and there should also be plenty of mako sharks. BAY There should be plenty of winter (trumpeter) whiting around with worms being top bait. The break walls should be fishing very well for luderick and bream this month. The co-op break

wall is a favourite and can also produce some nice mulloway at times. Bream should be in good numbers in the bay this month, taking a wide variety of bait and lures, and there should also be plenty of good size flathead sitting in the deeper water. My favourite plastics for big lizards are 5” Gulp Jerk Shads, and remember a release is better for the 65cm+ lizards as they are more than likely breeders. School mulloway are in good number in the deep holes and around the Karuah River bridge.

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clarity being a major issue for the bread-and-butter anglers through the day. Those chasing pigs and bream will be frustrated by the number of butterfish, and berley only seems to exacerbate their numbers. One advantage of the clear water is that the

the water temperature drops away, closer to 17ºC, it will only get better. For the beaches all I can suggest is an early morning or late afternoon/evening fish with pilchards for the tailor and salmon that are around, or a load of beach worms for a mulloway

beach worming will work on the beaches and rocky ends of the beaches. Enjoy the crisp, early mornings because they won’t last too long before we are complaining about the heat again! It’s time to take advantage of what’s on offer and hit the water.

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DEPARTS STOCKTON BOAT DOCK... JULY 2014

Winter fish on the chew HUNTER COAST

Paul Lennon

This month’s Hunter Coast report has been supplied by Paul Lennon. I can’t remember a better patch of late autumn weather than what we experienced this year. The weather was glamorous, with winds rarely exceeding 15 knots and very little swell. On top of this the water temps remained unseasonably warm, hovering between 20-22ºC. Weather-wise it’s was as though we were a month behind. It made for some phenomenal fishing but also meant a few fish that prefer chillier times of the year like salmon, luderick and drummer were still a bit slow. That being said, I’m sure by the time this goes to print winter will be in full swing with the typical winter species chewing their heads off. The break walls have been producing good numbers of mulloway with fish up to 20kg recently reported. A few mates have been spinning for them with plastics and hardbodies during the night high-tide changes and doing very well. If you want to use live baits you can often berley up yellowtail from the Stockton break wall although you may need to try a few different places along it until you find them. The most consistent area I

find to get them is the wreck about three quarters of the way up on the northern side. Once you have a few live baits keep them going

been producing some good tailor on dawn and dusk for anglers casting metals or ganged pilchards or gar. Bream fishing has

Luderick should only get better as winter progresses.

The rock walls are still producing mulloway. in a bucket with an aerator and wait for that prime time around the high tide change. Both Nobbys and Stockton walls have also

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been pretty good as well with those using lightly weighted mullet strips or prawns on 1/0 hooks having the best results. If you’re fishing the river there are also quality bream holding around any bit of structure they can find. This might be around a bridge, pylon, rock bars, points or oyster racks. The most effective way to fish these areas is to anchor up a cast distance from the structure and throw unweighted live nippers down the edge of it. Use plenty of berley if you really want to get serious. A mixture of bread,

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chicken pellets and tuna oil works well. And if you’re more lure inclined you won’t miss out as 2-3” plastics on light jigheads or small hard bodies will be just as effective fished over the same areas. Flathead are still in healthy numbers and this will continue until the water temp drops. The mouth of Fullerton Cove has been fishing particularly well for them of late, with soft plastics by far the most effective technique for them. Other areas worth a shot are around Tomago through to Hexham. Luderick have been patchy but I know a few fishos who have had some cracking sessions at the Cowrie hole as well as down at Lucys Wall. No doubt from here on in the luderick fishing will only get better and better. BEACHES Most of the beaches have been fishing great lately. There have been plenty of stud bream coming from the surf, particularly for those anglers making the effort to use quality baits such as live beach worms or pipis. Due to the warm water, late season whiting have been on the chew and a welcome bycatch for those targeting bream. Remember though, it’s no good just rocking up anywhere or anytime along the beach and expect to fill the bucket with bream and whiting. It’s critical that you fishing in the right place and at the right time. Look for the gutters and fish them about an hour before through to an hour after the high tide. There are plenty of reports of tailor from Stockton Beach on dawn and dusk by those throwing ganged pilchards or gar. Speaking of tailor on Stockton Beach, there was an absolute monster caught in the nets by professional fisherman earlier in the month that weighed an incredible 10kg!

It’s been a great month for mulloway and the surf has been no exception with quite a few fish over the magical 20kg mark being taken. These fish have mainly come from anglers during night sessions, casting either live baits or large fresh mullet or tailor fillets. Another bait that is also a favourite when used whole is the humble beach worm on a 4/0 long shank hook. The good part about using worms is you

Just be sure to weight them fairly lightly, with a 1/4oz to 3/8oz jighead ideal. Alternatively, you can fish baits like pilchards or squid and again lightly weighted so they waft down in a very natural and enticing fashion. The same methods will work successfully around North Reef, which has also been holding good numbers of reddies. Kingfish are also still being caught here with plastics doing the job.

Flathead have still been on the chew in recent weeks. also tend to pick up a few bream and whiting during each outing. OUTSIDE Plenty of pan-sized reddies are coming from the dumping grounds with the odd better fish of around 3-4kg also being taken. I’ve found that 5” Gulp Jerk Shads work a treat here on both the smaller fish as well as the larger models.

If you’re after a bigger model I suggest trying to get a live yellowtail or squid to put down. Where the reef meets the sand there have been numbers of quality sand flathead hanging on the edges. Drift these edges with a paternoster rig and you should have no problem taking home a feed of flatties.

Salmon thick in the lake SWANSEA

Jason Scerri jayro@hotmail.com.au

The chilly stuff is really letting us know it’s here, that’s for sure. We’re experiencing very cold overnight temps, and if you’re out on the water when a little wind is also about you really know about it! Water temps are also down, with temps around the 16ºC mark (give or take a little), which is usual for this time of year. The good news out of all this for anyone fishing Lake Macquarie is that there is plenty of good fishing on offer, regardless of what form of the sport you’re into. Whether it is bait fishing, lure fishing, offshore or in our magnificent lake, there are plenty of good options for those keen enough to be out there having a go. THE LAKE The lake continues to impress me with its ever improving water quality. The marine life and the fish that can be seen here just keep getting better. Recently I had a few local turtles pop their heads up around my boat. They stuck around for a good few minutes and came nice and close, which was fantastic to see before they slipped off on their way again. I never tire of moments like that. As for the fishing, the hard-fighting salmon are now thick once again throughout the lake and there are some real crackers in the mix. Many anglers are making the most of it and having some great days chasing the salmon on light gear and lures. Small 2-3” slim profile soft plastics are working well on them, with clears and white colours being very effective. More and more anglers are also now choosing to try their hand at flyfishing for these speedsters as well. If you’re fishing the schools of salmon in the deeper parts of the lake, slow rolled blades are catching plenty of good fish. Bait fishers are also scoring good catches, with whole pilchards on ganged hooks or half pilchards unweighted working very well. Salts Bay is once again the go-to location but it’s by no means is it the only location to find them. Many other species have also headed for the deeper waters this month, with some fantastic flathead being landed. Fish into the 80cm range are not uncommon, and working the 8-10m areas where you find good schools of bait can see you end the day with a good number of solid fish for your efforts. There are also more than a few solid mulloway being landed with the same methods and in the same

locations, so be prepared for that possibility. It doesn’t take long after hook-up to realise it’s something more substantial than a flathead. The majority of the lake mulloway are not huge fish, with most around the 80-90cm mark, but none the

the more southern and deeper locations, but some really good fish are still being pulled from surface lures which has been great to see for this time of year. Fishing deep around moored boats is producing good fish, and on occasion locations such as Myuna Bay/

Top: It’s a great time of year to target bream on lures. Just remember to slow your retrieve down and work the deeper waters during these cooler months. Bottom: Local angler Mick Pavlic with a quality Lake Mac salmon that couldn’t resist his fly presentation. less they’re still great fish and well worth targeting. Paddle tail plastics with big wobbly tails are extremely effective and have been scoring most of the fish. The Keitech range of FATS plastics in particular have been scoring more than their fair share lately. If you’re mainly targeting flathead with the hope of scoring a mulloway I’d suggest you stick with 3-5” lures. However, if you’re specifically after mulloway on a lure I’d upgrade slightly and work lures in the 5-6” range. Anglers fishing live squid and quality frozen squid are also scoring some great fish. Belmont Bay and Coal Point are two productive spots at present. The big winter bream are also about in good numbers, and surprisingly not all bream have gone deep. By far the majority of good bags come from those anglers fishing

Bonnels Bay have fished very well. Chain Valley Bay has also been producing a few good bream into the 40cm range but they have been very hit-and-miss down south this year. Small 2-3” soft plastics are fishing well and small 35-50mm blades are also doing some damage. Bait fishers have scored some very good catches of bream recently and I had a few customers in the shop over the past few weeks who have been doing well on squid strips fishing around Lucys Wall on very lightly weighted presentations. ROCK AND BEACH There are good fish on offer at the moment. There is still the odd good kingfish coming from the ledges which is always a welcome result for rock fishos. Tailor and salmon are also giving these shore-based anglers plenty to

chase with some very good quality tailor coming from the washes. Beach fishers have also had some very nice bream catches recently, with peeled prawns being their preferred bait. There are also some good groper around at the moment for rock fishos. Prawns are proving effective as usual for these guys. OFFSHORE There’s certainly some water to cover this month if you want to score some fish. There are yellowfin tuna on offer again this month and the fish that are being encountered are coming from wide offshore. The fish seem to be widespread and moving around a bit with the current, so a spread of skirted game lures is still your best option to locate these tasty, hard fighting game fish. Most yellowfin appear to be in that smaller 30kg size range but there are a few better fish out there. Generally you can expect to burn through a considerable amount of fuel looking for the action, but if all goes well and you locate the schools then it will be worth every cent, that’s for sure. It also pays to mix things up a little with your spread, and weighted chrome jet heads are very effective lures on tuna at times. It always pays to try a fit a minnow style lure in there as well. Remember if these fish are schooling then it’s a good idea to lay a berley trail and fish floating pilchards into the action. Aside from the mighty YFT there are also some big kingfish coming in from the offshore reefs. As you would expect for this time of year, it is the reefs which are a little wider and in deeper waters that are producing the better fish and bigger numbers. Live baits fished deep are scoring good results. Deep water jigging with heavy metal jigs are also scoring fish and a few anglers have been dropping down large plastics in the 6-9” range and scoring some fantastic kings to 10kg, which has been good to see. I will finish off this month by reminding you all to take care when out there chasing your fishing dreams. It has been really upsetting in recent months to see so many anglers washed off local rocks and on several occasion this has led to the death of these anglers. It is just terrible to be driving to work and hear of another angler being swept from our rock ledges. By all means do what you love doing but do it carefully and make sure you head home safely to your loved ones at the end of the day. For the very latest on what’s biting, visit the friendly team at Jayro Tackle, 396 Pacific Hwy Belmont.

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Tailor prowling the lakes CENTRAL COAST

Glenn Ellis-Helmers

Water temperatures are dropping way down, and this means tough times ahead of us. Already it’s plain to see that the lakes and Brisbane Waters are much quieter than they were only a few weeks ago. On the other hand, blackfish are about in decent numbers and some nice tailor and salmon have also been prowling around the lakes, smashing bait on the surface of a morning.

on light bream gear and on some days this may be the best or biggest thing you will encounter. The tailor aren’t normally that big, but the choppers around 40-45cm can still be great fun to catch, and I for one certainly enjoy eating them as well. You will mainly find the better size tailor in Broken Bay, up to The Rip or parts of Lake Macquarie but some good tailor can be common through the channel at The Entrance and around the bridge there at night, too. Winter isn’t normally the time when we think of chasing

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Salmon entering our estuaries are not everyone’s favourite fish, but when you’re casting lures around for bream and things are pretty dead it’s hard not to get excited when line starts peeling off and a solid fish begins jumping with your lure in its mouth. A big sambo can take a while to subdue

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flathead, but they’re usually not hard to find through the cooler months. The best bet is to fish the deeper areas where baitfish or squid may also be present, rather than the shallower flats which are best left for warmer times. A slow and methodical approach is required, so this means picking out a general area where you think the flathead will be and then going over it very thoroughly with soft plastics, vibes or natural baits. These offerings need to

Brisbane Waters has plenty in the way of deeper channels, especially in the lower end of the system, where flathead should be found over the coming weeks. Speaking of Brisbane Waters, a few mulloway have also been caught throughout this estuary over the past six weeks. This month things may be a bit slower, but there is still a good chance of catching a jewie by sticking to the change of tide periods and the deeper holes or channels.

all-important factors when it comes to success on bream during this cold water period. Rock fishing has also slowed down as the ocean is becoming colder and clearer. Drummer and blackfish are about in the washes, along with some nice silvery bream as well. Lure casting should result in some tailor and salmon early in the morning or later on towards sunset. Just remember to watch the weather forecasts as the seas can be flat one week and then huge and potentially dangerous the next. Beach fishing can still turn on some action in the depths of winter, but most of it will probably come from salmon, as their numbers are building now. Smaller baits dropped closer in to the shore dump can get away from any salmon and give a reasonable chance of a solid bream or two. Like rock fishing, it’s also a matter of watching the weather and trying to head out when sea conditions are good. Of course this can be easier said than done, as we all know the weather in winter isn’t always on our side. The same goes for those heading offshore. Those westerly winds can be one of

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be slowly bounced along the bottom until eventually you get a bite. Even good natural baits like strips of fish flesh or a small whole pilchard will be more appealing to a flathead if they are moved along the bottom rather than just left to sit in the one spot.

Bream too are always a chance around the lakes and Brisbane Waters, and at this time of year some of the biggest fish are hooked, but it can take some time and effort in mid winter and into early spring. Fine, ultra-light line and pure persistence are two

the main problems from now up till the end of September, but when fishing in closer around shallow reefs and bommies you may be able to fit in a good session on trevally, bream, small snapper and flathead, without the wind being too annoying.

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Winter fish will still bite THE HAWKSBURY

Dan Selby dan@sydneysportfishing.com.au

Water temps have remained quite stable over the last two months but will drop right off this month with a good frost or two, reaching lows of 14ºC around Broken Bay and as low as 10ºC up at Windsor and Penrith. The fish are still willing and the overall quality of fish certainly makes up for the lack of numbers. Big bream, 1m+ mulloway and some decent flathead will call the lower reaches home over the next few months. Lures are my go-to option in winter time as livebait gets harder to source. Still, if you’re keen to put in the effort to catch livies I suggest trying West Head and Barrenjoey Headland. You will find success by either anchoring and berleying up or locating schools on the sounder and dropping a bait jig into them. Yellowtail are the most common baitfish, but sweep and bullseyes can interfere with proceedings. These also make good live baits, and

This is the largest tagged mulloway in NSW at present caught by Chris on a recent charter with the author. most large predators can’t refuse a struggling well placed livey. Southern calamari also make exceptional live and dead baits and can be found in the same areas and the above mentioned baitfish. Larger sized jigs from 2.5 to 3.5 in orange, pink and

natural colours have been working well. A squid spike (jag) rigged with fresh bait is a handy asset and can be left in a rod holder a couple of turns up from the bottom with the drag set to around 1kg. Some stud bream are calling the washes home at

present and are best targeted using a bread berley and lightly weighted baits of peeled prawn or bread on 8-10lb fluorocarbon and small strong hooks. Other species like drummer and silver trevally can get in on the action, and the odd bust-up will occur on the light line suggested. You can lure fish in the same areas but lure losses are a common occurrence. Floating crankbaits can be cast and cranked down through the strike zone and paused to float over any obstructions. Alternately a very lightly weighted soft plastic can be wafted around in the white water with the odd twitch to entice a bite. Back in the river proper the resident bream will be holding deep on the rock walls in 6-10m. Once fish have been located, make parallel casts with small vibes and curl tail grub soft plastics to keep in the zone. The bites can seem timid at times and a smear of your favourite scent can be beneficial on some days. Estuary perch are a common bycatch when looking for bream and mulloway around reefs and

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Some decent eating size flathead are still on offer for those drifting baits or casting soft plastics around Broken Bay.

The hairtail have been making regular appearances in anglers’ catches fishing in Cowan, Smiths and Coal and Candle creeks. Set your

baits at different depths add a bit of berley and wait for the action to start. Casting a 100mm shallow running hardbody around

the adjacent area can also turn these fish on, especially when they are being fussy with taking baits. A slow roll with the odd pause and jerk should see you in the action. When seeking a likely spot I always sound around and

make sure there is bait in the general area. If I don’t find any bait I move to another likely point or bay and repeat the process until I find good concentrations. Find the bait and you will find the fish.

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We’ve been tagging mulloway over the last two months. This fish was originally caught by a client on soft plastic then recaptured by another client using my live baiting technique two months later. The fish was released again to keep providing valuable information. and I find lure fishing to be most productive. Fishing the tide changes with soft plastics, soft vibes and deep diving crankbaits will account for some

great school jewfish. Live baiting will still take fish but the effort required to initially source bait is time consuming and sometimes unproductive.

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Stare down a barrel SYDNEY NORTH

Darren Thomas

Water temps in Sydney are finally cooling down and some winter species are moving in. Good trevally schools in solid numbers are now being encountered inside the harbour and off the coast. The big schools of salmon that we used to get are now a thing of the past, but we are still getting

smaller schools visiting so be sure to have metal slugs (small and large) ready to cast should one of these schools pop up in your vicinity. Some very good sized greenback tailor are being reported off the stones, and some striped tuna and bonito are frequently being spun up using these same metals. When you hook up on a tuna you’ll know about it, as the speed they head off at is mind blowing.

TUNA TIPS Some yellowfin and bluefin are slowly making their way up the coast, and sporadic reports of fish up to 40kg are filtering in, which leads me to my next point. We often get asked at the shop how to target these barrels so I’ll run you through the basics of how to confront this species. A lot of blokes are out there fishing for them but not having enough success. The fact is it’s

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A selection of tuna candy. It’s good to always have a variety on hand. very important to target these fish using particular applications, methods and websites to boost your chances and make sure you are totally in the zone when you get on the water. Sure – you can still just pull a lure through the water and catch a barrel sized fish but too many anglers head out for the day and come home with nothing so I’m going to run you through a few tips that I have found work a treat when you’re after the elusive offshore tuna. Firstly, we use two main

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Low speed trolling generally involves diving lures like Rapala X-Raps, Halco Laser Pros, Strada Teras and Halco or Firenze Tremblers. This type of application also often involves the towing of live, dead or skipping baits, so be sure to try a few different styles because the tuna might just need a tad bit more encouragement on certain days. Switch baiting is another popular method being used by a few of the guns out here. It involves

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methods: trolling and bait fishing. For both methods we generally use 24kg line class as the norm in Sydney but often wander up to 37kg for mid to late season when the big boys come in. The two popular styles of trolling are high and low speed. High speed is normally for lures like Zukers and small skirts to 7” like Billmarks and Bluefin Candies or Black Magic Jetsetters, which can be towed at quite quick speeds up and around 15 knots or so.

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attracting the attention of a fish with an artificial or hookless bait, and once

baitfishing. The most popular method here is cubing, which consists of

over. When it’s out of sight you throw out another. This will create a long trail of fish bits, and all that’s left to do is drop out a whole pilly or a live bait rigged with a solid circle hook in the trail 30m or so back. Before you start your trail be aware of your directional drift as it’s unwise to drift in somebody else’s trail and it certainly won’t make you any friends. Every year we have hot and cold currents roaring up and down the coast, and where these two collide is often where fish will congregate. Tuna are no exception. Certain websites like Bureau of Meteorology, Seabreeze

The result of a hard-fought battle – a solid yellowfin tuna.

A couple of solid blue barrels. Any fish you want to keep should be iced down immediately. you’ve sighted the fish you then switch back a rigged live or dead bait for the hook-up. The other and often preferred application is

making a berley trail with cubed pilchards generally bought in a block of 10kg or 20kg. Each pilly gets cut up into five or so pieces and a piece gets thrown

Some various sized tuna circles. When bait fishing, create a trail of cubed pilchards and then drop out your bait rigged with a solid circle hook in the trail 30m back.

and SST (Sea Surface Temperature) can put you right on the money. True, these sites aren’t always right but they’re rarely all wrong so do a comparison before you leave shore. Social media like Facebook often has up-to-date tuna pics scattered throughout so be sure to like tackle store and fishing club pages to get your finger on the pulse. Some even provide successful GPS marks from recent trips which hopefully will find you the good water. Keeping tuna in its best condition means killing it

immediately. These fish can literally cook themselves on the deck through body temperature alone so you have to get them on ice straight away. Don’t forget your bag limits and remember there is a lot of flesh on a 30kg fish and a fair bit of cleaning and packaging involved, so there’s not much point keeping your bag limit if you don’t need to. If you’d like to know more drop into Fishouttawater and see the guys or myself and we’ll be happy to be a part of getting you into that fish of a lifetime.

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Plenty to catch in July PITTWATER

Peter Le Blang plfishfingers@bigpond.com

The cooling water temperatures along our coast are seeing the water temperatures drop along Pittwater as well. Instead of putting the fishing gear away though, we should

simply target different species. There will be a host of schooling fish arriving soon into areas such as Broken Bay, Pittwater, Cowan Creek and The Hawkesbury River. We are starting to get a few signs that the species are changing with more tailor, salmon and frigates all making short appearances

along Pittwater. These fish are chasing small baitfish and can be frustrating to target as they are spread out and not feeding as a school. Small, clear soft plastics will be your best chance if you are lucky enough to be in an area where they surface. The last month has seen some very big squid being caught and they are feeding

Squid are so much fun for kids to catch. They’re a clean way to get dirty!

There are still a few samson fish around if you keep your baits near the bottom.

JULY 2014

aggressively so colour doesn’t seem to matter. Most bays along Pittwater have a few to offer. Just target the deep water drop-offs where there’s some weed or rocks and it won’t take long to find out if there are any about. The areas to try are along Pittwater are Towlers Bay, Portuguese Beach, The Basin, Mackerel Beach and Palm Beach weed beds. For those who can drift along Broken Bay, the Pearl Beach area is seeing a few monsters being caught while drifting for flathead. The other area that is seeing quite a few being caught is the Barrenjoey Headland area. Find some baitfish and start casting or drop down a paternoster rig for your chance at two. This same area has seen big kingfish lurking around. The obvious bait for them is squid, and squid heads are great baits that allow you to still take home the hoods to eat. There are some nice kingfish along Pittwater as well but they are being pretty fussy. It is amazing how many times live cuttlefish have been smashed compared to similar sized squid when fishing Pittwater. These small, crunchy mouthfuls are on the top of the kings’ menus at this time of the year so if you do catch a couple, don’t put them on light tackle. The bigger fish are still mobile throughout Pittwater and once again seem to prowl along the Palm Beach to Basin area. Downrigging is still the best way to find the fish but patience is needed to get a hit (unless you have a cuttlefish). I have had most success downrigging the baits only 2-3m off the bottom. Along the coast the kingfish bite seems to have moved out to deeper water but there still are a few big kingfish hanging under the suds. These big shallow water fish can respond well to large soft plastics worked erratically. Poppers and metals will also see you in with a chance, just remember to berley as you go

if you can. By drifting slowly and releasing a berley trail, if you do get a few fish to rise you have more options to entice the fish to strike. If he is in your berley trail, that means the fish is hungry – and finding hungry fish is half the task. As mentioned earlier there are quite a few fish to be targeted along Broken Bay. We have been catching flathead, tailor and the odd small mulloway whilst drifting the Patonga area. The flatties are a great eating size with most being 45-50cm. Dragging pilchards or casting soft plastics will see you go home with a feed. The hardest part at the moment has been to hold the baits on the bottom

The offshore reef fishing has been a little slow one day but a bonanza the next. The current is playing a big part at the moment and as a result there have been some great captures of snapper. The water depths to target have been in 30-40m of water on most occasions, but be prepared to go as deep as 60m to find a decent feed. The gravel grounds will be a great place to drift a few baits as will Long reef, Mona Vale and Newport. Off the Central Coast, East Reef would be a good place to start. Morwong are starting to show up on most charters in water depths of 50m+, so the water is changing from day to day. The better baits on

This great fish was taken at Palm Beach drop-off downrigging a squid. because of the drift speed created by westerly winds and a run-out tide. Try to fish the slacker parts of the tide for your best chance. Flint and Steel is seeing trevally, bream, tailor and once again some small mulloway when using fresh caught bait, fishing the change of the tide and using berley. Trevallies are eating peeled prawns, bream are eating fresh fish fillets and tailor seem to pounce on anything that is ripped through the water.

the reefs at the moment seem to be fresh caught squid, pike fillets and pilchards. Prawns are working well on nannygai and small snapper. I hope this report sees you all eager to grab some fishing gear, the kids and enjoy our wonderful part of the coast. • Peter Le Blang operates Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters, phone 02 9999 2574 or 0410 633 351, visit www.estuaryfishing charters.com.au

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s you may not be aware, from 2nd June, Australia Post will introduce 2 delivery timetables for their Print Post services, which will affect the delivery time of your magazines. The current delivery timetable continues but will be renamed “Print Post Priority.” The second Timetable will be named “Print Post Regular.” The names “Priority” and “Regular” reflect the different performance of the two timetables. Your magazines will be sent as “Regular” and Australia Post says it may take between two and four business days longer to be delivered than the “Priority” timetable. We will still endeavour to get your magazine to you before it goes on sale at the Newsagents but ultimately, we are at the mercy of Australia Post and have no control over them once they are lodged into their system. We welcome your feedback on your Australia Post experience to kym@fishingmonthly.com.au. JULY 2014

Cracker season for dory SYDNEY HARBOUR

Craig McGill craig@fishabouttours.com.au

The last couple of seasons have been crackers for dory and this one is shaping up to be a beauty. I’m seeing a pattern emerging where the dory favour the La Nina cycles over the drought years of the El Niño. It seems that good rains really fire them up. John dory are one of the

classic winter immigrants. They live on the offshore reefs in summer and move into the bays and harbours when the water gets cold. They are mostly found around the lower reaches, and they have been known to roam upstream when the water quality is good. They like deep, still, clear water and congregate around structure that holds plenty of baitfish. Boat moorings, bridge pylons, jetties, reefs and drop-offs are all

prime spots. It’s very rare to catch dory on anything other than live baits. The best livies include yellowtail (with the tail trimmed) or any small reef fish like sweep or mado. Dory have an enormous mouth and will have no trouble swallowing a 15cm sweep. They are not a good fighting fish but due to the possibility of picking up larger predatory fish on your live bait I would suggest Washaway Beach is the hot spot for flounder this winter. NO HIDDEN CHARGES

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There are still some whopping flatties around for those using live bait or large soft plastics.

surprising that some of the summer fish are still kicking on. We still have 22ºC as I write in late May. The bigger flatties have been sitting in the deeper water and nailing large baits. You will pick them up on big soft plastics but they are sitting in 40-50ft of water so you are going to need a fairly weighty head to ensure that you stay in contact with the bottom. Something in 1/2oz to 3/4oz should do the trick. Good spots to try are up around the grounds off Double and Rushcutters Bay and over in North Harbour. There are good numbers of smaller flatties and a few good flounder on the flats up the back of north harbour, Rose Bay and at the mouth of Rushcutters. They are jumping on smaller soft plastics like 4” Berkley minnows on 1/8oz to 1/4oz. It’s also worth a drift in these areas with whitebait on a set of two or three small ganged hooks. If you are after some quality flounder give this a go off Washaway Beach. There is a bit of a gar invasion happening at the moment. There are swarms of them in the lower reaches around North Harbour, Sow and Pigs Reef and Fairlight Point. Get a bit of berley going and use pilchard gut on a no. 14 hook under a

quill float. Once you have a tank full you have two choices. You can either roll them in egg and flour and deep fry them (they are absolutely delicious), or pin one under the lateral line, down near the tail, and see if a king wants it. Around North Head and Quarantine Bay the occasional big king still lingers at this time of year, and they can’t resist a live gar. • 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.

Gar are delicious deep fried or dynamite on a live bait hook.

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Be prepared for anything SYDNEY ROCKS

Alex Bellissimo alex@bellissimocharters.com

It is now the peak cold month of winter, but if the water temp stays up above 19ºC the kings will still be available. Perhaps not in the numbers that they were in previous months, but still a viable proposition. The 2oz Rapala Jet popper is a great lure, and there have been some reasonable kings caught on them of late. The poppers work really well when there are surface bait fish around, and the visual experience is something every king angler should try out. A variety of methods are advisable when you don’t know what’s going on. If you’re fishing your spinning/ live bait ledge on a day when the kings are eating garfish, and you don’t have any gars on you, you will want to kick yourself. You should always arm yourself with a variety of baits and lures. Have your stickbaits, poppers, metals, live bait and salted or fresh sea gars. Perhaps throw in a minnow as well. There are more options you can include but that should cover most circumstances. North Whale rocks have been producing along with South Whale (also known as the Ovens). There are a few tailor in the dark with salmon during the day. It pays to have a few lures because the salmon and gar problem can become quite expensive. Garfish cost around $15 per kg at this time of the year and you can go

through them quickly. Change to a lure until they move on. Another location that has produced is North Narrabeen headland point in front of the pool. A couple of legal and better fish have been spun up on 85g SureCatch Knights. There is a bad ledge in front there about 10-15m out so have a 15kg outfit just in case. It’s a great tailor spinning spot as well. Other spots include north and south Curl Curl, Bluefish Point and in the harbour for the land-based angler, try Middle Head. Chasing snapper can be a great proposition in July. Some good fish from that 33-48cm range are being caught distance casting the sand, reef edges and gravel type bottom at a distance of about 50 to 100m. If you can get that extra 20m it can make the difference. In some areas the bottom terrain has ledges, cracks and boulders in closer so it is necessary to get out to the flat ledge, sand and gravel bottom. Locations that are producing are: North Whale headland point for trevally, bream and snapper; Bangally head near St Michaels cave for mostly snapper and some trevally; Narrabeen Point in front of the pool for bream and some snapper; Dee Why for snapper; and south Curl Curl for snapper, trevally, bream and salmon. Fresh is best, but fresh baits aren’t the only ones that work. A firm bait is necessary because of the swarms of yellowtail, mado and sweep that will evaporate your bait in under two minutes. By all means take your fresh softer

baits, but if that’s a waste of time on the day try salted baits like salted slimy mackerel, salted tuna, cuttlefish strips and candles and squid strips. Fish the early morning and late afternoon periods. Salmon are on the chew consistently at the moment with all the above locations producing. I like to get the most out of any species. Have a spin with 2-3kg braid or mono with a 15-25g Sniper or Knight metal for a barrel of laughs. A 3kg salmon can really strip line off your 2000 or 3000 size reel (I use a Daiwa Ballistic). Expect other species like trevally to take these small metals. Speaking of trevally, they are really on the chew this month. Half pillies, peeled prawns or fillets of tuna or mackerel are great baits. If you mix some of your bait with

The author with two 47cm snapper and one that went 65cm. They were caught distance casting off Dee Why rocks.

Katrina Grigg with two good whiting on a paternoster rig. She caught a great bag of fish on this outing.

bread for berley, and fish with small sinkers in a white water wash, you’ll get of the best sashimi you will ever eat. If you are lucky enough to get into the larger trevally from 1.3kg 1.5kg as a sportfish hard to beat for their size. I prefer to release the larger fish and keep the smaller more succulent trevs (up to 0.9kg) for the plate. Plenty of rock blackfish have been caught on the right days and tides. A lower light period high tide either early in the morning or late in the afternoon has been producing pigs to 2.5kg from the Hat near the old Quarantine in Manly, Little Bluey Manly, Dee Why, South Avalon and Barrenjoey Head. White sliced bread, peeled prawns (the larger, firmer varieties like Endeavour, banana, or wild tiger prawns) and pink nippers (which are worth a trip to pump in the estuary low tide sand flats) are dynamite baits for the pigs. BEACHES On the sand anglers are still getting some nice catches of whiting. It seems they have not moved on yet, but traditionally

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Brendan Spinney with a seldom caught red morwong. They are nearly always caught on crustaceans.

they thin out by mid to late July. Salmon like to pick up the worm baits meant for a whiting and it’s great to see my clients surprised when they hook up on a sizable sambo as it leaps around and peels the light line off the reel. Some nice whiting up to 42cm are still part of some bags. A few flathead are picking up the worm baits as well, although they’re only smallish fish up to 45cm. Flatties also picking up the Zerek Live Cherabin soft plastic prawn in the 12g and 25g sizes, and these are better fish to 60cm. It seems Dee Why has the best quantities of late when the kelp is minimal. Manly is a reliable beach also but the surfers sometimes outnumber the whiting. It’s not uncommon to have 200 surfers on the length of beach, but this shouldn’t deter you from having a fish. Generally the surfers congregate in specific areas, leaving a 50m stretch with only a few. Salmon are in good numbers off Curl Curl and Bilgolah beaches. Ganged pillies on a set of 3 x 3/0 to 4/0 hooks are generally a reliable choice. The salmon bite well into the night so have a head torch because the bite may start just before dark and continue. There are reports of some mulloway still coming off the beaches from Manly, Dee Why, Collaroy when the surf is up a bit and a recent report from one at Bilgolah Beach. Live baits and fresh whole squid are recommended. In summing up, keep an eye on the water temp rather than the often chilly days. Don’t let the weather deter you from having a fish. 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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Success on luderick SYDNEY SOUTH

Gary Brown gbrown1@iprimus.com.au

Luderick are starting to show up in Sydney at a number of places that can be accessed either by a boat or off the shore. You will also find the bream have started to come back into the rivers and bays and, for those of you who like a feed of squid, the weed and kelp beds will be a great place to start chasing a feed of calamari. LUDERICK Over the years I’ve found that to be very successful on luderick you need to have fresh weed or cabbage and a small but consistent stream of berley. If you are going to target luderick off the rocks you could use either the fine stringy weed, green or brown cabbage and cunjevoi that grows on the rocks. Luderick love to graze on this bait as the tide starts to rise. Most of the places that I fish for luderick off the rocks you will find small tufts of

either green, brown or black cabbage. It is this growth that you not only use for bait, but you scape it off with the cleats or spikes on the bottom of your shoes. It doesn’t matter whether you are fishing in a wash, gutter, a washout, off sloping rocks or a flat platform, you need to use a berley. This berley can come in many forms, but the one that I like best is a mixture of chopped up green and brown cabbage mixed into semi-dry sand. You should scrape some off before you start to get your gear rigged and then every time that you move about on the rocks. For this berley to work you will need to have some kind of water movement, i.e. change of tide and swell. The swell and tide will carry the berley away from the rocks and hopefully bring the luderick into where your float is. One thing you will need to check out is the NSW Fisheries web page and find out whether you are allowed to harvest these various

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baits from the spot you are fishing from. To check this out you will need to read up on the intertidal protection zones (IPAs). Places that you could give a try are the northern end of Garie Beach, the western end of Jibbon Beach, Windy Point at Cronulla, Bare Island in Botany Bay, the point at La Perouse and the southern end of Bondi Beach. Bridge pylons are another great place to target luderick in the Sutherland and St Georges shires and they come in all shapes and sizes, and it is these different shapes and sizes that will help form the eddies you’ll see when fishing these structures. You will also find that these eddies will scour out the bottom to form a hole, which can range from a very deep sandy hole or a slight depression. Due to the fact that there are many different pylon shapes, you will need to work out which technique is better for each bridge. The Captain Cook Bridge at the entrance to the Georges River in Sydney is renowned for its luderick fishing during the winter months. On most days you’ll see a group of anglers walking along the base of the pylons fishing for luderick. You could also try the eastern side of the Woronora Bridge, Bald Face, Soily and Oatley Points, Picnic Point and the rock wall east of the Alford’s Point Bridge. SQUID Squid can be found while fishing off any one of the wharfs in the Port Hacking. Try Gunnamatta, Gymea, Lilly Pilly and Yowie Bays. I use a number of methods to catch squid. One effective method is to cast out the squid jig and allow it to sink almost to the bottom,

The southeastern side of the Captain Cook Bridge is always worth a shot on the run-out tide for luderick and mullet. and then start the retrieve by giving the jig a few short jerks to gain the attention of any nearby squid. If you are fishing under bright lights you will be able to see the squid approaching the jig. If a squid comes at the jig at high speed, this means it is crazy about your jig and it will probably grab it. Get ready! As soon as you see the squid grab your jig, strike to set the hooks. Then steadily wind the squid to your waiting net. Don’t let the line go slack or you may lose your squid! I recommend using a net because the squid are often hooked by just one very skinny leg and as soon as you try to lift them out of the water they fall off the jig. I must confess however, that some of the time I can’t be bothered carrying a net myself and I just hope for the best. With very large squid, I sometimes lean over and pick up the squid by grabbing it behind the head. Then I lift the squid out of the water by hand.

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The old ferry ramp on the southwestern side of the Captain Cook Bridge is worth a shot for bream on the rising tide.

THE MONTH AHEAD July will see an increase in the numbers of silver trevally, so don’t forget to take your berley with you. Trevally can’t seem to resist a steady stream of chicken pellets with some smashed up pilchards mixed in. If you want to target a bream, flathead and flounder, I recommend that you get yourself one of those Alvey clear poddy traps and catch yourself some live bait. The beaches from south Cronulla to Greenhills will be worth a shot in the early morning and late afternoon for tailor and salmon on either whole pilchards or garfish. The odd ray, shark and mulloway can be caught at night. Bondi, Coogee and Maroubra beaches will be worth a shot with live beach worms for bream, trevally and dart on a rising tide.

July for jewies BOTANY BAY

Gabe Quercigrosse gabeandgabe@bigpond.com

Botany Bay is going through a transition period where the water temps still haven’t dropped to the desired level. The weather during June was very mild, resulting in the winter species like trevally, tailor and others running fairly late. As I write this, the water temp is still 18ºC in the bay which is unheard of, but that may have changed by the time you read this. In recent weeks Bare Island has been the pick of the spots for luderick. The eastern side of the island has been fishing particularly well, with fish up to 42cm being taken. Just make sure you take your own weed as there is none available on-site. Places where you’re likely to find weed are Kelso Park, Muddy Creek and near the sailing club at Yarra Bay. You can also pick up some luderick in Muddy Creek at Kyeemagh; the bridge has been the prime spot on the top of the tide. It’s been a very popular location with older locals, who like the fact that it’s easy to access. The Cooks River break wall has been fishing very well, with tailor and trevally the main species being taken. The best way to catch them has been to fish right on daybreak or dusk on the outgoing tide using unweighted pilchards on ganged hooks. The bay itself has been fairly quiet. There are still some flathead around but lately they have been only around 40-50cm. Your best chance at a few lizards is to use whitebait fished on a shallow paternoster rig, drifted along the Brighton shoreline about 600m out between Brighton Sands and Ramsgate. Another area that’s been firing well is between Towra Deep and the oil wharf at Kurnell during a northeaster. Good size bonito have been schooling around the headlands, and they have been taking 4” white squid skirts along the cliff faces on the southern side of the bay from Kurnell to Tabbigai. Don’t let anyone tell you that bonito aren’t good to eat; they’re excellent if smoked with hickory sawdust for 20 minutes. For bream and pan-size reds look for the manmade trenches in the bay, especially the one going from Kurnell to Cooks River. The trenches can be quite easily located with

good GPS map software. I recommend focusing your efforts on the rising tide using a 2-4kg, 2.1m rod soft tip with a size 4000 reel, 4kg line, 2kg leader of at least 1.8m long, and a size 2 hook. Don’t hold the rod in your hand. Set it in the rod holder, make sure the drag is set loosely and let the fish hook themselves. Resist the urge to strike – just let the fish take it, and when he stops running you simply lift the rod up and enjoy the tussle. The artificial reefs come into their own at this time of year. There are three in Yarra Bay: one in Astrolabe Cove and two in Congwong Bay. These are the places where bait schools tend to congregate, attracting big tailor, trevally and mulloway. That’s my pick for anyone going out in the bay. The idea is to enter close to the reefs and berley hard with chopped up pilchards, wheat,

The tasty result of a good session on live nippers. clothing because the best time to catch them in July is at night. Fish the rising tide two or three days prior or after the full moon. A Baitrunner-style reel is best because it lets the whiting pick up the bait and run with it without feeling any resistance. Look for drop-offs where the sand flats drop into the channel on the bottom of the tide, and also deeper cockle beds on the rising tide. These fish

Now’s the time to chase mulloway. This fish came from the old runway at Port Botany. pollard and the like, and keep the fish around. Use unweighted live nippers or live prawns cast into the berley trial. FISHING IN JULY July is the best month of the year to fish in the Georges River for mulloway, and the big sand whiting as well. Make sure you fish the right kind of bottom, i.e. contours, cockle beds, deep holes and drop-offs. That’s where you’ll find the fish. Anywhere around the bridges you’ll find good size mulloway, which become very aggressive at this time of year. The jewies chase the schools of mullet right up until there’s no more water, so naturally mullet is the best bait. Slack water is best, either high or low tide. Spots I recommend are Tom Uglys bridge on the bottom of the tide, Bald Face Point, Big Moon Point, and under the M5 Freeway. Stick near the lights where the schools of baitfish congregate. For big winter whiting wear plenty of warm

are a bit darker than usual because they bury their nose into the mud looking worms and crustaceans, but they taste just as good as lighter coloured whiting.

I’ve caught them up to over a kilo in July so there’s no excuse for not getting out and amongst them. As you’d expect, blood worms and squirt worms are the two gun baits. July is also prime time for luderick. So many of them are being caught in the Georges River it’s not funny (remember that weed is always at a premium there). Luderick can be caught throughout this month, and now is when the bigger fish are caught. You’ll find them along the deep rocky shores covered with weed. Try Blackbutt, Bonnet Bay, Lugarno Reserve, Milperra Bridge, and the reclamation wall in Chipping Norton Lake. You won’t go wrong. All in all, the message for July is to take plenty of warm clothing and fish the early hours and late afternoons. 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 (02) 9522 5100 respectively, or visit the website at www. gbaf.com.au.

Rob West had a good snapper session recently, with the best fish going 4kg.

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Cuttling to the chase ILLAWARRA

Greg Clarke clarkey1@westnet.com.au

We all love the ocean. We ride her waves and skim across her surface, we chase the creatures that live within and admire her for her beauty. But she is an unpredictable creature that uses her beauty and charm to captivate and mesmerise to our detriment. Even those who know her and treat her with the utmost respect can fall to her power. Her power was present in early May when three anglers were swept into the ocean at Seal rocks. Two were rescued with the third not making it back to shore.

The third man was a friend of mine and a friend of many, a father and a husband, a brother and a son. He loved fishing with a passion, particularly from the stones where he dominated all species. He was an exceptional angler; his kingfish and snapper feats were legend around his favoured haunts, the mighty ledges of Jervis Bay. He was also a true gentleman whose enthusiasm was infectious, and he would never hesitate passing on his hard-earned knowledge to any who wished to know. There was not a person who wasn’t better off for knowing him. I will miss our chats on the rocks, at the van and around the cleaning tables

at Currarong over a quiet woody or two. The ledges of JB just won’t seem the same. Till we meet again, tight lines Pete. SNAPPER You know it will soon be time when you see those big, majestic albatross skimming the ocean surface just off the coast on a cold winter morning, with the fresh southwester keeping them aloft as they surf the updraught of the rolling Tasman swell. They have come a long way for only one reason: to get fat on the dying cuttlefish floating to the surface after spawning. Under the ocean there is another traveller that knows it’s time and has come a long way for exactly the same reason. Schools of hungry snapper have arrived on the close shallow reefs to gorge on the cuttlies, often competing with the albatross for the soft white flesh. You can see the reds with a good sounder in either schools or single large fish and with

Sometimes it’s just nice being on the water with a sunrise like this. A few fish make it even better. takes. Or you could just work the floating cuttlefish, casting unweighted baits of

long for a take, as the reds can be right up under the cuttlefish – sometimes

You never know what will come up next when the cuttlies are about. stealth, cast 100-150mm white soft plastics in the area and slowly roll them back for some smashing

BURRILL LAKE T O U R I S T PA R K

cuttlefish flesh close and letting them sink down to the waiting snapper. It often doesn’t take

thrashing the surface as they drive down with that large tail, tearing pieces off the carcass. At odd times

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the whole school can come up under a cuttlefish and make the water orange. This generally happens mid-week when water traffic is minimal and the ocean is quiet. This time of year is when the silent, stealthy kayak fishos come into their own. With the fish so close to shore over the shallow reefs in less than 10m of water, the yak anglers don’t have far to paddle. They can get right on top of the fish without the reds being any the wiser, working their baits and lures with devastating effect. Picking a spot and anchoring with berley is another great way to score plenty of fish, and you can get some cover from the bitter south west winds in the early morning. Most of the action happens north of Wollongong right up to Port Hacking, with the southern areas of the Illawarra getting their fair share too as the cuttlies

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will gather over most of the local offshore reef systems. INSHORE AND OFFSHORE Snapper are not the only species taking advantage of the feast with everything zeroing in on the pieces left by the feeding albatross. All manner of undesirables like parrotfish, leatherjackets, sweep and sergeant baker will take a swipe at your plastics and devour your baits as fast as they hit the water. On the flip side, bream, groper, kings and trevally love a feed too and are regulars on cuttlefish baits meant for snapper. It will only last until about mid August so take advantage of any chance you can to get out on the water and have a crack at them. It’s not all snapper and, as mentioned, there are still some other species around worth a look. We all know kings love squid, but a big cuttlefish candle rigged so it doesn’t spin and slow trolled on a downrigger can be deadly for any kings that might be about. Groper still favour crabs but will grab a bit of cuttley as well, while in close the washes have some very nice bream and you won’t guess what bait is the best at the moment.

On some days the trevally will be thick in the berley trail but pilchard pieces will work best, which is a change. Pillies will work well cast into the washes around the islands and bommies for the everpresent salmon and a few tailor. If you like to aim bigger, the southern bluefin should be making an appearance at any time. They were a bit quiet last year for the first time in several years but the Victorian season has been terrific so far so let’s hope the SBTs come this far again this year. They are often a long way out but can come in around the Kiama canyons, which is still a long way if the wind comes up. There have been a few yellowfin tuna out wide so they may make a trip wide worthwhile, and the albacore should start showing in better numbers towards the end of the month with only patchy schools reported so far. You can always drop a bait down on the canyons for gemfish, blue-eye trevalla or hapuka if the current has backed off. Back in close, the bottom bouncers will score plenty of leatherjackets if they use a small long shanked hook. However,

doing so means you’ll risk missing a descent snapper when the hook straightens on the bigger fish. Most of the flatties are tucked up in the sand for the winter, but some nice morwong are over most of the gravel beds with plenty of pigfish coming in to compensate for the flats, as well as the good supply of snapper from pan-size up to trophy fish. ROCK AND BEACH On the rocks this is another month to try for a big snapper off one of the deeper ledges along the coast, but for goodness sake be careful as the winter swell can be particularly deceptive and dangerous. Salmon are around in good numbers as always, while the suds hold some very solid drummer and even they are partial to cuttlefish, particularly the bigger ones. If it gets rough, as it can in mid-winter, the bays and harbours will be full of blackfish and bream, so places like Cathedral rocks and other protected bays will all fish well. On the beaches it can be feast or famine with some big mulloway coming in over the month of July, but they are mainly taken by the diehards who really work to get them. Cuttlefish

Big 120kg+ bluefin are what dreams are made of. Will they come this season? We can only hope!

is as good a bait as any this month but if you don’t have a boat they can be hard to come by, as most cuttlies get blown out to sea by the prevailing south westerlies. However, if a southeaster blows up get down to the beach early as the cuttlies will be washed ashore and quickly gathered by eager anglers for fresh bait or to be frozen for later use. Have a cast with a fresh piece as the snapper will follow the cuttlies right into the surf zone where there is a bit of reef around, like some of the northern beaches, and there is nothing better than a big red off the beach. The feast will be if a school of salmon or tailor move into your gutter. It can be pandemonium for a while as every bait gets eaten very quickly, and some of the salmon are over 4kg so they put up a good account of themselves. Throw in a few big winter bream and the odd big whiting if you can get any worms, and it’s still worth a look – just remember to wear your thermals. In the estuaries it is very quiet with a few bream in the feeder streams on peeled prawns and some around the bridges in the deeper water but not a lot else. Good luck!

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Fishing Fill-its

Illegal mesh net on Border Rivers costs boat Two men caught fishing with an illegal 47m long meshing net on the Border Rivers between Boggabilla and Texas have been charged and had their boat seized. “Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Fisheries

Officers from Inverell apprehended the men, aged 47 and 59, from Minden in South East Queensland,“ DPI Supervising Fisheries Officer Jason Baldwin said. “The men also had a second monofilament meshing net

DPI fisheries officers Joe Wright (right) and Brock Mathers (left) with the seized meshing nets, set lines and drift lines.

in their camp site which measured 79m in length. “The men have been charged under the NSW Fisheries Management Act 1994 relating to the unlawful use of a net and the possession of illegal fishing gear. The matter will appear before Boggabilla Local Court in August.” Both offences carry a maximum penalty in NSW of $22,000 or imprisonment for six months (or both) for a first offence. The boat the men used to set the 47m meshing net was seized and Fisheries will be seeking forfeiture of the boat when the matter is heard in court. The men may also face sanctions under the Queensland Fisheries Act because the offences occurred on the Border Rivers, where the border between Queensland

and NSW is the centre of the river. Mr Baldwin said meshing nets and gill nets are illegal because they indiscriminately entangle large quantities of fish regardless of the species. “The mesh entangles all fish above a certain size range and they die within hours,” he said. “Meshing nets and gill nets can also pose a serious threat to protected fauna such as platypus. Both the use and possession by recreational fishers of mesh nets and gill nets in, on or adjacent to NSW waters is strictly prohibited.” In a separate incident, a 47-year-old man from Goondiwindi has been issued infringement notices totalling $700 for being in possession of 56 fishing lines downstream of Goondiwindi. The lines comprised of three

rods, five illegal drift lines and 48 illegal set lines. The set lines and drift lines were seized by Fisheries officers. The maximum number of lines permitted in NSW waters is two per person and in Queensland waters it is six per person. Mr Baldwin said drift lines, which are also called float lines, are totally prohibited in both Queensland and NSW. “Set lines, also commonly referred to as ‘droppers’, are prohibited in NSW to reduce the high

level of impact on target and non-target species,” he said. “Most native fish caught using set lines undergo prolonged stress and become easy prey for predators. Many fish also become ‘gut hooked’ which, when stainless steel hooks are used, usually proves fatal.” Any suspect or illegal fishing activity can be reported to the Fishers Watch hotline on 1800 043 536 or directly to your nearest DPI Fisheries Office. – DPI

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Mulloway fishing rules floutes Fishers on the north coast are encouraged to refresh their memories on mulloway bag and size limits after a man was allegedly found in possession of prohibited sized fish. “New fishing arrangements for mulloway were put in place by the NSW Government late last year to help rebuild stocks to a sustainable level,” Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Supervising Fisheries Officer Ian Stockton said. “Mulloway stocks were deemed overfished, which led to the NSW Government putting in place a recovery plan, after consultation with

the fishing community.” The recreational bag limit for mulloway is two fish, and the minimum legal length is 70cm. “A 34 year old man from Ballina was apprehended at Skennars Head earlier this month, after allegedly being found in possession of five mulloway, three of them under size. The man will be issued penalty notices totalling $1000. “We are asking the fishing community to continue to work with Fisheries officers to ensure the mulloway recovery program is effective in sustaining this iconic species.”

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Anglers are encouraged to remember new size limits or risk being caught with undersize fish. Speak to your local Fisheries officer about recreational bag and size limits, or see the NSW Recreational Fishing Guides at www.fisheries. nsw.gov.au.

Phone: (02) 4441 2112

If you have information about illegal fishing, contact the Fishers Watch phoneline on 1800 043 536 or make a report online at www.dpi.nsw. gov.au/fisheries/compliance/ report-illegal-activity. - DPI

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New artificial reefs for Sydney NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, and Member for Rockdale, John Flowers, have announced the construction of two new offshore artificial reefs, to be built off the coast of Port Botany. Ms Hodgkinson said the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government will fund the two cluster reefs, at a cost of about $1.2 million each, through a new $5 million Port Botany Boating and Fishing Infrastructure Program. “These new reefs will add to the one the NSW Government has already installed off the coast of Sydney at South Head, and the two we have in the pipeline off the South and North Coasts of NSW,” Ms Hodgkinson said. “The proposed reefs will complement a number of existing estuarine artificial reefs within Botany Bay,

adding to its reputation as a haven for recreational fishing. “The addition of offshore artificial reefs off Botany Bay will provide a complex habitat for such popular recreational fishing species as snapper, kingfish and morwong.” Member for Rockdale, John Flowers, said a new fishing platform, to provide an all-weather safe fishing location within Port Botany, will also be constructed from the new program. “The NSW Government is also now looking at providing additional boating access to Botany Bay, for which a number of options are currently being considered,” Mr Flowers said. “In favourable conditions people could fish the estuarine artificial reefs, the expansive waters of this large coastal embayment and these new offshore artificial reefs in a modest fishing boat.

“Staff from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) will now meet with local angling groups and the local fishing community to seek their feedback on location options.” Ms Hodgkinson said the new reefs will be constructed

using at least 60 concrete modules, which are 3-5m high, lowered to the ocean floor at a depth of 40m. The NSW Government will be calling for tenders for the construction and deployment of the reefs once the final locations have been determined. – DPI

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NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, announcing two new offshore artificial reefs off Port Botany with the Member for Rockdale, John Flowers.

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Testing Booth

Power-Pole Micro Anchor - The Game Changer The Power-Pole Micro Anchor has landed in Australia and it’s a great way to set your boat or kayak up in one location allowing you to fish without the worry of your rig moving while you’re concentrating on the fishing. We’ve had three anglers, Grayson Fong, Simon Goldsmith and Steve Morgan out in the field testing the Power-Pole Micro Anchor and following are their thoughts on how well these units operate on various craft. GRAYSON FONG This recent addition to the Power Pole family has really set a new benchmark in the kayak fishing stakes with its worldwide popularity making it a ‘must have’ for all serious kayak fishers. With its ability to anchor 1500lb of boat weight, kayaks of all shapes and sizes are covered, making it versatile for all applications. My first exposure to the Power-Pole Micro Anchor was at the 2013 Hobie Fishing World Championships (HFWC) in Victoria where, freshly off its ICast Best New

Showcase Product win, the unit was fitted to each of the competitors factory Hobie kayaks for them to put to the test. Under the watchful eye of Power-Pole’s Vice President Rob Shamblin, who made a special trip Down Under to not only to showcase his pride and joy but to keep an unbiased eye on its international debut at a major competition. Rob’s apprehension for ‘his baby’ was soon turned to delight as anglers returned from their day one prefish with nothing but glowing praise for this awesome product. From ‘I can’t wait to buy one’ to ‘can I carry this back to England’, Shamblin’s wry smile was filled with satisfaction. During the HFWC, weather condition really put the Power-Pole Micro Anchor (PPMA) to the test as anglers battled through wind gusts up to 35 knots making conditions unsavoury to say the least. But this is when the PPMA really came into its domain, holding anglers in spots we didn’t think was possible even with a boat anchor! I really put my PPMA through its

The Power Pole Micro can be controlled with a switch on the unit or the wireless remote. paces the whole weekend as fishing large weed flats, wide rubble patches and wind swept banks is my strength and with this tool it just added another weapon to my armoury. The fibreglass spike allows for horizontal flex during wind gusts coupled with its low RPM, high torque motor to keep the spike firmly planted allowing me more fishing time and less stress in trying to hold position using the old conventional method. Ideally I would use the PPMA to anchor my kayak in 5-6ft of water allowing the wind to point my kayak in the direction I was wanting to cast. This gave me the opportunity to punch an array of casts a full 180 degrees both sitting and standing without the worry of drifting and spooking fish through my chosen fishing spot. When finished with

Over 100 Micro Power Poles on the Hobie World Title competitor kayaks was a spectacular sight! 46

JULY 2014

an area, having the PPMA’s wireless remote made moving effortless and quiet as I would simply up spike and pedal to my next spot. I couldn’t imagine fishing ever again without the PowerPole Micro Anchor on my kayak as I believe it’s taken kayak fishing to a whole new level. Its quietness, efficiency and simplicity makes it a product you can easily fall in love with. As I usually tournament fish out of a boat, I couldn’t imagine not having an electric motor on it, which is my exact sentiments for the Power-Pole Micro Anchor on a kayak. SIMON GOLDSMITH The Power-Pole Micro Anchor is the must have new fishing accessory for the small boat or kayak angler alike. The Micro Anchor is suitable for boats under 16ft and all kayaks/canoes alike. We have used the PowerPole Micro Anchor on a 16ft fibreglass bass boat and have been blown away by its performance and ease of use. Combined with the separate composite spike you are able to quietly and efficiently anchor your vessel in up to 8ft of water, the same depth achievable by all but one of the full sized PowerPole anchors. Compact and lightweight are the two biggest drawcards for the Power-Pole Micro Anchor. Not all boats are big enough and stable enough to allow the full sized PowerPole anchor and this is where the Power-Pole Micro Anchor fills the void and allows all the same great benefits at a more manageable and affordable size.

The Power-Pole Micro Anchor is controllable via the top of the unit itself or by a wireless remote you can either mount on the boat or keep on your person for ease of use from on the boat or on the bank. The Power-Pole Micro Anchor is perfect for holding over productive areas. For example, when you are drifting over a productive flat and you hook a nice bream, set the Micro Anchor down and you could catch multiple fish from the same area. Previously you would have continued to drift over the flat, and these fish, while fighting and landing the first fish hooked. It’s also incredibly handy for use around the boat ramp when launching and retrieving your vessel. No more needing to pull the boat way up the bank and potentially scratching or damaging the hull of your expensive investment. Just drop the Power-Pole Micro Anchor and keep your boat or kayak anchored just off the bank, ready for retrieval or to head out on the water. I have so many anchors, but only one Power-Pole Micro Anchor. STEVE MORGAN I’ve come at the PowerPole Micro Anchor from the other direction. Being a bass boat owner, I’d had a bass boat Power Pole fitted to the last three of my boats. And what I thought was initially a bit of a novelty quickly became a must-have piece of equipment. Grayson and Simon have run through the basics of this unit, but as you become a proficient Power Pole user, you’ll find there are subtle advantages that you won’t read about in the marketing material. Firstly, the Micro has an easily removable pole for transportation. This mightn’t seem like much, but a bass boat Power Pole in constantly up and I guarantee that it adds plenty of drag as you’re towing down the highway. Take the Micro Anchor’s pole out and strap it to the deck and you’re resistance-free. Secondly, I love being able to feel the bottom composition with the Power Pole. Seriously. You can tell the difference between sand, gravel, mud and rock with the feedback from the pole. There’s plenty of situations where I’ve found isolated rock piles by lifting and dropping the Power Pole on the drift. And we all know that bream, barra, grunter and other estuary predators love rocks and rock-bars. Thirdly, I love the stealth. Sure, you can hold position with a standard anchor or an iPilot with Spot Lock, but the Power Pole does this the most silently of all. Drift up to a snag, deploy the Power Pole with the push of a button

and you can work over the prime structure quietly and efficiently. Lastly, the Power-Pole Micro Anchor effectively gives these advantages to boaters for a fraction of the price of the original versions. You don’t get much change from $2,500 for a standard Power Pole. For under $1,000, the tinnies of Australia now have another ‘must have’. Nowadays, every other tinnie has a bow mounted electric motor attached. The Power-Pole Micro is the next on the list. Check out a Power-Pole Micro Anchor at your nearest Hobie dealer or at the Fishing Monthly Bluefin Jon Boat at any of the boat shows we attend. – FMG

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ZEXUS FROM JAPAN

After a year of testing in the Australian outdoors, Fish-Tec Solutions is proud to introduce the high quality Zexus light range from Japan. Zexus has been making lights in Japan for 30 years, so you know you’re getting a tried-and-tested, quality product. The range is comprehensive and you can pick from headlamps, cap lamps, lanterns or torches. Zexus lights come with state-of-the-art functions such as motion sensor on/off, adjustable light diming, battery power saver and up to 8W Japanese LED power – there really is a light for every situation. And these lights are made by fishermen for fishermen, so you can always rely on them to perform. For more information on the range of Zexus Lights visit the Fish-Tec website or email sales@fish-tecsolutions.com Price: Varies www.fish-tecsolutions.com

WILLIAMSON POPPER

The Williamson Popper Pro takes the traditional popping action to the next level and produces extraordinary results. At a length of 130mm, the streamlined profile of the lure opens up a range of surface fishing options to all anglers. You can pop, bloop, slash and stall the lure to mimic a frantically fleeing baitfish across the surface. The designers have precisely weighted the Popper Pro at 35g to ensure the lure’s natural buoyancy when in the water, and maximum hook exposure. In addition to this, the rear casting mechanism ensures the angler is able to maximise their casting distance. By incorporating heavy-duty oval split rings and VMC 7266 single hooks, Williamson ensures you remain connected once your fish is hooked. Additionally, the laser-cut plate hook hangers and in-line hook design further enhances the Popper Pro’s swimming action, point exposure and hook set. Price: RRP $21.95 www.rapala.com.au

SHIMANO BLACK TEREZ RODS

Shimano’s Terez series was launched back in 2012 with much deserved fanfare, as here was a complete range of rods designed with the right tapers, actions and componentry to fish braided lines to the absolute hilt. Now Shimano has released a completely new series for the 2014 season, with one major difference — this time they’re black! All the popular models have been retained in the choice of spin or overhead configurations, as has the commitment to first class fittings — custom EVA butts and foregrips, custom aluminium reel seats, Fuji K series Alconite guides, and it’s all based around Shimano’s legendary TC4 blanks. These contain double inner layers of advanced TGlass over-wrapped with a spiral of high modulus graphite to bring out the best in braided lines. The two lightest models in the range are actually built on Shimano’s high modulus C4S blanks, which are cross-wrapped with extra layers of graphite for even greater sensitivity and robustness. Price: from RRP $199 www.shimanofish.com.au

NEW TONIC STYLES

Tonic Polarised Eyewear added two new high-fashion frame styles to its range of high-performance sunglasses: the Torquay and Cove. “The new models are for people who want all the Tonic performance, but prefer a more cosmopolitan style,” said Tonic founder Doug Phillips. Mr Phillips said the new models were available with the same range of lens options as Tonic’s original fishing styles, including grey and photochromic copper in Tonic’s UltraOptic lightweight glass lenses. All Tonic models incorporate the latest Japanese optical technology, including unique de-centred VistaView lenses for distortion-free viewing at any angle. Tonic’s scratch-resistant UltraOptic glass lenses are just 1.8mm thick, making them 30% lighter than regular glass, and have MultiCut fullspectrum anti-reflective coatings. The range includes eight wraparound styles, including Evo and Rush with ClikStrap removable safety strap. To find your nearest stockist check out the new store locater on the Tonic website, which lists all 200-plus retailers in Australia and NZ. Price: RRP $259 with UltraOptic glass lenses www.toniceyewear.com.au

ECOGEAR SHAD COLOURS

The body roll and sonic body sound are features unique to the Ecogear Shad. The special body design makes the lure achieve the maximum vibration in the water at the slowest retrieval speed. These soft baits use natural sinking material. It allows for further casting with great swimming actions on the surface with the no sinker rig for sight fishing. It is easy to make long casts due to the special Ecogear heavy soft plastic material and centre of gravity of the lure design. Two tournament winning colours – rainbow trout and eel – are being reintroduced to Australian market, along with the new colour mud gudgeon. Log onto the Ecogear website to check out the full range of colours for the Ecogear Shad. Price: RRP 12.95 www.ecogear.com.au

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PR KNOTTER TOOL

S.A.S Braid continue to push the boundaries with innovative new products. To complement their ultra-thin, high strength line they have released their own modified PR Knot Tying Tool. The PR Knotter gives anglers the advantage of an incredibly strong knot with a super slim profile. The PR knot provides maximum strength, not found in other knots, which dramatically reduces the chances of line breakage at the weakest point (normally just above the knot). Its super slim profile makes running long leaders a breeze and minimalizes noise through the guides. Boasting a tested average of 97% knot strength it ensures it is a stand out from all other knots. With three different sizes available there is a PR Knot Tool for every application. To find your nearest stockist jump onto the S.A.S Braid website or follow them at www.facebook.com/sasbraid. For all trade enquiries call (02) 6551 5029. Price: from RRP $119.95 www.justfishingtasline.com

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129 nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au

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THE STUBBY STRIP

Aussie Brett Gresham developed the Stubby Strip to provide a convenient new way to carry beer and other beverages. It’s designed for the times when you just want to have ‘a couple of drinks’ – perhaps you’re in the car, watching footy at a mate’s place or having a BBQ at the park – but don’t want to lug around an esky. Designed to carry between one and seven drinks, the Stubby Strip has pockets that safely and conveniently store your beverages while keeping them cool. You just put the stubbies in the pockets, roll the Stubby Strip up, fasten it with the Velcro flap, grab the robust handle and you’re on your way. And you’ll never again forget your stubby holder because there’s a detachable one built in. As well as holding stubbies, the versatile Stubby Strip can hold soft drinks, water bottles, kids’ drinks and cans. And as an added bonus for keeping drinks cooler for longer, you can put a frozen water bottle in the middle pocket as an ice pack for the other drinks. Once the Stubby Strip is empty, you simply roll it up and stick it in your pocket. The Stubby Strip currently comes in five colours – black, camo, blue, red and purple. Scan the QR code hereabouts or visit the website to watch a video of the Stubby Strip in action. You can also ‘Like’ the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/stubbystrip to keep abreast of the latest developments. Price: $29.95 www.stubbystrip.com.au

FLASHERS HOOKS

The Flashers hook is the perfect hook for making your own paternoster rigs when fishing the reefs or sand flats. They are designed in specific fishattracting colours tied to a chemically sharpened circle hook. The tied flashing material catches the attention of the fish while the super sharp circle hook ensures that the fish is hooked on when it bites into the bait. Improve your chance of hook-ups by using bait for the best results. Flasher circle hooks come in two sizes, 6/0 and 7/0. Price: RRP $7.95 www.elkatfishing.com.au

ZMAN SCENTED PADDLERZ

ZMan Scented PaddlerZ are a realistic baitfish profile that are available in nine colours and 4” and 5” models to suit your favourite medium to large predatory species. They have already proven to be dynamite on flathead, snapper, mulloway, barramundi, mangrove jack and more. The segmented tail design of the PaddlerZ creates maximum action with minimal movement, making it an extremely versatile lure option – slow roll it like a swim bait, twitch it and hop it like a jerk bait, or retrieve it at speed for pelagic species. PaddlerZ feature ElaZtech, 10X Tough construction for ultimate durability. Other benefits of ElaZtech include its super-soft and flexible realistic feel that keeps fish biting, and built-in buoyancy that sees the tail standing up and moving with the water when at rest on the bottom.

Available colours include bad shad, Houdini, electric chicken and smoky shad. Available in 4” and 5”sizes and 9 colours, PaddlerZ come in packs of five and are pre-scented with Pro-Cure to attract fish and trigger strikes. Price: SRP $9.95 www.z-man.com.au

ABU KR-X LIGHT JIG

Abu Garcia Salty Stage rods were designed in Japan for the ultimate in micro and light jigging performance. They feature the latest in Japanese jig rod design, quality components and striking cosmetics. Powerful composite blanks incorporate carbon and glass with carbon X-wrap to reduce rod twist and increase power. The lightweight properties of the Fuji KR concept guide system improves the blank action while tight line control is achieved with reduced diameter KR ring sizes. The upshot of all this is improved sensitivity, particularly on the drop when jigging. Salty Stage rods feature a sophisticated grip design that delivers a lightweight and ergonomic grip system developed for unparalleled comfort and control. The six model line up includes three spin and three overhead models. All models are 6’3” 2-piece with a maximum PE rating of 1.5. The maximum jig weight is what differentiates each model with 80, 120 and 150g models available in both spin and overhead configurations. Abu Garcia recommends using the KR-X Light with C’ultiva Gekito jigs. It is perfectly matched to Penn Conflict, Abu Garcia Revo SX and Revo Toro NaCL reels. Price: from RRP $ $299 abugarcia-fishing.com.au

ECOGEAR CK 40F07

The CK 40F07 is a range of classic ‘bulbous teardrop’ shaped lures that are synonymous with serious sportfishing. These lures have been designed for fishing in and amongst the shallows and deep in both fresh and salt water. The compact shape of the CK 40F07 means that it casts like a bullet, and fish love its classic sideways wobble. This lure is now available in popular colours 313 and 392. Log onto the Ecogear website to check out the full colour range. Price: RRP $22.95 www.ecogear.com.au

OKUMA OZMODO

Designed to combat Australia’s harsh saltwater conditions, the Ozmodo steps out with a full aluminium gearing system that is incredibly strong and exceptionally lightweight. With ABEC5 spool bearings making up the bearing system, the Ozmodo delivers lasting power and performance. The low-profile design of the reel and soft touch handle grips make the Ozmodo extremely ergonomic as it sits comfortably in the angler’s hand. As a result of this, the angler’s casting accuracy and lure control is increased considerably when pitching lures close into snags. As with all Okuma reels, the Ozmodo comes complete with a Lifetime Guarantee. Price: from RRP $259.95 www.okuma.com.au

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129 nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au

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SHIMANO SPHEROS SW

The Spheros series of spin reels has been given a full makeover. The previous FB series were reliable work horses, while the new ones have increased creature comforts for improved performance, while still remaining a gutsy, no-nonsense reel. New features include X-Ship and X-Shield. The former sees a larger cold-forged drive gear and a double bearing supported pinion gear increase performance under load, while the latter means sealing gaskets have been placed in locations where water could otherwise enter the reel body. Depending on the reel model, the Cross Carbon drag can be cranked up from 10 to 18kg. The machined aluminium handle and the four SA-RB bearings making winding effortless, even under heavy load. Accurate distance casting, even with big, bulky lures and baits, is achievable thanks to the AR-C lip design of the cold forged spool. Price: RRP from $299 www.shimanofish.com.au

PROX LIP GRIPS

Specialty Fishing continues to expand on their range with the PROX Fish Catcher Long and Fish Catcher 2 lip grips, imported direct from Japan. Fish Catcher grips are made of a combination of stainless steel, aluminium and carbon fibre. This makes them strong, lightweight and, with their ergonomically designed handle, a pleasure to use. Both have a spiral cord and carabiner that allows you to have them always within arm’s reach. Both sizes come in three colours, with the Fish Catcher Long also available in a limited edition black/silver checker plate print while stocks last. To order your lip grips go to www. specialtyfishing.com.au. The Fish Catcher 2 is $65, the Fish Catcher Long is $82, and the limited edition version is $92. All prices include free shipping. Price: from $65 www.specialtyfishing.com.au

LIVE BAIT SLIDERS

Online retailer specialtyfishing.com. au has added new innovative live bait sliders to their list of products. Made in South Africa, these sliders are all about quality, strength and attention to detail. Two styles are available, a Live Bait Slider (no spring) that allows your live bait to swim up and down your main line and a Non-Return Live bait Slider (with spring), which will not allow your live bait to swim back up your main line, only further down your main line. They come in packets of two, with the non-return bait sliders costing $11.45 per pack and the bait sliders costing $10.95 per pack. Includes free shipping. Price: from $10.95 www.specialtyfishing.com.au

MEGABASS FX68R

The Megabass FX68R low profile baitcaster features a stack of innovative design features

to make the fishing experience more effective. The ergonomic design of this model features a T-Wing spool disengage lever which means when you press the lever to disengage the spool, the top of the reel rises creating a comfortable platform to press to quickly re-engage the gears. There is also a magforce 3D dial located on the left hand side allowing over 60 individual adjustments. This controls the backwind and can be set for angler preference. In addition there are also three settings underneath the reel, which also adjusts the magnetic control. They are Maxbrake, for heavy class lures such as large bibbed lures, All Round for general lures and LongCast, which is useful for anglers using a low pitch cast or flick where they cannot have room to use their full range of motion. The FX68R weighs 190g and its highdensity carbon composite body is extremely rigid. The gear ratio is 6.8:1 and the reel can exert 5kg of drag. Price: RRP $736 www.megabass.com.au

MUSTAD FASTACH CLIP

The new Mustad Ultrapoint Fastach single piece clips are a game changer for Australian anglers. The Fastach saves you leader and time – you just twist and change your lure. It really is the simplest method of changing lures and jigs you’ve ever seen. These clips are made with strong stainless steel wire with a black nickel finish, and they’re available in six different sizes (0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) to suit a wide range of species and situations. Price: from approx. $6 www.wilsonfishing.com

MAGELLAN EXPLORIST

The waterproof Magellan eXplorist range of outdoor GPS gives anglers the right tools to keep them on track and get them back to their starting point safely. The eXplorist 610 and 710 include highly detailed Summit Series Australia Topographic maps that enable anglers to see and navigate inland river and lake systems. The maps also provide thousands of points of interest for useful facilities like toilets, shops and camping grounds. A breadcrumbs feature also records user’s tracks and helps them find their way back. Other features include: Hunt and Fish and Sun and Moon calendars, up to 2000 waypoints, a transflective screen (makes the device readable in direct sunlight), and a 3.2 mega-pixel camera, microphone and speakers. Magellan eXplorist 610 and 710 are compatible with Navionics maps. Price: from $479 (610 model) www.magellangps.com.au

TASSIE DEVIL COLOURS

Tasmanian company Wigston’s Lures has released 11 new Tassie Devil colours, which are available now. These new arrivals include a special KG lure in memory of a much-loved staff member of distributor JM Gillies, Ken Gangell, who passed away earlier this year. Keep an eye out for the new colours in your favourite tackle store. Price: approx. $5 www.wigstonslures.com.au

Please send contributions to: The Editor, Fishing Monthly Group PO BOX 3172 LOGANHOLME, QLD. 4129 nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au

Land-based guys having a ball BATEMANS BAY

Anthony Stokman

We have seen a quite a few small yellowfin tuna around 6-8kg being caught along the shelf and very few larger yellowfin at this stage. However, by the time you read this we should have seen some more of the big boys come to town. The marlin fishing has been on fire coming into the beginning of June which I expect to be the last late run of them. Pino and Nell Vecchi have been getting out trying to catch tuna, and the marlin have been getting in the way every time they go out. Not a bad problem to have. One of the marlin was caught on a Halco Laser Pro. Batemans Bay Game Fishing Club will hold their annual tuna tournament and the number of boats entering will give us a good indication on what’s out there. There are loads of stripy tuna and not many albacore at this stage. I think once the water cools a bit more the tuna will start showing up. A nice way to spend a calm, sunny winter’s day is to pack the lunch and head out with mates and cube above one of our sea mounts. You’ll find in those sunny, windless days you’ll end up in a T-shirt, soaking up the rays and having a yarn with some nice food and drinks. It’s bloody beautiful. You’d never know it was winter. And you’ll never know when that school of albacore will catch onto your berley trail or when that big 60kg yellowfinned keg will sound your ratchet into overdrive. Come into the shop and grab a 15kg box of single frozen IQF pilchards for cubing and a way you go. A great way to spend a winter’s day. INSHORE Snapper are still going relatively strong in the shallower waters, and some boats have been finding a few now in the 50-60m depths. We’re still seeing a lot of trevally around as well, and masses of leatherjackets are still in plague proportions. Whenever I see a customer buying a pile of new sinkers, and steam is coming out of his ears, I can guess what fish he hasn’t been catching. The leatherjackets are driving people mad at present and the only thing you can do is move. I’ve never been one for wire traces. Some anglers try them, but I just think you are going to cut your catch rate right down. Best to keep moving. Some of our local landbased anglers have been having a ball on the inshore snapper and even catching them over sand in rocky bays. Layton Brant, Jem Abbot, Nick Butler and Gav Thorning are the landbased ocean fishing gurus,

catching mulloway, snapper and sharks. One night they got a nice mulloway and five nice snapper over the sand. We have found some nice mulloway being caught off the beaches and certain bays in the area, as well as plenty of sharks still on the go. And now you can throw snapper into the mix. The best baits have been freshly caught squid as usual. I would expect these guys to be switching onto the drummer by now and have noticed customers lately coming in grabbing the appropriate gear for them. Typically that consists of a good 10-12’ rod rated at 6-10kg with a light tip and heavy butt area, although some people like wrestling them on lighter or graphite outfits. The fish can bite gently, but they can be a tough battle so the longer, more powerful rod can steer them clear of the reef. They do respond well to berley, but so does everything else so pick your time and place for that. You don’t want a school of sweep in a feeding frenzy. A little tip I was given by Dean Dawson was to berley up the place the day before. Your berley can consist of stale bread and chicken pellets mixed with water. If you are to berley during your fishing session, throw a handful out every five to 10 minutes. Just keep in mind you don’t want to attract too many undesirables. At a good fishing spot where the drummer are

Fish with a running ball sinker as small as you can, depending on the wind and swell. You don’t need a leader – you can run the sinker from the main line. The line should be around 30lb. Some anglers like fishing lighter, but you still will get busted up on 30lb. The time to chase these rock brutes is early morning on a high tide or a run up to a high and late afternoon in the shadows of the cliffs. Cast into gutters and holes with a slow retrieve and then hang on! BEACHES The beaches are still seeing some whiting getting around leading into June, and the salmon and tailor are starting to show up as well. The tailor have been the stand-out thus far, with some monsters being caught. Customers have been coming into the shop with stories and their hands spread as wide as they can, claiming the tailor are “this big!” It’s good to see them getting excited. Last year the tailor were a bit absent so looks like they are making up for it this year. People are losing a lot of rigs to the tailor, so you may want to use a small wire trace or knottable wire to avoid bite-offs. Also keeping your presentation moving sometimes keeps the line away from them a bit, gets them more focused around the presentation. Customers are catching some good bream and flathead

For more up-to-theminute information on what’s biting where, drop into Compleat Angler Batemans Bay and have a chat to Anthony or one of the other friendly staff. They’re located at 65A Orient St, Batemans Bay (02 4472 2559).

Duane Brant with a gummy shark caught off the rocks.

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The boys with the spoils of a night’s fishing – a good catch of snapper and a mulloway to boot. prolific, the simplest and best approach is sometimes just an uncooked prawn. Other baits include bread and I like the convenience of cunjevoi, plus it’s free and extremely effective. Collect it at low tide and remember you can only take 20 knobs per person. Bait up small hooks as the drummer have small mouths, and make sure the hooks are strong as the fish will straighten and break hooks. A Mustad 542 Viking double strength is one such hook in a size 1 to 1/0. You could use a Mustad Big Gun size 2. Fishos often find a favourite and stick to it, but I like to keep trying different things myself and stay open. It keeps things interesting as well.

off the beaches as well. ESTUARIES You can always rely on the good old South Coast Aussie flattie when you venture out in the estuaries. Mulloway are also on the cards for those who want to chase them, and it’s this time of the year where you fish out the front of the estuaries for bream as they move out to spawn. Fishing along rock walls and the deeper areas is where you can find them. Your best option is to use either blades or plastics rigged on slightly heavier jigheads up to 5g. All in all, there seems to be a bit around at the moment. It’s winter! So rug up, stay warm and stay safe when fishing the rocks for drummer this winter.

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www.polycraft.com.au JULY 2014

Fish chewing big time NAROOMA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

The Narooma region has experienced the best few weeks of weather l can remember for a very long time. The water temperature is still hovering at around 19ºC with flat seas, little swell and, best of all, the fish are chewing big time. Offshore fishos are licking their chops, especially those

targeting pelagic species. Both yellowfin and bluefin tuna have been captured out wide off the shelf with a few yellowfin around the 80kg mark. At that size they are formidable opponents on any tackle but on 24kg stand-up you know you’re in for a fight. The ‘fin have been active between the shelf and Second Drop East on Montague Island. They’re moving around a lot so every day is a little different as to their location.

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Trolling larger bibbed minnows and mid-sized pushers in green/purple patterns has worked a treat. This will continue to be a productive method while the water is warm but I’d expect over coming weeks that a berley/cube trail will work even better when the water cools and the fish go deeper. I’d be looking for deep holding bait, temperature breaks and bird activity, then I’d start the berley trail. You can expect plenty of fish to 30kg plus albacore, though they have been a little slow of late. Those after a solid mako should be rewarded this month, with July traditionally producing quite a few sharks with models upwards of 300kg a real possibility. At Montague Island the kingfish have been excellent in recent weeks, with bags reached on most outings. The kings are solid fish too, with 4-5kg models the average, though there are some bigger greenbacks upwards of 12kg smacking sauris on the surface.

Even the cold, dismal weather couldn’t dampen the boys’ spirits as they got amongst the bream. kings, however, slow trolling live slimy mackerel and big deeper divers has been their undoing. This action should continue throughout this month as long as the current keeps pushing south and we don’t get an influx of cold water. There maybe a chance at a yellowfin as

ESTUARIES In the estuaries it’s slowing up considerably due to the dropping water temperatures, with flattie numbers dwindling as the days go by. Wagonga lnlet has slowed to a crawl for these bottom dwellers. You will still get the odd fish

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Andy Kolber makes it a habit of catching solid mulloway. This 102cm fish was one of three he captured over a couple of days casting soft plastics. Both jigs and live baits have worked on the schooled fish when fished deep around the northern end of the island. For the bigger

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well, especially with sauris abundant. Let’s cross our fingers that they turn up. REEFS Anglers fishing the reefs are having awesome results on snapper, with winter being the premier time to catch them. The last few seasons have seen this excellent eating table fish in solid numbers through the cooler months, and if the reports are half true on what’s been captured recently it’s all systems go! The cooler months tend to see the bigger reds as well, with multiple fish over 5kg on the cards. They also tend to come close to shore chasing the cuttlefish run, so the inshore reefs off Brou and Potato Point are definitely worth a look. Both drifting and anchoring will work, and which option you choose should depend mainly on current and tidal movement.

but you’ll have to work for them. I’d be concentrating in the upper reaches past the four knot zone if l was after a feed of flatties. If these are your target species, Tuross would certainly be the place to target them. You will still work hard for them but you should be able to get a feed in the river section concentrating in water depths from 1-3m and fishing smaller soft plastics very slowly along the bottom. What will fire up in both these systems is the pelagic species like salmon, tailor and trevally, especially in Wagonga lnlet. Tailor numbers have been excellent of late with some big salmon mixed in with them. They are following and feeding on the whitebait schools which are everywhere at present. Just look out for the chopping tailor and feeding

birds. When the tailor are feeding you can expect trevally, snapper, bream and possibly mulloway under them, picking up scraps and feeding on the whitebait as well. Closer to the entrance in the main channel, good numbers of blackfish are falling to well-presented weed baits under a float. Anglers fishing the flooding tide seem to be doing better, and using a little berley will also improve catch rates. If you’re casting smaller softies in the fast water, good trevally and bream will be on offer. I’d be concentrating my efforts on the draining tide, with the bottom two hours being prime time. ROCK AND BEACH The ocean beaches and rocks have had little or no swell of late. This has made fishing quite difficult, especially for salmon and tailor. These species are still there but they are hard to entice with no white water. For the beach goer, first and last light is the time to fish. Once that sun is above the horizon for an hour or so, go home or you will be wasting your time. The only way things will improve will be when we get swell and white water. It will happen, it’s just a matter of time. Anglers targeting bream have fared better, particularly when fishing rockier corners of south-facing beaches. Live beach worms and pipis are the better baits to use, and may result in some big winter whiting also playing the game. The better beaches to try include Brou, Tilba and the southern end of Narooma main beach. For the rock-hopper, the golf course rocks in town, Mystery Bay to the south of Narooma and Dalmeny headland are all worth a look for bream, blackfish, groper and drummer. All these species will chew better once we get some heavy seas, with cunjevoi, prawns, cabbage weed and bread all good baits at certain times.

Pelagics in the estuaries MERIMBULA

Stuart Hindson stuart@ausfishing.com.au

It’s been a cracking few weeks of weather offshore. Flat calm seas have made the 30-mile trip to the shelf more comfortable for the smaller boats looking for tuna. Those anglers that have made the effort to get out there have been rewarded in spades with good showings of both yellowfin and bluefin tuna. The fish have been wide, especially the bluefin, but that is to be expected early in the season. I know of a few local boats that have taken advantage of the conditions and have headed 60 miles offshore, which certainly isn’t for the faint hearted. Travelling these distances isn’t for everyone, but if you have the right crew and more importantly the right boat you will get some quality results on big bluefin. Fish to 60kg have been captured but there have been a few bigger barrels lost which is unfortunate, especially when they’re over the 100kg mark, but that’s fishing. TOH147 Fishing The blueys have responded well to both skirted pushers and bibbed minnows, with blue/

green patterns working a treat. I’d expect over coming weeks that cubing and berleying will work even better once the fish are located. It’s a great method to troll, find the fish then revert to the cube/berley method. You quite often get the fish to hang around the boat for hours at a time though you do need an organised crew to have the cubes and so forth ready to hold them there. If you manage to hold them, you can almost throw anything at them and they will eat it. It’s adrenalin packed action that will stay etched in your memory for a lot of years.

zig-zagging the shelf line. The ‘fin have varied in size from 5kg jellybeans to 60kg models so be prepared for any size. Personally l wouldn’t be running any tackle under 15kg as you never know when a jumbo will turn up. Sure, the smaller fish would be better fun on the silly string but do that at your own peril! Murphy’s law always seems to turn up at the worst possible moment. SNAPPER Closer to shore the snapper are in full swing with the cuttlefish run, with reds to 3kg the norm. The close in reefs like White Cliffs and

Solid greenbacks like this 63cm fish Adrian caught can be found in most southern estuaries at present. World Half Page Ad PR.pdf Those targeting yellowfin 1

have had better results closer in trolling smaller pushers,

28/02/14 12:28 PM well Long Reef have fished and will continue to do so over the remainder of Winter. Some

crews are getting their bags quite quickly once they find the fish. It may take a little time to locate them but once you do find the reds you’re in for some serious fun. Anglers fishing fresh bait like squid and mackerel strips have fared best, though the soft plastic throwers are getting their fair share too. It’s a good time of year to target snapper on plastics as the bigger fish will hunt the shallower ground, making it easier to stay in contact with your plastics and hence catch more fish. If you haven’t tried it, give it a go. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results. ESTUARY In the estuaries the scaly buggers have been excellent in both Pambula and Merimbula systems. I’ve guided in both systems a lot recently and to say the fishing is good is an understatement. It’s awesome! With the exception of whiting, all the species are chewing – flathead, blackfish, bream plus the pelagic species like salmon, tailor and trevally all having a go. Both these systems are tiny but they continue to fire on all cylinders and will continue to do so over coming weeks. What l do find amusing is that some people say the fishing is slow. I’ve seen it

Winter time means pelagics in our southern estuaries. The salmon action in Pambula will go right through winter. countless times at the ramp when asking fellow fishos how they went. A common response is “no bloody fish in here” and off they go in a huff! A quick glance at their outfits reveals why their efforts haven’t been rewarded. Heavy line, big sinkers and rods more suited to chasing kings on jigs are a poor choice when you’re trying to fool wily bream. The key to more consistent results is to fish light – light leaders, smaller sinkers and jigheads, smaller soft plastics and so on. It’s even more important in the cooler months when the water temps drop and the water visibility is crystal clear. Go light and watch your catch rates soar. ROCK AND BEACH On the ocean beaches and

rocks it’s been steady fishing without being dynamite. The flat seas have played a big part in that with little white water, but once we get some decent swell it will come alive again. Salmon and tailor will make the beachgoers happy with the rock brigade getting amongst blackfish, drummer and groper. Short Point would be the pick of the platforms with crab, cunjevoi and cabbage the better baits to use. On a political note l hope some common sense comes into play with the so-called reform on estuary netting. I hope all rec fishers have made submissions to their local MP and minister for Fisheries outlining their disagreement with the proposed changes to netting in our estuaries.

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Making the most of it BERMAGUI

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

One of the advantages of living in Bermagui is the warmth of our winter days. Mornings will dawn clear, crisp and fresh and burn off to a warm 20ºC day, allowing anglers to enjoy the best of Bermagui’s winter fishing. Offshore reef fishing is very good with most species being encountered. Dictated by weather patterns anglers can fish as close to shore as they choose or travel to wider reefs looking for that exceptional catch. On these wide reefs, such as the Twelve Mile, Tassie trumpeter is a much sort-after species due to its excellent taste, along with those large blue morwong, tiger flathead and of course snapper will all be encountered. Further out on the Canyons, anglers using 80lb braid line and large metal lures

trevalla, and gemfish as well as yellowfin and albacore tuna. Back closer to shore tried and tested rigs are still producing constant captures. Good bags of snapper are a regular catch, especially around the full moon, using simple paternoster rigs drifted over and around the reefs. However, anchoring and berleying will allow anglers to fish much lighter producing some very nice fish and heaps of fun. On the lighter side of things, flicking soft plastics around the very close-in reefs is a very exciting way of entertaining yourself. Rock fishing is at its best for species like the hard pulling black and silver drummer, as well as those magnificent looking blue groper. These fish can be encountered all day through the winter months on baits like crab, cunjevoi, prawns and cabbage weed. Keep rigs simple with either small sinkers running straight

gear on a lighter rod. Let the fish have its head once hooked, you will be surprised at the results. Lure fishing from both the rocks and beach will produce some surprisingly good salmon and tailor with the possible late kingfish as well. Small lures on light gear provides heaps of fun and will allow anglers a chance to catch some of the silver trevally that hang around the rocks. Those wishing to brave the cold at night around the full moon should encounter some nice gummy sharks. Tilba, Wallaga, Barragoot and Murrah beaches have been the better beaches. Estuary fishing is extremely quiet, with most fish migrating out of the systems open to the ocean or going dormant in the lakes that are closed to the sea. Wallaga has got some big tailor and if you get a nice warm day these fish may be encountered on lures as they chase mullet schools around in the shallows.

Luderick is a fish the whole family can enjoy chasing on a clear winter morning. or cabbage weed, is a prime area. Some of the best areas in the Bermagui River for blackfish are the Northern Rock Wall upstream from the bridge, in front of the bridge boat ramp, the bridge pylons, the rock walls around the harbour and the rock platform adjacent to the entrance. The last of the run-out and the first of the run-in tide being the prime time for anglers who like to toss lures.

Some very good trevally schools have moved into the lower reaches of the tidal estuaries, providing some pleasant fishing. Small hard and soft lures will account for most of the trevally and don’t be surprised to hit the odd good bream and flathead. Winter is another good time for catching squid around Bermagui. Most of the rocky headlands and inshore reefs will have their share around them with the harbour producing of an

evening and into the night. Most of the common prawn style jigs will work as will the old favourite of a fish on the skewer style jig. Out at sea over the continental shelf bluefin tuna are lurking and it is prime time to target them. Trolling is the best way to locate them and once located berley can be employed to bring them to the boat. However, expect at times you may have to travel well out to sea to find them.

Clear water fishing EDEN

Kevin Gleed captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

Left: Squid can be targeted while fishing the reefs this winter. Right: The bluefin tuna are lurking over the continental shelf and it is prime time to target them. are learning the art of deep water jigging. This method is producing surprising results such as, hapuku, blue-eye

to the hook or suspend baits with a float. If targeting black drummer try gearing down to say 4kg

126 Lamont St Bermagui NSW 2546 “Located at the boat ramp on the Bermagui River”

Blackfish are another fish regularly caught in the cooler months. Around the bridge at Wallaga Lake on green

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With the winter months upon us the town has quietened down. You wouldn’t know it was winter though with warm days and mild nights for the past few weeks. The water temperature has been up and down over the past month and it’s currently sitting at around 16ºC. As the water is cooling the salmon on all the local beaches and headlands are really starting to fire up and their numbers will only increase over the coming months. And with some big seas over the past month there are plenty of good gutters on all the local beaches. Boats heading out fishing the inshore reefs are still having to put up with pesky leatherjackets biting everything that moves, resulting in plenty of sinkers and hooks bitten off. Thankfully they aren’t as bad as they were a month ago. The snapper have come on in the past few weeks with catches coming from all the inshore reefs. Fish to 2kg are being caught by anglers fishing with fresh bait, while other anglers catching fish with

soft plastics. Good catches of sand flathead have been taken, and tiger flathead are also being caught by the boats venturing out a bit further. The calm days allow boats to head down towards Disaster Bay where there can be some great fishing. Reports of kingfish being caught around the reefs are still coming in, with some big yellowfin

Yellowfin bream and sand whiting are being caught around the front section of the local estuaries with some big blackfish also being caught. Fresh worms and nippers have been the go for the bream and whiting, with anglers using green weed fished under a float to get amongst the blackfish.

Scott with a great bream caught on an Impact blade. tuna out on the shelf. As yet there have been no reports of southern bluefin tuna turning up. At this time of year you can expect some big tailor to turn up along the local beaches and in the estuaries. I have heard a few reports of some big fish hooked but none have made it to the net.

Dusky flathead are about with fish caught on both soft plastics and blades. Black bream are also being caught along the rocky edges further upstream. The water has cleared after the recent rains and this will see some great fishing over the coming month.

Time to go pig hunting TATHRA

Darren Redman djsxstreamfishing@bigpond.com

If you’re a hunter, winter is the time to venture into the scrub and chase pigs. For the angler it’s also the time to hit the rocks and to chase pigs. Drummer (better known as pigs to the hardened rock fisho) are in their prime in the winter months, and Tathra has some of the best

fishing for them along the southern NSW coastline. There are plenty of areas in which to attack these fish, ranging from the Tathra Wharf at the main point through to Kianinny Bay, with the best area being conveniently below the pub. Through the cooler months these fish may be encountered all through the day with the prime times being early in the morning and when the shadows from the cliff faces advance over

Flathead are still possible in the shallow water of the Bega River and the best way to chase them is from a kayak.

the ocean later in the day. Lures won’t cut it; fishing for drummer is pretty much for the bait fisherman only. A variety of different types of bait will work. Some of the best fun you can have is in the bait gathering, scrambling around on the rocks looking for red crabs or pulling cunjevoi off the ledges. Other baits that will work are the common old prawn or cabbage weed. Rigging these baits is very simple, with the easiest being a small ball sinker run straight to a no. 1 hook. Small bobby floats can be used to suspend the bait, which works well with cabbage weed. And don’t forget to berley with bread, which will bring the fish closer to the surface. OFFSHORE The reefs are fishing well with some very nice snapper showing up north near Arragunnui out from Nelsons Lagoon and down around White Rock. Drift or anchor using bait in varying depths with the addition of berley if you’re on the pick. Soft plastics are very popular these days for chasing snapper offshore and there are lots of shallow reefs surrounding Tathra to try. Cast the lure in the direction you’re drifting and work it back to the boat, or anchor and work an area over thoroughly. Out from most of the beaches sand flathead are

Maori wrasse are a pretty bycatch when targeting drummer from the rocks. being caught in around 30m of water. Although not very large there are plenty of them to satisfy anglers and they are great table fare. On the game scene things are very quiet. If you berley there is a chance of a mako or stray yellowfin tuna but don’t expect too much in the cooler water. Southern bluefin tuna may be an option on the troll out very wide but finding the good days to do it may be hard. BEACHES Beach fishing is good if you like chasing salmon. Most of the beaches that have good gutters on them are carrying their share of fish and all that is needed to catch them is some pilchards, ganged hooks or a handful of lures. The Wharf has plenty of trevally hanging around keeping the kids occupied and there are some very

nice sea garfish there to add to the bag. Of a night some very nice tailor are being caught. Also have a squid jig handy as there are some hanging around which can be an added bonus. ESTUARIES Cold water in the estuaries have fish off the chew and the Bega River is fishing tough. Starting in the upper reaches, bass are moving throughout the system in anticipation of spawning. With a lot of hard work some fish may be taken but it will be tough going. Estuary perch are also on the move and may be encountered as far down the river as the bridge. Work the pylons over then move over to the adjacent rock wall, working your way upstream. A variety of different lures will work, with those that can hold in the strike zone the longest

producing more strikes. The rock walls and bridge are holding their share of luderick (blackfish) which are being targeted in the traditional method using both green and cabbage weed. Check out the rocks at the entrance of the river for them as well. There are some large bream in the river but they’re hard to catch at present. Try using a hardbodied, negative buoyancy lure which will hold in the strike zone. Polaroid your bream then work your lure in their face. This may result in a strike or a follow. If a fish follows, slowly increase your speed then stop it abruptly, allowing the fish to run into it. This may not result in a hook-up but it sometimes cheeses a fish off, resulting in a second strike and a hook-up. Good luck!

We’ve got the place to ourselves

good size with fish to 3lb, and the gummy sharks can be caught anywhere from the

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

. WH AD

Over the past month we have had some glorious weather with a fortnight

PE R RY

Ante with a black bream caught on a Hurricane blade.

trevally enter the system. Plenty of fish are being caught around the 1kg mark and they are great fish to catch, putting up a hard fight all the way to the boat. Some big tailor have also entered the lake but landing one is not easy. Nine times out of 10 they end up biting you off. Plenty of flathead are still being caught with the common size around the 40cm mark. Bigger fish over 50cm are a lot harder to come by. The black bream are starting to feed up prior to spawning and are being caught in both the top and bottom lake. They need to

Winter is a great time of year to visit Mallacoota as the place is a lot quieter. Without all the boats on the water it’s a lot easier to find somewhere on your own to wet a line.

front of Gabo is down to Quarry Beach. The water temperature is starting to cool right off, hovering around 15-16ºC at the moment, and it’s only going to get colder. The salmon are turning up on all the local beaches and over the next month the schools will start entering the lake. They are great fun on light gear but on the whole they are voracious eating machines, probably causing more damage eating anything in front of them such as small bream and perch. And with no commercial value the schools get bigger every year. The weed beds haven’t yet grown back after the floods of 2010, but hopefully they are on their way back as they are such a great source of food for the fish in the lake. The sand at the entrance has really been shifting with the entrance moving its way down towards Bastion Point. It has plenty of depth, and as long as the seas are calm there is no problem heading out to sea. The colder water has seen good numbers of silver

. BASS . JEWFISH . F LA

captainkev@wildernessfishingtours.com

of dead flat sea conditions which allowed the locals to get out there and chase a feed of flathead and gummy shark. Some great catches were made for those anglers who were able to get away from the annoying schools of leatherjackets which bite off sinkers, hooks and anything they can get a hold of. The sand flathead have been a

EAM . BR

Kevin Gleed

MALLACOOTA

Bigger flathead have been scarce but there have been plenty of good eating size fish about. do a bit of feeding as both the yellowfin and black bream are not as heavy for their size as when they are in top condition. As

usual there are plenty of smaller bream upstream above Gypsy Point with some decent flathead also being caught.

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Old Town Predator 13 FMG

Stephen Booth sbooth@fishingmonthly.com.au

The Old Town Predator brings a lot of very good kayak innovations into the one package making this one heck of a fishing yak! The company’s statement says ‘The Predator will bring you closer to the water and the action with highly customised features that are engineered to meet the needs of avid anglers and weekend warriors alike’. So let’s take a look at these features and while we are on the water, check out how well they perform.

SEATING This is perhaps the most important consideration for me as my old back just aint what it used to be these days. The Predator uses the Element Seating System, a system that provides three primary positions to offer the user the best seating position for the job at hand. There is the travel setting, the attack setting and the stand-up setting, each providing a different seat arrangement. The travel setting provides a lower centre of gravity to provide more stability. The attack setting provides a raised seat position for fishing and better overall view of the water and

Top: The Mod Pod allows a large degree of customisation for rod holders, sounder and other accessories. Pre-drilled holes and Cannon rod holder slots mean you do not need to do much to have this rig ready to roll. Bottom: The Click Seal Cover is a great way to keep things dry and safe. Super simple operation and a rubber seal underneath that stops water intrusion make this a great addition to the craft.

the stand-up setting allows anglers to stand up and have the Element Seating System quickly flipped out of the way. I played around with all of these settings and found the attack setting the easiest all-round setting. Being a little older and wiser than I used to be, standing up in a yak is something I really don’t do much, however as the seat could fold away I thought I’d better give it a go and found it easy to do and stable with the seat folded away. There was ample room and the strap attached in front of the mod pod allows less nimble users to lever off it to help them stand. On the water, altering the seat was a bit of a drama. I found it easiest to set it where you wanted it and go from there. The seat is absolutely magic. During a full day’s kayaking I did not have any dramas at all with the seating. In fact, as described to me when I picked up the yak, the seat is like being in a lounge chair, and that’s pretty close to the mark! Brilliant and comfortable is a simple summary. EXO-RIDGE FLOORING In a departure from the smooth surfaces found on most yaks, the Predator has incorporated the Exo-Ridge deck. Essentially this feature is a textured design that ensured you and your gear stay as dry as possible while providing grip when standing up. It’s an interesting concept so I thought I would give it a go with shoes and without to see what difference it all made. With shoes (I wear dive booties when yakking) there was absolutely no slipping at all. Without shoes I found the deck ridges a little harsh on my soft office feet. As for keeping dry, the ridge pattern was brilliant and when combined with the one-way scupper stoppers, the craft remained dry all day. I thought the flooring

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The proof is in the pudding. This little Australian bass slammed a Bassman Yallaman spinnerbait in tight to the sticks while we were drifting down the Brisbane River on our test day. Now that’s testing the product! was magic and a really good way of dealing with water in a sit on top kayak as they are all wet. Old Town has been sensible enough to understand water gets in and have developed ways to get the water out! OTHER IMPORTANT ADDITIONS There is a host of other features that make this yak such a good unit in the field for anglers. The large bow hatch with Old Town’s Click Seal Cover has plenty of room for bulky items like a tent, spare clothing or food bags, plus it’s waterproof! The centre console makes use of the Mod Pod Cover, a cover that allows you to essentially customise where rod holders, sounders and other accessories are placed. It also has a drink holder right in the perfect place! Additional storage can be had under the Mod Pod and if options are not enough in the standard position you can turn the entire mod Pod around and create double the positioning options. The foot rests are fully adjustable and there is side mounted paddle storage to keep the paddle safe and out of the way when necessary. Two features I really like and that worked well in the field were the rod tip holders and the really neat one way scupper valves that slot into the 8 scupper holes. The rod tip holders are two angled flaps found on the bow of the yak and when rods are stored along the length of the kayak, the tips slip under these flaps, protecting them, yet maintaining easy access to

If you ignore the legs and booties (hey I never said I was a good looking man!) you’ll notice the easily adjustable foot rests and how close everything is to the skipper. It’s a very well thought out fishing craft. the rod. I will admit to not knowing what these flaps were when I picked up the yak, but they are brilliant in the field. The scupper valves are awesome. Kayaks are wet, or at least when I paddle them they are wet. Scupper holes are pretty standard on most yaks and some even have scupper stoppers, but the Predator has one way scupper valves that allow water out and no water in.

SPECIFICATIONS Length:................................................................ 4m Weight:...........................................................32.7kg Width:............................................................. 0.85m Seat Width:..................................................... 0.54m Seat Height:.................................................... 0.38m Leg Length:.................................................... 1.22m Capacity:.........................................................190kg Price (from):................................................... $2,199

Add these to the Exo-Ridge deck and this craft is really dry underfoot. I found it a brilliant combination to keep you drier, especially for us fair weather yakkers who don’t have the skills or the tendency to bash around in surf-like conditions. I will leave that to those way more talented than me for the moment! Accessories and some clever thinking are everywhere on this kayak.

The Venturi, one-way scupper stoppers are sensational. If water intrudes into the cockpit it can escape through the scupper stoppers but cannot come back in with the ingenious one-way valve. Combined with the Ex-Ridge flooring this craft stays super dry. fantastic. I’ll not say this is a racehorse with all the flighty characteristics of one, but rather it’s more of a reliable trail horse that gives incredible service every time. Long distances in open water would tax paddlers, however if you’re wanting to explore the water closely and poke around while fishing, the Predator 13 is sensational. Our trip down the Brisbane River was a great example of what this yak is perfect for. We travelled with the current, poked in and around all the snags and deeper edges and had some fun tracking through some small rapids. At one point we did travel upstream about 3km and once you had some good momentum going the paddling wasn’t overly difficult, but the trip back down that pool, with the current while fishing was magic.

Stable? Absolutely. I swapped between a baitcaster and a threadline throughout the day and, as you do in a yak, found myself doing all sorts of inventive casts at odd angles and not once did I feel like I was going to tip the craft. Landing fish, crashing through trees while I wasn’t paying attention, resting up against branches and logs, pushing down small rapids and simply paddling were great experiences. There is a lot to be said about a craft that allows you the peace of mind to simply concentrate on fishing rather than concentrate on staying upright, especially for those like me who are solely interested in the fishing side of yakking and not the fitness or distance or challenge of it all. Yaks for me are a means to an end and the Predator 13 is a terrific means to an end for low grade river fishing. I reckon it’d also be great in canal estates, smaller coastal systems and inland lakes as it is simply such a fantastic fishing platform. GET INTO IT Or should that be get on it? The Predator is a really good sit on top kayak that offers an angler a one-stop package where all the work is done for you. The options are almost limitless, the standard inclusions are great and everything works really well in the field. If you want to grab a yak that has the ability to be a one person job, then the Predator is well worth having a look at as it meets a lot of criteria. So did the manufacturer’s claims come up to scratch? Simple answer is yes they did. The Predator is a bloody good kayak, one that will fish a variety of waters and take on a variety of fish with ease.

The rod storage system is fantastic. A bungy cord straps over the but end of the rod while the tip is protected by the soft tip protectors meaning overhanging branches do not snag and snap your rod tips. Great practical idea that works.

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Get Fishing in a Rosco Scamper All set up and ready to go with the sounder mounted on the Mod Pod, threadline stored in the gunwale rod holder and tip stowed safely while the baitcaster is ready to go in the Cannon rod holder. Bring it on fish. The removable mounting plates found all around the craft allow even more customisation and they are strong enough that a Minn Kota will easily be fitted if you want powered yakking. You can put more rod holders, position the sounder exactly where you want, add cutting boards, tie down straps, safety lanyards and more to these mounting plates. And being that this yak was designed for anglers there is a Humminbird transducer scupper included. In fact you can purchase the Predator with three package options and these are the basic unit, a 386CXI DI Humminbird option (as

we tested the craft) and a 798CXI SI option. These options really make this unit buyer friendly as you can super-size the purchase and get one of the best sounders on the market or grab a base unit and add all those extras yourself. I love that idea. ON THE WATER So while the Predator is one of the most well thought out kayaks for anglers I have been in, the big question is always, how does it perform in the real world? And that’s what we wanted to test on the Brissie River one fine day while chasing bass. Launch and retrieve is simple with this kayak and on the water it is

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FIND THE SPECIALTYFISHING.COM.AU LOGO COMPETITION There are 15 specialtyfishing.com.au fish hidden throughout the pages of Fishing Monthly. Find the specialtyfishing.com.au logos and fill out the entry form to go in the draw to win! The first 40 correct entries drawn at the end of the month will win a packet of this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s product. All entries will go into the MAJOR PRIZE DRAW.

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HAWK FISHING • FIND-A-WORD COMPETITION

Unwelcome underwater photo bombers

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FINS SCALES & TALES by A. Both

SUBSCRIBER PRIZE The subscriber prize winners for May were R Cansdell of Bonnet Bay, D Bridge of Swansea, J Vallis of Rylstone, R Banks of Minto, D Shedden of Seven Hills and B Newell of Penrith South, who each an Ecogear lure and accessory pack valued at $125. All subscribers are entered in the monthly subscriber prize draws. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – NSWFM

BARRA COUNTRY by Brett Currie

BITE ME by Trisha Mason

FIND THE SPECIALTY FISHING FISH WINNERS The Find the specialtyfishing.com.au logo prize winners for May were J Hilton of Goondiwindi, C Ramage of Davistown, J Littlewood of Harrington, I Errey of Leeton, A Walters of Narrabri, B Robson of Blaxland, A Ellevsen of Windale, C De Boer of Valentine, B Bailey of Ulladulla, B Stokes of Morwell, T Hainsworth of Warwick, R Chown of Glendenning, T Kennedy of Summerland Point, J Schulte of Parklea, D Ryall of Singleton, S Aniol of Cardiff South, F Seal of Junee , M Quigley of Bega, S Dunford of Young, K Schaerf of Gosford, P Sodermans of Silverdale, J Stranner of Rose Bay, I Necic of Glenfield, J Vagg of Sunshine Bay, L Robinson of Fishermans Paradise, D Upton of Gloucester, M Zarb of Greenwell Point, J Tarrant of Cowra, M Sutton of Georges Hall, S Mulcahy of Taree, C Brown of Binnaway, J Blevins of Harrington, R Foy of Llandilo, P Earley of Old Bar, M King of Pitt Town, D Chandler of Theodore , N Moody of Sans Souci, D Jones of Morisset Park, R Micallef of Llandilo, D Luke of Batemans Bay who each won a packet of Hot Shotz pre-rig. Prize delivery takes up to 8 weeks. – NSWFM

FIND THE SPECIALTY FISHING MAY LOCATIONS

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FIND-A-WORD WINNER Congratulations to Adrian Booth of Sydney, who was last month’s winner of the Hawk Tournament Find-a-Word Competition! Monthly winners receive Hawk Tournament Tested Bayer Perlon IGFA line, assorted Panther Martin lures, Youvella hooks and a keyring. Prize delivery can take 8 weeks. – NSWFM 2

• DECEMBER 2010

JULY 2014

Winter whiteness CANBERRA

Bryan Pratt

At this time of the year in Canberra the view of the nearby Brindabellas and more distant Snowy Mountains commonly is dominated by whiteness. The snow season has arrived and that means any anglers who want to continue fishing during the coldest part of the year have some serious thinking to do. SPAWNING RUNS Because of perceived

problems with trout populations in Eucumbene and Jindabyne, especially rainbows, all the attention this season has been on the spawning runs of browns and rainbows up the Thredbo and Eucumbene rivers and the opportunity to do a head count of the fish. The browns have already made their big run, although there are still a few stragglers to come, and the numbers to date look quite satisfying. Huge numbers of fish, many in the 2-4kg range but with occasional specimens over

Top: Craig Dawson shows how well conditioned the brown trout were on their spawning run up the Eucumbene River. Fish like this should produce plenty of healthy offspring. Bottom: To help attract fish during the quiet times of the year, keep your hands free of odours and try using attractants such as aniseed oil and soap on flies, lures and baits.

6kg, made their way up to the spawning grounds in late May and June, and July is yet to come. Anglers had a lot of fun catching them on fly and lure, mostly with the Glo Bug and nymph rig, then releasing them to go on their way. The fish generally were in excellent condition and that augurs well for the future populations in the reservoirs. Browns of course are selfsustaining and none need to be stocked in the lakes. By the time the stream season closed in June anglers were well satisfied that overall there were no serious problems with the browns. It may be a different situation with the rainbows. We know from experience during 2013 and 2014 that something has gone wrong with the rainbow population in both lakes. Quite simply they weren’t there, or if they were there anglers mostly couldn’t catch them, and nobody knows why. One way to find out if the numbers really have dropped, as many anglers believe, is to do a count during the spawning run. Rainbows generally make their major spawning run in August and September with stragglers in October, so we are all waiting to see the count for both the Thredbo and Eucumbene Rivers. Keep your fingers crossed that there will be enough fish to trap and strip for Gaden Hatchery to then produce enough fingerlings to do their annual stocking of the lakes. Rainbows are not self-sustaining and require stocking every year in order to maintain a suitable population for recreational angling. LAKE FISHING PROSPECTS Bait, lure and fly fishing in the main body of Jindabyne and Eucumbene has been hard lately and is unlikely to improve until the hungry browns return from spawning

Strong-smelling, self-berleying baits such as bardi grubs are likely to be most effective on trout and native fish throughout the coldest part of the season. and scatter around the lake. You could put in the hours with lure and fly but expect the pickings to be slim. Catches will mostly be browns, and the rainbows probably will remain mysteriously hard to find. Bait fishers may fare best, especially if they use baits with plenty of odour, such as scrub worms or bardi grubs, and use attractants such as aniseed oil or various commercial preparations. URBAN LAKES Fish are mostly quiet in Canberra’s urban lakes but an occasional Murray cod, golden perch or redfin can be taken on lure or bait. The best lures for cod are big spinnerbaits, big deep divers and surface lures. The spinnerbaits produce a lot of flash to attract the fish’s

o’clock in the morning when the temperature is around -5ºC and the edges of the lake are crackling with ice. Anglers also are reminded to take heed of health warnings issued in relation to blue-green algal blooms that have affected Canberra’s lakes this season. The problem has been especially bad in Burley Griffin, and one angler fishing there developed a bout of severe nausea and vomiting, possibly from direct contact with the algae or from ingesting encrusted algal material on the bank. He is seeking appropriate medical attention. WYANGALA VARIABLE Wyangala Reservoir was patchy but well worth a try early in the winter. Bait fishers around Grabine reported plenty

captures of Murray cod, golden perch, redfin and the occasional trout. Most of the cod have come from the Main Basin, with a few from the Murrumbidgee and Yass River arms. The best lures have been large deep divers and spinnerbaits, trolled or cast and retrieved, and many of the fish have been over 1m in length. Bait fishers have taken some nice specimens also on live yabbies and shrimps and on bardi grubs. Bardi grubs are highly effective because they are selfberleying with a great odour that Murray cod in particular find irresistible. They should be the top bait during the rest of winter. Golden perch have shown in large numbers around flooded trees in the

DAM LEVELS

Dam

% Full

Dam

% Full

Blowering............................. 55

Glennies Creek....................... 88

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

Hume.................................. 45

Burrendong........................... 19

Jindabyne............................. 73

Burrinjuck............................. 56

Keepit.................................. 18

Carcoar................................ 28

Lostock................................ 94

Chaffey................................ 38

Oberon................................. 65

Clarrie Hall........................... 99

Pindari................................. 17

Copeton............................... 33

Split Rock............................. 20

Dartmouth............................. 89

Tantangara............................ 37

Eucumbene........................... 35

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

Glenbawn............................. 89

Windamere........................... 50

Glenlyon............................... 38

Wyangala............................. 45

(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.) 60

JULY 2014

The Eucumbene River was crowded with anglers seeking a trophy brown during the spawning run in June but the season has now closed. The rainbows can travel on their spawning run with no disturbance from anglers until the season reopens in October. attention and the bulkiness of the lures may prove enticing enough to result in a strike. Surface lures are still a bit of an enigma but are well worth a try. They are great to use in weedy lakes where there are problems with sub-surface lures, and although the hook-up rate is generally poor the great splash and noise of a boof are a reward in their own right. Surface lures are most successful at night, especially between 2-4am, but it’s hard to climb out of the cot at 2

of small golden perch on scrub worms, but with incessant numbers of carp. Conversely, just up the Abercrombie Arm anglers reported the sounder being black with large fish and they landed impressive numbers of goldens to 3.5kg on dark Predatek Boomerang deep divers. This area could be well worth a look right through the rest of winter. BURRINJUCK SUCCESS Burrinjuck has been the standout fishery in our region this season, with excellent

reservoir, especially up the Murrumbidgee Arm. Good bags have been taken on Jackalls and other bibless minnows, and on deep divers such as Burrinjuck Specials and deep-diving Rapala minnows. Bait fishers have done extremely well with bobbed shrimps, yabbies, scrub worms and green saltwater prawns. A reasonable proportion of these fish are likely to remain active during the remainder of winter.

Redfin spawn happening BATLOW

Wayne Dubois waynedubois@westnet.com.au

Now that winter is in full swing the local redfin populations at Blowering and Burrinjuck dams will start trying to spawn. Now is easily the best time of the year to try to catch not only great numbers of redfin but also the big trophy sized models. The majority of fish are still feeding but they are also being competitive with each other for the best positions beside the biggest and healthiest females. This is good news for anglers as you don’t have to find

of these schooled redfin but it is possible to reach these deep holding fish from the bank also. If you are bank bound, the best place to fish is around any steep points or large drop-offs. Bait off these points will do the job but the best results will come from repeat casting with soft plastics rigged on fairly heavy jigheads between 1/4oz and 5/8oz. Alternatively you can try spinners, lipless crankbaits, vibes or blades. If you have a boat you can find schools with a good sounder or by trolling small extra deep diving lures. Once you’ve located a school, the best way to get big numbers is by

that they are now a viable target themselves. Golden perch to well over 5kg and 60cm in length are now thriving in this lake, as are the stocked Murray cod. On a recent trip there I actually targeted Murray cod and was lucky enough to land six of them, one of which measured 92cm. It just goes to show that this lake has the potential to be a trophy golden perch and Murray cod fishery as well as a trophy trout and redfin lake. LAKE TROUT With the trout season now closed on the creeks and rivers, anglers wanting a trout fix will have to hit

Although the trout season has closed there’s still a chance at tangoing with a trophy sized trout in the lakes as these fish head back from their spawning efforts up river. They’re hungry and keen to hit any well presented bait, lure or fly. and there is no need to cast too far. Most hungry fish will be patrolling the shallows for food so remember this and keep your bait close to the edges and you should hook a heap of fish. Lure anglers will also do very well this month. Small hardbodies under 5cm long will be your best bet, but bright spinners, soft plastics and blades will also account for plenty of fish this month. Fly anglers will find it hard to beat stripping wet flies like Mrs Simpsons,

Woolly Buggers, Hamills Killers, Tom Jones or any other generalist wet fly. It also pays to have a small nymph trailing for those more finicky fish. Start with a slow figure-of-eight retrieve, and if this doesn’t work you should really get those flies working with some fairly quick strips to get those fish excited and keen to chase your flies down. Flyfishing this way generates some smashing strikes and is great fun when fishing light gear. The best lakes to hit this month for your trout

fix are Jounama Dam, Tantangra Dam, Talbingo Dam, 3 Mile Dam, Paddys River Dam and Eucumbene Dam. No matter which lake you decide to hit this month it will be very cold, so rug up before you go and take a spare set of clothes just in case. If you are dressed appropriately you don’t really feel the cold and can enjoy your day’s fishing, but if you aren’t warm enough it can make for a very long day on the water! At this time of the year it definitely pays to overdress rather then underdress.

Want better fishing? It’s not just big trout and redfin in Jounama Dam – there is now a good population of natives like this 92cm Murray cod caught by the author recently. There are also golden perch well over 60cm in the lake. structure now to find these fish, you just need to find a female and where there is a female there’s sure to be 50 or more males in very close proximity. Almost all lures dropped in front of these fish will get eaten either out of hunger or aggression, as they attempt to keep the opposition away or eat it if possible. Jigging is easily the best way to take advantage

jigging with ice jigs, soft plastics, blades or lipless crankbaits. On a good day jigging in the right areas it’s not uncommon to catch well over a hundred fish. JOUNAMA DAM This smallish dam is normally renowned for sensational trophy-sized trout and redfin fishing, but over the last couple of seasons the native numbers have picked up so much

the lakes. This is not a bad thing as winter is probably the best time of the year to target them in the lakes anyway. The majority of brown trout will be back from the annual spawning run and they will be very hungry and keen to hit anything that swims to close to them. Bait anglers should be able to pick up fish on worms, grubs or Powerbait

FISHING FILL-ITS

New colours in Ecogear CX 35HS The Ecogear CX 35HS (High-Sound) deep diving hard-body crank is a hybrid of the SX and CK range, taking the best parts of both and mixing them together to create an all new lure. The CX incorporates design features that allow you to fish greater distances and deeper depths than ever before. A balanced design allows the angler to perform many different techniques with its enticing action and rattle combination. The body design gives the angler the

ability to prolong the duration of the retrieve at the required depth, and the advanced weight transfer system improves casting distance and accuracy. This gives the angler fantastic directional accuracy even in windy conditions.

Now available in popular colours 359, 373 and 374, the Ecogear CX 35HS has a recommended retail price of $22.95. Log onto www.ecogear.com. au to see the full colour range. – JML

More Habitat = More Fish = Better Fishing

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JULY 2014

Crystal ball for July JINDABYNE

Steve Williamson swtrout@airlan.com.au

With the first snow falls on the mountains for the winter season, the brown trout are well on their way for their annual spawning run and the rainbows are getting edgy as well. A more normal spawning season this year. If you remember my reports last year you would have read that due to the rain in April and May the rainbows moved early, even sooner

are currently experiencing will not continue well into spring and early summer as it did in 2013. During winter, it doesn’t matter what method of fishing you are doing as long as you remember the fish are close to the edges, and you need not cast out too far. In particular this year with the lake so high, there is a lot more cover for fish to hide in and around. Trolling is one of my favourite ways to catch trout in winter – you just sit back, relax and wait for the fish to bite. If you’re out in a

With the first snow falls, the brown trout are well on their way for their annual spawning run. that the browns which was very unusual. This year, however, it was a much drier weather pattern and the browns spawned first which is how it happens normally. This year the lake level is quite high again and I see no reason why the fantastic shore-based angling that we

boat on the lake over winter, trolling lures a lot slower than you would in summer is also the way to increase the number of trout you catch. The best lures to use when trolling the lake for big trout in winter are the jointed Rapalas in various colours, as it seems that their

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action is what the trout like most. Tasmanian Devil lures in pink 55, orange 57 and brown number Y48 are the best on the rainbow trout. Y82 and holographic are another couple of colours worth a try. Trolling flies off fly lines (harling) is also very productive in winter and trolling flies on lead core lines during the middle of the day produces some big browns if you stay just over the weed beds. We have some flies in my shop that are designed for trolling and can be dynamite over the weed beds on the lake. Good areas for trolling this month are the South Arm, the Snowy Arm, East Jindabyne islands and Hayshed Bay. July is also the time when we get most of our snow on the mountains and the weather can change very quickly, so always check for any major changes before heading out in a boat. It takes only minutes for the lake to go from mirror flat to over metre high waves and 100km/h winds. Just remember that when on a boat all rugged up, sometimes with waders on, you are dicing with death if you aren’t wearing a life vest. If you were to fall into the water (which is getting colder by the day), once you get wet there’s a very good chance that you will die. Even if you manage to avoid drowning from having all your wet clothes drag you to the bottom or your waders fill with water, you could still fall victim to hypothermia, which sets in fast. We have seen far too many anglers die on our waterways this year and I don’t want to see any more. Wearing a lifejacket isn’t the be-all and end-all though – while it will save you from drowning it won’t save you from hypothermia, it will just make it easier to find your body. The safest option is to always fish with a buddy or stay close to town when people from the shore can at least see your boat if you get into trouble. Spinning from the shore of the lake is another method that works well during winter, and Tasmanian Devils are probably the best lures to use in the middle of the day. Colours like pink number 55, yellow wing number 36 and brown number 48 work best at a slow retrieve. A variety of soft plastics work better when the fish are off the bite and hard plastics and metal lures aren’t catching fish. Plastics work at this time possibly due to the smell that is impregnated into these products, and the smaller the better. It’s best if they are also natural or cold colours for the inlets and orange or pink for

Warren Hicks rugged up for winter fishing. open water. The Strike Tiger range of plastics have been great in Lake Jindabyne, especially the 3” curl tail princess pink and vodka ‘n’ orange. If you are flyfishing

about at the moment so it is best to put mucilin on your line to keep it floating above the bottom. You can also suspend a bait under a float and if you want to use artificial bait (most floats)

Ian McDonald wasn’t put off by the rain, and was rewarded with this quality brown. JULY ROUNDUP – THE BEST OF THE BEST Best method: Bait fishing Best depth: Scrubworms teamed with artificial bait fished off the bottom Best lake lure: Tasmanian Devil in pink 55 or Holographic. Rapala Pinky trout 7cm Best lake area: Claypits and Banjo Patterson Park Best fly method: Williamson’s Gold Fish or a similar fly to represent the food the fish are feeding on Best river: Rivers closed, will reopen on Saturday 5 October or spinning with lures you have to also be aware that you need to slow down your retrieve and leave the fly or lure in the fish’s face for longer. Bait fishing is a very productive method of fishing in winter and simple rigs work best. Worms and artificial baits have always been a favourite way of winter fishing and always bring results. When worm fishing use plenty of tiger worms or a single scrub worm, and fish them off the bottom using a running sinker. There is a lot of weed

try a little split shot on the hook to keep the bait down. As the fish move about the lake so much over in winter there is no particular spot better than another, but a hint is shallow water early and late and slightly deeper water in the bright sunny parts of the days – but not too deep! Fly fishing has been very good and you will see fish cruising if you have your polaroid glasses on. Polaroiding trout is best done on the sunnier days and that is the time I like to fly fish the lake anyway. I

never have gone much on fly fishing when it is snowing or during the cold winter nights. A well presented fly, something like a brown nymph, a Mrs Simpson or a well presented shrimp pattern will get good results during the winter months. Don’t forget my Williamson’s Gold Fish when fishing the quite weedy bays. The best areas for winter polaroiding in Jindabyne are Creel Bay, Hatchery Bay, Sids Bay and the Kalkite end of the lake. Good areas to try at this time of the year are, The Snowy Arm, Creel Bay and Wollondibby Inlet is excellent after rain. Best of luck with your winter fishing and if coming down to Jindabyne over the next few months, call in and get the latest fishing information at Steve Williamson’s Trout Fishing shop 1 ‘Snowline Centre, Kosciuszko road (next to the Shell servo). I run fishing tours right through winter so why not come and catch a monster trout or Atlantic salmon on Lake Jindabyne. My shop is also open 7 days a week during winter with extended hours over July and August. NOTE July and August are the months when the township of Jindabyne is flat out with snow skiers and most accommodation is either booked out or very expensive. However, since you don’t need to get out of bed early to catch a trout in winter, you can always stay in towns close by where there is accommodation at more affordable rates. Cooma, Berridale and Dalgety are towns that come to mind that have great accommodation at reasonable rates. If you want the very latest reports almost on a daily basis, check out my Facebook page at www. facebook.com/pages/ Steve-Williamsons-LakeJindabyne-Trout-FishingAdventures.

Fortune favours the brave LITHGOW/OBERON

Glen Stewart stewie72@bigpond.com

The month of July can sort out the men from the boys in the fishing department around these parts. The weather can be brutal at times so dressing correctly is the key. There are some very innovative products out there so you don’t necessarily have to feel like you have half your wardrobe on. Do your research, buy the best you can afford and you’ll be staying out there comfortable and warm when everyone else is heading home. You don’t catch fish in your lounge room. A day comes to mind not so long ago up at TCD

than Muz so he must have been feeling really cold. I was warm as toast and keen to stay, but I eventually relented and we headed off. THOMPSONS CREEK DAM For most anglers TCD can be a very frustrating place to fish at this time of year. You can see big rainbow trout cruising past in plain view most of the time, the water is crystal clear with 10/15ft visibility, and you throw everything at them for no result. There are a few little factors that can make a difference on the tough days though. One way is to forget about the rainbows. “What?” I hear you say. “This guy is nuts!” Seriously though, there is a good population of

light line (as light as you dare) long leaders, staying low and concealed, mid-week, crappy weather… these are just a few things that might throw the odds in your favour. Lures to use can vary greatly. The fish can do some pretty silly things at times. Sometimes you’re like, “I have tried everything in my box, there is no way they are going to grab this.” The next thing you’re on! Flyfishing for them is possibly the most consistent way to target these fish. The ability of the fly rod to deliver such a small offering in a delicate presentation has no parallel (in the right hands). Remember most of these fish are in full-on spawning mode and are eating very little. Sometimes though they can

Running a good spread of lures that are all running at different depths is good early on. Once you can see a level that is holding more fish, switch over and target this depth. Extra deep small crankbaits can be deadly. If you can find some that are 50/60mm in length but still get to 4-5m you are on the money. Running next gen thin braid right to the lure can also squeeze another meter or so out of most lures. Visibility at this depth is limited and the line doesn’t seem to deter to many fish. It’s a reaction strike as the lure trundles past, most times. Soft bodied lipless crankbaits can be good on loose groups of bigger fish. Lob the lure out there, let it get down to depth and work it vigorously up and down but stay semi-connected to the lure on the drop. By that I mean just a small amount of slack line. If the line tics jumps sideways rear back and set the hook. These loose groups are generally better quality fish and I think the competition between them for food is high. I hope to see you on the water soon, and until then tight lines.

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STACER 429 SEAWAY BMT • Yamaha F40 FETL 4 stroke • Bimini • Nav Lights • Rego & Safety Gear Murray just about got blown over in the wind on this day but hung around long enough to catch this great fish.

Light as you dare in the leader department can cost you fish and lures. This is my last OSP Power Dunk. Rainbow trout are powerful fish with speed to burn, but you know what they say: better to have loved and lost. (Thompsons Creek Dam). It was an early blast from the deep south, with a huge low pressure system pushing up, dropping snow and temperatures as it went. The wind was incredible. I was fishing with my son Murray, and at one stage I turned around to see him almost get blown off his feet. We were catching fish though… good ones. However, Murray’s clothing was not quite up to scratch and an hour in he was pleading with me to go home. You will not get anyone keener

very healthy brown trout in the dam that are not in the same spawning realm as the rainbows. You can use different tactics to target the browns, and the added bonus is you may just catch a rainbow trout in a late pre-spawn. By switching over to small micro soft plastics and fishing slow near the bottom you will catch some good post-spawn hungry browns. If you really want to stick with those big, dark, hook jaw rainbows, there are a few things you can try. Low light,

be very aggressive towards bigger presentations so keep this in mind. BIG REDFIN Our other northern hemisphere winter species are well suited to the colder water temperatures, and I really enjoy my winter sorties on the redfin. The numbers are way down but the size of some of the fish can well and truly make up for it. You’ll find that 40cm+ models give a good account of themselves on light gear and their table quality is second to none in the freshwater stakes. Something that floats – whether it be a boat, tub, yak or canoe – with a good sounder is a big plus. This allows you to troll to find any concentrations of fish and then target them. If the fish are scattered it’s possibly best to leave the trolling lures out. It’s a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Redfin tend to be pelagic in nature, happily swimming out in open water. Having said that, some bigger specimens will come off some drowned trees and structure so keep this in mind.

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Scoring schooled fish MAITLAND

Dave McLean djfmclean@bigpond.com

July can be the hardest month to catch fish in our local impoundments as the water temperature starts to bottom out in the low teens. Winter fishing for bass in this area is generally a tough proposition but I still like to fish for them, especially on some of those nice days when there is little wind. Towards the beginning of winter we experienced some very warm days, and the water temperature in the dams didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fall very much. On some days the surface layer was actually warmer. This can make locating the fish very hard but from past years I would suggest fishing around heavy timber. You should also do a lot of sounding, as the bass in particular could be still out on the sheltered flats in around 10m of water. I would expect to see a definite thermocline around this depth and probably about 5m wide. This is where you should target the open schools of fish.

Here you can see baitfish sitting in a welldefined thermocline between 20-40ft.

Greg and China on a winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s day at Glenbawn with some quality bass jigged up on ice jigs. There have been some reasonable catches of bass and the odd golden coming from both St Clair and Glenbawn. These fish were caught using live bait dropped down around the timber, and also ice jigs and plastics in amongst the schools out in the

Bass active in treetops in very deep water. They were caught casting lipless crankbaits across the top. The fish were in the thermocline.

open around 10-15m. A successful day might not produce a lot of fish but those you catch might be in prime condition, especially the goldens. You need to make an adjustment to your methods during winter and the low water temperatures. The

strike zone of the fish has now greatly diminished with the reduction of their metabolism. A key ingredient for a successful day is to fish slowly but still put in a lot of effort. A winter bass or golden will not venture too far to strike the lure so you need to keep

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it in their strike zone longer to achieve a better result. ST CLAIR This dam is very clear at present and at its current depth there is very little cover along the banks. It can still be a good option to work along these banks if they have received some

onshore wind using lipless crankbaits or hardbodies. I like to use neutral buoyancy lures or jerkbaits as they can be worked very slowly. Some good areas to try are around Gindigah Point, Perkins Point and Wallaroo Point if there have been some westerlies

blowing. Another area is down around Alcorn and St Clair islands. The deeper school bass appear more often up the arms, for example the hump off Redhead corner in 10-15m in the Fallbrook. Up the Carrowbrook they usually appear around that

A fat bass from Glenbawn caught deep blading in 45ft of water.

depth in the Carrowbrook at the 8knt zone and up around the timber off Walker Bay in the river channel. This month flyfishing and walking the banks can be very productive casting small hardbodies and Betts Spins. Trollers can grab a few fish working deep lures along the deeper water that follows the river, especially up the Carrowbrook. Some good lures are Stuckeys, Halcos, Feralcatts and the locally produced Marz Lures. Go for a dark pattern with stripes. Bait fishers can have some success dropping worms or yabbies along the side of the bigger timber. GLENBAWN Glenbawn is still holding plenty of water, and when the winds hit it can get very cold out on the water. Up the back of the dam is the best option in July. Fish in tight to the timber and also the walls and banks that face north. Drop lures or plastics into the timber, along with plenty of scent, and move from tree to tree to find the fish. A good sounder with Downscan and Sidescan is an ideal way to find the fish in amongst the trees. There are usually some schooled fish holding up the back in the 15-20m areas adjacent to the old

river channel, and these are best targeted using ice jigs, blades and plastics. Bait fishers and trollers can also have some success up the back.

Another option to try up along the edge of the Panhandle and along to the Ruins is to troll Jackall TN60s with the occasional pause.

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Winter no obstacle TAMWORTH

Adam Mears adam.mears@hotmail.com

By now some anglers may be rugged up on the sofa, others at the pub enjoying a hearty meal and reminiscing about those warm summer nights out along the river. However, on those cold evenings the fishing hasn’t slowed down. If you truly live and breathe fishing it’s just a matter of wearing appropriate warm clothing and having a good headlamp to get around all the obstacles. On recent trips out on the

Cockburn and Peel rivers, we’ve found that the low water levels have extended the bite window for our native fish. Surface lures are still working very well while other presentations seem to go unnoticed. In particular, the 90mm surface paddlers from Legohead Lures have come through with spectacular results. The breeding season for the Murray cod from the last 2-3 years seems to have been fruitful as we have been experiencing a great run of small fish in the 40-50cm bracket. It’s a great sign that they are breeding well in the

system and that there are still some breading females doing their job. The golden perch seem to have come to a complete halt for those casting from the banks. The bait anglers have been faring a little better for those fishing yabbies and worms north of town. NORTH If you enjoy chasing redfin the cold snap seems to have them schooled up and hungry. Heading out towards Kentucky Creek or Malpas Dam around the Armidale region, chasing these delectable imports is a great way to get into lure fishing.

A beautifully marked Murray cod caught at midday. Find the warm water and you’ll find the fish.

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Footy anyone? Thick golden perch can be real battlers in the sticks. This one took a Balista Dyno in 3m of water. Malpas Dam is a family friendly area with many areas to set up for a picnic, and there is normally plenty of action to keep the kids entertained. A small ball sinker running straight down to a no. 8 worm hook baited with a few worms or a cooked prawn is almost a sure thing. For those anglers who cast lures, anything with red of orange appeals very strongly to these introduced lure lovers. Small size 3 Celtas and shallow diving minnows have been the more productive lures of late, but soft plastics in the 2-3” sizes like the Mikado range of grubs have also caught their share. I like to rig my plastics weedless in many of the small dams as the thick vegetation around the edges can be a real pain with majority of lures if they don’t have some sort of weed guard. If you have access to a kayak, Dumaresq Dam at Armidale is a great little dam and worth the effort in this cold weather. It’s only 12km out of town and isn’t a bad fishery if you ask me. It holds good numbers of rainbow trout and redfin but getting though the small fish can be an uphill battle at times. CHAFFEY DAM Firing or not firing, that is the question. Generally I don’t fish Chaffey Dam though the winter as its golden perch population slows down considerably, but recent reports indicate they have been explosive. One angler reported 15 yellowbelly in a single session, mostly taken

around the edges where the Peel River runs into the dam. Trolling big hardbody lures in Chaffey also accounts for a handful of XOS cod each year but they are few and far between. The silver perch are still around in numbers, most falling to worm baits around the weed. If you are targeting the silvers make sure you downsize your hooks as their small mouths are suited to worm hooks in sizes 10-14. The hooks still need to be strong though. These days I use Owner brand for the majority of my hooks as the quality is excellent and worth the extra money.

plenty of fish coming on the bite. Slow rolling plastics vertically around the trees was a great technique with Gulp 3” Grubs and Shrimp a great option to start with. Following the old river bed in 14m is a good way to locate the better concentrations of fish. The big cod renowned for their winter assaults in the dam have so far been a no show, but so has the frost. Keep your eyes open as we superstitious fishermen have a saying: “if there’s frost on the ground, cod will be around.” Persistence will be the key to finding these fish so stick with it. Rewards will come. The edges of the dam

Romen Dicodski with a brace of late Keepit goldens caught during the AYC round on Lake Keepit. LAKE KEEPIT At last awake from its slumber, the recent rain has caused the fishing in Lake Keepit to come alive. Recently we hosted the Australian Yellowbelly Championships and it didn’t disappoint, with

around the back of Taylors Square are extremely shallow so be careful as there have been a few near misses and horror stories from a few unlucky anglers. I’ll see you out on the water.

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Murrumbidgee low and clear WAGGA WAGGA

Scott McAuliffe

The past two months have offered some of the best lure fishing conditions for the Murrumbidgee for quite a while. A low and clear river has exposed a huge amount of structure along the banks, and the clear water means fish can see your lure from a long distance and the slow flow means you can really target a particular snag with ease. The last time the river was this easy to fish would be just before the 2010 floods. In saying this, there is every chance that Snowy Hydro are turning the taps at Blowering and Burrinjuck on as I write this, and these conditions may not last long. Spinnerbaits are probably just outshining hardbodies but realistically both are working well. Land-based anglers seem to be doing very well and it’s a very rewarding technique. Pack a small backpack with a few lures, leader, pliers, fish grips and a bottle of water and just go for a walk and ping a few casts around each snag you come across. It offers some very challenging fights when you don’t

have the manoeuvrability of a boat to help guide the fish away from the structure. I have found that 70-90mm hardbodies and medium sized Colorado bladed spinnerbaits in reds and purples have been the standouts. EUCUMBENE With the close of the rivers and streams last month, the amount of anglers frequenting the lake have has decreased significantly, which is the norm for this time of year. At least for the next two months we will see an inundation of snow lovers into the Snowy

While angler numbers do decrease through winter, it’s normally the idea of being cold more so than bad fishing that keeps people away. Don’t let the cold put you off as some of the best fishing can be had throughout these colder months. One of the most appealing factors from my point of view is that the fish don’t tend to turn on until well after sunrise when the water temps might have increased slightly. There is no need to be on the water before first light; sleep in, have a cooked breakfast and hit the water

months. Anywhere from Anglers Reach down to Providence will be worth a shot as we should start to see the browns returning to the lake after their taxing run up the river. These fish will cruise the edges and feed heavily to return to their pre-spawning condition. Similarly the rainbows will be starting to head up for their spawn run. These fish will also be feeding heavily along the edges of the lake in order to prepare themselves for a tiring spawn run. Lure, bait and fly fished close to shore will almost

The land based fishing at Eucumbene will really start to pick up over the next couple of months as we start to see the big browns returning from their spawn run. They will be cruising very close to the shoreline so be sure to work your lure or fly right back to your feet.

Big Murray cod will be on the agenda from now up until the close of the season. Big hardbodies and spinnerbaits fished slow and close to structure will put you in with the best chance of tangling with one. Mountains, the ski season does wonders for the local economies in the Snowies.

at 9am or 10am. All methods will work over the next couple of

certainly pick up fish throughout the day, and it shouldn’t matter whether

you’re boat or land-based. Most of my success on post-spawning trophy browns has come from fishing big lures and flies along the bottom contour. My favourite technique is slow hopping a 3.5” black and gold PowerBait T-tail Minnow (any dark plastic

should work). The last two seasons have seen me pick up a number of fish between 6lb and 8lb as well as memorable 10.2lb. The big browns feed heavily on the local yabby population and I believe this technique is the best imitation of these.

Low levels the highlight MOAMA

Ian Page

Over the past few months we have seen very low levels of water throughout our local river systems, this in turn has seen anglers vary techniques that may not have normally been used this far into winter.

For those with sounders, it is important to select the areas to sight fish then work those spots over up to 5 or 6 runs. This may be over only a few 100m to stir the fish up and cause a strike. Too many of us, and I have been guilty of it as well, get lazy and think it’s just a matter of trolling a lure out the back and waiting. I am not sure if the

turned the boat for one last run and all of a sudden success strikes! This doesn’t mean that I don’t have a large range of lures, as I believe in light or dark shades on different days and climatic conditions can be beneficial. The low water levels also give anglers prepared to walk the banks and cast lures the opportunity to catch some

The river is low giving you a great look at what lays below. Walking the bank has been an easy option but if you can access some deeper water, boat fishing has given up some spectacular fish.

This little cod of just over 50cm nailed a PML S-Baitz for a lucky angler walking the bank of the Murray upstream of Echuca. The low levels have produced extremely good water clarity, which in turn has avid lure anglers licking their lips.

lure colour is more or less significant than the techniques, I have had days lately where instead of changing the lure I have

large natives. Spinnerbaits often produce great results with similar methods of repeated casts in an area to arouse the fish.

For those bait fishing the best baits are scrub worms or yabbies, the latter keeping some of the pesty carp away a little longer. Fisheries are opening the cray season on 1 June. I know many who are looking forward to getting out the nets that were packed away last year and venture to their favourite spots and catch our freshwater crays. It is vital that people observe all the

current regulations regarding crays, so the species are sustainable for future anglers. I have been getting some strong reports of redfin taking small yabbies in the local irrigation channels, and I suspect the Campaspe and Goulburn would be similar. I would also throw some small lures into these streams while having the bait rod out to see which will be the most effective.

With only a few weeks left until we go into our closed cod season, it is the perfect time to get out on the water and hunt for our mighty Murray cod. Good luck and good fishing! • For the latest fishing and boating information in the Echuca/Moama region, drop into Boats and More’s Echuca store at 76 Northern Hwy or give them a call on (03) 5482 1992. JULY 2014

Natives smashing lures ROBINVALE

Rod Mackenzie codmac@bigpond.net.au

Since I last put pen to paper the fishing has been nothing short of amazing as anglers enjoy some of the best native fishing seen along the Murray River in years.

not huge compared to some impoundment run goldens, but in the Murray these are quality fish indeed. Most goldens landed of late have been caught on larger lures and they are most often caught with the whole single treble engulfed, pinning the fish’s mouth on all three hooks. Far from happenstance,

even smaller baitfish, hence the three-way pin. It’s been nothing to land a bag of large golden perch in a single session all hooked in the same manner and all on lures over the 120mm mark. This is great considering we are chasing cod, and they too have been keen to smash larger lures along many sections of the Murray River this past month. Starting at Robinvale, good numbers of large perch and a few Murray cod have been caught on both bait and lures. There are still no large cod in this area though. This tells me that although the fish ladder is reportedly in operation, it clearly isn’t working. If it were, we would be getting much better reports from anglers fishing the Robinvale pool water. Hop below the weir at Euston and it’s a whole

Tim Polis with a thumping Murray cod taken on the troll in the Murray River. different story, with good numbers of large cod on the chew with several up to and over the 120cm mark caught over the past month or so.

Tara Gallespie and Terry Himona with an early morning cod that scoffed a 120mm Codzilla on the troll. The golden perch have been on big time, smashing both bait and lures with gusto and among them some real honkers up to and above the 55cm mark. Now I know that’s

this sort of take has been occurring on lures as big as 170mm. After thinking on this it’s quite clear the goldens are mistaking the small flashing hooks on the undercarriage as

Some thumping perch have been landed on larger lures like this ripper caught by Gareth Lynch on a 120 Codzilla.

The water clarity has been excellent along most of the Murray since the irrigation demands stopped, and even the diehard bait fishos are chancing their hand at bouncing a few lures along the floor of the Murray in the hopes they too will land a monster cod. The weather in May was sensational with many days reaching into the mid-20s, slowing the drop in water temperature and extending the red hot run of fish. Most anglers caught cod and amongst them some real bruisers up to and over the good old fashioned 100lb mark. Trolling has been most productive with larger lures proving their worth. We landed some excellent cod on lures as big as 200mm and more. With the threat of winter on our door the water temp

will quickly drop away and the fishing will start to slow. What we lose in numbers we will find in quality though, as the big fish will start to hunt the schooling pyberry (bony bream). Mid-water trolling will now take the lure out of the snag zone and into open water where the strikes can come from nowhere. Talk about frighteneing the bejesus out of you but it’s the best scare you’ll ever get! The fisho in me loves this time of year where the cod are large and the warmth of a good campfire takes the chill from the bones at day’s end. As good as the fishing has been, it should continue well into winter with plenty of big fish opportunities for those who understand that some days are slow but the rewards are worth the effort.

Cool cod reward frosty fingers MULWALA

Tony Bennett codclassic@bigpond.com

Frosty fingers, a chilly snout and a great lump of a green fish could be your reward if you are prepared to put in the effort over the next month or two on the mighty Lake Mulwala. Catch rates are starting to thin a little but what is being reported is of quality. Without wanting to sound like a broken record, trolling larger lures will be your best option. Depending on where in the lake you’re fishing, there are endless choices of 100mm+ sized lures that can be worked at any depth from 2-12m. A slow, wide, enticing action is what to look for in a hardbodied lure with brands like AC, Custom Craft, StumpJumpers, Humptys, Codgers, Secret Creek, Kuttafurra, Gidgee and Koolabung being the standouts. Looking back, May proved to be a great month as the magnificent autumn 68

JULY 2014

weather continued longer than expected. Where fishos lost a week or two early in the season during January due to extreme heat, it was made up for in May and was well

worth waiting for. Trolling and casting both accounted for numerous cod and the editorial Booth and some of his mates managed to scare up a few cod to the 79cm

This 79cm Murray cod took a liking to a purple Custom Crafted Fish Stik for Marc Ainsworth on a recent trip to Mulwala.

mark on cast lures in early May. They also managed quite a few good goldens to 54cm with lures like the StumpJumper No.2, Custom Crafted Extractor and Fish Stik and spinnerbaits from Bassman doing most of the damage. But my fish of the month goes to a super 95cm cod taken on a surface lure by local youngster Joel Thomas. It’s great excitement to get a cod off the surface, but one of this size is surely memorable. George Jovanovic was up to his old tricks again when he boated a healthy metreplus while trolling the top end of the lake. Known as a big fish specialist, it’s good to see George finding some form after taking out the smallest cod award (27cm) at the recent Cod Nationals! Fishing below the weir has been difficult due to low water levels but those who are switched on are returning some great cod. Once the crops were in, Kevin ‘K Mac’ Brooks had an outstanding run boating a genuine monster that stretched the tape out to a whopping 124cm. This great

Kevin ‘K Mac’ Brooks and his 100cm+ of quality Murray cod. effort was closely followed up with another beast that measured a neat 100cm. Both were caught casting large hard body lures. Cray season is upon us, but unfortunately pen went to paper for this report only days before the season opened. How the crays will go this year is anybody’s guess but please follow the strict size and bag limits that have been put in place. If rules and regulations get abused, it will be very easy for authorities to close cray season all together and that would likely be something we may not see back in a long while.

Enjoy the traditional weekend away with a good crew of mates, stay safe especially if boating in the Murray at night and limit your catch, not catch your limit. • If visiting Yarrawonga/ Mulwala 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) in Mulwala and say g’day. We are your largest Murray cod specific shop in the region and specialize in all things green! For any info on upcoming events or fishing reports give us a call on 03 5744 3133.

Healy triumphs at Berkley Sydney Challenge The Berkley Challenge was an innovative, head-to-head style bream tournament with anglers being drawn against each other and despite losing eight anglers in the preceding days due to car blow ups, outboard blow ups and the odd wife blow up, 30 anglers started on day one, cut to 16 on day two and finally down to an intrepid eight for the third and final day. There was a fascinating mix of tactics with some anglers playing the man, some playing the waterway and a few playing themselves! As the competition progressed Sydney Harbour certainly delivered with nearly all anglers getting a

five bag with a few upgrades along the way and the great conditions saw a sunrise start each morning. It was, however, the outcome of the third and final day that would provide the answer to the all important question – who would take away first place and the $4000 cash? With tactics key to success would it be the big bream bashers, the consistent collectors or the quietly confident? And for one of the most successful “quietly confident” BETS anglers there was only really one person to look to. BETS regular Mark Healey passed the two cut days barely raising an eyebrow. His

Day One and Two bags quietly surpassed his opponents, often overshadowed by some cracking 4kg+ bags that grabbed the attention. Danger was lurking for the other anglers however as Mark is renowned for managing his spots and come the final day where other anglers had harvested their best fish Mark had a range of spots ready to produce. And produce they did with Mark accumulating his fish using a range of techniques in different types of terrain. With a bag secure the search was on for the bigger fish and it was here the star of the show revealed itself. Fishing an Olive Cranka Crab with an S-Factor concoction injected

into the scent chamber of the crab the lure was pitched in to the base of structure. A subtle take and a rapid

also earned Mark the $200 Big Bream Award. Just pipped to the post was another angler with a

Second Place and $2000. While some anglers put it all on the line for a big bag some chose the consistent

Mark Healey’s consistency was rewarded – but he needed this 1.92kg cracker to eventually take the top place.

Richard Potter timed his run perfectly – scraping through the first two days and topping his day three bag with this 1.77kg beast.

wind to the boat gave little indication of the mayhem to come when Mark’s “just legal” fish woke up close to the boat and stormed off back into structure peeling off line as it went. After a bit of to and fro, the fish was finally in the net and not only the star of the bag it was the star of the show, measuring over 43cm to the fork and weighing in at 1.94kg, it was a fish that contributed to the 4.47kg bag and earned Mark the win in the inaugural Berkley Challenge and the $4000 Cash Prize. It

cracking fish. Richard Potter had prepared to go home after missing out on a Day Two five bag but when pair Josh Batterson returned with a solitary fish his plans for a Sunday bike ride went out the window. After struggling to find quality fish in the preceding days Sunday was to be Richard’s day and another cracking bream at 1.75kg took him oh-so-close to the winner’s bag. Rueing a lost big fish metres from the finish the weighed bag was still a belter at 4.32kg and secured

approach, aiming for a solid bag each day and allowing what would be to be. Pete Cook was one such angler who found a consistent deep bite and slowly but surely reaped the reward. With around 3.5kg each day the bags were not only enough to progress through each day but enough to secure the third and final payout. Earning Pete $1000 it was a fine effort and fishing from a small tinny showed success didn’t necessarily depend on big glass and big horsepower. - The BETS Team

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AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

Jul 4-11

Evans Head Fishing Classic EHFCC - 0448 881 414

Evans Head www.evansheadfishingclassic.com.au

Jul 6

BETS Bream R6 Chris Gates - 0413 795 382

Sydney Harbour www.betsbream.com.au

Jul 13

Gamakatsu TS R3 South GTS - 0459 401 612

St Georges Basin fishingcomps.com.au/gts

Jul 14-15

Daiwa-Hobie Kayak BREAM Series ABT - (07) 3387 0888

Georges River www.abt.org.au

Jul 26-27

ABT BREAM Series ABT - (07) 3387 0888

Clarence River www.abt.org.au

Aug 10

Gamakatsu Bream Round + Kayak GTS - 0459 401 612

South West Rocks fishingcomps.com.au/gts

Aug 24

Gamakatsu Bream North Round + Kayak GTS - 0459 401 612

Ballina fishingcomps.com.au/gts

Sep 13-14

Daiwa-Hobie Kayak BREAM Series ABT - (07) 3387 0888

St Georges Basin www.abt.org.au

Sep 14

Daiwa-Hobie Kayak BASS Series ABT - (07) 3387 0888

Toonumbar Dam www.abt.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. JULY 2014

S M SERIE A E R B K a KAYA d by Daiw Presente Ronnie Sonter (6/6, 3.82kg) has taken out the Lake Macquarie State Title event of the 2014 Hobie Kayak BREAM Series presented by Daiwa. The win delivered Sonter his second Hobie Kayak BREAM Series victory (Sonter took out the 2013 Marlo event) and instant qualification into the season ending Grand Final. The 33 year old Umina resident regularly fishes Lake Macquarie and drew on his experience to find fish in the clear, calm conditions. “The week before the pre-fish ban started I fished to the south and didn’t find a lot of fish,” Sonter said. “In the end I put together a bag going 1.9kg, but it didn’t fill me with confidence as I only got the five legal fish in seven hours. So I went back later in the week to try the northern side of the lake around the

Sonter on track at Lake Mac Belmont area and this turned out to be a good move. “I found large numbers of good bream on three different sections of flats and spent most of the day marking drifts along the weed beds. Every bream I caught was over 33cm. I found in the pre-fish the bream were holding in the thicker sections of the bright green ribbon weed, which was giving them cover in the shallow and clear water.” However, pre-fish patterns can change overnight and it was a long two weeks before Sonter could think about returning to the water. “In the days leading up to the comp I was a little worried they wouldn’t be there, but with daytime temps in the mid 20s in the weeks leading up to the event I was hopeful there’d still be a few up there,” he said. With his plan still in effect Sonter hit the ground running, returning to his pre-fish hotspot in expectation of finding quality fish in good numbers.

CE 1ST PLA coloured in with permanent marker and eyes that were a little small due to not having time to get them pimped. “I positioned my kayak in around the 1-1.3m mark

Austackle Ranger in black

It was smiles all round at the Winners’ Circle. “Both days of the comp I went straight to the flats and started my drifts along the marks I had put down two weeks prior,” he explained. “On day one I put together a bag of just legals on the first drift of the first section of flats I intended to fish. The bream measured 27cm, 29cm and 30cm respectively. I spent the next five hours moving around the different sections of flats concentrating on the thicker weed patches and slowly managed to upgrade my whole

bag to 32cm, 32cm and 38cm bream before heading back to the weigh in at 1pm.” Come day two Sonter was keen to head straight to his day one location and replicate his efforts. “Day two started much the same. I headed straight to the same flat and started my drift,” he said. “On my third cast I hooked a solid 38cm bream and thought it was going to be a good day. Unfortunately I ended up having to work hard for them on day two with

only the three more legal fish coming, each about an hour apart. The best two bream went 36cm, giving me a bag of 36cm, 36cm and 38cm.” Sonter embraced the ABT motto ‘Who Shares Wins’, and duly shared the information that had resulted in a victory by 220g. “I only used the one lure all weekend in one colour,” he revealed. “The lure was an all black Austackle Ranger

and drifted along the GPS marks casting the lure up into 60-70cm of water targeting the thicker weed beds. I started a consistent fast rip with a high rod angle the moment the lure hit the water to keep the lure above the weed. Being a slow sinking lure it’s a fine line between catching weed and ripping too hard and pulling it up to the surface when fished over these very shallow weed beds.”

about an hour I gave up and changed tack. I fished some new boat hulls on the other side of the bay at Coal Point where I picked up two nice upgrades. I knew there would

be some great bags back at the weigh-in that had come from the flats, A big thanks to the organisers and I hope to get a chance to do a round here again!”

Dunn hits hulls to take second CE 2ND PLA

Jason Meech with two of the fish that earned him third place, including a 970g fish that took out the Boss Hog Big Bream prize.

ABT, PO Box 7196, LOGANHOLME, QLD 4129 Alternatively you can download an entry form from www.abt.org.au At any time you can call ABT on (07) 3387 0888 for help with your entry during business hours. 70

JULY 2014

Stewart Dunn (6/6, 3.60kg) secured second place with consistent limits each session. His day two limit rocketed him into contention, only to be held off by the tournament’s biggest limit. The majority of Dunn’s bream came from accurate casts at boat hulls. “I didn’t get a chance to pre-fish so I used Google Earth to pick an area to fish,” he said. “I found Belmont Bay had a whole stack of boats moored in fairly shallow water. You could tell it was shallow because you could see where the mooring ropes wore out circular patches on the weed beds. I figured these little areas would be very likely bream habitat. “I went straight to this location on day one where I made accurate casts under the boat hulls with OSP Do-live craws rigged on 1/28th TT jig heads. I got a bag pretty quickly which gave me the freedom to leave half the bay alone to fish the next day and the opportunity to have a look around for other spots for day two. I then found active bream taking crankbaits on the flats and out deeper in 9m of water taking Ecogear blades. Fishing the deep water was a big part of my plan for the following day.” On day two Dunn found the fishing increasingly difficult and used an old favourite to secure the timid bites on offer. “I switched to an old Tacklecraft prawn in muddy

green to get my limit from the boat hulls. I think the fact that the lure is very translucent and soft gives it extra appeal to timid fish. Longer casts that made very little splash were the key to getting these shy fish to bite. My initial bag was much smaller than day one, but I persisted in the same area until I secured some better upgrades.

WINNING NOTES

Winning Tackle

Rod: Austackle FeatherLight 7’ 1-3kg Reel: Daiwa 2000 Freams Line and leader: 4lb braid and a 5-10m long 3lb leader

Winning Edge

The fast rip technique combined with a long 3lb leader was the key to getting the reaction bite needed in the clear water on the shallow flats. TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

HOG’S BREATH BOSS HOG BASS ELECTRIC SERIES

Jason Meech secured the event’s Hogs Breath Café Boss Hog Big Bream in the final session. The 970g bream fell to a slow rolled Prolure shallow crankbait in black.

Runner-up Stewart Dunn amassed consistent limits each session. “I then made the move out to the deep water hoping to find some sort of hump near one of the points. I was hoping to find baitfish holed up on one side due to the current. After staring at the sounder and making the odd cast for

HOGS BREATH BOSS HOG PAY TO:

$ 100

bass • bream • barra

TOP 5 KAYAKERS Fish

Ronnie SONTER Stewart DUNN Jason MEECH Jim HALLIDAY Scott SLATTERY

One Hundred Dollars

Fishing Tournaments

Place Angler 1 2 3 4 5

Hogs Breath Boss Hog

FOR THE SUM OF:

DATE:

6 6 6 6 6

3.82 3.6 3.47 3 2.87

Weight (kg)

Payout

$800 + Lowrance Elite-5X Fishfinder, Daiwa, Atomic $400 + Unitika, Berkley, Austackle, TTs $260 + Boss Hog ($100) + Strike Pro, Austackle, Eco Gear $220 + Eco Gear, TT lures, Atomic, Yamatoyo $190 + 1st PRO ($70) + Berkley, Austackle, Atomic, TTs

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

Johnson tops field at BASS Electric Major Matt Johnson (2/2, 2.59kg) has taken out the inaugural Haswing BASS Electric Major at Hinze Dam, Qld. The BASS Electric Major events are new to 2014 and offer BASS Electric anglers the chance to compete for an exclusive sponsors’ prize pool, cash prizes for the event Flow-Rite Big Bass and, to the top three anglers, paid entry into the season ending BASS Electric Convention! With 33 anglers taking up the challenge, it was a class field assembled for the first Major event at a clear and sunny Hinze Dam. Johnson started his event in the eastern arm of the dam, focussing on a location identified in an earlier pre-fish. “I targeted an edge, fishing tight around spindly trees,” he said. “It was a

matter of weaving through sunken timber to get to the location. Once there I found good concentrations of fish and plenty of bait in the area.” Johnstone started with a surface presentation, fishing around the trees in the area. He didn’t get the results he was after so he switched to a jerkbait presentation, specifically the Jackall 61 Squirrel in ghost gill colour. Fishing in 4-8m of water, the change met with instant results. “The jerkbait accounted for my bigger bass,” he said. “My thinking was a larger presentation would get the interest of the larger fish, and that’s ultimately how it played out.” When the bites slowed Johnson made his way out deeper, where he found bass

holding on a deeper edge. He targeted them using a 12g Smak ice jig in green/ gold colour. “I used an aggressive lift to get the fish to react,” he said. “I could see them holding on the sounder, it was just a matter of getting them to respond.” The ice jig presentation accounted for all Johnson’s remaining bass. In all, he

Jackall Squirrel 61 in Ghost Gill

BASS EL E Presente CTRIC SERIES d by Has wing landed 12 bass throughout the session with eight of those meeting the legal size. “I had a lot of confidence in the Jackall Squirrel,” Johnson explained. “I tried a variety of lures including blades, spinnerbaits and lipless with no success. In the end the key to finding and catching the bass was time and experience on the dam.”

The Gold Coast’s Matt Johnson with a winning brace of Hinze bass.

McClymont takes second

e 2nd Plac Colin McClymont (2/2, 2.30kg) took out second place at the

inaugural Haswing BASS Electric Major. McClymont further bolstered his prizes for the top finish with an additional $120 for being the top placed pro. In

WINNING NOTES

McClymont’s first full year fishing BASS Electric events it was a great result that also saw him qualify for the BASS Electric Convention in October. “I had fished Hinze once previously,” he said. “In the

Winning Tackle Rod: 7’ BarraBass rod XSB822 Reel: Quantum Exo Line: 8lb PowerPro braid Leader: 8lb Unitika leader

Winning Edge “Time and experience on the dam helped, as well as identifying the locations that produced fish but were less pressured than the regular haunts.”

Big Bass Johnson’s bag was anchored by the event Flow-Rite Big Bass of 1.86kg, taking away a further $100 for his efforts.

Runner-up Colin McClymont scored an extra $120 for being the top placed pro, adding to the already substantial 2nd place prize pack.

pre-fish I found bass holding on the points. I decided to focus on those areas during the tournament.” Starting at the dam wall McClymont fished four main points during the event. Importantly, the points identified held underwater structure. The bass were holding in small groups in water between 3-8m deep. “I used lightly weighted 3” Berkley Gulp Minnows in watermelon pearl colour rigged on a 1/16oz jighead,” Colin explained. “The retrieve was a super slow roll with the lure hitting structure. I had one good bass early fishing tight to structure. It had me around all sorts of underwater branches and nastiness. In the end I got it on board, but it took the best part of 20 minutes to extricate it from its lair! Later in the session I was able to get into some larger fish, but for the most part the remainder were undersize or short strikes.”

TOP 5 WINNERS Place Angler

Fish

Weight (kg) Payout

1 2 3 4 5

2 2 2 2 2

2.59 Haswing motor, Pontoon 21 pack, Free entry to Convention 2.3 Engel fridge freezer, Lure Pack, $200 Haswing voucher, Free entry to Convention 2.22 13 Fishing rod and reel, Lure Pack, $100 Haswing voucher, Free entry to Convention 2.09 Shimano Stradic reel, Lure Pack 1.89 Shimano Curado reel, Lure Pack For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au

Matt Johnson Colin McClymont Andrew Wilson David Young Stuart France

SERIES BREAM rs Sunglasses

tte d by Spo Presente

Mallacoota lived up to its reputation producing quality and quantity for anglers at the second stop of the 2014

Carter cleans up ’Coota 13 Fishing BREAM Series. In an event that saw a new all-time record (927 fish) number of bream weighed in, it was a battle of Australia’s best breamers to see who could garner the big bites

to win, with 2013 BREAM Angler of the Year, Warren Carter, claiming his 7th BREAM win for his career in the Spotters Sunglasses presented event. For Carter it was a perfectly played out and executed tournament, with the AOY champ cracking the winning pattern during the Friday prefish then putting the winning pattern into play over the next two days. Carter ’s winning location was Double Creek, an unassuming area located above The Narrows that produced both numbers and sized fish. Featuring a muddy bottom and 2-7’ deep water it was the water clarity in the area that Carter believes in many ways contributed to the bite. “It was calm and glassed out for the event, which is rarely good at Coota, but at Double Creek there was just the right amount of colour in the water to make the fish bite,” said Carter. With the location and water clarity locked in for success Carter threw a combination of hardbodies, including an OSP Dunk, Smith Panish and Smith

Camion Dredge. Day one saw the Dunk the standout lure with Carter working the lure into the bottom, bumping it through the mud as it went. “It was important to give the lure an occasional twitch, then let it pause,” explained Carter. The hits, as they usually do when targeting black bream, came on the pause. The approach delivered Carter a limit by 9.30am and 25 fish for the day including 12 upgrades. Day two sat Carter return to repeat his day one pattern; hopeful the outcome would be the same. Forty minutes into the session and still without his first bream he was beginning to wonder if it would. “It took a while for things to get going, but when it did they bit like they did on the first day,” said Carter. While the location he fished was the same he went shallower and threw a different lure. “I threw two lures, a Smith Panish 65 that I worked with rip-pause retrieve, and a Smith Camion Dredge that I grubbed across the bottom,”

Warren Carter claimed his seventh BREAM win of his career. Image courtesy of lureandfly.com explained Carter. The approach delivered Carter his limit in ten casts after he caught his first fish, and enabled him to upgrade his entire bag. While Carter caught plenty of fish for the tournament it wasn’t non-stop action for the whole session. “I’d go for 40 minutes or so and not catch anything, then I’d find a patch of them

and go bang, bang, bang”, explained Carter. Carter’s win saw him claim his 7th ABT BREAM win and pick up some healthy Angler of the Year points after a quiet first round at Sydney. “Clarence is next, so I’m hoping I get a good result there so I’m at least in the running at defending my AOY title from last year,” said Carter.

Carter’s lure lineup included the OSP Dunk, Smith Panish and Smith Camion Dredge

Hodges Hauls for Second CE 2ND PLA

JULY 2014

For perennial Victorian round gun Brad Hodges it was another quality performance at Mallacoota with the 33year old Werribee School Teacher finishing second to claim another podium finish. Grabbing the lead on day one on the back of the tournament’s only five kilo bag Hodges stumbled on day two to open the door for Carter to claim the win. It was a missed opportunity that would deny Hodges another round win, and see Carter now equal Chris Wright with the highest number of BREAM Qualifier wins. Starting off at Gipps Point on day one Hodges found the going tough, before heading down to the top lakes after 1 ½ hours to hit a series of snags that had been productive to him in the past.

Brad Hodges put in another quality performance at Mallacoota finishing second to claim another podium finish. Image courtesy of lureandfly.com The approach paid off with Hodges picking up three fish to get his day rolling. Another two fish followed on blades, but it wasn’t until he moved to the edges and started throwing a Berkley Puppy Dog crankbait into the shaded patches on the edge that the action really started. With his boat in 1.5m of water Hodges would cast long

then work his lure into the dark patches with a series of twitches and pauses. It was on the pause as the lure sat motionless that the bream nailed the lure. The approach delivered him seven upgrades for the day and saw him hit the scales with heaviest (5.14kg) bag for the session. Heading out first on day two with a 500g lead Hodges

was wishing for a repeat of day one’s action. Repeating his run of spots from day one Hodges started like he did the first day, catching little before making a move and fishing the middle of the top lake with a Berkley Sub Dog, then returning to his productive big fish edges from the day before. “It was 12pm and I had little to show for the day so I headed to Double Creek and started throwing a cutdown Berkley Gulp Turtleback Worm rigged on a 1/12oz Nitro jighead,” said Hodges. The approach paid off with Hodges picking up five fish in a 20minute window. While Hodges caught his limit he didn’t catch the big fish he needed to hold on to his lead. “I got the big fish bites I need to win, they just didn’t stick, and I didn’t put them in the boat,” explained an accepting Hodges. Weighing in a 2.94kg limit for the day it was enough to ultimately finish second.

BREAM S

ERIES Presented by Spotte rs Sungla sses

Carter’s Cranky Retrieve

2-7 feet deep

Twitch/pause

Twitch/pause Hit

Hit

Roberts Rules for Non-boater Win -BOATER 1ST NON 2013 Non-boater AOY Champion Brad Roberts continued his winning ways at Mallacoota, claiming the non-boater title over Ben Malouf in 2nd and John Thorley in third. Fishing with Shane Dyason on day one Roberts fished the top lake throwing a Jackall Deep Chubby and OSP Dunk. “We fished shallow before the sun got high, and as the light increased we moved deeper,” said Roberts. While the depth he fished varied so did the

retrieve he used to fish his crankbaits. “The bites were very tentative so I found you had to change the retrieve up to get the fish interested and willing to eat the lure,” said Roberts. The retrieve ranged from a slow roll to a slow and fast twitch and pause, and paid off with Roberts weighing in a 4.51kg bag for the session. Fishing with Scott Bilton on day two Roberts starting fishing the location, but his hot start wasn’t to be repeated. “Scott and I only had one fish each by 9.30am so we moved location and went and fished the bottom lake,” explained Roberts.

WINNING NOTES

Winning Tackle Rod: Shimano T Curve Flight Series 701 Reel: Shimano Stella 2500 Line: Varivas Max Power 0.8 PE Leader: Varivas Ganoa Absolute Fluro 4lb Lure: OSP Dunk (colour-), Smith Panish 65 (colour-19), Smith Camion Dredge (colour-22

Winning Edge “The area that I fished has plenty of fish but it wasn’t very big. The fact that I had it to myself and wasn’t crowded out by other boats meant I could fish it thoroughly and exactly how I wanted. I’m incredibly appreciative that the guys gave me the space I needed to do this.”

Austackle Big Bream

2013 Non-boater AOY Champion Brad Roberts continued his winning ways. Image courtesy of lureandfly.com

An all-star line up at the podium. Image courtesy of lureandfly.com

Fishing deeper (2.53.5m) Roberts threw an Ecogear VX40 blade, focusing on a hump on the bottom in the area and working his blade with a lift and drop retrieve. “The fish would eat the blade on the drop, and you’d either feel a tick of the line as it sank back down or you’d feel the weight of a fish as you went to lift the lure again,” said Roberts.

TOP 10 BOATERS

Event runner-up Brad Hodges claimed the Austackle Big Bream, catching the prize winning fish at 12pm on day one from a laydown snag on a Berkley Puppy Dog.

The approach delivered him a limit by 11am, 12 fish for the session, and another

victory to his growing list of tournament achievements.

TOP 10 NON-BOATERS

Place

Angler

Fish

Weight (kg)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Warren CARTER Brad HODGES Russell BABEKUHL Jarrod HEALEY Daryl HISLOP Shayne GILLETT Ben SHUEY Lex COURT Daniel KENT Shane DYASON

10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 9/10

9.18 8.08 8.06 7.88 7.72 7.68 7.65 7.59 7.48 7.47

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

Payout

$4000 $2000 + $500 $1400 $1400 $1000 $900 $800 $800 $600 $550

Place

Angler

Fish

Weight (kg)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Brad ROBERTS Ben MALOUF John THORLEY Blake O’GRADY Joel CORRIE Robert LEE Steven CEFAI Simon JOHNSON Zig DOMAGALA Kyle PETTIE

10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10

8.29 7.19 7.10 7.01 6.94 6.92 6.81 6.70 6.68 6.47

Payout Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack Prize Pack

For full result listings, see www.abt.org.au JULY 2014

Testing Booth

Tested: Samurai Kestrel and MajorCraft Crostage Recently two of our contributors had the opportunity to review two of the specialised rods in the Frogley’s Offshore stable: the Samurai Kestrel KE-402-70 (Steve Morgan) and the MajorCraft Crostage CRK 864E egi rod (Kaspar Lenigas). Here’s a rundown on how these rods performed. SAMURAI KESTREL KE-402-70 It’s not often that testing meets with success as instantly as happened with the Samurai Kestrel. QFM Editor Stephen Booth delivered the KE-402-70 to my desk one afternoon with the instructions to “try this out on some of those night-time threadfin you’ve been catching”. So I did. Matching it with a Daiwa Certate 3012 spooled with 12lb Unitika Silver Thread fluorocarbon, I tied on my favourite topwater – a 130mm OSP Bent Minnow. Now, that’s a big call. Those bent baits are ridiculously expensive. It physically hurts paying $36 a pop for them (yes, I pay for my baits – this one came from the Tackle Warehouse and I did get my 10% ABT member discount!), so I’m pretty protective of them. Only occasionally do I use

for him there’s an unwritten fishing rule that ‘if you snooze, you lose’. Even though he hadn’t landed his first Brisbane night-time thready yet, I flicked the Bent across the current. After its second twitch on the light/dark line, it disappeared in a decent swirl. Luckily, most of these fish swim upstream when hooked. It must be an instinctive thing, but it’s very handy – especially when fishing from shore. After their initial shock, however, there’s a 50/50 chance that the second run may be downstream – and that’s exactly where this unit went. After about 20 seconds the Kestrel was really being put through its paces. Naturally, there was only one piece of structure in the river anywhere near me, and the salmon was heading right towards it. If I had been fishing from a boat I would have let fish run around it, back off the drag and then go in and untangle the mess, but the opportunity to do that from the shore is minimal. If the fish makes it around the structure, the chance of a $40 bait going AWOL increases exponentially, so there’s not much choice but to lock up and see what happens. There are only four things that could happen:

JULY 2014

WHAT I LIKED • Classy rod bag • Quality build • Tangle-free K guides • Titanium guides reduce weight • Uplocking inset VSS reel seat a pleasure to fish with What I’d change • I’d put a hook keeper on

the action I got out of the jigs and the way the rod handled the squid during a fight. The rod has a beautiful soft tip and mid section to absorb the lunges of squid, but a slightly stiff bottom section. This low-down stiffness surprised me. I expected it might be an issue, because it was much

on a few surface lures and soft plastics and gave it a shot at a few things with fins. I know most anglers will think an 8ft rod is pretty long for fishing, but it’s actually great for land-based fishing or any fishing application where you require that little bit more distance. The MajorCraft did

Left: This rod is stiffer down low than many other squid rods, but I haven’t dropped a single squid out of the hundreds I have caught on it. I was also impressed with the action it imparted to the jigs. Right: The rod’s slightly stiff bottom section gives more control when fighting the squid, and more secure hook-ups due to better prong penetration.

1. The line breaks. 2. The rod breaks. 3. The hooks pull out. 4. The fish turns around.

is less with the fluorocarbon than braid, but I’m willing to sacrifice that for pulling fewer hooks with this soft mouthed species. TECHNICAL The Kestrel range is an evolution of the Frogley’sdesigned Samurai rod range, and the entire Kestrel series is geared at bigger species in the estuary and bluewater. The model tested was the 7’0” model rated at 10-20lb line. It’s an asymmetric 2-piece, which means that instead of the join being halfway along the rod it’s closer to the butt end. Kestrels come supplied in a neoprene rod bag which offers protection to the blank and components. The top section fills the length of the bag and the butt piece in a pouch on the side. Build-wise, Frogley’s hold nothing back with this range. Titanium-framed SiC guides with the K-style frame means that your line is looked after and wind knots are kept to a minimum. The distinctive feature of the build, though, are the grey, offset rings in the black foreand rear-grip Hypalon. All of the rods in the Kestrel range

above the foregrip. • Does the bling catch you any more fish? – Steve Morgan MAJORCRAFT CROSTAGE CRK 864E In the sport of squidding, also known as eging, one of the most important pieces of specialised equipment you can buy is a specialised rod. A specialised egi rod is crucial to successful squidding as it has a precise and specialised action to work your jigs to entice the shyest of squid, but most importantly fight squid and absorb their lunges without tearing the squid jig prongs through their soft tentacles. I’ve recently been using the new MajorCraft Crostage CRK 864E egi rod and I can confidently say that I’m highly impressed with it. When I first laid eyes on the rod I noticed something very interesting: it’s a 4-piece squid rod which is pretty cool as most squid rods are 2 pieces. This 4-piece rod gives you more options as it’s easy to travel with, coming in a nice carry case. It comes fitted with Fuji K guides to prevent guide wraps from wind knots, and I can honestly say I didn’t have one issue with the rod casting.

stiffer than my other more expensive squid rods, but I didn’t drop a single squid out of the hundreds I caught on the rod. In fact, it felt like I had a little more control when fighting the squid with the stiffer bottom section, and I got better hook-ups from the strike as I got better prong penetration. When I was working the squid jigs I tried aggressive jigs of the rod as well as slow jigs. I found that no matter how big or small the squid jig was, the rod imparted a great darting action which really drove the shiest squid wild. With the stiffer bottom section I found the rod was able to work heavier jigs in deep water effectively and still be sensitive enough to feel the faintest touch of a squid (which can’t be done as effectively with most other squid rods on the market). Probably the most impressive thing I did with the rod was catch a 2kg tiger squid in Moreton Bay which is a pretty good achievement and my PB tiger squid to date. Many anglers including myself don’t limit each of their rods to just one application, and after using the Crostage

really well when it came to catching fish and I managed to catch hairtail, squire, whiting, flathead, trevally and a few tarpon on it. I found the rod to be ideal for plastics and surface lures, with a soft tip section giving the lures a great action with minimal effort. The stiffer bottom section had great power to set hooks, even on fish with bony mouths. The rod was particularly good when targeting tarpon on surface. The combination of a soft tip section and stiff lower section kept the hooks set even after the tarpon started doing some spectacular aerials as they tried to free the hooks. If you’re in the market for a specialised squid rod or general purpose travel rod for a bit of everything, the MajorCraft Crostage CRK 864E is definitely

Luckily for all parties involved, it was a #4 happy ending. Frogley’s Offshore’s rod and line remained intact,

have them, and if you pick up a Samurai with that pattern, they should all sport a $449 RRP price tag.

I initially used the rod for squid using a variety of Yamashita jigs from 2.0-3.5. I was highly impressed with

CRK 864E for a while I knew it was good for more than just squid thanks to its heavier bottom section. I decided to tie

worth looking at. It has a lot of great futures and is an exceptional rod for the money. – Kaspar Lenigas

Some people think a first-cast fish is bad luck. I’m not one of those anglers. First cast fish are great! a bite-leader at the end of the straight-through fluorocarbon. It’s not often that you hook a salmon big enough in the Brisbane River to swallow a 130mm bait fully and if the lure is outside the mouth, these fish have a soft enough body to not damage the line – even relatively light 12lb. Fishing with my brother Tim, we stopped at the first location: a nice light/dark line with plenty of current running. Tim mucked around tying a new lure on, and unfortunately

the fish swam away after some happy snaps, I kept my Bent Minnow and some tourists walking past were impressed with the size of the ‘catfish’ in the Brisbane River. Subsequently, the Kestrel has become one of the regulars for my night-time river raids. The casting distance

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2014 Dave Irvine Snapper Classic results COFFS HARBOUR

Stephen Worley worleybirdfilms@hotmail.com

After about two months of exceptional offshore weather, the forecast leading up to the event looked as though it would be a struggle to even get competitors on the water. Despite the weather, there were still plenty of willing anglers at the Friday night briefing. Strong SW winds were forecast for the morning, so competitors were reminded about the rules and safety procedures for the weekend and that competition would start at 5:30am, providing there was no Strong Wind Warning issued by the Bureau of Meteorology. All the teams were then given their ‘goodie bags’ from the sponsors, and after some quick last minute conferencing about the weekend strategies most were off to bed ready for a big day on Saturday. DAY ONE The wind was up early from the Southwest, but with the all clear from the Bureau the competition began. Despite the poor conditions, boats and kayaks still headed far in every direction to try and gain an edge on those big reds. Many of the more capable boats traveled a long way north of Coffs Harbour, which paid off for some and for others was a long way to travel for no fish.

Young Macca still found a way to get on the snapper after attempting to fillet his hand earlier this month. with Sawtell turning out the pick for the fish and possibly the conditions, too. After a long day at sea everyone’s photos were returned to the club and there was much talk about the tough fishing conditions and small fish, but the good fish were kept under wraps seeing as it was still just the first day. DAY TWO After a long and hard day on Saturday, there were plenty of tired anglers up and ready to get at it on Sunday.

swing. There were casting competitions for the kids and some freshly caught local fish in the Shimano display tank out the front. THE WRAP UP There were many prizes provided by all the sponsors including a $50 voucher going to every Junior that entered the event. After the minor prizes were awarded it was time to head inside for a buffet dinner and the drawing of the major prizes including a $3700 sounder from

won the open individual score and 3rd place in the Teams score with the Edgwater/ Lowrance team. Profishent came in second in the Teams event with

DAVE IRVINE Dave Irvine was a Northern NSW local. Dave was a big supporter of sustainable fishing, in particular catch and release fishing and was the inventor of the ‘Environets’ which improve survival for fish after being released. Unfortunately Dave passed away in 2007 at 44 years old. The Dave Irvine Memorial Snapper Classic was created as a tribute to his contribution to sustainable fishing practices. The Irvine Classic is a unique competition in that it is a snapper ‘Catch, Photo and Release’ tournament. No fish are kept during the competition, all are released after being measured and photographed on a Bragmat (another of Dave’s inventions). Fishing is with lures only, and strictly cast and retrieve, which almost always results in mouth hook ups, another factor in healthy catch and release fishing. The event is well supported by the sponsors with $50,000 worth of prizes given away this year, including a $15,000+ Quintrex boat and Evinrude E-Tec motor package. All the prizes are drawn out of the barrel, with everyone in with a chance no matter how well you went at the fishing. It has been the respect for the fish, fun atmosphere and great prizes for all that has made it one of the most popular and enjoyable fishing events for offshore anglers in Australia. It is also set to continue to grow as some exciting new prospects were announced this year including the possibility of adding some species to the target list to enable more anglers to be involved. Simrad/Evinrude coming in at the top spot for the 2014 event. Congratulations to all the winners as well as everyone

at the event, those who got out and especially those who caught fish under trying conditions.

Steve Kennedy just loves his new prize boat package. RESULTS

Dominic Casarotto picked up the second biggest fish of this year’s event on a 4” Atomic Plazo Prong. The fish was 843mm and an estimated 8kgs. Most boats only lasted half the day before the still waters of the Harbour became too enticing to rest their wind and wave wearied bodies and boats. Some who stuck it out for the day got their reward with some big fish landed in the afternoon, but there also were many stories of a hard and fishless day. Kayakers launched at Diggers Beach and Sawtell,

Unfortunately the Bureau of Meteorology had called a strong wind warning for the area and the competition had to be called off for the day. A determined few still headed offshore during a break in the weather, but were soon forced in by worsening conditions. That didn’t mean the fun was over for the day. The Shimano fish fighting simulator was in full

Lowrance, a Stealth kayak from Fishing Tackle Australia and a boat and motor package from Evinrude E-Tec. There was, of course, some trophies to be won also. Considering the conditions there was an impressive total of 122 snapper caught with an average size of 55.32cm. The largest snapper came in at 88cm and was caught by Dominic Thornely who also

Largest Fish 1st 88cm 2nd 84cm 3rd 83cm

Dominic Thornely Dom Casarotto Robert Young

Edgewater/Lowrance Tor Team Serenity

Individual Open 1st 1159 2nd 1115 3rd 1064

Dominic Thornley Chris Cleaver Tim Angos

Edgewater/Lowrance Simrad/Evinrude Simrad/Evinrude

Team 1st 2nd 3rd

Simrad/Evinrude Tim Angos, Michael Bonnici, Chris Cleaver Profishent Trent Killmore, Sondel Benson, Scott Brown Edgewater/Lowrance Jarrod Beven, Dominic Thornely

3134 2525 1351

Women 1st 465 2nd 223

Chloe Taylor Debra Kemmis

Kayaks 1st 359 2nd 120 3rd 95

Stephen Worley Dale Johnson Robert Moore

The Scuppers The Scuppers Wet Nuts

Juniors 1st 170

Shaun Cameron

Team Stinginn

Team Costa Juggernaut

JULY 2014

3 1 J U LY T O 4 A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

SYDNEY EXHIBITION CENTRE

Hours: Halls 10am - 8pm | Marina 10am - 6pm

@ Glebe Island & Cockle Bay Marina, Darling Harbour

• SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW •

Sydney International Boat Show settles in With the Darling Harbour Exhibition and Convention Centre being demolished, the 2014 Sydney International Boat Show, set for July 31 to August 4, will be very different from the traditional exhibition enjoyed each year by many thousands of visitors. The 2014 show will operate from two locations, with the always spectacular floating marina remaining at Cockle Bay and the many displays that were normally housed in the exhibition centre set for a purpose-built facility at Glebe Island. More than 250 companies are expected to be on the two sites, displaying the latest and greatest on offer from Australia’s boating industry. Domenic Genua, Marketing and Event Manager for the show’s owner/ organiser, the Boating Industry Association (BIA), said the show will deliver its usual extravaganza of entertainment and nautical education. “Visitors to the show will be able to visit the Marine Precinct, the show’s education centre where questions about

boating and boating safety can be answered,” Mr Genua said. “On the MyBoatingLife.com. au Entertainment Precinct, the stage activity will be non-stop with some of Australia’s leading fishos, the occasional adventurer, inspiring stories, the Musto Fashion Extravaganza and Bart from Club Marine will cook up a storm. “The two locations will be linked throughout by a combination of shuttle buses and ferry services. I’m sure show visitors, and there could be up to 70,000 this year, will see this as a case of two shows for the price of one with a free harbour journey thrown in.” The show remains as a fabulous day out for the family; all the attractions of Harbourside, Darling Harbour, remain as usual with numerous restaurants and bars and the opportunity for shopping up a storm. The Show organisers recommend visitors travelling by car use Darling Harbour as the door to the show, with 7000 parking spots within walking distance of the site. “Parking is limited at Glebe Island so Darling

Harbour is certainly the way to go,” Mr Genua said. “However, for those travelling to the show by public transport, nothing could be easier. The vast rail network, bus services, light rail and ferries all provide easy access.” Free buses will run between Central Railway station and the Glebe Island venue, and a free ferry shuttles will operate non-stop between Darling Harbour and Glebe Island. Those arriving by train who want to attend Darling Harbour first should walk from Town Hall Station, which is 10 minutes away. The show will trade daily from 10am to 8pm at Glebe Island and from 10am to 6pm at the Cockle Bay Marina. For further information and the opportunity to purchase tickets on-line, visit the show’s website at www. sydneyboatshow.com.au. MORNINGSTAR BOATS One of the boats that Morningstar will have on display at their stand is the innovative Bay Fisher J. The boat’s weight has been reduced

For further information visit www.morningstarboats. com.au, or contact Penrith Marine (Alex Dunlop) on 02 4731 6250 or Enterprise Marine (Chris Tocchini) on 02 9999 5558. BLUE BOTTLE FISHING Blue Bottle Fishing will be attending the Sydney International Boat Show this year with their great range of fishing and boating products. One of their key products for sale will be the TrollPro underwater housing unit, which has been designed to house a GoPro camera. Blue Bottle Fishing will also be selling GoPro Cameras and other accessories to match the perfect underwater camera outfit. They will also have their new Aussie invented Bee’s Knees Reel Spooler. This CNC machined spooler is made from solid aluminium and stainless steel. The unit can either be fixed permanently or used as a portable spooler. Simply drive the car or boat trailer tyre onto the plate, bolt it on your work bench or clamp it.

Morningstar Bay Fisher J.

$749 $749

$1029 $1029

SEE US AT STAND 224

JULY 2014

to 328kg, tolling gross weight below the 750kg possible, while maintaining its incredibly strong structure. In order to decrease the weight without sacrificing strength, carpeted plywood floors have replaced with marine-grade aluminium weather-tight floors. The front deck, underfloor fuel tank, seat and so on have also been redesigned to minimise weight. As well as weight reduction, the other priority for designers was a top-shelf live well. To this end they have installed a sizable 60L live well seat with a circulation system located just on the centre of gravity, to hold adequate water and maintain the best dynamic stability. The specs are: premium 5083 aluminium alloy construction; 3mm 5083 aluminium alloy console; 4.6m long; 2.0m beam, 0.98m height (midship); 12-18 degree hull deadrise; 3mm topside, 3mm bottom; 60L fuel tank; and 40-90hp rating.

It accommodates small spools of line right up to the large bulk spools of game fishing line. It’s great for spooling any reels with tension, and best of all you can do it on your own. Blue Bottle Fishing will also have a large range of Lowrance products with some hot deals available, so come down and see Spiro and the team at Stand 224. To view the full range visit www. bluebottlefishing.com. GME Leading safety and communication manufacturer GME will be displaying their extensive range of marine products at the Sydney International Boat Show, with prizes on offer for visitors to the stand. Products on display will include the newly released MT600G EPIRB with GPS. The MT600G features a 10-year battery life and advanced new self test functionality. Designed and manufactured in Australia, the

MT600G builds on GME’s 35 years of experience building emergency beacons. Whilst you’re visiting GME, try your luck at winning

multi sonar capabilities and new video and thermal night vision integration. They are equipped with Raymarine’s best in class touch screen

your choice of either a TX6150 UHF CB or a GX850 handheld VHF radio. The TX6150 is a dust and waterproof workhorse, ideal for use in the 4WD, while camping or out exploring Australia. The GX850 is more at home on the water. It’s waterproof to IP67 and features Class D DSC functionality and in-built GPS receiver. If it gets dropped in the ocean, it will float and flash making it easy to find. All you have to do is complete the entry form and drop it in the box. The winner will be drawn at 4:00pm on the last day of the show. You will find GME at stand 382. For more info visit www.gme.net.au. RAYMARINE Raymarine will have a range of their latest and greatest products on display at this year’s Sydney Boat Show, including the latest additions to the aSeries: the LightHouse II Powered 9” and 12” Multifunction Touch Displays. The a9 and a12 displays deliver fast and fluid navigation,

display technology with pinch to zoom, a fast 10Hz internal GPS and extensive wired and wireless networking expansion capabilities. The latest release of LightHouse II is even easier to use and customize with its all new multi sonar capabilities. Anglers can now create their own custom sonar command centre with multiple independent Digital, CHIRP or CHIRP DownVision sonar channels running simultaneously. To see a video review of these two products at their Sanctuary Cove launch, scan the QR code hereabouts. For more info on all models in the aSeries log onto www. raymarine.com.au. LOWRANCE Lowrance has announced its latest great deal, saving you hundreds of dollars when you buy a Lowrance HDS

See the new Raymarine 9” and 12” units.

See new GME EPIRB’s.

Gen2 fishfinder/chartplotter combo unit. Lowrance customers will receive a free 83/200 skimmer and StructureScan transducer with all HDS Gen2 Touch models, and a free 83/200 skimmer transducer and StructureScan kit with HDS-8 and HDS-10 Gen2 models (HDS-7 Gen2 units come with a free 83/200 skimmer transducer only). This is up to $900 RRP of extras free. Lowrance’s new HDS Gen2 units include extensive mapping options including

PREPARE FOR THE EXTREME

More rescues start with GME than with any other brand* GME EPIRBS and PLBs deliver the proven reliability that has lead to more rescues in Australian waters than any other brand*. Available in your choice of manual or water activation, float free and with optional GPS for increased accuracy and faster location, GME EPIRBs and PLBs set the standard for marine safety. Designed and manufactured in Australia to endure the most extreme marine environments in the world, it’s no wonder that GME EPIRBs and PLBs are the emergency beacon of choice for serious boat owners. Prepare for the extreme with GME, because your life could depend on it.

M348K

*66% of all beacons detected and determined as ‘Real Distress’ by AMSA during the 12 months from the 1st of July 2012 to the 30th of Jun 2013 were GME brand beacons. N.B. A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) is not a substitute for a 406 MHz EPIRB.

3 1 J U LY T O 4 A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

SYDNEY EXHIBITION CENTRE

Hours: Halls 10am - 8pm | Marina 10am - 6pm

@ Glebe Island & Cockle Bay Marina, Darling Harbour

• SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW • OPENING HOURS AND TRANSPORT Show Dates: Thursday 31 July to Monday 4 August Hours: Marina 10am to 6pm, Halls 10am to 8pm Tickets: Online or at the door (Palm Grove Ticketing Centre at Darling Harbour, or on arrival at Glebe Island) TRANSPORT The Show will operate from two locations. Visitors can arrive at either location and enjoy the free ferry between the two locations. The trip by water is quick and gives visitors an opportunity to enjoy the harbour as part of their visit. Transport options are as follows. Train: A free bus service will operate between Central Railway Station and Glebe Island. Simply pop down to Eddie Avenue. Those wishing to see the Marina display in Darling Harbour first should take the train to Town Hall, where the walk to Darling Harbour will take around 10 minutes. Car: Your first port of call should be Darling Harbour where there are 7000 parking spots within walking distance of the marina. From there, you can either visit the marina or jump onto one of the free ferries to Glebe Island. Limited parking will be available at Glebe Island. Detailed travel and parking plans can be downloaded from www.sydneyboatshow.com.au. Insight Genesis personalised map options, are GoFree Wireless ready, offer optional video camera input (HDS-9 and 12 Touch models only), built-in award-winning Broadband Sounder, and built-in StructureScan for Touch models (StructureScan support for non-touch models). All Lowrance products

JULY 2014

are covered by the Lowrance Advantage Service program. For more info or to locate an authorised dealer, visit www. lowrance.com or see the Lowrance stand at the Show. SUZUKI The Suzuki Marine team will deliver some great offers at this year’s Show. One of the products being

launched is the new DF25/30 4-stroke, a 3-cylinder, actionpacked piece of machinery with loads of features (for a sneak peak go to the Suzuki Marine website). At 62kg and an awe-inspiring torque curve it certainly impressed some long-time industry buffs during testing. This year Suzuki Marine will be displaying all their newest engines on their dealer stands at the show, to better serve customers in

for the major national boat shows in 2014, SOS lets customers save money on a new Suzuki or boating package. As part of the campaign, all customers who purchase any Suzuki outboard during the major boat shows will go into the draw to win a Suzuki Swift GL Navigator valued at $17,490 drive away. There will also be hats to give away and a multitude of other special Show-only offers.

There’s free extras with Lowrance sounders. different locations. While you’re there, ask about the special discounts on offer, including the Suzuki on Sale (SOS) campaign. Organised

The Suzuki marine team and our dealers look forward to seeing you all at this years new destination and we look forward to a

wonderful event. Check out www.suzukimarine.com.au to find out more. AUSMARINE At this year’s Show, Ausmarine will display its 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 will also have 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. In addition, Ausmarine will display its comprehensive range of Seacraft aluminium boats, from 2.1m car toppers to 4.45m open boats.  Some of the new models available this year are the Navigator 350 (V-nosed car topper), Profish 420 (wide-sided fishing boat with 3mm bottom and carpeted deck), and the Snapper 425 (deep V open outside boat that is carpeted and has a 3mm bottom). Ausmarine will display its range of Seaking 2-stroke and 4-stroke outboards on these boats. Also on show will

be the new, fully galvanised camping 7x4 off-road trailer. All trailers purchased at the Show will include a free spare wheel and carrier, and all boat/motor/trailer packages purchased at the Show will include free registrations and a bimini. To view the full range visit www.ausmarine.biz. HOBIE The Hobie Cat stand at the Sydney International Boat Show is not to be missed. Whether it’s punching across an exposed patch of water, exploring new casting grounds, or nosing through a mangrove at sunset, Hobie’s MirageDrive delivers snappy, reliable performance, confidenceinspiring power and all-day efficiency. This is only one element of what makes kayaking Hobie-style so sweet, with five impressive Hobie paddle kayaks and 12 revolutionary Hobie kayaks powered by the outstanding MirageDrive. Hobie’s Adventure and Tandem Islands blend timeless design with Hobie innovation, with efficient, square-topped mainsails that immediately translate wind speed into boat speed. For more info visit www. hobiecat.com.au.

What’s new boating

New Mercury Diesels

Mercury Diesel has released new 150hp and 170hp variants of its 2L Inline-4 platform. Mercury’s innovative technology provides increased power-to-weight ratios, cleaner starts and less noise, while eliminating the smoke and smell often associated with diesel engines. Very reliable, compact and robust, the new engines are available as both inboards and sterndrives, and are fully compatible with Mercury’s DTS (Digital Throttle and Shift) technology. Variable geometry turbo (VGT) technology provides peak torque at 2000rpm, so turbo-lag virtually disappears, the boat gets to plane faster and drivers enjoy outstanding operating characteristics. The new engines are only 80cm long and 71cm wide. Producing only 68 decibels they are quieter than a normal conversation, and a closed cooling system increases engine longevity by keeping corrosion at bay. All models offer the latest Common Rail Fuel Injection technology and are fully Mercury SmartCraft-compatible. To find out more visit www.mercurymarine.com.au. - MM

Black Rhino Boats

Black Rhino Boats was born from the concept that Australia’s boating industry was suffering from the same old, same old syndrome, so we teamed up with world renowned, award winning boat designer, Scott Robson to produce a range of plate boats. Here at Black Rhino we are manufacturing fresh boats with a contemporary style that is unique on the Australian market. As our range of boats are Australian made for Australian conditions, our design focuses on strong capabilities and top performance in harsh waters, while also maintaining a modern luxury feeling with a fresh new sleek finish. While the name Black Rhino might be new to the boating industry, our experience and knowledge shows through from each weld with over 100 years of collective boat manufacturing and customising experience in the team. Our builders are fisherman themselves. They understand what will or will not work when you’re out on the water and bring this experience to every boat. When it comes to service and after sales back up, you are dealing direct with Black Rhino Boats, not through a reseller or an agent. We can offer repairs and service second to none, because we build what we sell, we service what we sell and we maintain an open relationship with every boat owner we sell too. Our passion, experience and dedication is what sets us above from the rest. When buying a Black Rhino Boat you’ll have guaranteed satisfaction. For more information on the range, contact Black Rhino on 1800 559 608 or log onto www.blackrhinoboats.com.au. – Black Rhino

Software Upgrade

Lowrance has announced enhanced navigational functionality for its HDS Gen2 and HDS Gen2 Touch range. This functionality provides Easy Routing from C-MAP and Autorouting from Navionics. Users can now easily and automatically create the shortest, safe route based on selected start and end points to plan a route. Routes are shown overlaid on the chart, highlighting the safest route. The software update also adds Dynamic Tides and Currents for Jeppesen C-MAP Max-N+ users, providing a graphical representation of current conditions when the chart is zoomed beyond the 1NM scale.

This software is available as a free download and also includes improvements to charting and navigational features. To get HDS route planning visit www.lowrance.com. - Lowrance

GME MT600G EPIRB

GME has released the MT600G, an EPIRB with improved GPS functionality ensuring faster location in an emergency situation. The MT600G features a 10 year battery life and advanced self testing capability, giving users greater peace of mind. Features include a 66 channel GPS receiver which reduces the search area to less than 100m radius, and a 121.5MHz homing signal to further aid in location and retrieval in an emergency. Complete with quick release mounting bracket and automatically deployed antenna, the MT600G is certified by COSPAS SARSAT for worldwide usage. “GME EPIRBs and PLBs have lead to more rescues in Australian waters than any other brand, and the MT600G continues this heritage,” said Marine Marketing Manager at GME Brad Darch. “It was designed and manufactured in Australia to deliver next generation performance and reliability.” The MT600G is priced at RRP $399. To find your nearest dealer log onto www.gme.net.au. - GME

Marine Graphics Ink

Marine Graphics Ink has been at the forefront of Australian boat wraps since 2007. Their fish illustrations and boat wraps are now recognisable at the boat ramps and on the floor at the boat shows. Nick Hannan, MGI owner and head illustrator, said wraps are becoming a popular and cost-effective option for boat hull protection. “It is a great alternative to painting your boat,” he said. “It’s faster, cheaper and offers a wider range of options.” Starting at $480 for the half wrap ready-to-go stock designs through to full blown custom jobs, it’s definitely worth a troll through their site. Check out www.marinegraphicsink.com or call Nick on 0432 499 492. - MGI

Horizon Boats FP Pack

Horizon Boats EasyFisher range consists of five models, the 415, 435, 450, 465 and 525 and is available in four configurations that include the thwart seat model, pedestal seat model, side console and centre console. Key features of the EasyFisher range includes 3mm bottoms and sides, bow and side rails, anchor well, splash well, front casting deck with storage, rear step and rail, side pockets, soft edge side decks, bow roller and they are fully welded under gunwales. To offer customers even better value for money with the EasyFisher range, Horizon Boats has introduced the FP pack The FP pack includes a rear casting deck, plumbed live bait tank, custom decals and a Humminbird PiranhaMAX 196CXI Sounder*. The FP Pack is available on the EasyFisher, EasyFisher Pro, EasyFisher SC and EasyFisher CC models meaning you can have the boat you love with the extras you always wanted. Terms and conditions apply to this great offer so refer to your local Horizon dealer for all the details or log onto www.horizonboats. com.au for more information. * Humminbird PiranhaMAX 196CXI bonus while stocks last, model subject to change without notice depending on availability.

– Horizon Boats

JULY 2014

SeaCraft Snapper 425 SYDNEY

Dan Trotter

The SeaCraft Snapper 425 is the perfect set-up for harbour, inshore and close offshore fishing. Built tough enough to take on the Aussie conditions, the Deep-V bow is ready to punch through the chop and get you into the action. Relatively stable at rest and quick off the mark – the Snapper 425 is sure to provide serious access to great fishing locations when the correct conditions present. Whether you are traditional bait fisher or addicted to lure flicking adventures for any manner of iconic Aussie sportfish, this open tinnie, built by Ausmarine will get you in the mix. Set-up ready for customisation for the fishing enthusiast with a forward casting deck, rear bench seat, carpeted

and ready for the rugged conditions Australia’s coastline delivers while being light enough to launch and retrieve solo, or capable of comfortably taking two anglers to their favourite GPS marks. BUILD, RIDE AND FISHABILITY Being a deep-vee, the rig is designed for open water and close offshore use, given the often rough conditions of some of our favourite harbours and bays it will also be right at home as a platform for flicking lures at harbour markers or up mangrovelined creeks, along estuary shorelines or soaking baits around prominent structure or creek mouths. The test boat was powered by a Seaking 2-stroke 15hp outboard. Despite the maximum horsepower being 30hp, the 15hp got this rig up and planing quickly, with two of us onboard, if you had any distance to travel upsizing

boats, there’s the expected hull slap while underway. Totally capable in rougher conditions this package is ideally suited for beach launching, and pulling up on isolated coastlines off the beaten track. The paint finish on the boat is great and while the weld quality has improved over the years, they are a little larger than more expensive Australian-made boats. The sprayed yellow and white finish is a nice touch, keep in mind though that tinnies get put through some serious punishment in their lives and scratches show far more where there’s paint than simply alloy. On the fishing front the set-up is pretty basic and the addition of a few items would go a long way towards hassle-free angling. Fitted standard with only two rod holders in the rear corners, there’s no doubting if you’re anything like me and the fishos I know, then you’re going to want

The Snapper 425 is a base rig that will open up lots of waterways and fishing opportunities. a bunch more locations to house your various rod and reel outfits. Fortunately the wide gunwales provide ample space and grab rails at the bow and astride of the rear seat provide for further rail mounted rod holders to ensure you are

ready for action. An upright rod rack bolted to the front of the bench seat or one of the well-situated side pockets would do the trick to ensure you’ve got the room to take your favourite outfits along. Tackle bags and

boxes can be stored under the floor of the forward carpeted casting deck, and with a bit of forethought and a milk crate or similar provides a great space to stow extra rope and a reef pick for those rocky anchoring positions. The bow platform has anchor well recess, which will take some rope and a small anchor; a bow-mounted cleat provides a location to secure your rope once the anchor has found its mark. The cut-down transom is suited perfectly for comfortable handling and is kitted with a rear portside boarding step and a starboard side mounting plate for a transducer. ON THE MONEY The mission of the SeaCraft range is to deliver value and versatility to the Australian boating market. In conversation, Sancho has explained previously, how the business evolved, first with SeaTrail trailers, then SeaCraft was born

Clean and simple in design, this rig is ideal to get you into boating. floor, sturdy welds and the standard storage space between the stern and bench seat for fuel and esky or live bait set-up the whole package is ready to roll out the door and get you on the water. Aimed at budget aware anglers, the Seacraft range of boats are manufactured overseas using Australian sheet aluminium, the snapper 425 is built with a 2mm side and 3mm bottom. The package has been developed to be tough 80

JULY 2014

to the 30hp 4-stroke would be a good idea to deliver a faster top-end speed without sacrificing fuel economy. Fitted with a 25L tote tank, the addition of an extra fuel tank is worth considering if you want to run long distances or spend long days trolling live baits or lures. Due to its size the rear tiller delivers quick wide turns, pulling into corners comfortably while delivering confident handling. As with all tin

Top: The cut down transom allows for short shaft outboards to be used. Above Left: The front hatch is the ideal place for storing all your safety gear and just in front some ground tackle can be stored within easy reach. Above Right: A simple tiller option makers this rig perfect for those just starting their boating career or those looking for a simple and easy to use set-up.

STAND from an obvious demand for boating options for people who simply couldn’t rationalise the money to get into more expensive boats. “Our range of products are built to fit a budget and help get more Aussies out on the water doing

it offers a no nonsense approach to catching a feed, stocked with a handful of rods and tackle, some freediving gear, a brain full of local knowledge and there is no reason you can’t out fish other anglers on any given day.

single axel, non-braked, skid and roller trailer the ability to launch singlehanded is a bonus for anglers who like to fish alone, and if hosed well and properly maintained after each outing the trailer will deliver for years to come.

See us at the SYDNEY BOAT SHOW 31st July-4th Aug 2014

537

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

Alloy Boats

Cartopper Range

Trailers FOLDING 8

Folding trailer, fully galvanised, 8” wheels, suits small tinny’s and inflatables up to 3.6m.

MINI TINNY 210

2.1m cartopper, 2 adults, max 4hp, only weighs 22kg.

from $950

from $999

PWC12

Suits small PWC tinny and inflatable, 12” wheels, fully galvanised.

RANGER 330 3.3m cartopper, 3 adults, max 6hp.

from $1,150

from $1,299

AL4.2M13

ADVENTURER 360 3.6m open tinny, 4 adults, max 15hp.

Suits aluminium boats up to 4.2m.

EXPLORER 400

Roller trailer, unbraked. Suits aluminium and fibreglass boats up to 4.8m.

from $1,450

from $1,999

Open Tinny Range

AL4.6M13R

4m open tinny, 4 adults, max 30hp.

from $2,050

from $2,499

AL5.2M13

NAVIGATOR 400

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

The hull will allow most of the spray to be deflected away when underway. the things they love,” said Sancho. At the prices these packages go out the door it has been proven that thousands of anglers enjoy the considerations the now well-established brand delivers. The Snapper 425 is my kind of tinnie,

Packaged with basic safety gear, plus trailer and boat rego, all you need to do is fill up the tank, grab the tackle, remember to put the bung in and off you can go with your new tinnie ready to get amongst it. ON THE ROAD Delivered on a Seatrail

All packed and loaded up this great diehard fishing package can pretty much be towed behind anything legally allowed to have a tow-ball. Keen to check these out contact the team at Ausmarine to learn more about the great deals they have on offer.

Suits aluminium boats up to 5.2M, braked.

from $2,650

from $2,499

AL5.4M13T

HUNTER 445

Suits aluminium boats up to 5.4M, braked, tandem.

4.5m deep open boat.

from $5,290

from $3,299

Centre Console Range FIB5M14

SPORTFISH 400

Suits fibreglass boats up to 5m, braked.

4m V-nose bowrider/casting deck centre console boat.

from $3,100

from $4,450

FIB5.7M14

FISHER 445

Suits fibreglass boats up to 5.7m, tandem and braked.

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from $7,190

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Runabout Range

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COMMANDER 400

7x5 box trailer, tipper, galvanised, front and rear gates.

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from $1,599

from $5,750

BOX8X4GT

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8x4 box trailer, galvanised, dual axle.

4.5m forward control tinny, windscreen, 5 adults, max 50hp.

from $2,150

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Outboards

2 Stroke Range

4 Stroke Range

From 9.9hp to 40hp A simple drive on trailer makes launch and retrieve a breeze.

From 2.5hp to 15hp

Boat, Motor and Trailer Package

SEACRAFT SNAPPER 425 Basic package from:.....................................................................................$7,590 Seaking:............................................................................................. 15hp 2-stroke As Tested: .......................................................... $8,340 (extras were painted hull) Max Horsepower:.............................................................................................40hp Max Transom Weight:......................................................................................90kg Max People:...........................................................................................................5 Flotation:..........................................................................................................Basic Length Overall:...............................................................................................4.25m Beam:.............................................................................................................1.85m Depth:...............................................................................................................0.9m Bottom Thickness:...........................................................................................3mm Side Thickness:................................................................................................2mm Transom Shaft Length:....................................................................................... L/S Weight (boat only):.........................................................................................200kg

RANGER 330 with 2.5hp 4str

From $2,149

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with 15hp 4str electric start, trailer, centre console with steering

From $9,685

or $51 a week no deposit finance

ADVENTURER 360 with 9.9hp 2str, trailer

From $4,748

or $28 a week no deposit finance

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with 15hp 2str, trailer

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From $10,139

BAYRUNNER 445

with 30hp, 2str electric start, trailer

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From $11,245

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From $13,999

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

JULY 2014

Larson FX1750 SC, a complete fishing machine FMG

Stephen Booth sbooth@fishingmonthly.com.au

The Larson FX1750 by Boats and More in Shepparton

and Echuca is unreservedly a fishing machine that is built to perform and set up with the assistance of BLA, this incredible rig has the best of everything a lure fishing angler would want or ever need. I had the pleasure last year to run around in the Larson FX1850DC, which is a bow rider that was also designed to become a very useable fishing rig. That boat was fantastic, but the FX1750 SC is a step up from this if angling is your priority – and let’s face it, if you’re like me, angling IS your priority when buying a boat. THE BUILD The FX1750 rides exceptionally well, corners hard and is super stable when fishing, These factors have all been deliberately integrated into the design of the rig and Larson Boats has developed a process they term VEC, which is a computer-controlled manufacturing process used to produce every Larson VEC hull. The VEC process guarantees that every Larson VEC boat meets highly precise standards for quality and design. This process produces incredibly precise hulls using a closed-molded composite lamination process. The result is a one-piece “uni-body” hull with an integrated composite stringer and transom system that is stronger, lighter and more robust—so you experience a fast, dry and quiet ride. All this means there is no wood used in the construction of the rig so no rotting, and also there are few joins or weak spots, meaning the company can offer an extended warranty with ease because they are very confident in their product. On the water the FX1750 82

JULY 2014

was a real buzz to drive around. Set up with a Mercury 150 4-stroke, the FX1750 fair hammered along getting over 42 knots at wide open throttle. We tested this rig on a day when there was only

a little wind ruffle on Lake Mulwala, however there was a local fishing comp occurring when we tested the rig and the number of boat wakes to play around on was endless. We skipped over wakes on all angles and not once did the rig feel like it wanted to take its own path over the rough stuff. This is encouraging as the last thing you want is a boat that dictates to you where it will run, especially if you’re fishing this rig in a larger estuary where chaotic wind, swell and boat wakes make navigation somewhat interesting. The higher sides also give you a sense of safety as well. Cornering on this boat is interesting for the first few times. Like the bigger Larson tested last year, the FX1750 rolls over a little more than Aussie tinnies do. It’s not dangerous or a worry and in fact the FX1750 drives much more like a ski boat than the traditional tinnie. Corners at speed are great fun. We went for a longer drive up the Murray River at cruising speed (around 4500rpm) and winding your way up and down the Murray

was great. In this instance there was little roll over when compared to the tight figure of eight tests we did in the lake. As a boat to get you places fast and safe, this will do just that.

INTERNALLY What is there to say about the internal layout of this rig other than sensational? All hatches are waterproof and there is so much storage in this boat that you could literally store a small tackle store’s worth of gear inside. The rod locker in the Larson is awesome. I really like it a lot. Room for half a dozen rigged rods in the central compartment is brilliant. Do I sound enthusiastic about it? I hope so, because I love it. On the skipper’s or starboard side of the front deck is a very useful tackle storage locker. This has an insert with pre-molded lugs to accept tackle trays. I find this system fantastic as I generally store my using tackle in Plano trays and take the trays I need. On the test day I took a Plano Spinnerbait box and three other tackle trays with diving lures from small golden perch sized snacks through to the mega-sized cod trollers. The ability to store all of this below decks is great. On the port side opposite the tackle storage locker is a small live bait well. Talking to Shawn Clancy about this

he could see this being used either as a livebait tank or as a storage site for the largest of your fish in a tournament. It’s certainly big enough to hold a couple of 1.5kg bream or bass and would be an easy way to keep tabs on your big fish for the comp. In front of these two lockers are two general storage lockers that run up each side. These store things such as life jackets, safety gear and also other odds and ends such as the Minn Kota foot control, ropes and tackle retriever. In the cockpit area the dash is set up with plenty of space for all the important gauges, however the addition of the Humminbird Onix means that you can link the sounder to your engine management system and have all the important engine data displayed on your sounder screen if you want. As for the Onix sounder – well it’s big and was mounted to the right

Simon Ryan from Boats and More was a very willing participant in this boat test. He nailed this decent golden perch on a spinnerbait while we were poking around the timber of Mulwala.

Top: The front deck is massive, easily able to fit three anglers, or four at times. The console is set up with a Humminbird Onix sounder and it’s in easy reach for the skipper. Middle Left: Up at the bow you’ll find the Talon anchor spike control (to the starboard or right hand side) as well as the impressive Minn Kota iPilot link system and there is room for a 7” or 8” second sounder. Middle Right: Around the gunwales you’ll find moveable mounts for things like downriggers, rod holders and more. This is a really neat way to allow you to customise your positioning of accessories to suit how many anglers you have and what you are doing on the day. Above: Looking towards the transom sees the ability for four seat positions plus the powerful Talon anchor spike and the Humminbird 360 transducer. The rear end is a wealth of technology that will help you catch more fish.

I could hear was the wind in my ears. At idle you could barely hear a whisper from the outboard and as we putted around the various snags and channels in Mulwala we could hold a conversation easily. So while you could go

power in your outboard is always a good thing if you need it and with this boat set up as a tournament beast, getting to and from the start/ finish area at speed is a must. THE TRAILER The Larson was trailered

As pretty as a picture, the Larson FX1750 SC is a dream ride in just about every sense of the word. hand side of the console on the biggest RAM bracket I have seen. It worked well in this position and was within easy reach of the skipper. Seating is adjustable in four spots. We had three seats on board with us and this worked well with two seats on the port side and the skipper’s seat behind the console. The seating is comfortable, sturdy and they fold down for travel and storage. Good seating in a speed machine like this is hugely important and Larson has it pretty well covered. At the stern end there is a massive livewell that will please any tournament angler, plus another storage space. When all the rear hatches are closed, the rear deck is another fishing platform, however this

was somewhat compromised by the Humminbird 360 and Talon anchor spike posts that would get in the way of serious angling form the back deck. Not a problem though as the front deck is massive enough for three anglers anyway! A list of internal features reads a little like this: bow storage compartments (4) with latches; lockable side storage (2); drink cup holder (3); aerated stern livewell (110L/48”) with light; trolling motor battery storage compartment (12/24 Volt) located under mid rod storage locker; centre lockable rod storage for 8 rods to 7’6”; and 6 seat positions. Now that’s a lot of features without including the moveable accessory mounts and heaps of other neat ideas!

THE POWERHOUSE Fully powered with the amazing Mercury 150hp EFI 4-stroke, the Larson was a real piece of eye-candy on the trailer and on the water. But it’s not all about beauty as this outboard has plenty of the right stuff when it comes to power. As the outboard was new (the rig had been set up for only 2 weeks) you can expect the speed figures to alter a little, but the 150 Merc got the FX1750 SC flying at 42 knots at WOT. Keep in mind that on a lot of waterways a maximum of 40 knots is allowed so the 150 Merc has more than enough of the good stuff to get you where you need to go fast. The beauty of this outboard on the Larson is that

the Mercury provides a lot of plusses. For starters it’s a very light unit for a 4-stroke at around 206kg. Any weight saving on the rear end is a good weight saving. The 150hp Merc is also very fuel efficient and with the Larson cruising easily at 4,500RPM and around 33knots, fuel use will be minimised and the range of cruising will be extended. Like all 4-strokes the noise in the boat was minimal until you had the outboard under stress at take off when the outboard got down and dirty and powered the boat quickly onto the plane in under 4 seconds. I always think about engine noise at top end, but in all seriousness, we were going so fast that all

The powerful Mercury 150hp 4-stroke is an ideal match for this rig. It’s the top of the ratings for power, but after giving it a good run, it’s the option I would look at. for a less powerful outboard, I am always a fan of upping the ante where you can. More

SHEPPARTON

on a Dunbier tandem trailer that was fully rollered and set up for drive on and drive off

ECHUCA

FX 1750 SC THE ULTIMATE TOURNAMENT FISHING MACHINE

$ “This is a serious contender for anyone looking for a tournament fishing rig with some serious credential” sales@boatsandmore.com.au

5822 2108

Stephen Booth

207 Numurkah Rd SHEPPARTON VIC 3630

EDITOR FISHING MONTHLY MAGAZINES

76 Northern Hwy ECHUCA VIC 3564

FROM ONLY

43,999

salesechuca@boatsandmore.com.au

5482 1992

www.boatsandmore.com.au

JULY 2014

capabilities. On the road this set up worked brilliantly and I had no trouble at all getting the boat from Shepparton through to Mulwala and back. But trailers, while most importantly getting your boat safely to and from the water, are usually judged on their ability to launch and retrieve a boat and the Dunbier did it easily. At launch the rig slid from the rollers easily with out going so fast that anything behind you is in serious peril. This is good because some trailers that are fully rollered really do allow the boat to fly off way too quickly. On retrieve the boat can be gently driven into position and from there easily driven up the trailer and secured up front. You can actually do it over the bow of the boat if you have to and we did this the first time we launched and retrieved her, but ideally you make sure the car driver has to do his or her part in retrieval as well. Make no mistake this is a big boat with the need to have a car capable of towing it easily. I towed it around with a VW Tiguan (around 3,000kg towing ability) but most big sixes and 4WDs of just about any size will comfortably get this boat to and from the water. FISHING This is for me the real test of any boat. It’s all great to be fast, safe and wonderful over the chop, but if it is hard to fish from, well then the rig becomes a family cruiser and not a fishing boat. As this was a real boat test we spent three hours having a fish from the boat. Apart from the ease of fishing with its massive front deck and stability, the BLA products (more on these later) made everything almost too simple. Under electric power, the Larson was responsive to the bow mounted Minn Kota and I was able to manoeuvre the rig into and around snags and weed beds quite easily. Up front Simon and Pete were fishing hard and were largely undisturbed by my manoeuvring and even when the inevitable wake board boat’s wake crashed trough our fishing area, the boys up front were not tipped out into the drink –more’s the pity. Accessing gear is simple too. With such a large front deck you could access the tackle storage locker easily and change lures while still on the front deck and not disturb the other person fishing on the front deck. That was great. When casting at snags, we had both anglers on one side of the boat and I was also on the same side driving the electric by foot control and there was no disturbing lean over that made you uncomfortable. That was great too. When the boys did finally hook the odd fish, the inevitable rush towards the side of the boat the fish was on saw us all crowding the angler out and around 300kg concentrated in one spot – 84

JULY 2014

SPEED AT RPM RPM Speed (knots) Idle..........................2.3 1,000......................3.2 2,000......................6.3 3,000....................18.3 4,000....................29.5 5,000....................36.5 WOT (5,800).............42

At full flight the Larson is a weapon of speed and style. If you need to get somewhere quickly, this baby will do it easily. again there was very little noticeable lean, however I will concede that in the heat of battle you’re not really looking at how much the boat is leaning over. But the high sides of the FX1750 SC give you a real feeling of safety and that was good too. Of course the fishing was made easier by the fact that BLA had kitted this rig out and let’s take a look at some of that gear. THE ELECTRONICS AND ACCESSORIES The tested FX1750 SC has been kitted out by BLA as a bit of a show boat. This rig will tour the tournament circuits and be available for all and sundry to climb all over, check out and get to know just what you can do in terms of electronics and accessories. Let’s start at the bow and journey down to the stern. First up is the fabulous Minn Kota Riptide i-Pilot link 80lb, 24V unit. This is exactly the same electric I have on my boat and I can’t speak highly enough of it. Spot Lock, waypoint memory, track memory, the best foot control I have seen and also a remote, plenty of power – yeah I love this bit of kit. The important part of this electric is th link system. This electric motor ha the ability to link to the sounder, in this case the brand new Onix touch, and allows thee electric to be used from the sounder. From the sounder you can mark a way point and then tell the electric to go there. You can also adjust speed and direction and a host of other things that mean if you run out of battery power on your remote, the electric is still useable. Up front a 7”-10” sounder is planned to be fitted to give the front deck caster all the information they need. This wasn’t rigged up when we tested the boat, but when it’s installed it will be like watching a TV show on what’s below/ The new Onix sounder is a fair dinkum weapon. It’s big, bold and very easy to use. With the ability to run

multiple screens on the main screen you can run standard sounder features, GPS, down scan and side imaging all on the one screen to any combination of these. This boat was rigged up with the very impressive Humminbird 360 and this gives you an

unfair advantage. We played around with this in Mulwala around areas I thought I knew pretty well and the snags you discover by just looking are a bit scary. For example you can find a snag and know roughly how far away it is and in what direction from

This 75cm Murray cod was taken in Mulwala when we were testing the Larson. This boat fishes exceptionally well and we could move in and around the snags and weed beds with surprising ease.

the boat it is. The 360 allows you to stand off on a snag (or any feature for that matter) and know where to cast to cover it properly. I am sure better sounder users than I will use the power of the Onix to isolate fish with the 360 and really do some serous fishing. I can’t wait to see what happens as users come to grips with this immense power. The Onix is a combination of touch and manual controls. You can literally do everything by touch screen and everything by manual controls. It’s a great way to ease users into touch screen technology and I found myself using both almost intuitively. It’s very simple to use and after a quick lesson from Shawn Clancy we had no trouble operating the unit in the field. A few months getting to know the unit better and working out the settings for your fishing would give you a frighteningly good piece of technology. Down at the stern end there were two rear arms fitted. The one on the starboard side belonged to the Humminbird 360 transducer and the one on the right belonged to the Talon anchor spike. Anchor spikes are an interesting piece of equipment and after mucking around with on in Mulwala I am keen to explore them a bit more. Basically the Talon anchor spike is a spike that deploys into the substrate and acts as an anchor. This is sensational. With the low flows of the lake, the Talon provide us a way to fix

SPECIFICATIONS Approximate Weight (with 115hp)................................................................907kg Beam............................................................................................................2.44m Cockpit Depth..............................................................................................0.61m Deadrise......................................................................................................16 deg Fuel Capacity..............................................................................................83.27L Hull Type.........................................................................................................VEC Length-Centerline.........................................................................................5.31m LOA on Trailer..............................................................................................5.97m US Max. Weight Capacity............................................................................680kg Max. Horsepower.........................................................................................150hp Person Capacity...................................................................................................5 Transom Height................................................................................... 25” (0.64m) Towing............................................................................. Large 6 cylinder of 4WD

ourselves into position while fishing without me having to jiggle and juggle the electric. Simply spike down, either with the remote or the front foot control, and keep fishing. While the flows were low in late April in the Murray, the Talon’s strength was never really tested, however I am assured that this beast of an anchor spike can hold this rig in substantial current and wind. I found that if I got the placement wrong, something I did a little too often at first, then I could leave the anchor spike in position and rotate the bow of the boat with the electric to hold the anglers in the best casting position. Seriously, this set up is frighteningly good. So are all these accessories worth it? Absolutely. I get that not everyone will have the coin for these accessories, but having had just a bit of exposure to them, they simply make you want more. It’s like red wine was explained to me, if you are left wanting just a little more, then the wine is worth the price, and I can tell you, this wine was worth the price. OVERALL The FX1750 SC is a brilliant rig with so many features that are simply amazing to use in the field. The ride quality is outstanding, the way this boat fishes is great and the overall features and finish on the boat make this a serious contender for anyone looking for a tournament style fishing rig with some serious credential. If you want to know more about the FX1750 SC, and I suggest you all find out more, give the team at Boats and More in Shepparton (03 5822 2108 or Echuca (03 5482 1992) a call or log onto www. boatsandmore.com.au and do some of your own research. The base price with a 125hp Optimax starts at $43,999. The price as tested was $73,490, and if you want the project boat fully fitted with all that fancy kit it costs $76,990. If you’re in the market for a hell of a boat, check out the Larson FX1750 SC. It’s a very impressive piece of fishing weaponry. 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.

Central Coast Central Coast Boat World 19 Lake St Budgewoi Phone: (02) 4399 3568 | Fax: (02) 4399 3568 Website: www.centralcoastboatworld.com.au Cowra Cowra Marine Centre 29 Grenfell St Cowra Phone: (02) 6342 2904 | Fax: (02) 6341 1217 Website: www.cowramarine.com.au Newcastle Tomo’s Marine 96 Marks Point Rd, Marks Point Phone: (02) 4945 3202 Website: www.tomosmarine.com.au

Mercury Portables. Lightweight and built to last. Mercury’s Portables range provide the power that you can carry, run and depend on. With eleven horsepower options ranging from 2.5hp to 30hp, these compact units punch well above their weight.

Port Macquarie Hastings Marine 185 Hastings River Dr Port Macquarie Phone: (02) 6583 5511 | Fax: (02) 6583 5797 Website: www.hastingsmarine.com.au Coffs Harbour Jetty Boating 7 Keona Circuit Coffs Harbour Phone: (02) 6651 4002 | Fax: (02) 6652 1320 Website: www.jettyboating.com.au Hunter Valley Maitland Power and Marine 23 Melbourne St, East Maitland Phone: (02) 4933 3284 | Fax: (02) 4934 1544 Website: www.mpm.net.au Riverina Maverick Boats Hammersley & Theiss Road, Corowa Phone: (02) 6033 3222 | Fax: (02) 6033 4488 Website: www.maverickboats.com.au Far South Coast Merimbula Outboards 382 Sapphire Coast Dr Tura Merimbula Phone: (02) 6495 9634 | Fax: (02) 6495 9345 Website: www.merimbulaoutboard.com.au Illawarra Nowra Marine Princes Hwy South Nowra Phone: (02) 4423 3440 | Fax: (02) 4423 0486 Website: www.nowramarine.com.au Sydney West Penrith Marine 4/133 Coreen Ave Penrith Phone: (02) 4731 6250 | Fax: (02) 4732 3863 Website: www.penrithmarine.com.au Sydney North Shore Shannon Outboards 3/41 Leighton Pl Hornsby Phone: (02) 9482 2638 | Fax: (02) 9476 0009 Email: sales@shannonoutboards.com.au Website: www.shannonoutboards.com.au Sydney North West TR Marine World 44 Curtis Rd McGraths Hill Phone: (02) 4577 3522 | Fax: (02) 4577 3255 Email: sales@trmarine.com.au Website: www.trmarine.com.au Sydney North West Watersports Marine 11 Binney Rd Kingspark Phone: (02) 9676 1400 | Fax: (02) 9676 7588 Website: www.watersportsmarine.com.au Central Coast Insinc Marine 278 Manns Road, Gosford West Ph: (02) 4324 4300 Fax: (02) 4324 4400 Website: www. insincmarine.com.au Northern NSW / Gold Coast Tweed Coast Marine 147 Pacific Hwy Tweed Heads South Ph: (07) 5524 8877 Fax: (07) 5524 3324 Website: www.tweedcoastmarine.com.au Dubbo Dubbo Marine & Watersports 36 Bourke St, Dubbo Ph: 02·6882 2853 Website: www.dubbomarine.com.au Mid North Coast Disco Marine 160 North St Grafton Ph: (02) 6643 1199 | Fax: (02) 6643 4066 Website: www.discomarine.com.au

2014 • AUSTRALIAN

9 - 10 AUGUST 2014

Ipswich Show Grounds - Exhibition Centre

LURE EXPO lureshow.com.au Australian Lure Expo upsizes in Ipswich

Anthony Curtis with one of the prime targets for his AC Lures – a big Murray cod! “Anyone can be involved in this. Whether you’re a cottage lure maker who knocks a few out in the shed or are a commercial maker who makes

lures by the thousands, this is THE place to be if you make lures or flies in Australia.” “We always have some really old, Australian

Entry

9am – 4pm

Adults $10 / Under 16 FREE 2 Day Pass $15

s • Plastic Lures • Metal Lures • Old Lures • New Lures • Timber Lure • Spinnerbaits • Custom Lures • Skirted Lures • Wet Flies • Dry Flies PLACE TO SEE THEM IF IT’S AUSSIE MADE - THIS IS THE

REEF SCIENCE TANK See live lure demos and talks daily

LUCKY DOOR

PRIZES

• Lure collections • Lure making fication • Live demonstrations • Lure identi play • Buy, sell, swap • Live native fish dis • Food and drink available PLUS LOADS MORE!!

IPSWICH SHOWGROUND Warwick Rd, Ipswich

lureshow.com.au 86

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9th & 10th 2014

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DEAL • G EA

YOUR FISHING MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION AT THE EXPO

SUBSCRIBE OR RE-NEW

collectibles, vintage lures and some of the best lure makers in the world on display,” Fitzy continued. “You’ll be able to learn

DEAL • GR

Some of the lures on display at the Expo are real collectors’ pieces.

still maintains the country atmosphere. Holding entry prices at $10 per adult (kids are free) and with rock bottom exhibitor fees AND free parking, the Expo draws a diversity of exhibitors that won’t be seen at major (read: more expensive) shows and expos anywhere in Australia. We caught up with Fitzy at the venue to discuss the relocation and his excitement is evident (see the QR code hereby for the link to the video). “This event was designed to showcase the dying art of luremaking in Australia,” said Fitzy, “and more recently it expanded to include fly making and fishing.” “The new site at the Ipswich Showgrounds is six times bigger than the old site, and it’s also undercover, which makes it an all-weather option for the winter weekend,” Garry continued. In fact, his enthusiasm about the show is infectious and this is reflected in the increased patronage (from both exhibitors and visitors) each year.

Fernvale and is relocating to Ipswich. The now home of the Expo at the Ipswich Showgrounds, which makes it more accessible to Brisbane day-trippers, but

• GR

Just like your three year old grows out of their favourite pants, Garry Fitzgerald’s Australian Lure and Fly Expo has outgrown its inaugural venue at

BRISBANE

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GETTING TO THE LURE AND FLY EXPO

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MEET YOUR MAKER We stress it a lot throughout this feature, but the best source of advice you can get about how to fish a particular type of lure is directly from the maker who designed it. Of course, you may have discovered a way of fishing a particular lure that knocks ‘em dead, and that feedback is also invaluable to makers. You may also see a gap in the market for a particular type or action of lure. There’s no better place to stress this point than to the guys and girls who make a business of making baits that catch fish! So let’s get into a bit of a preview on what you can see at this year’s Australian Lure and Fly Expo. SEE THEM THERE GARRA LURES Garra Lures has been quietly making exceptional hand-carved lures for native fish in the borderlands of NSW and Qld for years. Terry Marshall is one of the absolute cottage industry lure makers with a real penchant for designing lures. In fact, he designs lures that not only catch fish, but are appealing for anglers as well. At the show, Terry will be displaying some of his popular models that include the Pondi, Terra, MandM, Tarki and the Peeli in 3 sizes. He is likely to have some new

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how to make your own lures, so that you can turn a hunk of wood into something you can go and catch a fish with. You’ll learn how to shape them, how to add fittings to them and how to finish them if you’re that way inclined.” CONTRIBUTE TO THE AWARDS The Australian Lure Awards have again expanded. They recognise outstanding contributions and designs of Australia makers. In addition to separating the cottage industry makers and the commercial operations, the major change is that it’s going from a “Judged” format to a “Voting” format. This means that everyone who visits the show has the ability to vote on their favourite lures and contribute towards the selection of the Best of the Best. The awards function happens on the Saturday night, on site at the Showground Function Centre.

lureshow.com.au

See Fitzy talk about the new show venue.

Ipswich Show Grounds - Exhibition Centre

mH igh

LURE EXPO

9 - 10 AUGUST 2014

2014 • AUSTRALIAN

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Not to scale

To M1 Sydney

DETAILS WHEN: TIMES: WHERE: ORGANISER: ADMISSION: WEBSITE:

Saturday Aug 10 and Sunday Aug 11, 2014 9am to 4pm Ipswich Showgrounds Exhibition Centre, 81 Warwick Rd Ipswich Garry Fitzgerald 0423 464 311 or info@sweetwaterfishing.com.au Adults $10, children under 16 accompanied by a paying adult are free. 2-day pass, $15 www.lureshow.com.au

models and old models on display too for anglers to buy at amazing prices. Fishing Monthly has

also engaged Terry Marshall to supply our limited edition subscriber lures for the Australian Lure and Fly

Expo. Terry has put together a brilliant Pondi in a one-off colour that Terry tells me is catching way too many fish

The Bassman Yellaman will be on sale, amongst a host of new and existing models on the Bassman stand.

– and that’s typical of a lure made by Garra Lures. AC LURES Anthony Curtis is again

HAND CARVED TIMBER LURES Available in • Shallow • Deep • Surface 100% Aussie Made And Owned

Trade enquiries welcome Terry: 0414 846 995

: 07 4684 3153

JULY 2014

2014 • AUSTRALIAN

LURE EXPO

Drop by the Lively Lures’ stand and grab a Micro Mullet for only $10 at the show. Bugger that, grab half a dozen at that price! joining the exhibitors at the Lure and Fly Expo and is excited to showcase his great range of lures that are right now taking massive cod in the cold winter waters of the Murray. With a range of lures that extend from a tiny 50mm right up to 150mm, AC Lures will have a lure that is just right for where and how you fish. The range of colours is impressive and, like a lot of lure makers, the colour range is always being developed to meet the needs of regional anglers. For the collectors, AC Lures will have the last few of their spectacular limited edition yabbies on sale and Anthony tells me he is hoping

to have the first of his 20th Anniversary sets on show – a set of nude lures that covers his range and a collector’s set you should not miss out on. So drop by AC Lures stand, have a chat to the maker and get the lure that is right for you or your collection. BASSMAN SPINNERBAITS Bassman Spinnerbaits has long been established as making the best spinnerbaits for Australian conditions and with a willingness to consistently update colours and models, redesign head shapes and components, the team at Bassman continually come up with offerings that catch Aussie fish.

At the Expo Bassman will be releasing a host of new colours suitable for the bass market, a market that is booming thanks to the overflow bass fisheries in Queensland and the wonderful natural fisheries in NSW. The team will also be re-releasing the bass-sized Mumblers, a much under-used lure that Glen recently used with great success in several NSW impoundments. Bassman Spinnerbaits has a range of lures from the smallest 1/8oz spinnerbait through to the giant 2 1/2oz spinnerbait that will cover everything from bass and trout through to the biggest cod and barra you will find anywhere. And late mail suggest that Glen may be releasing a Japanese range of Bassman Spinnerbaits under the title 低音男スピナーベイト. Look out for these exciting products at the Expo. RIO’S LURES Manufactures of the original Australian Rio’s Prawn lure and the new Lethal Action range of offshore trolling lures taking SE Queensland by storm, Rio’s Lures are almost an institution in Queensland and more broadly across Australia. For the Lure Expo Rio’s Lures will be displaying and selling their full range of lures and Eio will be on hand to explain how to get the best out of all of his lures. Of most interest will be the showcasing of the new range, the Lethal Action range of offshore trolling lures taking SE Queensland by storm. But they will also be showcasing the original Australian Prawn

Nick 0412 360 634 Follow us:

www.facebook.com/twinriverlures

Ipswich Show Grounds - Exhibition Centre

lureshow.com.au on the same profile, 90mm and 50mm models were introduced while still maintaining the great swimming action Cooby Cobba Lures are known for. Lures are effective either casting to the fringes or trolling. Pillie and Poddy Mullet are other models in the range. Although originally designed for Murray cod, golden perch and bass, don’t be fooled into thinking this is the case; these lures have

Get hints and tips on how to tie your own flies with live fly tying demonstrations daily. the boutique or cottage lure scene. Manufacture of these lures commenced around the time Toowoomba’s Cooby Dam opened for fishing in the late 80s. Early models were out of timber, now their lures are manufactured using polyurethane with quality components moulded in, including through the bib stainless steel wire and laser cut polycarbonate bibs. Lures are a slow rise floating lure with the 60mm model being the flagship of the range. Based

accounted for many a finned quarry including fickle jungle perch, ultra aggressive sooty grunter. Had there durability tested on barra, jacks, fingermark and trevally. Ambushed by big flathead and fooled the wily bream and shy whiting. Cooby Cobba Lures have proven their versatility and durability and have more applications than you could likely poke a rod at. Do yourself a favour, check out these great Aussie lures at the Expo.

ONLINE

STORE

www.riolures.com.au

Rio : 0412 854 257 Laser Cut

FIND US ON FACEBOOK! Bassman Spinnerbaits Official

www.bassmanspinnerbaits.com.au ANTHONY CURTIS • Y-S81 size 8 - 1/0 • Y-S82 size 2/0 - 5/0 • Super heavy duty

OVER

S H

ES CE FR

ORMAN

WATER & SALT

ROBERT - 0487 353 582 TOOWOOMBA QLD 88

JULY 2014

• Y-S81 size 8 - 1/0 • Y-S82 size 2/0 - 5/0 • Super heavy duty

LASERWORX has been supplying custom designed polycarbonate lure bibs to the major Australian lure makers for over 13 years. We also offer a standard range of bibs for the DIY angler.

AR 20 YE

RF EN PE

PROV

LIVELY LURES Lively Lures are an Aussie icon lure that has stood the test of time and keep coming back for more. At the Expo Lively Lures will be displaying the full range of their lures to show off just how diverse their products are. Best of all though, with Lively Lures recently opening a direct on line store (www.livelylures. com.au) visitors to the Expo can go home, log into the site and purchase whichever lures took their fancy, safe in the knowledge that they have handled the lures and know what they are getting. To add to this for the collectors, Lively Lures will be displaying and selling a range of historic Lively Lures at the Expo. There are some lures that will be available for purchase that are over 25 years old. This will prove a very popular stand as literally pieces of Australian lure history will be sold off at the Expo. The late news was that Lively Lures will be selling their range of Micro Mullets at only $10 a pop – that a saving from their already incredibly cheap online price and something all trollers will need to budget for – especially if flathead, bass, bream and trout are on your target list! With all models on show, the ability to add to your collection with some seriously old and valuable lures, the Lively Lures stand will be a must visit at the Expo. HAVE YOU BEEN GOBSMACKED? Gobsmacked Lures is a family owned and run

100% Australian Made Lures

Built FNQ tough!

Trade Enquiries Welcome

lures, their Live Chrome range of metal lures, the Big Eye Poppers and they will also be releasing a new offshore metal lure that can only be seen at the Expo. Still 100% Australian made, all Rio’s Lures at the Expo will be at factory outlet price so you’ll need to check this stand out. COOBY COBBA LURES Cooby Cobba Lures is one of the many lure companies emerging from

9 - 10 AUGUST 2014

CONSISTENT ACCURACY

HIGHEST QUALITY POLYCARBONATE 1, 1.5 and 2 MM

LASER CUTTING

(02) 6931 2796 / 0408 688 805

E: aclures@internode.on.net

www.aclures.com.au

2014 • AUSTRALIAN

LURE EXPO business operating out of Goulburn NSW. Owner Jamie Judd has always had a love of fishing, and loves to tinker with his own lure designs. Jamie said “When my hobby turned into a business, I was glad I could pass this passion on to others as well as my children, who love helping me make lures. My youngest daughter even had a lure (without hooks) as a baby rattle. “My main passion is surface lures, especially designed for targeting Aussie natives. While I love fishing in general, there is nothing more exhilarating than that big BOOF, when your lure gets smacked off the top. Hence the name Gobsmacked, because often that’s how that sight leaves you, gobsmacked “I will be bringing my lathe, and will be doing demonstrations on lure turning. In this day and age of mass produced lures, I love the art of taking a

9 - 10 AUGUST 2014

Ipswich Show Grounds - Exhibition Centre

lureshow.com.au

piece of wood, and crafting a quality timber lure by hand. I want to show people, that for very little outlay, you can still produce a quality product. And keep the tradition of handmade Australian lures alive”. Gobsmacked Lures range in size from 50mm bass lures, to huge lures for targeting Murray cod and barramundi. This range is ever changing, so keep your eyes open for some new releases at this year’s Lure and Fly Expo. LASERWORX THE MOST PRECISE Laserworx, who cut all types of bibs with remarkable accuracy, has been supplying lure bibs to manufacturers for the last 13 years, offering a competitive, consistent and quick service to Aussie lure makers country-wide. The benefit of having your bibs laser cut is consistency in shape (every bib will be identical) and reduced labour in the whole manufacturing process

There is plenty to see at the Lure Expo with some amazing displays.

allowing lure designers to concentrate solely on making the best designs around. And although Laserworx does a lot of business with established lure-makers, like Alan Dolan’s Lively Lures, they do also cater for the hobbyist via a standard range of bibs that can be ordered in smaller, non-commercial quantities. In fact, drop in and see the Laserworx staff and you’ll find that they may well have some small, mixed bags of bibs that you can use to get your hobby up and off the ground. BUMPA BAR DOUBLED Bumpa Bar lures will be attending the Lure Expo again with their great range of sized and coloured Bumpa Bar lures, including the new Double Up range. The Bumpa Bar range has always offered a variety of sizes and weights to accommodate fishing for a wide range of species and fishing conditions. The lures are proudly Australian-made using 316 Stainless steel. They are all equipped with heavy-duty spilt rings and hooks, built to withstand the harsh Australian conditions. The lures have been getting some strong press of late for being such a versatile lure. The erratic action of the lure produced by the Bumpa Bar is what attracts the fish. Cast, jig or troll – all methods are popular and effective ways of using the lures. With its origins from Northern Queensland – the lures now have a strong following in the southern states using a variety of applications. So come and say G’day to Steve at the Bumpa Bar Lure Stand and make sure you stock up on a few of their lures. No tackle box should be without some!

TWIN RIVER LURES SPECIALS Twin River Lures will be attending the expo for the third straight year and second year as an exhibitor. They will have a selection of colours across all 12 models that they make. Expo special pricing will be on offer ranging from $12.50 - $17.50 with custom Expo-signed sets available. Twin River Lures are made by long time Far North Queenslander’s Rex and Nick Stock from a selection of native FNQ timbers. Rex first started carving red cedar barra minnows while working in Cooktown in the mid 1970s. On moving to the Atherton Tablelands in the early 1980s and having his own furniture making business meant no shortage of timber to make lures from. While never offering these lures for retail sale, they accounted for plenty of northern estuary species. Nick has been living in remote communities over the last 10 years and shares his old man’s love of chasing barra on hand-made timber lures. With decent timber barra lures getting harder to find these days, the dedication was made to quit working in the mines in Weipa and continue making lures on a full-time basis approximately 3 years ago. With Twin River Lures supplying over 20 retail stores in Northern Australia they will continue to be many barra angler’s go-to lure for years to come. Call in and say G’day at the Expo and like their Facebook page for lure giveaways, prizes, updates and photos. FISHING MONTHLY MAGAZINES Fishing Monthly will be offering those who renew or take up a new

subscription the chance to own a Limited Edition Garra Lures Pondi lure that is individually numbered and signed by Terry Marshall of Wallangarra, Qld. There are only 80 of these lures available in a one-off Fishing Monthly colour scheme and these will be the centre of the

subscription offer. Please note this offer is only available to those visiting the show as the lure is a limited edition. We should warn you these lures are responsible for many XOS cod captures and we’re guessing even the die hard collectors may take these gun lures for a swim!

Quality Hand Crafted Timber Lures Made in Australia

Cod Cruncha Wilbarra Fatty Ripple See us at the Lure Expo HANDCRAFTED, HANDPAINTED AND INDIVIDUALLY TANK TESTED

Contact: Sales@gidgeelures.com or call 0428 147 035

NO BOAT SHOULD BE WITHOUT THEM NO BOAT SHOULD BE WITHOUT THEM

PRODUCT ANDORDERING ORDERINGIN IN FORMATION: FORFOR PRODUCT INFORMATION: FOR PRODUCTAND AND ORDERING FORMATION: Phone: +61418 418419 419 999999 Phone: 999 Phone:+61 0418 419 Email: info@ bumpabar.com Email: info@ info@bumpaba.com Email: bumpabar.com Web: www.bumpabar.com www.bumpabar.com Web: www.bumpabar.com

ONLINE STORE & SA FLATHEAD LOLLIES VE FULL RANGE FOR ALL SPECIES

MICRO MULLETS

12 COLOURS

STOCKHISUP

FOR T YEAR’S FLATHEAD SEASON

The Cooby Cobba lures are real fish takers and they’ll be at this year’s Expo giving you all the info on how to build your own and also the lures to catch fish like this beast!

FOR ORDERS E G A T S O P E E R F

OVER $50

www.livelyluresonline.com.au JULY 2014

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.

Blue Bottle Fishing www.bluebottlefishing.com info@bluebottlefishing.com Ph: 0409 333 380

Kayak Dealers

Out of the Blue Tackle 0417 608 344 or www.outofthebluetackle.com.au Mo Tackle (02) 6652 4611 or www.motackle.com.au

Advertisers wanting to be involved in this directory can call (07) 3387 0800 or email ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

Specialty Fishing Products www.specialtyfishing.com.au U-Make-Em Soft Plastics www.u-make-emsoftplastics.com.au Adrenalin Flies www.adrenalinflies.com.au

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Line listing from $15 + gst per mth* 2cm x 2 from $35 + gst per mth* 5cm x 2 from $50 + gst per mth* 7cm x 2 from $74 + gst per mth* 9cm x 2 from $89 + gst per mth* 10cm x 2 from $99 + gst per mth* 11cm x 2 from $105 + gst per mth* 12cm x 2 from $110 + gst per mth* * Conditions apply Call (07) 3387 0800 or email ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

www.hunterwatersports.com 02 4947 7899

COFFS COAST

Hunter Water Sports (02) 4947 7899

Compleat Angler Kempsey (02) 6562 5307 Rocks Marine Bait & Tackle South West Rocks (02) 6566 6726

Boat / Trailer Modifications & Repairs

MACQUARIE COAST

Bold Trailers (02) 8544 8114 www.boldtrailers.com.au

Graham Barclay Marine (02) 6554 5866

Salt Away 1800 091 172 www.salt-away.com.au

Manning River Marine Taree (02) 6552 2333 Port Macquarie Tackle World (02) 6584 9972

SYDNEY The Boat Pimpers (Sydney) (02) 9792 7799

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Port Stephens Tackle World (02) 4984 2144

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SYDNEY

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Marine Mechanics Cont...

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Lake Glenbawn State Park (02) 6543 7193 Wyangala Waters State Park (02) 6345 0877 Bass Lodge Macleay River NSW 0433 482 325

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Specialising in: Mercury Outboards and MerCruiser Engines Service Centre: All outboards and jetskis

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Email : ads@fishingmonthly.com.au

COFFS COAST Pelican Park Nambucca Heads (02) 6568 6505

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Wangi Point Lakeside holiday Park (02) 4975 1889

Wooli Deep Sea Tours (02) 6649 7100

Macleay Valley Coastal Holiday Parks 1300 COASTAL

Trial Bay Fishing Charters, 0427 256 556

Blacksmiths Holiday Park (02) 4971 2858

CENTRAL COAST Central Coast Holiday Parks 1800 241 342

ILLAWARRA COAST

MACQUARIE COAST Castaway Estuary Charters 0427 239 650 Ocean Star Fishing Charters 0416 240 877

HUNTER COAST

Currarong Beachside Tourist Park 1300 555 515 Sussex Inlet (LJ Hooker) (02) 4441 2135

Tailermade Fishing Adventures (02) 4928 2653 or 0411 096 717

Riviera Caravan Park, St George’s Basin (02) 4441 2112

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Killalea State Park, Shell Cove (02) 4237 8589

Harbour and Estuary Fishing Charters (02) 9999 2574 or 0410 633 351

Holiday With Us, Sussex Inlet (02) 4441 2135

Sydney Sportfishing Adventures 0405 196 253

Sunset Motors & Marine (02) 4297 2888

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Silver Star Fishing Charters (02) 4421 7462 or 0412 977 000

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Shell Harbour Fishing Charters 0425 216 370

FRESHWATER Dubbo Marine and Watersports (02) 6882 2853

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Trades, services, charter boats & guided fishing tours directory Greenwell Point only 10 mins from

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Mark Ternen was fishing Dennis Bridge on the Hastings River for mulloway when his 6” Gulp Nemesis was taken by this 113cm cobia. The fish took over an hour to land (tackle: 4-6kg Abu Veritas, Shimano Stradic FJ 3000, 15lb braid, 20lb Sunline FC Rock leader.)

Daniel Dowley Caught this near-metre flathead in the Clyde River at Bateman’s Bay. Super catch!

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abt E FRE

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4 1 E ID U G R E L G N A T N TOURNAME Tournament

Issu

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Guide SCRATCHING THE SURFACE

BARRA

Tools of the Trade Sounding for Barra n Barra Baits Breakdow

EXTRAS

BREAM

Non-boating Know How Sponsorship Secrets Lure Sounds

s Crash Diving Crankbait Kayak Grand Final Box M Hickson’s BREA

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Timeline to Success Ice Jigging Magic Finesse Plastics

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 Launched March 2014 via www.abt.org.au  Free of charge  Online only ckle  Latest techniques, ta and information  All the information to prepare you for tournament season 2014

S AND RANKINGS

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TIDE PREDICTIONS FOR SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) JULY – 2014 EASTERN STANDARD TIME TIDE PREDICTIONS FOR SYDNEY (FORT DENISON) JULY – 2014

EASTERN STANDARD TIME

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

1052 1.35 WEDNESDAY 1133 1.35 THURSDAY 1217 1.35 TUESDAY

1.5m

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

1 1

0447 0.45

2 2

0524 0.48

86 8

0401 1.30 1002 0.53 12 1643181.620 2318 1.30 0.56 0401 1002 0.53 1643 1.62 2318 0.56

1627 2247 0447 1052 1627 2247

0.63 1.66 0.45 1.35 0.63 1.66

FRIDAY

3 3

0602 0.50

96 9

0505 1.33 1056 0.49 12 1735181.740

106 10

12 18 0 0014 0.44 0603 1.37 12 1148180.440 1827 0.44 1.86 0014 0603 1.37 1148 0.44 1827 1.86

12 18 0 0515 0.19 1124 1.57 12 1715180.410 2333 0.19 1.80 0515 1124 1.57 1715 0.41 2333 1.80

1710 2326 0524 1133 1710 2326

0.66 1.59 0.48 1.35 0.66 1.59

1758 0602 1217 1758

0.70 0.50 1.35 0.70

SATURDAY

4 4

0008 1.51 0.53 1305 1.36 1853 1.51 0.74 0008 0644 0.53 1305 1.36 1853 0.74

5 5

0057 1.43

116 11

0106 0.32 0659 1.43 12 1241180.390 1917 0.32 1.96 0106 0659 1.43 1241 0.39 1917 1.96

126 12

0156 0.22 0752 1.48 12 1334180.340 2007 0.22 2.03 0156 0752 1.48 1334 0.34 2007 2.03

12 18 0 0028 1.64 0656 0.35 12 1315181.550 1922 1.64 0.55 0028 0656 0.35 1315 1.55 1922 0.55

12 18 0 0126 1.48 0747 0.44 12 1415181.550 2033 1.48 0.60 0126 0747 0.44 1415 1.55 2033 0.60

0644 FRIDAY

0729 0.55 SATURDAY 1357 1956 0057 0729 1357 1956

1.39 0.75 1.43 0.55 1.39 0.75

1.0m 1.5m 0.5m 1.0m

6 6

0152 0817 1452 2106 0152 0817 1452 2106

0.5m 0

136 13

0.5m 0

206 20

0.5m 0

276 27

0.5m 0

1.5m

1.36 0.56 1.44 0.73 1.36 0.56 1.44 0.73

7 7

0.5m 0 0256 1.31 0909 0.55 1547 1.520 2215 1.31 0.67 0256 0909 0.55 1547 1.52 2215 0.67

0505 1.33 1056 0.49 1735 1.74

1.0m 1.5m 0.5m 1.0m

1.5m

0245 0.15 0845 1.52 12 1428180.320 2058 0.15 2.06 0245 0845 1.52 1428 0.32 2058 2.06

146 14

NSW tides

12 18 0 0335 0.12 0937 1.55 12 1522180.320 2149 0.12 2.02 0335 0937 1.55 1522 0.32 2149 2.02

156 15

12 18 0 0425 0.14 1030 1.57 12 1618180.350 2241 0.14 1.93 0425 1030 1.57 1618 0.35 2241 1.93

166 16

176 17

12 18 0 0605 0.26 1218 1.56 12 1816180.480 0605 0.26 1218 1.56 1816 0.48

186 18

196 19

1.0m 1.5m 0.5m 1.0m

1.5m

0230 1.34 0842 0.51 12 1515181.560 2148 1.34 0.62 0230 0842 0.51 1515 1.56 2148 0.62

216 21

12 18 0 0340 1.26 0937 0.55 12 1616181.580 2259 1.26 0.59 0340 0937 0.55 1616 1.58 2259 0.59

226 22

12 18 0 0446 1.23 1031 0.56 12 1712181.620 2359 1.23 0.54 0446 1031 0.56 1712 1.62 2359 0.54

236 23

12 18 0 0545 1.24 1123 0.56 12 1801181.660 0545 1.24 1123 0.56 1801 1.66

246 24

12 18 0 0045 0.49 0634 1.27 12 1210180.540 1845 0.49 1.70 0045 0634 1.27 1210 0.54 1845 1.70

256 25

12 18 0 0126 0.44 0717 1.30 12 1252180.520 1925 0.44 1.72 0126 0717 1.30 1252 0.52 1925 1.72

266 26

12 18 0 0201 0.41 0756 1.33 12 1331180.500 2001 0.41 1.74 0201 0756 1.33 1331 0.50 2001 1.74

1.0m 1.5m 0.5m 1.0m

1.5m

0235 0.38 0831 1.35 12 1409180.490 2035 0.38 1.74 0235 0831 1.35 1409 0.49 2035 1.74

286 28

12 18 0 0307 0.37 0907 1.37 12 1445180.490 2110 0.37 1.72 0307 0907 1.37 1445 0.49 2110 1.72

296 29

12 18 0 0339 0.37 0943 1.38 12 1524180.500 2144 0.37 1.68 0339 0943 1.38 1524 0.50 2144 1.68

306 30

12 18 0 0412 0.38 1018 1.39 12 1602180.520 2219 0.38 1.62 0412 1018 1.39 1602 0.52 2219 1.62

316 31

12 18 0 0445 0.40 1057 1.40 12 1645180.560 2256 0.40 1.55 0445 1057 1.40 1645 0.56 2256 1.55

1.0m 1.5m 0.5m 1.0m 12

 Copyright: Commonwealth of Australia 2012, Bureau of Meteorology (ABN 92 637 533 532) 0 Disclaimer: 6 12 18These 0 tide 6 predictions 12 18 are 0 supplied 6 12 in18 18 to 0 be 6correct. 12 18 0 good0faith6and12 believed No warranty is given in respect to errors, omissions, or suitability for any purpose.  Copyright: Commonwealth of Australia 2012, Bureau of Meteorology (ABN 92 637 533 532) Disclaimer: These tide predictions are supplied in good faith and believed to be correct. No warranty is given in respect to errors, omissions, or suitability for any purpose.

Tidal information is provided courtesy of the Sydney Ports Corporation. Copyright in the Tidal Predictions is owned by the Bureau of Meteorology. Users of these tables should be aware that the heights shown in this publication are predictions only and that the actual water level height may vary due to meteorological conditions (including barometric pressure, wind effect and storm surges) and seasonal variations. Sydney Ports Corporation is not responsible for the average time differences for other locations.

NO DEALER SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE FOR

3YRS OR 300HRS

ONLY WITH EVINRUDE • No scheduled dealer servicing for the first 3 years or 300 hours.** • No oil changes. Ever.

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